The stranger now turned to the drivers, and spoke to them in their own language.  They all obeyed at once.  He was giving them explicit directions in a way that showed a perfect command of the situation.  It now appeared that each sled had a coil of rope, which was evidently supplied from an apprehension of some such accident as this.  Hastily yet dextrously the foreign gentleman took one of these coils, and then binding a blanket around his waist, he passed the rope around this, so that it would press against the blanket without cutting him.  Having secured this tightly, he gave some further directions to the drivers, and then prepared to go down.

Hitherto the drivers had acted in sullen submission rather than with ready acquiescence.  They were evidently afraid of another avalanche; and the frequent glances which they threw at the slope above them plainly showed that they expected this snow to follow the example of the other.  In spite of themselves an expression of this fear escaped them, and came to the ears of the foreign gentleman.  He turned at once on the brink of the descent, and burst into a torrent of invective against them.  The ladies could not understand him, but they could perceive that he was uttering threats, and that the men quailed before him.  He did not waste any time, however.  After reducing the men to a state of sulky submission, he turned once more and began the descent.

As he went down the rope was held by the men, who allowed it to pass through their hands so as to steady his descent.  The task before the adventurer was one of no common difficulty.  The snow was soft, and at every step he sank in at least to his knees.  Frequently he came to treacherous places, where he sank down above his waist, and was only able to scramble out with difficulty.  But the rope sustained him; and as his progress was downward, he succeeded in moving with some rapidity toward his destination.  The ladies on the height above sat in perfect silence, watching the progress of the man who was thus descending with his life in his hand to seek and to save their lost companion, and in the intensity of their anxiety forgot utterly about any danger to themselves, though from time to time there arose the well-known sound of sliding masses, not so far away but that under other circumstances of less anxiety it might have filled them with alarm.  But now there was no alarm for themselves.

And now the stranger was far down, and the coil of rope was well-nigh exhausted.  But this had been prepared for, and the drivers fastened this rope to another coil, and after a time began to let out that one also.

Farther and farther down the descent went on.  They saw the stranger pursuing his way still with unfaltering resolution; and they sent after him all their hearts and all their prayers.  At last he plunged down almost out of sight, but the next moment he emerged, and then, after a few leaps, they saw that he had gained the place where lay the ruins of the shattered avalanche.  Over this he walked, sometimes sinking, at other times running and leaping, until at length he came to the precipice over which the sled had been flung.