Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-10-22
Mlistellnncous.
THE ALPS
BY mARnIr nrrcnrn srowr.

hpOut lu o CLOCK, rom the valley OF LautcrbruVll
ON horseback--Our party ofthrce-with two guides
We had first been to see the famous Stanla,h.
beautiful though not sublime object Cpwc bepat
10 go among those beautiful green undulation
which form tbs lowcr part of the mountain. IL
hdying tlmc-a bright day--a is cheerful: the bird
eng anu mon. women aud children are busy i'm n,
held. Up we go--zig-zag--it grows stecper an
sleeper. Now right below me is a field, wLc~
mon are literally working almost oua pcrpcndict
lar wall, cutting hay; now we are SO high tha Il,
houses in the valley look like chips llcIc We stnut
ina place two thousand feet above the VALLEY. Thor
Is no shield or sctecn the horse stands ON the yer
cdge, and the guide stops, lets q his bride an
compOscdly commences OrutiOu on the scene {
low. 'Oh! for mcrcy's sake, why "why do yOt
stop heroy. ! say; pray - on lie looks il
my face with innocent wonder, takes the bride il
his arm, and goes on. Now We have come TO ia,
little village of Wengcn, whence The Wcngon Alul
take their name How leautifu how like nirl,
land! Up horo, midwayu air. is beautiful grcci
nook with unduatng dclls and shadwowy. brccz,
nests whore are the cottages of the lawmakers -
The Dolcctablo Mountains had no scene more love.
ly. Each house has its roof heavily loaded with
stones. what i that furl" | ask. The whirl.
winds says nay guide. with significant turn Of
his hands. This is the school-housc" lac adds rs
we pass building larger than the rest. Now the
path turns and slopes down steep bank covered
with hay-co:ks, to little NOOK below likewise GOV
cred with nay. " my horse ~ going to throw me
anywhere, wish it may be here; it il not 50 bad a
thing to roll down into that hay. But now we
mount higher--the breezy dcls. enabled with flow
crs and grass, become more few; the great black
pines take their place, though they still occur occa-
eiOnally. Right before us. in the purcst as bride
adorned for her husband rises the beautiful jung
frau, wearing on her forehead the silver horn and
the snow horn. The silver horn is peak d izzling
bright, of the purest snow and It's crest is now seen
in relief against sky of the deepest blue See,
also, how those dark pines Of the foreground con-
trast with 1t, like the stern, mournlnl realities of
life seen against the dazzling hopes of Heaven.
There Is something celestial in these mountains
You might think such vision rs that to he bright
footstoOl Of heaven, from which the next would be
into an unknown world That dazzling summit
has never been prolancd hy mortal foot il is who'll
ly inaccessible. The pines here begin to show
that long white beard Of moss, which admire so
much in Maine. Now we go right up over their
heads--therc, the tall pines are under our feet \
little more, and now above rise the stern, naked
rocks, where only the chanlois and the wild goat
live. But sil fair as the moon, clear ns the sun,
looks forth the Jungfrau We turn, To look down.
That Stauboch, which in the valley seemed TO fall
from such an immense prccipice. higher than we
could gaze, is now silver thread far leow cur
feet and the valley of Lauterbruun seems as moth
ing. Only bleak, purpsh crags, rising all around
Us, and silent, silver mountains looking over them.
That one before You is the Monk" says one OF
our friend, calling to me from behind, and roin-
ting to great snow peak.
Our guide, with animation, introduced us by
name, to every one of these snow white genii-the
Falhorn, the Schirmhorn, the Wettcrhorn, the
great Eigers, and cannot remember what besides.
The guides seemed to consider them all as old
friends.
Certainly nothing could be so singular, so pecu-
liar, as this ascension. We had now passed the
limit of all but grass and alpine flowers which still
with their infinite variety embroidcr the way; and
row the auberge is gained Good night, now, and
farewell.
That is to say there we stopped. On the sum-
nit, in fair view of the Jungirau, wall of rock
crowned with fields of eternal snow, whose daz.
yling brightness almost puts my eyes out. Myhead
aches, too, with the thin mir Of these mountains
thought should like to stay one night, just to
hear aValches fall; but | cannot breath well here
and there is a secret sense Of horror about these
sterile rocks and eternal SHOWS. So, after dinner
gladly consent TO go down Grndelwad
On we start--l walking-lOr, to tell the truth,
have no fondness for riding, head first down a path
as steep in some places as WALL l leave that tC
-, who never fears ANYTHING So ! walked all
the way TO Grindelwald, nine miles of very rougl
road. There was lady walking the same pass
with her husband who had come on foot the wlol,
way from Lauterbrunn, and did not seem in ia,
lodst iatiguea. My guide exhausted all his clio
quence to pursuade me that it was better to ride
ut last | settled him by saying, why here is
lady who has walked the whole route" So he con
fined himself after that TO helping ne to find flow
ers, and carrying the handkerchief in which stow
~l them. Alas what herbarum Of hapless flow
crs, laid out stark, stiff, and noonless, like beat
~ on its bier; and with horrible long names wri
ten under them, can ever give an idea Of the mfr
lite variety and beauty ofthc floral crown Of thes
mountains.
The hccbarium resembles tho bright liyingrea
ity, no more than the moTgi,e nj ST. Bernard is
specimen of mountuin travellers Yet one thing
horbarium is good for in looking at it, you can r
call how they looked and glowed and waved in liz
with all their silyer-crowned mountains aroun
them.
After arrived at Grindelwald, tired rs wa
made sketches of nine varieties, which inteI
10 color as soon as we rest long enough. So niue
did for love Of the dear little souls
One thing more, rs to botanical names: Whi
does possess botanists 10 affct the most fragi
and ethereal Of earth's children with such moul
famous and unproaouncclble names? Now, thei
was dear little flower that first met at St. BE
nard--a little purple bell, with irng il is mo-
particularly beautiful from its growing just ON Il
verge of ayalanches coming up and blossoml
through the sHow. | send You one in this lettc
which dug out Of snow-bank this morning.
Aud this fair creation-this hope upon n death-bo
this image of love unchilled and immortal--ho
want to know il by name.
To-day, at the summit house Of the mountain,
opened an herbarium, and there were three incht
of name, as hopeless and pronounccahe as the Ge
man Of our guides piled upon my little lower
shut the herbarum.
that il, by O'Clock. An uncloudcd clear bre
ny morning, the air full of the sounds of cascade
and Of the little bells fthe herds AS we beg,
70 wind upwUrd into that delectablc region whio
forms the first stage of ascent said To-, "Tl
more of beautiful scenery | see, the more | nppr
ciaie the wonderful poetry Of the Pilgrims Pr
ercss." The meadows by the river of life curiou
" adorned with lilies; the dolectable mountain
the land Beulahi how often have thought ofthen
From this we went off upon painting, and then NJ
on music, the freshness Of the mountain air inspi
ing our way. At last while we were riding in HI
very lap Of rolling field full of grass and flower
the sharp blue and white crystals of the glaci,
rose at once before us
'oh, want to get down." said !, ''and 60 net
them"
Down did get, and, taking what seemed to
the straightest course, began running down Il
hillside toward them.
i mo no! Back back !" shouted the guide
unimaginable French and German. "Ici, iciw
1 came back and, taking my hand, he led n
along path where travellers generally go. | we
IL.