Year: 1878

VII luC uiuk thf III St ~
in the Himalayas awoke with a start
fearing that l had oversight myself,
but the darkness quickly reassured
me, and looking at my watch / found
1t was only few minutes after three
o'clock. We threw open the window
and were overjoyed to find the stars
shining bright in a beautiful clear sky.
Therc was no time for breakfast, nor
any means OF procuring it at that early
hour. We sailed forth into the keen
air Of the morning, and with hasty
steps took the direction of the noun
tam.


The first streaks oi dawn had begun
to appear when We emerged from the
jungle, and crossing a broad plateau,
which formed tho top of the hill,
found ourselves on the northern verge
of the same, which descended almost
perpendicular into a bottomlcss chasm.
IL was yet too dark to distinguish any.
thing save a confused mass Of noun.
taims and valleys as far as the eye can
reach, but it was clear. The stars still
shone overhead, and the glowing cas-
tern horizon gave promise Of glori-
Gus sunrise. Little by little the dark
ness gave way to light, and one Of the
grandest scenes in the world, II not
the grandest, was unfolded before our
delighted eyes.


On either hand stretched far away
into the distance the picturesque chains
of the foot. hills, their steep sides COW
cred with primeval forests, their base
concealed beneath clouds of white
mist. A little to the left and thou.
sand feet below lay Darjecling, its
white houses scattered over what
looked like prOmontory extending
out into an ocean of vapor. Directly
before US was the deep valley already
mentioned, bounded on one side by
the Darieeling ridge and on the other
by another spur of corresponding
height and similar formation. In the
north, rose, dome upon dome, peak
upon peak, in sublime majesty, the
mighty 1-inchingunga. Only forty
five miles separated us from this mon
arch of the mountains, whose proud
crest rears itself to the elevation OF
2S, 200 feet above the level of the sea.
We were standing at an elevation of
5000 feet; therefore the summit OF
Kinchingunga was more than 10000
feet above us, and SO clearly was it de-
fined against the glowing sky that
each rock, each precipice, each chasm
was plainly visible to tie naked eye,
aud appeared scarce a stones throw
away. Flanked on the east by the
mountains which form the boundary
between Thibet and India, on the
west by those which form the contin-
uation of the chain running in north
westerly direction, and of which the
highest peak is Mount Everest, Kin
chingunga impresses one with more
profound respect or admiration of the
majesty of nature than any object L
have ever beheld. The smallest of
these mountains above which it tow
ers are from 5000 10 1900 feet III
height, and yet they appear insegniii
cant when compared with it. .;


AS the sun rose the play of the ever
varying colors on the spotless snow.
with which the great mountain was
covered to distance of some 10000
feet below the summit. elected shouts
of admiration from us all. One of the
greatest charms which the spectacle
possessed was the knowledge that the
beauty upon which we gazcd could
never be sullied by the hand of man.
No member of the Alpine club, how
eyer intrepid, however enterprising
he may be, will ever plant his staff in
the frozen snow of yonder glacier.
No engineer will ever construct rail-
way for the transportation of holiday
excursionists to those dizzy heights.
No fashionable young lady mountain
eer will ever record upon her highly
polished alpenstock the name of Kin
chingunga by the side of those of
Mont Blanc and Mont Rosa. For
amidst those regions pierced by yon
snowy peaks no living thing can
breathe the breath of life. Such
heights are forbidden even to the
eagle.


AS the sun rose in the heayens his
beams fell full upon the solitary peak
of Mount Everest, $50 miles distant in
the northwest. This mountain, 29,-
600 feet above the level of the sea,
called by the inhabitants Deodunga,
is the loftiest in the world, but vastly
inferior to its brother monarch in
beauty and grandeus. -s


As we gszed upon this wonderful
horizon of mountains, upon the sea of
vapor beneath and the cloudless sky
above US. believe that my compan-
ions as we'll as myself returned thanks
to the Almighty for having permitted
us thus to worship Him in this one of





His glorious works. l would give
ten years of my life,' exclaimed L.,
Hungaria an geologist, for this one
morning. and stralning his eyes to
ward the glistening precipices, he en-
deavored 10 detect some peculiar fea-
ture in the formation of the glaciers.
For my part, was sensible of feel
ing of complete satisfaction, of perfect
contentment. had seen the Himala
vas in their full glory, under the most
ausplcious circumstances
AS the sun rose higher and higher,
and the rosy tints faded from the
snowy peaks, we turned our faces
homeward, and reached the inn in
time for a late breakfast.