320

CAMrO DI RUTORTO.

tiny flowering plants, grew liere and there upon themountain. We made our way rapidly back along theledge; the confidence of experience more than compen-sating for the inconvenience of the cliff, to which wehad often to hold, being now on the left instead of theright hand. Where the direct descent on to the greenbuttress had to be made we, by keeping a few yards toomuch to the left, nearly got into a scrape, which wasonly avoided by a timely acknowledgment of the error.Strait and narrow as is the right path on the Pelmo,all other ways lead to destruction far too palpably notto induce one immediately to return to it.

On the top of the buttress we rejoined our provision-sack, and enjoyed a long halt in full view of the Antelao ,now towering above the clouds, a gigantic vapour-wreathed pyramid. From this point it is, as we foundthe next day, but a two hours’ walk or ride amongstbilberry-bushes and forests to San "Vito on the Ampezzoroad. To return to San Mcolo was, however, ourpresent object, and our hunter promised a new andeasy path. We rushed rapidly down a very steep funnelto the great patch of avalanche-snow which lies againstthe base of the cliffs in the centre of the Campo diRutorto. In the sort of cave left between the crag andsnow a jet of water, spouting like a fountain of Mosesfrom the arid rocks, served to fill our cups. A littlefootpath mounts gently the rhododendron-covered slopebeyond, and winds as near as it can creep to the hugemountain. The cliffs above are broken, and in thispart there was formerly a possibility of scramblingthrough them. Our guide declared that owing to a fallof rock the passage had now become extremely difficult;and his statement gains some confirmation from the