The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-03-22
The Great st. Bernard.
BY CHARLES DICKENS.

Although the St. Bernard convent Is, as
| dare say you know, the highest inhabited
spot but one in the world, the ascent is ex-
tremely gradual and uncommonly easy
really presenting no difficulties at all, until
within the last league, when the ascent.l lead
ing through place called the valley of des-
olation, is very awful and tremendous, and
the road is rendered toilsome by scattered
rocks and melting snow. The convent is a
most extraordinary place, full of great vault
ed passages, divided from each other With
iron gratings; and presenting series of
the most astonishing little dormitories, where
the windows are so small ION account of the
cold and snow, that it is as much as one can
do to get ones head out of them. Here we
slept supping, thirty strong; in rambling
room with great wood fire in it set apart
for that purpose with grim monk, In a
high black sugar loaf hat with great knob
at the top of it, carving the dishes. AT five
o'clock in the morning precisely, the chap
ell bell rang in the dismalest way for mathis;
and /, lying in bed close to the chapel, and
being awakened by the solemn organ and
the chanting, thought for moment l had
died in the night and passed into the un-
known world.
wish to God you could see that place
A great hollow on the top of range Of
dreadful mountains, fenced in by riven rocks
of every shape and color; and in the midst,
black lake, with phantom clouds perpetu-
ally stalking overit. Peaks and points, and
plains of eternal snow and ice, bounding
the view and shutting out the world on
every side; the black lake rejecting moth
ing and no human figure in the scene. The
air so fine, that it is difficult to breathe
without feeling out of breath +; and the cold
so exquisitely thin and sharp that it is not
to be described. Nothing of life or living
interest in the picture, but the grey, dull
| walls of the convent. No vegetation of any
sort or kind. Nothing growing, nothing
stirring. Everything iron-bound, and froz
en- up. Beside the convent, in little out
house with grated iron door which you
may unbolt for yourself, are the bodies OF
people found in the snow who have never
yet been claimed and are now whitening
away-hot laid down or stretched out, but
standing up in corners and against the wall,
some erect and horribly human, with dis
tinct expression. on the faces; some drop
ping over on one side !; some tumbled down
altogether, and presenting heap of skulls
and tibrous dust. There is no other decay
in that atmosphere; and there they remain
during the short days and the long nights
the only human company out of doors, with
ering away by grains, and holding ghastly
possession of the mountain where they died
1t is the most distinct and individual
place have ever seen in this transcendent
country. But, for the Saint Bernard holy
fathers and convent in themselves, | am sor-
ry to say that they are piece of as sheer
| humbug as we ever learnt to believe in, in
our young days. Trashy French sentiment
and the dogs (of which, by the bye, there
are only three remaining) have done it all.
They are lazy set of fellows, not over fond
of going out themselves; employing servants
to clear the road (which has not been i'm
portant or much used as pass these hun
dred years.; rich, and driving good trade
at inn-keeping the convent being common
tavern in everything but the sign. No
charge is made for their hospitality, to be
sure but you are shown to a box in the
chapel, where everybody puts in more than
could, with any show of face, be charged for
lishment derives right good income. As
to the self-sacrifce of living up there, they
are obliged to go there young, it is true, to
be Injured to the climate; but it is an inf
nitely more exciting and various life than
any other convent car offer; with constant
change and company through the whole
summer with an hospital for invalids down
in the valley, which affords another change /:
and with an annual begging journey to Gen
eva and this place and all the places round
for one brother or other, which affords far
ther change. The brother who carved at
our supper could speak some English, and
had just had Pickwick given him!-what a
humbug he will think me when he tries to
understand it If had had any other book
of mine with me, ! would have given it him,
that might have had some chance of being
ineligible.