Morning journal and courier., 1885-03-07


PoMPEII, Feb. Is.
To the EditeE of the Jou1s,lGEt5 Avn COURIER:
A tourists time is never lost through
lack of something to do, and in my
case my tins abroad being so limited, be-
tween 'reading up" sightseeing Sna travel
ling, have reached>this point before being
able to touch my pen to this letter. My ex-
perience in Continental travelling has taught
me few practical truths, which may inter
est you. To be able to go .through foreign
countries in comfort, with little or nc
knowledge of the language spoken, good ma
ture is primarily essential. To avoid impo-
sition by hotel-keepers, cabmen and an end
less ''etc., q knowledge of how to drive a
sharp bargain is next. To resist successful
" opportunities of beggars, walters, porters,
you must be firmly negative by nature, OF, in
the event of giving 'pourboirss," to be able
to Withstand without afseEng of emharrass-
ment the witheffhg smile and an imperious
demand for more. Equirlted m this armo1
you can ''do'' Europe reasonably certain OF
having good time. 1t has been my endeavo1
to see and do the things the average tourist
don't. These general exceptions 6nly there
fore shall I relate to you. Heidelberg, the
seat of the great German university, is the
only place abroad where duelling is now per
mitted. It was for this latter ls&scn that ]
spent few days in the town, in order that
l might see an active illustration of this alb
surd custom. Through the influence of the
porters of the Hotel Prime Karl, I received
itofio c4I.
corps" to attend meeting. 1t is mistaken
idea that all the members of the college be-
long to these corps, y W5iofi3as fiear os could
ascertain, comprise about ne-half Of the
academical portion, taken from all the classes.
the same being divided they are at Yale,
into senior, junior, etc, the former being
distinguished by the white cap which they
always wear, the other four classes being
known by blue, red, green end yellow caps
respectively. Proceeding across the Rhine
to the 'sHirsch Gesse," historical because
the fights always take place there, we entered
a room 100xo0 fesG ~ the seeond story, well
lighted and having two small 5ftrr,ectlng
apartments, one of which is the surgical and
the other the dressing room. The manner of
procuring the necessary fighters is peculiar
by lot, or of his OWE sheices to challenge
one of the Red caps, who under no Consider
alton can decline to fight. Let it be under
stood that these challenges are not given be-
cause of any grievances or ill feeling but
merely to obtain duellists. This is where
the absurd part Of the matter appears The
students say the faculty of the college make
it obligatory and insist that there shall be
two days every week given 70 duelling, to
accustom the students to sh6 sight of blood,
in order that they may make better soldiers
This was contradicted by an English speak
ing member of the theological department
whom ] met, who claims that the majority of
the ttlegs OPPOSE the custom as being too
foolish to perpetuaJe.
At II o'clock two of the students, prr55tsct-
ed ON all parts of the body excepting the face
and head by padded cloth wound around
them, ths sves covered by heavy goggles,
we're placed opposits Esrh other in q ring
around which stood the Doctor seconds end
referee. The weapons, of the length of a
sword, very slim and sharp on both sides,
we're handed to them and with uplifted arms
they await the word. As soon as this is
given eaeh brings the sword down with all
force in an endeavor to hit the part of his
opponent not protected. As soon as a wound
= given they are stopped Sn8 the same ex-
Imined and washed with a spong5. If not
pronounced of dangerous character by the
medical man they are allowed to proceed, as
n the first fight Witnessed one man receiv-
ng fifteen wounds on the head and face be-
ore being stopped, fro1i t7hirh the, blood
treamed to the foorin quantities. II the
lext fight a terrible wound two inches in
ength, extending from the temple downward,
vas given, which after pushing his finger
,ravely through, to ascertain the depth, the
loctor said, Stop" The wound was sewed
Up, bandaged, and anothsr set of fighters
substituted; From this you can see duelling
1oes not require any skill; the motion given
he weapon being . dowhwatd 'slash' and a
'ecover to the original position: This con-
inues until P. nj. With an intermission of
one hour for lunch. l was satisfied to leave
It one o'clock thinking the Heidelberg castle
more interesting and less bloody
No Continental traveller, unless afflicted
With a superabundance of flesh, can go
through Switzerland without getting an at
,ack of the climbing fever. A visit to this
,ountry in winter would be repaid ten times
over for the suffering from cold by the in
lescribable grandeur and scenery. The mid
lay sun melts the snow on the tops of the
mountains and the water pouring
over the sides. toward night freezing in its
course, makes sheet of ice from the top to
,he bottom; which, combined with snow-clad
peaks, presents n scene long to be remember
ID. Most Alpine sscensions are made from
which is situated in the very
heart of the Bernese Alps, near the center of
Switzerland. TO reach this point we went
by rail from Berne TO Thun; thence, on a pret-
ty Swiss lake of the same name, by steamer,
the water of which SO clear you could
see to the depth of thirty feet; then again
by rail for short distance to Interlaken,
situated between the lakes of
Thun and Brienze and hemmed in by high
deservedly popular summer re
sort, whence our destination is reached by
diligence ride of four hours, through the
valley of the Alps. Picture yourself look
ing to the north from the Hotel Piazza upon
the Harder Mauley range of mountains 5,216
and east the perpendicular walls of the Eiger
(13, ,420 feet high), the Wettenberg Q0,19
feet) and the Mettenhorn Q2, 165 feet) in all
their grandeur. Between the latter are the
two celebrated glaciers 4 ,331 and 3,543 feet
high, while the peak of the great king of the
Alps, the Jungfrau ,671 feet high) stands
out between the tops of the two former
This peak, impossible in winter, an Eng
tish tourist with thirteen guides attempted
to scale a week previous to our arrival, but
failed after getting within 800 feet of the
top, through a terrible south wind coming
up. the ascent and descent taking nearly three
days and nights.
Carrying our Alpine sticks and wearing
'shigh" boots, the three guides bearing
ladder and ropes, we started early in the
morning for the gorge of the upper glacier,
which we reached without very much diff
Guilty. Owing to retrogression of the ice we
were unable to proceed between the walls
of the Wellhorn and Metterhorn, which at
this point are 100 feet apart and rise to
height of 1000 feet, and walk of five min
utes brings us to the foot of the glacier which
rises in a straight wall upward as wide and as
high as the valley made by the two noun
E,,1
real climb being before us, we did not re-
main long here. After the guides had fasten-
ed the rope first to their own waists and then
around mine, we proceeded upward to reach
as high point the Eiger as possible
About 200 feet higher we explored an ar
tifciAl grotto dug into the ice 200 feet and
just high and wide enough to admit one
man at time The color of theice changes
as you go in from white to green and then
blue, varying beautifully by the light of
torch ignited at the end of the cavern Our
progress from this time was slow. The snow
was deep, the ladder had to be raised to scale
otherwise insurmountable peaks, steps cut
to enable us to walk in slippery spots, crew
asses jumped, and about $50 p. m. as it
was showing, we concluded to return In our
descent the guides used the greatest caution
and it was well they did, for almost on the
edge of precipice I fell, and was only saved
from going over by the rope around my waist
being pulled taut by the guides just in time.
When we reached our hotel at p. IN. it is
safe to say our appetite for Alpine climbing
had been satisfied. My next point was to