While he was being hauled up, a radio message came in to say that a rescue team was on its way up with extra equipment and stretchers but it would, of course, be hours before they would arrive. The time was now 13:45 hours. This person had been rescued in much shorter time. The team was now functioning smoothly to the task and the man, Phil, was able to come up on his own.
Back up at the top, Stan reported the situation. Andy said, “I’ll go down again, Flight. I’ve recovered enough to do it.” Five minutes later he took one of the lengths of looped rope and put it over his shoulder, hooked some extra pitons to his belt and was on the way down again. Andy abseiled down slowly in small jumps. He passed the bulge and then the dead man and paused when he reached where Phil had been hanging. Here he checked that the piton was solid and the rope firmly tied. Then he lowered himself slowly down the cliff until he saw a figure hanging on the end of the rope. The man was limp and still. Andy manoeuvred himself alongside and nudged the man. There was no response. Then Andy turned the body and saw a face that was white. He put his hand to the man’s neck to try and feel for a pulse. He thought he could feel something very faintly but couldn’t be sure. Andy then lifted an eyelid of the man but there was no movement of the eye. Next, Andy put a finger under the man’s nostril to see if he was breathing. He seemed to be doing so very weakly but again Andy wasn’t quite sure. It could be a trick of the weather. If this man was still alive, he wouldn’t last long where he was. Andy gave three urgent tugs on the rope. There was a quick response.
Andy’s face appearing over the edge of the cliff told the others that it was serious. Scrambling over the lip and up beside the others, he reported quickly, “The fourth man may still be alive but not for long if he is. He’s very cold and may be that is what is helping to kill him. He seemed to have a very weak pulse. We need to repeat the piggy-back technique.
“Right, Andy,” said Bradley, “go straight back down to him and tie yourself to the rock-face. Joe, you are a lot fresher than Stan. This time you go down and piggy-back the man up. We’ll get ready to receive him and do first aid when you get up. Andy, two pulls on the rope when you are free of it. Okay, let’s jump to it.” Secured to the rope again, Andy lowered himself over the edge and abseiled down to the fourth man. Hammering a piton into the rock, he quickly tied himself to it, undid the main rope and gave it two tugs. The rope quickly disappeared from sight.
Five minutes later, Andy saw Joe appearing out of the mist and called out, “Nearly there, Joe.”
At that, Joe slowed his descent until he was beside Andy. He looked at the fourth man and said, “I see what you mean. It’ll be touch and go with him.” Andy nodded in agreement as Joe handed him a coil of rope. Between them they got the man’s arms over Joe’s shoulders and tie the hands together and then to Joe’s belt. Andy then untied the rope from the man’s waist and gave Joe a nod. Joe tugged on the rope three times and the two of them were quickly hauled up the cliff-face. Gradually, they disappeared from Andy’s sight and he felt a weariness coming over him. Taking some raisins from his pocket he ate some of them and then started to swing himself back and forth a few times to keep active. Five minutes later, the main rope appeared and Andy tiredly hooked himself onto it. Then he unfastened the other rope from the piton, coiled it and put it over his shoulder. Three tugs and he was being hauled to the top.
As Andy was being hauled to the top, Flying Officer Crombie and his team appeared out of the mist from the south. He quickly assessed the situation and pointed to two of his team and then to the rope being hauled up. They nodded, dropped off their rucksacks and went to relieve the others hauling on the rope. Being much fresher, they were able to haul Andy more quickly. He was nearly caught at the sudden pace as he fended himself off the cliff-face while being hauled up. At the top, willing arms were ready to help him away from the edge. The time was now 14:50 hours.
One of Crombie’s team was from Mountain Rescue and had training in medical emergencies. He took over from Joe Morris and his partner and directed the work to revive the last man to have been brought up. Put into a sleeping bag and protected from the wind, there was an improvement in his pulse. A tent was erected and he was placed inside. A stove was lit and put where it could warm up the inside of the tent. The man was still unconscious but colour was returning to his face and his hands were warming up a little. The man called Phil was checked out again and it was determined that he may also have broken ribs but he was comfortable. Major Garasov had been dozing but woke up with the extra activity and saw all the extra people. He also noted that two of his team had also been brought up safely and one was still down the mountain somewhere. He was impressed with the training and dedication of these men even though they were not the professional rescue people.
