Arizona republican., 1892-03-01

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 past three Hlnths. We have not
 marched siS lJag spells without rest
 We shall march again toinorrow and
 then perhaps we shall take days rest.
 My men are in perfect traini.Sg Now
 will leave you, mesiames. In an hour
 will come to take you Co dinner"
 At the appointed time the officer came,
 and all the tourists followed him across
 the plateau, a,bniring the splendid pan
 orama spread out before them. From
 the summit of the Aution C, ,060 meters)
 they saw at their feet like d gigantic
 ditch, the valley of the Mimiera joining
 the Roya at the east near San Dalmazzo.
 and commanded by an Italian fort, the
 most advanced of the works that defend
 the Col de Tende. Beyond the depth of
 the Mimiera rose the last chain of the
 Apes Maritimes, throwing up heaven
 ward the ridge Del Diablo e, ,GS7 meters)
 and the peak L'Abisso (9.775 meters), an
 enormous mass, with it's snowy covering
 tinted rose by the setting sun-a grand
 and striking spectacle. especially when
 seen from the midst of a bivouac, itself
 always so curious and so attractive. The sentinels watch as they pace to and fro. The mules browse the scant
 but tasty grass of the high plateaus. Seated on old tree trunks the officers finish their itineraries, complete their notes, draw mp reports on the country they have traversed, make sketches of the distant mountain silhouettes. The soldiers sing us they clean their arms, shout, run and amuse themselves with games. To see their movements and their activity you would never think that they had marched twenty-five miles and accomplished maneuver amid all the obstacles of mountainous ground. The Italians have reason to be proud of their Alpine companies. Our chasseurs de montague are not one whit inferior to them ill tenacity and endur. ance.
 Night closes in. Dinner is served on table formed of wattled branches GOV cred with flowery turf. Old pine trunks, cut down ia time of former wars. serve as seats A big fire and torches formed of pine branches light the guests at this original and rustic feast At such an altitude frugality is obligatory, never theless the fare is quite respectable. The l chief dishes are red partridges and civet 1, de chamois, pine mushrooms, an ice made with ewes milk and snow, while 1 strawberries, arbutns berries and wild | forest fruits, served in nests of moss, formed the dessert. The tourists are de- | lighted, and thank the officers by drink ing their health, and soon all retire to . rest.
 At daybreak the battalion resumes it's | march along the ridge. alternately through woods and across meager pas turages. The solitude is absolute except | for some pastorello guarding his goats, which seem literally to cling to the moun- tain side. The view is marvellous when the distance appears through rent in the opaline morning mist.
 The road gets worse and becomes ab- solutely execrable at the point where the grand descent begins, and where the track is scarcely marked out of the sinuosities of the rocks. At one point great blocks Overhang: at another sharp BlOJVNbiOuo now iO bt iUIDttls all the way the road follows the edge of a precipice.
 One cannot imagine how the mules will pass with their burdens, or how they can even get footing in this danger ous pass. The battalion passes without winking, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. and the mountain battery follows in its turn. But not the tourists; they find the danger too immi- nent and dismount, preferring to trust to their feet Meanwhile they wait till the path is free, sitting on granite promontory, and watching the whole bat tery defile along this track. which seems even for the goats them selves. It is work of strength and pa- tience and requires as much skill as it does coolness.
 The soldiers hold up the mules and even their burdens by means of ropes. Thus relieved. the animals glide along rather than walk, stiffening their fore legs and almost touching the ground with their hind quarters. A few acci- dents happen, but, thanks to the mani fold precautions and to the care of the drivers, they are rarely serious; the mules that fall are soon put on their feet again. At last this long and perilous pass is cleared; the battery and the ambulance reJoin the battalion, and after short halt the march is resumed and La Bollene K reached.
 The tourists rushed into the hotel, de- lighted to find themselves once more in 3 civilized place, and to be able to rest for few hours, The column. however, continued its march Later on the tourists started for Nice in carriage. Toward the end of the day they over took the indefatigable chasseurs, who were still marching along, although more than twelve hours had passed since they had begun their days work.