|
Aleister Crowley Diary Entry Wednesday, 18 June 1902
I am here at Camp IX. I waited an hour for a chit from Pfannl [Heinrich Pfannl], thus starting at seven. Nothing came, and after cutting up the glacier to the pass E. of K2, I sent down all the men but Issa and Gholum Mohammed (another very good doer) and sent a special dak by Abdullah Bat to find out, somehow, what was wrong. An hour or two later, however, a dateless, placeless, illogical chit arrived, with one Mummery tent. This is useful to shelter my two men—true, but my original plan of getting four or five men 3,000 or 4,000 feet up the mountain side with a Whymper [tent] and a food unit is quite knocked on the head. I cannot possibly keep more than two men here with the arrangements at my disposal. Abdullah Bat wept in the most copious manner at leaving me. I am too annoyed to weep. I broke up two round kiltas and made the men a floor with the leather and basket work. Now the Mummery has arrived they are very happy. I am very tired—with worry, physically I am A1.
After a nice long sleep I continue. An amusing circumstance occurred this morning. Seeing that the men did not understand snow, I—who had started with Abdullah Bat and a coolie—sent the latter back for the rope. I explained to A.B. about seeing concealed crevasses, and he said "Oh yes, he could do that too," as I pointed to the one on whose edge he was standing. I laughed back "Oh yes, anybody could see that one, but there were others more difficult." A.B. then calmly walked towards me and—fell headlong into the very crevasse I had just pointed out! As it was only a few feet deep it was merely a good object lesson to him.
|