The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-11-21


poor devil who had to walk tina. road. We pre-
tended not to know he was there. At Amsteg
ten miles inward, the ascent begins. Their
our driver took an hours rest for his horses
a and We tested the wine and provisions Of tn
: country. Then the mountain scenery began
n To say that it was grand. and continued t
f grow grander as the shades OF evening fell, Ii
e saying too little; in fact, tie magnifcence o
$ this scenery surpassed anything we had evel
seen or dreamed of.
Our road wound up wild valley, skirtine
the sides of towering rocks, whose bases were
buried in deep shadow, while their peaks
glowed bright in the evening sun, now cross
ing by single slender arch roaring torrent
that rushed madly in the gorge beneath US,
now climbing by many spiral curve up the
face of seemingly inaccessible mountain slopes
occasionally losing itself in dark tunnel and
everywhere disclosing prospects, which for
terrible and desolate majesty beggar descnp-
the most enthusiastic of the party were on
foot much of the time, preferring to climb up
| by jagged paths and short cuts and wait rather
than sit idly in the creeping carriage, which
seemed almost like prison to our buoyant
spirits.
As night drew on the scenery became Wild
er and wilder, the gorges deeper, the tor
rents fiercer, and the shadows of the darken-
ing deeper, while between the gaps of the
mountain peaks around us we could see vast
glaciers glistening cold and white in the
slanting sunlight. and all around US were
cataracts that seemed to fall Unreasonable |
distances, beginning as mere thread Of white
against the face of the ark rocks above, and |
at last precipitating themselves as q wide |
sheet of angry foam into the principal torrent
along whose course the road winds. Some |
times we would come to stretch of the road
that commanded an extensive view in both
directions, and then We would see the scatter
ing line of carriages belonging to other parties
of travellers, who like ourselves had besn dis
appointed in getting places in the diligence,
and the bright oolors Of the ladies' shawls and
dresses contrasted gaily with the dark, sombre
grey of granite cliffs and the white spray of
mountain cataracts.
In the dusk of the evening we passed
Goeshmen, village situated at The northern
entrance of the st. Gotthard tunnel, and were
rather glad we were not obliged TO pass on
foot in the gathering darkness through the
throng of bandit-looking Italians, gathered
about the doors of the wine shops and taverns,
for there was not man among them but looked
capable Of following traveller up and cutting
his throat behind the first dark rock Of the
road. These are the workmen employed in
the great tunnel They are formidable set,
and not Icing ago some 1000 entered into a
strike with such determination that it was
necessary to send troops there and fire upon
mission.
Still later on we saw the famous devils
Bridge, situated in the very widest part of the
pass, and spanning torrent SO furious that
at height of twenty or thirty feet one is COW
cred with its spray. The legend is that in
times gone by men wanted to bridge this
stream, but could not, and so the Devil agreed
to build it if they would give him as reward
the soul of whatever person might be sleeping
in certain bed when he chose to come for
his pay. This was agreed to, and the old
bridge now out of use, but still perfect, rose
across the raging torrent, but the cunning
peasants outwitted the Devil by putting pig
regularly to sleep in the doomed bed from
that time forward, SO that when the Internal
architect came for his reward, he got only the I
soul Of him for his trouble.
Between and 8 clock in the evening we
reached Andernatt. and after securing first
rate quarters at the hotel of the "Three
Kings, paid off our coa.hman, with the ad-
dition of the usual, trinhgaeld of one franc
per horse, and 10 here We are, feeling very
comfortable after good supper, planning
how we are to start at o'clock tomorrow
morning for Q continuation of the journey on :
loot to Faido, town 2St miles on toward s
Biasca, where the railroad for the present ter
This is q very comfortable little S
lotel, but somehow it seems to smell most
of goats milk, or something OF !
hat sort. But we don't mind it. So much ]
or the first day of our Alpine journey, and
I we enjoy tomorrow as much, we shall be !
more than satisfied. Yours,
STAHLFEDER. y
No