Year: 1871

! by OOd mercy naQ Iailen upon
a narrow ledge of ice, which formed
a sort of bridge across the creyasse.
This frail support, as far as Icould
judge, was a about inches broad
and Is thick. Ny head hung from
one side of it, my feet from the 9th
er. Instinctiyely and immediately,
| by what means I know not, Iraised
myself up and stood upright on
this projection, where there was a
hollow just large enough for me to
plant one foot.


Then I heard my companion say
above me, 1--WE never hoped to hear
your voice again; trust in God and
take courage. The guide has run
to Montanvert to seek men and
ropes; he viii come back Directly"


"If he is long," 1 replied, II shall
not come up alive"


My position was a terrible one;
the thin ledge Of ice was so narrow
that I could not. place both feet on
it. I could only support myself on
one leg, half resting on one of the
ice walls, and pressing the other
with my hand. Theice was smooth
as a mirror, there was nothing to
grasp. A stream of ice water flow
ed down upon my shoulders, pierc-
ing me to the very bones; above my
head I saw the long and narrow
streak of sky round which the
mouth Of the crevasse formed a
frame. The ice, which was Of the
darkest blue color, encircling me on
all sides, looked threatening and
gloomy. The two walls seemed as
if they were about to meet in order
to crush me, rather than to release
their prey. Numerous watercours-
es streamed down their sides, but
in this extent Of more than sixty
yards I could not see any other pro-
lection or obstacle except the ledge
on which I had so miraculously fall
len.


Irisked looking. for one second
only, down into the terrible abyss,
above which I was suspended. At
the spot where I was the crevasse
was not more than two feet wide,
lower down it narrowed rapidly,
and a hundred yards below the two
sides appeared to touch each other.
I believe if I had fallen but a very
few inches on either side from the
narrow bridge which had arrested
me, 1 should have been buried and
jammed up at a depth where no
rope could have reached me.


I had remained about twenty
minutes in my perilous position,
nerves and muscles stretched to the
utmost to keep myself there, look
ing at the sky above my head and
the ice around me, but not daring
again to glance into the gulf below.
The blood was flowing from a
wound [ had received on my cheek,
and I felt that my right leg, upon
which, fortunately, I was not rest
ing, was severely bruised; the left
leg, however, panied by the effort of
standing and the cold, was begin
ming to give way, 1t was impossi-
bic to change my position without
the risk of my balance. The cold
of the wall OF ice against which 1
was resting more and more benumb-
ed me, the water continued to fall,
and 1 dared not stir.


1 called my companion; ho one
replied. 1 called again. Nothing!
Nothing! Not a human being
within reach of my voice. was
seized with giddiness as a terrible
thought crossed my brain.


'He has gone to see if the help is
coming, and he cannot find the ere
vase again-there are hundreds
such. I am lostp'


I commended my soul to Cod
My strength was quite exhausted.
Ihad never yet given up all hope.
/ I was seized with a desire to let my
self fall and thus put an end to this
agony.


At this critical moment heard
myself called. My friend had run
! to look for the guide, but when he
wished to return he was horror
struck on perceiving that the sur
face of the glacier was rent by nu-
merous crevasses, and so similar
that there was not a single sign by
which he could recognize the abyss
in which I was buried alive. In
this cruel perplexity God guided
him to see a little knapsack which
the guide had left at the edge of the
| gulf. I cried to him to look at his
watch. Five minutes more had
elapsed. The cold was becoming
more and more intense, and the
blood was literally freezing in my
veins. I called; 1 asked if there
was any one in sight. The guide
had started thirty-five minutes ago,
and not a soul had yet appeared
/ 1t was scarcely probable that he
could return so quickly, as we had
taken three quarters of an hour to
get to this spot, and had to 90 and
return.