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TherecameatimewhenachildwasbornwhowasfifteengenerationsfromthatancestorwhowentoutofthevalleywithabarofsilvertoseekGod’said,andwhoneverreturned. Thereaboutsitchancedthatamancameintothiscommunityfromtheouterworld. Andthisisthestoryofthatman.
HewasamountaineerfromthecountrynearQuito,amanwhohadbeendowntotheseaandhadseentheworld,areaderofbooksinanoriginalway,anacuteandenterprisingman,andhewastakenonbyapartyofEnglishmenwhohadcomeouttoEcuadortoclimbmountains,toreplaceoneoftheirthreeSwissguideswhohadfallenill. Heclimbedhereandheclimbedthere,andthencametheattemptonParascotopetl,theMatterhornoftheAndes,inwhichhewaslosttotheouterworld. Thestoryoftheaccidenthasbeenwrittenadozentimes. Pointer’snarrativeisthebest. Hetellshowthelittlepartyworkedtheirdifficultandalmostverticalwayuptotheveryfootofthelastandgreatestprecipice,andhowtheybuiltanightshelteramidstthesnowuponalittleshelfofrock,and,withatouchofrealdramaticpower,howpresentlytheyfoundNunezhadgonefromthem. Theyshouted,andtherewasnoreply;shoutedandwhistled,andfortherestofthatnighttheysleptnomore.
Asthemorningbroketheysawthetracesofhisfall. Itseemsimpossiblehecouldhaveutteredasound. Hehadslippedeastwardtowardstheunknownsideofthemountain; farbelowhehadstruckasteepslopeofsnow,andploughedhiswaydownitinthemidstofasnowavalanche.
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