Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-17

ny from one to the other, ''Be careful,
look out take sure step here; look
out for that dangerous cavern; mind
that crevice."
Twenty-four years ago an Englishman
mistook his footing and slipped into one
of those awful chasms, and twas only
few months ago that his well-preserved
body washed out in the valley, for, i'm
perceptible as the moving generally is,
the Mer de Glace does move.
Now, after toll and danger, we are
half way over, and we halt to take
survey of the situation. A wild mass of
peaks, cones, pinnacles and turrets,
novel to wonder Crack! Boom
and bed scarcely hundred feet from
us moves. We conclude not to wait
longer, our short rest has been altogether
sufficient. We don't like the founda-
ton. We should Guido ourselves at run
ming to the other side, if running was
not certain death.
Our guide, quite imperturbed, said to
us, Don't take fright, It's not very dan
gerous, for assure you | never saw the
Mer de Glace so fine as it is to-day. Mid
summer visitors never see it like this. l
could only reply that / should prefer to
| be midsummer visitor, and take less of
the danger with less of the grandeur. |
can assure you that | never more keenly
felt sense of relief than as we stood on
| the other side.
But how 10 get around that chasm
for the guide tells us the Chateau is be-
| You'd that. The clouds gather and spit
snow, and the guide was anything but
comfortingin the suggestion that blind
ing snow-storm might make it serious
work to reach the Chateau.
But now we have come to the twenty
five minute walk of danger, and we covet
the fly-lke feet of those chamois we see
on the mountain sides hunting for the
rarity of green thing. Our boots have
been covered with pair of rough wool
en- stockings, but the walk is thickly
covered with ice, and the usual iron chain
has been washed away by the wlntry
avalanches. We are on the mountain
side and watching each step as we never
watched foot tread before, for to our
right is the rocky mountain and to our
left an awful precipice of several hun
dred feet, and the path we tread is at
times scarcely two feet wide. Dzzi-
ness. and a tipple of the body chasm-
ward, and all would be over; a slip and
fall and death instantaneous. Moth
ing could tempt me to recrOss now that
we are safely at the chateau. With
the ice gone from the path and the iron
rod to hold, may go over it again some
day, but never as we did to-day. Stand
ing at the chateau one may fancy all
manner of figures in the ice for it is
thrown hither and yOn in all manner OF
shapes. A myriad of hobgoblins Fred
RIGA Bremen saw, and it required but a
moderate Imagination. One cannot
form the remotest conception of the
grandeur of the Mer de Glace Gas we saw
it, from the numerous photographs OF
it, They are exceedingly tame and
make the mountains of ice look as mole
hills Then one must see it to realize
} its colors in the play of sunbeams.
I've seen prisns with radiant rainbow
colorings enough to last me for many &
day If memory has well treasured
what | saw to-day, | shall revel over il
: through all the years | can think To APP
r preciate and imagine to enjoy. We
made the descent rapidly, aud visiting
the source of the Avignon and the cav,
and other places of interest, re urned t.
ChamouniX at Z p. m, and were greeted
by the landlord, who was free to confess
: his anxiety in our behalf A hot supper
, in waiting for us was one among tht
rarest treats to the palate we shall ever
have, and we did fullest justice not only
to the repast, but to the spring mattress
: beds of the Hotel d Angleterre.
+. H. d.