Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1861-02-15

der the fr-trees. except that 1t was more
wild and strange and melancholy, and most
solemn to hcar-awful to hear . Then
signor, it grew fainter and fainter-and
then it seemed to float past upon the wind,
and die away When it ceased my frozen
blood grew warm again and cried ont to
Stefano. When | told him what had hap
pened. he declared [ had been only dream
ing. | made him strike a light, that /
might look at my watch It pointed to
twenty minutes before twelve and had
stopped there and-stranger still-Ste,
fano's watch had done the very same
Now tell me signor, do you believe that
there is any meaning IN this. or do you
think, as Stefano persists in thinking. that
twas all adream?s @
What is your conclusion, Battis:o? ..-
My conclusion, signor, is that some
harm has happened to poor Chrishen on
the glacier, and that his spirit came to me
last night. @ Eg-
Battisto. he shall have help if living, or
rescue for his corpse if dead; for ], too,
believe that all is not we'll.
And with this my brother told him brief
ly what had occurred to himself in the
night; dispatched messengers fer the three
best guides in Lauterbrunnen and pre-
pared ropes ice hatchcts, a penstocks, and
ali such matters necessary for glacier ex-
pedition. Hasten as be would, however,
it was nearly midday before the party
started.
Arriving in about half an houc at a
place called Stetchelberg, they left the
char, in which they had travelled so far at
a chalet, and ascended steep path in tho
full view of the Breithorn glacier, which
rose up to the left ike battlemented wall
of solid ice. The way now lay for some
time among pastures and pine forests
Then they came to little colony of cha
lets, called Steinburg, where they filed
their bottles, and prepared for the
Tschlingel glacier. A few minutes more
they were on the ice.
At this point the guides called halt
and consulted together One was for stri-
king across the lower glacier toward the
left, and reaching the upper glrcier
by the rocks which bounded it on
the south. The other two prefcrred
the north or right side; and this my broth
er finally took. The sun was now pouring
down with almost trop;cd Intensity, and
the surface Of the ice, which was broken
into long, treacherous assures, smooth as
glass and blue as the sky was both diff
cult and dangerous. Silently ard eau
tiously they went tied together at intervals
Of about three yards each: with two
guides in 'front.' and the third bringing up
the rear Turning presently to the right,
they found themselves at the foot of a
steep rock, some forty feet in height, up
which they must climb to reach Il NJ per
glacier. The only way in which my brother
cod do this, was by the help of arope stead
led from below and above. Two of the
guides accordingly clambered up the face
Of the crag by notches in the surface, and
one remained below The rope was then
let down, aud my brother prepared to 90
first AS he planted his foot in the first
notch a smothered cry fom Battisto arres-
ted him.
hGiJi l4dIld 1LOOh SDiIupI.
Ny brother looked, and there Che ever
afterward declared), as surely as II ere is
heaven above US all he saw Chrstien
Baumann standing in the full sunlight not
hundred yards distant Almost in the
same moment that my brother recognized
him he was gone Pale as death, Battisto
fell upon his knees and covered his face
with bis hands. My brother, awe stricken
and speechless, leaned against the rock,
and felt that the object of his journey was
but too fatally accomplished. As for the
guides, they could not conceive what had
happened.
Did you see nothing? asked my broth
er ana Battisto, both together
But the men lad seen nothing, and the
one who remained below sail, what should
| see but the lee and the sun?
To this my brother made no other re-
ply than by announcing his intention tc
have a certain crevasse, from which he had
not once removed his eyes since he saw the
figure standing on the brink, thoroughly
explored before he went step further
whereupon the two men came down from
the top of the crag, resumed the rol es, anC
followed my brother incredulously. Al
the narrow end Of the fssure he paused
and drove his alpenstock firmly into The
! ice. 1t was an unusually long crevasse-
at first a mere crack, but widening gradh
ally as it went. and reaching down to un
known depths of dark, deep blue. fringet
with long perdent icicles like damon sta
lactites. Before they Lad f llowed the
course of the creyasse for more than ter
minutes, tie youngest Of th0 guides utter
| ed a hasty exclamation.
Isee something cried he, Something
dark, wedged in the teeth Of the "revasse
great way down
They all saw it; mere indistinguish
able mass, almost closed over by the ice
walls at their feet Ny brother offered 9
hundred francs to tie man who would &c
down ana bring it up. They all hcsitated
/ We don't know what ii is. said one.
Perhaps it is only dead chamois, sug
cested another.
Their apathy cnraged him.
1t is no chamois, he said. angrily. 1t il
| the body of Christien Baumann, native o.
Kandersteg. And, by Heaven, if you arc
all too cowardly to make the attempt,
will go down myself
The youngest guide threw off his hal
and coat, tied rope about bis waist, and
| took hathcet in his hand.