The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1854-06-03


capacity was double one-and We ratified a.
way amid the shouts of score of men. women
and children, the greater portion of whom
had those painful evidences of qoitre about
the throat that render the Vallaisians as a
race SO painful to behold. What heightened
their attention, was my American friend pro-
ducing clarionct as Jean, the guide mount
ed the box, and playing in stvle that NAV
truthfullv be termed 'his own"-for nobody.
we fancy, would care to possess it-most &C.
centre variations to poor Alexander Lees
beautiful melody, "Awav to the Mountain 5
Brow It's appropriateness was unGucston-
able, but the execution we could not say so
much for, as it caused the tlcformed group to
howl like so many demons. Ny friend cyi-
IDENTITY regarded it as great camp, for he put
away the instrument as We wound around the
base Of the mountain, with sly look of salts
faction.
Following the course of the river Drancc,
We got on comfortably, and arrived at st.
Brauchicr, a squa!il village at the confluence
of the Drancc. and at the foot of Cotonre.-
There was nothing here to claim our attcn-
ton, and we pushed on sharply to Or>icrcs.
whore we found meeting of mountain arri-
cultnrists debating some points of rural econ
omv. and in a very picturesque style they did
tan orator being mounted on a Swiss src-
cics of firkin. with number of yellow shrubs
blooming in the button holes of Iis'coarsc rus
set coat, an surrounded bv at least fifty men
and women in rude holiday attire. The en-
trance of our rIa' suspended The procrc,lincS
tor moment: AMI As the orator bowed to Us
Group simultaneously followed his EXAMPLE.
Il was one great condensed mol. and nv
friend tr't 50 much honor"l l.: the operation
that he insisted on showing his orati,nlr lv
either indu!rinr them with the clarionct. or
scattering handful Of ccn'nrs for t'.cir
gra'lication. advocated the latter demon
>tra'lon, as lik"l " to have the more powcrti,!
effect on their feelings, hut he rcron>ilcrcd
the proposition. and we passed OH
! |: was about noontlc when we reached
Lid'lc>. when we discharged the r'q<. after
4 Gnarrc! with the ruiIc. who. artna.cl lv
my trin1> lonhomj.. desired to impose ON il
by cNactinG ten francs more than the tariff
allowed him. The landlord Of the a,.;., r.
"iv""a'"d his d"mrnl, rv>>l,l, with the un
drrS'andinc OF receiving per ccna.c Of the
>roi'>: but their I'd ouhlc knavcrv" did no
GOOD We PAID The >tm agreed upon atMar-
tignv. and Jean abused us in torrent of cx-
ecrahlc p1'oi>. which. not clearly understand
ln-. very little rippicd onr animal spirits
Then. Sqrandc.inr a number of a>>a>sina.inc
glanrcs on Us. he finally marched of.
We had intended dining at Li,llc>. hut The
landlor! behaved 50 badly in aClvocatinr what
he knew to be an inil>ticc. that we summon
cd >r!ii;ricnt Scl-,lrni,! TO torcro his tcmn,inr
display fhakcl veal and merencncs. and con
tented ourselves with seeking an olcoy, in
the rocks. and lca>tnr upon the bread. cheese
and >tcvcd prunc> that we had packed in onr
knal sacks. The fatigue and mountain air
indignation and romance. all combined. cave
a zc>t TO our rcpaSt. which we washed down
with deep drauchtS of kr<rlwq>srard water
topping all with prudent sip of co.nac, to
iortitv us for the route ahead.
We turned oar backs upon Lidlcs. struck
our haton~ in the road blithelv, determined ,o
gain the lIoSpicc at the summit ofthc pass as
soon as our cheer and good spirits" would
permit. Some of the brows of The distant
mountains were dressed in the most fantastic
wrcaths of mi>t,and the sun had disappeared,
but there were no strong indications of
change of weather. The pass was very steep
and narrow IN some parts, and we concratu-
lated ourselves we were not plagued with the
mules, although their reputation for surc-toot
ednc>s is proverbial with Alpine tourists
We met several parties IN routc for Marticnv.
who had slept the night before at the convent
and who assured us that the track on the 9th
er side OF st. Pierre was choked up with
snow and difficult of access. We did not rcr
init this to daunt us, however, but hurried
on. scarcely pau>ing TO gaze at the beautiful
views that now and then broke on us IN tbc
vale below.
When within mile of the "Cantccn." a
dismal solitary little hut on the side of the
ravine, a terrific flood came pouring down.
washing great gullics in the sides of the
mountains and drcnching us tothc skin The
tOot-paths soon flooded. and now for the first
time, we felt the want of an assistant to re-
lIevc us OF the knapsacks that, like our un-
happy backs, were soaked through. Iverilv
believe that if had had an umbrella should
have raised it, out Of place and melancholy
as it would have looked on an Alpine pass
but no friendly 'brella was near, and on that
score | have nothing to answer for. NV
friend unstrapped his knapsack and applied
his lips to the cognac. thought at first he
was seeking his claronct, but tunes and tenn
pests are in no way analogous, and according
to his theory the rau De re was to keep out
the cold
The storm ragged with unabated fury, and
the force of the wind was so powerful that we