The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1904-07-21

, slopes that fall hundreds Of feet dowr
into the valley below; and also the
Klein Tor little) Schwarzweiss glacier,
name so given it. not because OF its
smallness-for II * two miles long.
and In one place. half mile across
but To distinguish ii from the Gross.
Schwarzweiss glacier that hangs above
OH the other side OF the pass.
IL is lonely and grim road, a road
In which no bird is heard or seen from
the time that the village of St Chris.
toph is left behind on the Swiss side
until the village OF Santa Madre ia
reached on the Italian side: road that
winds al first. and at last. through fir.
woods and pine-trecs. 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
tht valley far below. Patches of snow
and pieces of rock that have fallen
from above. alone relieve 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 n corpse. the glacier from which
the pass derives it's name.
lonely and grim road even in the
daytime. when few rays of sunshine
manage TO penetrate ii at midday.
when occasionally party of tours's
may he met with. aud when sometimes
the voice of Il goatherd calling his
iiocks rises from the valley below; but
lonel!er and more grim, and more
black and impenetrable at night. and
rarely or even then trod by human
foot. For he who should ATTEMPT the
passage of the SchwarZweiss Pass AT
night, unless there were a brilliant
moon to light him through its most
dangerous parts. would take his life
In his own nands
Yet, on an August night or the year
in which this tale is told. and when
there WAS Il moon that being near its
full. consequently rose late and shone
till nearly daylight. a man was making
his way across this pass to Italy
Midnight was clos. at hand as, with
weary steps. he descended a rough
hewn path in the rock-a path which
attached TO the side from which it was
cut-and reached small plateau. the
size, perhaps. of an ordinary room
ana rrnm which again the path went
on. From this plateau shelvod down,
for hundred feet or more, an almost |
perpendicular mOrline or glacier he'd |
and at the ioot of this lay the Klein. |
Schy'arzweisS. with its crevasses ellis. !
tening in the moonlight: for the moon |
mad tnpnch eVeI the great noun tains !
above hy now. aud lighted up the PISS !
II was evidently considered u danger !
ors part of the route, since between /
tLe edge OF tie plateau and the side ,
OF the mo:aiAe II wooden railing Lad /
been erected, consisting OF two short |
upright posts and a long cross one. AS |
the man reached this plateau. holding
10 the rail- with one hand. while with
the other he used his alpenstuck AS a
walking stick, he perceived a stone
IL may have been placed there for the
purpose-large enough for seat: and
taking of his knapSack wearily, he sat
down upon it.
Time presses he muttered 10 him.
self yet 7 must rest Otherwise I
snail not lie at Santa Madre by eight
o'clock To morrow. can go no further
without cest
There is an indefinite feeling of aw,
rulness In Ec.ng alone NJ 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
fe cling 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. | should he glad | am alone"
At this moment few stones in the |
slipped and fell into the gla-
cier, and the man started at the dis |
tinct sound they made in that Wild |
erness OF silence, Then, as he sat
there gazing up mt the moon and the
snow above him, he continued his med !
itations.
chat the .