The lower path

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

By sunrise, the travellers had gathered outside the mountain inn with their coats buttoned and their walking sticks ready. Mr Vale pointed towards the white summit and declared that they would eat their midday meal there. Their guide, Abel, did not answer. He was studying a strip of grey cloud pressed against the highest ridge.

Abel examined each rope and tightened the straps on the smallest pack. His own coat was faded and roughly repaired. When he said that they must take the lower path, Mr Vale laughed and asked whether the mountain had frightened him. The others smiled. They had hired a guide to lead them upwards, not around the foothills.

Abel repeated that the upper path was unsafe. He gave no long explanation and did not look towards the summit again. Mr Vale complained that caution was a poor substitute for courage, but Abel lifted the heaviest pack and began along the lower track. After some hesitation, the party followed.

The path descended between dark pines. For nearly an hour, the summit disappeared from view. Mr Vale walked behind Abel, remarking loudly that any village child could have chosen such an easy road. Abel continued without replying. Once, he stopped and placed his hand against a boulder. A faint trembling passed through it.

Moments later, a sound like distant wheels rolled across the mountain. Stones burst from the upper ridge and swept over the path the travellers had wanted to take. The grey cloud dropped with them, filling the air with sleet. Abel led the party into an abandoned shepherd’s shelter and secured the door with one of the ropes he had inspected.

Inside, nobody mentioned the summit. Mr Vale offered Abel his silver flask, but the guide refused it and divided the remaining bread among the travellers. When the noise outside had ended, he listened for some time before opening the door.

On their return to the inn, Mr Vale began telling the landlord how narrowly the party had escaped. Abel stood apart, brushing pieces of ice from the smallest pack. When the landlord praised his judgement, Abel only said that the mountain had given sufficient warning.

“The writer successfully transforms Abel’s refusal to climb from an apparent weakness into evidence of his authority.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.