第19章

Itwasajourneywhicharollingstonewouldmakeinafewseconds——theloftypointofdeparturewasvisiblefromthevillagebelowinthevalley。

Thepredictioncutcuriouslyclosetothetruth；

forty-oneyearsafterthecatastrophe，theremainswerecastforthatthefootoftheglacier。

IfindaninterestingaccountofthematterintheHISTOIREDUMONTBLANC，byStephend"Arve。Iwillcondensethisaccount，asfollows:

Onthe12thofAugust，1861，atthehourofthecloseofmass，aguidearrivedoutofbreathatthemairieofChamonix，andbearingonhisshouldersaverylugubriousburden。

ItwasasackfilledwithhumanremainswhichhehadgatheredfromtheorificeofacreviceintheGlacierdesBossons。

Heconjecturedthatthesewereremainsofthevictimsofthecatastropheof1820，andaminuteinquest，immediatelyinstitutedbythelocalauthorities，soondemonstratedthecorrectnessofhissupposition。

Thecontentsofthesackwerespreaduponalongtable，andofficiallyinventoried，asfollows:

Portionsofthreehumanskulls。Severaltuftsofblackandblondehair。Ahumanjaw，furnishedwithfinewhiteteeth。

Aforearmandhand，allthefingersofthelatterintact。

Thefleshwaswhiteandfresh，andboththearmandhandpreservedadegreeofflexibilityinthearticulations。

Thering-fingerhadsufferedaslightabrasion，andthestainofthebloodwasstillvisibleandunchangedafterforty-oneyears。Aleftfoot，thefleshwhiteandfresh。

Alongwiththesefragmentswereportionsofwaistcoats，hats，hobnailedshoes，andotherclothing；awingofapigeon，withblackfeathers；afragmentofanalpenstock；

atinlantern；andlastly，aboiledlegofmutton，theonlyfleshamongalltheremainsthatexhaledanunpleasantodor。Theguidesaidthatthemuttonhadnoodorwhenhetookitfromtheglacier；anhour"sexposuretothesunhadalreadybeguntheworkofdecompositionuponit。

Personswerecalledfor，toidentifythesepoorpatheticrelics，andatouchingsceneensured。Twomenwerestilllivingwhohadwitnessedthegrimcatastropheofnearlyhalfacenturybefore——MarieCouttet(savedbyhisbaton)

andJulienDavouassoux(savedbythebarometer)。Theseagedmenenteredandapproachedthetable。Davouassoux，morethaneightyyearsold，contemplatedthemournfulremainsmutelyandwithavacanteye，forhisintelligenceandhismemoryweretorpidwithage；butCouttet"sfacultieswerestillperfectatseventy-two，andheexhibitedstrongemotion。Hesaid:

"PierreBalmatwasfair；heworeastrawhat。Thisbitofskull，withthetuftofblondhair，washis；thisishishat。

PierreCarrierwasverydark；thisskullwashis，andthisfelthat。ThisisBalmat"shand，Irememberitsowell!"

andtheoldmanbentdownandkisseditreverently，thenclosedhisfingersuponitinanaffectionategrasp，cryingout，"Icouldneverhavedaredtobelievethatbeforequittingthisworlditwouldbegrantedmetopressoncemorethehandofoneofthosebravecomrades，thehandofmygoodfriendBalmat。"

Thereissomethingweirdlypatheticaboutthepictureofthatwhite-hairedveterangreetingwithhislovinghandshakethisfriendwhohadbeendeadfortyyears。

Whenthesehandshadmetlast，theywerealikeinthesoftnessandfreshnessofyouth；now，onewasbrownandwrinkledandhornywithage，whiletheotherwasstillasyoungandfairandblemishlessasifthosefortyyearshadcomeandgoneinasinglemoment，leavingnomarkoftheirpassage。Timehadgoneon，intheonecase；

ithadstoodstillintheother。Amanwhohasnotseenafriendforageneration，keepshiminmindalwaysashesawhimlast，andissomehowsurprised，andisalsoshocked，toseetheagingchangetheyearshavewroughtwhenheseeshimagain。MarieCouttet"sexperience，infindinghisfriend"shandunalteredfromtheimageofitwhichhehadcarriedinhismemoryforfortyyears，isanexperiencewhichstandsaloneinthehistoryofman，perhaps。

Couttetidentifiedotherrelics:

"ThishatbelongedtoAugusteTairraz。Hecarriedthecageofpigeonswhichweproposedtosetfreeuponthesummit。Hereisthewingofoneofthosepigeons。

Andhereisthefragmentofmybrokenbaton；itwasbygraceofthatbatonthatmylifewassaved。WhocouldhavetoldmethatIshouldonedayhavethesatisfactiontolookagainuponthisbitofwoodthatsupportedmeabovethegravethatswallowedupmyunfortunatecompanions!"

NoportionsofthebodyofTairraz，otherthanapieceoftheskull，hadbeenfound。Adiligentsearchwasmade，butwithoutresult。However，anothersearchwasinstitutedayearlater，andthishadbettersuccess。

Manyfragmentsofclothingwhichhadbelongedtothelostguideswerediscovered；also，partofalantern，andagreenveilwithblood-stainsonit。Buttheinterestingfeaturewasthis:

Oneofthesearcherscamesuddenlyuponasleevedarmprojectingfromacreviceintheice-wall，withthehandoutstretchedasifofferinggreeting!"Thenailsofthiswhitehandwerestillrosy，andtheposeoftheextendedfingersseemedtoexpressaneloquentwelcometothelong-lostlightofday。"

Thehandandarmwerealone；therewasnotrunk。

Afterbeingremovedfromtheicetheflesh-tintsquicklyfadedoutandtherosynailstookonthealabasterhueofdeath。ThiswasthethirdRIGHThandfound；

therefore，allthreeofthelostmenwereaccountedfor，beyondcavilorquestion。

Dr。HamelwastheRussiangentlemanofthepartywhichmadetheascentatthetimeofthefamousdisaster。

HeleftChamonixassoonasheconvenientlycouldafterthedescent；andashehadshownachillyindifferenceaboutthecalamity，andofferedneithersympathynorassistancetothewidowsandorphans，hecarriedwithhimthecordialexecrationsofthewholecommunity。

Fourmonthsbeforethefirstremainswerefound，aChamonixguidenamedBalmat——arelativeofoneofthelostmen——wasinLondon，andonedayencounteredahaleoldgentlemanintheBritishMuseum，whosaid:

"Ioverheardyourname。AreyoufromChamonix，MonsieurBalmat?"

"Yes，sir。"

"Haven"ttheyfoundthebodiesofmythreeguides，yet?IamDr。Hamel。"

"Alas，no，monsieur。"

"Well，you"llfindthem，soonerorlater。"

"Yes，itistheopinionofDr。ForbesandMr。Tyndall，thattheglacierwillsoonerorlaterrestoretoustheremainsoftheunfortunatevictims。"

"Withoutadoubt，withoutadoubt。AnditwillbeagreatthingforChamonix，inthematterofattractingtourists。

Youcangetupamuseumwiththoseremainsthatwilldraw!"

ThissavageideahasnotimprovedtheodorofDr。Hamel"snameinChamonixbyanymeans。Butafterall，themanwassoundonhumannature。HisideawasconveyedtothepublicofficialsofChamonix，andtheygravelydiscusseditaroundtheofficialcouncil-table。Theywereonlypreventedfromcarryingitintoexecutionbythedeterminedoppositionofthefriendsanddescendantsofthelostguides，whoinsistedongivingtheremainsChristianburial，andsucceededintheirpurpose。

Aclosewatchhadtobekeptuponallthepoorremnantsandfragments，topreventembezzlement。Afewaccessoryoddsandendsweresold。Ragsandscrapsofthecoarseclothingwerepartedwithattherateequaltoabouttwentydollarsayard；apieceofalanternandoneortwoothertriflesbroughtnearlytheirweightingold；

andanEnglishmanofferedapoundsterlingforasinglebreeches-button。

CHAPTERXLI

[TheFearfulDisasterof1865]

OneofthemostmemorableofalltheAlpinecatastropheswasthatofJuly，1865，ontheMatterhorn——alreadysightedreferredto，afewpagesback。ThedetailsofitarescarcelyknowninAmerica。Tothevastmajorityofreaderstheyarenotknownatall。

Mr。Whymper"saccountistheonlyauthenticone。

Iwillimportthechiefportionofitintothisbook，partlybecauseofitsintrinsicinterest，andpartlybecauseitgivessuchavividideaofwhattheperilouspastimeofAlp-climbingis。ThiswasMr。Whymper"sNINTHattemptduringaseriesofyears，tovanquishthatsteepandstubbornpillarorrock；itsucceeded，theothereightwerefailures。Nomanhadeveraccomplishedtheascentbefore，thoughtheattemptshadbeennumerous。

MR。WHYMPER"SNARRATIVE

WestartedfromZermattonthe13thofJuly，athalfpastfive，onabrilliantandperfectlycloudlessmorning。

Wewereeightinnumber——Croz(guide)，oldPeterTaugwalder(guide)andhistwosons；LordF。Douglas，Mr。Hadow，Rev。Mr。Hudson，andI。Toinsuresteadymotion，onetouristandonenativewalkedtogether。

TheyoungestTaugwalderfelltomyshare。Thewine-bagsalsofelltomylottocarry，andthroughouttheday，aftereachdrink，Ireplenishedthemsecretlywithwater，sothatatthenexthalttheywerefoundfullerthanbefore!Thiswasconsideredagoodomen，andlittleshortofmiraculous。

Onthefirstdaywedidnotintendtoascendtoanygreatheight，andwemounted，accordingly，veryleisurely。

Beforetwelveo"clockwehadfoundagoodpositionforthetent，ataheightofeleventhousandfeet。

Wepassedtheremaininghoursofdaylight——somebaskinginthesunshine，somesketching，somecollecting；

Hudsonmadetea，Icoffee，andatlengthweretired，eachonetohisblanketbag。

Weassembledtogetherbeforedawnonthe14thandstarteddirectlyitwaslightenoughtomove。

OneoftheyoungTaugwaldersreturnedtoZermatt。

Inafewminutesweturnedtheribwhichhadinterceptedtheviewoftheeasternfacefromourtentplatform。

Thewholeofthisgreatslopewasnowrevealed，risingforthreethousandfeetlikeahugenaturalstaircase。

Somepartsweremore，andotherswerelesseasy，butwewerenotoncebroughttoahaltbyanyseriousimpediment，forwhenanobstructionwasmetinfrontitcouldalwaysbeturnedtotherightortotheleft。Forthegreaterpartofthewaytherewasnooccasion，indeed，fortherope，andsometimesHudsonled，sometimesmyself。Atsix-twentywehadattainedaheightoftwelvethousandeighthundredfeet，andhaltedforhalfanhour；wethencontinuedtheascentwithoutabreakuntilnine-fifty-five，whenwestoppedforfiftyminutes，ataheightoffourteenthousandfeet。

Wehadnowarrivedatthefootofthatpartwhich，seenfromtheRiffelberg，seemsperpendicularoroverhanging。

Wecouldnolongercontinueontheeasternside。ForalittledistanceweascendedbysnowupontheARE^TE——thatis，theridge——thenturnedovertotheright，ornorthernside。

Theworkbecamedifficult，andrequiredcaution。Insomeplacestherewaslittletohold；thegeneralslopeofthemountainwasLESSthanfortydegrees，andsnowhadaccumulatedin，andhadfilledup，theintersticesoftherock-face，leavingonlyoccasionalfragmentsprojectinghereandthere。

Thesewereattimescoveredwithathinfilmofice。

Itwasaplacewhichanyfairmountaineermightpassinsafety。Weboreawaynearlyhorizontallyforaboutfourhundredfeet，thenascendeddirectlytowardthesummitforaboutsixtyfeet，thendoubledbacktotheridgewhichdescendstowardZermatt。Alongstrideroundaratherawkwardcornerbroughtustosnowoncemore。

Thatlastdoubtvanished!TheMatterhornwasours!Nothingbuttwohundredfeetofeasysnowremainedtobesurmounted。

Thehigherwerose，themoreintensebecametheexcitement。

Theslopeeasedoff，atlengthwecouldbedetached，andCrozandI，dashedaway，rananeck-and-neckrace，whichendedinadeadheat。At1:40P。M。，theworldwasatourfeet，andtheMatterhornwasconquered!

Theothersarrived。Croznowtookthetent-pole，andplanteditinthehighestsnow。"Yes，"wesaid，"thereistheflag-staff，butwhereistheflag?""Hereitis，"

heanswered，pullingoffhisblouseandfixingittothestick。

Itmadeapoorflag，andtherewasnowindtofloatitout，yetitwasseenallaround。TheysawitatZermatt——attheRiffel——intheValTournanche……

Weremainedonthesummitforonehour——

Onecrowdedhourofgloriouslife。

Itpassedawaytooquickly，andwebegantoprepareforthedescent。

HudsonandIconsultedastothebestandsafestarrangementoftheparty。WeagreedthatitwasbestforCroztogofirst，andHadowsecond；Hudson，whowasalmostequaltoaguideinsurenessoffoot，wishedtobethird；

LordDouglaswasplacednext，andoldPeter，thestrongestoftheremainder，afterhim。IsuggestedtoHudsonthatweshouldattacharopetotherocksonourarrivalatthedifficultbit，andholditaswedescended，asanadditionalprotection。Heapprovedtheidea，butitwasnotdefinitelydecidedthatitshouldbedone。

ThepartywasbeingarrangedintheaboveorderwhileI

wassketchingthesummit，andtheyhadfinished，andwerewaitingformetobetiedinline，whensomeonerememberedthatournameshadnotbeenleftinabottle。

Theyrequestedmetowritethemdown，andmovedoffwhileitwasbeingdone。

AfewminutesafterwardItiedmyselftoyoungPeter，randownaftertheothers，andcaughtthemjustastheywerecommencingthedescentofthedifficultpart。

Greatcarewasbeingtaken。Onlyonemanwasmovingatatime；

whenhewasfirmlyplantedthenextadvanced，andsoon。

Theyhadnot，however，attachedtheadditionalropetorocks，andnothingwassaidaboutit。Thesuggestionwasnotmadeformyownsake，andIamnotsurethatiteveroccurredtomeagain。Forsomelittledistancewetwofollowedtheothers，detachedfromthem，andshouldhavecontinuedsohadnotLordDouglasaskedme，about3

P。M。，totieontooldPeter，ashefeared，hesaid，thatTaugwalderwouldnotbeabletoholdhisgroundifaslipoccurred。

Afewminuteslater，asharp-eyedladranintotheMonteRosaHotel，atZermatt，sayingthathehadseenanavalanchefallfromthesummitoftheMatterhornontotheMatterhornglacier。Theboywasreprovedfortellingidlestories；

hewasright，nevertheless，andthiswaswhathesaw。

MichelCrozhadlaidasidehisax，andinordertogiveMr。Hadowgreatersecurity，wasabsolutelytakingholdofhislegs，andputtinghisfeet，onebyone，intotheirproperpositions。AsfarasIknow，noonewasactuallydescending。Icannotspeakwithcertainty，becausethetwoleadingmenwerepartiallyhiddenfrommysightbyaninterveningmassofrock，butitismybelief，fromthemovementsoftheirshoulders，thatCroz，havingdoneasIsaid，wasintheactofturningroundtogodownasteportwohimself；

atthismomentMr。Hadowslipped，fellagainsthim，andknockedhimover。IheardonestartledexclamationfromCroz，thensawhimandMr。Hadowflyingdownward；

inanothermomentHudsonwasdraggedfromhissteps，andLordDouglasimmediatelyafterhim。Allthiswastheworkofamoment。ImmediatelyweheardCroz"sexclamation，oldPeterandIplantedourselvesasfirmlyastherockswouldpermit；theropewastautbetweenus，andthejerkcameonusbothasononeman。Weheld；buttheropebrokemidwaybetweenTaugwalderandLordFrancisDouglas。

Forafewsecondswesawourunfortunatecompanionsslidingdownwardontheirbacks，andspreadingouttheirhands，endeavoringtosavethemselves。Theypassedfromoursightuninjured，disappearedonebyone，andfellfromtheprecipicetoprecipiceontotheMatterhornglacierbelow，adistanceofnearlyfourthousandfeetinheight。

Fromthemomenttheropebrokeitwasimpossibletohelpthem。

Soperishedourcomrades!

FormorethantwohoursafterwardIthoughtalmosteverymomentthatthenextwouldbemylast；fortheTaugwalders，utterlyunnerved，werenotonlyincapableofgivingassistance，butwereinsuchastatethataslipmighthavebeenexpectedfromthematanymoment。Afteratimewewereabletodothatwhichshouldhavebeendoneatfirst，andfixedropetofirmrocks，inadditiontobeingtiedtogether。

Theseropeswerecutfromtimetotime，andwereleftbehind。

Evenwiththeirassurancethemenwereafraidtoproceed，andseveraltimesoldPeterturned，withashyfaceandfalteringlimbs，andsaid，withterribleemphasis，"ICANNOT!"

About6P。M。，wearrivedatthesnowupontheridgedescendingtowardZermatt，andallperilwasover。

Wefrequentlylooked，butinvain，fortracesofourunfortunatecompanions；webentovertheridgeandcriedtothem，butnosoundreturned。Convincedatlastthattheywereneitherwithinsightnorhearing，weceasedfromouruselessefforts；and，toocastdownforspeech，silentlygatheredupourthings，andthelittleeffectsofthosewhowerelost，andthencompletedthedescent——

SuchisMr。Whymper"sgraphicandthrillingnarrative。

ZermattgossipdarklyhintsthattheelderTaugwaldercuttherope，whentheaccidentoccurred，inordertopreservehimselffrombeingdraggedintotheabyss；

butMr。Whympersaysthattheendsoftheropeshowednoevidenceofcutting，butonlyofbreaking。HeaddsthatifTaugwalderhadhadthedispositiontocuttherope，hewouldnothavehadtimetodoit，theaccidentwassosuddenandunexpected。

LordDouglas"bodyhasneverbeenfound。Itprobablylodgeduponsomeinaccessibleshelfinthefaceofthemightyprecipice。LordDouglaswasayouthofnineteen。

Thethreeothervictimsfellnearlyfourthousandfeet，andtheirbodieslaytogetherupontheglacierwhenfoundbyMr。Whymperandtheothersearchersthenextmorning。

TheirgravesarebesidethelittlechurchinZermatt。

CHAPTERXLII

[ChillonhasaNice，RoomyDungeon]

Switzerlandissimplyalarge，humpy，solidrock，withathinskinofgrassstretchedoverit。Consequently，theydonotdiggraves，theyblastthemoutwithpowerandfuse。Theycannotaffordtohavelargegraveyards，thegrassskinistoocircumscribedandtoovaluable。

Itisallrequiredforthesupportoftheliving。

ThegraveyardinZermattoccupiesonlyaboutone-eighthofanacre。Thegravesaresunkinthelivingrock，andareverypermanent；butoccupationofthemisonlytemporary；

theoccupantcanonlystaytillhisgraveisneededbyalatersubject，heisremoved，then，fortheydonotburyonebodyontopofanother。AsIunderstandit，afamilyownsagrave，justasitownsahouse。Amandiesandleaveshishousetohisson——andatthesametime，thisdeadfathersucceedstohisownfather"sgrave。

Hemovesoutofthehouseandintothegrave，andhispredecessormovesoutofthegraveandintothecellarofthechapel。Isawablackboxlyinginthechurchyard，withskullandcross-bonespaintedonit，andwastoldthatthiswasusedintransferringremainstothecellar。

Inthatcellarthebonesandskullsofseveralhundredofformercitizenswerecompactlycordedup。Theymadeapileeighteenfeetlong，sevenfeethigh，andeightfeetwide。

IwastoldthatinsomeofthereceptaclesofthiskindintheSwissvillages，theskullswereallmarked，andifamanwishedtofindtheskullsofhisancestorsforseveralgenerationsback，hecoulddoitbythesemarks，preservedinthefamilyrecords。

AnEnglishgentlemanwhohadlivedsomeyearsinthisregion，saiditwasthecradleofcompulsoryeducation。

ButhesaidthattheEnglishideathatcompulsoryeducationwouldreducebastardyandintemperancewasanerror——ithasnotthateffect。HesaidtherewasmoreseductionintheProtestantthanintheCatholiccantons，becausetheconfessionalprotectedthegirls。Iwonderwhyitdoesn"tprotectmarriedwomeninFranceandSpain?

ThisgentlemansaidthatamongthepoorerpeasantsintheValais，itwascommonforthebrothersinafamilytocastlotstodeterminewhichofthemshouldhavethecovetedprivilegeofmarrying，andhisbrethren——doomedbachelors——heroicallybandedthemselvestogethertohelpsupportthenewfamily。

WeleftZermattinawagon——andinarain-storm，too——

forSt。Nicholasaboutteno"clockonemorning。

Againwepassedbetweenthosegrass-cladprodigiouscliffs，speckedwithweedwellingspeepingoveratusfromvelvetygreenwallstenandtwelvehundredfeethigh。

Itdidnotseempossiblethattheimaginarychamoisevencouldclimbthoseprecipices。Loversonoppositecliffsprobablykissthroughaspy-glass，andcorrespondwitharifle。

InSwitzerlandthefarmer"splowisawideshovel，whichscrapesupandturnsoverthethinearthyskinofhisnativerock——andtherethemanoftheplowisahero。

Nowhere，byourSt。Nicholasroad，wasagrave，andithadatragicstory。Aplowmanwasskinninghisfarmonemorning——notthesteepestpartofit，butstillasteeppart——thatis，hewasnotskinningthefrontofhisfarm，buttheroofofit，neartheeaves——whenheabsent-mindedlyletgooftheplow-handlestomoistenhishands，intheusualway；helosthisbalanceandfelloutofhisfarmbackward；poorfellow，henevertouchedanythingtillhestruckbottom，fifteenhundredfeetbelow。

[1]Wethrowahaloofheroismaroundthelifeofthesoldierandthesailor，becauseofthedeadlydangerstheyarefacingallthetime。Butwearenotusedtolookinguponfarmingasaheroicoccupation。ThisisbecausewehavenotlivedinSwitzerland。

1。ThiswasonaSunday——M。T。

FromSt。NicholaswestruckoutforVisp——orVispach——onfoot。

Therain-stormshadbeenatworkduringseveraldays，andhaddoneadealofdamageinSwitzerlandandSavoy。

Wecametooneplacewhereastreamhadchangeditscourseandplungeddownamountaininanewplace，sweepingeverythingbeforeit。Twopoorbutpreciousfarmsbytheroadsidewereruined。Onewaswashedclearaway，andthebed-rockexposed；theotherwasburiedoutofsightunderatumbledchaosofrocks，gravel，mud，andrubbish。

Theresistlessmightofwaterwaswellexemplified。

Somesaplingswhichhadstoodinthewaywerebenttotheground，strippedcleanoftheirbark，andburiedunderrockydebris。

Theroadhadbeensweptaway，too。

Inanotherplace，wheretheroadwashighuponthemountain"sface，anditsoutsideedgeprotectedbyflimsymasonry，wefrequentlycameacrossspotswherethismasonryhadcarvedoffandleftdangerousgapsformulestogetover；

andwithstillmorefrequencywefoundthemasonryslightlycrumbled，andmarkedbymule-hoofs，thusshowingthattherehadbeendangerofanaccidenttosomebody。

Whenatlastwecametoabadlyrupturedbitofmasonry，withhoof-printsevidencingadesperatestruggletoregainthelostfoothold，Ilookedquitehopefullyoverthedizzyprecipice。Buttherewasnobodydownthere。

TheytakeexceedinglygoodcareoftheirriversinSwitzerlandandotherportionsofEurope。Theywallupbothbankswithslantingsolidstonemasonry——sothatfromendtoendoftheseriversthebankslooklikethewharvesatSt。LouisandothertownsontheMississippiRiver。

ItwasduringthiswalkfromSt。Nicholas，intheshadowofthemajesticAlps，thatwecameacrosssomelittlechildrenamusingthemselvesinwhatseemed，atfirst，amostoddandoriginalway——butitwasn"t；itwasinsimplyanaturalandcharacteristicway。Theywereropedtogetherwithastring，theyhadmimicalpenstocksandice-axes，andwereclimbingameekandlowlymanure-pilewithamostblood-curdlingamountofcareandcaution。

The"guide"attheheadofthelinecutimaginarysteps，inalaboriousandpainstakingway，andnotamonkeybudgedtillthestepabovewasvacated。Ifwehadwaitedweshouldhavewitnessedanimaginaryaccident，nodoubt；

andweshouldhaveheardtheintrepidbandhurrahwhentheymadethesummitandlookedarounduponthe"magnificentview，"

andseenthemthrowthemselvesdowninexhaustedattitudesforarestinthatcommandingsituation。

InNevadaIusedtoseethechildrenplayatsilver-mining。

Ofcourse，thegreatthingwasanaccidentinamine，andthereweretwo"star"parts；thatofthemanwhofelldownthemimicshaft，andthatofthedaringherowhowasloweredintothedepthstobringhimup。

IknewonesmallchapwhoalwaysinsistedonplayingBOTHoftheseparts——andhecarriedhispoint。

Hewouldtumbleintotheshaftanddie，andthencometothesurfaceandgobackafterhisownremains。

Itisthesmartestboythatgetstheheroparteverywhere；

heisheadguideinSwitzerland，headminerinNevada，headbull-fighterinSpain，etc。；butIknewapreacher"sson，sevenyearsold，whoonceselectedapartforhimselfcomparedtowhichthosejustmentionedaretameandunimpressive。

Jimmy"sfatherstoppedhimfromdrivingimaginaryhorse-carsoneSunday——stoppedhimfromplayingcaptainofanimaginarysteamboatnextSunday——stoppedhimfromleadinganimaginaryarmytobattlethefollowingSunday——andsoon。Finallythelittlefellowsaid:

"I"vetriedeverything，andtheywon"tanyofthemdo。

WhatCANIplay?"

"Ihardlyknow，Jimmy；butyouMUSTplayonlythingsthataresuitabletotheSabbath-day。"

NextSundaythepreachersteppedsoftlytoaback-roomdoortoseeifthechildrenwererightlyemployed。

Hepeepedin。Achairoccupiedthemiddleoftheroom，andonthebackofithungJimmy"scap；oneofhislittlesisterstookthecapdown，nibbledatit，thenpassedittoanothersmallsisterandsaid，"Eatofthisfruit，foritisgood。"TheReverendtookinthesituation——alas，theywereplayingtheExpulsionfromEden!Yethefoundonelittlecrumbofcomfort。Hesaidtohimself，"ForonceJimmyhasyieldedthechiefrole——Ihavebeenwronginghim，Ididnotbelievetherewassomuchmodestyinhim；

IshouldhaveexpectedhimtobeeitherAdamorEve。"

Thiscrumbofcomfortlastedbutaverylittlewhile；

heglancedaroundanddiscoveredJimmystandinginanimposingattitudeinacorner，withadarkanddeadlyfrownonhisface。Whatthatmeantwasveryplain——HEWAS

IMPERSONATINGTHEDEITY!Thinkoftheguilelesssublimityofthatidea。

WereachedVispachat8P。M。，onlyaboutsevenhoursoutfromSt。Nicholas。Sowemusthavemadefullyamileandahalfanhour，anditwasalldownhill，too，andverymuddyatthat。WestayedallnightattheHo^teldeSoleil；Irememberitbecausethelandlady，theportier，thewaitress，andthechambermaidwerenotseparatepersons，butwereallcontainedinoneneatandchippersuitofspotlessmuslin，andshewastheprettiestyoungcreatureIsawinallthatregion。Shewasthelandlord"sdaughter。AndIrememberthattheonlynativematchtoherIsawinallEuropewastheyoungdaughterofthelandlordofavillageinnintheBlackForest。

Whydon"tmorepeopleinEuropemarryandkeephotel?

NextmorningweleftwithafamilyofEnglishfriendsandwentbytraintoBrevet，andthencebyboatacrossthelaketoOuchy(Lausanne)。

Ouchyismemorabletome，notonaccountofitsbeautifulsituationandlovelysurroundings——althoughthesewouldmakeitsticklonginone"smemory——butastheplacewhere_I_caughttheLondonTIMESdroppingintohumor。

ItwasNOTawareofit，though。Itdidnotdoitonpurpose。

AnEnglishfriendcalledmyattentiontothislapse，andcutoutthereprehensibleparagraphforme。Thinkofencounteringagrinlikethisonthefaceofthatgrimjournal:

ERRATUM——WearerequestedbyReuter"sTelegramCompanytocorrectanerroneousannouncementmadeintheirBrisbanetelegramofthe2dinst。，publishedinourimpressionofthe5thinst。，statingthat"LadyKennedyhadgivenbirthtotwins，theeldestbeingason。"TheCompanyexplainthatthemessagetheyreceivedcontainedthewords"GovernorofQueensland，TWINSFIRSTSON。"Being，however，subsequentlyinformedthatSirArthurKennedywasunmarriedandthattheremustbesomemistake，atelegraphicrepetitionwasatoncedemanded。Ithasbeenreceivedtoday(11thinst。)

andshowsthatthewordsreallytelegraphedbyReuter"sagentwere"GovernorQueenslandTURNSFIRSTSOD，"

alludingtotheMaryborough-GympicRailwayincourseofconstruction。ThewordsinitalicsweremutilatedbythetelegraphintransmissionfromAustralia，andreachingthecompanyintheformmentionedabovegaverisetothemistake。

Ihadalwayshadadeepandreverentcompassionforthesufferingsofthe"prisonerofChillon，"

whosestoryByronhadtoldinsuchmovingverse；soItookthesteamerandmadepilgrimagetothedungeonsoftheCastleofChillon，toseetheplacewherepoorBonnivardenduredhisdrearycaptivitythreehundredyearsago。

IamgladIdidthat，forittookawaysomeofthepainIwasfeelingontheprisoner"saccount。Hisdungeonwasanice，cool，roomyplace，andIcannotseewhyheshouldhavebeendissatisfiedwithit。IfhehadbeenimprisonedinaSt。Nicholasprivatedwelling，wherethefertilizerprevails，andthegoatsleepswiththeguest，andthechickensroostonhimandthecowcomesinandbothershimwhenhewantstomuse，itwouldhavebeenanothermatteraltogether；buthesurelycouldnothavehadaverycheerlesstimeofitinthatprettydungeon。

Ithasromanticwindow-slitsthatletingenerousbarsoflight，andithastall，noblecolumns，carvedapparentlyfromthelivingrock；andwhatismore，theyarewrittenalloverwiththousandsofnames；someofthem——likeByron"sandVictorHugo"s——ofthefirstcelebrity。

Whydidn"theamusehimselfreadingthesenames?Thentherearethecouriersandtourists——swarmsofthemeveryday——whatwastohinderhimfromhavingagoodtimewiththem?IthinkBonnivard"ssufferingshavebeenoverrated。

Next，wetookthetrainandwenttoMartigny，onthewaytoMontBlanc。Nextmorningwestarted，abouteighto"clock，onfoot。Wehadplentyofcompany，inthewayofwagon-loadsandmule-loadsoftourists——anddust。

Thisscatteringprocessionoftravelerswasperhapsamilelong。Theroadwasuphill——interminableuphill——andtolerablysteep。Theweatherwasblisteringlyhot，andthemanorwomanwhohadtositonacreepingmule，orinacrawlingwagon，andbroilinthebeatingsun，wasanobjecttobepitied。Wecoulddodgeamongthebushes，andhavethereliefofshade，butthosepeoplecouldnot。

Theypaidforaconveyance，andtogettheirmoney"sworththeyrode。

WewentbythewayoftheTe^teNoir，andafterwereachedhighgroundtherewasnolackoffinescenery。

Inoneplacetheroadwastunneledthroughashoulderofthemountain；fromthereonelookeddownintoagorgewitharushingtorrentinit，andoneveryhandwasacharmingviewofrockybuttressesandwoodedheights。

Therewasaliberalallowanceofprettywaterfalls，too，ontheTe^teNoirroute。

AbouthalfanhourbeforewereachedthevillageofArgentie`reavastdomeofsnowwiththesunblazingonitdriftedintoviewandframeditselfinastrongV-shapedgatewayofthemountains，andwerecognizedMontBlanc，the"monarchoftheAlps。"Witheverystep，afterthat，thisstatelydomerosehigherandhigherintothebluesky，andatlastseemedtooccupythezenith。

SomeofMontBlanc"sneighbors——bare，light-brown，steeplelikerocks——wereverypeculiarlyshaped。Somewerewhittledtoasharppoint，andslightlybentattheupperend，likealady"sfinger；onemonstersugar-loafresembledabishop"shat；itwastoosteeptoholdsnowonitssides，buthadsomeinthedivision。

Whilewewerestillonveryhighground，andbeforethedescenttowardArgentie`rebegan，welookeduptowardaneighboringmountain-top，andsawexquisiteprismaticcolorsplayingaboutsomewhitecloudswhichweresodelicateastoalmostresemblegossamerwebs。

Thefaintpinksandgreenswerepeculiarlybeautiful；

noneofthecolorsweredeep，theywerethelightestshades。

Theywerebewitchingcommingled。Wesatdowntostudyandenjoythissingularspectacle。Thetintsremainedduringseveralminutes——fitting，changing，meltingintoeachother；

palingalmostawayforamoment，thenreflushing——ashifting，restless，unstablesuccessionofsoftopalinegleams，shimmeringoverthatairfilmofwhitecloud，andturningitintoafabricdaintyenoughtoclotheanangelwith。

Byandbyweperceivedwhatthosesuper-delicatecolors，andtheircontinuousplayandmovement，remindedusof；

itiswhatoneseesinasoap-bubblethatisdriftingalong，catchingchangesoftintfromtheobjectsitpasses。

Asoap-bubbleisthemostbeautifulthing，andthemostexquisite，innature；thatlovelyphantomfabricintheskywassuggestiveofasoap-bubblesplitopen，andspreadoutinthesun。Iwonderhowmuchitwouldtaketobuyasoap-bubble，iftherewasonlyoneintheworld?

OnecouldbuyahatfulofKoh-i-Noorswiththesamemoney，nodoubt。

WemadethetrampfromMartignytoArgentie`reineighthours。

Webeatallthemulesandwagons；wedidn"tusuallydothat。

Wehiredasortofopenbaggage-wagonforthetripdownthevalleytoChamonix，andthendevotedanhourtodining。

Thisgavethedrivertimetogetdrunk。Hehadafriendwithhim，andthisfriendalsohadhadtimetogetdrunk。

Whenwedroveoff，thedriversaidallthetouristshadarrivedandgonebywhilewewereatdinner；"but，"saidhe，impressively，"benotdisturbedbythat——remaintranquil——giveyourselvesnouneasiness——theirdustrisesfarbeforeus——

restyoutranquil，leavealltome——Iamthekingofdrivers。

Behold!"

Downcamehiswhip，andawayweclattered。Ineverhadsuchashakingupinmylife。Therecentfloodingrainshadwashedtheroadclearawayinplaces，butweneverstopped，weneversloweddownforanything。Wetorerightalong，overrocks，rubbish，gullies，openfields——sometimeswithoneortwowheelsontheground，butgenerallywithnone。

Everynowandthenthatcalm，good-naturedmadmanwouldbendamajesticlookoverhisshoulderatusandsay，"Ah，youperceive?ItisasIhavesaid——Iamthekingofdrivers。"Everytimewejustmissedgoingtodestruction，hewouldsay，withtranquilhappiness，"Enjoyit，gentlemen，itisveryrare，itisveryunusual——

itisgiventofewtoridewiththekingofdrivers——

andobserve，itisasIhavesaid，_I_amhe。"

HespokeinFrench，andpunctuatedwithhiccoughs。

HisfriendwasFrench，too，butspokeinGerman——usingthesamesystemofpunctuation，however。Thefriendcalledhimselfthe"CaptainofMontBlanc，"andwantedustomaketheascentwithhim。Hesaidhehadmademoreascentsthananyotherman——fortyseven——andhisbrotherhadmadethirty-seven。Hisbrotherwasthebestguideintheworld，excepthimself——buthe，yes，observehimwell——hewasthe"CaptainofMontBlanc"——thattitlebelongedtononeother。

The"king"wasasgoodashisword——heovertookthatlongprocessionoftouristsandwentbyitlikeahurricane。

TheresultwasthatwegotchoicerroomsatthehotelinChamonixthanweshouldhavedoneifhismajestyhadbeenaslowerartist——orrather，ifhehadn"tmostprovidentiallygotdrunkbeforeheleftArgentie`re。

CHAPTERXLIII

[MyPoorSickFriendDisappointed]

Everybodywasout-of-doors；everybodywasintheprincipalstreetofthevillage——notonthesidewalks，butalloverthestreet；everybodywaslounging，loafing，chatting，waiting，alert，expectant，interested——foritwastrain-time。Thatistosay，itwasdiligence-time——

thehalf-dozenbigdiligenceswouldsoonbearrivingfromGeneva，andthevillagewasinterested，inmanyways，inknowinghowmanypeoplewerecomingandwhatsortoffolktheymightbe。Itwasaltogetherthelivest-lookingstreetwehadseeninanyvillageonthecontinent。

Thehotelwasbythesideofaboomingtorrent，whosemusicwasloudandstrong；wecouldnotseethistorrent，foritwasdark，now，butonecouldlocateitwithoutalight。

Therewasalargeenclosedyardinfrontofthehotel，andthiswasfilledwithgroupsofvillagerswaitingtoseethediligencesarrive，ortohirethemselvestoexcursionistsforthemorrow。Atelescopestoodintheyard，withitshugebarrelcanteduptowardthelustrouseveningstar。

Thelongporchofthehotelwaspopulouswithtourists，whosatinshawlsandwrapsunderthevastovershadowingbulkofMontBlanc，andgossipedormeditated。

Neverdidamountainseemsoclose；itsbigsidesseemedatone"sveryelbow，anditsmajesticdome，andtheloftyclusterofslenderminaretsthatwereitsneighbors，seemedtobealmostoverone"shead。Itwasnightinthestreets，andthelampsweresparklingeverywhere；

thebroadbasesandshouldersofthemountainswereinadeepgloom，buttheirsummitsswaminastrangerichglowwhichwasreallydaylight，andyethadamellowsomethingaboutitwhichwasverydifferentfromthehardwhiteglareofthekindofdaylightIwasusedto。

Itsradiancewasstrongandclear，butatthesametimeitwassingularlysoft，andspiritual，andbenignant。

No，itwasnotourharsh，aggressive，realisticdaylight；

itseemedproperertoanenchantedland——ortoheaven。

Ihadseenmoonlightanddaylighttogetherbefore，butI

hadnotseendaylightandblacknightelbowtoelbowbefore。

AtleastIhadnotseenthedaylightrestinguponanobjectsufficientlycloseathand，before，tomakethecontraststartlingandatwarwithnature。

Thedaylightpassedaway。Presentlythemoonroseupbehindsomeofthosesky-piercingfingersorpinnaclesofbarerockofwhichIhavespoken——theywerealittletotheleftofthecrestofMontBlanc，andrightoverourheads——butshecouldn"tmanagetoclimbhighenoughtowardheaventogetentirelyabovethem。

Shewouldshowtheglitteringarchofherupperthird，occasionally，andscrapeitalongbehindthecomblikerow；

sometimesapinnaclestoodstraightup，likeastatuetteofebony，againstthatglitteringwhiteshield，thenseemedtoglideoutofitbyitsownvolitionandpower，andbecomeadimspecter，whilethenextpinnacleglidedintoitsplaceandblottedthespotlessdiskwiththeblackexclamation-pointofitspresence。Thetopofonepinnacletooktheshapely，clean-cutformofarabbit"shead，intheinkiestsilhouette，whileitrestedagainstthemoon。

Theunilluminedpeaksandminarets，hoveringvagueandphantom-likeaboveuswhiletheotherswerepainfullywhiteandstrongwithsnowandmoonlight，madeapeculiareffect。