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in daydreams, they were exclusively of a normal sexual type. There was no need to create 
phantasms of a perverse or unrealizable satisfaction. It is important to emphasize this point, 
because I have always appeared to my contemporaries as a very extraordinary individual obsessed 
by fantastic passions. But such were not in any way natural to me. The moment the pressure was 
relieved every touch of the abnormal was shed off instantly. The impulse to write poetry 
disappeared almost completely at such periods. I had not even any of the ordinary ambitions of 
young men. I was content to enjoy sport without wishing to attain eminence in it. It came natural to 
me to find ways up mountains which looked to me interesting and difficult. But it never occurred to 
me to match myself against other people. It was from purely aesthetic considerations that I climbed 
the gullies of Tryfan and Twll Du. This last climb landed me, as luck would have it, in a controversy 
which was destined to determine my career in a very remarkable manner. 
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9 
It had never occurred to me that rock climbing, as such, might be a recognized sport. However, my 
mother and I were at the Sligachan Inn in Skye during the summer of 1892. I talked about my hill 
rambles with Sir Joseph Lister, who happened to be staying there, and asked him about the Coolins. 
He was kind enough to suggest to some real climbers who were staying at the hotel to include me in 
their party the next day, and they were kind enough to take me up Sgurr-nan-Gillean by the 
Pinnacle Ridge. I found myself up against it; and realized at once that there was something more to 
be done than scrambling. 
I think it was the following summer that I was staying at a farm in Langdale and heard from the 
natives of the celebrated twenty-four hours' walk. The idea is to climb the four highest fells, Scafell 
Pikes, Helvellyn, Skiddaw and Saddleback, in a day. I conceived a minor ridge walk and set out one 
morning at dawn from Langdale, climbed the Langdale Pikes, and followed the crest of the fells to 
Scafell Pikes. Then I crossed to Scafell by the Broad Stand; and, seeing the Deep Ghyll pinnacle, 
climbed that on my way to the summit of Scafell. It was a terrifically hot day over Lingmell and 
down into the valley to climb the screes of Great Gable. My attention was attracted by the Great 
Napes Needle and I climbed that. Thence I took the easiest way --- the Needle ridge, or a gully, I 
forget which --- to the summit of the mountain. I had become almost insane from heat, thirst and 
exhaustion; I could not longer walk, but crawled on hands and knees down to Sty Head Tarn, whose 
waters revived me to some extent. I struggled on homewards and reached the top of Rossett Ghyll 
Pass shortly after nightfall. There was a bright moon, but I had a terrible time picking my way down 
the path. I must have been a little light-headed from exhaustion and there was a Dantesque quality 
in the long climb among the blinding white patches of light and the jetty shadows. At the bottom of 
the pass I met a small rescue party who had just started out to look for me, and reached home 
about eleven o'clock. It was, in its way, a remarkable performance of a boy. 
Another incident is less heroic but more amusing. My tutor had invited his sister to stay a few days 
at the farm at Langdale. One day I took her up the Langdale Pikes and found quite decent bit of 
scrambling. Having not rope, I could only help her from below. She became scared and broke into a 
passionate monologue punctuated by screams. It consisted of variations on a triple theme. "I'm going 
to fall --- Our Father which art in heaven --- 
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don't look at my legs." Ah me! --- "I learnt about women from 'er." It was a startling complete 
revelation of the psychology of the well-brought-up young lady. Craven fear, prurient shame and 
narcotic piety: of such is the kingdom of Tennyson! 
The glimpse that I had had of Wastdale attracted me and I went over there. One very wet morning I 
started to climb Scafell, chiefly with the idea of tackling some of the gullies which I had noticed in