12 JULY 1924, Page 3

The question of whether or not Everest was conquered before

she turned and killed her assailants must remain for ever undecided, but there seems a strong probability that Mallory and Irvine did reach the summit before they died. They were seen only 800 ft. from the top moving upwards, and in the opinion of so great an authority as Sir Francis Younghusband, there is every possibility that they reached the top. It seems possible that the very achievement of their great end relaxed the unremitting effort which is necessary for progress at those altitudes, but we can at any rate believe that they died in the knowledge of success.