Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-08-27
CHAPTER XXI.

The Schwarzweiss Pass, leading from
| the southeast of Switzerland to Italy, is
| one well known to mountaineerS, because
| Of the rapid manner in which they can
cross from one country to another, ana
| also because Of the magnificent views
that it presents to the traveller.
Moreover, it offers to them choice
either Of making passage over the snow
clad mountains that rise above it, and
across the great Schwarzweiss glacier, or
| Of keeping to the path that, while rising to
the height at some places Of 10000 feet,
! Is, except at the summit, perfectly passa-
| BILE in good weather.
| It is true that he who, even while on the
| path, should turn giddy, or walk careless
| ly, would risk his life, for though above
him only are the vast white ''horns" and
| 'Piz," below him there are still the ra-
| vines through which run the boiling tor
rents known respectively as the
"Schwarz" and the "Weiss' rivers-riv-
ers that carry with them huge boulder
stones and pine trees wrenched from their
roots; dry slopes that fall hundreds of
feet down into the valley below; and also
! the Klein (or little) Schwarzweiss glacier,
q name so given it, not because OF its
smallness for it is two miles long, and
in one place, half a mile across-but to dis
tinguish it from the Constituencies
| glacier that hangs above on the other side
Of the pass.
| 1t is lonely and grim road, road in
| which no bird is heard or seen from the
time the village Of st. Christoph is left
| behind on the Swiss side until the village
Of Santa Madre is reached on the Italian
| side; road that winds at first, and at
| last, through 6r-woods and pine trees, but
that in the middle is nothing but path,
cut in some parts and blasted in others,
along the granite sides Of the rocks, and
! hanging in many places above the valley
far below.
Patches of snow and pieces of rock
that have fallen from above, alone re-
lieve the view on the side of the path; on
the opposite side of the ravine is nothing
| but huge wall of granite that holds no
snow, SO slippery is it; but above which
hangs, white and gray, like the face Of
corpse, the glacier from which the pass
derives it's name.
A lonely and grim road even In the
daytime, when a few rays of sunshine
manage to penetrate it at midday, when
occasionally party Of tourists may be
met with, and when sometimes the voice
Of goatherd calling his focks rises from
the valley below; but lonelier and more
grim, and more black and impenetrable
at night, and rarely Or ever then trod by
human foot.
For he who should attempt the passage
of the Schwarzweiss Pass at night, un-
less there were brilliant moon to light
him through it's most dangerous parts,
would take his life in his own hands.
Yet, Oh an August night of the year in
which this tale is told, and when there
was moon that, being near its full, con-
sequently rose late and shone till nearly
| daylight, man was making his way
across this pass to Italy.
Midnight was close at hand as, with
weary steps, he descended rough-hewn
path in the rock-a path which, for safe
ty, had rude handrail Of iron attached
to the side from which it was cut-and
reached a small plateau, the size, per-
haps, of an ordinary room, and from
which again the path went on.
From this plateau shelved down, for
hundred feet or more, an almost perpen-
dicular moraine, or glacier bed, and at
the foot Of this lay the IHlein-Schwarz-
weiss, with it's crevasses glistening in the
moonlight; for the moon had topped even
the great mountains above by now, and
lighted up the pass.
It was evidently considered a danger
Gus part of the route, since, between the
edge of the plateau and the side of the
moraine wooden railing had been erect
| ed, consisting Of two short, upright posts
and long cross one.
AS the man reached this plateau, hold
ing to the rail with one hand, while with
| no 9th ha nj
walking stick, he perceived a stone-it
may have been placed there for the pur-
pose-large enough for seat; and taking
off his knapsack YEARLY, he sat down
upon it.
"Time presses" he muttered to himself,
"yet I must rest. Otherwise I shall not
be at Santa Madre by eight o'clock to-
morrow. I can go no farther without
rest"
There is an indefinite feeling of awful
ness in being alone at night amongst the
mountains, in knowing and feeling that for
| miles around there is no other creature
IN these vast, cold solitudes but ourselves;
and this man had that feeling now.
'How sti1l-how awful this pass isv'
| he Said to himself, with no sound but the
creaking Of that glacier below-with no
human being here but me. Yet, should
be glad am alone"
| At this moment few stones In the NOR
aine slipped and fell into the, glacier, and
the man, started at the Distinct sound
I they madein that wilderness. Of silence.
Y Then, as he sat there gazing up at the
moon and the snow above him, he con-
tinued his meditations.
1T is BEST" he thought, "that the poor
old mother did not know when I said
goodbye to her this afternoon, and she
babe me come back soon, that should,
never come back, that l had farther
destination than Italy before me; best
that my father did not know that we
| should never meet again. Never, never!
/ All, it is long word"
''Yet it must be done," he went on. IF
I want to drag this miserable life out, 1
must do it elsewhere than in England.
| That sleuth-hound will surely find me
there; it is possible that he will even track
me to the antipodes. Yet, if were sure
that he is lying about-having seen my
/ face before. / would go back and brave
| him. Where did he ever see it3where?
where? To my knowledge have never
| seen him"
IN rocn ond xvoILod m tho railing abovp