The morning call., 1894-10-28
END OF GASPARD LAFARGUE.
A Tale of Chan1ounix Guide and an English Tourist
Who Met His Death


They shake their heads with unpleasant
| significance at Zprmatt # you ask then
about Gaspard Lafargue and what befel
him. For one thing Gaspard was Cha
mounix guide; and Chamounix guides are
no more popular in the Zermatt Valley
than on the Oberland. For the rest-bu
that is he story l have to tell.
An English tourist, who has no other
connection with tha story, brought Gas
pard to Zermatt, much against his will, ir
the beginning of July. Before July was
over Gaspard had made up his mind thai
the longer he stayed at Zermatt the better
he should be pleased.
1t was all through the laughing eyes oi
Nannette, the pretty French cham bermaid
at the Mont Cervin. She, at any rate, had
no prejudice against the guide who came
from Cnamounix aud made love so much
more rOmantically than his brothers of
German-speaking Switzerland. So she
and Gaspard had their rOmances and
formed their plans to make each other
happy.
'Nannette." he told her one day, "when
the summer is over / shall have 1900
francs"
"And l, .Gaspard. shall have dot of
800 francs"
"And l have rich uncle, Nannette. He
also will lend me little money, and to-
gether we will take little hotel-such a
pretty little hotel-that know of close 10
Cnamounix. All the gentlemen l have
climbed with will come to stay there; and
L will still be a guide, and you shall look
alter the house, and we will always be
happy-oh! so happy"
So they planned it, and after his en-
ployer had gone back TO England, Gaspard
Inun1 il hard Tn Tear himSalf away fr0m
Zarmatt.
The other guides were jealous of him.
What business had he In Zsrmatt they
asked. doing work that by rights belonged
to them? And some of them-the younger
and unmarried men-were Jealous of him
in another sense. declaring loudly that a
Chamounix man had no right to make
love to Zermatt girl. All that they
could saw, therefore, to prejudice tourists
aga nst Gaspard Lafargue Trey said. But
Gaspard was man OF proved prOwess
among the mountains and he found en-
gagemenjs.
One tourist in particular took him out
with him continually. He was an Eng
lishman. His name was Richards. and he
was an amateur.
Il all arose through Il certain sporting
offer that Gaspard had made 10 Mr.. Rich
ards on the afternoon on which he walked
lnio Zsrmatt from st. Niklaus. Gaspard
-
showed him his book of testimonials ana
proposed that they should make an ascent
together. Harry Richards stood talking
with him, ard the names of many peaks
were mentioned. The Zlnal Rothhorn was
suggested as good one tn begin with.
There was only one objection to it.
"One wants two guide, for that" Harry
Richards said. 'and Two guides is more
than L can afford"
You can make the Zinal Rothhorn from
Il rmait with only one guide. monsieur"
Gaspard answered.
The Englishman expressed surprise.
Baedeker said differently. Gaspard re-
newed his offer.
Yes. monsieur, | will take you up the
Zinai Ro!hhorn by myself. and you shall
not pay me centime unless we get to the
top"
Decidedly, it was sporting offer. for it
was made In utter ignorance of the Eng
llshman's ciln bing powers, aud rested
only on the rash generalization that all
Engilshmen who climb at all climb well.
Moreover, there is a certain awkward rock
traverse on the Znal Rothhorn, where an
inexperienced climber may easily come TO
grief and bring mis- com panion to grief
with him.. The offer. however. was ac-
eepted and the top of the mountain duly
reached, and afterward Harry Richards
took Gaspard Lafargue with him on all
lis difficult excursions.
But il is only with one of these excur-
sionS-the last OF them-that the story is
specially co cerned.
1t was in the English travellers mind, if
the weather should be favorable, TO climb
Monte Rosa, toiSome expedition, and to
party less than three more than little
perlous. But it is al expedition that they
never undertook. though they had fixed a
day for il. In the course of preliminary
walk TO make a Reconnaissance of the
route, the inevitable happened. For, as
all the world knows, two men cannot go
alone on snOw-masked glacier withou /
the risk of accident.
Gaspard Lafargue could just sustain the
weight and that was all. His companions
struggles 10 release himself nearly pulled
him of his feet. Dropping onto one knee
that he might the better bear the strain he
shouted such directions as he could.
Can you reach the side of the crevasse
with your ice ak, monsieur?" he called.
But Harry Richards could not The
wall nearest TO him was followed like an
arch and he could not so much as touch it.
And the crevasse is deep. mons sieur?"
81 can't see the bottom of it."
A pause, and then:
81 think l can huld you, monsieur, if
you will drop your ak and climb up the
rope"
But the rope was slippery from trailing
10 the snow, and in parts glazed with ice.
1t was impossible 70 get such grip on it
as man must have If he would climb
hand over hand, and this, the last way of
safety, failed.
Ttere was fresh pause while both the
French guide and the English tourist
looked death in she face and racked their
brains in vain for some device by which