CONQUERING MOUNT EVEREST! Five men leant into the blizzard, bracing themselves to avoid slipping. The biting wind cut through them despite the heavy garments they wore.Slowly the crocodile of men inched up the glacier, ice picks and spiked boots breaking the ice, striving for further holds.This courageous party was attempting what some had never even dreamed of doing, ascending Everest. This mountain giant lies astraddle the border between Tibet and Nepal in the Himalayan Range, its peak rising some 31 000 feet into the air. Its massive ice covered slopes stretching as far as the eye can see, broken here and there by dark outcropsof rocks,contrasting with the bleak white ness of the snow. Finally there is a shelf-like plain which encircles an eighth of the peak, which covers the other 6000feet of the way. The party consisting of four Europeans and a native Tibetian was at the summit of the South Glacier. Even here there was not sufficient oxygen and each man wore an oxygen mask. Suddenly, through the swirling mist and snow, loomed the peak. The party spilled onto the plain and gazed in awe at the majestic heights of the peak,its tip protruding from the clouds, catching the last rays of the setting sun. They wasted no time in striking the tents as night was rapidly falling and everything was enshrouded in thick mist. The little clump of tents looked very small hug ging the peak for shelter. During the night the blizzard had died down. In the morning the sky was clear and blue and they could see Everest's brothers, their peaks much lower than they. Three men had frostbite and were discouraged. They would wait Hillary and Tensing's return as there was sufficient food and oxygen to last for three days. The morning's clarity was short lived and soon icy winds began blowing off the slopes. Hillary and Tensing set out in a worsening blizzard striving for the ultimate goal,conquer ing the highest mountain in the world. After a day of terrifying hazards, the two realized that the top was near. They were forced to camp for the night on the relative shelter of a clump of rocks due to the terrible blizzard. In the morning they realized how close they were. It was clearer than the previous morning and the courageous two set out lighthearted. The world seemed to be layed out before them. The feeling was immense when at last they arrived at the summit. Exhilaration! excitement! victory! contentment! All these emotions flooded both men and they embraced and congratulated one another before finally flying the Union Jack. The courage of these two men, not forgetting the rest of the party,was enormous.They had set out to conquer the highest mountain in the world and had succeeded! ROUSSOUW 3A time, but it soon became apparent that they were far below our level. Some of them attempted to stop us on our way to the top, but when they actually got to know us better, they ... how shall I put it?... recognised our potential and allowed us to progress without any further hindrance from them. It is a pity that so many of their leaders passed away before they could see us as we are today. As I have mentioned before,we are a very large organisa tion. Many people are Involved with us, many influential people. It would definitely be to your advantage if you joined us. Then, in order to show us your gratitude, you could possibly do a few favours for us. I a-" "Stop! I know who you are! You're from the Mafia! And you want me to join your group. Well, I can tell you right now that I will nev-" "My dear Mr Gurovonish, I think you have failed to comprehend my meaning. Allow me to elucidate. "A short while ago we met with someone who,like you, had been similarly influenced. He actually tried to report us to the police,whoare also prejudiced. We have many friends in the police. Such a pity, he was a fine man. I suppose you were not at the funeral of Richard Benkenstein? A terrible accident, b—" "Look, if this is some feeble attempt to terrorise me, th-" "No,no,Mr Gurovonish,we only want to be your friend ...and the friend of your family. You have such a charming daughter. She must sometimes be quite a worry with all these kidnappings. There have been cases where people have been taken in what seemed the safest of situations. Kidnap pers are such brutal people. Think my proposition over carefully. I am sure you will come to the right decision. Give my regards to your wife and daughter. Goodbye." S. NEL IV A COGITATIONES DE PROVINCIA LATINA Provincia Latina in diem parvier fit. Hec anno quinque, postere anno tantum duo Matriculantes erunt. Quid multa! lingua olim nobilis venustaque munc modo in linguis Europae vivax est. Hodie estaetasmachinorum non opinionum,computandi non ratiocinandi. Nunc homines lunam sideraque tangere possunt; tune pedibus in terra forme positis vitam virtute pietate prehenderunt. Neque illi neque nes meliores an peiores sumus...omnes sumus modo homines. I lli multa nobis dederunt, ne eos contemnamus! Artes eorum nobis etiam nunc omnibus in rebus usui sunt. DISCIPULI LATINI lOCUM LATINUM Marcus: Si magister non receperit quod mane dixisset, ludum discedam! Lucius: Cur? Quid mane dixit? Marcus: Mihi imperavit ut e ludo discederemi S. NEL MONOLOGUE "Good morning,Mr Gurovonish. My name is Rudolf Lunter. I represent Pedro Fasilius, whom I am sure you have heard of. He is the head of a rather large organisation, which has many interests. Unfortunately many people are afraid of us, and they have spread some disconcerting rumours concern ing our activities here in Italy and elsewhere. Allow me to tell you something of our organisation, so that you may feel more at ease with it. It is basically a family-based institution which started some time ago. There were a few similar institutions at the J. van NIEKERK - Form VI 33
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