The great white mountains seemed to stare down upon him as though pitilessly indifferent to his fate.

How could they care what became of one solitary son of earth?
Did they not stand fast for ever more, from century to century?
It was a thought that he found oppressive and rather terrible.
At one point the guide insisted upon leaving what looked like the better track, and led him round a sort of shoulder of piled up snow and rock, where walking was very laborious.

Tom began to feel the need of food, and would have stopped and opened his wallet; but the man shook his head and gesticulated, and seemed to urge him onwards at some speed.

Tom supposed he must obey, as the man pointed warningly to the rocks above, as though to hint that danger might be expected from them.
So on they trudged, Tom feeling a slight unaccustomed giddiness in the head, as many persons do who first try walking for some hours in the glare of sun and snow and at a high altitude.

Then the path suddenly turned again under the frowning wall of rock, which rose black and stern through the covering of snow.