Now that white expanse which had seemed so far away came miles
nearer. Presently he would be there. The impossible had become
possible, the unattainable was about to be attained. He gave
another mighty dig with his shoes, the last reach of the slope
passed behind him, and he shot out on the frozen surface of the
lake, bruised and breathless, but without a single broken bone.
The lake was covered with ice a foot thick, and over this lay
frozen snow, which stopped Henry forty or fifty yards from the
cliff. There he lost his balance at last, and fell on his side,
where he lay for a few moments, weak, panting, but triumphant.
When he stood upright again he felt his body, but he had suffered
nothing save some bruises, that would heal in their own good
time. His deerskin clothing was much torn, particularly on the
back, where he had leaned upon the ice and snow, but the folded
blanket had saved him to a considerable extent. One of his shoes
was pulled loose, and presently he discovered that his left ankle
was smarting and burning at a great rate. But he did not mind
these things at all, so complete was his sense of victory. He
looked up at the mighty white wall that stretched above him
fifteen hundred feet, and he wondered at his own tremendous
exploit.
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