two in the morning
A born climber 's appetite for climbing is hard to satisfy ; when it comes upon him he is like a starving man with a feast before him ; he may have other business on hand , but it must wait . Mr. Girdlestone had had his usual summer holiday in the Alps , and had spent it in his usual way , hunting for unique chances to break his neck ; his vacation was over , and his luggage packed for England , but all of a sudden a hunger had come upon him to climb the tremendous Weisshorn once more , for he had heard of a new and utterly impossible route up it . His baggage was unpacked at once , and now he and a friend , laden with knapsacks , ice-axes , coils of rope , and canteens of milk , were just setting out . They would spend the night high up among the snows , somewhere , and get up at two in the morning and finish the enterprise . I had a strong desire to go with them , but forced it down -- a feat which Mr. Girdlestone , with all his fortitude , could not do . Even ladies catch the climbing mania , and are unable to throw it off . A famous climber , of that sex , had attempted the Weisshorn a few days before our arrival , and she and her guides had lost their way in a snow-storm high up among the peaks and glaciers and been forced to wander around a good while before they could find a way down .