Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-02-22

he endured, and after crawling along for
hours, found himself freed from the glacier.
Ordinary crevasses are from to s feet
wildcat the top, but the sides approach each
other rapidly, So that man would be wcdg-
Cd IN between the two walls of ice, long
before he could reach the bottom. Ard
then. unless there should be ropes at hand
long enough and strong enough, what an
awful death An unfortunate Russian gen
tleman perished thus in a crevasse only last
year, half-trozen. half-Squeez ed to death, the
heat of his body ever melting the Ice, he ever
sinking deeper and deeper into his dreadful
grave.
Ny companion and | assembled the Brevant,
and rs few climbing travellers leave Chamou-
ny without visiting the Mer de G!ace and the
Jlrdin. we arranged to make that excursion
To sho ten oar days work we left Chamauny
in the evening, and slept at Montanv-rt, IA
solitary little mountain Inn Oh the edge Of
the Mer de Glace.
We were up betimes in the morning. We
| provided ourselves with some eatab!es and
wine, and started with our guide, whom we
had brought from C1urmayeur. 1t was
! glorious morning, and it promised we'll for
cur expedition. Our road, for about half
an hour. was along an uneven path skirting
the glacier, which lay below us on our left
hand, very much creSassed and covered with
debris. Tie path then clme to an end, and
! the guide said we must now take 10 the gh-
cier We descended on to it, and threaded
our way among the numerous crevasses.
The excursion TO the Mer de Glace not BE-
ing looked upon as a regular glacier expedi-
ton, is not made with the attendant precau-
tions of axes or ropes. We had neither. We
were in high spirits, and went along at a
great rate 50 quickly, indeed, that our
/ guide, who had fallen behind, cautioned us
! once or twice, and requested US 10 allow him
| 10 take and keep the lead. Just then, our
/ progress was arrested by wide crevasse.
! Looking TO the left, perceived that it ter
minated some twenty feet from Us, in steep
slope Of ice, which thought l could easily
| climb. As the crcyasse was about sixty
yards long, | determined to try this slope
rather than 90 round by the other end.
Using my Alpenstock instead of an axe,
therefore, began making footholds in the
ic2 with it. The guide had nov come up
with us. lie looked at the ices slope ami the
| wide crevasse, and said, very seriously
1T IS dangerous let us 20 round
BY tins time had, with the aid OF nv
Alpsn stock, climbed about halt WY up the
slope. had already come to the conclusion
that 1t was much too steep - s;lle without
an axe, and had determined to retrace nv
steps So when the guide had spoken, |
carefully stretched back my right leg, feeling
for the last hole had made in the ice. My
foot went past the place, and | felt that
was slipping. There was not the least pro-
lection that l could grasp. The slope became
perpendicular, and fell head foremost into
the yawing crevasse below.
heard loud cry of despair from nv
fellow traveller and the guide. My own SEN
sations cannot be described, or even distinct
ly separated from the whirl and shock. |
felt that | was being bumped from side to
side between two walls Of ice: that was fall
ing great depth; that was being harled
70 utter destruction-to 4 horrible death
Suddenly felt that l was caught by some
/ thing, that hung suspended | was able
TO take breath, and TO call out for "a roRe
u rop :"
By the most extraordinary chance my fall
had been arrested by little ledge of ice
which spanned the crevIsse like bridge.
On this frail structure. not more than two
inches wide at the top, and (as well as |
could iudgel about two feet deep, had
fallen So that my head hung down on one
immcdat, ", by means which | cannot at
all recall, / raised myself from this dreadful
position to a standing one on the ledge, IN
which there WIS q little niche sufficiently
wide to ADMIT one foot. | was now SO lar
collected that could hear my fellow Traveller
saving from above
I'VE never hoped to hear your voice
again. For Gods sake take heart. The
Z .. 4o- nd
ropes. and will soon be back.
'.lt he is not, " ! answered, 81 shall never
come up alive"
Nv position was an awful one. The little
ledge was 50 narrow that could not get
both my feet upon it. / was, IN flct, sup
urrtinr lnyeelf on one leg, hal!-leanIhc
against one side of the crevas'e, and press
lDg nv hand against the opposite side IL
was perfectly smooth. and l had nothing -
GRASP. 4 stream of water poured over my
shoulders. drencbing me to the skin, and
freezing me with its icy coldness. Overhead
( could see the long, narrow strip OF blue
skv, bounded by the mouth Of the crevasse.
Their was a terribly stolid, unrelenting look
in the intensely blue ice that surrounded me
on all sides. The grim walls of tho crevasse
looked as if they would unite to crush me
Gus ills Of water poured into the crevasse,
but in the whole sixty yards Of its length
could see no projection EXCEPT the little ledge
| on which had 50 miraculously chanced %
| fall
Ivantured to look down only for an instant
/ into tho fearful chasm in which | was sus-
| pended. At the depth to which had fallen
| the crtvasse was barely two feet wide but
downward it narrowed rapidly, and about
2OO feet below me tn sides appeared to in.
/ | believe that il had fallen inches on ei-
ther side of the LITTLE ledge, / must have in
/ eyitably been iammed in head downward, at
depth where no ropes that could have been
! brought there could possibly nave reacAed
| me.
had now been about 90 minutes standing
| in this perilous position, stra1nlng every
nerve to prevent myself from giving way
| looking p at the blue sky above Inc and the
clear ice on all sides, but seldom daring to
| cast a glance into the abyss below. Blood
was trickling over me from cut IN my
! check and felt that my right lcg( fortunately
the idle one) was badly bruised. In the
meanwhile m y left leg was becoming exceed
ingly painful from the strain upon 1t, ana
was afraid of losing my balance II tired 10
! relieve myself Dy cuaH5iuS " I'0 "tAC4'
fe!t that vas growing bennmbel by the
| intense cold of the ice against which was
| leaning, and Of the stream OF water, nom un-
der which burst not move.
called to my lellow-trayeler to know II
anv one were in sight There was no answer.
| called again. No human being seemed to
be within hearing. a dizziness came over me
s the thought struck me: " He has gone to
look if any one is coming, and he cannot ind
his way back TO the crevasse. There are
hundreds Of them. | am lost -
Again | had to stra every nerve to Keep
myself from sinking | almost gave up
hone felt inclined to throw myseli down
and have the agony over. At that mlssraoie
time, | sud lenly heard my friend shouting
from above. lie had gone to lock ii he could
discern the guide and, when he turned
round to retrace bis steps. had heen thunder
| struck to see the surface of the glacier inter
sectcd by innumerable crevasses, all so slnl :
lar in appearance as TO leave him no land-
mark by waich TO know my living grave