The Press., 1899-11-02

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town, and the town itself is surrounded
by wall with gates and towers In good
state of preservation. The town itself on
the hill, the surrounding walls and tow
ers and the castle all bear unmistakable
witness to the disorder of the early GEN.
turies In every European country are
found these silent witnesses to a condi-
tion of society of which we in new coun-
try know nothing except from history.
One American of independent and patri-
otic spirit, when a European complained
THAT he saw no picturesque ruined castles
on our hill-tops, as along the Rhine, is
said to have replied, "No, thank God, we
have never had any use for castles In
America -
The storm passes In the night, the
morning is bright and clear, and early
we mount and skip away to Louranne
and along the east shore of Lake Geneva,
with its beautiful vine-clad hills, past
Montreux to the famous old castle of
Chfllon, made famous to all English read
ers by Byron's "Prisoner of Chillon. :"
We are shown the dungeon and the pillar
to which the Inflated prisoner was chain
ed, and we leave the old castle with q
new application of the poets power to
put life and the semblance of reality into
the old and long g-buried tradition of q re-
mote past. On through Villeneune, up
the Rhone past St. Maurice to Martigny,
where our hearts are made glad by long
lepked-fo letters from friends across the
sea. These and good nights rest give
us fresh courage to push our heavily
loaded wheels up the steep grades for
three hours to the summit of Forclay
Pass, and ease them down the sleeper
grades into the valley of the TRENT, halt
ing, however, at the summit long enough
to take breath and look back on the beau
tiful valley of the Rhone and upon the
rugged mountains that hem in that IA
NOUS river and give 1t direction to the
tie sea. Once in the valley of the TRENT,
we mount and speed away down beside
q foaming, roaring torrent, past Rete-
ir, up the south branch of the TRENT
1! over the Col d. Argentiere into the
monix valley, and Mt. Blanc stands,
uncrowned head, defiantly, across
ath.
Hess defiancel We are not here to
his sway, or to attempt his slip
eiRhts; we leave that dangerous
dnger men, more experienced
prs. We are here to gaze once more
"grand, awful 'front.' of this Mon
of the Mountains, and the wild,
ged "grange" over which he bears i'm
Hal sway; to catch inspiration uplift-
from these lofty rulers of the upper
an inspiration that shall go with US
fSr many day as we follow our little by
paths on the lower planes of life.
Chamonix Valley Is a narrow valley,
about half mile wide and twelve to fif-
teen miles long, running from northeast
to southwest. 1t is bounded on the south
east by the Mt. Blanc range, with its
huge ice-cataracts, and on the northwest
by lower and less rugged chain Of noun
tains. 1t was practically unknown to the
travelling world until the middle of the
18th century, when it was visited by some
adventurous English travellers, and few
years later by two famous Geneva natu-
ralists. In the grandeur of its glaciers
1t has no rival but Zennant In the Alpine
world. The valley is popular among
tourists, and the current of travel flowing
through this valley yearly increases. The
region in general attracts them. Cha
monk village, having fixed population
OF only about 1900 Inhabitants, Is tour.
ist village, giving itself almost exclusive.
ly during the season--four months-to
the entertainment of visitors. Hotels
and pensions are the chief buildings oi
the place. Curio shops and outfitters
shops, too, line the main street. From
Chamonix radiate paths IA every direction
to the heights, and In the season they
are thronged by ambitious, adventurous
climbers. The Glacier des Blossoms
sweeping grandly down from Mt. Blanc
halting at the very edge of the valley and
looking down threateningly upon the
peace and beauty below, Is by far the
most imposing of the ice-cataracts of this
valley, but Mer de Glace Is the most pop
ular resort Of modest climbers. 1t Ii
beautiful, and grand too, in It's setting
among the mountains. 1t Is stiff clint
OF two and one-half miles to this ''sea ot
ice." We have come into this valley
specially to visit this famous glacier
With Alpen stocks In hand, jackets bulg
ing out with lunch prudently caught up as
we came through the village, we begir
the climb at $50 a. M, Oct 1st, and by
noon drag our weary feet up the last
steep grade, and coming around the enc
OF the hotel at the summit of Montanvert
the sea of Ice, vision of beauty, lies be-
fore US. We climb along it's margin tc
Its pinnacled heights on the right, and
have a grand view of the two Ice currents
that unite to form the Mer de Glace.
We linger about for two hours, wander
along the bank, pick bluchells and heath
or blossoms for friends far away, sit on 9
high rock with our feet dangling over the
abyss, and discuss, with keen appetite
born OF hard climbing and the sweet
mountain air, the bread and cheese from
our jackets, and other high themes sug
gested by time and place. One of the
party suggests that our bread and cheese
and the glacier at our feet reminds hin
OF Professor Muir's thrilling description
Of day on glacier In Alaska, the Muil
glacier, as it has since been named ir