Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-16

ing man who had cut his way mp with
hatchet from the depths of one of these crevices.
He spoke with great seriousness of his deliver
ance, and had no intention of risking himself
again in a similar experiment. The case is on
record of u shepherd who was crossing this very
glacier with his flock, when he fell into one of
these clefts, into which also torrent was pour.
ing. This stream was his guide to life and
liberty again; for he followed its course under
the archway it had made, until it led him to the
root of the glazier into the open air. But a
Swiss clergyman, a spiritual shepherd, M. Mou-
ron, was leaning on the edge of a fissnre to ex-
plore q remarkable formation over the brink,
when the staff on which he rested gave way,
and he fell, only to be drawn ont again man
gled corpse A man was let down by a rope,
and after two or three unsuccessful expeditions,
found him at last and was drawn up with the
body in his arms. Had read this fact before
/ visited the glacier, should not have made
one or two experiments which at the time
thought perfectly safe.
Coming down from the hill we had hard
work in crossing some dangerous clefts in the
rocks, and once / planted my alpen stock
firmly, as l thought, in the thin soil, and
| leaped; the spike failed the foot of the staff
slipped on and left the steel in the ground, and
/ was sprawling generally along down the hill
| fortunately recovered my foothold, and came
down standingl And this is q good place in
which to say that shoes with iron nails in the
soles are not the best for walking over these
mountains: good pair of boots with double
soles have served me many times, sticking fast
in the face of slippery rock, while travellers
shod with iron have been sliding down with no
strength of sole to resist the gravitation. But
met with no such misfortune in all my travels
over the most dangerous passes, and under
circumstances of trial not often exceeded by
those who wander in these parts.
We had several sorts of weather in this ex-
pediton to the source of the Aar. The misty
morning was succeeded by a glowing sun at
noon, and this was followed by clouds and rain.
When this was coming, we thought it time to
be going, and gathering few flowers, as usual,
on the verge Of the cold beds of ice, we turned
our weary steps towards the Hospice 1t was
our good fortune Just then to meet an Italian
artist, who had lost his way, and we had the
pleasure of guiding him to the Hospice. Wan.
dering with his knapsack and portfolio, in
search Of the beautiful in nature, which he
sketched by the way, it was of no great con-
sequence to him in which direction he travelled,
but storm was now at hand, it was rapidly
growing cold, and he was going every moment
farther from any place OF shelter. We were
soon housed safely in the Hospice, and glad
enough to stretch ourselves on o bed after the
walk of the morning.
1t was hard to keep warm anywhere else but
in bed. The house was yet SO unfinished and
open, and the storm increasing every moment;
wretched old stove in one corner of the eat.
ingroom, scarcely giving any heat with the few
sticks of fuel we were able to find. We wrap
ped blankets around us, and tried to write, and
when that proved to be more than we could ac-
complish under the difficulties, / took my Bible
and read to my German friend some of the
| sublimest passages in the Psalms, where the
Lord is revealed among the mountains, and his
majesty protrayed by the loftiest Of his works.
| He listened with interest, and when laid aside
the book, he asked for it, and read it long and
earnestly.
As the evening drew on, few travellers be.
gan to drop in. and at seven o clock o company,
much like the one of last night, but all with
new faces, sat down to supper.
IREN EUS.