Thurs [i.e. Saturday] 24. [24 August 1901] Off at 12.30 after a hearty
breakfast. Brauwand called out "Schreckhorn!" and we walked out
into the starry night. Walked up a long snow couloir, over an arete
Fr¸hst¸ck Platz 2.30, across the head of the Schreckhorn Firn, over
the Schrund and up to the big Arete where we breakfasted, 4-4.20. Put
out our lanterns and went up the rotten aretes, we leading. One or two
good bits near the top. Got to the saddle at 6 and had a fine view
over the snow cornice down onto the snows we had seen from the
Wetterhorn. Up the snow for a bit - this is the place Mr Elliot fell over,
running down he jumped over the edge and was not roped - and then
onto a very fine pretty solid rock arete which got us to the top at 7.
The Colliers arrived 15 minutes after. Eat and photographed and off
at 7.45. We speedily went ahead, but I stopped to take some
climbing pictures. It took us near an hour to get to the saddle, then we
hurried on and were 15 minutes from the Schrund when the stones
began to hop round us. So we took cover behind the corner of an
arete and waited for the others 50 minutes. I went fast asleep. After
this we parted, they going towards Grimsell [Grimsel] to the Dolfuss
hut and I back to the Schwartzegg. We jumped the Schrund crossed
the {glacier} Firn and the arete and glissaded down the couloir which
was rather a dangerous proceeding, but fortunately no stones fell on
us. It was very hot and there were lots of tiny crevasses which
impeded us, but we got to the hut at 12. There we found three
Frenchmen who were cooking my tea with my wood! I said very
politely that I hoped they wd let us have some of it, they neither
thanked me nor apologized and I found afterwards this notice in the
book: "Nous sommes montÈs au refuge sans guides. Vue
splendide, mais quelle faim! Heureusement nous avons trouvÈ du
thÈ!" I added "NB It was my tea!" They disappeared while I was
making a hasty toilette and when I came back I found Count
O'Gorman, Dr Lunn and his two charming boys and a nice English
curate. Ulrich had given them some tea and they stayed and talked
to me while I lunched. It was a long hot walk to Grindelwald - we
beguiled the way with bilberries. Got in at 4 and was put into a
delightful little Chalet called the Chalet Bernet. Had a bath and went to
sleep till dinner. After dinner I slept for 13 hours!