, muffledincloudsthatwereheavywithsnow; underfoot, ablackfrost; blowingoverit, : , howevertiredtheygot, itwasfartoocoldforahalt.
Ataboutteno'clockthefirsttinysnowflakescameloiteringdownandsettledonJill', whichlookedasifitmeanttolastallday, wasdrivingintheirfacessothattheycouldhardlysee.
Inordertounderstandwhatfollowed, , , and, evenforthat, , theywerenottalking.
Whentheyreachedthefootofthehilltheycaughtaglimpseofwhatmightberocksoneachside—squarishrocks, ifyoulookedatthemcarefully, -wiggle, withhislonglegs, hadnodifficultyinjumpingontothetopofit, , thoughnotforhim, —Jillfellonce—upveryroughgroundforaboutahundredyards, , atquiteirregularintervals.
Astheystruggledontothefourthledge, ; here, , oddlyenough, wasquiteasflatontopasithadlookedfromadistance: , forthewindkeptcatchingitupoffthegroundinsheetsandclouds, , indeed, inmanyplaces, , ; ; andaftereachclimbyoucamedownintoadriftandgotwet.
Fightingherwayforwardwithhoodupandheaddownandnumbhandsinsidehercloak, Jillhadglimpsesofotheroddthingsonthathorribletableland—thingsonherrightthatlookedvaguelylikefactorychimneys, and, onherleft, ahugecliff, 'tatallinterestedanddidn' (andnoseandchinandears) andhotbathsandbedsatHarfang.
Suddenlysheskidded, slidaboutfivefeet, andfoundherselftoherhorrorslidingdownintoadark, , , almostthefirstthingshenoticedwasthereliefofbeingoutofthewind; , naturally, theanxiousfacesofScrubbandPuddleglumlookingdownatherfromtheedge.
“Areyouhurt, Pole? ” shoutedScrubb.
“Bothlegsbroken, Ishouldn'twonder, ” shoutedPuddleglum.
