Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-17
what "a Merchant Saw in Europe.
CHAMoUNIx, SWITZERLAND,
Thursday, May IS.


.. Thursday, May IS.
After toasting our feet before the CRATE
of home-like parlor and a tipple of the
Mount Blanc effervescent wine, we took
our staffs in hand and followed the
stumpy body of a polite old French
guide; one who has risked his life on the
sides of Mount Blanc many times. We
pass over mountain torrent, through
church yard. out upon plain, and final
ly up the side of a mountain det1le, Up
did l say? Teat zig-zag mp, in the
severest sense of the word. Climbing,
clambering, falling and at it again with
bulldog tenacity. We are forcibly re-
minded Of the steep ascent to the crater
of Vesuvius, but the contrast is violent.
On Vesuvius we burnt our shoe soles, and
here we are to freeze our feet, for we
are bound for the everlasting frigidity of
the Ner de GIac. Wiping the trickling
pcrspiration from faccs.red with eXertion
we finally attain slight patch of snow
and here we Stake our thirst aud pass on
until, after two hours of inCipient climb
ing, we have reached a monster snow
avalanche almost ready to move to the
valley, as so many of its kindred are
doing at this season of the year We
have Just heard the thunder-like roar OF
the avaanches, and reyerberating IN the
valley we hear the echoing rumble, not
the most pleasinga as we are compelled to
cross the white body of this threatening
mass before us. The guide in advance
carefully feeling his way, we follow
close in his footprints. But what it 1t
should move while we arc crossing?-
there need he no calculation for the re-
sult-buried, hopelessly buried, in a
snowy grave. We are in one of the
many such crises of life in which MOTH
ing is to be done but to 20 ahead with
an unfatering trust, and so ahead we
did. but our faith was becoming
vaunted confidence until Sheldon shouted
with fright, for with him the treacher-
Gus footing had given away and he was
almost to his arm-pits in the snow and
powerless to help himself. Endeavoring
| to help him out / went down to my
waist, and the guide came to the relief
| of us both, and at arms length he held
out his staff and struggled out and then
| helped Sheldon At one time we were
all down at once, fortunately not so deep
as before, but after that we crawled on
our hands and knees until the danger was
past. For one [ would have given lib
orally to be in the valley, and to defer.
my visit to the sea of ice.
We are the first visitors of the season
and subjected to hazards which midsum-
mer travellers do not experience. 1t seems
| fool-hardy, for we cross avalanches, one
after another, and are dripping wet and
uncomfortably cold. This is seeking
ones health abroad with vengeance!
The barometer of our feelings stood at
fever heat when we left Chamounix, but
now tbs somewhere about zero. At a
spot about four thousand feet above the
valley we passed on the edge OF steep
declivity covered with young trees and
underbrush While tarrying for rest, l
succeeded in dislodging an immense
boulder on the edge of the precipice, and
twas the sight of lifetime to see it rush
pell-mell down themountain side. Like
something furiously mad, there was no
resistance to the awful force of gravita-
ton with which twas carried. Cleav-
ing the young trees, it jumped chasms
of fifty feet and went crashing onward
| | should say, with the most considerate
calculation, that twas nearly two min
utes on its destructive course, and finally
we lost sight of it while we could see
the course twas taking, but could no
longer hear it.
Twas nearly noon when we reached
the Chateau, with its uninhabited, cold,
damp. and fireless rooms. When we left
the hotel at Chamounix the landlord
commented on our bravery, and said
that very few residents of the valley
would risk the. journey so early IN the
season. He gave us bottle OF the era
ture" for he knew we should be wet,
cold and exhausted when we reached the
summit. The aforesaid bottle was ram
cifully labelled aGhoice Bourbon w his
kew. imported direct from Kentucky
We took the vile stuff, and, although
twas certainly the ineanest whiskey, eyel
tasted, we felt impelled to drink 1t,
nauseous as it was And now oil from
the Chateau. Oh, how we treasure tne
recollections of Vesuyius, with its live
Kissing. scorching heat. Red noses, be
! numbed nerves and shivering frames
and the cracking icebergs So it as
midwinter cold makes US prefer mid
summer heat, and with the Thermometer
at 90 we have less .repugna al 70. I'M
thought of zero. Nesuyius was "a, a.. {! DIS
| torted aud shapeless mass, but IT'S s IN
comparable in the jaggedness and ragged
Z ness Of the Mer de Glace. Life hangs o.
! each step as with our pointed pixies w
attempt the descent from the Chapea'
to the wide sea of ice below US seVefa
| hundred feet But safely down wenov
/ start across. Such admonitions as thes'