Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-08-24
THE EVERLASTING HILLS.
A Sunrise View OF the Highest
Mountains In the World.

On the morning after my first night in the
thlmalayas awoke with start, fearing that
had OVERSIGHT myself, but the darkness quickly
found that it was only a few minutes after 3
o'clock. We threw open the window, and
were oyerjoyed to find the stars shining bright
for breakfast, nor any means of procuring it
at that early hour. We sailed forth into the
Keen air OF the morning, and with hasy steps
took the direction OF the mountain. -
The first streaks Of dawn had begun to ap
pear when We emerged from the jungle, and
crossing broad plateau, which formed the top
OF the alll; found ourselves on the northern
verge of the same, which descended almost
perpendcularly into an apparently bottOmless
chasm. 1t was yet too dark to distinguish
anything save confused mass of mountains
it was clear. The stars still shone overhead.
aud the glowing eastern horizon gave promise
OF glorious sunrise. Little by little the dark
ness gaee way 70 gG ana one Of the grand
was unfolded before our delighted eyes.
ON either hand stretched far away into the
hills. their steep sides thickly covered with
prinieyal forests, their base concealed beneath
clouds of white mist. A little to the left and
thousand ieet below lay Darjeeling, its white
houses scattered over what looked like a
promontory extending out into an ocean of
vapOr Directly before us was the deep valley
already mentioned, bounded on one side by the
Darjeeing ridge and On the other by another
spur of corresponding height and similar for
nation. In the north rose, dome upon dome,
peak upon peak, in sublime majesty the
mighty ot kincih hing Only forty five miles
talns, whose proud crests rearS itself to the ele-
yatlon OF 2S,Zo0 feet above the level of the sea.
we were standing at an elevation of s OWfeet.
therefore the summit of kinchingunga was
more than twenty thousand feet above us, and
SO clearly was, it defined against the glowing
sky that each rock, each precipice. each
c chaSm was plainly visible to the naked eye.
Thanked on the east by the mountains which
form the boundary between Thibet and India,
On the west by those which form the continu-
a aion OF the claIa running In northwestery
mount Everest, kinchingunga im6raSSes one
with more profound respecs for and aimira-
tlGn Oh the majesty Of nature than any object
mountains above which it towers are from
nfteen TO seventeen thousand feet i'm height
naa yer ,thhfy appear Insignificant when COM
AS the sun rose the play of the ever varying
color on the spOiless snow, with which the
great mountain was covered TO distance of
some twelve thousand feet below the summit
euclted shouts of admiration from us all One
OF the greatest charms which the spectacle
possessed was the knowledge that the beauty
by the hand of man. No member of the Al.
pine Club, however intrepid, however enter
Rrlsing be may be, will ever plant his stan in
neer will ever construct a railway for t6e
transport of holiday excursionists to those
dizzy heights. No fashionable Young Iadv
mountaiDeer viii ever record upoll her hiphIv-
polished alpenstOck the name of Kinching 9nGa
hy the side OF those of Mont Blanc and Monte
Rosa. For amidst those regions pierced by
yon snowy peaks no living thing can breathe
the breath OF life. Such heights are forbidden
even 10 the eagle. 0'AN0i
AS the sun rose in the heavens his beams
leil full upon the solitary peak of Mount Ever.
est, one hundred and eighty miles Distant in
the northwest. This mountain, twenty nine
thousand feet above the level of the sea called
Dy Inc lnhabltantS DeOdunga is the loffiest in
the world, but vastly inferior to its brother
monarch in beauty and grandeur.
AS We gaZed upon this wonderful horizon of
mountains, upon the sea OF vapOr beneath and
the cloudless sky above us, I believe that INV
companions as well as myself returned thanks
70 the Almighty for having permitted us thus
10 worship Him in this one of His glorious
works. Il would give ten years of my life"
exclaimed L., a Hungarian geOlOgist "for this
one morning. and straining his eyes toward
the glistening precipices he endeavored to de-
tect some peculiar feature in the formation of
the glaciers. For my part, was Sensible Of a
feeling of complete satisfaction, of nerfecf
cOntentment. had seen the Hfmalavas in
their full glory. under the most auspiciOus cir
cumStanceS.
A. the sun rose higher and higher, and the
rosy t1nts faded from the snowy peaks, we
turned our faces homeward, and reached the
inn In time for Late breakfast-fCOr. ". y.
Evening Post.