The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-03-07

! Snoh q crevasse as this, the guide said,
I.was always to be found in the glacier,
and only tho most ordinary care was
necessary TO avoid it.
! !. We scrambled down upon the ice
and Began to make our way cautiously
acrOss II. Owing to various obstruc-
tions, such as heaped up snow, or soft
spots in the ice, our progress was very
slow. After an hour of hard work
we had not accomplished one-half of
the distance. l sat down upon a
cube of rock to rest and look about
me.
A change had already taken place in
the weather. The sun was obscured
by a dense, leaden-colored mist, and
the valley of the glacier itself seemed
to be choked with masses of whirling
vapor. My outside garments were
wet, and all around us the ice kept up
cold and benumbing steam.
As | sat in a far from comfortable
frame of body and mind, was startled
by far-oH, dull, booming sound, the
echoes of which seemed to be repeated
interminably among the hills.
"What was that" / asked the
guide.
=" Most likely an avalanche on the
Heilgen Alp" he replied. "They are
always falling thero-"
He was interrupted by repetition
of the sound, much nearer to us. ac-
cOmpanied by q tremendous shock that
seemed to shake the ice beneath us. 1
locked at him inquiringly, and OBJ
served that he was slightly pale.
"A crevasse," he said, answering my
look with an air of unconcern that l
could see was not wholly real. "When
the ice parts it makes a noise like a
cannon. 1t is nothing. However, we
had better be moving. don't like the
looks Of this fog"
We arose and resumed our journey,
the guide directing our course by occa-
sional glimpses of the Alps through
the wreaths Of fog which every mo-
ment became more dense. We had not
proceeded twenty steps, however, when
the guide suddenly paused and mo-
toned me back. At that instant there
came another report, so loud and sharp
that l was absolutely stunned, and
right in front of us long. jagged line
appeared In the ice, widening rapidly,
until two sheer walls faced each other
more than ten feet apart.
Though the chasm lay directly in
our way, to cross it was out of the
question. The guide turned quickly
to the right, and we followed the
brink of the crevasse, hoping to find a
point where 1t ended or was narrow
enough to spring over. The fog had
now become so dense that we could
not see dozen steps before us, and
we were forced to move at snail's
pace in order to avoid falling into some
unseen abyss. We had gone on in this
way perhaps five minutes, when there
came another report, followed by a
series of weaker shocks. The guide
and paused and looked around us.
The situation had become, to say
the least, embarrassing. During q
momentary lift of the fog We saw all
around US perfect network of cracks
intersecting one another at every
angle. Then, as the vapor closed in
again, we could hear on every side ire
, mendous crashings and grindings, as
the huge masses of ice approached OF
receded from each other.
What to do now was serious ques
tion. To proceed a single yard might
be to precipitate ourselves to the bot
tom of some frightful chasm, and tC
; remain where we were might bC
merely waiting until the ice should
open beneath our feet and enguk us
! But we were speedily forced to a con
clusion. While we stood a few fee
! apart anxiously discussing our posi-
: tion, there was another shock, and
: was blinded by a shower of small par
ticles of ice.
;, When l cleared my eyes ItsaY. tina
another cleft had opened directly a
: my feet. between myself NaIfd tn
guide. 1t was rapidly widening, ant
in few seconds would separate m
from my companion. Without hesi
: tation l sprang across it and stood be
l side him. He looked at me with
. grave face.
d 1--WE are in great danger" he said
h simply.
}. 1es,' L replcd, as quietly as
Y could, "but we must do our best t.
: get out of it. What do you advise ?
IS 1--WE must not stop here" he said
e peering into the fog; eve are evidentl
/ in the very center of these crevasses
p If we could get nearer to either ban
+ we should be safer. 1 think we ha
d better follow one of these cracks unit
,,.a oan oroes IL We shall haVa IN faf
II our way, for this fog hides every
d thing"
is "Very good" I replied; "lead o
et and 1 viii keep close behind you"
2 Crouching almost to our hands an
At knees we proceeded slowly onward
IS. keeping the main crevasse, a cleft som
ut twenty feet wide, on our left. FC