The herald., 1894-12-07
HE CUT THE ROPE.

They shake their heads with unpleasant
significance at Zernatt il you ask them
about Gaspard Lafargue and what bcfell
him. For one thing Gaspard was a Cham
ounix guide and Chamounix guides are
no more popular in the Zermatt valley
than on the Oberland. For tho rest--but
that is the story have to tell.
An English tourist, who has no other
connection with the story, brought Gas
pard to Zermatt, much against his will, in
the beginning of July. Before July was
over Gaspard had made up his mind that
the longer he staid at Zermatt the better
he should be pleased
1t was all through the laughing eyes of
Nannette, the pretty French chambermaid
at tho Mont Cervin. She at any ratio had
no prejudice against the guido who came
from Chamounix and made love SO much
moro romantically than their brothers of
German speaking Switzerland. SO she
and Gaspard had their romance and formed
their plans to make each other happy.
''Nannette, - he told her one day, when
the summer is over I shall have saved
1900 francs"
"And l, Gaspard, shall have a dot of
500 francs.'
And have q rich uncle, Nannette. He
also will lend me little money, and to-
gether we will tako little hotel-such a
pretty little hotel that know of close to
Chamounix. All tho gentlemen I have
climbed with will come to stay there, and
will still be guide, and you shall look
after the house, and we will always be
happy-oh, SO happyP'
So they planned it, and after his en-
ployer had gone back to England Gaspard
found it hard to tear himself away from
Zermatt.
The other guides were jealous of him.
What business had he in Zermatt, they
asked, doing work that by rights belonged
to themp 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
say, therefore, to prejudice tourists against
Gaspard Lafargue they did. But Gaspard
was man Of proved prowess among the
mountains, and he found engagements.
One tourist in particular took him out
with him continually. He was an Eng
lishman. His name was Richards, and he
was an amateur.
1t all rose through certain sporting
offer that Gaspard had made to Mr.. Rich
dEtlS Oll bIt dlucIlOOll Ol w liCn uO WalhC0
into Zermatt from St. Niklaus. Gaspard
accosted him, as is the habit of the guides,
showing him his book of testimonials, and
proposed that they should make an ascent
together Harry Richards stood talking
with him, and the names of many peaks
were mentioned. The Zinal Rothhorn was
suggested as good one to begin with.
There was only one objection to it,
ttnna onfa two cI1i1pG for that ~ Hnrrv
Richards said, land two guides are more
than can afford"
'You can make the Zinal Rothhorn from
Zermatt with only one guide, monsieur, :"
Gaspard answered.
The Englishman expressed surprise.
The guidebook said differently. Gaspard
renewed his offer
Eyes, monsieur, will take you up the
Zinal Rothhorn by myself, and you shall
not pay me oentime unless we get to the
top"
Decidedly it was a sporting offer, for it
was made In utter ignorance Of the Eng
lishman's S climbing powers and rested only
on the rash generalization that all Eng
lishmen who climb at all climb well.
Moreover, there is certain awkward rock
traverse on the Zinal Rothhorn, where an
inexperienced climber may easily come to
grief and bring his companion to grief
with him. The offer, however, was ao-
cepted and the top of the mountain duly
reached, and afterward Harry Richards
took Gaspard Lafargue with him on all
his more difficult excursions.
But it is only with one of these excur-
sions-the last of them-that this story Ia
specially concerned.
1t was in the English travellers mind, If
the weather should be favorable, to climb
Monte Rosa, toilsome expedition and to
party Of less than three more than lit
tie perilous. But it is an expedition that
they never undertook, though they fixed o
day for it, In the course of preliminary
walk, to make reconnaissance Of the
route, the inevitable happened, for, as
all the world knows, two men cannot &C
alone on a snow masked glacier without
the risk of accident.
There is no need to make long story
of the excursion. In truth, there is hardly
anything to bo told about it. They recon-
noitered, for it was dull, gray day, with
clouds and mist drifting hither and thith-
CT and dark sky continually threaten
ing snow And at last the moment came
when high up on the Monte Rosa glacier
the English traveller slipped through q
snow bridge into a crevasse, and his guide
held him dangling by the rope and could
not pull him out of it.
Gaspard Lafargue could just sustain the
weight, and that was all. His companions
struggles to release himself nearly pulled
him off his feet Dropping on 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?" h6 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, monsieurs"
II can't see the bottom Of it,"
A pause and then
II think can hold you, monsieur, If you
will drop your ak and climb up the rope. -
But the rope was slippery from trailing
the snow and in parts glazed with ice. 1t
was impossible to get such q grip ON it as
man must have If he would climb hand
over hand, and thus the last way of safety
failed
Thcre was fresh pause while both the
French guido and tho English tourist
looked death in the face and racked their
brains in vain for some device by which
the imminent end might be averted. Ev-
erything was still. Tho clouds were black
ering, the snow had begun to fall, and
thero was no chance that any one would
bring them help.
Then the voice Of the Englishman was