On arriving in camp, we found the four members of the first party much restored in health. They had indeed performed a wonderful feat in reaching an altitude of nearly two thousand five hundred feet above the previous world’s record for high climbing, established by the Duke of the Abruzzi in 1909. But they had not escaped unscathed; all had suffered, to a greater or less extent, from frost-bite. Morshead’s fingers and toes were in a woeful condition, blue-black and covered with immense blisters. On the 23rd all four, together with Colonel Strutt, left for the Base Camp, and succeeded in reaching their destination that evening.
In the meantime we completed our preparations, and on the 24th Geoffrey Bruce, Tejbir and I, accompanied by ten porters, went up to the North Col. With us was Captain Noel, whom we had rigged out with an oxygen apparatus—a new convert to the true faith. Apart from the question of altitude, the camp in the North Col was the most comfortable of all, being well sheltered from the wind. As soon as the sun set, however, the cold became intense, and after a somewhat early evening meal we crawled into our sleeping-bags. In spite of the fact that the tents were pitched on snow, we passed a fair night.
Next morning we were up betimes; but not too early for the porters, who were as keen as ourselves on setting to work. At 8 a.m. they had breakfasted, loaded up, and started off towards the Shoulder of Everest. Knowing that with oxygen there would be no difficulty in overhauling them, we waited in camp until 9.30 a.m., busying ourselves the while in putting the finishing touches to our preparations and in making the best of breakfast. Both this and the preceding evening meal were rather meagre, the stock of provisions at the North Col being one permitting neither of waste nor over-consumption. Before gaining the long, broad snow ridge leading up towards the Shoulder, we had to make our way across a series of large crevasses intersecting the summit snows of the col. They gave no trouble, however, a number of different routes being made possible by an abundance of good snow bridges. The suggestion of dragging a wooden ladder all the way from India up to this spot, in order to negotiate an impassable crevasse or ice cliff, has been seriously advocated. Surely the adoption of such a stratagem is justifiable only in the case of the novice, or one whose mountaineering training has taught him to seek out difficulties in the mountains, instead of circumventing them with a steady eye on the ultimate goal. Also, in view of the fact that there are still doubts as to the morality or otherwise of employing oxygen, it were better that the use of artificial aids such as ladders, poles and what-not be deprecated.
Just before gaining the foot of the snow ridge, we came upon one of the porters sitting on the floor of a snowed-up crevasse. His strength had failed him, but his comrades had divided up his load amongst themselves, and he had now settled down to await their return. He was quite comfortable and well sheltered from the wind. So with parting injunctions not to move off before the return of his comrades, we left him basking in the sun, and carried on. The lower section of the snow ridge is not steep, and, furthermore, by keeping a little to the right of the actual crest, we were able to make good headway over stones where the rock of the mountain joins the snow of the ridge. We drew level with the porters at an altitude of nearly 24,500 feet, but halted only for a few brief moments while I took some photographs. Further delay was inadvisable. One of those extraordinarily rapid changes in the weather, for which Mount Everest is now so notorious, could be seen approaching. With the porters following and doing their utmost to keep pace, we climbed on steadily. Shortly before coming to the end of the snow ridge, we had to cut steps up a steep snow slope. I made them large and close together in order that the porters could not only mount easily but also descend in perfect safety. As a matter of fact, I might have contented myself with cutting the smallest of steps. Every single man in our party, sahib and porter alike, was working away as if he were a born mountaineer, showing splendid balance and self-confidence.
The North Peak from an altitude of nearly 24,500 feet on Mount Everest.
The arrows point to the North Col Camp.
Facing page 316.