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Aleister Crowley Diary Entry Monday, 16 June 1902
I got quite a long way up the Godwen-Austen glacier to-day. There is no camping place here—the tent is on snow, and the coolies on a very flat bit of moraine where they have constructed a small shelter. K2 is clouded over, but I have, by dint of constant watching, caught a glimpse, now and again, of part of the ridge. I made the coolies, who thought they were going to die, quite happy again with half-a-pint of hot water from the precious petroleum stove—an awful extravagance, but worth it. The men with P. [Heinrich Pfannl] and K. [Guy Knowles] will follow, surely, if they know there are men above. I have had a great joke trying to make them understand that I am not going to Yarkand. They, of course, take my word, but are not in the least convinced! Kitoul and another man have headaches—so have I, a bad one. I gave them a grain of opium apiece—I wonder what the doctor will say?
The result of all this is that it is June 18th—and I haven't written a word. I dropped to sleep that afternoon (16th) and woke up refreshed, and prepared my dinner and Wessely's breakfast, for I had sent down for W. [Victor Wessely] to come and look after my coolies, it being urgent that I should go reconnoitring. As it was, I sat up all night staring at K2, but was not able to see the upper part of the E. ridge. I saw enough, however, to decide me to go up that side of the mountain first, which I accordingly did. After waiting nearly one-and-a-quarter hour for W., I left his breakfast and Abdullah Bat, but after another hour they came on, saying there were no signs of him. I, of course, had to give up my reconnaissance. I had hoped to reach the pass to-day, but the late start prevented this, and the coolies preferred to stop on a spur of the S. face of K2—Camp IX. I sent down chits of the most urgent kind to find out what was the matter down below—no answer. I slept all day and at night dosed myself with Rover's powders and had a really good night, only waking up once to write some rhymes—the word "argue" beats me; I fixed up "silver." I served out snow-goggles to some whose eyes were inflamed. Issa, our prize strong man, was ingenious enough to do without by tying his hair over his eyes.
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