Year: 1874

And now, whilst occupied in drinking
In that strange sensation and allowing
our minus to recover their equilibrium
from the first staggering shock of aston
ishment, began the strange spectacle OF.
which We ware the sole witnesses. One
long delicate cloud, suspended in mid
air Just below the sun was gradually
adornlng itself with prismatic coloring.
Round the limitless horizon ran q faint
bank, fcg unfortunately not thick
enorgh 20 produce that depth of color
ing which sometimes makes an Alpine
sunset inexpressibly gorgeous. The
weather. was the only complaint we
had to make-erred on the side of fue-
ness. But the coloring was brilliant
enough to prevent any thought ofserious
disappointment. The long series of west
ern ranges melted into a uniform hue as
the sun declined in their rear. Amid
their folds the lake OF Geneva BECAME
suddenly lighted up in a faint yellow
CLEAN. To the east blue gauze seemed
to cover each valley as they sank into
night and the intervening ridges rose
with increasing distinctness, or rather it
seemed that some fluid or exquisite deli
cacy of color and substance was flooding
all the lower country beneath the great
mountains. Peak by peak the great
snow fields caught the rosy glow, and
shone like signal-fircs across the dim
breadths of delicate twilight Like
Aerxes, we looked over the countless
host sinking into rest, but with the
rather different reflection that hundred
years hence they would probably be do
ing much the same thing, while we
should lsng have ceased to take any in
terest in the performance. And suddenly
began a more startling phenomenon.
A vast cone, with its apex pointing
away from us, seemed to be suddenly
cut off from the world beneath; night
was within its borders, and the twilight
still all round; the blue mists were
quenched where it fell, and for the in
slant we could scarcely tell what was
the origin of this strange appearance.
Some unexpected change seemed to
have taken place in the programme; as
though a great fold in the curtain had
suddenly given way, and dropped on
that part of the scenery. Of course,
moments reflection explained the mean
ing of this uncanny intruder; it was the
giant shadow of Mont Blanc, testifying
to his supremacy over all meaner emf
nences. 1t is difficult to say how sharp
ly marked was the outline, and how
startling was the contrast between this
pyramid of darkness and the family
lighted spaces beyond its influence;
huge inky blot seemed to have fallen
upon the landscape. AS we gazed
we could see it move. 1t swal-
lowed up ridge by ridge, and the
sharp point crept steadily from one
landmark to another down the broad
valley of Aosts. We we're standing in
fact on the point of the gnomen of
gigantic sun.dial, tie face of which was
formed by thousands of square miles of
mountain and valley. So clear was the
outline that if hgures had been scrawled
upon glaciers and ridges we could have
told the time to second; indeed, we
were half inclined to look for our own
shadows at a distance so great that
whole villages would be represented by
a scarcely distinguishable speck of COZ
oriug. The huge shadow looking ever
more strange and magical, struck the
distant Becca di Mona, and then climbed
into the dark region where the broader
shadow of the world was rising into
the eastern sky. By some singular
effect OF perspective, rays of dark
ness seemed to be eonverging from
above the apex of shadowy cone.
For q time it seemed that there
was kind of anti-sun in the east, pour
ing out not light, but deep shadow as it
rose. The apex soon reached the hori-
zon, and then to our surprise, began
climbing the distant sky. Would it
never stop, and was Mont Blanc capa-
BILE of oyershadowing not only the earth,
but the sky? For a minute or two l
fancied in a bewildered way that this
unearthly object would fairly rise from
the ground, and climb upward to the
zenith. But rapidly the lights went out
upon the great army OF the neuntains;
the snow all round took the livid hue
which Immediately succeeds an Alpine
sunset, and almost at blow the shadow
of Mont Blanc was swallowed up in the
general shade of night.