Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-10-14
VOL. l..
CHAPTER XXlI

cross from one country TO another, and
also because of the magnificent views
that 1t presents to the traveller.
Moreover, 1t offers to them choice
either of making passage over the snow
clad mountains that rise above 1t, and
across the great Schwarzweiss glacier. or
of keeping to the path that, while rising to
the height at some places of 10000 feet,
10, except at the summit. perfectly passa-
Bile In good weather.
1t II 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 aleo
the Klein Tor little) Schwarzweiss glacier,
q name SO given it, not because Of its
Smallness-for 1t Is two miles long, and
In one place, half q mile across-but to dis
tinguish it from the Gross-Schwarzweiss
glacier that hangs above on the other side
Of the pass.
1t il a lonely and grim road. road II.
which no bird Is heard or seen from the
time the village of st. Christoph il left
behind on the Swiss side until the village
OF Santa Madre is reached on the Italian
side; a road that winds at first, and at
last, through fir-woods and pine trees. but
that In the middle Is nothing but a 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 a
corpse, the glacier from which the pass
derives its name.
A lonely and grim road even In tn.
daytime. when a few rays OF sunshine
manage to penetrate it at midday, when
occasionally a party of tourists may be
met with, and when sometimes the voice
Of goatherd calling his fiocks rises from
the valley below; bat lonelier and more
grim, and more black and impenetrable
at night, and rarely or ever then trod by
human foot.
For hs who should attempt the passage
of the Schwarzweiss Pass at night, un-
less there were a brilliant moon to light
him through its most dangerous parts,
would take his life in his own hands.
Yet, on an August night OF the year IL
which this tale is told. and when there
was a 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.
oh
weary steps, he descended a rough hewn
path in the rock-a path which, for safe
ty, had a rude handrail of iron attached
to the side from which it was cut-and
reached small plateau, the size, per-
haps, of an ordinary room, and from
which again the path went on.
From this plateau shelyed down, for h
hundred feet or more, an almost perpen-
dicular moraine, or glacier bed, and at
the foot of this lay the Klein-Schwarz-
weiss, with Its crevasses glistening in the
moonlight; for the moon had topped even
the great mountains above by now, and
lighted up the pass.
1t was evidently considered danger, {.
ous part Of the route. since, between the
edge of the plateau and the side of the
moraine a 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
the other he used his alpenstock as a
walking stick, he perceived a stone-it
may have been placed there for the pur-
pose-large enough for a seat; and taking
off his knapsack wearily, he sat down
upon it.
''Time presses" he muttered to himself,
"yet l must rest. Otherwise l shall not
be at Santa Madre by eight o'clock to-
morrow. l can go no farther without a
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 still-how awful this pass is!'
he said to himself, with no sound but the
creaking of that glacier below-with no
human being here but me. Yet, l 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
they made in that wilderness of silence
Then, as he sat there gazing up at the
moon and the snow above him, he con-
tinued his meditations.
old mother did not know when l said
goodbye to her this afternoon. and she
bade me come back soon, that l 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, 1t is long word"
yet it must DE done,' he went on. ~
! want to drag this miserable life out, /
must do 1t elsewhere than in England.
That sleuth-hound will surely find me
there; 1t is possible that he will even track
me to the antipodes. Yet, If l were sure
that he is lying about-having seen my
face before, i would go back and brave
him Where did he ever see itf-where?
where? To my knowledge l have never
seen him."
He rose and walked to the railing above
TIE moraine and looked down at the gla-
cier and listened to the cracking made
BY the seracs.
Il might make an end of it now," he
thought "If threw myself down there.
Il would lie looked upon as an ORDINARY
Alpine accident. But mol that is the COW
ARDS resource. l have blasted my lie ioi
ever by one foul deed; let me endure It
~ . reparation for my crime. But wnas
h my future to be? Am to live mis-
srable existence for years in some distant
country, frightened at every strange tace,
dreading to read every newspaper tnat
reaches me for fear that shall see myself
denounced In 1t, and never knowing .
momsnt's peace or tranquility An, Ger.
vaseI I wonder what you would say II
you knew that, for your sake, have sac
riAced every hope Of happiness In tnia
world and all my chances Of salvation IN
ehe neat"
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