Two American Boys in the War Zone

by Levi Worthington Green

“I can’t think of anything that could be worse than an avalanche,” said Raymond as he looked down at the smooth path left by the cataclysm.

“That was an awful moment,” said Sidney, “just before it struck us.”

“I know I was never so badly scared before. Do you suppose they are always as thick as they have been to-day?”

“I don’t think so. I think when there is a storm that the snow drifting in places is the weight that starts the slide.”

“Well, I shan’t be easy a minute now,” said Raymond, “till we’re at the top, and that looks a long way off yet.”

“I guess we’d better not fool away any time,” said Sidney, “and we’ve got no trail to start with.”

The avalanche had descended diagonally across the course of the trail, and had swept away a long reach of it, leaving only a smooth stretch of snow, with rocks sticking up here and there. The portion of the trail that was left intact was visible away up on the mountain, and the boys started for it, across the expanse of trackless snow. They were obliged to go very carefully to prevent slipping and sliding down the smooth incline. Their progress, therefore, seemed to them distressingly slow, but they plodded on persistently in their great desire to reach the summit. Both were filled with a dread of being caught in another avalanche, an encounter that might not result so fortunately as the first one had done.

At last the boys reached the unbroken trail across the path of the avalanche. While the road there had not been disturbed by the slide, the storms that were increasing with the increase of height had nearly buried it in snow. Sometimes for many yards it was entirely obliterated, and there the progress of the travelers was still more painful and slow. In such places they struggled through the soft snow, at times sinking to the waist before striking the hard old snow beneath.

It was only by the utmost care and the closest attention that the boys were able to keep the course of the trail. Frequently they lost it for a time, and then had to stop and hunt carefully to find it again. They were in constant terror lest they drop into some unsuspected gulch, or slip over the concealed edge of a ravine. It was a heart-breaking struggle and a slow one, and as they toiled upward the difficulties increased.

Snow-squalls continued to sweep down from the summits and along the slopes, swirling about the laboring boys and blinding them with the fine particles. At such times they were obliged to stand still and wait for the fury of the gust to pass. Then they reached the glacier, which, early in the day, they had seen above them. The trail went up to the terminal moraine of the glacier and disappeared, but the boys assumed that it passed over the mass of broken rocks to the ice. So they climbed over the débris and up to the surface of the glacier, which at that point was not very high. They proceeded cautiously over the ice, until suddenly they came to the edge of a crevice. So unexpectedly, indeed, that Raymond nearly plunged into it, and was only saved by Sidney, who grasped him and threw him back on the ice.