New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-30
A WINTER JOURNEY.
rrRom STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE TRrnUsE;l

and look up the Turin road which follows the
course Of the Carei torrent, you will see remark
able mountain wall apparently closing the valley
at distance Of two or three miles iIom the sea-
There is nothing at Mcntone finer than TINS pros
pect The fantastic crest Of The ridge, whose III
CAPABILITIES visible at n great distance III 'he
Transparent atmosphere is sharply outlined against
a sky of the purest and most gorgeous blue; ana
charming effects OF light and shadow are thrown
upon its mighty TANKS by the morning ana evening
SUM- rich color, rs | have SAID IN former letter
is not one of the characteristic beauties OF thls
reoon bnt lust here a vague and lovely TINT over
spreads the landscape, changing with the progress
of the cloudlcss day as the shadows fall at vary
ing angle The warm spring, it seems to me, Is
lending a softer tone to the mountains, and they
putting on an oxGuisltely graduated hue, in which
the yellowIsh foliage of the lemon at their base,
the d.Il Kensingon green of the olive on the middle
slopes and the bare gray limestone SUBMITS cutting
the heavenly azure blend into Il delicate shade OF
misty blue.
On one of the highest and sharpest peaks of the
ridge. nearly $500 feet above Mentone. are some
masses Of stone which might easily be mistaken for
n natural formation; and often the attentive
observer will notice about two hundred feet below
these singular plies a broad white line drawn on the
face of the elm The stones are the ruins OF
Moorish castle and the white mark is the collective
wash of the town of St. Agnes spread out to dry on
a terrace where the sun lies all day long. Tho
town itself IS not to he scen for 1t stands on
shoulder of the mountain behind the castle peak ST.
Agnes was one of the rocky strongholds common
all along this coast whose builders chose the least
accessible SITES and valued town chiefly for the
dilhcn!tv of Getting into it, Why people CONTINUE
to live in such places now that it is perfectly safe
.l.o ia1,l MIA il Opp Df he
mysteries which puzzle the stranger. There, at
anv rate. about 800 people still dwell. with ex-
traordinary discomfort. in spot to which nothing
on wheels has ever pcnetrated-prObably not even
a wheelbarrow.
Three of us set out to visit this fortified village
one dav. and not being fit for long mountain walks
the distance by the steep path is SIX or seven
miles-we sent for Pauline. This young person Is
smiling and broad footed peasant connected with
the donkey interest: aud to climb mountain
every day in the week. driving three or four way
waId animals. is her idea OF an agreeable ana
Prospectus season. | do not believe that anybody
ever saw Pauline tired or ont OF humOr, or ever
looked at Ter round face when there was not an
honest smile on 1t. Her checks have been well
tanned in her long walks even her light brown
hair is sunbnrnt in strcaks for she goes bareheadcd
hats as she explains. being expensive. when
we came ont from breakfast her CHEEKY Eail-s she
has strong lungs-greeted lis from the garden-gate
and she uurst in sautIng and laughing, to take
possesslon of lunch-baSket, shawls and other bag
cage and to present rs to Lorette ana Buou ana
V,,tcbello Lorettc was a small donkey of light
color. assigned to HE lady of our party and mani
festiur 4 great many feminine characteristics CT
her owe. She was wiful. volatile, impnsive, con-
tradictory eager but not perseverIng, naughty but
,vithal rentlc and think she had a strong sense
of humor She demanded mere attention from
Pauline than both the others together. Under no
circumstances would she be led by the bride, nor
youll she walk anywhere but at the rear OF the
rroces,On She chose this position because 1t gave
her ample opportunity to wander of the path, to
loter by grassy banks, 10 come to dead stop with
her ta pressed against terrace ana her lnqUIstlVc
uose pointing over preciplce. Like the rest or her
rooo She WAS wholly Indifferent 70 all means OF
persuasion attempted by her rider She cared for
nobody but Pauline; and there still rings i'll my
ears tle hundred times repeated cry: Allez,
Iorette; al-le-e-zw with which Pauline, having
left her charge a moment to make toray upon
fold Of red anemones came running back to bust
meas. bIaudshing her stick in one hand ana waving
fine flowers in the other. Montcbello was h stately
MSS who seemed conscious of her distinguished
name She attended to her duty well enough,
dent pleasure but promptly resented much slighter
liberties Biou was the least beautiful OF the
thee and had least individuality.
Our route soon led lis away from the highroad,
and ND a steep and narrow path between villa gar
dens to the summit OF long sharp ridge which
projects like butress from the wall of mountains,
and runs out to within quarter OF mile OF the
sea- \ beautiful growth of pines covers 1t. Inc
crest is 30 narrow that there is only room for the
donkey path on the top, and on both sides one looks
down from it into deep valleys crowded with ver-
dure We rode Tor an hour along this shady incline,
mounting very gradually; and Pauline entertained
lis ON the way with legends OF ST. Agnes, ana
e,pecially with the story OF famous ToODer who at
some indeterminate epoch lived among the ruins
and dehed gcndarmes,-thls sort OF contempt OF
authority being in the estimation of our guide the
very last expression of bold and indecent wicked
ness And what was his name. Pauline" He
was named tie Hermit. monsieur y; and then she
went Oh to detail the particulars of an expedition
sent M to capture him; but lie knew way down
fin, elm on the side where it was supposed to lie
inaccessible. and ne had horse {. hidden in one of
the upper valleys. Unless the face OF tie country
has undergone astonishing changes since the time
Of the Hermit am afraid the morse in the valley
,nr-t be set DOM as fabulous. " Well, Pauline did
the ccndarmcs catch BIN! - mon, monsieur par
ccqu ii a 6capp6" I'll sest 6chappe-" they dld not
catch n.m because he escaped. Al-le-c-l' Lofe''e'
fine ridge brought us, not to the peak upon Whicu
St Aenes stands. but to the next one west OF IT, anu
soon after nsuing from the pines we began to
ascend "A more difficult path cut in the barren side
Of that mountain while "A Iavine lay between us
AMI the OBJECT Of our expedition. At the head of
the iayfnc. However, a neck of rock connects the
two prom.ncnces. and by crossing this We reached
It. Arncs in the rear. The village is built upon
knob which projects from the north face CT the
mountain. and its general character Is like that OF
score of hil-towns on the Riviera, "A cluster OF
wrctched stone houses, tall. narrow, dark ana
i