The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-09-08

To-day, at the summit house of the noun
tain, opened an herbarium. and there were
three inches of name, as hopeless and unpro-
nounceable az the German of our guides, piled
upon my little flower. / shut the herbarium.
This morning we started early from Grindel
wald-that is, 10y eight O'Clock An uncloud
ed, clear, breezy morning, the air full of the
sounds OF cascades and Of the little bells of the
herds As we began to wind upward into that
delectable region which forms the first stage Of
ascent, | said to -, "The more of beautiful
scenery see, the more ! appreciate the won
derful poetry of the Pilgrims Progress" The
meadows by the river Of life, curiously adorned
with lilies; the delectable mountains; the land
of Beuah; how often have thought of them
From this we went off upon painting, and then
upon music, the freshness of the mountain ali
inspiring our way. At last, while we were
riding in the very lap of rolling field full Of
grass and flowers, the sharp blue and white
crystals of the glacier rose at once before us
"0h, | want to get down." said !, @and &c
near them"
Down did get, and, taking what seemed to
be the straightest course, began running down
the hillside towards them
HNo, no! Back, back " shouted the guide
iap
came back; and, taking my hand, he led
me along path where travellers generally 60
went closer, and sat down on a rock under
them, and looked up. The clear sun was shi-
ming through them; clear and blue looked the
riffs and arches, all dripping and beautiful
We went down upon them by steps, which a
man cut in the ice. There was one rift of ice
we looked into, which was about fifty feet high,
going up into q sharp arch. The inside Of
this arch was clear blue ice, of the color OF
crystal of blue yitriol. One of our romantic
companions, most uneasy fellow, wanted as
usual, to do all sorts Of improper things He
wanted to stone down blocks Of ice, and to 90
inside the cave and to 60 down into holes, and
insisted ON standing particularly long on spot
which the guide told him was all undermined,
In order that he might pelt cliff of ice that
seemed inclined to fall, and hear it smash.
The poor guide was as distressed as hen,
when her ducks take, to the water he ran,
and called, and shouted, in German, French,
and English, and it was not till c. had
contrived to throw the head of the little boys
hatchet down into a creuGSSe, that he gave up.
There were two francs to pay for this expert
ment, but nevor mind Our guide-book says,
that clergyman of Yevay, on this glacier,
fell into a creyasse several hundred feet deep,
and was killed; SO | was glad enough when
we got our ehlvalrous friend Oft from it.
He ought to have bell on his neck, as all
the COWS do here and apropos to this We
mount-we leave the glacier, and ride up
into land of pastures Here we see hun
dred cows grazing in the field-the fields all
yellow with butter cups. They are very
small breed, prettily formed, and each had on
her neck bell. How many notes there are
in these bells quite diapason-some very
deep toned, and 30 on, up to the highest how
prettily they sound, all going together The
bells are made of the best of metal, for the
tone is of an admirable quality
Oh do look off there, on that Itch of snow
under the Wetterhern 1t is all covered wi tn
COWS they look no bigger than insects "What
makes them 90 there :" said we to our guides.
" TO be eool!p was the answer.
Hark what's that ? sudden sound. like
the rush of cascade
Avalanche avalanche y exclaimed the
guide. And now, pouring down the sides of
the Wctterhorn, came a milk white cascade.
looking Just Eia any afhar- sasaada neltinn
gracefuAs the rocks, and spreading, like
q stream of milk, on the soiled snow below.
This is q summer avalanche mere bjou--
a fancy article, got up, or rather got down
to entertain travellers. The winter ayalanches
ore quite other things. Witness little fur
Their in our track where our guide stops us
and points to a place whers ali the pines have
been broken short off by one of them. Some
where along here, remember some old ghost
ly pines, dead ages ago, their white, ghastly
skeletons bleached by a hundred storms, they
stand, stretching out their long bony arms, like
phantom giants. These skeleton pines are a
wonderful image; ! wonder ! have not seen
Thorn introduced into pictures.
There, now, little ahead, is small hut,
which marks the summit Of the gran Schni-
dch. Our horses come up to it, and we dis
mount. Some OF the party go in to sleep
20 out to climb a neighboring peak. At the
foot of this peak lay wreath Of snow, soiled
and dirty, as hslfmelted snow always is, but,
lying amid the green grass and luxuriant flow
ers it had q strange air. little spot Of death
in the green lap of rejoicing life--like that
death-spot which often lies in the human
all seeming flowers and bloom
cold, cherries no sunbeam warns it, and the
warming that unfolds thousands Of blooms
around it, does not melt it.
ers leaning their cheeks on the SHOWS. won.
der il anyhowers do grow near enough to that
snow TO touch it. | mean TO 90 and see. 30
] went; there sure enough, my little fringed
purple bell to which J have given the name
suspirium" was growing, not only close to
the snow but in it.
Thus Gods grace, shining steadily on the
waste places Of the human heart brings up
heavenward sighings and aspirations which
pierce through the cold SHOWS of affection, and
tell that there is yet life beneath, and power
which shall melt all away. These flowers arc
the prayers of the afflicted hearts, called up
through the ice of long, pressing, bitter ago
ny, by the sunshine Of Gods mercy They
teach us never to despair. climbed up the
grassy sides Of the peak, flowers to the very
top, and on the top rock Of loose shale.
There sat down and looked. This is Alpine
solitude All around me were these deep green
dells embroidered with flowers from which
comes up the tinkle of bells, like the dropping
of rain everywhere. II seems TO me that the
air is more elastic and musical here than be
low, and gives grace to the commonost sound
Now look back along the way we have been
travelling. / look at the strange old cloudy
mountains, the Eiger, the Wetterhorn, the
Shuckhorn A kind Of hazy ether floats
round them--an indescribablc aerial halo
which no painter ever represents. Who can
paint the air--thst vivid blue in which these
sharp peaks cut their glittering images OF
oil peaks, the Eiger is the most impressive "a
me- II is a gigantic ploughshare Of rock, SCI
up against the sky, its thin, keen purple blade
edged with Offering FROST for 80 sharp is it,
point, that only dazzling line marks the eter.
nal snow on its head.
| walked out as far as ] could on q narrow
summit, and took last look Glaciers SHOWS
mountains sunny dells and flowers all, good
bye. Pm pilgrim and q stranger.
Already looking down TO the shanty, ! see
the guide, like q hen that has lost chicken,
shaking his wings, and clucking and making
a great fuss. could stay here all day. !
would like to stay two or three--to SEQ how il
would look ut sunrise, ut sunset-to lie down
In ooa az thsse sunny hollowa and look no into