I got very melancholy as these reflections crossed me, but when I had
boiled the ducks and eaten them I was much better. I had a little tea
left and about a pound of tobacco, which should last me for another
fortnight with moderate smoking. I had also eight ship biscuits, and,
most precious of all, about six ounces of brandy, which I presently
reduced to four, for the night was cold.
I rose with early dawn, and in an hour I was on my way, feeling strange,
not to say weak, from the burden of solitude, but full of hope when I
considered how many dangers I had overcome, and that this day should see
me at the summit of the dividing range.
After a slow but steady climb of between three and four hours, during
which I met with no serious hindrance, I found myself upon a tableland,
and close to a glacier which I recognised as marking the summit of the
pass. Above it towered a succession of rugged precipices and snowy
mountain sides. The solitude was greater than I could bear; the mountain
upon my master's sheep-run was a crowded thoroughfare in comparison with
this sombre sullen place. The air, moreover, was dark and heavy, which
made the loneliness even more oppressive.
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