The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-06
An ATOM IN THE UNIVERSE.
4 South Carolina Lady'S Experience
on Mont Blanc.

The Dangers ofthe Mauvais Pas at
Last Surmounted.
Mrs a. NJ Keittin the Home Journal
r Chamouni abounds in comfortable inns,
and well it may, for it affords point of
view for more Of sublimity and pastoral
beauty than any village in Europe
or the many hotels, the Pension des
Alps pleased us most From its beauti-
full garden you could look down on the
rushing Arve, already a bold stream, al
though its birth-spot-the mouth of a
glacier-was only few miles above, and
then look up at the awful heights and
eternal SHOWS Of Mont Blanc.
At convenient spot in the garden a
telescope was placed, through which one
could peer into the vast crevasses and
riffs in the snow, and note the glasslike
fneness of the several aiguilles that
pierced the heavenly blue.
From this charming hotel one lovely
August morning wc-a party of fOur-all
filled with earnest enthusiasm, started
to make the ascent as far as MOntaubert.
To merit the term enthusiastic, we should
have emulated the French woman, Mad
emoiselle D'Angerville who, in Septem-
when her strength failed her, compelled
the guides to drag her up the remaining
] 200 feet, eXClaiming, ''lf | die, take me
up" and when the summit was achieved,
demanded further to be hftod up in their
arms as high as possible from the earth
so she could boast that she had been
higher than a man had eter been. Or,
like that of the American girl who start
ed the same morning we did, with the de-
termination to do or die-destinatiOn the
summit.
But our enthusiasm was not of that eX
celsiOr type We merely wanted in an
artistic way, to enjoy PARKWAY reaches of
vision: TO see lovely combinations and
standings of mountain greenery in its
varied forms of foliage, turf and lichen;
. the occasional waterfall; the lovely chalet
on mountain ledge, and, above all, to see
the Mer de Glace, that wonderful stream
of ice-so silent, so resistless! Our en-
thusiasm, though lively, was eminently
reasonable
The mules were brought, the guides
seized the reins and the procession start
ed But alas, for bodily enjoyment!
Never before had we experienced Cha
jmouni mule.
[ First, they are extremely tall for
mountain climbing; then they have a per
sistent trick of taking the outer edge of
the path where it winds around the preci-
pice and being snch tall swaying crea-
lures, with an unsteady, twisting gait like
that of a dromedary, our sensations were
far from agreeable.
Neither to the right nor the left could
we look; certainly not downward but
straight forward, at point between the
long, Tapping Cars, while we gave blind
faith TO Providence for a safe ascent.
Montaubert is the usual finale for ex-
cursions, few caring to go beyond. None
save the ardent tourist of the aforemen-
toned type This, unfortunately, l knew
not at the time. We found there large
comfortable inn, and visitors often re-
main there over night and rest before de-
scending.
In one room was displayed lovely SOU
venirs in wood, onyx, cornelian and
amethyst-the minerals found in the
mountains near, and the carving done by
native artists. The men of our party
wishing to make short excursion not de-
sired by US, left, after arranging to meet
us on the other side and together accom-
plish the Mauvais Pas. In an evil mo-
neut we agreed to go without them, not
dreaming unto what we were ConSenting,
save that it was something in the guide
book prOgramme-''a feat any woman
could accomplish wide G.. B. AGAIN., and
that the willy guide had already des-
patched our horses to the Chapeau below,
there TO await our coming.
Where is the path" Down the
mountain side, across the ice and along
the edge of the glacier" is it far?" "a
| short distance only, and not bad walk
ing" So we queried, and so the guide
answered. He knew not our different
standpoints of view. We, reared on the
/ plains of the cotton belt, had feet and
| sinews as little adapted to glacier climbing
and walking as those of any feathered
| biped of barnyard dOmesticity, while he,
| supple, alert, springy as mountain goat,
! was equal to any emergency We had,
| when ascending, noticed a resemblance of
| gait between him and the mule. Theirs
was not the straightforward step of
| usual locomotion, but rather a swinging
around of the limb before planting the
foot. The movement may insure ease and
repel fatigue.
I'VE gave faith to the guides assertion,
| for the crystalline atmosphere annihilated
distance, and brought objects dclusively
near The walk, apparently, was short,
just across the frozen river.
| The first hour was enchanting. The
deep blue assures in the ice, the lakelets
therein of the limpid water, the triclJling
| rills, the wild chaotic powders Of min
gled ice and rock, the thrilling sense of
weird mystery in that unseen, but exist
ent movement beneath our feet, all filed
us with emotions nspeakable.
we crossed DN IDe pdluWaN Idfhcu OUT
by the notches cut in the ice Every day
the notches are recent for the sun god
though baffied oft by the unyielding gla-
cier, does make some impression on his
icy armor.
The suu-rays cut in fine narrow shafts
far down to the black earth beneath, and
through these drifts the little rills from
the surface melting, find way and under
meath is born the river, which, day by
day, trickles and means under the mon
ster's weight until the valley is reached,
and there, joyous and free, it springs
from its icy prison to laugh in the sun, TO
roll through the meadow on its ever
widening way to the sea.
The Arve was beneath our feet. The
guard urged US on. An hour passed.
How far now to the Manvais Pasn
"Only three miles" calmly answered the
guide Three miles and our Shoes al
ready in tatters We had crossed the
river, and We're now on our way to the
Pas Up miniature Alps, down stony
ravines, over loose stones, around narrow
lodges, with vast expenditure of vitality
and IA ruinous exhaustion of the nervous
system, when a. X, just in advance,
startled me: Horrors we can never
pass this: behold the Mauvais Pasl'
\ narrow ledge cut from the mountain
side, scarcely wide enough for Cinderella
feet, and a seemingly insecure iron rod
| for support, and beneath. the precipice