Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-08-29
vJe aeatttor.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1889.
For the REFLECTOR.
4 KANSAN ABROAD.
SWITZERLAND TO SCOTLAND.

GriDdelwald is in a valley 3,737 feet
above the sea. 1t is large SWISS VII
lage of widely scattered houses and Is
a fayorite summer resort, the situation
being sheltered and healthful. The
place chiefly owes its repute to its two
glaciers. Three gigantic mountains
bound the valley on the south, viz: the
Eiger 13, O42, the Mettenberg 10, 1877 and
the Wettenhorn 1850 feet high. The
tops of these mountains are almost
perpetually covered with snow. The
two glaciers above referred to are
known by the names of Upper and
Lower glacier. For want of time we
visited only the lower one, and how we
wish that our Abilene friends might
have been with US and beheld the sight
"a great mountain of solid ice, which
has been there-no one knows how long,
but doubtless for ages. The lower gla-
cier is much larger than the upper, and
is reached 10y the tourist by means OF a
bride path winding up along the noun
tain Alps side. Some prefer, instead
of a mule, taking their ''Alpinestock"
and making the journey on foot, for
the novelty of the thing" But NOV
city" all wears off long before the pill
grim reaches his icy destination. The
retrogression Of tie glacier, ''slow, but
sure" has exposed to view an interest
ing gorge, which has been rendered ac-
cessible by means of wooden galleries
and steps. OF course we ''tOOk in" the
gorge as we made the ascent, registered
our names on the wall Of rock by the
side of thousands of others, clipped"
our guide and resumed our journey up
the mountain toward the glacier.
Ever and anon we would pass tray
eler who was going in an opposite direc-
ton, and to our one question, "Where
are you from?" the reply would be vari-
Gus. Some from Germany, others from
England, etc., and many from the
United States. Close to the top we
met quite a large group of New Eng
landers whom we found to be very
pleasant folks. Well, we finally reach
the glacier, take little rest, engage
our guide and proceed in the direction
of the Ice grOtto. The guide takes us
by well beaten path right across the
top of a part of the glacier, until finally
we come to the mouth of the grottO.
We ''follow our guide and fear no dan
GER" and finally reach the end Of our
jOurney-thirty feet back into solid
mountain of ice; and to Our surprise
what do we behold? There, sitting on
a low chair away back IN the grottO, is
an old Swiss woman singing and play
ing on an old ill-tuned dulcimer, look
ing wistfully in to our faces as much as
to say, please, won't you give me a
''tip?" l wonder that the old lady
don't freeze to death in there, but she
doesn't for she smiled all over, bowed
low and said, Itch danke, mein herr"
( 1 thank you, my lOrd.)
But we must not stay long in the
grotto for it is not at all congenial to a
being slightly cooler than
he is accustomed to having it in Kan
sas, so we retrace our steps. We tip
our guide once more and start back
down the mountain.
In returning we pass company of
men who are hard at work cutting ice
from the glacier, which serves as an ice
quarry, shaping it into large square
blocks and carrying it down the noun
tain side on large wooden sledges.
The sledges are brought back by the
poor, hardworking Swiss carrying them
on his back. We passed several of
these men as they carried these loads,
painting like horses and the sweat roll
ing down over their faces. Think of
it. cutting ice and delivering it at the
village, twelve miles away, in the
month of July! We reach the foot of
the mountain and the hotel in due time
and after refreshing meal go back to
Interlaken tired and footsore, but
in the realization of
the hope of our youth-that
some day we might see the
the mighty Alps, especially the Jung
frau and VALE, of the glaciers of which
we read so much in our biographies"
forgot to say that in riding up the
side we had the pleasure of
listening to the notes of a genuine
Alpine horn, blown by a peasant or
hunter. 1t was the sweetest music we
ever heard, and long shall we remember
those sweet sounds as they struck the
great mountain side, and then went
down thevalley of-beautiful-