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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6b41ce9 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66527 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66527) diff --git a/old/66527-0.txt b/old/66527-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 26ec38a..0000000 --- a/old/66527-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3113 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of My Home in the Alps, by Elizabeth Alice Le -Blond - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: My Home in the Alps - -Author: Elizabeth Alice Le Blond - -Release Date: October 13, 2021 [eBook #66527] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY HOME IN THE ALPS *** - -MY HOME IN THE ALPS. - - - - -Ballantyne Press - -BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO. - -EDINBURGH AND LONDON - - - - -My Home in the Alps. - -BY - -MRS. MAIN, - -AUTHOR OF - -“THE HIGH ALPS IN WINTER; OR, MOUNTAINEERING IN SEARCH OF HEALTH,” -AND “HIGH LIFE AND TOWERS OF SILENCE.” - -LONDON: -SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, AND COMPANY - -_LIMITED_, - -St. Dunstan’s House, - -FETTER LANE, FLEET STREET, E.C. -1892. - -[_All rights reserved._] - - - - -PREFACE. - - -In this little volume, much of the matter in which first appeared in -the _St. Moritz Post_, or, as it is now called, the _Alpine Post_, I -have jotted down a few things of interest to the ordinary traveller in -Switzerland. To climbers, my notes will be but a thrice-told tale, and -one which, doubtless, many of them could tell far better, while not -a few of them have already told it elsewhere. The idea of publishing -these trifling papers came to me through the necessity of replying to -many questions on the subjects to which I refer; for, living as I do -in Switzerland, I naturally am supposed to be more familiar with the -peculiarities of the country and people than is the ordinary tourist. -It thus seems to me that a small book, dealing with some of the -various objects of interest usually met with during a summer’s tour in -Switzerland, might find a corner in a traveller’s portmanteau, and so, -asking indulgence for the errors into which I am sure I have fallen -from time to time, I commend the following pages to whoever does me the -honour to glance at them. - -E. MAIN. - -ENGADINER KULM, SWITZERLAND. - - - - -CONTENTS. - -CHAP. PAGE - I. ON ALPINE GUIDES 1 - - II. THE CAUTION AND DETERMINATION OF GUIDES 8 - - III. SOME MORE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIRST-RATE GUIDES 14 - - IV. MORE ABOUT GUIDES 20 - - V. FURTHER ANECDOTES OF GUIDES 32 - - VI. ALP LIFE 40 - - VII. THE CHAMOIS 48 - -VIII. ON GLACIERS 59 - - IX. ON MORAINES 69 - - X. ON AVALANCHES 76 - - XI. THE BERNINA-SCHARTE 90 - - XII. IN PRAISE OF AUTUMN 98 - -XIII. THE “MAIDEN” AND THE “MONK” 113 - -APPENDIX 127 - - - - -MY HOME IN THE ALPS. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -_ON ALPINE GUIDES._ - - -Beyond the comparatively small circle of climbers, very few travellers -in Switzerland seem to have a clear idea to what class of man a good -Alpine guide belongs. Many persons picture to themselves a typical -guide as an individual whose garments are in as shocking a state of -disrepair as are the summits of most of his native peaks; who bears -visible and invisible evidence of an entire ignorance of the use of -soap in combination with water; to whom Truefitt is embodied twice a -year in his wife, unless perchance his youngest born is allowed as -a treat to wield the shears; whose manner is boorish, whose gait is -too strong a mixture of a roll and a limp to be classified even as a -slouch, and whose chief aim in life is the extraction of the largest -possible number of francs from his employer’s pocket in return for -the smallest possible amount of work. Furthermore, these people have -curious ideas as to “the whole duty of” a guide. They think that -he is bound to obey, without remonstrance on his part, any orders, -however unreasonable, that his employer may give him. They expect no -common-sense, education, or knowledge of the world from him, so they -treat him as if he were a clumsily constructed machine, capable of -running in the groove of an oft-traversed track, and of nothing else. - -Now, it is a pity that such ignorance should prevail on the subject, -and I propose to do my humble share in dispelling some of it by -pointing out the chief characteristics of a first-rate Alpine guide, -and backing up my opinion by anecdotes of the behaviour of some of the -masters of mountain-craft when confronted with exceptionally strong -calls on their capacity. - -Before going further, I should like to say something of the early -training of a guide. He usually makes acquaintance with climbing when -very young, his first scrambles being often undertaken in the company -of the goats. In time he gains confidence, steadiness of head and -foot, and a knowledge of the limit of his powers. As years go on, he -is perhaps taken out chamois-shooting by his father, and in summer -he obtains an occasional engagement as porter on an ascent of more -or less difficulty. If he has definitely resolved to be a guide, he -will do his best to get work of this sort, and it often happens that -an active young porter, who has carried one’s rugs and firewood to -a bivouac over-night, begs to join the expedition in the morning, -“just to learn the way.” In reality, his chief object is to secure a -few lines of commendation in his book, which will help him to future -engagements, and will also be so much to the good when he puts forward -his claim to a certificate as guide. When ascending the Jungfrau some -years ago, our porter, at his urgent request, came on with us to the -top, and it was interesting to notice the careful teaching which my -two veteran guides, old Peter Baumann and old Peter Kaufmann, bestowed -on him. It was the youth’s first mountain, and I could see that he -strained every nerve to avoid a slip and to gain my good opinion, in -which he certainly succeeded, for he went very well, though he was, -not unnaturally, scared at the huge crevasses below the Bergli, the -glacier being just then in a particularly bad state. Very different was -the behaviour of another porter, chartered to carry my camera on any -easy snow-ascent. He, too, had never before set foot on a mountain, -and he commenced his antics at the snout of the Forno glacier, which -he mounted on all-fours. Farther on he objected to the crevasses, and -when we reached the _arête_, he was so formidable an appendage on the -rope that we untied, and went up the last rocks in two parties, on two -ropes, another lady, an Eton boy, and I leading, and the porter and the -two guides following! - -A porter, if he shows good climbing capacity, will often be taken in -the height of the season, when guides are scarce, to accompany a guide -and a traveller in the less difficult ascents, in order that there may -be three on the rope, an important matter on snow. He will probably -undertake most of the carrying, for the simple reason that the guide -leads and cuts the steps, and, in descending, comes down last, in both -of which cases it is well for him not to be burdened with a knapsack, -but to give his full powers to his work in ascending, and in coming -down to be the more secure in his responsible position of “last man.” - -Occasionally the boy becomes a guide without passing through the -intermediate state of a porter. Here is an account of Joseph Imboden’s -experiences. I had the details from the guide himself, but the account -is also to be found in the biographical notice written by Mr. G. S. -Barnes in “The Pioneers of the Alps.”[1] “When I was a boy,” Imboden -began, “my father wished me to take up shoemaking as a trade, and -at fifteen he apprenticed me to a man in the Rhonethal. But I hated -the life, and as soon as I had saved twenty francs I ran away to the -Riffel, where I stayed, and spent my time in asking people to let me -take them up mountains. They, however, always said to me, ‘Young man, -where is your book?’ I replied that my book was at home, but they would -not believe me. At last, when my twenty francs were nearly gone, I -contrived to persuade a young English gentleman to allow me to take -him up the Cima di Jazzi. He was pleased with the way I guided him, -and the day after we went up Monte Rosa alone. He then offered to take -me to Chamonix by the Col St. Théodule and the Col du Géant, and I was -very glad to go; but first I told him the whole truth. I said, ‘All I -have told you up to now was lies; I had never been up a mountain till I -went with you; but if you will trust me now, I am sure I can satisfy -you.’ He said he would, and we went to Chamonix and did some climbs -there. I bought a book, and he wrote a good account of me in it. Since -then I have never been in want of employment.” Such is Joseph Imboden’s -early history, and his friends will admit that it is thoroughly -characteristic of the since famous guide. - -A porter desiring to become a guide must generally pass an examination -in a variety of subjects which are not of the slightest importance to -him in his future profession. The occasion is dignified by the presence -of the _guide-chef_ (or head of the Society of Guides) and other local -magnates, before whom the _guides-aspirants_, as they are called, are -put through their facings. After questions are asked in arithmetic, -geography, history, &c., the examination at which I “assisted” went -on to deal with mountain-craft, on which subject the porters’ ideas -were even more peculiar than on other matters. One young man asserted, -in perfect good faith, that if his _Herr_ did not obey him, he should -consider it his duty to beat him, while another calmly said that if he -met with an obstacle on an ascent, the right course to pursue was to -return home! At the conclusion of the examination, which all contrived -in one way or another to shuffle through, the _guide-chef_ made a -little speech, in which he exhorted the new guides to be an honour -to their profession. I made notes at the time of the more amusing -questions and answers, and these I have published in a former work.[2] - -Having now considered the technical conditions which, combined, form a -duly qualified guide, let us see what characteristics are required to -place him in the front rank of his profession. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] “The Pioneers of the Alps,” by C. D. Cunningham and Captain Abney, -F.R.S., published by Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. - -[2] “High Life and Towers of Silence,” by Mrs. Main, published by -Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -_THE CAUTION AND DETERMINATION OF GUIDES._ - - -Amongst the qualities required in a first-class guide, I am inclined -to rank caution as the chief. Many other characteristics are also -necessary, such as a strong will, enabling the guide to compel those -in his care to obey him; dash and courage, by which he overcomes -obstacles; skill in climbing, as well as in forming an opinion of -the condition of snow; ability in finding his way up or down a -mountain, whether he has ever previously ascended it or not; coolness -in moments of danger, promptness of action in a sudden emergency, -resource in difficulties of whatever nature that may arise; strength of -muscle, sound health, good temper, unselfishness, honesty, and great -experience. What a catalogue! And yet I do not know one guide of the -first order who does not possess something of all, and a large amount -of several, of the many qualities which I have enumerated above, to say -nothing of others which I have doubtless overlooked. - -I should like first to tell you of some instances where guides have -displayed a praiseworthy caution under strong inducement to overstep -the bounds of prudence. One example, which I extract from “The -Pioneers of the Alps,” that mine of information on guide-lore, is -very characteristic of the great guide Melchior Anderegg. Mr. Mathews -writes: “He knows when it is right to go on, and when it is the truest -bravery to turn back. ‘Es geht, Melchior,’ said a fine climber once in -my hearing when we came to a dangerous spot. ‘Ja,’ replied Melchior, -‘_es_ geht, aber _ich_ gehe nicht;’ or, in other words, ‘It goes, but I -do not go.’” - -Edouard Cupelin of Chamonix, a guide with whom in former years I made -many ascents, has frequently shown me that he possesses his right and -proper share of this brave caution. Once in winter, when within an hour -of the summit of Mont Blanc, he made us turn back, considering the -danger of persisting in the face of a snow-storm unjustifiable, though -the difficulties were all behind us. Once, too, I had hankerings after -the Schreckhorn on a windy morning in October, but my guide reminded us -of what the action of the storm on the friable rocks below the Saddle -was likely to be, and refused to have anything to do with the peak, -which showed up every now and then in a tantalising way against a -patch of blue sky. - -But the caution of a good guide does not need to be proved by any -collection of anecdotes. It is seen every time he prods for the hidden -crevasse in crossing a snow-field. It is noticeable whenever he begs -his companions (probably for the tenth time at least that day) to keep -the rope taut. It is shown when he refuses to take a self-opinionated -amateur up a difficult mountain in bad weather, or to allow the -amateur’s friend, attired in tennis-flannels, to join the expedition at -the last moment, because “’Pon my word, I must do the Matterhorn some -time or another, you know!” - -A guide who has not a strong will can never hope to be quite at the top -of the tree in his profession. Some guides, however, are, of course, -more determined than others. - -I remember an amusing tale _à propos_ of this characteristic, which -a friend told me of Joseph Imboden. The incident occurred on the -Breithorn, an easy though fatiguing snow-peak in the Zermatt district. -One cold day, Imboden had a leaden-footed, pig-headed Englishman in -tow. This sagacious gentleman, when half-way up the mountain, observed -that he was tired, and intended to refresh himself by a snooze on the -snow. Imboden naturally objected to the proceeding, explaining that it -was extremely dangerous, and drawing vivid word-pictures of ill-starred -persons who had been frozen to death. However, the traveller persisted, -and finally, in reply to Imboden’s repeated refusals to allow him to -carry out his wishes, exclaimed indignantly, “I pay you, and you are -my servant, and I shall do as I please!” The situation had become -critical. Imboden saw that the time for strong measures had arrived. He -said to his _Herr_, “That is quite true. Now you do as you choose, and -I shall do as I choose. You lie down and sleep, and as surely as you -do so I shall give you a box on the ear that you won’t easily forget!” -“What!” cried the irate tourist; “no! you would not dare!” “Oh, yes,” -said Imboden quietly, “and a thoroughly good box on the ear too!” The -_Herr_, in a furious temper, plodded on to the top, and made no further -suggestions for repose, but the whole way down he sulked and growled -and would not be coaxed into good-humour. However, after dinner at -Zermatt and a chat with his friends, things began to look different, -and the same evening he sought out his guide, and shaking him by the -hand, thanked him warmly for his conduct. - -This recalls to my mind another little scene which took place on -the same mountain, the account of which I had from an eye-witness. -A guide, unknown to fame, but evidently resolute and determined of -spirit, was hauling a panting, expostulating German up the snow-slopes -between the Col St. Théodule and the Breithorn. When my friend, who was -descending, met them, the German was piteously entreating to be taken -home, declaring that he was nearly dead and had seen all that he wanted -to see. “Why don’t you turn back?” my friend inquired of the guide. -“Herr,” said that individual, “er _kann_ gehen, er _muss_ gehen--er -hat schon bezahlt!” (Sir, he _can_ go, he _must_ go--he has paid in -advance!) - -Here is another little tale. Once upon a time a certain well-known -guide was taking a traveller up the Weisshorn. The weather was -abominable. In addition, the mountain was in very bad order, covered -with ice and soft snow. The ascent had been long and tiring, and during -the descent the gentleman (whose first season it was), worn-out with -fatigue, completely lost his nerve. At last he exclaimed, “I cannot -go on, I simply _cannot_.” “You must,” the guide said. “Indeed, I -cannot go one step farther,” the traveller replied. “Sir,” the guide -continued, “if we don’t go on we shall be benighted on this ridge and -be frozen to death, and that must not happen.” Still the gentleman -stood still as though turned to stone. The guide saw that his words -had no effect; so making himself firm, he called out to the porter, -“Pull down the _Herr_ by his feet.” The wretched Herr feebly glared -at the porter, who demurred, saying, “I dare not, he will be so -angry; besides, if I did, we should all slip together.” “Very well, -come up here, and I will take your place. See to yourself; I will be -responsible for the rest,” answered the guide, and he and the porter -changed places. Now came the tug of war. Standing near the gentleman, -the guide seized him by the collar of his coat and dropped him down -a step. This he repeated two or three times, till the traveller, -reassured by the firmness of the grasp and the decision of the act, -gradually recovered his mental as well as his bodily balance, and -before long he was able to help himself. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -_SOME MORE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIRST-RATE GUIDES._ - - -Though it is a platitude to say that all good guides are plucky, -yet some are more noted for “dash” than others. The names which -at once come to the minds of most persons in connection with this -characteristic would probably be those of, in the past, Michel Croz, -Jean-Antoine Carrel, Johann Petrus, and a few others, and, in the -present, Alexander Burgener, Emile Rey, Christian Jossi, and to mine, -Martin Schocher. The three last names but one in my list are well -known; that of Martin Schocher is less so. I must here make a slight -digression in order to undertake a pleasant duty. In a former work, -referred to before, I made some uncomplimentary remarks concerning -Engadine guides.[3] Since then, however, Martin Schocher has come -to the front, and has gained an amount of experience which no other -Pontresina man can pretend to. Few expeditions of first-rate difficulty -in the district have been made which were not led by him. On the three -first occasions when the formidable ridge between Piz Scerscen and Piz -Bernina was traversed, Schocher headed the party. The only time that -the central west _arête_ of Piz Palü was taken, he again led; and on -the single occasion when Piz Morteratsch was climbed from the saddle -between that peak and Piz Prievlusa, the party consisted of Schocher -and Mr. Garwood only. Of this ascent Schocher declares that it was the -hardest piece of work he ever undertook, consisting as it did of smooth -rocky slabs, steeply inclined, and narrowing very often to the merest -knife-edge. - -During the past autumn Schocher for the first time left his native -district, and went to the chief climbing centres of the Alps (the -Oberland and Dauphiné excepted). The party were fortunate in their -weather, and ascended the Dent Blanche, the Aiguille de la Za, and -several other first-class peaks. If Schocher were to travel for another -season or two, he would gain enough experience to place him on a par -with some of the best men in the Oberland. - -A fine rock-climber, a marvellously good and rapid step-cutter (his -steps being large, well shaped, and exactly in the right place), of -powerful build, and very willing and cheerful, Schocher is an ideal -guide, and a credit to Pontresina. There are one or two young guides in -the place who show promise, and Klucker of Sils is a host in himself; -so the Engadine may fairly be congratulated on its progress in this -respect during the last six or eight years. - -Though Chamonix guides have deservedly acquired a reputation for their -skill on ice and snow, yet, oddly enough, it is a St. Nicholas man -who is said to most excel in this branch of mountain-craft. In the -biography of Joseph Imboden in “The Pioneers of the Alps” Mr. Barnes -writes: “His (Imboden’s) judgment as to the state of the snow is -excellent, and may be implicitly relied on.” Sometimes, when climbing -with this guide, I have expressed my fears of possible avalanches, and -he has invariably, by a joke or one of those biting sarcasms which his -soul loveth, banished my fears; for his wonderful quickness in noting -exactly when and where the snow is safe, and when or where it begins to -show a tendency to slip, would restore confidence to any one, however -timid. - -I have many times watched, with ever-increasing admiration, how a -couple of first-class Chamonix guides will work their way through a -perfect maze of _séracs_ and crevasses and other obstacles incident to -the wild chaos of an ice-fall. I have twice been through the _séracs_ -of Géant at night, starting at 11 P.M. from Montanvert, and accompanied -by Michel Savioz, then a porter. He threaded his way round crevasses, -over snow-bridges, and up and down _séracs_ as if he was accustomed -to going backwards and forwards nightly over the pass; and, on many -other occasions, it has been a real delight to me to watch from the -rear of the caravan the perfect confidence and ease with which these -masters of their art grapple with the difficulties of a broken glacier. -I was particularly struck some years ago by the skill and “dash” -displayed by two of my guides, Auguste Cupelin and Alphonse Payot, -in forcing a passage across the upper plateau of the Glacier de la -Brenva. We had mounted in the morning to a bivouac on the moraine of -the glacier, where, under a large boulder, we hit upon the remains -of an old encampment, which had probably been the sleeping quarters -of the three or four parties who had made or attempted different -excursions from this point. We deposited our knapsacks and rugs, lit a -fire with the wood which we had collected lower down, and then, after -despatching a hasty meal, the two guides set out to make tracks across -this formidable glacier. Our object, on the morrow, was to attempt -the ascent of the Aiguille Blanche de Peuteret, but as some of the -previous parties had spent hours in getting over the glacier which lay -between our bivouac and the peak, my guides wisely decided to make a -track over it that very afternoon, and thus, by having our way mapped -out in advance, to save several hours in the morning. The reader may -wonder why, in order to gain time, we did not shift our night-quarters -to the other side of the glacier. This we should certainly have done -if we could have found even the smallest piece of rock to take up our -abode on, but snow was over everything, and therefore we had no choice -but to remain on the left bank of the glacier. As I sat on a huge -stone overlooking the ice, armed with a telescope, I could watch all -my guides’ movements. One moment Auguste would make a rush at a great -lurching _sérac_, the next he would have scrambled to the top, and be -ready to step down the other side whilst Alphonse tightened the rope. -Then I would see him clear, with a frantic spring, a yawning chasm, -and turn and draw in the cord as Alphonse followed his example. Now -both would disappear, soon to come into sight again, and seeming to -rise out of the depths of the glacier, and Auguste would fall to work -with his axe, hacking steps up a glassy wall until he conquered it. -And so they worked on, ever progressing towards their goal, whilst I -sat engrossed in watching such a brilliant display of ice-craft. It -was dark before they returned, and I am sure my reader will sympathise -when I tell him that, in spite of all this toil, we were unable to do -the Aiguille (then an untrodden peak) the next day. We started about -1 A.M., traversed the glacier, and mounted the steep snow-slopes -beyond; but the weather, which was slightly cloudy when we set out, -grew gradually worse and worse, till at last heavily falling snow -compelled us to abandon our attempt, and in terribly low spirits we -retraced our steps to our bivouac, gathered together our baggage, -and sulkily descended to the valley. We crossed the Col de la Seigne -that afternoon, and next morning, in lovely weather, but through -a sprinkling of lately fallen snow, went over the charming little -snow-pass of Mont Tendu to St. Gervais, and thence by Chamonix home to -Montanvert. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[3] In any remarks I have ever made which reflect on the Pontresina -guides as a body, I need hardly say that those fine old men, the -brothers Hans and Christian Grass, were quite outside my subject. They -have now given up climbing; but only three years ago Christian made -his hundredth ascent of Piz Bernina, which he took by the “Scharte,” -reaching the Fuorcla Prievlusa by a new and extremely difficult route -from Boval. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -_MORE ABOUT GUIDES._ - - -It has often been a matter for discussion whether the talent of -path-finding, or, more often, of discovering a possible route when no -semblance of a path exists, comes from instinct or from training. It -seems to me that it usually proceeds from something of both, though -especially from the latter. Those who would confine this power to -instinct pure and simple, bring forward as an argument on their side -the fact that hardly any amateurs possess it to a great degree, and -none to the extent exhibited in a first-rate guide. But they forget -that people in our own class cannot by any possibility have the -early experience of Swiss peasants, many of whom are accustomed from -childhood to scramble about in all sorts of difficult and perilous -places, and are often taken by their fathers and neighbours for -lengthened excursions on mountains and glaciers, either during hunting -expeditions, or sometimes, with the kindly permission of a traveller, -as porters. I remember, on one occasion, Peter Taugwalder asking me -to allow his son, then aged fourteen, to go with us up the Breithorn, -and most efficient did the little fellow prove himself, insisting -on carrying my camera a good part of the way. Imboden’s eldest son, -Roman, had at fifteen made quite a number of first-rate ascents with -his father, including the passage of the Ried Pass (twice), of the -Alphubel, the ascent of the Balfrinhorn, Brunegghorn, and other big -peaks. When, in 1887, I took him up Piz Kesch, I noticed that his -“form” had already attained to a point which few amateurs could beat. -The manner in which a first-rate guide will find the way in darkness, -a thick fog, or a snowstorm is really marvellous. In descending Mont -Blanc in January, we were in a thick fog from the moment we turned at -the top of the Mur de la Côte, and it was pitch-dark before we were -fairly off the Grand Plateau. Yet on the guides went, with a cheery, -confident air about them, never hesitating for a moment, and only -halting twice, the first time to root out a knapsack of provisions, -left on the Grand Plateau that morning, and since buried in the thickly -falling snow, and the second time, at my request, to light the lanterns -when, within half an hour of the Grands Mulets, I awkwardly walked into -one of the crevasses across which we had to pass. Again, in coming -down at the end of November from the Aiguille du Tour to the Cabane -d’Orny, darkness overtook us. Before beginning the descent of the -Glacier d’Orny, I suggested that our lantern should be made use of; but -the guides laughed, and breaking into one of the songs of the district, -trotted unhesitatingly down the ice, in and out amongst the crevasses, -and at last up to the door of the hut, which was so deeply buried in -snow as to be hardly distinguishable. Indeed, the little cabin is at -all times hard to find, and Chamonix sometimes confidentially whispers -how an ex-guide and a friend, after crossing the Col du Tour, entirely -failed to discover the hut, and, after much poking about, returned over -the pass to Chamonix! - -Another example of path-finding which greatly struck me was during a -descent in the dark of the Italian side of the Matterhorn. We had the -moon a good part of the time, but often, owing to the conformation of -the rocks, we were in utter darkness, and Alexander Burgener would -rummage about for a bit, then seize on the commencement of one of -the fixed ropes, and, with a series of his characteristic grunts and -snorts, work his way down it. He never missed the right route for an -instant, though the mountain was in a very bad state from the amount -of ice and snow on it. One more incident before we pass on to the -consideration of the next of the qualities which I have noted. Some -years ago, during the month of January, I found myself with Edouard -Cupelin (of Chamonix), and a couple of local guides, in the long -_couloir_ which leads from the Sella Pass towards the first peak of -Piz Roseg. A discussion arose as to the best route to take, the local -guides advising our bearing to the left, and Cupelin recommending -keeping to the right. The latter’s opinion, as leader, of course -prevailed, and though he had never been in the Engadine till the day -before, we cheerfully followed him. On reaching the plateau above, it -became obvious that we had saved both time and trouble by selecting -this route, which, indeed, we afterwards found was the one usually -taken. - -Pontresina guides have gone rapidly ahead since then, and it would now -be hard to beat, say, Martin Schocher as a rising guide. - -Now let us travel from the Engadine to the Bernese Oberland, and I will -tell you of an occurrence there which made much stir amongst the few -who heard of it, but an account of which did not, as far as I know, -reach the ears of the Alpine world. - -Again Joseph Imboden must come to the front, and never did he more -deserve applause than on this occasion. - -One morning in August, two parties set out from the Eggischhorn to -cross the Mönch Joch to Grindelwald. One of them consisted of an -Englishman accustomed to climbing, accompanied by Imboden and a good, -steady porter. The second party comprised two Englishmen and a guide -and porter, all of whom were more or less lacking in the qualities -so conspicuous in party the first. In descending the slopes above -the Bergli Hut, the second party was leading, and the position was -as follows. Just below was a deep _bergschrund_, or large crevasse, -approached by a slope of ice, down which the guide was cutting steps. -Behind him was one of the travellers, then came the other, and last -on the rope, and in a desperate state of apprehension at the sight of -the horrors beneath, was the porter. The other party, in which, most -providentially, Imboden was first on the rope, was close behind--in -fact, Imboden himself was only separated by a distance of about a -couple of feet from the other party’s porter. At this particularly -auspicious moment, it occurred to the gentleman on the ice-slope to -stick his axe into a neighbouring patch of snow, nearly out of his -reach, and to take off his spectacles for the purpose of wiping them. -Hardly had he commenced this operation, than, to his horror, the -guide, who was cutting below, slipped. The gentleman of the spectacles -followed suit, so did his companion behind, and so, with a wild cry -of “Wir sind alle verloren!” (We are all lost!) did the porter. But -hardly had he lost his footing when, in calm, clear tones, came the -remark from behind him, “Noch nicht!” (Not yet), and he felt himself -arrested and held back. What actually occurred was this (I had it from -the gentleman whom Imboden was guiding, and who, from his position -behind and above him, had the best possible view of the situation). -When Imboden saw the spectacle-wiping begin, he instinctively scented -danger, and hooked the cutting point of his axe through the rope which -was round the porter’s waist. Immediately after, if not simultaneously, -the slip took place, and the whole strain of the weight of the -foremost party came on Imboden. However, he was firmly placed, and -held without difficulty till they recovered their footing. But for -Imboden’s coolness and quickness, a very serious, and most likely a -fatal accident would have occurred. Two or three days afterwards, while -ascending the Eiger with Imboden, I questioned him about this incident. -He took his extraordinary performance entirely as a matter of course, -and declined to admit any merit in it. I fear that the two Englishmen -(or rather the spectacle-man) hardly realised the escape they had. -Well, it is not for a mere matter of thanks or reward that men do -deeds such as this, though I can vouch for it that a few warm words of -gratitude are far more valued than a mere pecuniary manifestation of -the same. - -A good guide is usually able to turn his hand to most things, and has -generally plenty of resource in unforeseen difficulties of all kinds. -In short, he is ever ready to rise to the occasion, no matter what it -may show of the unexpected. Many a guide with whom I have travelled -has combined the qualities of an excellent cook, a lady’s-maid (!), a -courier, and a first-rate carpenter, with those of a pleasant companion -and the special characteristics of his profession. In proof of the -above, I may remark that a little dinner in a hut is often a meal by -no means to be despised, the ingenuity displayed in cooking with next -to no appliances being really wonderful. As to the packing of one’s -garments, I have been more than once informed that the way in which I -fold dresses leaves much to be desired, while an incident connected -with this subject, which took place some years ago, is still vividly -impressed on my mind. When paying my bill at a certain hotel, an item -of 150 francs for a broken piano-string had aroused my indignation. In -the first place, the string had been broken by the frost; secondly, 150 -francs was a preposterous charge. I promptly left the hotel in disgust, -and accomplished my departure in a very short space of time, thanks -to my guide, who valiantly helped by packing dresses and hats, boots -and shoes, with unhesitating rapidity, and, what is more, they were as -wearable when they emerged from my trunk as when they went into it. -I was much amused, during an ascent some years ago, to see my porter -produce a needle and thread and solemnly commence to repair a rent in -my climbing skirt. I cannot say that the work was very fine, but it -held together as long as ever that garment lasted. - -There are several incidents which I should like to mention in -connection with that strength of muscle with which nature and training -have supplied some guides to a very remarkable extent. - -Perhaps one of the most notable instances of great strength being -put forth at exactly the right instant was the following, which was -described to me by Miss Lucy Walker as having happened to her brother, -Mr. Horace Walker. - -The latter, accompanied by Peter Anderegg, was ascending a steep wall -of ice. The guide went first, cutting steps. The way was barred by a -big piece of rock, apparently firmly frozen into the ice-slope. While -Mr. Walker stood just below the boulder, Anderegg worked to the side -round it. Beaching its upper level, he placed one foot on the great -mass, which, to his horror, at once began to move. To cry out and warn -his companion below would have been to expend far too much time; there -was but one way of saving Mr. Walker’s life, and that he promptly -took. In an instant he had stepped back on to his last foothold, and -with a terrific jerk had swung Mr. Walker out of his steps and along -the slope. Immediately after, the huge stone thundered down the slope, -across the place occupied till a moment before by Mr. Walker. This, I -think, is the most wonderful thing of the kind I ever heard of. - -Another very striking instance of strength promptly put forth took -place on Piz Palü, a mountain in the Bernina group, during an ascent -by Mrs. Wainwright, Dr. Wainwright, and the guides Christian and Hans -Grass. I extract the following from Dr. Ludwig’s capital little book, -“Pontresina and its Neighbourhood.” - -“In 1879 an accident happened on Piz Palü, which had a similar cause, -and nearly had a similar fatal ending, with the accident on the Lyskamm -two years before. The middle and the western summits are joined -together by a narrow ridge; on the side of the Pers Glacier (the north) -the frozen snow (_firn_) forms, in parts, an overhanging cornice. Mr. -W. and his sister-in-law, Mrs. W., with the two veteran guides, Hans -and Christian Grass, had ascended the highest summit, and were on their -return; Christian Grass leading, then Mr. W., Mrs. W., and last, Hans -Grass. There was a thick fog. The first three of the party stepped on -to the cornice; it gave way suddenly, and all four would have been -dashed down the face of the ice-wall, which there falls sheer some two -thousand feet, had not Hans Grass had the presence of mind and the -bodily activity and strength to spring at once to the opposite side of -the ridge and plant his feet firmly in the snow. Fortunately Mr. W. -had not lost his axe; he gave it to Christian Grass, who in this awful -situation untied himself from the rope, and cut his way up on to the -ridge, where his brother and he, joining forces, were able to bring Mr. -and Mrs. W. into safety.” - -What a fearful moment of suspense it must have been when Mr. W. -dropped his axe to the guide below, who, if he had failed to catch it, -would have lost the last chance of saving the party. - -An accident very much resembling that on Piz Palü occurred on August -18, 1880, on the Ober-Gabelhorn, near Zermatt. In this case, as on the -Palü, no lives were lost, thanks to the prompt action of one of the -guides, Ulrich Almer. I extract the following account of the event from -Ulrich’s book:-- - -“We attacked the mountain direct from the Trift Alp, and had scaled the -steep rocks and reached the eastern _arête_, along which, at a distance -of about twelve yards from the edge, we were proceeding, when a huge -cornice fell, carrying with it the leading guide, Brantschen, and -the two voyagers. Almer, who alone remained on _terra firma_, showed -extraordinary strength and presence of mind. Instantly on hearing the -crack of the cornice, he leaped a yard backwards, plunged his axe -into the snow, and planting himself as firmly as possible, was thus -enabled to arrest the fall of the entire party down a precipice of some -2000 feet. Joseph Brantschen, who fell farthest down the precipice, -dislocated his right shoulder, and this mischance involved a long, -and to him most painful descent, and the return to Zermatt took us -eight hours, the injured man being obliged to stop every two or three -minutes from pain and exhaustion. It should be mentioned that the mass -of cornice which fell measured (as far as we can judge) about forty -yards long by thirteen yards broad. - -“Mr. C. E. Mathews, president, and other members of the Alpine Club, -went carefully into the details of the accident, and gave their verdict -that, according to all the hitherto accepted theories of cornices, -we were allowing an ample margin, and that no blame attached to the -leading guide, Brantschen.... There can be no doubt whatever that -it is owing solely to Ulrich Almer’s strength, presence of mind, -and lightning-like rapidity of action that this accident on the -Gabelhorn did not terminate with the same fatal results as the Lyskamm -catastrophe. - -(_Signed_) - -H. H. MAJENDIE, A.C. -RICHARD L. HARRISON.” - -As a practical proof of their gratitude to Almer, I understand that -these gentlemen gave him a cow. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -_FURTHER ANECDOTES OF GUIDES._ - - -Endurance is absolutely necessary in a guide undertaking first-class -ascents. It is simply astounding how much fatigue a guide will go -through without any symptom of giving in. One one occasion, Alexander -Burgener, having returned to Zermatt after fourteen hours’ climbing, -left with me the same evening, and put in another forty-three hours’ -exertion (relieved by one halt of two hours on an exposed ledge while -waiting for the moon), almost “without turning a hair.” The porter, -too, had participated in both ascents, and though certainly fatigued on -our reaching Zermatt, was still far from prostrate. - -I have known Martin Schocher go up Piz Bernina five times in one week, -taking an “off day” on Piz Palü on the other two days; and amongst the -long excursions which I have made with guides who, on their return, -declared that they felt quite fresh, may be mentioned the Dent du -Géant, twenty-three hours; Aiguille du Midi (winter), twenty hours; -Col d’Argentine (winter), twenty hours; Finsteraarhorn, up and down by -Agassiz-joch (following an ascent of the Schreckhorn the day before), -twenty-three hours. - -It is when a party encounters bad weather or is benighted in an exposed -situation that the endurance of a guide is most put to the test. Some -years ago a party consisting of Mr. Howard Knox and a German gentleman, -with Peter Dangl of Sulden and Martin Schocher of Pontresina, were -benighted on the _arête_ of Piz Scerscen. The German was almost -unconscious from cold and fatigue, and Mr. Knox, too, was worn-out -from want of sleep. The guides during the entire night never ceased -rubbing and attending to the German, and from time to time Schocher -took Mr. Knox in his arms and allowed him three or four minutes’ sleep, -which refreshed him much more than would be expected from the short -time during which it was safe for him to indulge in it. At daybreak, -Schocher led the party in magnificent style down an entirely new route -to the Scerscen glacier, and brought them all safe and sound home to -Pontresina the same afternoon. The final splendid piece of guiding of -Jean-Antoine Carrel in 1890, when, after two days’ confinement by -bad weather in the upper hut on the south side of the Matterhorn, he, -after twenty hours’ fearful toil, got his party safely out of all their -difficulties, and then laid down and died, is one of the most pathetic -incidents in Alpine history. - -Referring to this, Mr. Whymper wrote in the _Alpine Journal_, “It -cannot be doubted that Carrel, enfeebled though he was, could have -saved himself had he given his attention to self-preservation. He took -a nobler course, and, accepting his responsibility, devoted his whole -soul to the welfare of his comrades, until, utterly exhausted, he fell -staggering on the snow. He was already dying; life was flickering, yet -the brave spirit said, ‘It is _nothing_.’ They placed him in the rear -to ease his work; he was no longer able even to support himself; he -dropped to the ground, and in a few minutes expired.” - -An extraordinary case of endurance came to my notice a short time -ago, when turning over the leaves of some old numbers of the _Alpine -Journal_. It is not connected with guides, and thus is perhaps out -of place here. Still, as my object in this little work is rather -to interest my readers than to aim at a careful classification of -subjects, I shall quote the account for their benefit. - -“The same number of the same work (_i.e._, the _Bulletino Trimestrale_, -Nos. x. and xi.) relates an Alpine misadventure so extraordinary as -to deserve notice, and so incredible as hardly to seem worthy of it. -But it is equally out of the question to suppose that the organ of the -Italian Alpine Club is itself guilty of a hoax, or that it could be -hoaxed in a matter verified by the signature of three Italian gentlemen -of station, by a public subscription, and by an official document. This -premised, we give the following narrative, greatly condensed from the -Italian. - -“A party of young men, who had been employed on the Fell railway over -the Mont Cenis, took their way home, about the middle of October 1866, -over the Col du Collarin to the Piedmontese valley of Ala. Near the -top, still on the Savoy side, one of them, named Angelo Castagneri, -slipped, apparently on the edge of the _bergschrund_, and disappeared. -His companions, instead of returning for help to the village of -Averolles, little more than an hour distant, seem to have been -possessed with the notion that a man down in a glacier was past help, -and crossed the col to Balme, the first village where Castagneri’s -parents lived. They took it coolly, for it was a week before anybody -went to look for him, and then the father, descending by help of a -ladder, found him lying on the wet earth beside a clot of blood, which -had flowed from a wound in his head, and still alive. It took nine or -ten hours to get him home, using the ladder as a litter, and many days -elapsed before he was seen by a medical man.” The account goes on to -say that it was nine months before he was taken to Turin and placed -in a hospital there, where his legs, from which he had lost his feet -from frost-bite and subsequent mortification, were healed, apparently -without amputation. Castagneri says that he had no recollection of -anything from the time of his fall until aroused by his father’s voice -and touch. In that case he lay senseless between eight and nine days, -and probably owed his life to his insensibility. - -The subject of the manifold kindnesses and acts of unselfishness -shown by guides, both to their employers and also to each other, -is so wide a one that I can only touch on it in a most superficial -manner. I well remember, some years ago, hearing of a very kind act of -Melchior Anderegg’s. The party had ascended the Dent d’Heréns, and, in -returning, Ulrich Almer was struck and badly hurt by a stone. It was -impossible to get him down to Zermatt that night, and several hours had -to be spent, while waiting for daylight, sitting on the rocks. It was -extremely cold, and Melchior took off his coat and wrapped the wounded -man in it, remaining all night in his shirt-sleeves. - -In my work “The High Alps in Winter,” I have related how my guides, -while I was asleep in the Cabane d’Orny (near the Orny Glacier), took -off their coats and covered me with them, so that I might not feel -cold, while they sat up all night brewing hot tea, and vying with each -other in stories of chamois hunts. - -Experience every good guide must have. Here is an anecdote showing -how one member of the profession acquired it. This guide, now well -known and in the first rank, began his career with two Germans as his -victims. The party were bound for, I believe, the Cima di Jazzi, and -when the ice of the Gorner Glacier gave place to snow, the moment -came for putting on the rope. The guide felt greatly puzzled; and -he was slow of thought. Meanwhile the two gentlemen, as ignorant of -mountain-craft as their guardian, stood by and watched the cord being -slowly uncoiled. At last the guide took a sudden resolution, and making -a loop at each end of the rope, he slipped it round the necks of his -two charges, and taking the cord in the centre, held it in his hand, -having just enough native wit not to tie it round his own neck! In -this frightfully dangerous condition they remained during the entire -ascent. When returning, another party was seen approaching. The guide -halted on finding that it was led by a friend of his. He took him aside -and said, “Tell me, how ought people to be roped? Have I not done it -correctly?” The other guide replied, with inward merriment, “Oh, yes, -it’s quite right!” Whereupon his friend exclaimed, “And yet I assure -you the gentlemen have sworn at me all day!” So much for that pleasing -operation known as “buying experience.” - -The guide who has had the greatest amount of experience in the Alps -is, I think, Christian Almer, if by experience we mean making a large -number of different ascents and excursions. The Oberlanders travel out -of their own district more than any other guides; next to them probably -the Saas and St. Nicholas men; then some of the Chamonix guides -(though not many). Peter Dangl of Sulden, Tyrol, and several of the -Valtournanche men are also to be met with _en voyage_, the former very -frequently. - -In closing the subject of guides, I will only add that I trust these -little details of my experience of them and that of others may have -helped some to better realise what a splendid body of men they are, -and how much may be learnt in knowing them well, and in the constant -intercourse with them which every climber enjoys. I have tried -to show that the upper grades of the profession are not a number -of self-seeking, ignorant, unprincipled peasants, who regard all -travellers as their lawful prey, but a set of courageous, noble-minded -men, often conspicuous in intellectual qualities, and in many ways -unique as a class. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -_ALP LIFE._ - - -Do you know, my readers, what an alp is? Perhaps the question seems -trivial to you, and you feel inclined to reply indignantly, “Of -course!” Well, perhaps you are right; but still I am going to describe -an alp, for it is also very possible that you are wrong. As to what -an alp is not, I will begin by stating most emphatically that it is -not a mountain, that it is not snow-covered in summer, and that it has -nothing whatever to do with those incidents of nature spoken of in -guide-books as “the Alps.” An alp is written with a small _a_--this is -one distinction. It is a pasture tenanted in summer by cows, goats, -and huge black pigs, and young men and maidens to look after the -same, consequently it is not snow-covered except in winter, and as it -supplies the animals with beautiful and nourishing grass, it presents a -very different aspect to the rocky and ice-clad sides of the Alps (with -a large _A_). - -During the long winter months, the cows, which are of such value to -the Swiss, are kept in hot, often stuffy, stables in the villages, and -only taken out every day for water. It is a familiar sight to winter -visitors in the Alps to meet these animals in the village street, -plunging and galloping about in the enjoyment of a few breaths of fresh -air on their way to drink at one of the many troughs with which even -the smallest of Alpine hamlets is so liberally supplied. - -Towards the beginning of May, the cows are taken from their stables -and driven to the lower alps. These alps constitute a great source of -wealth to the country. Many owners of large herds of cattle have as -many as three, situated at different altitudes on the mountain-side. -It is to the lowest that the cows first go, and by the time its rich -pasturage has been fully enjoyed and considerably diminished, the snow -will have melted from the slopes above, and thither the herd pursues -its way. By the middle of June, or later, the highest alp is gained, -and there the animals remain till the early autumn approaches. Then -they descend, halting for a month or so at the intermediate stations, -till the end of October sees them once more established in the valley -for the winter. - -The day on which the cows depart for the alps is fêted with great -rejoicings in most Swiss villages, and doubtless in olden days it must -have occurred earlier in the season than is now the case, for the 1st -March is still kept as a festival dedicated to the turning out of the -cows into the meadows, and if the valley was clear of snow by March -1st, the lower alps must surely have been habitable by April. - -An interesting account, by Herr Bavier, of the 1st March rejoicings, -appeared in the _St. Moritz Post_ for March 10, 1888, and I think that -my readers will wish me to reprint some of it. Herr Bavier, under the -heading of “Chalanda Mars,” writes:-- - -“What is the Chalanda Mars? almost all my readers will ask. Here it -is the children’s greatest fête, and in every village, no matter how -small, the Chalanda Mars is celebrated with as much splendour as -possible. For hundreds of years it has been the custom for heads of -families to contribute a certain sum, which is put at the disposal of -the schoolmaster, and with it he procures a supply of cream, cakes, -sweets, and other things dear to the youthful palate. On March 1st -(Chalanda, viz., ‘beginning’), the principal scholars of the village -school go about the streets, ringing big cow-bells, cracking whips, and -singing-- - - - ‘Chalanda Mars, Chaland Avrigl, - Lasché las vaschas our d’nuigl, - Cha l’erva crescha - E la naiv svanescha,’ - - -which means, - - - Beginning of March, beginning of April, - Bring forth the cows from their stables, - For the grass is growing, - And the snow is going. - - -“During their procession through the village, the youngsters collect -chestnuts, or any other dainty offered by the listeners to their music, -and on the Sunday following these treasures are placed on a gorgeous -sort of ‘buffet,’ and all the village children, even the babies, are -invited to help themselves. After supper, a dance helps to further -enliven matters, and to make the little folk look forward impatiently -to next year’s ‘Chalanda Mars.’” - -The herd, consisting perhaps of animals belonging to twenty or more -different persons, on its departure for the mountains, is headed by -the largest and finest of the cows. She is decorated with the best and -deepest-toned bell, and at every march she never fails to place herself -in front of all her companions, and when, through old age or sickness, -she loses her superiority, and her bell is transferred to the neck -of another animal, she sometimes abandons herself to such lowness of -spirits as seriously to impair her health. - -Tschudi relates that on one occasion, when the herds were preparing for -the descent from the upper alp of Bilters, he noticed a furious combat -between two cows, and on his inquiring the reason, the herdsmen told -him that one of the cows had borne the great bell during the ascent, -but that it had been transferred from her neck to that of a still finer -animal during their sojourn on the alp. The first cow, having heard -the tones of her old bell, had come from a great distance, and on her -arrival had immediately shown fight, in revenge for the loss of her -former privilege. - -After the leader of the troop follow those of next importance, and it -is said that every time the purchase of a new animal adds to the herd, -the last arrival engages each of the cows in turn in battle, and the -result of the fights determines her position amongst her companions. -The bells carried by the cows are sometimes so large as to measure a -foot in diameter, and cost in some instances as much as eighty or a -hundred francs. - -The cows are accompanied to their summer quarters either by a girl, who -is known as a _Sennerin_, or by a cowherd, or _Senner_. It is often -imagined that these peasants enjoy a life of romantic idleness, lying -on the emerald-green turf, surrounded by snow-clad glittering peaks, -and making the cliffs re-echo to their jodels or the “Ranz des Vaches.” - -I may here add, that, according to Dr. Forbes, the name of the “Ranz -des Vaches” is derived from the “rang” or range in which the cows stand -to be milked, the “Ranz des Vaches” being usually sung by the peasants -on their departure for the alps. However, in a work by H. Szadrowsky -entitled “Music and the Musical Instruments of the Dwellers in the -Alps” (1868), the derivation of _Ranz_ is said to be from _ranner_, -to shout (Swiss-Romansch), and the “Ranz des Vaches” from _Reihen_ or -_Reigen_, a song. In truth, the existence of the peasants who inhabit -these alps is by no means a lazy one. Up before break of day--I have -often seen them astir by 3 A.M.--they must let their cows out of the -shelter in which they have passed the night. If any of the animals are -ill, they must be attended to. Twice daily they must be milked, and -cheese-making is an important and arduous portion of the day’s routine. - -In the Engadine, and, in general, all over the Grisons, the alp huts -are built of wood or solid stone, and are comfortable and commodious, -and good shelter is provided for the cattle. In many parts of Valais, -on the contrary, the rough stone huts of the cowherds, so low that -an upright position cannot, in some cases, be maintained, are but -miserable, hastily-built hovels, the walls consisting of stones piled -one on another, regardless of intervening gaps, and a roof of rocky -slabs covering the wretched structure. The cows are entirely unprovided -with shelter on many such alps, and often when passing through mountain -pastures at night, I have been startled by suddenly stumbling over a -warm mass slumbering in the long dewy grass. - -The highest pastures are usually to be found at about 7500 feet, but -at the Riffel above Zermatt, cows are to be seen grazing above 8000 -feet, and on the south slopes of the Italian side of the Alps they go -still higher. In several parts of Switzerland, the cows, in order to -gain their summer quarters, must cross the ice of the glaciers, and -at Montanvert, above Chamonix, they may be seen in June and October -traversing the Mer de Glace. - -Two distinct kinds of cattle are found in Switzerland. The one is to -be seen in the districts between the Lake of Constance and the east -boundary of Valais, while the west is occupied by a different sort. The -former is easily distinguishable, being of a uniform brown, sometimes -dark in shade, sometimes light, while the other is white with black -or yellow patches, sometimes being entirely red or black, with only -a white mark on the forehead. The first of these two varieties, it -has been noticed, is heavier or lighter, according as it inhabits the -lowlands or the higher valleys. - -The heaviest and finest of these animals are to be found in the Canton -of Schweiz, and attain a weight of twenty to twenty-five quintaux. Of -the latter sort, the best specimens inhabit Bulle, Romont, and Eastern -Switzerland in general. These animals are the heaviest of all. - -For further information on “Alp Life,” I refer my readers to Tschudi’s -“Monde des Alpes.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -_THE CHAMOIS._ - - -Amongst the animals met with in the Alps, there is none so interesting -to the traveller as the chamois. The reason for this is not far to -seek, for the animal is sufficiently rare to excite both the curiosity -and the imagination, while its pursuit is known to be so difficult -and often dangerous, that it has frequently been described as -“mountaineering without a rope.” Thus a glamour of romance is thrown -over the whole subject. - -Chamois-shooting in Switzerland is only allowed during one month of -the year, September. It is seldom indulged in, in this country, by -foreigners, as there is a great deal of difficulty in obtaining a -license. Indeed, it can only be had after the stranger has taken out -a _Niederlassung_ (which gives many of the rights of naturalisation -without loss of those of the free-born Briton), and this is both a -troublesome and a tedious process, besides entailing a residence of -some time in Switzerland. - -There are several other plans, however, by which the ardent sportsman -works his will. One of these is simply to go and shoot, and, -disregarding all monetary considerations, pay a heavy fine for each -chamois secured. At what period, however, the Swiss authorities would -pronounce the offender against their laws incorrigible, and introduce -him to the interior of one of their prisons, I do not know. - -A third course, and the one usually followed, is for the foreigner to -accompany a native who is armed with a license and a gun for his own -use. I will not affirm that in the excitement of the chase the latter -does not sometimes change hands. - -Hampered by a rifle, and minus the help of the trusty rope and ice-axe, -chamois-hunting calls for exceptional activity and endurance. Most -Englishmen who go in for the sport make their headquarters in the -Italian Alps, where the Government regulations are less stringent than -in this country. - -The Engadine contains large herds of chamois, and one can see thirty -or forty almost every day in summer feeding on the slopes of Piz -Tschierva, opposite the Roseg restaurant. This is no doubt because that -part of the Engadine has been strictly preserved for some years. - -For the benefit of such of my readers as have never seen a chamois, -I extract the following description of one from Mr. Baillie Grohman’s -brightly written little work, “Tyrol and the Tyrolese.” - -“Somewhat larger than a roedeer, a chamois weighs, when full grown, -from forty to seventy pounds. Its colour, in summer of a dusky -yellowish brown, changes in autumn to a much darker hue, while in -winter it is all but black. The hair on the forehead and that which -overhangs the hoofs, remains tawny brown throughout the year, while -the hair growing along the backbone is in winter dark brown and of -prodigious length; it furnishes the much-prized ‘Gamsbart,’ literally -‘beard of the chamois,’ with tufts of which the hunters love to adorn -their hats. The build of the animal exhibits in its construction a -wonderful blending of strength and agility. The power of its muscles -is rivalled by the extraordinary facility of balancing the body, of -instantly finding, as it were, the centre of gravity.” - -Most districts of the Alps have their famous chamois-hunters; but, -according to Tschudi, the most celebrated of all was Jean-Marie Colani -of Pontresina. It is said that he kept about 200 chamois, half-tamed, -on the hills near his home. Each year he shot sixty males or so, -calculating on about the same number of young ones being born every -season. He would not tolerate any strangers in the district, and the -Tyrolese especially suffered much at his hands. It was popularly -related at Pontresina that he had a room in his châlet decorated with -foreign hunting implements, which he had taken from those whom he had -killed, the number of his victims being estimated at thirty. Of course -this was a gross exaggeration, and A. Cadonau, an old chamois-shooter -of Bergün, asserted that Colani only killed one Tyrolese hunter whom -he found on Swiss ground near Piz Ot; but he tells that one day he met -Colani unexpectedly, and the latter took deliberate aim at him, only -lowering his weapon when he recognised his friend. - -It is said that on one occasion Colani killed three chamois grouped -together with one shot, and many anecdotes are told of him, most of -which are by no means to his credit. From the time he was twenty years -of age till his death, Colani killed 2600 chamois. This figure has -never been reached by any one else. Colani’s death in 1837 was caused -by over-exertion, he having undertaken for a bet to mow a piece of -land in the same time that it would take a couple of the best Tyrolese -mowers to accomplish a like amount. - -The Grisons have had other famous chasseurs, amongst whom may be -mentioned J. Rüdi of Pontresina and Jacob Spinas of Tinzen. The latter -began to hunt at twelve years old, and, in a career of twenty-two -years, shot 600 chamois, besides securing every season forty to fifty -hares, about sixty marmots, some hundred or more partridges, a dozen -foxes or so, and in a single day catching trout to a weight of fifteen -to twenty pounds. - -The largest herd of chamois Spinas ever saw numbered from sixty-five -to sixty-eight head. Spinas contested that he was only surpassed as a -hunter by one other man in the canton, namely, B. Cathomen of Brigels. - -Other noted chamois-hunters, inhabiting Val Bregaglia and the -neighbouring valleys, are Giacomo Scarlazzi of Promontogno, who has -shot as many as five chamois in a day and seventeen in a week, and -Pietro Soldini of Stampa. The latter, up to 1887, had killed 1200 to -1300 chamois, of which he shot forty-nine in one autumn. J. Saratz of -Pontresina was also a famous chasseur, and the three brothers Sutter -of Bergün must not be forgotten. Amongst them they shot 1700 head, in -addition to which Mathew Sutter has killed a bear, a læmmergeier, and -often in a day eight to ten ptarmigan. He has only seen three lynx, -but has never shot one. - -October 1852 was a fatal time for chamois-hunters, three of whom, -including the famous guide Hans Lauener, were killed during that month. -The saying that more chamois-hunters are killed while engaged in their -favourite sport than die a natural death has, unfortunately, a good -deal of truth in it. Sometimes the chasseur, overcome by fatigue, falls -asleep in some cold and exposed spot, never to wake again. Sometimes -he is mortally wounded by falling stones, or struck by lightning in -a thunderstorm. Often he is killed by avalanches, and if, when on -difficult ground far from home, he is overtaken by a thick fog, his -position becomes most perilous. He may wander for hours without nearing -the valley; he may slip down a precipice concealed by the mist; he may -give in to utter exhaustion. The diminution of the chamois within the -last fifteen or twenty years also makes his task much harder, and he -may spend days without being able to approach, or perhaps even without -seeing one. - -A pretty anecdote of a chamois is told by Dr. John Forbes in his work -“A Physician’s Holiday.” He says that in the year 1843 the proprietor -of a large flock of goats on the Great Scheideck had rendered a -chamois so tame, by training it almost from its birth, as to get it to -mingle in the herd with its more civilised cousins, and to come and go -with them to and from the mountains with perfect docility and seeming -content. Like most of its companions, it was decorated with a bell -suspended round its neck. After following for three successive seasons -this domestic course, it all at once forgot the lessons it had learnt, -and lost its character as a member of civilised society for ever. One -fine day, when higher up the mountains than was customary for the -flock, it suddenly heard the bleat of its brethren on the cliffs above, -and pricking up its ears, off it started, and speedily vanished amid -the rocks, whence the magical sounds had come. Never from that hour -was the tame chamois seen on the slopes of the Scheideck, but its bell -was often heard by the hunters ringing among the wild solitudes of the -Wetterhorn. - -It is only when the chamois has lost, through disease, that amount of -intelligence with which it is gifted by nature that it will abandon -its mountain home and seek the haunts of man. Johann Scheuchzer of -Zurich tells us that in the year 1699, only four years before the -date of his journey, a chamois suddenly descended into the valley of -Engelberg in Unterwalden, and not only mixed with the horses and cows, -but could not even be driven from them by stones. It was at length -shot, and on its body being examined after death by one of the fathers -of the neighbouring monastery, a sac containing watery serum and sandy -particles was found pressing on the brain. Some ten years ago a chamois -appeared in the streets of Bonneville (Haute-Savoie), and walked -calmly in at the open door of a restaurant, where it was captured. The -Chamonix hunters say that there is a certain herb which, on being eaten -by chamois, maddens them, and that they consequently wander down into -the valley. - -On September 1, 1887, a chamois was seen by an Englishman who was -driving on the high-road at Frauenkirch, near Davos-Platz. The coachman -also saw it, and the distance from the road to the right bank of -the Landwasser, where it was first perceived, was so short that an -excellent view of the animal was obtainable. It swam vigorously across -the river, and disappeared in the forest beyond. Perhaps as September -1st is the date on which chamois-hunting commences, it had been driven -down the valley by terror. - -Chamois take freely to the water, and several instances are on record -of their having been enabled by swimming to elude their pursuers. - -Many hunters look upon one particular animal in the district they -inhabit as a pet, and refrain from shooting it themselves, or allowing -it to be shot. These favoured beasts are sometimes so tame that they -linger round the alps where the chasseurs live, and allow them to -approach to within a distance of a few feet. - -In common with many other animals, chamois dearly love salt, and in -certain districts where the rocks are flavoured with a saline taste, -the animals come in flocks to lick them. The hunters sometimes put down -salt for the benefit of the chamois, refraining, however, from shooting -them when they come to eat it, as they might thus frighten them away -from that part of the country. - -There are several ways of hunting chamois. Sometimes they are driven, -either as in the great preserves of the Duke of Coburg near the -Achensee, that of the Archduke Victor near Kufstein, and others in -Tyrol and Germany (it is needless to add that there are no private -preserves in Switzerland), or in a more sportsmanlike manner, when -three or four hunters drive the chamois down from their pastures -at dawn, and, later on, remounting the slopes, drive them up again, -often imitating the barking of a dog, towards their retreat. Here -several chasseurs are lying hidden, and as soon as the animals arrive -within range, they shoot. It is, of course, often difficult to drive -the chamois in the right direction, but the knowledge of their haunts -displayed by the hunters is frequently most astonishing in its -exactitude. - -The most usual way of hunting chamois is to stalk them, and I think -there can be no question as to the infinite superiority of the sport -thus obtained. I would here add, in the words of a sportsman, that “the -wholesale slaughter of an animal that Nature herself has placed in the -most sublime recesses of her creation, and endowed with such noble -qualities and wonderful organisation, is a proceeding which a true -sportsman ought not to countenance.” - -It is supposed that there are as many as 2000 head of chamois in the -Grisons alone. The oldest chamois ever shot was believed to have -reached the age of forty years. It was killed in the Engadine in 1857, -but its age is probably much exaggerated. As for the heaviest chamois, -one weighing 125 Swiss pounds was shot on the Tschingel (Bernese -Oberland). I can find no record of a chamois of greater weight than -this. - -It has been estimated, from measurements made on Monte Rose, that a -chamois can jump crevasses sixteen to eighteen Swiss feet in width, -while it can jump down twenty-four feet or so. - -Every year the number of chamois shot in the Grisons exceeds 500, and -in December a corresponding number of skins are offered for sale at St. -Andrew’s market at Chur. - -It has often been a matter for speculation as to whether the chamois -will ever become extinct in this country. I cannot think it likely -that it will. It is carefully preserved in the closed districts, and -as the wild valleys of the Alps are more and more opened up, poaching -will become more difficult and the animals consequently freer from -molestation. The more, too, that habitations increase in the higher -valleys, the wilder will the chamois probably become, and the more -difficult, therefore, to shoot; so that I do not think that we need -fear the dying out of the race. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -_ON GLACIERS._ - - -The _Alpine Journal_ for November 1868 concludes with these words, “If -anybody thinks that Alpine science has been already too thoroughly -drilled into the public mind, we would refer him to a recent ridiculous -letter which the editor of the _Times_ did not think it beneath him to -publish, and in which the writer said that a ‘puff of smoke,’ as it -appeared on the mountain, ‘raised the cry that the Glacier des Pélérins -had burst, carrying with it part of the moraine which kept it within -bounds!’” - -If any one had told the climbing world in those days that in 1891 the -ordinary traveller would be nearly as ignorant of the behaviour of -glaciers as was the _Times_ correspondent referred to above, I fancy -the prophet would have been received with derision. Such, however, I -know to be the case; and only last year, while walking up Piz Languard -with a party of friends, I was asked if the medial moraine of the -Morteratsch glacier was a carriage road or only a bridle-path! This -is my excuse for entering at some length into a subject which has -been already written about in so able a manner and in much detail by -Professors Tyndall, Forbes, Heim, Forel, and others. - -Now, let me tell you something about those great icy masses which, -under the name of glaciers, thrust their cold forms far below the -region of perpetual snow, and in some cases, as, for instance, that of -the Glacier des Bossons at Chamonix, even push down their frozen waves -amongst the meadows and forests in the very trough of the valley. - -I am constantly asked by those who are only acquainted with the lower -end of the glaciers how it is that they are continually and rapidly -melting at their lower extremity, and yet their general features -are but slightly altered from year to year. The obvious answer is, -that they are constantly replenished from above, and that glacier -ice has formerly been snow, which, for a considerable period, has -been subjected to enormous pressure. The common illustration of a -snow-ball, squeezed in the hand till it becomes hard and icy, explains -this transition of snow to ice in a manner easily understood by all, -and if we remember that the warm hand, in addition to the pressure, -also tends to produce the above result, we have a parallel to the -heat of the sun acting on the cold, dry snow of the upper regions. -Now, every one knows that when it rains in the valleys it snows on -the mountains, and that even during the heat of summer it very seldom -rains above a height of 11,000 to 12,000 feet. In consequence of this, -the accumulation of snow on the higher peaks is very great, and the -pressure which is exerted by its weight is enormous. - -As a natural result, a portion of the ice-caps or snow-beds gravitates -downwards, and where the upper snows are of great extent and the -shape of the channel suitable, a large glacier is found, as is the -case near Pontresina, where the huge Morteratsch glacier pursues its -lengthy course, fed by the snows of the Bernina and Bellavista. The -first to speak clearly and positively on the since well-proven theory -that a glacier moves like a river was Monseigneur Rendu, a native of -Savoy. “Between the Mer de Glace and a river there is a resemblance so -complete, that it is impossible to find in the latter a circumstance -which does not exist in the former,” he writes, and Professor Tyndall -sets forth in an admirable manner the reason why a glacier moves more -quickly in the centre than at the sides. I cannot do better than quote -his own words. - -“A cork, when cast upon a stream near its centre, will move more -quickly than when thrown near the side, for the progress of the stream -is retarded by its banks. As you and your guide stood together on the -solid waves of that Amazon of ice, you were borne resistlessly along. -You saw the boulders perched upon their frozen pedestals; these were -the spoils of distant hills, quarried from summits far away, and -floated to lower levels like timber blocks upon the Rhone. As you -advanced towards the centre you were carried down the valley with an -ever-augmenting velocity. You felt it not--he felt it not--still you -were borne down with a velocity which, if continued, would amount to -1000 feet a year.” - -Many glaciers descend in curves, pursuing a sinuous course towards the -valley, and the convex side of the curve must, of course, hurry up very -considerably in order to keep pace with the rest. Now, as the ice thus -moves faster on the one side than on the other, the result is that the -convex side is rent and torn asunder, and splits up into those cracks -and chasms known as crevasses. Consequently, a glacier which flows -downwards in a straight direction and at a gentle incline presents a -comparatively unbroken surface, while a glacier which descends in leaps -and bounds over a steep bed and dashes round sharp corners will exhibit -all the features of an impassable ice-fall. - -Striking examples of the former class of glaciers are the Aletsch -glacier, the upper portion of the Gorner glacier, the Miage glacier, -the Roseg glacier, the Pasterzen glacier, &c., and of the latter the -Bies glacier, the Brenva glacier, the Géant glacier, the Pers glacier, -and many others. The exact point at which the snow of the heights -passes into glacier ice has never been definitely determined, but each -winter’s snowfall is distinctly traceable by a band of differently-hued -snow wherever above the snow-line a glacier is much split up. - -High glacier-clad mountains are covered with what is known as -_névé_--_névé_ being the finely crystallised snow of the upper regions, -which remains unmelted all the summer. The glacier ice which is formed -by pressure of this _névé_ is quite different to the ice which results -from freezing water, and is found to consist of round crystals, varying -in size from that of a hen’s egg to that of the head of a pin. Any -observant person will have noticed the ice usually supplied at Swiss -_tables-d’hôtes_, and the curious way in which it behaves as compared -with ordinary ice; for while the latter melts uniformly from the -outside, the former is honeycombed with air and water, and after a time -its peculiar structure, composed of numerous particles, is noticeable. -These crystals or particles are known as _glacier granules_ or _glacier -corn_. - -The whiteness of a glacier, as compared with the blackness of a frozen -lake, is a feature which I have known to puzzle many. It is simply -owing to the presence of this glacier corn, which allows a great -quantity of air to permeate the whole mass of the ice. The beautiful -blue veined or ribboned structure, first observed by Forbes on the -Unter-Aar glacier, is due to the absence of air-bubbles, and represents -bruises in the ice where, by melting, strain, and pressure, certain -parts have had the air driven out. - -We will now notice several of the peculiarities which are conspicuous -on the surface of one of these great rivers of ice. As we walk up from, -say, the Morteratsch restaurant towards the glacier of that name, we -must cross part of the stony and earthy mass known as the terminal -moraine. Now the subject of moraines is a very large one, so much so, -that we shall probably devote nearly the whole of a future chapter -to it. For the present, we will merely walk over it, and get on to -the very dirty ice of which the snout or lower end of the Morteratsch -glacier is composed. As one of the party hews out the steps by which -you mount, you have time to observe the ice crystals or glacier corn -which we have already spoken of. - -Before you have gone far on the level surface of the glacier, you will -see several boulders which are resting on ice pedestals supported at -some height. These are called _glacier tables_, and result from the -presence of a block of stone which protects the ice beneath it from -the heat of the sun, thus preventing it from melting. In consequence, -while the glacier all round has been dissolving and sinking, the ice -under these boulders has but slightly melted, and gradually a pillar -of sometimes as much as four feet or more in height is formed under -each erratic block. The sun is, of course, able to reach these ice -pedestals more freely on the south than on the north side, and thus we -observe that the boulder is not balanced evenly on the top, but always -inclines downwards towards the south side; it thus has been known to -render valuable aid to the mountaineer who has lost his way in a fog or -in the dark without a compass on a glacier, as he can, by observing the -position of a glacier table, easily inform himself of the direction -in which he is walking. Small stones have a different effect, as -they sink into the ice, leaving little holes. You will also probably -notice a line of sand-covered mounds, about four or five feet high, -and culminating in a sharp point or ridge. Scrape off a little of the -sand and earth, and you will find that the mound is composed of ice, -which looks quite black where you have uncovered it. The reason for -the existence of these dirt cones is obvious; the sand has protected -the ice, which has thus remained unmelted, and being heaped up thickly -in the centre and thinning off towards the sides, has thus taken its -sharply-pointed shape. - -Continuing our walk up the glacier, we hear, gradually becoming louder -and louder as we approach, the roar of falling water, and soon we reach -a point where a bright, dancing stream leaps down a shaft in the ice -and is lost to sight. Be careful how you approach this deep hole (or, -as it is called, _moulin_), for one false step on your part would take -you down far beyond all human aid. Various persons have endeavoured to -gauge the thickness of a glacier at a given point by taking soundings -down a moulin, and Agassiz found no bottom at 260 metres in one on the -Unteraar glacier; he estimated the thickness of the ice to be 1509 feet -near the Abschwung. On Piz Roseg, where the hanging glaciers end in -abrupt ice-cliffs, a thickness of 250 feet has been observed. You are -now at the foot of the lower ice-fall of the Morteratsch glacier. We -will not go farther to-day, and we have already learnt how it is that -the tottering ice masses and grim crevasses are formed. We know that -the glacier on which we are standing is slowly moving downwards (by -its weight, and by sliding in its bed, especially facilitated by its -granular structure) at, roughly, the same rate as the _hour_-hand of an -ordinary watch. It has been estimated--I believe by Mr. Tuckett--that -a grain of snow would take 450 years to travel from the summit of the -Jungfrau to the termination of the Aletsch glacier. A most painful -illustration of the rate of motion of glaciers was furnished by the -descent in the ice of the Glacier des Bossons of the bodies of Dr. -Hamel’s three guides, who lost their lives on Mont Blanc in 1820, being -carried down the _Ancien Passage_ in an avalanche, and swept into -the _bergschrund_ at its base. On August 15, 1861, Ambrose Simond, a -Chamonix guide, who was accompanying a party of tourists to the lower -extremity of the Bossons glacier, noticed in one of the crevasses torn -pieces of clothes and some human bones. He brushed off the sand with -which they were covered, and brought them to Chamonix. Five men at -once started on hearing what he had found, and they discovered other -remains at a distance of some twelve or fifteen metres lower down. From -that day, the glacier continued to give back the remains of what it -had swallowed up forty-one years before, and what was found was beyond -doubt the bodies and belongings of Dr. Hamel’s guides. All that they -had carried with them, the scientific instruments, knapsacks, gloves, -&c., were gradually set free from their icy fetters. A gauze veil came -out untorn and not much faded; and the knapsack of Pierre Carrier -contained a leg of mutton perfectly recognisable. More remarkable than -anything else was the condition of a cork, which was not only still -stained by the wine, but also possessed a perceptible odour of the -contents of the bottle in which it had been fixed. (“Le Mont Blanc,” by -Charles Durier.) - -But it is time to descend, and in the next chapter I will make a few -observations on _moraines_ and the power of a glacier in planing down -or removing whatever object it meets with; this power, as a matter of -fact, being very much more limited than is popularly supposed. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -_ON MORAINES._ - - -Now, in order clearly to understand the formation of moraines, I must -first say a little more about the movement of glaciers and the _débris_ -which they bring down. - -I have sometimes heard unthinking persons remark that the snowfall -of each winter must tend to increase the height of snow-peaks. This -observation shows that such people entirely overlook the four great -factors in the maintenance of a uniform height on mountain summits, -namely, melting, evaporation (which, in the dry air of the heights, is -a very powerful factor in causing the disappearance of snow), glaciers, -and avalanches. It is to the two latter of these that we must look for -the construction of moraines, in which work they are very largely aided -by two other factors, frost and rain. The glacier, starting in its -infant purity from some white, unsullied peak, loses, before many years -have past, its spotless character. The wintry frosts, gathering into -iron bonds the streams which trickle down the mountain-sides, expand -the water in freezing, and shatter the rocks with a force that the most -solid cliffs cannot resist. Broken and weathered fragments are washed -down from the slopes on every fall of rain, and dropping on to the once -unspotted bosom of the glacier, swell the burden which is gradually -laid upon it with advancing years. Spring after spring, furious -avalanches rush down, laden with earth and stones, which they fling -recklessly upon the now begrimed edges of the icy stream. The winds -and storms, too, contribute their share of dust and sand, and as the -glacier still flows on, shrunken in size and laden with heaps of earth -and rocks, at length it lays itself to rest, a mass of dirty ice and -stones, in the valley towards which it has been ceaselessly progressing. - -The glacier of the Alps which comes farthest down into the lower -regions is the Grindelwald glacier, which descended to 1080 metres -above sea-level in 1870, while that which presents the largest surface -is the Aar glacier, and the longest is the Aletsch. Heim gives an -estimate, in his valuable work on glaciers, of the number of glaciers -existing in Europe, dividing them into those of the first and second -order. - -The list is as follows:-- - - - 1st Order. 2nd Order. Total. - Switzerland 138 333 471 - Austria 71 391 462 - France 25 119 144 - Italy 15 63 78 - --- --- ----- - 249 906 1,155 - - -Glaciers have regular periods during which they advance or retreat. -Many persons who visited the Mer de Glace some twenty or more years -ago remember that it then came down nearly to the level of the valley -of Chamonix, while the Rhone glacier reached almost to where the lower -hotel now stands. In old days, too, the two arms of the Fee glacier -united below the Gletscher alp, so that the cows had to pass across the -ice in order to reach their summer pastures. A period of advance is -always preceded for some years by a noticeable swelling of the upper -portions of glaciers; this, of course, is quite what one would expect. -A succession of cold, rainy summers and exceptionally snowy winters -eventually causes an increase in the glaciers, and the reverse has -naturally the contrary effect. - -You have learnt that a moraine is a mixture of earth and stones which -is borne down by a glacier, and you know how all this _débris_ has -accumulated on the ice, chiefly by means of the shattering power of -frost on the rocks. Now let us notice the position which moraines -assume on a glacier like, say, the Morteratsch. As I have said, persons -unaccustomed to the mountain world, and thus unable to estimate the -relative sizes of objects seen at a distance, have been known to -inquire, when ascending Piz Languard, if the dark streak down the -centre of the Morteratsch glacier is a path. They are astonished to -learn that it is about fifty feet or more broad, and perhaps twenty -feet high in the centre. It is, in fact, neither more nor less than -a moraine, and belongs to that class known as medial moraines. Each -glacier has a moraine on either side of it, and when two glaciers -unite, their lateral moraines join and form a medial moraine. The -moraine at the end of a glacier (terminal moraine) is almost entirely -formed of the earth and stones which fall off the end of a glacier, and -not, as used to be supposed, by any pushing or scooping of the base of -the glacier. - -In fact, the erosive power of a glacier is infinitesimal as compared -with that of water. Dr. Heim cites various examples to show that a -glacier leaves undisturbed much of what it finds in its way, and he -says that the Forno glacier, which some years ago greatly retreated -and left blocks of itself covered with _débris_ behind, rapidly -advanced once more in 1884 over the old accumulations at its base, but -did not disturb them in any way. Many of our readers will have noticed -the many glacier-worn rocks in the Engadine valley; they are especially -abundant near Maloja. - -Now it will be seen, on near examination, that these rocks have been -gently polished by the ice constantly slipping over them, and that they -have not those deep smooth hollows which are formed by rushing, eddying -water. - -The great glaciers which, in the glacier period, flowed down from -Mont Blanc to the Jura have left ample proof of their origin in the -huge blocks of granite which were transported by the ice, and now lie -stranded on the hill-sides at a distance of sixty miles and more from -the rocks out of which they were quarried. The size of some of these -erratic blocks is very remarkable. The biggest boulder in the Alps is -in Val Masino (one of the Italian valleys near the Bernina district). -Its dimensions, according to the late Mr. Ball, are--length, 250 feet; -breadth, 120 feet; height, 140 feet; in fact, as Mr. Douglas Freshfield -remarks, “as tall as an average church tower, and large enough to fill -up many a London square.” Many of my readers will remember the great -serpentine boulder in front of the little inn at Maltmark, which was no -doubt brought down by the glacier which must have originally filled the -basin of the lake. The ancient moraines near Aosta are also remarkable -evidences of the glacial epoch. - -One word here as to the shape of a moraine. It rises, as you know, to -a ridge in the centre, and slopes down like the roof of a house at the -sides. This is because the heaping together of the earth and stones -in the middle has protected the ice from melting as rapidly there as -towards the sides; in fact, the same cause brings about the shape of -moraines as applies in that of sand cones. - -I will close this chapter by a brief explanation of an appearance -which many of my readers who have visited Montanvert may have noticed, -especially on cloudy, dull days and after sunset. I refer to _dirt -bands_, which are especially noticeable on the Mer de Glace. I observed -them under peculiarly favourable circumstances from the summit of the -Grandes Jorasses, when a cloudy sky showed them up most distinctly. -They are often seen from the Montanvert hotel, however, and take the -form of dark bands across the glacier, the convex side of the curve -of each being in the direction of the motion of the ice. These dirt -bands are very simple in their origin, which is as follows:--At the -foot of an ice-fall the tottering blocks reunite and freeze together, -presenting a tolerably smooth surface with gentle undulations. The -glacier streams sweep dust and small _débris_ into the depressions, -which gradually form themselves across the glacier. This dust finally -freezes into the ice, and lower down presents the appearance of the -famed dirt bands. - -Sometimes a photograph will give dirt bands with great distinctness; -they are very clearly seen in a view of the Mer de Glace from the -Aiguilles Rouge, taken by the late Mr. W. F. Donkin. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -_ON AVALANCHES._ - - -Those who during the summer of 1888 visited Switzerland had very -unusual opportunities for studying both the appearance and the effect -of avalanches. It is, indeed, rare to see a huge mass of winter snow -lying in the Rosegthal in mid-summer, and the remains of numerous other -avalanches were that year still unmelted in many high-lying Alpine -valleys. I wonder if the crowds who, out of curiosity, visited the -snowy _débris_, knew anything of the various causes which formed the -avalanche and launched it down the hill-side, or if they could tell to -what class of avalanche it belonged, and at what time of year it is -likely to have fallen. - -Avalanches vary immensely in their characteristics, and can be -classed under three headings according to their peculiarities. The -different kinds of avalanches are as follows:--_Staublawinen_, or dust -avalanches; _Grundlawinen_, or compact avalanches; _Eislawinen_, or -ice avalanches. Dust avalanches are the most to be feared of any, -for while the others fall according to certain well-known rules and -at particular times of the year, the dust avalanches are erratic in -their movements, uncertain in the periods at which they come down, and -most terrible in their results. Dust avalanches consist of cold, dry, -powdery snow, which falling on a slope of ice or hard snow, or even on -a steep slope of grass, slides off on the slightest provocation. - -Often, if a bit of overhanging snow falls on the upper part of the -hill-side, or if an animal disturbs the newly fallen mass, or perhaps -if a gust of wind suddenly detaches it from the surface on which it -rests, the whole accumulation begins to move down, gently and quietly -at first, and then with ever-increasing power and a deafening roar, -uprooting trees, carrying away châlets and whatever happens to be in -its course, and leaping like a huge stream of spray-covered water -from precipice to precipice, till it makes one final bound across the -valley, the impetus of its course frequently carrying it up for some -distance on the opposite slope. The wind which accompanies such an -avalanche is far more powerful than a raging hurricane, and it often -levels trees and buildings, forces in windows and doors, and carries -heavy objects to an incredible distance. One of the most remarkable -performances I know of in connection with dust avalanches took place in -the Engadine, when the wind preceding a huge mass of snow, rushing down -the hill-side, blew five telegraph posts flat down, although the snow -itself did not come within 500 feet of them. - -“Constant readers” of the _St. Moritz Post_ will remember that in an -account of the avalanches of the winter of 1887-88 which appeared -in the first number of the summer issue, it was stated that, on the -occasion of the fall of two great avalanches into Saas-Grund, most of -the windows and doors in the village were forced in from the pressure -of air. While dealing with the subject of dust avalanches and the -effects of the powerful wind which accompanies them, I may mention that -Tschudi relates in his “Monde des Alpes” that such avalanches will -sweep châlets and trees from the ground, and carry them, whirling like -straws in a storm, through the air, dropping them at a distance of 400 -feet. Châlets, filled with hay, and quite uninjured, have been found, -it is said, some two hundred yards and more from the termination of the -_débris_ of an avalanche, the wind preceding which had blown them right -across the valley. - -In the year 1689 an enormous avalanche, which in the annals of the -Grisons is spoken of as the most fearful one on record in the canton, -came down from the heights above the village of Saas, in the Prättigau, -and demolished 150 houses. Amongst the _débris_, which had been swept -by the avalanche to a considerable distance, a rescue party discovered -a baby lying safe and sound in his cradle, while six eggs were found -uninjured in a basket close at hand. - -Another sort of avalanche which can be roughly classed under the -above heading is formed by the sudden descent of an overhanging mass -of snow. The slightest movement in the air will often suffice to -break the cornice, and it straightway comes rolling down the slope. -Such avalanches are not usually much to be feared, though a notable -exception to this fact was furnished on the Bernhardino Pass, when -the mass of falling snow, overtaking the post in its passage, carried -thirteen persons and a number of sledges over the precipice into the -gorge beneath. - -Dust avalanches are very frequently met with in summer after fresh snow -by climbers amongst the higher peaks of the Alps-. It was an avalanche -of this kind which caused the Matterhorn accident of 1887, and the -account which Herr A. Lorria has given of the event is so realistic, -and conveys so exactly to the mind what the nature of such an -avalanche is, that I extract the following from the _St. Moritz Post_ -of January 28, 1888, for the benefit of my readers:-- - -“Gently from above an avalanche of snow came sliding down upon us; -it carried Lammer away in spite of his efforts, and it projected me -with my head against a rock. Lammer was blinded by the powdery snow, -and thought that his last hour was come. The thunder of the roaring -avalanche was fearful; we were dashed over rocks laid bare in the -avalanche track, and leaped over two immense _bergschrunds_. At every -change in the slope we flew into the air, and then were plunged again -into the snow, and often dashed against one another. For a long time it -seemed to Lammer as if all were over, countless thoughts were thronging -through his brain, until at last the avalanche had expended its force, -and we were left lying on the Tiefenmatten glacier. The height of our -fall was estimated by the engineer Imfeldt at from 550 to 800 feet.” - -In winter, when a fall of snow takes place on steep mountain-sides, -scores of such avalanches may be seen dropping like shining threads -down the cliffs. The face of the Eiger seen from Grindelwald in early -spring is often fringed with tiny cascades of snow, while the rocks of -the Wetterhorn[4] send down avalanches almost incessantly on the first -sunny March morning after a snowfall. - -The huge avalanches which, after a severe winter, summer visitors to -Switzerland see lying in high Alpine valleys, covered with dust and -stones, and with great trunks and branches of trees frozen into them, -belong to the class of avalanches known as _Grundlawinen_, or compact -avalanches. They usually fall from year to year in the same track, and -come down, according to the warmth or severity of the season, during -February and March. One year I saw a very large one fall in the Züge, -near Davos-Platz, as late as the 3rd May. - -In order for a really large compact avalanche to form, something more -than the steep slope which is the birthplace of dust avalanches is -necessary. The most dangerous formation of a hill-side, as regards -compact avalanches, is the following. First, there must be, high up on -the mountain, a collecting basin or valley, sloping somewhat downwards, -in which a large amount of snow can accumulate. Secondly, leading from -this basin must be a treeless slope, not too steep, on which snow will -lie unless urged down by a considerable disturbance from above. In -some seasons, when but little snow falls, no avalanche will take place -under the conditions described. In others, when storm after storm has -piled tons of snow in the upland valley, the warm, dry _föhn_ wind will -cause the mass to become detached from the earth on which it rests, and -suddenly the entire winter’s store will come dashing down towards the -valley, forming an avalanche such as visitors to the Engadine in the -summer of 1888 saw in the Rosegthal and Beversthal. - -These compact avalanches are composed, by the time they reach the end -of their course, of stones, earth, roots and branches of trees, all -frozen together by the heavy, wet snow in which they are encased. A -story is told of a man who was overtaken on the Splügen by such an -avalanche, and though he escaped from death, part of his coat was so -firmly frozen into the icy mass, that he could not get it away. It is -very remarkable that a person buried at a great depth in an avalanche -of this kind can distinctly hear every word that those who are trying -to find him may utter, though it is impossible for them to hear his -cries. - -The snow of an avalanche has the same power as the ice of a glacier -in the preservation of whatever animal matter may be embedded in it. -On one occasion the bodies of a chamois and her young one were found -in an avalanche in Tyrol in a fit condition for food, on its melting -two years after it came down, its huge size having prevented its -disappearance the first summer. - -These huge _Grundlawinen_ come down, as I have already said, in -the same track season after season; it is therefore reasonable to -suppose that the inhabitants of districts peculiarly exposed to such -avalanches would try and control their snowy invaders by every means -in their power; and, in truth, this is just what is done to a certain -extent, though a neglect of the most obvious precautions prevailed -in the country till quite within recent years. Even now one is often -astonished at the amount of unnecessary damage which the Swiss will -calmly allow an avalanche year after year to do, till they suddenly -awake to the fact that a wall or two across the _couloir_ (or avalanche -track) may make the whole difference between their being able or not -to cultivate a certain sunny meadow in the valley, which has hitherto -been plentifully strewn with stones and other _débris_ regularly every -spring. - -It is a well-known fact that by far the best preservative against -avalanches is a thickly wooded slope, and the Swiss authorities, fully -recognising this, have of late years caused a very large amount of -replanting to be carried out, and are most stringent in their rules -regulating the cutting of trees. By great trouble and care being taken -concerning the forests, Switzerland could be freed to a large extent -from the destruction wrought by avalanches. - -In many places travellers will notice avalanche-breakers, in the -form of triangular stone walls, which have been erected to protect -whole villages, or individual houses or churches. There is an -avalanche-breaker of this sort at Frauenkirch, near Davos-Platz, -where the north wall of the church is constructed so that, should -an avalanche sweep down upon it, the surface exposed to its full -fury being pointed in shape, tends to divide and turn aside the snow -directly the point comes in contact with the avalanche. Similar -breakers may be seen attached to several houses in the same and -other neighbourhoods. Fences or stone walls across steep slopes, or -stakes driven into the ground at intervals, are also a very efficient -hindrance to the descent of avalanches. Visitors at St. Moritz have -doubtless noticed the contrivances of this sort on the slope descending -from the Alp Laret to the Cresta Fussweg; they are well seen by -any one standing on the high-road near the Bär Inn (famed for the -quaint caricature fresco portraits on its exterior of the late Lord -Beaconsfield and Mr. Gladstone). - -It is marvellous to notice how weak an obstacle will hold back the -largest avalanche before the snow is set in motion, and yet once the -great mass is launched down on its destructive career, it sweeps all -before it. - -The balled structure of a compact avalanche, which those who visit -it within a few weeks of its fall will have remarked, is caused by -the damp snow having rolled over and over till the circular form of -its particles resulted. I remember an enormous avalanche of this kind -which fell near Bouveret (Vaud) at the end of March 1886. It came from -the Gramont, and rushing some 4000 feet down the mountain, dashed -across the railway and the road, and ended its course in the lake. It -fortunately came down at night--which seems odd, till one remembers -that the slope from which it descended faced north--so no accident -resulted, and the following afternoon all Montreux flocked across the -lake, to wonder at the high walls of the cutting which had been made to -allow the trains to pass, and to pelt each other with the snowy balls -which had rolled hither and thither amongst the violets and primroses -of spring. - -_Grundlawinen_ often attain a mass of 100,000 cubic metres (Heim, -“_Gletscherkunde_”). The great “_Raschitsch_” avalanche near Zernez -(Lower Engadine), which fell on April 23, 1876, across the high-road -into the river, was 168 metres wide, 12 metres thick, and 300 metres -long, 600,000 cubic metres in bulk, and the tunnel cut through to allow -the traffic to be carried on was 75 metres long. This avalanche was -much exceeded in dimensions by the one which fell in February 1888 near -Glarus-Davos, of which the snow-tunnel was upwards of three hundred -feet in length, and over twelve feet high. This avalanche is noted -throughout Switzerland, and is known as the “_Schwabentobellawine_.” It -only falls in very snowy seasons, but when it does come down, it is of -enormous size. - -In the year 1888 it carried away a road-mender, whose body was only -discovered some three months later; it was found on the right bank of -the Landwasser, having evidently been blown across the river by the -wind preceding the avalanche. - -Avalanches have sometimes caused disastrous floods by falling into the -beds of rivers and damming up the water. On January 29, 1827, Süs -suffered from a similar occurrence, the Inn being completely blocked -up for several hours during the night, and the water flooding the -village in consequence. It would be wearying to give more than these -few examples of the effects of _Grundlawinen_, we will therefore pass -on to the subject of ice-avalanches. These must be a tolerably familiar -sight to most persons who have travelled in Switzerland, judging by -the crowds who, day after day throughout the summer, sit outside the -little inns of the Wengern Alp or Kleine Scheideck, dividing their -attention between their luncheons and the thundering falls of ice from -the glaciers of the Jungfrau. - -Ice-avalanches are quite different to both the other kinds, inasmuch as -they always fall from glaciers. - -As my readers doubtless know, a glacier moves downwards day by day, -sometimes an inch or two, sometimes as much as two feet. Well, -many glaciers, after quitting the snow-beds by which they are fed, -suddenly find themselves at the top of a precipice. Under these -circumstances, as they are unable to stand still, there is but one -thing for them to do, viz., go over; and as ice, though plastic, is -by no means so to the extent that treacle--to which glacier ice has -so often been likened--is, it is obvious that a slice will break -off the advancing tongue of the glacier, and come thundering down -the rocks, to form material for another glacier below, or, if the -quantity is insufficient, to melt gradually away. Now, this form of an -ice-avalanche is known in endless varieties to the mountain-climber, -but perhaps the most frequent thing of the kind which he meets with is -the fall of _séracs_ (or icy pinnacles) during his passage through an -ice-fall. - -Those who have visited the upper part of the Morteratsch glacier will -recollect ice-falls such as I have referred to; the one, that of the -Pers glacier, the other, the so-called Labyrinth, coming down from -Piz Bernina; and fine ice-avalanches are often seen falling from the -ice-cap of Piz Morteratsch. The _séracs_ passed through in making the -passage of the Col du Géant from Chamonix or Courmayeur are also apt -to tumble about at inconvenient times, and many other glaciers are -conspicuous for these particular features. - -Perhaps the best position in Switzerland from which to view -ice-avalanches is the Wengern Alp, from whence the glaciers which cling -to the Jungfrau can daily be seen dropping tons of ice down the scarred -slopes, a white cloud hanging for several minutes over the spot where a -great piece of ice has been ground to powder by its fall. - -Even the proverbially safe Mont Blanc contrives occasionally to -allow one or two of the ice-pillars which fringe the Dôme du Gôuter -to overbalance and dash right across the Petit Plateau below, over -the very track by which parties make the ascent. It is odd that this -bombardment has never hitherto caused an accident on Mont Blanc, though -when one bears in mind the hundreds of stones which are annually kicked -down the Matterhorn regardless of the number of people on whose heads -they may descend, and that there, too, no fatal accident has resulted -from that cause, one feels sure that a special providence watches over -the inexperienced class of _intrépides_ who throng Mont Blanc and rush -in scores up the Cervin.[5] - -Ice-avalanches have occasionally done immense damage when large falls -have taken place into inhabited valleys, as, for instance, when part of -the Bies glacier came down, and the wind preceding it overthrew Randa. -This circumstance is so well known, being so often referred to in -guide-books, that I will not enter into details here. Full particulars -can be found in Dr. Forbes’s work, “A Physician’s Holiday.” - -FOOTNOTES: - -[4] In October 1891, I was fortunate enough to secure a photograph of -an avalanche in the act of falling from the Wetterhorn. This may now be -seen at Messrs. Spooner’s, 379 Strand. - -[5] Since writing the above, an accident resulting in the death of a -traveller and a guide took place on the Petit Plateau. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -_THE BERNINA-SCHARTE._ - - -The general reader may perhaps find the following description somewhat -dry; the climber may share his opinion. Having fairly warned both, and -promising to make my account as short as possible, I will now embark -upon it. - -Piz Bernina is the highest mountain in the Grisons, a canton in which -climbing is rather neglected. It is a pity that more members of the -A.C. do not go there, especially now that several good guides are -available; but I am digressing already, so _revenons au Piz Bernina_. -This peak is frequently ascended by the ordinary route, but until last -summer seldom by any of the other lines of attack. The time has now -come, however, when the route by the “Scharte” is the most popular. - -The first ascent of Piz Bernina by the “Scharte” was made in 1879 by -Dr. Güssfeldt, who considered it so difficult that he left a bottle -in the gap, with a notice inside it to the effect that he defied -any one to bring it down. But on August 6, 1883, Dr. Schultz, with -Alexander Burgener and C. Perren, repeated the expedition, and brought -Dr. Güssfeldt’s bottle back with them. Commenting on this, the _Alpine -Journal_ says: “We regret to say that this most dangerous expedition -was effected a fourth time in August 1884 (by Herren Zsigmondy and -Purtscheller without guides, who slept two nights on the way), and that -there is some talk of building a hut to facilitate the climb, though -we trust the scheme will never be carried out.” From this reputation -the route by the “Scharte” has gradually fallen--or risen, as I prefer -to call it--to what it is at present. In 1889 Mr. W. E. Davidson -wrote, “The Scharte is easy, the _arête_ a fine climb;” and now we -find that the excursion has been undertaken twelve times alone under -Martin Schocher’s guidance. The route having now lost its terrors, an -account of an ascent may interest that section of our country-folk who -propose following in our footsteps. I had often thought of making the -expedition, but had taken no definite steps towards accomplishing it, -till one day I heard that a party had just returned from descending -Piz Bernina by this route. “Now,” thought I, “here is my opportunity. -The steps are made, the mountain is known to be in good order, why -not start at once?” But the elements were against me. No sooner did we -reach the Misaun Alp than a terrific thunderstorm burst upon us, and -farther advance was impossible. Nor could we renew our attempt, for -heavy snow fell, and climbing was at an end for that season. But the -following year I returned to the attack, and though the weather nearly -checkmated me again, we contrived to carry our plans through with -success. - -On this occasion we took up our quarters for the night under a boulder -about an hour and a half farther than the Roseg restaurant. We set out -in perfect weather, but towards evening clouds drifted up, and as the -sky gradually became more and more obscured, our spirits sank lower and -lower, till at midnight, when the guides relit the fire, an ominous -drip-drip-drip on the boards which we had propped up against the -boulder as a shelter from the wind, caused a feeling akin to despair to -steal over us. Weibel indulged in a few forcible expressions towards -the elements, while Schocher and I made tea and gloomily discussed the -situation. Of course, the Bernina by the Scharte in bad weather was out -of the question for prudent people like ourselves; still we did not -wish to return whence we came. We had almost resolved, “if the worst -came to the worst,” to stretch our limbs by crossing Piz Morteratsch -to the Boval hut, when a brilliant idea came to me. “Schocher,” I said, -“let us go up Piz Prievlusa!” Now, I must here state that the route for -this peak (which up to now has been but once ascended) is the same for -a considerable distance as that for the Prievlusa Saddle, and to the -Prievlusa Saddle we had to go for the Bernina-Scharte. Schocher jumped -at my suggestion, and no sooner was our plan decided on than the rain -saw fit to stop. The sky, however, was still darkened by clouds, though -every now and then a star shone out from a ragged hole in the mists. - -We collected our baggage, put the rugs and saucepan in a heap for the -porter to fetch down later in the day, and at 1.15 A.M. were off. I -must say that my hopes of getting up the Bernina were at a low ebb, -the only feeling I associate with the occasion being one of drowsy -stubbornness--in fact, a sensation of walking as in a dream, I knew not -whither. - -As we neared the mountain, and dawn came on apace, cloud-banners were -seen drifting wildly from the sharp and jagged crest. Weibel pointed -to them, exclaiming that we could never pass along the ridge in such -a wind; but Schocher, after examining the flying clouds with care, -pronounced them of no importance, as they were blowing down, and -not across the ridge. I was much struck with the skill he showed in -coming to this conclusion, which, later on, turned out to be perfectly -accurate. - -By daybreak we had a large expanse of blue over our heads, and though -fleecy clouds clung to most of the neighbouring summits, the Bernina -remained persistently clear, save for an occasional shred of mist -streaming from the upper rocks. At 5.30 we gained the pass between Piz -Prievlusa and Pizzo Bianco, known as the Fuorcla Prievlusa. Making our -way to the Morteratsch side, we sat in the welcome rays of the sun on a -rocky ledge at the top of a grand wall, up the face of which the pass -is reached from the Boval side. Here we breakfasted, and then continued -our way towards Piz Bernina. The first bit of the ridge, until the -rocks were gained, was the most unpleasant piece of work we encountered -during the whole climb. The snow here was in bad order, the step from -it on to the rocks was awkwardly steep and long, and I, for one, was -glad to get my foot on to a more solid surface, and to profit by the -good handhold available. The rock _arête_ affords pleasant climbing, -but from the point where it ceases to the summit of Pizzo Bianco -is a long grind over snow. Every step had to be cut, and Schocher -hacked almost without ceasing till we reached the Pizzo Bianco, from -where the really interesting portion of the ascent commences. An hour -or so earlier we had seen another party rapidly mounting the snow -slopes below the Fuorcla. It consisted of Messrs. Scriven and West, -accompanied by Peter Dangl of Sulden and a local guide, by name Joos -Grass. The latter, oddly enough, I had met on a previous ascent of the -Bernina by the ordinary route; both on that occasion and the climb I -am now writing of he impressed me favourably. This party had spent the -night at the inn in the Rosegthal, which they had not left till 3 A.M. - -After nearly an hour’s halt on Pizzo Bianco, we once more got under -weigh, and, as we were starting, the others joined us, and paused in -their turn for a meal on the point we were quitting. I had thus the -pleasure of traversing a narrow rock ridge with four critical pairs of -eyes watching my awkward movements from a first-rate point of view. -Fain would I have clung on with my hands; my pride obliged me to walk -uprightly whenever such a mode of progression was at all possible. I -had a sneaking conviction that there was hardly a single place where, -not only was it possible, but even tolerably easy, and that the sense -of obligation was good discipline in forcing me to strive after better -“form” than usual. - -The descent into the “Scharte” (or cleft in the _arête_) proved simple -enough, with the knowledge that until I reached the bottom Schocher -was bestriding the ridge above, and was “_ganz fest_.” He followed -with ease and rapidity, and turning the party the other way on, began -to cut steps round the great rocky tower which here bars the ridge. -The _couloir_ was ice throughout, and we spent a lot of time before we -were clear of it at the foot of the final peak of the Bernina. Climbing -up this without difficulty, though delayed somewhat by the fresh snow -overlying the rocks, we reached the top at 10.30, the other party -following immediately in our wake. - -The weather, which had behaved better than we had dared to hope, now -gave up the paths of virtue, and a thick mist, with lightly falling -snow, hid everything at more than a few yards’ distance from our view. -However, we had reached our goal, and the clouds could now do their -worst without endangering our return. So after half an hour’s halt, we -started off in a cheerful frame of mind for Boval. How we scrambled -down the _arête_, glissaded over the snow-fields, and raced through the -Labyrinth, need not be told. We got to Boval early in the afternoon in -steady and soaking rain, and astonished the people at the restaurant by -dropping down upon them out of the clouds from Piz Bernina. So ended -our day’s excursion. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -_IN PRAISE OF AUTUMN._ - - -I am one of those eccentric persons who consider autumn better than -summer for climbing. “One of those,” did I say? Perhaps it would be -nearer the mark to say that I have often been the sole representative -of the scrambling fraternity haunting mountain centres from choice -at that season. You suppose I have a reason for my partiality for -that time of year? Yes; in fact, I have several. First, I am a -coward, and to encounter a thunderstorm on a peak, and have my axe -go _ziz-ziz-ziz_, while my hair stands straight up on my head, would -terrify me into fits. Now, in autumn one seldom has thunderstorms. -Then I have an aversion to tourists. In autumn there are few tourists; -again, I hate to be roasted for thirteen or fourteen hours and to wade -through deep snow. In autumn the days are short, the air is fresh, -the snow is usually in first-rate order. Once more, I do not love -sleeping in huts which, being built for eight persons, have to supply -shelter--it is little more--for perhaps twenty-four. In autumn one has -the huts to oneself. - -Now, have I not made out a pretty strong case? Can you wonder that I -have prowled round the Pennine Alps and the Oberland in September and -October rather than in July and August? - -To prove that one can climb as well in autumn as in summer, I will give -a short account of some excursions made in past years at that season. -They will be, alas! unexciting reading, like most things “written for -a purpose.” Many climbers are fully aware of the truth of what I urge, -but numerous beginners in mountain-craft lose heart when a heavy fall -of snow occurs at the end of August or the beginning of September, -and, packing up their traps, leave the Alps in disgust. In addition -to the expeditions described below, I have been up the Dent Blanche, -Zinal-Rothhorn, Ober-Gabelhorn, Trifthorn from Triftjoch, Mont Collon, -Rimpfischhorn, Eiger, Wetterhorn, and other peaks, and (herein lies the -gist of the whole matter) found most of them in first-class order at -that season. - -One evening in September, I found myself, with Ulrich Kaufmann and -“Caucasus” Jossi, the sole occupants of that very comfortable hut, the -Schwarzegg. For some time this hut has been in Jossi’s charge, and -consequently neatness reigns supreme. We were a cheery party. The sky -was cloudless, the moon would be full for our start, the great, solid -crags of the Schreckhorn, ruddy in the glow of sunset, hung invitingly -over us. We had slept out for the same peak a week earlier, but bad -weather had driven us down to the valley without our having taken one -step beyond the hut. Now all was changed, and we felt no doubt as to -the success of our coming excursion. - -At 2 A.M., in moonlight clear as the light of the sun, we were off. -The Schreckhorn, it seems to me, has not received its due measure of -praise. It has much to recommend it. There is no moraine. An easy path -leads in ten minutes or so to the snow. Then a steady ascent, varied -by rocks, brings the traveller by breakfast-time to the base of the -upper glacier. It was at some distance below this place, in the snow -_couloir_, that Mr. Munz was killed by falling ice.[6] I could not at -all understand this accident, for on no part of our route was there -danger from this source.[7] But the guides explained that that season, -and for some years before, the top of the _couloir_ had been filled up -by a small hanging glacier. Peter Baumann, shrewd old man, had always -urged the knocking down of this glacier, which would have been a simple -piece of work. But the matter was allowed to slide, till one fine day -the whole mass of ice broke away and dashed down the slope. The death -of Herr Munz, who was struck by some of the falling fragments, was the -result. - -The upper _couloirs_, by which the mountain is seamed, were ice, but my -guides, with their usual judgment, kept as clear as possible of them, -and we mounted by a rib of rocks. Twice we crossed the _couloir_, but -at that early hour there was no danger, and Kaufmann made great steps, -like miniature arm-chairs, so that we could get over very rapidly -coming back. - -From the Saddle we saw, somewhat to our disgust, that there was a -considerable amount of snow on the _arête_. This made our progress -rather slow, so that it was not till 9.15 that we found ourselves -on the summit, a dome of snow. The view was exquisite; but that day -week, when, in equally beautiful weather, I found myself on the top -of the Lauteraarhorn, I had to confess that the view from that peak -is infinitely finer. In the first place, the Schreckhorn, seen from -so near, and from a peak less than 150 feet lower, is a grand object, -and its noble proportions and bare cliffs impressed me as few, if any, -mountains have done before, while I almost trembled to think that -but seven days earlier we had ventured up its precipitous sides, so -deceptive and complete is the idea conveyed of its excessive steepness. -Then, the Lauteraarhorn is much better placed with regard to that -most graceful of Oberland peaks, the Finsteraarhorn--the “dark dove -horn!” and from it, too, the beautiful curves of the Aar glacier, -winding away towards the Grimsel, are seen to perfection. But here am -I, describing the view from the Lauteraarhorn, while all the time I am -on the Schreckhorn. One glimpse they both give--that of the Lake of -Thun, with the white spire of the church of Spiez nestling among trees -close to the blue water’s edge, while behind roll range upon range of -purple hills, lost far away in a warm haze which mingles with the soft -tints of the cloudless sky. These Oberland views can indeed boast of -the ever-attractive charm of contrast; on the one side, ice, snow, -precipices of naked rock, utter sternness and absence of vegetation; -on the other, blue lakes, white villages, deep green meadows, abundant -evidences of human life and industry. - -But I become insufferably tedious. Let me hasten away from -mountain-tops and descend to less romantic regions. We got down to -the saddle very pleasantly, and from there to the hut more or less -uncomfortably, exchanging nasty sharp, loose rocks for waist-deep -snow, with anything but complimentary remarks on both. We were safely -in the Schwarzegg by 2 P.M., and discussing an elaborate tea, the -guides’ chief idea of that beverage being to put in as little of the -chief ingredient, and as much sugar as supplies admitted of. Tea being -concluded, and supper in course of preparation, we looked out for our -porter, who had orders to bring up our stock of provisions for the -ascent of the Finsteraarhorn the next day. Presently we noticed two -figures crossing the ice, who, on approaching, turned out to be Herr -Theophile Boss and the porter. The former had made an attempt on the -Finsteraarhorn the previous week, and had been driven back by bad -weather, so I had asked him to join us on our ascent. - -During our evening meal, Kaufmann staggered us by remarking in his -quiet way that we had better go to bed early, as he proposed calling -us at 11 P.M. We protested loudly, but he only added in his calm -tones, “Or perhaps half-past ten.” So, still grumbling, we hastily -crept to our straw, and I, for one, can answer for it that I did not -know much more till Jossi began to light the fire, when I turned over -and had another sleep. No doubt our reluctance to shorten our night’s -rest caused the preparations for departure to take longer than usual. -Anyhow, it was 12.40 before I found myself, in a very bad temper, -trying to keep awake at the door of the hut, while the final look round -for articles possibly forgotten was being given by the guides. - -We anticipated a lot of step-cutting, so the porter came with us in -order to give the guides less to carry. As before, it was a cloudless, -moonlight night, and so far windless. We made rapid progress to the -Finsteraarjoch, reaching the foot of that vile place, the Agassiz-joch, -while it was still dark. Here we paused for food, and just as the grey -light of dawn was stealing over the sky, we began to go up, and up, and -up, till we felt like the poor wretches who climb the tall chimneys of -factories. At last we took to a rib of rock, very steep and planted in -ice, to say nothing of various embellishments of the same substance -at intervals along the surface. It was heart-breaking work. There -was the pass close at hand, and yet we never seemed to get any nearer -to it. But after what seemed ages, Jossi gave a sigh of satisfaction, -and quitting the rocks, began to traverse the snow. Soon we reached a -warm and sheltered spot, where we suggested a halt for luncheon in the -genial rays of the sun. But no; it was not the usual luncheon-place; -people always had lunch on the Saddle (five minutes farther), and -therefore we must have lunch on the Saddle. Theophile ventured to -protest, and was promptly sat upon; so to the Saddle we went. There we -had our appetites interfered with by various things. First, we were -disquieted by the aspect of the ridge, now first completely seen, -which had put on an entire and apparently not too closely fitting suit -of ice and powdery snow. Of rocks one hardly saw a trace. The guides -munched very fast, nodded their heads, addressed warm expressions -of disapprobation to the ridge, and seemed very jolly on the top of -everything. The wind blew, our teeth chattered, the eatables nearly -froze, and we, too, pretended we were having an awfully good time. -But the happiest moments come to an end, and so did our luncheon, -after which, blue of nose and hand, we struggled along in the face -of a driving mist. Well, it was not so bad as it looked. The guides -spared no trouble, and dug out the buried rocks like terriers after -a field-mouse. Progress was necessarily slow, and we did not seem to -make much way. At last the Hugi Saddle was reached, and the work became -easier. The snow was now firmer, we could kick out good steps without -difficulty. Finally the slope eased off, and in a few minutes we stood -by the stone man on the summit. The view was fine, the mist having -cleared off just as we reached the top. But it was already eleven -o’clock, so we did not stay long, but began the descent after about -ten minutes’ halt on the summit. The climb down to the Agassiz-joch -was long; it took us nearly four hours, including half-an-hour for -lunch, to get there. It was thus almost 4 P.M. when we embarked in -that charming slope. Tedious as had been our ascent of it, our descent -was much worse; and there are stones, and when stones make descents, -they do it pretty quickly. But we won’t talk of the stones; none of us -got our heads broken. Well, we came down that nice lively slope and -the icy rocks, and got into the _couloir_, and came down that; and at -last--being late in the year--it grew dusk. We were beginning to think -that we must be somewhere near the first of the _bergschrunds_ (I -cannot conscientiously say that they were more than a couple of inches -wide), when suddenly the porter exclaimed, “I can’t find the track!” -We could not make this out. The steps had been easily felt a moment -before. He fumbled about for a bit, but still without success; so -Theophile, who was just behind, went down a few steps and put out his -hand to feel for them. Instantly he drew it back, and said in rather -an awed voice, “There has been an avalanche.” Jossi at once untied -from the back, sprang down to the front, put himself in the porter’s -place, and led away in the dark in such splendid style, that in fifteen -minutes or less we were down on the plateau of the Finsteraarjoch. -Here the lantern came into use, and we carefully threaded our way -through the icefall of the glacier. Our tracks of the morning were of -the utmost value, and thanks to them we encountered no difficulties -whatever. - -It was late when we reached the Schwarzegg hut, so we decided to sleep -there once more, and the sun was high in the heavens next morning -before we sat down to our coffee. - -Here is another autumn experience, in which, as a nice, cheering -introduction to our day’s climbing, we got asphyxiated. “Were we -smothered, then? Were we suffocated?” asks the unthinking reader. -No, we were not “asphyxiated dead,” as an Irishman would say; we were -merely put to sleep at inconvenient periods during the day, after being -put to sleep with greater soundness than usual during the preceding -night. - -But this fragmentary style and absence of all precise information -points to something like present asphyxiation; so I must beg leave -to say that though I date this from a health resort, I am not a -“head-patient,” as I once heard those persons classified who were in -a particular sanatorium for something or other that was not lungs. It -was an enlivening place, that particular health resort. If a youth -was ill-mannered, he could not be kicked, because “one can’t kick an -invalid, you know;” or else the excuse was, “Poor fellow! he doesn’t -mean it; he’s off his chump--_head-patient_, you know.” My impression -is, that that health resort was as fine a school for self-restraint -in the naturally self-restrained, and for downright uncompromising -selfishness in those who already were accustomed to look after No. 1, -as I know of. - -Still I am a long way from our starting-point. Let me make an effort, -cross the Lauteraarjoch from Grindelwald, walk down the level glacier -beyond, and get to it--“it” being the sumptuous dwelling known as the -Dollfus Pavilion. - -Why the good gentleman who built this hut should have constructed it -at a distance of three miles from water, was the problem which puzzled -our heads while we lay in the sun near the young forests growing up on -every side. It was lucky that some eyes, sharper than mine, saw these -specimens of Alpine timber, as otherwise we might have stretched our -weary limbs on the top of them. Later it transpired that an experiment -had been tried in forestry on these slopes, and the poor little twigs -had been carefully planted with the idea that, in time to come, they -might grow. - -As evening drew on, we retired to the hut and made up a glowing fire, -destined a few hours later to reduce us to that comatose state I have -hinted at above. Perhaps the sluggish condition of mind and body which -we experienced next morning was also in part owing to three out of the -four members of the party having consumed six basins of very thick -soup apiece and twelve large potatoes. The soup, of course, could not -be wasted, though personally I would have rather lived on it for three -days than have had to swallow it all in one. - -After waking with some trouble, and consuming the above-mentioned -soup, we tumbled out of the hut, floundered all in a heap down to the -glacier, and began to go along it in a dreamy stagger, varied by a -rude awakening, as, from time to time, one or another walked into a -crevasse, rubbed his eyes, got out again, and proceeded on his way. -Those great-great-great-great-etc.-grandfathers of ours were wise -people to keep off glaciers in their generation. Think what choice -language the modern mountaineer finds all ready to his tongue after he -has walked for three hours up or down (if there is an up or a down) -the Aar glacier, and then discovers that he is no farther. Imagine -for an instant what that glacier must have been when it came to the -piled-up moraine across the Haslithal near Meiringen. Next time you -find yourself pacing the Aar glacier (I have no doubt that you vowed on -the last occasion you never would again, but you surely will), think -of what it was in the olden time, even when it reached only to the -Grimsel, and be thankful that you climb in the nineteenth century. - -At last, as we began to think that the Strahlegg Pass really was rather -nearer than it had been some hours earlier, we halted and attempted to -rouse each other. A warm wind swept up in our faces; our limbs were -like lead, our minds in a condition of placid imbecility. But when, -after some trouble, we dug a little cold water out of the glacier, -the effect was magical, and emboldened by the sense of our returning -faculties, we promptly decided to have breakfast under a great tower of -ice which had rolled down from a glacier clinging to the slope above. - -We were now equal to all emergencies, and ready to cope with the -largest and most varied collection of loose stones I ever saw in -my life. The Saddle (which we struck just beyond the drop referred -to on page 5, vol. ii. of the second series of “Peaks, Passes, and -Glaciers”--at least I should imagine that this gap is the one therein -described) and the fine _arête_ beyond were a welcome change from the -“shocking state of disrepair” of the face. The entire ridge gives as -good a scramble as any one fond of rock-climbing can wish for. Nowhere -excessively difficult, it is always sensational, and the rocks are big -and firm. Most of the time the party is right on the crest, and can -glance straight down to the Lauteraar glacier on the one hand or to the -Strahlegg on the other. The Lauteraarhorn is seldom taken; probably -on account of the trouble of getting at it. People also seem to think -that if they have been up the Schreckhorn, they have seen everything -of interest in that direction. In this idea they are, in my opinion, -quite mistaken. I have already referred to the view of the Schreckhorn -and Finsteraarhorn as well as to that of the Lake of Thun to be -obtained from the Lauteraarhorn, and I think that it is very much finer -than anything one sees from the Wetterhorn, Jungfrau, or any other of -the Oberland peaks with which I am acquainted. - -After an hour spent on the summit, we reluctantly began the descent, -and at 4 P.M. were on the Strahlegg, while at 5.30, just as the peaks -around began to glow with the rosy hues of sunset, we were nearly off -the Zasenberg. From here one enters on the preserves of the Interlaken -“tripper,” so I will abruptly close. - -In the next chapter I will give the last of my experiences at my -favourite time of year, and talk to you about two old friends--not, -alas! with new faces. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[6] I am aware that the _Alpine Journal_ (vol. xiii. p. 113) states -that Herr Munz was killed by falling snow, not ice, which fell from the -rocks. I talked to the brothers Boss, and also to several of the guides -on the subject, and they all affirmed that it was ice from the little -hanging glacier. Which explanation of the disaster is correct, I am, -of course, unable to say. One of the guides, Meyer, succumbed to his -injuries the day after the accident. - -[7] In September 1891, Ulrich Kaufmann was struck on the knee, and -bowled over, by a block of falling ice at this same spot. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -_THE “MAIDEN” AND THE “MONK.”_ - - -A REMINISCENCE. - - - “Over the ground white snow, and in the air - Silence. The stars, like lamps soon to expire, - Gleam tremblingly; serene and heavenly fair, - The eastern hanging crescent climbeth higher. - See, purple on the azure softly steals, - And Morning, faintly touched with quivering fire, - Leans on the frosty summits of the hills.” - --WILLIAM CALDWELL ROSCOE. - - -Time, nine o’clock on a cloudless evening some years ago; place, the -Bär Hotel at Grindelwald; season of the year, the middle of September, -the most enjoyable month in the higher Alps, given fine weather, of -all the twelve. Grindelwald lies in well-earned repose this lovely -night. No more do tourists in their thousands infest village, hotel -salons, and dining-rooms. No throng of touting guides and mule-drivers -lingers in the courtyard; no crowd of aspiring travellers makes noisy -preparation for the morrow’s excursions. - -To me this tranquillity is very pleasant, as on the evening in -question, before the age of railways in that district, I drive up the -familiar valley, overshadowed by the huge walls of the Eiger, rising -amid myriads of twinkling stars, and as I alight at the doors of the -Bär, I congratulate myself upon many things. - -“Now, Herr Fritz, hunt out my guide from the supper-room for me, -please. What! he is not here? Is there no telegram from him? Well, this -really is too bad! and the weather is magnificent! However, as he’s not -here, I certainly won’t sit and wait for him; so get me a couple of -guides, and to-morrow I will go for a walk amongst the mountains.” - -Dinner over, enter the “couple of guides.” Here is sturdy old Peter -Baumann, and there, at the door, stands old Peter Kaufmann. “Well, what -shall we do to-morrow? where shall we go?” “All is good,” they say; -“we will go where you like.” “Very well; then let the Jungfrau be our -goal. I can start for it at 1 A.M., if you wish.” They smile pityingly -and remark, “It is nine hours to the Bergli hut, so we shall have quite -enough if we go there to-morrow, and up the mountain next day.” I don’t -believe them, and consult Boss; he says eleven hours. That settles the -question; so I retire to bed. I leave word with the guides to order -provisions, and to have me called at as late an hour as is consistent -with reaching the Bergli before nightfall. Result--they lay in a store -of meal-soup, and other atrocities, and arouse me from slumber at 6 -A.M. By eight o’clock we are well on our way to the Bäregg, and have -overtaken another Jungfrau party--two Austrian gentlemen, with cheery -“English” Baumann and old Christian Almer. They progress upward at a -measured pace, but at the Bäregg restaurant we meet again, and spend -an idle hour, while our respective guides tie up emaciated pieces of -white wood into bundles of such extraordinary neatness, that they might -be “property” faggots appertaining to an amateur theatrical company. -Then on again, down rickety ladders, over swelling waves of ice, and -up a narrow track, with the sun beating on our backs, and never a drop -of water to be had. At last we all sink in a melting condition on a -grassy knoll, and insist on the production of drinkables. The guides, -in response, wriggle into sundry fissures of the earth, and extract -therefrom cupfuls of icy water, which they dole out in niggardly -quantities, exhorting their charges to be sparing in its use. - -On again and up, till, with a desperate spurt, we assault the slippery -slopes of the glacier, and deposit ourselves in a panting heap on some -rocks facing the Bergli. - -“How far to the hut, Baumann?” “Oh, two hours or so!” And it is now -11.30 A.M.! For this were we dragged from our downy couches and made -to walk up burning slopes under the rays of the autumnal sun! For this -were we hurried away from the seductive, though backless, benches of -the Bäregg! For this were we denied our second breakfast in three and a -half hours, on certain stony pathways where we would fain have halted! - -11.30! Very well; here we shall remain and repose ourselves till 3 P.M. - -We don’t, however. Two hours of gazing at the Eiger, the Mönch, and -the Schreckhorn produce an unpleasant stiffening of the joints; so -shortly after discovering this we collect our baggage--scattered over -about an acre of ground--and proceed across the level glacier towards -the steep snow slopes coming down from the Mönchjoch. After an hour or -two of threading our way amongst huge chasms, varied by passages in -tight-rope style over knife-edges of ice, we reach our hut. From here -we witness an acrobatic performance without having to undergo the -expense of an entry fee; indeed, the accommodation of the front row -of stalls is too shamefully bad for any one to suggest that we should -pay for it. Far down below us on the snow toil our fellow-travellers. -From time to time one of them, who, at starting, had declared himself -to be “no mountaineer,” casts himself on the white surface. The guides -and his friend haul. He slithers along a little; then suddenly rights -himself like a gutta-percha figure with a weight inside. On again--down -again--up again, so does the party advance. - -Of the supper the less said the better; and yet I have heard of -Englishmen who like meal-soup! - -Now to bed. Pleasant dreams, sweet repose. _Repose!_ Yes! Audible -repose for the Austrian after his gymnastic feats; for his friend, for -me, even for the guides, none. Well, we count to a hundred, to two -hundred, to two hundred backwards. We light lucifer-matches and examine -our watches. We even contemplate cutting the cords of the ambulance -arrangement, so that it may come down with a run on our slumbering -companion. We are fairly worked up to a murderous state of mind, and -almost of body, when--“Zwölf Uhr!” resounds in stentorian accents, -and we spring from our hay, and viciously shake the source of all our -discomfort. “What?” he says sleepily. “Twelve o’clock? No, thanks; no -Jungfrau for me!” and thereupon turns over and loses himself once more -in the land of dreams. - -More meal-soup, followed by coffee, buttoning up of gaiters, packing -up of all the things we ought to have left behind, uncoiling of ropes, -jodeling of guides, and off we go. - -What a joy to swing along over the frozen snow, from which countless -ice-crystals gleam up to us with bright innocent eyes, nowise resentful -that at every step they go crunch, crunch under our great clumsy -boots. The glacier streams down in a silver flood to our right. The -mountain-tops, bathed in brilliant moonbeams, seem to hang in the sky. -The radiant beauty of the night, the still, keen air, the silence of -the surroundings, all combine to make the seventeen minutes which it -takes us to reach the Mönchjoch, pass like so many seconds. From here, -dazzled by the startling loveliness of the view, and looking anywhere -but at my feet, I carelessly slip into the _bergschrund_. I am pulled -out, and in twenty-five minutes more we cross the Ober-Mönchjoch, and -see in front of us the shining robes of our “Maiden.” A jodel from the -guides, and we are running wildly down the snow slopes, across the -plateau, and on to the very mountain itself. It is now very cold, with -the chill of early dawn in the air. We have not gone far above the -Roththal Saddle when the purple of the sky grows warmer and warmer, -till at last the peak above us blushes in the rays of the rising sun. -A short half-hour more, and we cluster on our goal, pitying our friend -below in the hay of the Bergli. - -It is early yet, and Baumann, good old sportsman that he is, says, -“Now we will go up the Mönch.” “No,” I reply, “I am out of training, -and to-morrow I must cross the Strahlegg. We will now go home.” But -Baumann blinks his eyes, and when we reach the plateau, makes a dead -halt. “The Bergli or the Mönch?” he inquires. The Mönch looks near, -and I weakly give in. Our fellow-travellers here leave us. We get on -to the ridge running up from the Ober-Mönchjoch. All goes swimmingly. -We reach the final crest. Alas! it is shining ice from end to end. -Old Kaufmann is awfully done; from time to time he crawls on to the -cornice. Baumann, from behind, shouts warningly. We seem to make no -progress. An hour passes. We are not half-way along the _arête_. “Now, -then,” I say, “let me get right on to the ridge and see the view; then -I am going home.” The guides protest, but I am obdurate; the cornice -and the great fatigue of Kaufmann have decided me. Eventually we go -down. Hurrying along the level snows, halting for as short a time as -possible at the Bergli, sliding and running where we can, at last we -reach the Grindelwald glacier. By now it is pitch-dark; our lantern -won’t behave properly; our candle continually goes out, and we wander -for an interminable time over ice and moraine. Finally, by a process -akin to that of “the survival of the fittest” (having tried about every -route on the glacier), we strike the Bäregg ladders, and thence hasten -down to the valley. - -Having described the pleasures of climbing in autumn, it is but -fair that I should not ignore the single occasion on which I have -experienced bad weather at that season. It was on October 2nd, a year -later, that, with Ulrich Almer, Christian Jossi, and Herr Theophile -Boss, I set out from the Roththal hut to cross the Jungfrau. The -weather had been perfect for several days past, but on the previous -evening the sunset gave signs of a change, while the lightning, which -trembled along the western horizon, was another indication that a storm -was imminent. - -It being, therefore, doubly important to make an early start, the -guides commenced by over-sleeping themselves, and it was nearly 5.30 -A.M. before the hut was quitted. A lot of step-cutting retarded our -progress, and it was 11.35 A.M. before we halted, three or four minutes -below the summit, for our second breakfast since starting. Clouds -were now drifting up on all sides; but the more serious part of the -business was done, so the weather could not matter greatly to us. We -remained but a moment on the top, and then amidst shrieks of “Schnell! -Vorwärts!” from Jossi, we turned to descend in the teeth of a blinding -snowstorm. Well, it was cool; certainly it was not cold, for we wore -our gloves in our pockets. We had excellent steps, too, thanks to a -party who had ascended from the Bergli a couple of days previously. -The walk to the Mönchjoch was deadly dull, the only objects visible -being our noble selves. Under the leadership of such guides as ours, -however, we never deviated from the right direction for an instant, -though the tracks were, of course, by this time entirely obliterated. A -comfortable night at the Bergli was a good preparation for the descent, -through waist-deep snow, to the valley. - -During the evening the guides had discoursed at much length on a -feature of the morrow’s route, which, with all the picturesqueness of -inaccuracy, they described as an ice-wall. Now, an _Eiswand_ conveyed -to my imagination a green cliff, shiny of surface, slippery to the -touch, and perpendicular in formation. All these features were, -however, absent. The “wall,” which was about 170 feet in height, was -certainly of ice, but the ice was coated with firm snow to a depth -of several inches. I am not learned in angles, but I should say that -seventy-five degrees was somewhere near the slope of the first five -steps, after which the steepness steadily decreased. The last man, -assisted by a bit of whipcord doubled round a piece of firewood driven -in at the top, took seven minutes to come down, so the difficulties of -the way were not unduly great. I am obliged to enter into these details -because the character of this highly inoffensive slope was cruelly -maligned by the party previously referred to, and on our return to the -village, after a descent over the Zäsenberghorn, monotonous by reason -of its entire simplicity, we were questioned by a curious crowd as to -the horrors of the ice-wall. Our predecessors had already left the -place, so we could but fight the united army of credulous persons whom -they had left behind, and in whose imaginations the ice-wall of the -Mönchjoch no doubt lives even to the present day as one of the terrors -of mountaineering. - -I have now told the worst of my experiences of autumn in the Alps. How -easily hundreds of climbers could cap it with their accounts of summer -in those regions! - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -As I put forward no claim whatever for originality in this little work, -I shall perhaps escape blame from climbers, and earn some thanks from -the general public, if I place in the way of the latter a poem, the -greater part of which appeared in the _Alpine Journal_ (volume xiv., -page 64), and which consequently was not likely to have attracted the -attention of the non-mountaineering traveller. Through the courtesy -of the author, I am enabled to reprint it in full in these pages. We -who spend much of our time amongst “Heaven’s nearest neighbours,” grow -to love our surroundings more and more. It is often said that people -ascend peaks in order to boast of their achievements. Of some, no -doubt, this is true. But I cannot give better proof of how such persons -are looked upon by the true mountain-climber than by quoting the lines -I have referred to, with the spirit of which I, and thousands more, -are entirely in sympathy. The poem, entitled, “Mountain Midgets; or, -Thirty Years After,” is supposed to have been copied from a stranger’s -book in a well-known mountain resort, and is headed:-- - - -TO MY FELLOW-GUESTS. - -(_An Original Member of the Alpine Club speaks._) - - -I was with the men who conquered all the Alps, and climbing higher -Watched, from Caucasus or Andes, Phosphor soaring like a fire; - -But, successors of De Saussure! You, presumably with souls, -Who treat Heaven’s nearest neighbours as the pit-bear treats his poles, - -Show your foolish “forms” upon them, “cutting records” as you run, -Craving of a crowd that jeers you, notoriety--your bun! - -You, who love an “Alpine centre” and an inn that’s full of people, -Where the tourists gape in wonder while their Jack beflags his steeple; - -Stars, who twinkle with your axes, while girls “wonder what you are,” -Through a village, that’s the image of a Charity Bazaar; - -Stars, who set beneath the wineshop, where “the men must have a drink”: -So the idler leads the peasant down the path where he will sink, - -Till discredited, discarded, game for snobs who “stand a treat,” -The old guide of twenty summers touts for custom in the street! - -Lads, whose prate is never-ceasing, till the _table d’hôte_ is crammed -With the _gendarmes_ you have collared, and the _cols_ you’ve - _spitzed_ or _kammed_! - -Not for you the friendly _Wirthshaus_, where the _Pfarrer_ plays - the host, -Or the vine-hung _Osteria_, where the bowls go rattling most; - -Not for you the liquid splendour of the sunset, as it dies, -Not for you the silver silence and the spaces of the skies, - -Known of men who in the old time lodged in hollows of the rocks, -Ere those Circe’s styes, the Club-huts, harboured touristdom in flocks. - -There you lie beside your porters in tobacco fumes enfurled, -And think more of cold plum-pudding than “the glories of the world”; - -There you ponder with your fellows on the little left “to do,” -Plotting darkly Expeditions that may, partially, be New; - -Boasting lightly, while the brightly-beading Bouvier brims the glasses, -How you’ll “romp up” avalanche tracks and you’ll rollick in crevasses; - -Dreaming fondly of the glory that such “azure feats” must get, -When your guide narrates the story in the _Grindelmatt Gazette_; - -Gloating grimly on the feelings Hobbs and Nobbs will strive to smother, -When they learn the Gross Narr Nadel has been just “bagged” by another: - -Hobbs and Nobbs, who, slily stealing to our Grün Alp telescope, -May find solace in revealing how you faltered on the rope. - -Mountain Midgets--thus I hail you, who to littleness your own -Fain would drag down Nature’s Greatest, leave earth’s minster-spires - alone! - -Yet in vain an old man preaches. What is brought shall still be found, -Still the raw, relentless athlete make the Alps his running-ground; - -Still the Greater breed the Lesser on through infinite degrees, -And the mountains have their Midgets--as the glaciers have their fleas. - - -PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO. -EDINBURGH AND LONDON. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY HOME IN THE ALPS *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: My Home in the Alps</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Elizabeth Alice Le Blond</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: October 13, 2021 [eBook #66527]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY HOME IN THE ALPS ***</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p> - -<h1>MY HOME IN THE ALPS.</h1> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a></span></p> - -<p class="center">Ballantyne Press<br />BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO.<br />EDINBURGH AND LONDON</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/title.jpg" alt="title page" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">My Home in the Alps.</p> - -<p class="bold">BY</p> - -<p class="bold2">MRS. MAIN,</p> - -<p class="bold">AUTHOR OF<br />“THE HIGH ALPS IN WINTER; OR, MOUNTAINEERING IN SEARCH OF HEALTH,”<br /> -AND “HIGH LIFE AND TOWERS OF SILENCE.”</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">LONDON:<br />SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, AND COMPANY<br /><i>LIMITED</i>,<br /> -St. Dunstan’s House,<br /><span class="smcap">Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.C.</span><br />1892.</p> - -<p class="bold">[<i>All rights reserved.</i>]</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p> - -<h2>PREFACE.</h2> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/line.jpg" alt="line" /></div> - -<p>In this little volume, much of the matter in which first appeared in -the <i>St. Moritz Post</i>, or, as it is now called, the <i>Alpine Post</i>, I -have jotted down a few things of interest to the ordinary traveller in -Switzerland. To climbers, my notes will be but a thrice-told tale, and -one which, doubtless, many of them could tell far better, while not -a few of them have already told it elsewhere. The idea of publishing -these trifling papers came to me through the necessity of replying to -many questions on the subjects to which I refer; for, living as I do -in Switzerland, I naturally am supposed to be more familiar with the -peculiarities of the country and people than is the ordinary tourist. -It thus seems to me that a small book, dealing with some of the -various objects of interest usually met with during a summer’s tour in -Switzerland, might find a corner in a traveller’s portmanteau, and so, -asking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span> indulgence for the errors into which I am sure I have fallen -from time to time, I commend the following pages to whoever does me the -honour to glance at them.</p> - -<p class="right">E. MAIN.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Engadiner Kulm,<br /> Switzerland.</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/line.jpg" alt="line" /></div> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><span class="smaller">CHAP.</span></td> - <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>I. </td> - <td class="left">ON ALPINE GUIDES</td> - <td><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>II. </td> - <td class="left">THE CAUTION AND DETERMINATION OF GUIDES</td> - <td><a href="#Page_8">8</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>III. </td> - <td class="left">SOME MORE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIRST-RATE GUIDES</td> - <td><a href="#Page_14">14</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IV. </td> - <td class="left">MORE ABOUT GUIDES</td> - <td><a href="#Page_20">20</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>V. </td> - <td class="left">FURTHER ANECDOTES OF GUIDES</td> - <td><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VI. </td> - <td class="left">ALP LIFE</td> - <td><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VII. </td> - <td class="left">THE CHAMOIS</td> - <td><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VIII. </td> - <td class="left">ON GLACIERS</td> - <td><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IX. </td> - <td class="left">ON MORAINES</td> - <td><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>X. </td> - <td class="left">ON AVALANCHES</td> - <td><a href="#Page_76">76</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XI. </td> - <td class="left">THE BERNINA-SCHARTE</td> - <td><a href="#Page_90">90</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XII. </td> - <td class="left">IN PRAISE OF AUTUMN</td> - <td><a href="#Page_98">98</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XIII. </td> - <td class="left">THE “MAIDEN” AND THE “MONK”</td> - <td><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="center">———</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="left">APPENDIX</td> - <td><a href="#Page_127">127</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">MY HOME IN THE ALPS.</p> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/line.jpg" alt="line" /></div> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER I.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>ON ALPINE GUIDES.</i></span></h2> - -<p>Beyond the comparatively small circle of climbers, very few travellers -in Switzerland seem to have a clear idea to what class of man a good -Alpine guide belongs. Many persons picture to themselves a typical -guide as an individual whose garments are in as shocking a state of -disrepair as are the summits of most of his native peaks; who bears -visible and invisible evidence of an entire ignorance of the use of -soap in combination with water; to whom Truefitt is embodied twice a -year in his wife, unless perchance his youngest born is allowed as -a treat to wield the shears; whose manner is boorish, whose gait is -too strong a mixture of a roll and a limp to be classified even as a -slouch, and whose chief aim in life is the extraction of the largest -possible number of francs from his employer’s pocket<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> in return for -the smallest possible amount of work. Furthermore, these people have -curious ideas as to “the whole duty of” a guide. They think that -he is bound to obey, without remonstrance on his part, any orders, -however unreasonable, that his employer may give him. They expect no -common-sense, education, or knowledge of the world from him, so they -treat him as if he were a clumsily constructed machine, capable of -running in the groove of an oft-traversed track, and of nothing else.</p> - -<p>Now, it is a pity that such ignorance should prevail on the subject, -and I propose to do my humble share in dispelling some of it by -pointing out the chief characteristics of a first-rate Alpine guide, -and backing up my opinion by anecdotes of the behaviour of some of the -masters of mountain-craft when confronted with exceptionally strong -calls on their capacity.</p> - -<p>Before going further, I should like to say something of the early -training of a guide. He usually makes acquaintance with climbing when -very young, his first scrambles being often undertaken in the company -of the goats. In time he gains confidence, steadiness of head and -foot, and a knowledge of the limit of his powers. As years go on, he -is perhaps taken out chamois-shooting by his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> father, and in summer -he obtains an occasional engagement as porter on an ascent of more -or less difficulty. If he has definitely resolved to be a guide, he -will do his best to get work of this sort, and it often happens that -an active young porter, who has carried one’s rugs and firewood to -a bivouac over-night, begs to join the expedition in the morning, -“just to learn the way.” In reality, his chief object is to secure a -few lines of commendation in his book, which will help him to future -engagements, and will also be so much to the good when he puts forward -his claim to a certificate as guide. When ascending the Jungfrau some -years ago, our porter, at his urgent request, came on with us to the -top, and it was interesting to notice the careful teaching which my -two veteran guides, old Peter Baumann and old Peter Kaufmann, bestowed -on him. It was the youth’s first mountain, and I could see that he -strained every nerve to avoid a slip and to gain my good opinion, in -which he certainly succeeded, for he went very well, though he was, -not unnaturally, scared at the huge crevasses below the Bergli, the -glacier being just then in a particularly bad state. Very different was -the behaviour of another porter, chartered to carry my camera on any -easy snow-ascent. He, too, had never before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> set foot on a mountain, -and he commenced his antics at the snout of the Forno glacier, which -he mounted on all-fours. Farther on he objected to the crevasses, and -when we reached the <i>arête</i>, he was so formidable an appendage on the -rope that we untied, and went up the last rocks in two parties, on two -ropes, another lady, an Eton boy, and I leading, and the porter and the -two guides following!</p> - -<p>A porter, if he shows good climbing capacity, will often be taken in -the height of the season, when guides are scarce, to accompany a guide -and a traveller in the less difficult ascents, in order that there may -be three on the rope, an important matter on snow. He will probably -undertake most of the carrying, for the simple reason that the guide -leads and cuts the steps, and, in descending, comes down last, in both -of which cases it is well for him not to be burdened with a knapsack, -but to give his full powers to his work in ascending, and in coming -down to be the more secure in his responsible position of “last man.”</p> - -<p>Occasionally the boy becomes a guide without passing through the -intermediate state of a porter. Here is an account of Joseph Imboden’s -experiences. I had the details from the guide himself, but the account -is also to be found in the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>biographical notice written by Mr. G. S. -Barnes in “The Pioneers of the Alps.”<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1">[1]</a> “When I was a boy,” Imboden -began, “my father wished me to take up shoemaking as a trade, and -at fifteen he apprenticed me to a man in the Rhonethal. But I hated -the life, and as soon as I had saved twenty francs I ran away to the -Riffel, where I stayed, and spent my time in asking people to let me -take them up mountains. They, however, always said to me, ‘Young man, -where is your book?’ I replied that my book was at home, but they would -not believe me. At last, when my twenty francs were nearly gone, I -contrived to persuade a young English gentleman to allow me to take -him up the Cima di Jazzi. He was pleased with the way I guided him, -and the day after we went up Monte Rosa alone. He then offered to take -me to Chamonix by the Col St. Théodule and the Col du Géant, and I was -very glad to go; but first I told him the whole truth. I said, ‘All I -have told you up to now was lies; I had never been up a mountain till I -went with you; but if you will trust me now, I am sure I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> can satisfy -you.’ He said he would, and we went to Chamonix and did some climbs -there. I bought a book, and he wrote a good account of me in it. Since -then I have never been in want of employment.” Such is Joseph Imboden’s -early history, and his friends will admit that it is thoroughly -characteristic of the since famous guide.</p> - -<p>A porter desiring to become a guide must generally pass an examination -in a variety of subjects which are not of the slightest importance to -him in his future profession. The occasion is dignified by the presence -of the <i>guide-chef</i> (or head of the Society of Guides) and other local -magnates, before whom the <i>guides-aspirants</i>, as they are called, are -put through their facings. After questions are asked in arithmetic, -geography, history, &c., the examination at which I “assisted” went -on to deal with mountain-craft, on which subject the porters’ ideas -were even more peculiar than on other matters. One young man asserted, -in perfect good faith, that if his <i>Herr</i> did not obey him, he should -consider it his duty to beat him, while another calmly said that if he -met with an obstacle on an ascent, the right course to pursue was to -return home! At the conclusion of the examination, which all contrived -in one way or another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> to shuffle through, the <i>guide-chef</i> made a -little speech, in which he exhorted the new guides to be an honour -to their profession. I made notes at the time of the more amusing -questions and answers, and these I have published in a former work.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2">[2]</a></p> - -<p>Having now considered the technical conditions which, combined, form a -duly qualified guide, let us see what characteristics are required to -place him in the front rank of his profession. </p> - -<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1">[1]</a> “The Pioneers of the Alps,” by C. D. Cunningham and -Captain Abney, F.R.S., published by Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston, -Searle, & Rivington.</p> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2">[2]</a> “High Life and Towers of Silence,” by Mrs. Main, published -by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER II.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>THE CAUTION AND DETERMINATION OF GUIDES.</i></span></h2> - -<p>Amongst the qualities required in a first-class guide, I am inclined -to rank caution as the chief. Many other characteristics are also -necessary, such as a strong will, enabling the guide to compel those -in his care to obey him; dash and courage, by which he overcomes -obstacles; skill in climbing, as well as in forming an opinion of -the condition of snow; ability in finding his way up or down a -mountain, whether he has ever previously ascended it or not; coolness -in moments of danger, promptness of action in a sudden emergency, -resource in difficulties of whatever nature that may arise; strength of -muscle, sound health, good temper, unselfishness, honesty, and great -experience. What a catalogue! And yet I do not know one guide of the -first order who does not possess something of all, and a large amount -of several, of the many qualities which I have enumerated above, to say -nothing of others which I have doubtless overlooked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p> - -<p>I should like first to tell you of some instances where guides have -displayed a praiseworthy caution under strong inducement to overstep -the bounds of prudence. One example, which I extract from “The -Pioneers of the Alps,” that mine of information on guide-lore, is -very characteristic of the great guide Melchior Anderegg. Mr. Mathews -writes: “He knows when it is right to go on, and when it is the truest -bravery to turn back. ‘Es geht, Melchior,’ said a fine climber once in -my hearing when we came to a dangerous spot. ‘Ja,’ replied Melchior, -‘<i>es</i> geht, aber <i>ich</i> gehe nicht;’ or, in other words, ‘It goes, but I -do not go.’”</p> - -<p>Edouard Cupelin of Chamonix, a guide with whom in former years I made -many ascents, has frequently shown me that he possesses his right and -proper share of this brave caution. Once in winter, when within an hour -of the summit of Mont Blanc, he made us turn back, considering the -danger of persisting in the face of a snow-storm unjustifiable, though -the difficulties were all behind us. Once, too, I had hankerings after -the Schreckhorn on a windy morning in October, but my guide reminded us -of what the action of the storm on the friable rocks below the Saddle -was likely to be, and refused to have anything to do with the peak, -which showed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> up every now and then in a tantalising way against a -patch of blue sky.</p> - -<p>But the caution of a good guide does not need to be proved by any -collection of anecdotes. It is seen every time he prods for the hidden -crevasse in crossing a snow-field. It is noticeable whenever he begs -his companions (probably for the tenth time at least that day) to keep -the rope taut. It is shown when he refuses to take a self-opinionated -amateur up a difficult mountain in bad weather, or to allow the -amateur’s friend, attired in tennis-flannels, to join the expedition at -the last moment, because “’Pon my word, I must do the Matterhorn some -time or another, you know!”</p> - -<p>A guide who has not a strong will can never hope to be quite at the top -of the tree in his profession. Some guides, however, are, of course, -more determined than others.</p> - -<p>I remember an amusing tale <i>à propos</i> of this characteristic, which -a friend told me of Joseph Imboden. The incident occurred on the -Breithorn, an easy though fatiguing snow-peak in the Zermatt district. -One cold day, Imboden had a leaden-footed, pig-headed Englishman in -tow. This sagacious gentleman, when half-way up the mountain, observed -that he was tired, and intended to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> refresh himself by a snooze on the -snow. Imboden naturally objected to the proceeding, explaining that it -was extremely dangerous, and drawing vivid word-pictures of ill-starred -persons who had been frozen to death. However, the traveller persisted, -and finally, in reply to Imboden’s repeated refusals to allow him to -carry out his wishes, exclaimed indignantly, “I pay you, and you are -my servant, and I shall do as I please!” The situation had become -critical. Imboden saw that the time for strong measures had arrived. He -said to his <i>Herr</i>, “That is quite true. Now you do as you choose, and -I shall do as I choose. You lie down and sleep, and as surely as you -do so I shall give you a box on the ear that you won’t easily forget!” -“What!” cried the irate tourist; “no! you would not dare!” “Oh, yes,” -said Imboden quietly, “and a thoroughly good box on the ear too!” The -<i>Herr</i>, in a furious temper, plodded on to the top, and made no further -suggestions for repose, but the whole way down he sulked and growled -and would not be coaxed into good-humour. However, after dinner at -Zermatt and a chat with his friends, things began to look different, -and the same evening he sought out his guide, and shaking him by the -hand, thanked him warmly for his conduct.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span></p> - -<p>This recalls to my mind another little scene which took place on -the same mountain, the account of which I had from an eye-witness. -A guide, unknown to fame, but evidently resolute and determined of -spirit, was hauling a panting, expostulating German up the snow-slopes -between the Col St. Théodule and the Breithorn. When my friend, who was -descending, met them, the German was piteously entreating to be taken -home, declaring that he was nearly dead and had seen all that he wanted -to see. “Why don’t you turn back?” my friend inquired of the guide. -“Herr,” said that individual, “er <i>kann</i> gehen, er <i>muss</i> gehen—er -hat schon bezahlt!” (Sir, he <i>can</i> go, he <i>must</i> go—he has paid in -advance!)</p> - -<p>Here is another little tale. Once upon a time a certain well-known -guide was taking a traveller up the Weisshorn. The weather was -abominable. In addition, the mountain was in very bad order, covered -with ice and soft snow. The ascent had been long and tiring, and during -the descent the gentleman (whose first season it was), worn-out with -fatigue, completely lost his nerve. At last he exclaimed, “I cannot -go on, I simply <i>cannot</i>.” “You must,” the guide said. “Indeed, I -cannot go one step farther,” the traveller replied. “Sir,” the guide -con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>tinued, “if we don’t go on we shall be benighted on this ridge and -be frozen to death, and that must not happen.” Still the gentleman -stood still as though turned to stone. The guide saw that his words -had no effect; so making himself firm, he called out to the porter, -“Pull down the <i>Herr</i> by his feet.” The wretched Herr feebly glared -at the porter, who demurred, saying, “I dare not, he will be so -angry; besides, if I did, we should all slip together.” “Very well, -come up here, and I will take your place. See to yourself; I will be -responsible for the rest,” answered the guide, and he and the porter -changed places. Now came the tug of war. Standing near the gentleman, -the guide seized him by the collar of his coat and dropped him down -a step. This he repeated two or three times, till the traveller, -reassured by the firmness of the grasp and the decision of the act, -gradually recovered his mental as well as his bodily balance, and -before long he was able to help himself.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER III.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>SOME MORE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIRST-RATE GUIDES.</i></span></h2> - -<p>Though it is a platitude to say that all good guides are plucky, -yet some are more noted for “dash” than others. The names which -at once come to the minds of most persons in connection with this -characteristic would probably be those of, in the past, Michel Croz, -Jean-Antoine Carrel, Johann Petrus, and a few others, and, in the -present, Alexander Burgener, Emile Rey, Christian Jossi, and to mine, -Martin Schocher. The three last names but one in my list are well -known; that of Martin Schocher is less so. I must here make a slight -digression in order to undertake a pleasant duty. In a former work, -referred to before, I made some uncomplimentary remarks concerning -Engadine guides.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span><a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3">[3]</a> Since then, however, Martin Schocher has come -to the front, and has gained an amount of experience which no other -Pontresina man can pretend to. Few expeditions of first-rate difficulty -in the district have been made which were not led by him. On the three -first occasions when the formidable ridge between Piz Scerscen and Piz -Bernina was traversed, Schocher headed the party. The only time that -the central west <i>arête</i> of Piz Palü was taken, he again led; and on -the single occasion when Piz Morteratsch was climbed from the saddle -between that peak and Piz Prievlusa, the party consisted of Schocher -and Mr. Garwood only. Of this ascent Schocher declares that it was the -hardest piece of work he ever undertook, consisting as it did of smooth -rocky slabs, steeply inclined, and narrowing very often to the merest -knife-edge.</p> - -<p>During the past autumn Schocher for the first time left his native -district, and went to the chief climbing centres of the Alps (the -Oberland and Dauphiné excepted). The party were fortunate in their -weather, and ascended the Dent Blanche, the Aiguille de la Za, and -several other first-class peaks. If Schocher were to travel for another -season or two, he would gain enough experience to place him on a par -with some of the best men in the Oberland.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p> - -<p>A fine rock-climber, a marvellously good and rapid step-cutter (his -steps being large, well shaped, and exactly in the right place), of -powerful build, and very willing and cheerful, Schocher is an ideal -guide, and a credit to Pontresina. There are one or two young guides in -the place who show promise, and Klucker of Sils is a host in himself; -so the Engadine may fairly be congratulated on its progress in this -respect during the last six or eight years.</p> - -<p>Though Chamonix guides have deservedly acquired a reputation for their -skill on ice and snow, yet, oddly enough, it is a St. Nicholas man -who is said to most excel in this branch of mountain-craft. In the -biography of Joseph Imboden in “The Pioneers of the Alps” Mr. Barnes -writes: “His (Imboden’s) judgment as to the state of the snow is -excellent, and may be implicitly relied on.” Sometimes, when climbing -with this guide, I have expressed my fears of possible avalanches, and -he has invariably, by a joke or one of those biting sarcasms which his -soul loveth, banished my fears; for his wonderful quickness in noting -exactly when and where the snow is safe, and when or where it begins to -show a tendency to slip, would restore confidence to any one, however -timid.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span></p> - -<p>I have many times watched, with ever-increasing admiration, how a -couple of first-class Chamonix guides will work their way through a -perfect maze of <i>séracs</i> and crevasses and other obstacles incident to -the wild chaos of an ice-fall. I have twice been through the <i>séracs</i> -of Géant at night, starting at 11 <span class="smaller">P.M.</span> from Montanvert, and -accompanied by Michel Savioz, then a porter. He threaded his way round -crevasses, over snow-bridges, and up and down <i>séracs</i> as if he was -accustomed to going backwards and forwards nightly over the pass; and, -on many other occasions, it has been a real delight to me to watch -from the rear of the caravan the perfect confidence and ease with -which these masters of their art grapple with the difficulties of a -broken glacier. I was particularly struck some years ago by the skill -and “dash” displayed by two of my guides, Auguste Cupelin and Alphonse -Payot, in forcing a passage across the upper plateau of the Glacier de -la Brenva. We had mounted in the morning to a bivouac on the moraine -of the glacier, where, under a large boulder, we hit upon the remains -of an old encampment, which had probably been the sleeping quarters -of the three or four parties who had made or attempted different -excursions from this point. We deposited our knap<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>sacks and rugs, lit a -fire with the wood which we had collected lower down, and then, after -despatching a hasty meal, the two guides set out to make tracks across -this formidable glacier. Our object, on the morrow, was to attempt -the ascent of the Aiguille Blanche de Peuteret, but as some of the -previous parties had spent hours in getting over the glacier which lay -between our bivouac and the peak, my guides wisely decided to make a -track over it that very afternoon, and thus, by having our way mapped -out in advance, to save several hours in the morning. The reader may -wonder why, in order to gain time, we did not shift our night-quarters -to the other side of the glacier. This we should certainly have done -if we could have found even the smallest piece of rock to take up our -abode on, but snow was over everything, and therefore we had no choice -but to remain on the left bank of the glacier. As I sat on a huge -stone overlooking the ice, armed with a telescope, I could watch all -my guides’ movements. One moment Auguste would make a rush at a great -lurching <i>sérac</i>, the next he would have scrambled to the top, and be -ready to step down the other side whilst Alphonse tightened the rope. -Then I would see him clear, with a frantic spring, a yawning chasm,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> -and turn and draw in the cord as Alphonse followed his example. Now -both would disappear, soon to come into sight again, and seeming to -rise out of the depths of the glacier, and Auguste would fall to work -with his axe, hacking steps up a glassy wall until he conquered it. -And so they worked on, ever progressing towards their goal, whilst I -sat engrossed in watching such a brilliant display of ice-craft. It -was dark before they returned, and I am sure my reader will sympathise -when I tell him that, in spite of all this toil, we were unable to -do the Aiguille (then an untrodden peak) the next day. We started -about 1 <span class="smaller">A.M.</span>, traversed the glacier, and mounted the steep -snow-slopes beyond; but the weather, which was slightly cloudy when we -set out, grew gradually worse and worse, till at last heavily falling -snow compelled us to abandon our attempt, and in terribly low spirits -we retraced our steps to our bivouac, gathered together our baggage, -and sulkily descended to the valley. We crossed the Col de la Seigne -that afternoon, and next morning, in lovely weather, but through -a sprinkling of lately fallen snow, went over the charming little -snow-pass of Mont Tendu to St. Gervais, and thence by Chamonix home to -Montanvert.</p> - -<h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3">[3]</a> In any remarks I have ever made which reflect on the -Pontresina guides as a body, I need hardly say that those fine old -men, the brothers Hans and Christian Grass, were quite outside my -subject. They have now given up climbing; but only three years ago -Christian made his hundredth ascent of Piz Bernina, which he took by -the “Scharte,” reaching the Fuorcla Prievlusa by a new and extremely -difficult route from Boval.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IV.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>MORE ABOUT GUIDES.</i></span></h2> - -<p>It has often been a matter for discussion whether the talent of -path-finding, or, more often, of discovering a possible route when no -semblance of a path exists, comes from instinct or from training. It -seems to me that it usually proceeds from something of both, though -especially from the latter. Those who would confine this power to -instinct pure and simple, bring forward as an argument on their side -the fact that hardly any amateurs possess it to a great degree, and -none to the extent exhibited in a first-rate guide. But they forget -that people in our own class cannot by any possibility have the -early experience of Swiss peasants, many of whom are accustomed from -childhood to scramble about in all sorts of difficult and perilous -places, and are often taken by their fathers and neighbours for -lengthened excursions on mountains and glaciers, either during hunting -expeditions, or sometimes, with the kindly permission of a traveller, -as porters. I remember,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> on one occasion, Peter Taugwalder asking me -to allow his son, then aged fourteen, to go with us up the Breithorn, -and most efficient did the little fellow prove himself, insisting -on carrying my camera a good part of the way. Imboden’s eldest son, -Roman, had at fifteen made quite a number of first-rate ascents with -his father, including the passage of the Ried Pass (twice), of the -Alphubel, the ascent of the Balfrinhorn, Brunegghorn, and other big -peaks. When, in 1887, I took him up Piz Kesch, I noticed that his -“form” had already attained to a point which few amateurs could beat. -The manner in which a first-rate guide will find the way in darkness, -a thick fog, or a snowstorm is really marvellous. In descending Mont -Blanc in January, we were in a thick fog from the moment we turned at -the top of the Mur de la Côte, and it was pitch-dark before we were -fairly off the Grand Plateau. Yet on the guides went, with a cheery, -confident air about them, never hesitating for a moment, and only -halting twice, the first time to root out a knapsack of provisions, -left on the Grand Plateau that morning, and since buried in the thickly -falling snow, and the second time, at my request, to light the lanterns -when, within half an hour of the Grands Mulets, I awkwardly walked into -one of the crevasses<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> across which we had to pass. Again, in coming -down at the end of November from the Aiguille du Tour to the Cabane -d’Orny, darkness overtook us. Before beginning the descent of the -Glacier d’Orny, I suggested that our lantern should be made use of; but -the guides laughed, and breaking into one of the songs of the district, -trotted unhesitatingly down the ice, in and out amongst the crevasses, -and at last up to the door of the hut, which was so deeply buried in -snow as to be hardly distinguishable. Indeed, the little cabin is at -all times hard to find, and Chamonix sometimes confidentially whispers -how an ex-guide and a friend, after crossing the Col du Tour, entirely -failed to discover the hut, and, after much poking about, returned over -the pass to Chamonix!</p> - -<p>Another example of path-finding which greatly struck me was during a -descent in the dark of the Italian side of the Matterhorn. We had the -moon a good part of the time, but often, owing to the conformation of -the rocks, we were in utter darkness, and Alexander Burgener would -rummage about for a bit, then seize on the commencement of one of -the fixed ropes, and, with a series of his characteristic grunts and -snorts, work his way down it. He never missed the right route for an -instant, though the mountain was in a very bad state from the amount<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> -of ice and snow on it. One more incident before we pass on to the -consideration of the next of the qualities which I have noted. Some -years ago, during the month of January, I found myself with Edouard -Cupelin (of Chamonix), and a couple of local guides, in the long -<i>couloir</i> which leads from the Sella Pass towards the first peak of -Piz Roseg. A discussion arose as to the best route to take, the local -guides advising our bearing to the left, and Cupelin recommending -keeping to the right. The latter’s opinion, as leader, of course -prevailed, and though he had never been in the Engadine till the day -before, we cheerfully followed him. On reaching the plateau above, it -became obvious that we had saved both time and trouble by selecting -this route, which, indeed, we afterwards found was the one usually -taken.</p> - -<p>Pontresina guides have gone rapidly ahead since then, and it would now -be hard to beat, say, Martin Schocher as a rising guide.</p> - -<p>Now let us travel from the Engadine to the Bernese Oberland, and I will -tell you of an occurrence there which made much stir amongst the few -who heard of it, but an account of which did not, as far as I know, -reach the ears of the Alpine world.</p> - -<p>Again Joseph Imboden must come to the front,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> and never did he more -deserve applause than on this occasion.</p> - -<p>One morning in August, two parties set out from the Eggischhorn to -cross the Mönch Joch to Grindelwald. One of them consisted of an -Englishman accustomed to climbing, accompanied by Imboden and a good, -steady porter. The second party comprised two Englishmen and a guide -and porter, all of whom were more or less lacking in the qualities -so conspicuous in party the first. In descending the slopes above -the Bergli Hut, the second party was leading, and the position was -as follows. Just below was a deep <i>bergschrund</i>, or large crevasse, -approached by a slope of ice, down which the guide was cutting steps. -Behind him was one of the travellers, then came the other, and last -on the rope, and in a desperate state of apprehension at the sight of -the horrors beneath, was the porter. The other party, in which, most -providentially, Imboden was first on the rope, was close behind—in -fact, Imboden himself was only separated by a distance of about a -couple of feet from the other party’s porter. At this particularly -auspicious moment, it occurred to the gentleman on the ice-slope to -stick his axe into a neighbouring patch of snow, nearly out of his -reach, and to take off his spectacles for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> the purpose of wiping them. -Hardly had he commenced this operation, than, to his horror, the -guide, who was cutting below, slipped. The gentleman of the spectacles -followed suit, so did his companion behind, and so, with a wild cry -of “Wir sind alle verloren!” (We are all lost!) did the porter. But -hardly had he lost his footing when, in calm, clear tones, came the -remark from behind him, “Noch nicht!” (Not yet), and he felt himself -arrested and held back. What actually occurred was this (I had it from -the gentleman whom Imboden was guiding, and who, from his position -behind and above him, had the best possible view of the situation). -When Imboden saw the spectacle-wiping begin, he instinctively scented -danger, and hooked the cutting point of his axe through the rope which -was round the porter’s waist. Immediately after, if not simultaneously, -the slip took place, and the whole strain of the weight of the -foremost party came on Imboden. However, he was firmly placed, and -held without difficulty till they recovered their footing. But for -Imboden’s coolness and quickness, a very serious, and most likely a -fatal accident would have occurred. Two or three days afterwards, while -ascending the Eiger with Imboden, I questioned him about this incident. -He took his extraordinary per<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>formance entirely as a matter of course, -and declined to admit any merit in it. I fear that the two Englishmen -(or rather the spectacle-man) hardly realised the escape they had. -Well, it is not for a mere matter of thanks or reward that men do -deeds such as this, though I can vouch for it that a few warm words of -gratitude are far more valued than a mere pecuniary manifestation of -the same.</p> - -<p>A good guide is usually able to turn his hand to most things, and has -generally plenty of resource in unforeseen difficulties of all kinds. -In short, he is ever ready to rise to the occasion, no matter what it -may show of the unexpected. Many a guide with whom I have travelled -has combined the qualities of an excellent cook, a lady’s-maid (!), a -courier, and a first-rate carpenter, with those of a pleasant companion -and the special characteristics of his profession. In proof of the -above, I may remark that a little dinner in a hut is often a meal by -no means to be despised, the ingenuity displayed in cooking with next -to no appliances being really wonderful. As to the packing of one’s -garments, I have been more than once informed that the way in which I -fold dresses leaves much to be desired, while an incident connected -with this subject, which took place some years ago, is still vividly -impressed on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> my mind. When paying my bill at a certain hotel, an item -of 150 francs for a broken piano-string had aroused my indignation. In -the first place, the string had been broken by the frost; secondly, 150 -francs was a preposterous charge. I promptly left the hotel in disgust, -and accomplished my departure in a very short space of time, thanks -to my guide, who valiantly helped by packing dresses and hats, boots -and shoes, with unhesitating rapidity, and, what is more, they were as -wearable when they emerged from my trunk as when they went into it. -I was much amused, during an ascent some years ago, to see my porter -produce a needle and thread and solemnly commence to repair a rent in -my climbing skirt. I cannot say that the work was very fine, but it -held together as long as ever that garment lasted.</p> - -<p>There are several incidents which I should like to mention in -connection with that strength of muscle with which nature and training -have supplied some guides to a very remarkable extent.</p> - -<p>Perhaps one of the most notable instances of great strength being -put forth at exactly the right instant was the following, which was -described to me by Miss Lucy Walker as having happened to her brother, -Mr. Horace Walker.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span></p> - -<p>The latter, accompanied by Peter Anderegg, was ascending a steep wall -of ice. The guide went first, cutting steps. The way was barred by a -big piece of rock, apparently firmly frozen into the ice-slope. While -Mr. Walker stood just below the boulder, Anderegg worked to the side -round it. Beaching its upper level, he placed one foot on the great -mass, which, to his horror, at once began to move. To cry out and warn -his companion below would have been to expend far too much time; there -was but one way of saving Mr. Walker’s life, and that he promptly -took. In an instant he had stepped back on to his last foothold, and -with a terrific jerk had swung Mr. Walker out of his steps and along -the slope. Immediately after, the huge stone thundered down the slope, -across the place occupied till a moment before by Mr. Walker. This, I -think, is the most wonderful thing of the kind I ever heard of.</p> - -<p>Another very striking instance of strength promptly put forth took -place on Piz Palü, a mountain in the Bernina group, during an ascent -by Mrs. Wainwright, Dr. Wainwright, and the guides Christian and Hans -Grass. I extract the following from Dr. Ludwig’s capital little book, -“Pontresina and its Neighbourhood.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p> - -<p>“In 1879 an accident happened on Piz Palü, which had a similar cause, -and nearly had a similar fatal ending, with the accident on the Lyskamm -two years before. The middle and the western summits are joined -together by a narrow ridge; on the side of the Pers Glacier (the north) -the frozen snow (<i>firn</i>) forms, in parts, an overhanging cornice. Mr. -W. and his sister-in-law, Mrs. W., with the two veteran guides, Hans -and Christian Grass, had ascended the highest summit, and were on their -return; Christian Grass leading, then Mr. W., Mrs. W., and last, Hans -Grass. There was a thick fog. The first three of the party stepped on -to the cornice; it gave way suddenly, and all four would have been -dashed down the face of the ice-wall, which there falls sheer some two -thousand feet, had not Hans Grass had the presence of mind and the -bodily activity and strength to spring at once to the opposite side of -the ridge and plant his feet firmly in the snow. Fortunately Mr. W. -had not lost his axe; he gave it to Christian Grass, who in this awful -situation untied himself from the rope, and cut his way up on to the -ridge, where his brother and he, joining forces, were able to bring Mr. -and Mrs. W. into safety.”</p> - -<p>What a fearful moment of suspense it must have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> been when Mr. W. -dropped his axe to the guide below, who, if he had failed to catch it, -would have lost the last chance of saving the party.</p> - -<p>An accident very much resembling that on Piz Palü occurred on August -18, 1880, on the Ober-Gabelhorn, near Zermatt. In this case, as on the -Palü, no lives were lost, thanks to the prompt action of one of the -guides, Ulrich Almer. I extract the following account of the event from -Ulrich’s book:—</p> - -<p>“We attacked the mountain direct from the Trift Alp, and had scaled the -steep rocks and reached the eastern <i>arête</i>, along which, at a distance -of about twelve yards from the edge, we were proceeding, when a huge -cornice fell, carrying with it the leading guide, Brantschen, and -the two voyagers. Almer, who alone remained on <i>terra firma</i>, showed -extraordinary strength and presence of mind. Instantly on hearing the -crack of the cornice, he leaped a yard backwards, plunged his axe -into the snow, and planting himself as firmly as possible, was thus -enabled to arrest the fall of the entire party down a precipice of some -2000 feet. Joseph Brantschen, who fell farthest down the precipice, -dislocated his right shoulder, and this mischance involved a long, -and to him most painful descent, and the return to Zermatt took us -eight hours, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> injured man being obliged to stop every two or three -minutes from pain and exhaustion. It should be mentioned that the mass -of cornice which fell measured (as far as we can judge) about forty -yards long by thirteen yards broad.</p> - -<p>“Mr. C. E. Mathews, president, and other members of the Alpine Club, -went carefully into the details of the accident, and gave their verdict -that, according to all the hitherto accepted theories of cornices, -we were allowing an ample margin, and that no blame attached to the -leading guide, Brantschen.... There can be no doubt whatever that -it is owing solely to Ulrich Almer’s strength, presence of mind, -and lightning-like rapidity of action that this accident on the -Gabelhorn did not terminate with the same fatal results as the Lyskamm -catastrophe.</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>Signed</i>)</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">H. H. Majendie, A.C.<br /> -Richard L. Harrison.</span>”</p> - -<p>As a practical proof of their gratitude to Almer, I understand that -these gentlemen gave him a cow.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER V.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>FURTHER ANECDOTES OF GUIDES.</i></span></h2> - -<p>Endurance is absolutely necessary in a guide undertaking first-class -ascents. It is simply astounding how much fatigue a guide will go -through without any symptom of giving in. One one occasion, Alexander -Burgener, having returned to Zermatt after fourteen hours’ climbing, -left with me the same evening, and put in another forty-three hours’ -exertion (relieved by one halt of two hours on an exposed ledge while -waiting for the moon), almost “without turning a hair.” The porter, -too, had participated in both ascents, and though certainly fatigued on -our reaching Zermatt, was still far from prostrate.</p> - -<p>I have known Martin Schocher go up Piz Bernina five times in one week, -taking an “off day” on Piz Palü on the other two days; and amongst the -long excursions which I have made with guides who, on their return, -declared that they felt quite fresh, may be mentioned the Dent du -Géant, twenty-three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> hours; Aiguille du Midi (winter), twenty hours; -Col d’Argentine (winter), twenty hours; Finsteraarhorn, up and down by -Agassiz-joch (following an ascent of the Schreckhorn the day before), -twenty-three hours.</p> - -<p>It is when a party encounters bad weather or is benighted in an exposed -situation that the endurance of a guide is most put to the test. Some -years ago a party consisting of Mr. Howard Knox and a German gentleman, -with Peter Dangl of Sulden and Martin Schocher of Pontresina, were -benighted on the <i>arête</i> of Piz Scerscen. The German was almost -unconscious from cold and fatigue, and Mr. Knox, too, was worn-out -from want of sleep. The guides during the entire night never ceased -rubbing and attending to the German, and from time to time Schocher -took Mr. Knox in his arms and allowed him three or four minutes’ sleep, -which refreshed him much more than would be expected from the short -time during which it was safe for him to indulge in it. At daybreak, -Schocher led the party in magnificent style down an entirely new route -to the Scerscen glacier, and brought them all safe and sound home to -Pontresina the same afternoon. The final splendid piece of guiding of -Jean-Antoine Carrel in 1890, when, after two days’<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> confinement by -bad weather in the upper hut on the south side of the Matterhorn, he, -after twenty hours’ fearful toil, got his party safely out of all their -difficulties, and then laid down and died, is one of the most pathetic -incidents in Alpine history.</p> - -<p>Referring to this, Mr. Whymper wrote in the <i>Alpine Journal</i>, “It -cannot be doubted that Carrel, enfeebled though he was, could have -saved himself had he given his attention to self-preservation. He took -a nobler course, and, accepting his responsibility, devoted his whole -soul to the welfare of his comrades, until, utterly exhausted, he fell -staggering on the snow. He was already dying; life was flickering, yet -the brave spirit said, ‘It is <i>nothing</i>.’ They placed him in the rear -to ease his work; he was no longer able even to support himself; he -dropped to the ground, and in a few minutes expired.”</p> - -<p>An extraordinary case of endurance came to my notice a short time -ago, when turning over the leaves of some old numbers of the <i>Alpine -Journal</i>. It is not connected with guides, and thus is perhaps out -of place here. Still, as my object in this little work is rather -to interest my readers than to aim at a careful classification of -subjects, I shall quote the account for their benefit.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The same number of the same work (<i>i.e.</i>, the <i>Bulletino Trimestrale</i>, -Nos. x. and xi.) relates an Alpine misadventure so extraordinary as -to deserve notice, and so incredible as hardly to seem worthy of it. -But it is equally out of the question to suppose that the organ of the -Italian Alpine Club is itself guilty of a hoax, or that it could be -hoaxed in a matter verified by the signature of three Italian gentlemen -of station, by a public subscription, and by an official document. This -premised, we give the following narrative, greatly condensed from the -Italian.</p> - -<p>“A party of young men, who had been employed on the Fell railway over -the Mont Cenis, took their way home, about the middle of October 1866, -over the Col du Collarin to the Piedmontese valley of Ala. Near the -top, still on the Savoy side, one of them, named Angelo Castagneri, -slipped, apparently on the edge of the <i>bergschrund</i>, and disappeared. -His companions, instead of returning for help to the village of -Averolles, little more than an hour distant, seem to have been -possessed with the notion that a man down in a glacier was past help, -and crossed the col to Balme, the first village where Castagneri’s -parents lived. They took it coolly, for it was a week before anybody -went to look for him, and then the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> father, descending by help of a -ladder, found him lying on the wet earth beside a clot of blood, which -had flowed from a wound in his head, and still alive. It took nine or -ten hours to get him home, using the ladder as a litter, and many days -elapsed before he was seen by a medical man.” The account goes on to -say that it was nine months before he was taken to Turin and placed -in a hospital there, where his legs, from which he had lost his feet -from frost-bite and subsequent mortification, were healed, apparently -without amputation. Castagneri says that he had no recollection of -anything from the time of his fall until aroused by his father’s voice -and touch. In that case he lay senseless between eight and nine days, -and probably owed his life to his insensibility.</p> - -<p>The subject of the manifold kindnesses and acts of unselfishness -shown by guides, both to their employers and also to each other, -is so wide a one that I can only touch on it in a most superficial -manner. I well remember, some years ago, hearing of a very kind act of -Melchior Anderegg’s. The party had ascended the Dent d’Heréns, and, in -returning, Ulrich Almer was struck and badly hurt by a stone. It was -impossible to get him down to Zermatt that night, and several hours had -to be spent, while waiting for daylight, sitting on the rocks. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> -extremely cold, and Melchior took off his coat and wrapped the wounded -man in it, remaining all night in his shirt-sleeves.</p> - -<p>In my work “The High Alps in Winter,” I have related how my guides, -while I was asleep in the Cabane d’Orny (near the Orny Glacier), took -off their coats and covered me with them, so that I might not feel -cold, while they sat up all night brewing hot tea, and vying with each -other in stories of chamois hunts.</p> - -<p>Experience every good guide must have. Here is an anecdote showing -how one member of the profession acquired it. This guide, now well -known and in the first rank, began his career with two Germans as his -victims. The party were bound for, I believe, the Cima di Jazzi, and -when the ice of the Gorner Glacier gave place to snow, the moment -came for putting on the rope. The guide felt greatly puzzled; and -he was slow of thought. Meanwhile the two gentlemen, as ignorant of -mountain-craft as their guardian, stood by and watched the cord being -slowly uncoiled. At last the guide took a sudden resolution, and making -a loop at each end of the rope, he slipped it round the necks of his -two charges, and taking the cord in the centre, held it in his hand, -having just<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> enough native wit not to tie it round his own neck! In -this frightfully dangerous condition they remained during the entire -ascent. When returning, another party was seen approaching. The guide -halted on finding that it was led by a friend of his. He took him aside -and said, “Tell me, how ought people to be roped? Have I not done it -correctly?” The other guide replied, with inward merriment, “Oh, yes, -it’s quite right!” Whereupon his friend exclaimed, “And yet I assure -you the gentlemen have sworn at me all day!” So much for that pleasing -operation known as “buying experience.”</p> - -<p>The guide who has had the greatest amount of experience in the Alps -is, I think, Christian Almer, if by experience we mean making a large -number of different ascents and excursions. The Oberlanders travel out -of their own district more than any other guides; next to them probably -the Saas and St. Nicholas men; then some of the Chamonix guides -(though not many). Peter Dangl of Sulden, Tyrol, and several of the -Valtournanche men are also to be met with <i>en voyage</i>, the former very -frequently.</p> - -<p>In closing the subject of guides, I will only add that I trust these -little details of my experience<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> of them and that of others may have -helped some to better realise what a splendid body of men they are, -and how much may be learnt in knowing them well, and in the constant -intercourse with them which every climber enjoys. I have tried -to show that the upper grades of the profession are not a number -of self-seeking, ignorant, unprincipled peasants, who regard all -travellers as their lawful prey, but a set of courageous, noble-minded -men, often conspicuous in intellectual qualities, and in many ways -unique as a class.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VI.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>ALP LIFE.</i></span></h2> - -<p>Do you know, my readers, what an alp is? Perhaps the question seems -trivial to you, and you feel inclined to reply indignantly, “Of -course!” Well, perhaps you are right; but still I am going to describe -an alp, for it is also very possible that you are wrong. As to what -an alp is not, I will begin by stating most emphatically that it is -not a mountain, that it is not snow-covered in summer, and that it has -nothing whatever to do with those incidents of nature spoken of in -guide-books as “the Alps.” An alp is written with a small <i>a</i>—this is -one distinction. It is a pasture tenanted in summer by cows, goats, -and huge black pigs, and young men and maidens to look after the -same, consequently it is not snow-covered except in winter, and as it -supplies the animals with beautiful and nourishing grass, it presents a -very different aspect to the rocky and ice-clad sides of the Alps (with -a large <i>A</i>).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p> - -<p>During the long winter months, the cows, which are of such value to -the Swiss, are kept in hot, often stuffy, stables in the villages, and -only taken out every day for water. It is a familiar sight to winter -visitors in the Alps to meet these animals in the village street, -plunging and galloping about in the enjoyment of a few breaths of fresh -air on their way to drink at one of the many troughs with which even -the smallest of Alpine hamlets is so liberally supplied.</p> - -<p>Towards the beginning of May, the cows are taken from their stables -and driven to the lower alps. These alps constitute a great source of -wealth to the country. Many owners of large herds of cattle have as -many as three, situated at different altitudes on the mountain-side. -It is to the lowest that the cows first go, and by the time its rich -pasturage has been fully enjoyed and considerably diminished, the snow -will have melted from the slopes above, and thither the herd pursues -its way. By the middle of June, or later, the highest alp is gained, -and there the animals remain till the early autumn approaches. Then -they descend, halting for a month or so at the intermediate stations, -till the end of October sees them once more established in the valley -for the winter.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span></p> - -<p>The day on which the cows depart for the alps is fêted with great -rejoicings in most Swiss villages, and doubtless in olden days it must -have occurred earlier in the season than is now the case, for the 1st -March is still kept as a festival dedicated to the turning out of the -cows into the meadows, and if the valley was clear of snow by March -1st, the lower alps must surely have been habitable by April.</p> - -<p>An interesting account, by Herr Bavier, of the 1st March rejoicings, -appeared in the <i>St. Moritz Post</i> for March 10, 1888, and I think that -my readers will wish me to reprint some of it. Herr Bavier, under the -heading of “Chalanda Mars,” writes:—</p> - -<p>“What is the Chalanda Mars? almost all my readers will ask. Here it -is the children’s greatest fête, and in every village, no matter how -small, the Chalanda Mars is celebrated with as much splendour as -possible. For hundreds of years it has been the custom for heads of -families to contribute a certain sum, which is put at the disposal of -the schoolmaster, and with it he procures a supply of cream, cakes, -sweets, and other things dear to the youthful palate. On March 1st -(Chalanda, viz., ‘beginning’), the principal scholars of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> the village -school go about the streets, ringing big cow-bells, cracking whips, and -singing—</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>‘Chalanda Mars, Chaland Avrigl,</div> -<div>Lasché las vaschas our d’nuigl,</div> -<div>Cha l’erva crescha</div> -<div>E la naiv svanescha,’</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>which means,</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>Beginning of March, beginning of April,</div> -<div>Bring forth the cows from their stables,</div> -<div>For the grass is growing,</div> -<div>And the snow is going.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>“During their procession through the village, the youngsters collect -chestnuts, or any other dainty offered by the listeners to their music, -and on the Sunday following these treasures are placed on a gorgeous -sort of ‘buffet,’ and all the village children, even the babies, are -invited to help themselves. After supper, a dance helps to further -enliven matters, and to make the little folk look forward impatiently -to next year’s ‘Chalanda Mars.’”</p> - -<p>The herd, consisting perhaps of animals belonging to twenty or more -different persons, on its departure for the mountains, is headed by -the largest and finest of the cows. She is decorated with the best and -deepest-toned bell, and at every march she never fails to place herself -in front of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> all her companions, and when, through old age or sickness, -she loses her superiority, and her bell is transferred to the neck -of another animal, she sometimes abandons herself to such lowness of -spirits as seriously to impair her health.</p> - -<p>Tschudi relates that on one occasion, when the herds were preparing for -the descent from the upper alp of Bilters, he noticed a furious combat -between two cows, and on his inquiring the reason, the herdsmen told -him that one of the cows had borne the great bell during the ascent, -but that it had been transferred from her neck to that of a still finer -animal during their sojourn on the alp. The first cow, having heard -the tones of her old bell, had come from a great distance, and on her -arrival had immediately shown fight, in revenge for the loss of her -former privilege.</p> - -<p>After the leader of the troop follow those of next importance, and it -is said that every time the purchase of a new animal adds to the herd, -the last arrival engages each of the cows in turn in battle, and the -result of the fights determines her position amongst her companions. -The bells carried by the cows are sometimes so large as to measure a -foot in diameter, and cost in some instances as much as eighty or a -hundred francs.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> - -<p>The cows are accompanied to their summer quarters either by a girl, who -is known as a <i>Sennerin</i>, or by a cowherd, or <i>Senner</i>. It is often -imagined that these peasants enjoy a life of romantic idleness, lying -on the emerald-green turf, surrounded by snow-clad glittering peaks, -and making the cliffs re-echo to their jodels or the “Ranz des Vaches.”</p> - -<p>I may here add, that, according to Dr. Forbes, the name of the “Ranz -des Vaches” is derived from the “rang” or range in which the cows stand -to be milked, the “Ranz des Vaches” being usually sung by the peasants -on their departure for the alps. However, in a work by H. Szadrowsky -entitled “Music and the Musical Instruments of the Dwellers in the -Alps” (1868), the derivation of <i>Ranz</i> is said to be from <i>ranner</i>, -to shout (Swiss-Romansch), and the “Ranz des Vaches” from <i>Reihen</i> or -<i>Reigen</i>, a song. In truth, the existence of the peasants who inhabit -these alps is by no means a lazy one. Up before break of day—I have -often seen them astir by 3 <span class="smaller">A.M.</span>—they must let their cows -out of the shelter in which they have passed the night. If any of the -animals are ill, they must be attended to. Twice daily they must be -milked, and cheese-making is an important and arduous portion of the -day’s routine.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p> - -<p>In the Engadine, and, in general, all over the Grisons, the alp huts -are built of wood or solid stone, and are comfortable and commodious, -and good shelter is provided for the cattle. In many parts of Valais, -on the contrary, the rough stone huts of the cowherds, so low that -an upright position cannot, in some cases, be maintained, are but -miserable, hastily-built hovels, the walls consisting of stones piled -one on another, regardless of intervening gaps, and a roof of rocky -slabs covering the wretched structure. The cows are entirely unprovided -with shelter on many such alps, and often when passing through mountain -pastures at night, I have been startled by suddenly stumbling over a -warm mass slumbering in the long dewy grass.</p> - -<p>The highest pastures are usually to be found at about 7500 feet, but -at the Riffel above Zermatt, cows are to be seen grazing above 8000 -feet, and on the south slopes of the Italian side of the Alps they go -still higher. In several parts of Switzerland, the cows, in order to -gain their summer quarters, must cross the ice of the glaciers, and -at Montanvert, above Chamonix, they may be seen in June and October -traversing the Mer de Glace.</p> - -<p>Two distinct kinds of cattle are found in Switzerland. The one is to -be seen in the districts between<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> the Lake of Constance and the east -boundary of Valais, while the west is occupied by a different sort. The -former is easily distinguishable, being of a uniform brown, sometimes -dark in shade, sometimes light, while the other is white with black -or yellow patches, sometimes being entirely red or black, with only -a white mark on the forehead. The first of these two varieties, it -has been noticed, is heavier or lighter, according as it inhabits the -lowlands or the higher valleys.</p> - -<p>The heaviest and finest of these animals are to be found in the Canton -of Schweiz, and attain a weight of twenty to twenty-five quintaux. Of -the latter sort, the best specimens inhabit Bulle, Romont, and Eastern -Switzerland in general. These animals are the heaviest of all.</p> - -<p>For further information on “Alp Life,” I refer my readers to Tschudi’s -“Monde des Alpes.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VII.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>THE CHAMOIS.</i></span></h2> - -<p>Amongst the animals met with in the Alps, there is none so interesting -to the traveller as the chamois. The reason for this is not far to -seek, for the animal is sufficiently rare to excite both the curiosity -and the imagination, while its pursuit is known to be so difficult -and often dangerous, that it has frequently been described as -“mountaineering without a rope.” Thus a glamour of romance is thrown -over the whole subject.</p> - -<p>Chamois-shooting in Switzerland is only allowed during one month of -the year, September. It is seldom indulged in, in this country, by -foreigners, as there is a great deal of difficulty in obtaining a -license. Indeed, it can only be had after the stranger has taken out -a <i>Niederlassung</i> (which gives many of the rights of naturalisation -without loss of those of the free-born Briton), and this is both a -troublesome and a tedious process, besides entailing a residence of -some time in Switzerland.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p> - -<p>There are several other plans, however, by which the ardent sportsman -works his will. One of these is simply to go and shoot, and, -disregarding all monetary considerations, pay a heavy fine for each -chamois secured. At what period, however, the Swiss authorities would -pronounce the offender against their laws incorrigible, and introduce -him to the interior of one of their prisons, I do not know.</p> - -<p>A third course, and the one usually followed, is for the foreigner to -accompany a native who is armed with a license and a gun for his own -use. I will not affirm that in the excitement of the chase the latter -does not sometimes change hands.</p> - -<p>Hampered by a rifle, and minus the help of the trusty rope and ice-axe, -chamois-hunting calls for exceptional activity and endurance. Most -Englishmen who go in for the sport make their headquarters in the -Italian Alps, where the Government regulations are less stringent than -in this country.</p> - -<p>The Engadine contains large herds of chamois, and one can see thirty -or forty almost every day in summer feeding on the slopes of Piz -Tschierva, opposite the Roseg restaurant. This is no doubt because that -part of the Engadine has been strictly preserved for some years.</p> - -<p>For the benefit of such of my readers as have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> never seen a chamois, -I extract the following description of one from Mr. Baillie Grohman’s -brightly written little work, “Tyrol and the Tyrolese.”</p> - -<p>“Somewhat larger than a roedeer, a chamois weighs, when full grown, -from forty to seventy pounds. Its colour, in summer of a dusky -yellowish brown, changes in autumn to a much darker hue, while in -winter it is all but black. The hair on the forehead and that which -overhangs the hoofs, remains tawny brown throughout the year, while -the hair growing along the backbone is in winter dark brown and of -prodigious length; it furnishes the much-prized ‘Gamsbart,’ literally -‘beard of the chamois,’ with tufts of which the hunters love to adorn -their hats. The build of the animal exhibits in its construction a -wonderful blending of strength and agility. The power of its muscles -is rivalled by the extraordinary facility of balancing the body, of -instantly finding, as it were, the centre of gravity.”</p> - -<p>Most districts of the Alps have their famous chamois-hunters; but, -according to Tschudi, the most celebrated of all was Jean-Marie Colani -of Pontresina. It is said that he kept about 200 chamois, half-tamed, -on the hills near his home. Each year he shot sixty males or so, -calculating on about the same number of young ones being<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> born every -season. He would not tolerate any strangers in the district, and the -Tyrolese especially suffered much at his hands. It was popularly -related at Pontresina that he had a room in his châlet decorated with -foreign hunting implements, which he had taken from those whom he had -killed, the number of his victims being estimated at thirty. Of course -this was a gross exaggeration, and A. Cadonau, an old chamois-shooter -of Bergün, asserted that Colani only killed one Tyrolese hunter whom -he found on Swiss ground near Piz Ot; but he tells that one day he met -Colani unexpectedly, and the latter took deliberate aim at him, only -lowering his weapon when he recognised his friend.</p> - -<p>It is said that on one occasion Colani killed three chamois grouped -together with one shot, and many anecdotes are told of him, most of -which are by no means to his credit. From the time he was twenty years -of age till his death, Colani killed 2600 chamois. This figure has -never been reached by any one else. Colani’s death in 1837 was caused -by over-exertion, he having undertaken for a bet to mow a piece of -land in the same time that it would take a couple of the best Tyrolese -mowers to accomplish a like amount.</p> - -<p>The Grisons have had other famous chasseurs,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> amongst whom may be -mentioned J. Rüdi of Pontresina and Jacob Spinas of Tinzen. The latter -began to hunt at twelve years old, and, in a career of twenty-two -years, shot 600 chamois, besides securing every season forty to fifty -hares, about sixty marmots, some hundred or more partridges, a dozen -foxes or so, and in a single day catching trout to a weight of fifteen -to twenty pounds.</p> - -<p>The largest herd of chamois Spinas ever saw numbered from sixty-five -to sixty-eight head. Spinas contested that he was only surpassed as a -hunter by one other man in the canton, namely, B. Cathomen of Brigels.</p> - -<p>Other noted chamois-hunters, inhabiting Val Bregaglia and the -neighbouring valleys, are Giacomo Scarlazzi of Promontogno, who has -shot as many as five chamois in a day and seventeen in a week, and -Pietro Soldini of Stampa. The latter, up to 1887, had killed 1200 to -1300 chamois, of which he shot forty-nine in one autumn. J. Saratz of -Pontresina was also a famous chasseur, and the three brothers Sutter -of Bergün must not be forgotten. Amongst them they shot 1700 head, in -addition to which Mathew Sutter has killed a bear, a læmmergeier, and -often in a day eight to ten<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> ptarmigan. He has only seen three lynx, -but has never shot one.</p> - -<p>October 1852 was a fatal time for chamois-hunters, three of whom, -including the famous guide Hans Lauener, were killed during that month. -The saying that more chamois-hunters are killed while engaged in their -favourite sport than die a natural death has, unfortunately, a good -deal of truth in it. Sometimes the chasseur, overcome by fatigue, falls -asleep in some cold and exposed spot, never to wake again. Sometimes -he is mortally wounded by falling stones, or struck by lightning in -a thunderstorm. Often he is killed by avalanches, and if, when on -difficult ground far from home, he is overtaken by a thick fog, his -position becomes most perilous. He may wander for hours without nearing -the valley; he may slip down a precipice concealed by the mist; he may -give in to utter exhaustion. The diminution of the chamois within the -last fifteen or twenty years also makes his task much harder, and he -may spend days without being able to approach, or perhaps even without -seeing one.</p> - -<p>A pretty anecdote of a chamois is told by Dr. John Forbes in his work -“A Physician’s Holiday.” He says that in the year 1843 the proprietor -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> a large flock of goats on the Great Scheideck had rendered a -chamois so tame, by training it almost from its birth, as to get it to -mingle in the herd with its more civilised cousins, and to come and go -with them to and from the mountains with perfect docility and seeming -content. Like most of its companions, it was decorated with a bell -suspended round its neck. After following for three successive seasons -this domestic course, it all at once forgot the lessons it had learnt, -and lost its character as a member of civilised society for ever. One -fine day, when higher up the mountains than was customary for the -flock, it suddenly heard the bleat of its brethren on the cliffs above, -and pricking up its ears, off it started, and speedily vanished amid -the rocks, whence the magical sounds had come. Never from that hour -was the tame chamois seen on the slopes of the Scheideck, but its bell -was often heard by the hunters ringing among the wild solitudes of the -Wetterhorn.</p> - -<p>It is only when the chamois has lost, through disease, that amount of -intelligence with which it is gifted by nature that it will abandon -its mountain home and seek the haunts of man. Johann Scheuchzer of -Zurich tells us that in the year 1699, only four years before the -date of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> journey, a chamois suddenly descended into the valley of -Engelberg in Unterwalden, and not only mixed with the horses and cows, -but could not even be driven from them by stones. It was at length -shot, and on its body being examined after death by one of the fathers -of the neighbouring monastery, a sac containing watery serum and sandy -particles was found pressing on the brain. Some ten years ago a chamois -appeared in the streets of Bonneville (Haute-Savoie), and walked -calmly in at the open door of a restaurant, where it was captured. The -Chamonix hunters say that there is a certain herb which, on being eaten -by chamois, maddens them, and that they consequently wander down into -the valley.</p> - -<p>On September 1, 1887, a chamois was seen by an Englishman who was -driving on the high-road at Frauenkirch, near Davos-Platz. The coachman -also saw it, and the distance from the road to the right bank of -the Landwasser, where it was first perceived, was so short that an -excellent view of the animal was obtainable. It swam vigorously across -the river, and disappeared in the forest beyond. Perhaps as September -1st is the date on which chamois-hunting commences, it had been driven -down the valley by terror.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span></p> - -<p>Chamois take freely to the water, and several instances are on record -of their having been enabled by swimming to elude their pursuers.</p> - -<p>Many hunters look upon one particular animal in the district they -inhabit as a pet, and refrain from shooting it themselves, or allowing -it to be shot. These favoured beasts are sometimes so tame that they -linger round the alps where the chasseurs live, and allow them to -approach to within a distance of a few feet.</p> - -<p>In common with many other animals, chamois dearly love salt, and in -certain districts where the rocks are flavoured with a saline taste, -the animals come in flocks to lick them. The hunters sometimes put down -salt for the benefit of the chamois, refraining, however, from shooting -them when they come to eat it, as they might thus frighten them away -from that part of the country.</p> - -<p>There are several ways of hunting chamois. Sometimes they are driven, -either as in the great preserves of the Duke of Coburg near the -Achensee, that of the Archduke Victor near Kufstein, and others in -Tyrol and Germany (it is needless to add that there are no private -preserves in Switzerland), or in a more sportsmanlike manner, when -three or four hunters drive the chamois down from their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> pastures -at dawn, and, later on, remounting the slopes, drive them up again, -often imitating the barking of a dog, towards their retreat. Here -several chasseurs are lying hidden, and as soon as the animals arrive -within range, they shoot. It is, of course, often difficult to drive -the chamois in the right direction, but the knowledge of their haunts -displayed by the hunters is frequently most astonishing in its -exactitude.</p> - -<p>The most usual way of hunting chamois is to stalk them, and I think -there can be no question as to the infinite superiority of the sport -thus obtained. I would here add, in the words of a sportsman, that “the -wholesale slaughter of an animal that Nature herself has placed in the -most sublime recesses of her creation, and endowed with such noble -qualities and wonderful organisation, is a proceeding which a true -sportsman ought not to countenance.”</p> - -<p>It is supposed that there are as many as 2000 head of chamois in the -Grisons alone. The oldest chamois ever shot was believed to have -reached the age of forty years. It was killed in the Engadine in 1857, -but its age is probably much exaggerated. As for the heaviest chamois, -one weighing 125 Swiss pounds was shot on the Tschingel (Bernese<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> -Oberland). I can find no record of a chamois of greater weight than -this.</p> - -<p>It has been estimated, from measurements made on Monte Rose, that a -chamois can jump crevasses sixteen to eighteen Swiss feet in width, -while it can jump down twenty-four feet or so.</p> - -<p>Every year the number of chamois shot in the Grisons exceeds 500, and -in December a corresponding number of skins are offered for sale at St. -Andrew’s market at Chur.</p> - -<p>It has often been a matter for speculation as to whether the chamois -will ever become extinct in this country. I cannot think it likely -that it will. It is carefully preserved in the closed districts, and -as the wild valleys of the Alps are more and more opened up, poaching -will become more difficult and the animals consequently freer from -molestation. The more, too, that habitations increase in the higher -valleys, the wilder will the chamois probably become, and the more -difficult, therefore, to shoot; so that I do not think that we need -fear the dying out of the race.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VIII.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>ON GLACIERS.</i></span></h2> - -<p>The <i>Alpine Journal</i> for November 1868 concludes with these words, “If -anybody thinks that Alpine science has been already too thoroughly -drilled into the public mind, we would refer him to a recent ridiculous -letter which the editor of the <i>Times</i> did not think it beneath him to -publish, and in which the writer said that a ‘puff of smoke,’ as it -appeared on the mountain, ‘raised the cry that the Glacier des Pélérins -had burst, carrying with it part of the moraine which kept it within -bounds!’”</p> - -<p>If any one had told the climbing world in those days that in 1891 the -ordinary traveller would be nearly as ignorant of the behaviour of -glaciers as was the <i>Times</i> correspondent referred to above, I fancy -the prophet would have been received with derision. Such, however, I -know to be the case; and only last year, while walking up Piz Languard -with a party of friends, I was asked if the medial<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> moraine of the -Morteratsch glacier was a carriage road or only a bridle-path! This -is my excuse for entering at some length into a subject which has -been already written about in so able a manner and in much detail by -Professors Tyndall, Forbes, Heim, Forel, and others.</p> - -<p>Now, let me tell you something about those great icy masses which, -under the name of glaciers, thrust their cold forms far below the -region of perpetual snow, and in some cases, as, for instance, that of -the Glacier des Bossons at Chamonix, even push down their frozen waves -amongst the meadows and forests in the very trough of the valley.</p> - -<p>I am constantly asked by those who are only acquainted with the lower -end of the glaciers how it is that they are continually and rapidly -melting at their lower extremity, and yet their general features -are but slightly altered from year to year. The obvious answer is, -that they are constantly replenished from above, and that glacier -ice has formerly been snow, which, for a considerable period, has -been subjected to enormous pressure. The common illustration of a -snow-ball, squeezed in the hand till it becomes hard and icy, explains -this transition of snow to ice in a manner easily understood by all, -and if we remember that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> warm hand, in addition to the pressure, -also tends to produce the above result, we have a parallel to the -heat of the sun acting on the cold, dry snow of the upper regions. -Now, every one knows that when it rains in the valleys it snows on -the mountains, and that even during the heat of summer it very seldom -rains above a height of 11,000 to 12,000 feet. In consequence of this, -the accumulation of snow on the higher peaks is very great, and the -pressure which is exerted by its weight is enormous.</p> - -<p>As a natural result, a portion of the ice-caps or snow-beds gravitates -downwards, and where the upper snows are of great extent and the -shape of the channel suitable, a large glacier is found, as is the -case near Pontresina, where the huge Morteratsch glacier pursues its -lengthy course, fed by the snows of the Bernina and Bellavista. The -first to speak clearly and positively on the since well-proven theory -that a glacier moves like a river was Monseigneur Rendu, a native of -Savoy. “Between the Mer de Glace and a river there is a resemblance so -complete, that it is impossible to find in the latter a circumstance -which does not exist in the former,” he writes, and Professor Tyndall -sets forth in an admirable manner the reason why a glacier moves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> more -quickly in the centre than at the sides. I cannot do better than quote -his own words.</p> - -<p>“A cork, when cast upon a stream near its centre, will move more -quickly than when thrown near the side, for the progress of the stream -is retarded by its banks. As you and your guide stood together on the -solid waves of that Amazon of ice, you were borne resistlessly along. -You saw the boulders perched upon their frozen pedestals; these were -the spoils of distant hills, quarried from summits far away, and -floated to lower levels like timber blocks upon the Rhone. As you -advanced towards the centre you were carried down the valley with an -ever-augmenting velocity. You felt it not—he felt it not—still you -were borne down with a velocity which, if continued, would amount to -1000 feet a year.”</p> - -<p>Many glaciers descend in curves, pursuing a sinuous course towards the -valley, and the convex side of the curve must, of course, hurry up very -considerably in order to keep pace with the rest. Now, as the ice thus -moves faster on the one side than on the other, the result is that the -convex side is rent and torn asunder, and splits up into those cracks -and chasms known as crevasses. Consequently, a glacier which flows -downwards in a straight direc<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>tion and at a gentle incline presents a -comparatively unbroken surface, while a glacier which descends in leaps -and bounds over a steep bed and dashes round sharp corners will exhibit -all the features of an impassable ice-fall.</p> - -<p>Striking examples of the former class of glaciers are the Aletsch -glacier, the upper portion of the Gorner glacier, the Miage glacier, -the Roseg glacier, the Pasterzen glacier, &c., and of the latter the -Bies glacier, the Brenva glacier, the Géant glacier, the Pers glacier, -and many others. The exact point at which the snow of the heights -passes into glacier ice has never been definitely determined, but each -winter’s snowfall is distinctly traceable by a band of differently-hued -snow wherever above the snow-line a glacier is much split up.</p> - -<p>High glacier-clad mountains are covered with what is known as -<i>névé</i>—<i>névé</i> being the finely crystallised snow of the upper regions, -which remains unmelted all the summer. The glacier ice which is formed -by pressure of this <i>névé</i> is quite different to the ice which results -from freezing water, and is found to consist of round crystals, varying -in size from that of a hen’s egg to that of the head of a pin. Any -observant person will have noticed the ice usually supplied at Swiss -<i>tables-d’hôtes</i>, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> curious way in which it behaves as compared -with ordinary ice; for while the latter melts uniformly from the -outside, the former is honeycombed with air and water, and after a time -its peculiar structure, composed of numerous particles, is noticeable. -These crystals or particles are known as <i>glacier granules</i> or <i>glacier -corn</i>.</p> - -<p>The whiteness of a glacier, as compared with the blackness of a frozen -lake, is a feature which I have known to puzzle many. It is simply -owing to the presence of this glacier corn, which allows a great -quantity of air to permeate the whole mass of the ice. The beautiful -blue veined or ribboned structure, first observed by Forbes on the -Unter-Aar glacier, is due to the absence of air-bubbles, and represents -bruises in the ice where, by melting, strain, and pressure, certain -parts have had the air driven out.</p> - -<p>We will now notice several of the peculiarities which are conspicuous -on the surface of one of these great rivers of ice. As we walk up from, -say, the Morteratsch restaurant towards the glacier of that name, we -must cross part of the stony and earthy mass known as the terminal -moraine. Now the subject of moraines is a very large one, so much so, -that we shall probably devote nearly the whole of a future chapter -to it. For the present, we will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> merely walk over it, and get on to -the very dirty ice of which the snout or lower end of the Morteratsch -glacier is composed. As one of the party hews out the steps by which -you mount, you have time to observe the ice crystals or glacier corn -which we have already spoken of.</p> - -<p>Before you have gone far on the level surface of the glacier, you will -see several boulders which are resting on ice pedestals supported at -some height. These are called <i>glacier tables</i>, and result from the -presence of a block of stone which protects the ice beneath it from -the heat of the sun, thus preventing it from melting. In consequence, -while the glacier all round has been dissolving and sinking, the ice -under these boulders has but slightly melted, and gradually a pillar -of sometimes as much as four feet or more in height is formed under -each erratic block. The sun is, of course, able to reach these ice -pedestals more freely on the south than on the north side, and thus we -observe that the boulder is not balanced evenly on the top, but always -inclines downwards towards the south side; it thus has been known to -render valuable aid to the mountaineer who has lost his way in a fog or -in the dark without a compass on a glacier, as he can, by observing the -position of a glacier table, easily inform himself of the direc<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>tion -in which he is walking. Small stones have a different effect, as -they sink into the ice, leaving little holes. You will also probably -notice a line of sand-covered mounds, about four or five feet high, -and culminating in a sharp point or ridge. Scrape off a little of the -sand and earth, and you will find that the mound is composed of ice, -which looks quite black where you have uncovered it. The reason for -the existence of these dirt cones is obvious; the sand has protected -the ice, which has thus remained unmelted, and being heaped up thickly -in the centre and thinning off towards the sides, has thus taken its -sharply-pointed shape.</p> - -<p>Continuing our walk up the glacier, we hear, gradually becoming louder -and louder as we approach, the roar of falling water, and soon we reach -a point where a bright, dancing stream leaps down a shaft in the ice -and is lost to sight. Be careful how you approach this deep hole (or, -as it is called, <i>moulin</i>), for one false step on your part would take -you down far beyond all human aid. Various persons have endeavoured to -gauge the thickness of a glacier at a given point by taking soundings -down a moulin, and Agassiz found no bottom at 260 metres in one on the -Unteraar glacier; he estimated the thickness of the ice to be 1509 feet -near the Abschwung.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> On Piz Roseg, where the hanging glaciers end in -abrupt ice-cliffs, a thickness of 250 feet has been observed. You are -now at the foot of the lower ice-fall of the Morteratsch glacier. We -will not go farther to-day, and we have already learnt how it is that -the tottering ice masses and grim crevasses are formed. We know that -the glacier on which we are standing is slowly moving downwards (by -its weight, and by sliding in its bed, especially facilitated by its -granular structure) at, roughly, the same rate as the <i>hour</i>-hand of an -ordinary watch. It has been estimated—I believe by Mr. Tuckett—that -a grain of snow would take 450 years to travel from the summit of the -Jungfrau to the termination of the Aletsch glacier. A most painful -illustration of the rate of motion of glaciers was furnished by the -descent in the ice of the Glacier des Bossons of the bodies of Dr. -Hamel’s three guides, who lost their lives on Mont Blanc in 1820, being -carried down the <i>Ancien Passage</i> in an avalanche, and swept into -the <i>bergschrund</i> at its base. On August 15, 1861, Ambrose Simond, a -Chamonix guide, who was accompanying a party of tourists to the lower -extremity of the Bossons glacier, noticed in one of the crevasses torn -pieces of clothes and some human bones. He brushed off the sand with -which they were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> covered, and brought them to Chamonix. Five men at -once started on hearing what he had found, and they discovered other -remains at a distance of some twelve or fifteen metres lower down. From -that day, the glacier continued to give back the remains of what it -had swallowed up forty-one years before, and what was found was beyond -doubt the bodies and belongings of Dr. Hamel’s guides. All that they -had carried with them, the scientific instruments, knapsacks, gloves, -&c., were gradually set free from their icy fetters. A gauze veil came -out untorn and not much faded; and the knapsack of Pierre Carrier -contained a leg of mutton perfectly recognisable. More remarkable than -anything else was the condition of a cork, which was not only still -stained by the wine, but also possessed a perceptible odour of the -contents of the bottle in which it had been fixed. (“Le Mont Blanc,” by -Charles Durier.)</p> - -<p>But it is time to descend, and in the next chapter I will make a few -observations on <i>moraines</i> and the power of a glacier in planing down -or removing whatever object it meets with; this power, as a matter of -fact, being very much more limited than is popularly supposed.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IX.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>ON MORAINES.</i></span></h2> - -<p>Now, in order clearly to understand the formation of moraines, I must -first say a little more about the movement of glaciers and the <i>débris</i> -which they bring down.</p> - -<p>I have sometimes heard unthinking persons remark that the snowfall -of each winter must tend to increase the height of snow-peaks. This -observation shows that such people entirely overlook the four great -factors in the maintenance of a uniform height on mountain summits, -namely, melting, evaporation (which, in the dry air of the heights, is -a very powerful factor in causing the disappearance of snow), glaciers, -and avalanches. It is to the two latter of these that we must look for -the construction of moraines, in which work they are very largely aided -by two other factors, frost and rain. The glacier, starting in its -infant purity from some white, unsullied peak, loses, before many years -have past, its spotless character. The wintry frosts, gathering<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> into -iron bonds the streams which trickle down the mountain-sides, expand -the water in freezing, and shatter the rocks with a force that the most -solid cliffs cannot resist. Broken and weathered fragments are washed -down from the slopes on every fall of rain, and dropping on to the once -unspotted bosom of the glacier, swell the burden which is gradually -laid upon it with advancing years. Spring after spring, furious -avalanches rush down, laden with earth and stones, which they fling -recklessly upon the now begrimed edges of the icy stream. The winds -and storms, too, contribute their share of dust and sand, and as the -glacier still flows on, shrunken in size and laden with heaps of earth -and rocks, at length it lays itself to rest, a mass of dirty ice and -stones, in the valley towards which it has been ceaselessly progressing.</p> - -<p>The glacier of the Alps which comes farthest down into the lower -regions is the Grindelwald glacier, which descended to 1080 metres -above sea-level in 1870, while that which presents the largest surface -is the Aar glacier, and the longest is the Aletsch. Heim gives an -estimate, in his valuable work on glaciers, of the number of glaciers -existing in Europe, dividing them into those of the first and second -order.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p> - -<p>The list is as follows:—</p> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="center">1st Order. </td> - <td class="center">2nd Order.</td> - <td class="center">Total.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">Switzerland </td> - <td class="center">138</td> - <td class="center">333</td> - <td class="center">471</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">Austria</td> - <td class="center"> 71</td> - <td class="center">391</td> - <td class="center">462</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">France</td> - <td class="center"> 25</td> - <td class="center">119</td> - <td class="center">144</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">Italy</td> - <td class="center"> 15</td> - <td class="center"> 63</td> - <td class="center"> 78</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="center">——</td> - <td class="center">——</td> - <td class="center">———</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="center">249</td> - <td class="center">906</td> - <td class="center">1,155</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>Glaciers have regular periods during which they advance or retreat. -Many persons who visited the Mer de Glace some twenty or more years -ago remember that it then came down nearly to the level of the valley -of Chamonix, while the Rhone glacier reached almost to where the lower -hotel now stands. In old days, too, the two arms of the Fee glacier -united below the Gletscher alp, so that the cows had to pass across the -ice in order to reach their summer pastures. A period of advance is -always preceded for some years by a noticeable swelling of the upper -portions of glaciers; this, of course, is quite what one would expect. -A succession of cold, rainy summers and exceptionally snowy winters -eventually causes an increase in the glaciers, and the reverse has -naturally the contrary effect.</p> - -<p>You have learnt that a moraine is a mixture of earth and stones which -is borne down by a glacier,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> and you know how all this <i>débris</i> has -accumulated on the ice, chiefly by means of the shattering power of -frost on the rocks. Now let us notice the position which moraines -assume on a glacier like, say, the Morteratsch. As I have said, persons -unaccustomed to the mountain world, and thus unable to estimate the -relative sizes of objects seen at a distance, have been known to -inquire, when ascending Piz Languard, if the dark streak down the -centre of the Morteratsch glacier is a path. They are astonished to -learn that it is about fifty feet or more broad, and perhaps twenty -feet high in the centre. It is, in fact, neither more nor less than -a moraine, and belongs to that class known as medial moraines. Each -glacier has a moraine on either side of it, and when two glaciers -unite, their lateral moraines join and form a medial moraine. The -moraine at the end of a glacier (terminal moraine) is almost entirely -formed of the earth and stones which fall off the end of a glacier, and -not, as used to be supposed, by any pushing or scooping of the base of -the glacier.</p> - -<p>In fact, the erosive power of a glacier is infinitesimal as compared -with that of water. Dr. Heim cites various examples to show that a -glacier leaves undisturbed much of what it finds in its way, and he -says that the Forno glacier, which some years ago<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> greatly retreated -and left blocks of itself covered with <i>débris</i> behind, rapidly -advanced once more in 1884 over the old accumulations at its base, but -did not disturb them in any way. Many of our readers will have noticed -the many glacier-worn rocks in the Engadine valley; they are especially -abundant near Maloja.</p> - -<p>Now it will be seen, on near examination, that these rocks have been -gently polished by the ice constantly slipping over them, and that they -have not those deep smooth hollows which are formed by rushing, eddying -water.</p> - -<p>The great glaciers which, in the glacier period, flowed down from -Mont Blanc to the Jura have left ample proof of their origin in the -huge blocks of granite which were transported by the ice, and now lie -stranded on the hill-sides at a distance of sixty miles and more from -the rocks out of which they were quarried. The size of some of these -erratic blocks is very remarkable. The biggest boulder in the Alps is -in Val Masino (one of the Italian valleys near the Bernina district). -Its dimensions, according to the late Mr. Ball, are—length, 250 feet; -breadth, 120 feet; height, 140 feet; in fact, as Mr. Douglas Freshfield -remarks, “as tall as an average church tower, and large enough to fill -up many a London<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> square.” Many of my readers will remember the great -serpentine boulder in front of the little inn at Maltmark, which was no -doubt brought down by the glacier which must have originally filled the -basin of the lake. The ancient moraines near Aosta are also remarkable -evidences of the glacial epoch.</p> - -<p>One word here as to the shape of a moraine. It rises, as you know, to -a ridge in the centre, and slopes down like the roof of a house at the -sides. This is because the heaping together of the earth and stones -in the middle has protected the ice from melting as rapidly there as -towards the sides; in fact, the same cause brings about the shape of -moraines as applies in that of sand cones.</p> - -<p>I will close this chapter by a brief explanation of an appearance -which many of my readers who have visited Montanvert may have noticed, -especially on cloudy, dull days and after sunset. I refer to <i>dirt -bands</i>, which are especially noticeable on the Mer de Glace. I observed -them under peculiarly favourable circumstances from the summit of the -Grandes Jorasses, when a cloudy sky showed them up most distinctly. -They are often seen from the Montanvert hotel, however, and take the -form of dark bands across the glacier, the convex side of the curve -of each being in the direction of the motion of the ice.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> These dirt -bands are very simple in their origin, which is as follows:—At the -foot of an ice-fall the tottering blocks reunite and freeze together, -presenting a tolerably smooth surface with gentle undulations. The -glacier streams sweep dust and small <i>débris</i> into the depressions, -which gradually form themselves across the glacier. This dust finally -freezes into the ice, and lower down presents the appearance of the -famed dirt bands.</p> - -<p>Sometimes a photograph will give dirt bands with great distinctness; -they are very clearly seen in a view of the Mer de Glace from the -Aiguilles Rouge, taken by the late Mr. W. F. Donkin.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER X.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>ON AVALANCHES.</i></span></h2> - -<p>Those who during the summer of 1888 visited Switzerland had very -unusual opportunities for studying both the appearance and the effect -of avalanches. It is, indeed, rare to see a huge mass of winter snow -lying in the Rosegthal in mid-summer, and the remains of numerous other -avalanches were that year still unmelted in many high-lying Alpine -valleys. I wonder if the crowds who, out of curiosity, visited the -snowy <i>débris</i>, knew anything of the various causes which formed the -avalanche and launched it down the hill-side, or if they could tell to -what class of avalanche it belonged, and at what time of year it is -likely to have fallen.</p> - -<p>Avalanches vary immensely in their characteristics, and can be -classed under three headings according to their peculiarities. The -different kinds of avalanches are as follows:—<i>Staublawinen</i>, or dust -avalanches; <i>Grundlawinen</i>, or compact avalanches; <i>Eislawinen</i>, or -ice avalanches. Dust avalanches are the most to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> be feared of any, -for while the others fall according to certain well-known rules and -at particular times of the year, the dust avalanches are erratic in -their movements, uncertain in the periods at which they come down, and -most terrible in their results. Dust avalanches consist of cold, dry, -powdery snow, which falling on a slope of ice or hard snow, or even on -a steep slope of grass, slides off on the slightest provocation.</p> - -<p>Often, if a bit of overhanging snow falls on the upper part of the -hill-side, or if an animal disturbs the newly fallen mass, or perhaps -if a gust of wind suddenly detaches it from the surface on which it -rests, the whole accumulation begins to move down, gently and quietly -at first, and then with ever-increasing power and a deafening roar, -uprooting trees, carrying away châlets and whatever happens to be in -its course, and leaping like a huge stream of spray-covered water -from precipice to precipice, till it makes one final bound across the -valley, the impetus of its course frequently carrying it up for some -distance on the opposite slope. The wind which accompanies such an -avalanche is far more powerful than a raging hurricane, and it often -levels trees and buildings, forces in windows and doors, and carries -heavy objects to an incredible distance.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> One of the most remarkable -performances I know of in connection with dust avalanches took place in -the Engadine, when the wind preceding a huge mass of snow, rushing down -the hill-side, blew five telegraph posts flat down, although the snow -itself did not come within 500 feet of them.</p> - -<p>“Constant readers” of the <i>St. Moritz Post</i> will remember that in an -account of the avalanches of the winter of 1887-88 which appeared -in the first number of the summer issue, it was stated that, on the -occasion of the fall of two great avalanches into Saas-Grund, most of -the windows and doors in the village were forced in from the pressure -of air. While dealing with the subject of dust avalanches and the -effects of the powerful wind which accompanies them, I may mention that -Tschudi relates in his “Monde des Alpes” that such avalanches will -sweep châlets and trees from the ground, and carry them, whirling like -straws in a storm, through the air, dropping them at a distance of 400 -feet. Châlets, filled with hay, and quite uninjured, have been found, -it is said, some two hundred yards and more from the termination of the -<i>débris</i> of an avalanche, the wind preceding which had blown them right -across the valley.</p> - -<p>In the year 1689 an enormous avalanche, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> in the annals of the -Grisons is spoken of as the most fearful one on record in the canton, -came down from the heights above the village of Saas, in the Prättigau, -and demolished 150 houses. Amongst the <i>débris</i>, which had been swept -by the avalanche to a considerable distance, a rescue party discovered -a baby lying safe and sound in his cradle, while six eggs were found -uninjured in a basket close at hand.</p> - -<p>Another sort of avalanche which can be roughly classed under the -above heading is formed by the sudden descent of an overhanging mass -of snow. The slightest movement in the air will often suffice to -break the cornice, and it straightway comes rolling down the slope. -Such avalanches are not usually much to be feared, though a notable -exception to this fact was furnished on the Bernhardino Pass, when -the mass of falling snow, overtaking the post in its passage, carried -thirteen persons and a number of sledges over the precipice into the -gorge beneath.</p> - -<p>Dust avalanches are very frequently met with in summer after fresh snow -by climbers amongst the higher peaks of the Alps-. It was an avalanche -of this kind which caused the Matterhorn accident of 1887, and the -account which Herr A. Lorria has given of the event is so realistic, -and conveys so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> exactly to the mind what the nature of such an -avalanche is, that I extract the following from the <i>St. Moritz Post</i> -of January 28, 1888, for the benefit of my readers:—</p> - -<p>“Gently from above an avalanche of snow came sliding down upon us; -it carried Lammer away in spite of his efforts, and it projected me -with my head against a rock. Lammer was blinded by the powdery snow, -and thought that his last hour was come. The thunder of the roaring -avalanche was fearful; we were dashed over rocks laid bare in the -avalanche track, and leaped over two immense <i>bergschrunds</i>. At every -change in the slope we flew into the air, and then were plunged again -into the snow, and often dashed against one another. For a long time it -seemed to Lammer as if all were over, countless thoughts were thronging -through his brain, until at last the avalanche had expended its force, -and we were left lying on the Tiefenmatten glacier. The height of our -fall was estimated by the engineer Imfeldt at from 550 to 800 feet.”</p> - -<p>In winter, when a fall of snow takes place on steep mountain-sides, -scores of such avalanches may be seen dropping like shining threads -down the cliffs. The face of the Eiger seen from Grindelwald in early -spring is often fringed with tiny cascades of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> snow, while the rocks of -the Wetterhorn<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4">[4]</a> send down avalanches almost incessantly on the first -sunny March morning after a snowfall.</p> - -<p>The huge avalanches which, after a severe winter, summer visitors to -Switzerland see lying in high Alpine valleys, covered with dust and -stones, and with great trunks and branches of trees frozen into them, -belong to the class of avalanches known as <i>Grundlawinen</i>, or compact -avalanches. They usually fall from year to year in the same track, and -come down, according to the warmth or severity of the season, during -February and March. One year I saw a very large one fall in the Züge, -near Davos-Platz, as late as the 3rd May.</p> - -<p>In order for a really large compact avalanche to form, something more -than the steep slope which is the birthplace of dust avalanches is -necessary. The most dangerous formation of a hill-side, as regards -compact avalanches, is the following. First, there must be, high up on -the mountain, a collecting basin or valley, sloping somewhat downwards, -in which a large amount of snow can accumulate. Secondly, leading from -this basin must be a treeless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> slope, not too steep, on which snow will -lie unless urged down by a considerable disturbance from above. In -some seasons, when but little snow falls, no avalanche will take place -under the conditions described. In others, when storm after storm has -piled tons of snow in the upland valley, the warm, dry <i>föhn</i> wind will -cause the mass to become detached from the earth on which it rests, and -suddenly the entire winter’s store will come dashing down towards the -valley, forming an avalanche such as visitors to the Engadine in the -summer of 1888 saw in the Rosegthal and Beversthal.</p> - -<p>These compact avalanches are composed, by the time they reach the end -of their course, of stones, earth, roots and branches of trees, all -frozen together by the heavy, wet snow in which they are encased. A -story is told of a man who was overtaken on the Splügen by such an -avalanche, and though he escaped from death, part of his coat was so -firmly frozen into the icy mass, that he could not get it away. It is -very remarkable that a person buried at a great depth in an avalanche -of this kind can distinctly hear every word that those who are trying -to find him may utter, though it is impossible for them to hear his -cries.</p> - -<p>The snow of an avalanche has the same power as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> the ice of a glacier -in the preservation of whatever animal matter may be embedded in it. -On one occasion the bodies of a chamois and her young one were found -in an avalanche in Tyrol in a fit condition for food, on its melting -two years after it came down, its huge size having prevented its -disappearance the first summer.</p> - -<p>These huge <i>Grundlawinen</i> come down, as I have already said, in -the same track season after season; it is therefore reasonable to -suppose that the inhabitants of districts peculiarly exposed to such -avalanches would try and control their snowy invaders by every means -in their power; and, in truth, this is just what is done to a certain -extent, though a neglect of the most obvious precautions prevailed -in the country till quite within recent years. Even now one is often -astonished at the amount of unnecessary damage which the Swiss will -calmly allow an avalanche year after year to do, till they suddenly -awake to the fact that a wall or two across the <i>couloir</i> (or avalanche -track) may make the whole difference between their being able or not -to cultivate a certain sunny meadow in the valley, which has hitherto -been plentifully strewn with stones and other <i>débris</i> regularly every -spring.</p> - -<p>It is a well-known fact that by far the best pre<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>servative against -avalanches is a thickly wooded slope, and the Swiss authorities, fully -recognising this, have of late years caused a very large amount of -replanting to be carried out, and are most stringent in their rules -regulating the cutting of trees. By great trouble and care being taken -concerning the forests, Switzerland could be freed to a large extent -from the destruction wrought by avalanches.</p> - -<p>In many places travellers will notice avalanche-breakers, in the -form of triangular stone walls, which have been erected to protect -whole villages, or individual houses or churches. There is an -avalanche-breaker of this sort at Frauenkirch, near Davos-Platz, -where the north wall of the church is constructed so that, should -an avalanche sweep down upon it, the surface exposed to its full -fury being pointed in shape, tends to divide and turn aside the snow -directly the point comes in contact with the avalanche. Similar -breakers may be seen attached to several houses in the same and -other neighbourhoods. Fences or stone walls across steep slopes, or -stakes driven into the ground at intervals, are also a very efficient -hindrance to the descent of avalanches. Visitors at St. Moritz have -doubtless noticed the contrivances of this sort on the slope descending -from the Alp Laret to the Cresta Fuss<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>weg; they are well seen by -any one standing on the high-road near the Bär Inn (famed for the -quaint caricature fresco portraits on its exterior of the late Lord -Beaconsfield and Mr. Gladstone).</p> - -<p>It is marvellous to notice how weak an obstacle will hold back the -largest avalanche before the snow is set in motion, and yet once the -great mass is launched down on its destructive career, it sweeps all -before it.</p> - -<p>The balled structure of a compact avalanche, which those who visit -it within a few weeks of its fall will have remarked, is caused by -the damp snow having rolled over and over till the circular form of -its particles resulted. I remember an enormous avalanche of this kind -which fell near Bouveret (Vaud) at the end of March 1886. It came from -the Gramont, and rushing some 4000 feet down the mountain, dashed -across the railway and the road, and ended its course in the lake. It -fortunately came down at night—which seems odd, till one remembers -that the slope from which it descended faced north—so no accident -resulted, and the following afternoon all Montreux flocked across the -lake, to wonder at the high walls of the cutting which had been made to -allow the trains to pass, and to pelt each other with the snowy balls -which had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> rolled hither and thither amongst the violets and primroses -of spring.</p> - -<p><i>Grundlawinen</i> often attain a mass of 100,000 cubic metres (Heim, -“<i>Gletscherkunde</i>”). The great “<i>Raschitsch</i>” avalanche near Zernez -(Lower Engadine), which fell on April 23, 1876, across the high-road -into the river, was 168 metres wide, 12 metres thick, and 300 metres -long, 600,000 cubic metres in bulk, and the tunnel cut through to allow -the traffic to be carried on was 75 metres long. This avalanche was -much exceeded in dimensions by the one which fell in February 1888 near -Glarus-Davos, of which the snow-tunnel was upwards of three hundred -feet in length, and over twelve feet high. This avalanche is noted -throughout Switzerland, and is known as the “<i>Schwabentobellawine</i>.” It -only falls in very snowy seasons, but when it does come down, it is of -enormous size.</p> - -<p>In the year 1888 it carried away a road-mender, whose body was only -discovered some three months later; it was found on the right bank of -the Landwasser, having evidently been blown across the river by the -wind preceding the avalanche.</p> - -<p>Avalanches have sometimes caused disastrous floods by falling into the -beds of rivers and damming up the water. On January 29, 1827, Süs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> -suffered from a similar occurrence, the Inn being completely blocked -up for several hours during the night, and the water flooding the -village in consequence. It would be wearying to give more than these -few examples of the effects of <i>Grundlawinen</i>, we will therefore pass -on to the subject of ice-avalanches. These must be a tolerably familiar -sight to most persons who have travelled in Switzerland, judging by -the crowds who, day after day throughout the summer, sit outside the -little inns of the Wengern Alp or Kleine Scheideck, dividing their -attention between their luncheons and the thundering falls of ice from -the glaciers of the Jungfrau.</p> - -<p>Ice-avalanches are quite different to both the other kinds, inasmuch as -they always fall from glaciers.</p> - -<p>As my readers doubtless know, a glacier moves downwards day by day, -sometimes an inch or two, sometimes as much as two feet. Well, -many glaciers, after quitting the snow-beds by which they are fed, -suddenly find themselves at the top of a precipice. Under these -circumstances, as they are unable to stand still, there is but one -thing for them to do, viz., go over; and as ice, though plastic, is -by no means so to the extent that treacle—to which glacier ice has -so often been likened—is, it is obvious that a slice will break -off the advancing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> tongue of the glacier, and come thundering down -the rocks, to form material for another glacier below, or, if the -quantity is insufficient, to melt gradually away. Now, this form of an -ice-avalanche is known in endless varieties to the mountain-climber, -but perhaps the most frequent thing of the kind which he meets with is -the fall of <i>séracs</i> (or icy pinnacles) during his passage through an -ice-fall.</p> - -<p>Those who have visited the upper part of the Morteratsch glacier will -recollect ice-falls such as I have referred to; the one, that of the -Pers glacier, the other, the so-called Labyrinth, coming down from -Piz Bernina; and fine ice-avalanches are often seen falling from the -ice-cap of Piz Morteratsch. The <i>séracs</i> passed through in making the -passage of the Col du Géant from Chamonix or Courmayeur are also apt -to tumble about at inconvenient times, and many other glaciers are -conspicuous for these particular features.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the best position in Switzerland from which to view -ice-avalanches is the Wengern Alp, from whence the glaciers which cling -to the Jungfrau can daily be seen dropping tons of ice down the scarred -slopes, a white cloud hanging for several minutes over the spot where a -great piece of ice has been ground to powder by its fall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></p> - -<p>Even the proverbially safe Mont Blanc contrives occasionally to -allow one or two of the ice-pillars which fringe the Dôme du Gôuter -to overbalance and dash right across the Petit Plateau below, over -the very track by which parties make the ascent. It is odd that this -bombardment has never hitherto caused an accident on Mont Blanc, though -when one bears in mind the hundreds of stones which are annually kicked -down the Matterhorn regardless of the number of people on whose heads -they may descend, and that there, too, no fatal accident has resulted -from that cause, one feels sure that a special providence watches over -the inexperienced class of <i>intrépides</i> who throng Mont Blanc and rush -in scores up the Cervin.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5">[5]</a></p> - -<p>Ice-avalanches have occasionally done immense damage when large falls -have taken place into inhabited valleys, as, for instance, when part of -the Bies glacier came down, and the wind preceding it overthrew Randa. -This circumstance is so well known, being so often referred to in -guide-books, that I will not enter into details here. Full particulars -can be found in Dr. Forbes’s work, “A Physician’s Holiday.” </p> - -<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4">[4]</a> In October 1891, I was fortunate enough to secure a -photograph of an avalanche in the act of falling from the Wetterhorn. -This may now be seen at Messrs. Spooner’s, 379 Strand.</p> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5">[5]</a> Since writing the above, an accident resulting in the -death of a traveller and a guide took place on the Petit Plateau.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XI.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>THE BERNINA-SCHARTE.</i></span></h2> - -<p>The general reader may perhaps find the following description somewhat -dry; the climber may share his opinion. Having fairly warned both, and -promising to make my account as short as possible, I will now embark -upon it.</p> - -<p>Piz Bernina is the highest mountain in the Grisons, a canton in which -climbing is rather neglected. It is a pity that more members of the -A.C. do not go there, especially now that several good guides are -available; but I am digressing already, so <i>revenons au Piz Bernina</i>. -This peak is frequently ascended by the ordinary route, but until last -summer seldom by any of the other lines of attack. The time has now -come, however, when the route by the “Scharte” is the most popular.</p> - -<p>The first ascent of Piz Bernina by the “Scharte” was made in 1879 by -Dr. Güssfeldt, who considered it so difficult that he left a bottle -in the gap, with a notice inside it to the effect that he defied -any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> one to bring it down. But on August 6, 1883, Dr. Schultz, with -Alexander Burgener and C. Perren, repeated the expedition, and brought -Dr. Güssfeldt’s bottle back with them. Commenting on this, the <i>Alpine -Journal</i> says: “We regret to say that this most dangerous expedition -was effected a fourth time in August 1884 (by Herren Zsigmondy and -Purtscheller without guides, who slept two nights on the way), and that -there is some talk of building a hut to facilitate the climb, though -we trust the scheme will never be carried out.” From this reputation -the route by the “Scharte” has gradually fallen—or risen, as I prefer -to call it—to what it is at present. In 1889 Mr. W. E. Davidson -wrote, “The Scharte is easy, the <i>arête</i> a fine climb;” and now we -find that the excursion has been undertaken twelve times alone under -Martin Schocher’s guidance. The route having now lost its terrors, an -account of an ascent may interest that section of our country-folk who -propose following in our footsteps. I had often thought of making the -expedition, but had taken no definite steps towards accomplishing it, -till one day I heard that a party had just returned from descending -Piz Bernina by this route. “Now,” thought I, “here is my opportunity. -The steps are made, the mountain is known<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> to be in good order, why -not start at once?” But the elements were against me. No sooner did we -reach the Misaun Alp than a terrific thunderstorm burst upon us, and -farther advance was impossible. Nor could we renew our attempt, for -heavy snow fell, and climbing was at an end for that season. But the -following year I returned to the attack, and though the weather nearly -checkmated me again, we contrived to carry our plans through with -success.</p> - -<p>On this occasion we took up our quarters for the night under a boulder -about an hour and a half farther than the Roseg restaurant. We set out -in perfect weather, but towards evening clouds drifted up, and as the -sky gradually became more and more obscured, our spirits sank lower and -lower, till at midnight, when the guides relit the fire, an ominous -drip-drip-drip on the boards which we had propped up against the -boulder as a shelter from the wind, caused a feeling akin to despair to -steal over us. Weibel indulged in a few forcible expressions towards -the elements, while Schocher and I made tea and gloomily discussed the -situation. Of course, the Bernina by the Scharte in bad weather was out -of the question for prudent people like ourselves; still we did not -wish to return whence we came. We had almost resolved, “if the worst -came to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> worst,” to stretch our limbs by crossing Piz Morteratsch -to the Boval hut, when a brilliant idea came to me. “Schocher,” I said, -“let us go up Piz Prievlusa!” Now, I must here state that the route for -this peak (which up to now has been but once ascended) is the same for -a considerable distance as that for the Prievlusa Saddle, and to the -Prievlusa Saddle we had to go for the Bernina-Scharte. Schocher jumped -at my suggestion, and no sooner was our plan decided on than the rain -saw fit to stop. The sky, however, was still darkened by clouds, though -every now and then a star shone out from a ragged hole in the mists.</p> - -<p>We collected our baggage, put the rugs and saucepan in a heap for the -porter to fetch down later in the day, and at 1.15 <span class="smaller">A.M.</span> were -off. I must say that my hopes of getting up the Bernina were at a low -ebb, the only feeling I associate with the occasion being one of drowsy -stubbornness—in fact, a sensation of walking as in a dream, I knew not -whither.</p> - -<p>As we neared the mountain, and dawn came on apace, cloud-banners were -seen drifting wildly from the sharp and jagged crest. Weibel pointed -to them, exclaiming that we could never pass along the ridge in such -a wind; but Schocher, after exa<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>mining the flying clouds with care, -pronounced them of no importance, as they were blowing down, and -not across the ridge. I was much struck with the skill he showed in -coming to this conclusion, which, later on, turned out to be perfectly -accurate.</p> - -<p>By daybreak we had a large expanse of blue over our heads, and though -fleecy clouds clung to most of the neighbouring summits, the Bernina -remained persistently clear, save for an occasional shred of mist -streaming from the upper rocks. At 5.30 we gained the pass between Piz -Prievlusa and Pizzo Bianco, known as the Fuorcla Prievlusa. Making our -way to the Morteratsch side, we sat in the welcome rays of the sun on a -rocky ledge at the top of a grand wall, up the face of which the pass -is reached from the Boval side. Here we breakfasted, and then continued -our way towards Piz Bernina. The first bit of the ridge, until the -rocks were gained, was the most unpleasant piece of work we encountered -during the whole climb. The snow here was in bad order, the step from -it on to the rocks was awkwardly steep and long, and I, for one, was -glad to get my foot on to a more solid surface, and to profit by the -good handhold available. The rock <i>arête</i> affords pleasant climbing, -but from the point where it ceases to the summit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> of Pizzo Bianco -is a long grind over snow. Every step had to be cut, and Schocher -hacked almost without ceasing till we reached the Pizzo Bianco, from -where the really interesting portion of the ascent commences. An hour -or so earlier we had seen another party rapidly mounting the snow -slopes below the Fuorcla. It consisted of Messrs. Scriven and West, -accompanied by Peter Dangl of Sulden and a local guide, by name Joos -Grass. The latter, oddly enough, I had met on a previous ascent of the -Bernina by the ordinary route; both on that occasion and the climb I -am now writing of he impressed me favourably. This party had spent -the night at the inn in the Rosegthal, which they had not left till 3 -<span class="smaller">A.M.</span></p> - -<p>After nearly an hour’s halt on Pizzo Bianco, we once more got under -weigh, and, as we were starting, the others joined us, and paused in -their turn for a meal on the point we were quitting. I had thus the -pleasure of traversing a narrow rock ridge with four critical pairs of -eyes watching my awkward movements from a first-rate point of view. -Fain would I have clung on with my hands; my pride obliged me to walk -uprightly whenever such a mode of progression was at all possible. I -had a sneaking conviction that there<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> was hardly a single place where, -not only was it possible, but even tolerably easy, and that the sense -of obligation was good discipline in forcing me to strive after better -“form” than usual.</p> - -<p>The descent into the “Scharte” (or cleft in the <i>arête</i>) proved simple -enough, with the knowledge that until I reached the bottom Schocher -was bestriding the ridge above, and was “<i>ganz fest</i>.” He followed -with ease and rapidity, and turning the party the other way on, began -to cut steps round the great rocky tower which here bars the ridge. -The <i>couloir</i> was ice throughout, and we spent a lot of time before we -were clear of it at the foot of the final peak of the Bernina. Climbing -up this without difficulty, though delayed somewhat by the fresh snow -overlying the rocks, we reached the top at 10.30, the other party -following immediately in our wake.</p> - -<p>The weather, which had behaved better than we had dared to hope, now -gave up the paths of virtue, and a thick mist, with lightly falling -snow, hid everything at more than a few yards’ distance from our view. -However, we had reached our goal, and the clouds could now do their -worst without endangering our return. So after half an hour’s halt, we -started off in a cheerful frame of mind for Boval.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> How we scrambled -down the <i>arête</i>, glissaded over the snow-fields, and raced through the -Labyrinth, need not be told. We got to Boval early in the afternoon in -steady and soaking rain, and astonished the people at the restaurant by -dropping down upon them out of the clouds from Piz Bernina. So ended -our day’s excursion.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XII.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>IN PRAISE OF AUTUMN.</i></span></h2> - -<p>I am one of those eccentric persons who consider autumn better than -summer for climbing. “One of those,” did I say? Perhaps it would be -nearer the mark to say that I have often been the sole representative -of the scrambling fraternity haunting mountain centres from choice -at that season. You suppose I have a reason for my partiality for -that time of year? Yes; in fact, I have several. First, I am a -coward, and to encounter a thunderstorm on a peak, and have my axe -go <i>ziz-ziz-ziz</i>, while my hair stands straight up on my head, would -terrify me into fits. Now, in autumn one seldom has thunderstorms. -Then I have an aversion to tourists. In autumn there are few tourists; -again, I hate to be roasted for thirteen or fourteen hours and to wade -through deep snow. In autumn the days are short, the air is fresh, -the snow is usually in first-rate order. Once more, I do not love -sleeping in huts which, being built for eight persons, have to supply -shelter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>—it is little more—for perhaps twenty-four. In autumn one has -the huts to oneself.</p> - -<p>Now, have I not made out a pretty strong case? Can you wonder that I -have prowled round the Pennine Alps and the Oberland in September and -October rather than in July and August?</p> - -<p>To prove that one can climb as well in autumn as in summer, I will give -a short account of some excursions made in past years at that season. -They will be, alas! unexciting reading, like most things “written for -a purpose.” Many climbers are fully aware of the truth of what I urge, -but numerous beginners in mountain-craft lose heart when a heavy fall -of snow occurs at the end of August or the beginning of September, -and, packing up their traps, leave the Alps in disgust. In addition -to the expeditions described below, I have been up the Dent Blanche, -Zinal-Rothhorn, Ober-Gabelhorn, Trifthorn from Triftjoch, Mont Collon, -Rimpfischhorn, Eiger, Wetterhorn, and other peaks, and (herein lies the -gist of the whole matter) found most of them in first-class order at -that season.</p> - -<p>One evening in September, I found myself, with Ulrich Kaufmann and -“Caucasus” Jossi, the sole occupants of that very comfortable hut, the -Schwarzegg. For some time this hut has been in Jossi’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> charge, and -consequently neatness reigns supreme. We were a cheery party. The sky -was cloudless, the moon would be full for our start, the great, solid -crags of the Schreckhorn, ruddy in the glow of sunset, hung invitingly -over us. We had slept out for the same peak a week earlier, but bad -weather had driven us down to the valley without our having taken one -step beyond the hut. Now all was changed, and we felt no doubt as to -the success of our coming excursion.</p> - -<p>At 2 <span class="smaller">A.M.</span>, in moonlight clear as the light of the sun, we were -off. The Schreckhorn, it seems to me, has not received its due measure -of praise. It has much to recommend it. There is no moraine. An easy -path leads in ten minutes or so to the snow. Then a steady ascent, -varied by rocks, brings the traveller by breakfast-time to the base of -the upper glacier. It was at some distance below this place, in the -snow <i>couloir</i>, that Mr. Munz was killed by falling ice.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6">[6]</a> I could not -at all understand this accident, for on no part of our route was there<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> -danger from this source.<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7">[7]</a> But the guides explained that that season, -and for some years before, the top of the <i>couloir</i> had been filled up -by a small hanging glacier. Peter Baumann, shrewd old man, had always -urged the knocking down of this glacier, which would have been a simple -piece of work. But the matter was allowed to slide, till one fine day -the whole mass of ice broke away and dashed down the slope. The death -of Herr Munz, who was struck by some of the falling fragments, was the -result.</p> - -<p>The upper <i>couloirs</i>, by which the mountain is seamed, were ice, but my -guides, with their usual judgment, kept as clear as possible of them, -and we mounted by a rib of rocks. Twice we crossed the <i>couloir</i>, but -at that early hour there was no danger, and Kaufmann made great steps, -like miniature arm-chairs, so that we could get over very rapidly -coming back.</p> - -<p>From the Saddle we saw, somewhat to our disgust, that there was a -considerable amount of snow on the <i>arête</i>. This made our progress -rather slow, so that it was not till 9.15 that we found ourselves -on the summit, a dome of snow. The view was exquisite; but that day -week, when, in equally beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> weather, I found myself on the top -of the Lauteraarhorn, I had to confess that the view from that peak -is infinitely finer. In the first place, the Schreckhorn, seen from -so near, and from a peak less than 150 feet lower, is a grand object, -and its noble proportions and bare cliffs impressed me as few, if any, -mountains have done before, while I almost trembled to think that -but seven days earlier we had ventured up its precipitous sides, so -deceptive and complete is the idea conveyed of its excessive steepness. -Then, the Lauteraarhorn is much better placed with regard to that -most graceful of Oberland peaks, the Finsteraarhorn—the “dark dove -horn!” and from it, too, the beautiful curves of the Aar glacier, -winding away towards the Grimsel, are seen to perfection. But here am -I, describing the view from the Lauteraarhorn, while all the time I am -on the Schreckhorn. One glimpse they both give—that of the Lake of -Thun, with the white spire of the church of Spiez nestling among trees -close to the blue water’s edge, while behind roll range upon range of -purple hills, lost far away in a warm haze which mingles with the soft -tints of the cloudless sky. These Oberland views can indeed boast of -the ever-attractive charm of contrast; on the one side, ice, snow, -precipices of naked rock, utter sternness and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> absence of vegetation; -on the other, blue lakes, white villages, deep green meadows, abundant -evidences of human life and industry.</p> - -<p>But I become insufferably tedious. Let me hasten away from -mountain-tops and descend to less romantic regions. We got down to -the saddle very pleasantly, and from there to the hut more or less -uncomfortably, exchanging nasty sharp, loose rocks for waist-deep snow, -with anything but complimentary remarks on both. We were safely in -the Schwarzegg by 2 <span class="smaller">P.M.</span>, and discussing an elaborate tea, -the guides’ chief idea of that beverage being to put in as little of -the chief ingredient, and as much sugar as supplies admitted of. Tea -being concluded, and supper in course of preparation, we looked out -for our porter, who had orders to bring up our stock of provisions for -the ascent of the Finsteraarhorn the next day. Presently we noticed -two figures crossing the ice, who, on approaching, turned out to be -Herr Theophile Boss and the porter. The former had made an attempt on -the Finsteraarhorn the previous week, and had been driven back by bad -weather, so I had asked him to join us on our ascent.</p> - -<p>During our evening meal, Kaufmann staggered us by remarking in his -quiet way that we had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> better go to bed early, as he proposed calling -us at 11 <span class="smaller">P.M.</span> We protested loudly, but he only added in his -calm tones, “Or perhaps half-past ten.” So, still grumbling, we hastily -crept to our straw, and I, for one, can answer for it that I did not -know much more till Jossi began to light the fire, when I turned over -and had another sleep. No doubt our reluctance to shorten our night’s -rest caused the preparations for departure to take longer than usual. -Anyhow, it was 12.40 before I found myself, in a very bad temper, -trying to keep awake at the door of the hut, while the final look round -for articles possibly forgotten was being given by the guides.</p> - -<p>We anticipated a lot of step-cutting, so the porter came with us in -order to give the guides less to carry. As before, it was a cloudless, -moonlight night, and so far windless. We made rapid progress to the -Finsteraarjoch, reaching the foot of that vile place, the Agassiz-joch, -while it was still dark. Here we paused for food, and just as the grey -light of dawn was stealing over the sky, we began to go up, and up, and -up, till we felt like the poor wretches who climb the tall chimneys of -factories. At last we took to a rib of rock, very steep and planted in -ice, to say nothing of various embellishments of the same substance -at intervals along the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> surface. It was heart-breaking work. There -was the pass close at hand, and yet we never seemed to get any nearer -to it. But after what seemed ages, Jossi gave a sigh of satisfaction, -and quitting the rocks, began to traverse the snow. Soon we reached a -warm and sheltered spot, where we suggested a halt for luncheon in the -genial rays of the sun. But no; it was not the usual luncheon-place; -people always had lunch on the Saddle (five minutes farther), and -therefore we must have lunch on the Saddle. Theophile ventured to -protest, and was promptly sat upon; so to the Saddle we went. There we -had our appetites interfered with by various things. First, we were -disquieted by the aspect of the ridge, now first completely seen, -which had put on an entire and apparently not too closely fitting suit -of ice and powdery snow. Of rocks one hardly saw a trace. The guides -munched very fast, nodded their heads, addressed warm expressions -of disapprobation to the ridge, and seemed very jolly on the top of -everything. The wind blew, our teeth chattered, the eatables nearly -froze, and we, too, pretended we were having an awfully good time. -But the happiest moments come to an end, and so did our luncheon, -after which, blue of nose and hand, we struggled along in the face -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> a driving mist. Well, it was not so bad as it looked. The guides -spared no trouble, and dug out the buried rocks like terriers after -a field-mouse. Progress was necessarily slow, and we did not seem to -make much way. At last the Hugi Saddle was reached, and the work became -easier. The snow was now firmer, we could kick out good steps without -difficulty. Finally the slope eased off, and in a few minutes we stood -by the stone man on the summit. The view was fine, the mist having -cleared off just as we reached the top. But it was already eleven -o’clock, so we did not stay long, but began the descent after about ten -minutes’ halt on the summit. The climb down to the Agassiz-joch was -long; it took us nearly four hours, including half-an-hour for lunch, -to get there. It was thus almost 4 <span class="smaller">P.M.</span> when we embarked in -that charming slope. Tedious as had been our ascent of it, our descent -was much worse; and there are stones, and when stones make descents, -they do it pretty quickly. But we won’t talk of the stones; none of us -got our heads broken. Well, we came down that nice lively slope and -the icy rocks, and got into the <i>couloir</i>, and came down that; and at -last—being late in the year—it grew dusk. We were beginning to think -that we must be somewhere near the first of the <i>bergschrunds</i> (I -cannot<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> conscientiously say that they were more than a couple of inches -wide), when suddenly the porter exclaimed, “I can’t find the track!” -We could not make this out. The steps had been easily felt a moment -before. He fumbled about for a bit, but still without success; so -Theophile, who was just behind, went down a few steps and put out his -hand to feel for them. Instantly he drew it back, and said in rather -an awed voice, “There has been an avalanche.” Jossi at once untied -from the back, sprang down to the front, put himself in the porter’s -place, and led away in the dark in such splendid style, that in fifteen -minutes or less we were down on the plateau of the Finsteraarjoch. -Here the lantern came into use, and we carefully threaded our way -through the icefall of the glacier. Our tracks of the morning were of -the utmost value, and thanks to them we encountered no difficulties -whatever.</p> - -<p>It was late when we reached the Schwarzegg hut, so we decided to sleep -there once more, and the sun was high in the heavens next morning -before we sat down to our coffee.</p> - -<p>Here is another autumn experience, in which, as a nice, cheering -introduction to our day’s climbing, we got asphyxiated. “Were we -smothered, then?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> Were we suffocated?” asks the unthinking reader. -No, we were not “asphyxiated dead,” as an Irishman would say; we were -merely put to sleep at inconvenient periods during the day, after being -put to sleep with greater soundness than usual during the preceding -night.</p> - -<p>But this fragmentary style and absence of all precise information -points to something like present asphyxiation; so I must beg leave -to say that though I date this from a health resort, I am not a -“head-patient,” as I once heard those persons classified who were in -a particular sanatorium for something or other that was not lungs. It -was an enlivening place, that particular health resort. If a youth -was ill-mannered, he could not be kicked, because “one can’t kick an -invalid, you know;” or else the excuse was, “Poor fellow! he doesn’t -mean it; he’s off his chump—<i>head-patient</i>, you know.” My impression -is, that that health resort was as fine a school for self-restraint -in the naturally self-restrained, and for downright uncompromising -selfishness in those who already were accustomed to look after No. 1, -as I know of.</p> - -<p>Still I am a long way from our starting-point. Let me make an effort, -cross the Lauteraarjoch from Grindelwald, walk down the level glacier -beyond,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> and get to it—“it” being the sumptuous dwelling known as the -Dollfus Pavilion.</p> - -<p>Why the good gentleman who built this hut should have constructed it -at a distance of three miles from water, was the problem which puzzled -our heads while we lay in the sun near the young forests growing up on -every side. It was lucky that some eyes, sharper than mine, saw these -specimens of Alpine timber, as otherwise we might have stretched our -weary limbs on the top of them. Later it transpired that an experiment -had been tried in forestry on these slopes, and the poor little twigs -had been carefully planted with the idea that, in time to come, they -might grow.</p> - -<p>As evening drew on, we retired to the hut and made up a glowing fire, -destined a few hours later to reduce us to that comatose state I have -hinted at above. Perhaps the sluggish condition of mind and body which -we experienced next morning was also in part owing to three out of the -four members of the party having consumed six basins of very thick -soup apiece and twelve large potatoes. The soup, of course, could not -be wasted, though personally I would have rather lived on it for three -days than have had to swallow it all in one.</p> - -<p>After waking with some trouble, and consuming<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> the above-mentioned -soup, we tumbled out of the hut, floundered all in a heap down to the -glacier, and began to go along it in a dreamy stagger, varied by a -rude awakening, as, from time to time, one or another walked into a -crevasse, rubbed his eyes, got out again, and proceeded on his way. -Those great-great-great-great-etc.-grandfathers of ours were wise -people to keep off glaciers in their generation. Think what choice -language the modern mountaineer finds all ready to his tongue after he -has walked for three hours up or down (if there is an up or a down) -the Aar glacier, and then discovers that he is no farther. Imagine -for an instant what that glacier must have been when it came to the -piled-up moraine across the Haslithal near Meiringen. Next time you -find yourself pacing the Aar glacier (I have no doubt that you vowed on -the last occasion you never would again, but you surely will), think -of what it was in the olden time, even when it reached only to the -Grimsel, and be thankful that you climb in the nineteenth century.</p> - -<p>At last, as we began to think that the Strahlegg Pass really was rather -nearer than it had been some hours earlier, we halted and attempted to -rouse each other. A warm wind swept up in our faces; our limbs were -like lead, our minds in a condition of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> placid imbecility. But when, -after some trouble, we dug a little cold water out of the glacier, -the effect was magical, and emboldened by the sense of our returning -faculties, we promptly decided to have breakfast under a great tower of -ice which had rolled down from a glacier clinging to the slope above.</p> - -<p>We were now equal to all emergencies, and ready to cope with the -largest and most varied collection of loose stones I ever saw in -my life. The Saddle (which we struck just beyond the drop referred -to on page 5, vol. ii. of the second series of “Peaks, Passes, and -Glaciers”—at least I should imagine that this gap is the one therein -described) and the fine <i>arête</i> beyond were a welcome change from the -“shocking state of disrepair” of the face. The entire ridge gives as -good a scramble as any one fond of rock-climbing can wish for. Nowhere -excessively difficult, it is always sensational, and the rocks are big -and firm. Most of the time the party is right on the crest, and can -glance straight down to the Lauteraar glacier on the one hand or to the -Strahlegg on the other. The Lauteraarhorn is seldom taken; probably -on account of the trouble of getting at it. People also seem to think -that if they have been up the Schreckhorn, they have seen everything -of interest in that direction. In this idea they are,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> in my opinion, -quite mistaken. I have already referred to the view of the Schreckhorn -and Finsteraarhorn as well as to that of the Lake of Thun to be -obtained from the Lauteraarhorn, and I think that it is very much finer -than anything one sees from the Wetterhorn, Jungfrau, or any other of -the Oberland peaks with which I am acquainted.</p> - -<p>After an hour spent on the summit, we reluctantly began the descent, -and at 4 <span class="smaller">P.M.</span> were on the Strahlegg, while at 5.30, just as -the peaks around began to glow with the rosy hues of sunset, we were -nearly off the Zasenberg. From here one enters on the preserves of the -Interlaken “tripper,” so I will abruptly close.</p> - -<p>In the next chapter I will give the last of my experiences at my -favourite time of year, and talk to you about two old friends—not, -alas! with new faces.</p> - -<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6">[6]</a> I am aware that the <i>Alpine Journal</i> (vol. xiii. p. 113) -states that Herr Munz was killed by falling snow, not ice, which fell -from the rocks. I talked to the brothers Boss, and also to several -of the guides on the subject, and they all affirmed that it was ice -from the little hanging glacier. Which explanation of the disaster is -correct, I am, of course, unable to say. One of the guides, Meyer, -succumbed to his injuries the day after the accident.</p> - -<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7">[7]</a> In September 1891, Ulrich Kaufmann was struck on the knee, -and bowled over, by a block of falling ice at this same spot.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIII.</span> <span class="smaller"><i>THE “MAIDEN” AND THE “MONK.”</i></span></h2> - -<p class="center">A REMINISCENCE.</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>“Over the ground white snow, and in the air</div> -<div>Silence. The stars, like lamps soon to expire,</div> -<div>Gleam tremblingly; serene and heavenly fair,</div> -<div>The eastern hanging crescent climbeth higher.</div> -<div>See, purple on the azure softly steals,</div> -<div>And Morning, faintly touched with quivering fire,</div> -<div>Leans on the frosty summits of the hills.”</div> -<div class="right">—<span class="smcap">William Caldwell Roscoe.</span></div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Time, nine o’clock on a cloudless evening some years ago; place, the -Bär Hotel at Grindelwald; season of the year, the middle of September, -the most enjoyable month in the higher Alps, given fine weather, of -all the twelve. Grindelwald lies in well-earned repose this lovely -night. No more do tourists in their thousands infest village, hotel -salons, and dining-rooms. No throng of touting guides and mule-drivers -lingers in the courtyard; no crowd of aspiring travellers makes noisy -preparation for the morrow’s excursions.</p> - -<p>To me this tranquillity is very pleasant, as on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> the evening in -question, before the age of railways in that district, I drive up the -familiar valley, overshadowed by the huge walls of the Eiger, rising -amid myriads of twinkling stars, and as I alight at the doors of the -Bär, I congratulate myself upon many things.</p> - -<p>“Now, Herr Fritz, hunt out my guide from the supper-room for me, -please. What! he is not here? Is there no telegram from him? Well, this -really is too bad! and the weather is magnificent! However, as he’s not -here, I certainly won’t sit and wait for him; so get me a couple of -guides, and to-morrow I will go for a walk amongst the mountains.”</p> - -<p>Dinner over, enter the “couple of guides.” Here is sturdy old Peter -Baumann, and there, at the door, stands old Peter Kaufmann. “Well, what -shall we do to-morrow? where shall we go?” “All is good,” they say; -“we will go where you like.” “Very well; then let the Jungfrau be our -goal. I can start for it at 1 <span class="smaller">A.M.</span>, if you wish.” They smile -pityingly and remark, “It is nine hours to the Bergli hut, so we shall -have quite enough if we go there to-morrow, and up the mountain next -day.” I don’t believe them, and consult Boss; he says eleven hours. -That settles the question; so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> I retire to bed. I leave word with the -guides to order provisions, and to have me called at as late an hour as -is consistent with reaching the Bergli before nightfall. Result—they -lay in a store of meal-soup, and other atrocities, and arouse me from -slumber at 6 <span class="smaller">A.M.</span> By eight o’clock we are well on our way to -the Bäregg, and have overtaken another Jungfrau party—two Austrian -gentlemen, with cheery “English” Baumann and old Christian Almer. They -progress upward at a measured pace, but at the Bäregg restaurant we -meet again, and spend an idle hour, while our respective guides tie -up emaciated pieces of white wood into bundles of such extraordinary -neatness, that they might be “property” faggots appertaining to an -amateur theatrical company. Then on again, down rickety ladders, over -swelling waves of ice, and up a narrow track, with the sun beating on -our backs, and never a drop of water to be had. At last we all sink in -a melting condition on a grassy knoll, and insist on the production of -drinkables. The guides, in response, wriggle into sundry fissures of -the earth, and extract therefrom cupfuls of icy water, which they dole -out in niggardly quantities, exhorting their charges to be sparing in -its use.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p> - -<p>On again and up, till, with a desperate spurt, we assault the slippery -slopes of the glacier, and deposit ourselves in a panting heap on some -rocks facing the Bergli.</p> - -<p>“How far to the hut, Baumann?” “Oh, two hours or so!” And it is now -11.30 <span class="smaller">A.M.</span>! For this were we dragged from our downy couches -and made to walk up burning slopes under the rays of the autumnal sun! -For this were we hurried away from the seductive, though backless, -benches of the Bäregg! For this were we denied our second breakfast in -three and a half hours, on certain stony pathways where we would fain -have halted!</p> - -<p>11.30! Very well; here we shall remain and repose ourselves till 3 -<span class="smaller">P.M.</span></p> - -<p>We don’t, however. Two hours of gazing at the Eiger, the Mönch, and -the Schreckhorn produce an unpleasant stiffening of the joints; so -shortly after discovering this we collect our baggage—scattered over -about an acre of ground—and proceed across the level glacier towards -the steep snow slopes coming down from the Mönchjoch. After an hour or -two of threading our way amongst huge chasms, varied by passages in -tight-rope style over knife-edges of ice, we reach our hut. From here -we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> witness an acrobatic performance without having to undergo the -expense of an entry fee; indeed, the accommodation of the front row -of stalls is too shamefully bad for any one to suggest that we should -pay for it. Far down below us on the snow toil our fellow-travellers. -From time to time one of them, who, at starting, had declared himself -to be “no mountaineer,” casts himself on the white surface. The guides -and his friend haul. He slithers along a little; then suddenly rights -himself like a gutta-percha figure with a weight inside. On again—down -again—up again, so does the party advance.</p> - -<p>Of the supper the less said the better; and yet I have heard of -Englishmen who like meal-soup!</p> - -<p>Now to bed. Pleasant dreams, sweet repose. <i>Repose!</i> Yes! Audible -repose for the Austrian after his gymnastic feats; for his friend, for -me, even for the guides, none. Well, we count to a hundred, to two -hundred, to two hundred backwards. We light lucifer-matches and examine -our watches. We even contemplate cutting the cords of the ambulance -arrangement, so that it may come down with a run on our slumbering -companion. We are fairly worked up to a murderous state of mind, and -almost of body, when—“Zwölf Uhr!” resounds in stentorian accents, -and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> we spring from our hay, and viciously shake the source of all our -discomfort. “What?” he says sleepily. “Twelve o’clock? No, thanks; no -Jungfrau for me!” and thereupon turns over and loses himself once more -in the land of dreams.</p> - -<p>More meal-soup, followed by coffee, buttoning up of gaiters, packing -up of all the things we ought to have left behind, uncoiling of ropes, -jodeling of guides, and off we go.</p> - -<p>What a joy to swing along over the frozen snow, from which countless -ice-crystals gleam up to us with bright innocent eyes, nowise resentful -that at every step they go crunch, crunch under our great clumsy -boots. The glacier streams down in a silver flood to our right. The -mountain-tops, bathed in brilliant moonbeams, seem to hang in the sky. -The radiant beauty of the night, the still, keen air, the silence of -the surroundings, all combine to make the seventeen minutes which it -takes us to reach the Mönchjoch, pass like so many seconds. From here, -dazzled by the startling loveliness of the view, and looking anywhere -but at my feet, I carelessly slip into the <i>bergschrund</i>. I am pulled -out, and in twenty-five minutes more we cross the Ober-Mönchjoch, and -see in front of us the shining robes of our “Maiden.” A jodel from the -guides, and we are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> running wildly down the snow slopes, across the -plateau, and on to the very mountain itself. It is now very cold, with -the chill of early dawn in the air. We have not gone far above the -Roththal Saddle when the purple of the sky grows warmer and warmer, -till at last the peak above us blushes in the rays of the rising sun. -A short half-hour more, and we cluster on our goal, pitying our friend -below in the hay of the Bergli.</p> - -<p>It is early yet, and Baumann, good old sportsman that he is, says, -“Now we will go up the Mönch.” “No,” I reply, “I am out of training, -and to-morrow I must cross the Strahlegg. We will now go home.” But -Baumann blinks his eyes, and when we reach the plateau, makes a dead -halt. “The Bergli or the Mönch?” he inquires. The Mönch looks near, -and I weakly give in. Our fellow-travellers here leave us. We get on -to the ridge running up from the Ober-Mönchjoch. All goes swimmingly. -We reach the final crest. Alas! it is shining ice from end to end. -Old Kaufmann is awfully done; from time to time he crawls on to the -cornice. Baumann, from behind, shouts warningly. We seem to make no -progress. An hour passes. We are not half-way along the <i>arête</i>. “Now, -then,” I say, “let me get right on to the ridge and see the view; then -I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> going home.” The guides protest, but I am obdurate; the cornice -and the great fatigue of Kaufmann have decided me. Eventually we go -down. Hurrying along the level snows, halting for as short a time as -possible at the Bergli, sliding and running where we can, at last we -reach the Grindelwald glacier. By now it is pitch-dark; our lantern -won’t behave properly; our candle continually goes out, and we wander -for an interminable time over ice and moraine. Finally, by a process -akin to that of “the survival of the fittest” (having tried about every -route on the glacier), we strike the Bäregg ladders, and thence hasten -down to the valley.</p> - -<p>Having described the pleasures of climbing in autumn, it is but -fair that I should not ignore the single occasion on which I have -experienced bad weather at that season. It was on October 2nd, a year -later, that, with Ulrich Almer, Christian Jossi, and Herr Theophile -Boss, I set out from the Roththal hut to cross the Jungfrau. The -weather had been perfect for several days past, but on the previous -evening the sunset gave signs of a change, while the lightning, which -trembled along the western horizon, was another indication that a storm -was imminent.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p> - -<p>It being, therefore, doubly important to make an early start, the -guides commenced by over-sleeping themselves, and it was nearly 5.30 -<span class="smaller">A.M.</span> before the hut was quitted. A lot of step-cutting -retarded our progress, and it was 11.35 <span class="smaller">A.M.</span> before we halted, -three or four minutes below the summit, for our second breakfast since -starting. Clouds were now drifting up on all sides; but the more -serious part of the business was done, so the weather could not matter -greatly to us. We remained but a moment on the top, and then amidst -shrieks of “Schnell! Vorwärts!” from Jossi, we turned to descend in the -teeth of a blinding snowstorm. Well, it was cool; certainly it was not -cold, for we wore our gloves in our pockets. We had excellent steps, -too, thanks to a party who had ascended from the Bergli a couple of -days previously. The walk to the Mönchjoch was deadly dull, the only -objects visible being our noble selves. Under the leadership of such -guides as ours, however, we never deviated from the right direction for -an instant, though the tracks were, of course, by this time entirely -obliterated. A comfortable night at the Bergli was a good preparation -for the descent, through waist-deep snow, to the valley.</p> - -<p>During the evening the guides had discoursed at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> much length on a -feature of the morrow’s route, which, with all the picturesqueness of -inaccuracy, they described as an ice-wall. Now, an <i>Eiswand</i> conveyed -to my imagination a green cliff, shiny of surface, slippery to the -touch, and perpendicular in formation. All these features were, -however, absent. The “wall,” which was about 170 feet in height, was -certainly of ice, but the ice was coated with firm snow to a depth -of several inches. I am not learned in angles, but I should say that -seventy-five degrees was somewhere near the slope of the first five -steps, after which the steepness steadily decreased. The last man, -assisted by a bit of whipcord doubled round a piece of firewood driven -in at the top, took seven minutes to come down, so the difficulties of -the way were not unduly great. I am obliged to enter into these details -because the character of this highly inoffensive slope was cruelly -maligned by the party previously referred to, and on our return to the -village, after a descent over the Zäsenberghorn, monotonous by reason -of its entire simplicity, we were questioned by a curious crowd as to -the horrors of the ice-wall. Our predecessors had already left the -place, so we could but fight the united army of credulous persons whom -they had left behind, and in whose imaginations the ice-wall<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> of the -Mönchjoch no doubt lives even to the present day as one of the terrors -of mountaineering.</p> - -<p>I have now told the worst of my experiences of autumn in the Alps. How -easily hundreds of climbers could cap it with their accounts of summer -in those regions!</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span></p> - -<h2>APPENDIX.</h2> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">APPENDIX.</p> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/line.jpg" alt="line" /></div> - -<p>As I put forward no claim whatever for originality in this little work, -I shall perhaps escape blame from climbers, and earn some thanks from -the general public, if I place in the way of the latter a poem, the -greater part of which appeared in the <i>Alpine Journal</i> (volume xiv., -page 64), and which consequently was not likely to have attracted the -attention of the non-mountaineering traveller. Through the courtesy -of the author, I am enabled to reprint it in full in these pages. We -who spend much of our time amongst “Heaven’s nearest neighbours,” grow -to love our surroundings more and more. It is often said that people -ascend peaks in order to boast of their achievements. Of some, no -doubt, this is true. But I cannot give better proof of how such persons -are looked upon by the true mountain-climber than by quoting the lines -I have referred to, with the spirit of which I, and thousands more, -are entirely in sympathy. The poem, entitled, “Mountain Midgets;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> or, -Thirty Years After,” is supposed to have been copied from a stranger’s -book in a well-known mountain resort, and is headed:—</p> - -<p class="center">TO MY FELLOW-GUESTS.</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>An Original Member of the Alpine Club speaks.</i>)</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>I was with the men who conquered all the Alps, and climbing higher</div> -<div>Watched, from Caucasus or Andes, Phosphor soaring like a fire;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>But, successors of De Saussure! You, presumably with souls,</div> -<div>Who treat Heaven’s nearest neighbours as the pit-bear treats his poles,</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Show your foolish “forms” upon them, “cutting records” as you run,</div> -<div>Craving of a crowd that jeers you, notoriety—your bun!</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>You, who love an “Alpine centre” and an inn that’s full of people,</div> -<div>Where the tourists gape in wonder while their Jack beflags his steeple;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Stars, who twinkle with your axes, while girls “wonder what you are,”</div> -<div>Through a village, that’s the image of a Charity Bazaar;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span>Stars, who set beneath the wineshop, where “the men must have a drink”:</div> -<div>So the idler leads the peasant down the path where he will sink,</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Till discredited, discarded, game for snobs who “stand a treat,”</div> -<div>The old guide of twenty summers touts for custom in the street!</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Lads, whose prate is never-ceasing, till the <i>table d’hôte</i> is crammed</div> -<div>With the <i>gendarmes</i> you have collared, and the <i>cols</i> you’ve <i>spitzed</i> or <i>kammed</i>!</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Not for you the friendly <i>Wirthshaus</i>, where the <i>Pfarrer</i> plays the host,</div> -<div>Or the vine-hung <i>Osteria</i>, where the bowls go rattling most;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Not for you the liquid splendour of the sunset, as it dies,</div> -<div>Not for you the silver silence and the spaces of the skies,</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Known of men who in the old time lodged in hollows of the rocks,</div> -<div>Ere those Circe’s styes, the Club-huts, harboured touristdom in flocks.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>There you lie beside your porters in tobacco fumes enfurled,</div> -<div>And think more of cold plum-pudding than “the glories of the world”;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>There you ponder with your fellows on the little left “to do,”</div> -<div>Plotting darkly Expeditions that may, partially, be New;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Boasting lightly, while the brightly-beading Bouvier brims the glasses,</div> -<div>How you’ll “romp up” avalanche tracks and you’ll rollick in crevasses;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Dreaming fondly of the glory that such “azure feats” must get,</div> -<div>When your guide narrates the story in the <i>Grindelmatt Gazette</i>;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Gloating grimly on the feelings Hobbs and Nobbs will strive to smother,</div> -<div>When they learn the Gross Narr Nadel has been just “bagged” by another:</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Hobbs and Nobbs, who, slily stealing to our Grün Alp telescope,</div> -<div>May find solace in revealing how you faltered on the rope.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span>Mountain Midgets—thus I hail you, who to littleness your own</div> -<div>Fain would drag down Nature’s Greatest, leave earth’s minster-spires alone!</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Yet in vain an old man preaches. What is brought shall still be found,</div> -<div>Still the raw, relentless athlete make the Alps his running-ground;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>Still the Greater breed the Lesser on through infinite degrees,</div> -<div>And the mountains have their Midgets—as the glaciers have their fleas.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p class="center">PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO.<br />EDINBURGH AND LONDON.</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY HOME IN THE ALPS ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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