In the gloomy gorge where
Dick's horse had taken refuge the precipices were so steep that many
avalanches had occurred, as was evident from the mounds of heaped snow
that lay at the foot of most of them. Neither stones nor trees were
carried down here, however, for the cliffs were nearly perpendicular,
and the snow slipping over their edges had fallen on the grass below.
Such an avalanche was now about to take place, and it was this that
caused Joe to utter his cry of alarm and warning.
Henri and the horse were directly under the cliff over which it was
about to be hurled, the latter close to the wall of rock, the other at
some distance away from it.
Joe cried again, "Back, Henri! back _vite_!" when the mass _flowed
over_ and fell with a roar like prolonged thunder. Henri sprang back
in time to save his life, though he was knocked down and almost
stunned; but poor Charlie was completely buried under the avalanche,
which now presented the appearance of a _hill_ of snow.
The instant Henri recovered sufficiently, Joe and he mounted their
horses and galloped back to the camp as fast as possible.
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