Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1852-03-04

upon II, although III every nook OF shade the
snow still remained unthawed.
As soon as we had arranged our packs and
bundles, we began to change our clothes, which
were tolerably well wet through with trudging
and tumbling about among the snow; and cutting
a number Of pegs, we strewed our garments a
bout the crannies Of the rocks to dry. l put on
two shirts, two pairs Of lamb's-wool socks, a
thick pair Of Scotch plaid trousers, "Templar"
Iworsted head-piece, and a common blouse; and
my companions were attired in similar man |
Iner. There was now great activity in the camp.
Some of the guides rsDgr3 The 1si5s bottles siie I
by side in the snow; others unpacked the re-
freshment knapsacks; others, again, made rude |
fireplace, and filled a stew-pan with snow TO
melt. All this time it was so hot, and the sun
vas so bright, that began to think the guide
who told de Saussure he should take parasol
lup with him did not deserve TO have been laugh
led at.
As soon as our wild bivouaC assumed little
appearance of order, two Of the guides were sent
lup the glacier to go great way ahead, and then
return and report upon the state of tho snow on
the platSdur. When they had started, we
lperched ourselves about, on the comparatively
level spaces Of the rock, and with knife and fin
gers began our dinner.
We had scarcely commenced when our party
was Joined by young Irishman and guide,
who had taken advantage Of the beaten track left
behind us, and marched up on our traces with
tslerabe ease, leaving to us the honor (and ex-
pense) of cutting out the path. My younger
Friends, with little ebulliton of university feel
ing, proposed, under such circumstances, that
we should give him reception in keeping with
the glacier; but thought it would be so hyper
Ipunctilious TO show temper here, on the Grands
Mulets rocks, up and away IN the regions of
Iata thouaan1 faat from ha IpyA
world that | ventured on very mild hint TO
this effect, which was received with all the ac-
quiescence and good temper imaginable. Sowe
asked him to contribute his stores to our table,
and, dare say, should have got on very well
together; but the guides began to squabble about
what they considered breach Of etiquette, and
presently, with his attendant, he moved away to
the next rock. Afterwards another follower"
arrived, w ith two guides, and he subsequently
reached the summit.
We kept high festival that afternoon on the
Grands Mulets. One stage of our journey
and that one by no means the easiest--had been
achieved without the slightest hurt or harm -
The consciousness of success thus FAR, the pure
transparent air, the excitement attached to the
very position in which we found ourselves, and
the strange bewildering novelty of the surround
ing scenery, prodHced flowing exhilaration Of
spirits that l had never before experienced
, The feeling was shared by all; and we laughed
, and sung, and made the guides contribute what
: ever they could TO the general amusement, and
I told them such stories would translate well
, in return; until, believe, that dinner never will
| be forgotten by them. A fine diversion was
; afforded by racing the empty bottles down the
glacier. We flung them off from the rocks as
E far as we were able, and then watched their
course. Whenever they CHANGED TO point neck
first down the slope, they started of with incon-
1 ceivable velocity leaping the crevices by their
own impetus until they were lost in the distance.
The excitement Of the guides during this amuse-
= ment was very remarkable: a stand of betting
= men could not have betrayed more at the Derby.
{ Their anxiety when one Of the bottles approach
5 ed crevce was intense; and if the gulf was
a cleared, they perfectly screamed with delight,
e 60 Voict un bon coluelrl" or "IienS! CONNIE Il
| saul bienr' burst from them; and lie grand
| s'arretei" "H est perdu-qud dommdge!"-
{ I".Non-tl nldrche encore" could not have been
uttered with more earnestnoss had they been
watching herd of chamos.
; 1t got somewhat chilly as the sun left the Mu-
lets, but never so cold as TO be uncomfortable.
o With my back agains; the rock, and common
}; railway rug over my feet and legs. needed
g nothing else. My knapsack was handy at my
: elbow to lean upon--the same old companion
c that had often served for my pillow on the Med
! iterranean and the Nile: and SO had altogether
the finest couch upon which weary travele
Al ever rested.
|" have, as yet, purposely abstained from de
> scribing the glorious view above, around, an
'e beneath u.s. for the details of our bvouac woul
le have interrupted me much as the arrange
le ments actually did, until we got completely sci
70 tied for the night-at least so much of il as W
/ l,,ara 10 r,Ss thare The Grands MuletS rock
le are evidently the highest spnes, so to speak,
d. a ridge Of the mountain dividing the origin
u the two glaciers Of Bosksons and Tacconay.-
is They are chosen for halting- place, not le'
BY from their convenient station on the route tha
ry from their situation out of the way Of the av
up Ilanches. From the western face Of the pes
~ ON which we were situated we could not 81
IN IChamouni, except by climbing up 10 4
'ie top Of the rock-rather a hazardous thiI
to do--and peeping over it, when the whole e
he tent Of this valley could be very well made Oh
the villages looking like atoms Of white grit up,
rk die chequered ground. Below us, and Iisil
up against our position, was the mighty field of d
snt glacier--a huge prairie, if may term it so,
IT, snow and ice, with vast irregular undulatior
nj, which gradually merged into an apparent
led smooth unbroken tract, their distance increa
". ed Towering in front Of us, several thousa
I'M, feet higher, and two or three miles away, y
ad; still having the strange appearance Of proxim
zee, that | have before alluded to, was the hu
md Dome du Goute-the mighty cupola usually m
and taken by the valley travellers for the summit
en- Mont Blanc. Up the glacier, on my left, "
lni, an enormous and ascending valley of ice, VIII
and might have been couple Of miles across;
hen in its course were two or three steep banks
our snow, hundreds of feet in height, gian, ST
ion Inv which The lev el lansinOplace Of the CIR