Chapter 6 4

August 18, 1916 Royal Geographical Society West End, Kensington * Ashley and Price sat side by side in the back row of the auditorium in the lecture hall. The whole hall was almost full, and there were only a few empty seats left.Except for the white-haired old man, almost everyone was in military uniform. There were two colonels, several majors and captains, many lieutenants, and a brigadier general.Ashley held the playlist in his hand. ∮ Royal Geographical Society August 18, 1916, Seventh Luncheon The president serves as the chairman of this session Theme: The Possibility of Climbing Himalayan Peaks

Dr AM Killers The president stepped onto the podium, put down the calfskin handbag, stroked his white mustache, and waited for the audience to calm down. good afternoon.Before I start my speech, I would like to make two short announcements.One, we will not be having our annual dinner and symposium this year.The second thing has to do with the Institute's premises, as you all know, a large portion of the Institute's space is temporarily used by mapmakers, and those maps are at one millionth of a scale Ashley really wanted to yawn, but forced himself to hold back.He and Price, both members of the British Mountaineering Association, had visited Kensington Triangle for the first time, and both were in the uniform of a second lieutenant.Price's was older because he was an artilleryman in the Royal Guards and had been to the front.Ashley will go to France after a week of vacation.

It was Price who insisted on coming, saying that instead of seeing The Bing Boys Are Here, he would rather come and hear about Mount Everest.Ashley actually didn't want to come. He had stayed in the Alps for three seasons, and he dared to say that he would never get tired of climbing those mountains in his life.The Himalayas are too abstract for him, they are just some trivial geographical data, and they are a distant place that cannot be reached. But that changed when Price showed him a photo of Mount Everest.Everest is not a beautiful mountain, it lacks air and symmetry that make a mountain fascinating.But it was mighty, and it was huge and ferocious, the highest mountains of rock and snow on the face of the earth, with broad ridges to the north and majestic cones.It's a mystery.No European has ever climbed to its summit, and even lectures at the Royal Geographical Society have been devoted to the possibility of climbing the mountain.

Ashley said: It's ridiculous.The whole world is at war, and they still talk about the Himalayas? "It's absolutely true that such an expedition takes years of planning and costs a lot of money," Price said.Good luck if you can start within five years.Who do you think will be in the best shape then? Ashley shook his head.We don't know if we will live until then. Price said: To survive, people rely on strength and faith.You have to trust yourself that you won't get hurt in order to get back from France safely. Ashley did not think faith could be used against grenades and mortars, but since there was still some time before going to France, he accompanied Price to the lecture.

The president began to introduce the speakers for this afternoon. Human beings have successfully set foot on the North and South Poles, and the next important goal to be conquered on the surface is the highest mountain in the world. The chairman looked at the audience with a half-smile on his face. However, it is not easy to climb this mountain.First of all, you have to negotiate with the local government. Currently, within a hundred miles of the foot of the mountain is a forbidden area.Secondly, although we have no definite evidence for the mountain itself, the mountain may be quite difficult.As for the third obstacle, the thin air in high mountain areas may exceed the limit of human physical ability.

As you all know, the current highest mountaineering record is 24,600 feet by the Duke of Abruzzi's expedition, and 24,000 feet by some Norwegian youths. The position is Kaburu Peak, which is the closest to Darjeeling one of the mountains.Our speaker this afternoon, Dr. Gilles, will explain the effects of high altitude on the human body. On this issue, no one in Europe has more authority than him, and no one has more practical knowledge than him. Sitting next to the Chairman was Dr Killes, a small man in the uniform of the Royal Army Medical Corps, with his head down, putting the final touches on the syllabus.The chairman invited him to stand on the podium, and he greeted everyone with a strong Scottish accent.

In some cases, mountaineering is considered a branch of geological exploration. Ashley had heard that Killers was a fearless Himalayan climber, but he didn't look like it.His shoulders were narrow and drooping, his mustache was waxed and pointed.The round glasses looked like two small mirrors under the electric light. If these reasons are considered insufficient, every geographer should at least propose the primordial self-evident truth hidden deep in the soul: Man must explore every point of the earth's surface.It should be a peaceful conquest if all the difficulties are calculated, but some aspects of nature are so difficult to overcome that they may still suffer even the most cautious explorer.

Ashley's gaze wandered to a pair of sisters in the first two rows, and these two were the only women present.One had unusually short hair cut below the ears, revealing a long neck and lace collar. Generally speaking, the primary problem of exploring in the Himalayas is transportation, followed by the problem of the mountain itself.Because all the tents, gear, food, stuff like that usually has to be shipped from a hundred or two hundred miles away Ashley thought to himself that in six days, he would cross the sea to France.I don't know what the captain of the troop carrier looks like, whether the sea in the English Channel is dangerous, or whether he should wear a life jacket in case a German submarine attacks.I don't know if someone will go to Victoria Station to see him off.He always thought that someone would come to see him off.

Killes said to the back of the hall: Dim the lights please, thank you. The slide operator got up, the lights were switched off, and the long velvet curtains were drawn.He turned on the projector's bulb, and on the screen came an image of Kanchenjunga, five snow-capped peaks rising from a jagged pile of rubble.Ashley glanced at the girl again. She was sitting in the front left, and he knew that everyone else in the room had seen him turn to look at her. These are the basics just now, and the next thing we have to consider is whether it is possible to climb the higher peaks of the Himalayas, that is, the mountains higher than 25,000 feet, which have not been climbed so far.We have to consider whether this is the limit, because the following problems will be encountered.

Killes craned his neck, looked at the image behind him, and frowned.It took a while for the operator to put on a new slide, a barren mountain range with a wide range and a tapered apex.Ashley leaned forward to look at the flowing clouds on the top of the mountain. That is, could a man of first-class training, Gilles asked, climb the summit of Mount Everest at 29,411 feet above sea level without any assistance? The girl in front of the two rows of seats became a silhouette against the screen, her head was lowered to look at the floor, her nose was exquisitely carved, and her mouth was small.She got up and walked down the aisle, out the door and into the corridor that led to the map room.

The difficulty of climbing the Himalayas can be considered from two aspects: one is physical and the other is physical.There is no doubt that the importance of the physiological problem lies mainly in the lack of oxygen. The slide changed to a graph with curved lines showing the percentage of oxygen density.Ashley looked back towards the door, there was a faint light at the end of the aisle. In order to sustain life, there must be basic breathing Ashley got up and walked towards the door with his head down. The aisle was wide, and he easily passed between the two rows of seats and walked out of the dark room. The map room was large, with a vaulted ceiling, and towering shelves filled with leather-bound atlases.A pair of globes rest on wooden stands.Rows of oak map cabinets with broad drawers contained maps drawn on paper and parchment.A map of Tibet is displayed above one of the cabinets, lit by a bank lamp.Ashley stopped by the cabinet, pretending to study the map.Gilles' voice could still be heard here. Physical obstacles fall into several categories, firstly weather conditions and secondly difficulty climbing rocks and snow. Footsteps were heard by the door, and Ashley looked up to see the young woman, who was wearing a cake dress that fell just above her ankles.He looked back at the map, but the girl came over and leaned against the map cabinet, so close they could hear her breathing. The girl whispered: You are not interested in hypoxia? Ashley turned to face the girl, half of her face was illuminated by the desk lamp with green shade.She has almond eyes and short hair.She looked down at the map of Tibet, then smiled at him and walked out.He stood by the cabinet for a while longer, so that there would be a little distance between the two of them returning to their seats.When Ashley returned to his seat, Price's eyes were full of curiosity, but Ashley's eyes were fixed on the speaker. One of the great difficulties has to do with the wind, that is, the condition of encountering a cold wind.Cold northerly or northeasterly winds may force climbers down to avoid frostbitten hands and feet. The slide was changed again, and it was still the pyramid-shaped mountain, looking down at the surrounding mountains, surrounded by whistling mist. Mount Everest, also known as Mount Everest, is 29,141 feet high.Colonel Bruce and I got the name Mount Everest from different sources, and maybe we can consider using it uniformly in the future.The pass in the northeast of the mountain is called Langma Pass, about 18,500 feet high, leading to Karta near the Aron River, and it may be possible to go up the mountain from the northeast or north. This report has its limitations and is not conclusive, but it appears from the data that a person who has received first-class training and is able to adapt to high altitudes can climb Mount Everest without external assistance.As long as the physical obstacles on the 25,000-foot mountain are not too large. Killes put away the entire stack of lecture notes and tapped them neatly on the desk.A lieutenant raised a question about the dangers of sunlight at high altitudes. After Killes answered, the chairman stepped onto the podium and made a few conclusions.Amid applause from the audience, Price folded his palms and said to Ashley's ear: What good is there in the map room? Ashley watched the two women get up, the short-haired woman was holding a big leather bag. Ashley said: See those two women?Do you recognize it? I know the one on the left, I have seen her husband, the young man next to him is a member of the Mountaineer Club, and his wife seems to be an artist.I hope you are not interested in his wife. Ashley shook his head.It's not her, it's the other one, and it's not that she's interested, it's just a feeling of déjà vu. That Joan of Arc?Then I don't know.But she was beautiful, with her hair cut like that.Do you want to go over and say hello? Price took Ashley over and introduced him to the member who was a lieutenant. The lieutenant shook Ashley's hand and smiled wryly. I'm Charles.Grafton, this is my wife and her sister Soames-Miss Anderson.Don't tell me you two want to climb the Himalayas too.I just want to go to Lake Mountain now, no more coolies or armed guards Price chats with Grafton about climbing.Ashley met Eleanor's eyes, and she showed a happy smile.But her sister's mind is not here, but on the mountain image on the screen and the people chatting around.Ashley tucked his hat under his arm, and Eleanor noticed his badge. Eleanor says: You're 5 of the artist's infantry, are you an artist? 5, Artists Rifles, a reservist light infantry regiment established in London by art student Edward Sterling in 1859, members are practitioners of creative work such as painting, music, drama, and architecture.Served in the Second Boer War and the First World War.During the Second World War, it was transformed into an officer training unit in the United Kingdom.After the end of World War II in 1945, the regiment was also disbanded. False, I was originally in Artists Officers Training Corps, but ended up being assigned to another unit. Eleanor approached him, speaking in a low voice. Hope you are not going to France. Depart on Thursday. It's scary, be careful. I must do my duty. of course. Facing Ashley, the two sisters didn't know what to say, and were embarrassed for a while.Price chats with Charles about the Post-Impressionists, and draws Eleanor over, leaving Ashley and Emmaine alone.Yin Mozhen looked to the side, shook her purse, and then looked at Ashley. What did you think of the speech?Seems like you'd rather be in the map room? Ashley shrugged.The slideshow is impressive. Are you not interested in the Himalayas?You are a mountaineer, aren't you? of course.But if you ask me, what he said is just empty talk, no one knows what will happen to human beings at that height until someone actually climbs to that height.Someone has to be a guinea pig.What if they were going to climb Mount Everest, which is 4,000 feet higher than the previous record, no one knows, it's not something that can be studied in a laboratory. Do you want to try it? Ashley smiled and pointed at Price.He would like to. Don't you want to? Ashley said: I also want to, but not like him.Are you interested in mountaineering technology? I'm interested in everything, and mountain climbing is really fascinating, but Charles said it was like playing rugby, just a bunch of people rushing to climb a mountain, and never mentioned the details.So when he said that he had a talk about the Himalayas, I insisted that he bring us here Do you want to come? Yin Mozhen smiled.certainly.But I didn't seem to have learned anything, only came to one conclusion: Men always want to do things they shouldn't do.But this is not news, everyone already knows it.It sounds like these people spend too much time worrying about not being able to climb a certain mountain, but never thinking about why they want to climb it.Surely the purpose of climbing a mountain is not just to show off, right?Perhaps you can shed some light on this for me?Mr Worthingham? I'm afraid I can't help it either. Give it a try, I'd appreciate it.Tell me, the reason why people climb mountains is because of the danger? Ashley smiled wryly.God, no, it's not that stupid. So, want to take a risk? Not at all, not that vulgar Is it a game?A kind of competition? He shook his head.of course not. Or, for the mountain itself? Close, but not quite. So you don't know either.Yin Mozhen boldly assumes: that is, it is not something that can be known, but can only be felt. Ashley looked at the ground with both eyes, and the ceiling lights reflected on the waxed floor very brightly. He said: Yes, that's right. Yin Mozhen rummaged through her purse.The person who was presenting the slideshow turned off the projector and rolled up the long screen.Price was talking to Eleanor and Charles about Cézanne.Yin Mozhen took out a crumpled leaflet from her purse and handed it to Ashley. Look at this, I got three yesterday, and three people handed me the same leaflet, it seems that I should give you one.You see, there will be a matinee performance at the Queen's Hall tomorrow. It will be Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23. This is one of his private repertoires. It's beautiful.There are fewer and fewer decent concerts these days. Ashley thanked her, pocketed the leaflet, and was about to speak when Charles announced that the three of them had another appointment, and it was already too late.Everyone hurriedly said goodbye, Eleanor gave Ashley a sympathetic smile. Take care and come back safely. Yin Mozhen touched Ashley's hand when she passed by. It's only au revoir (It's only au revoir). After the three of them left, Price exchanged greetings with Ashley and other members of the British Mountaineering Association, put on their hats, and walked out to Kensington Triangle Street. take a walk? They crossed the road into Kensington Park, onto a dirt track that was maintained.Price whistled.A carriage passed by, and the horse grunted impatiently. Price stopped whistling and asked: What do you think? wack.The sister said, I hope I am not going to France, do you believe it?She actually said such a thing. Believe it. Price scratched his face and smiled. Whether it's weird or not, it's Joan of Arc that you like.ashley i never knew you would like this bohemian A man with only six days left to live has no right to like others. This man has a long life to live Please, forgive me. They sat on a bench by the path.Ashley leaned his military cane against the bench and stretched his legs. Price shook his head and said: Grafton, he was the least interested in the Himalayas in the audience just now, the Mountaineer Club They came because the girl wanted to come. Price looked at Ashley. that girl? She wanted to learn about mountain climbing, but Grafton wouldn't tell her, so she dragged them to the lecture.She asked me why people climb mountains. what do you say? I said I don't know.do you know? of course I know. Can you tell me? Plath grinned.Of course not.