第18章

H。YouareaGUESTinsuchplaces? G。S。Andawelcomingone。 H。Itissurprising。Howdoesitcome? G。S。Mygrandfather\'snameisapassporttoallthecourtsinEurope。Ihaveonlytoutterthatnameandeverydoorisopentome。Iflitfromcourttocourtatmyownfreewillandpleasure，andamalwayswelcome。 IamasmuchathomeinthepalacesofEuropeasyouareamongyourrelatives。IknoweverytitledpersoninEurope，Ithink。Ihavemypocketsfullofinvitationsallthetime。 IamunderpromisetogotoItaly，whereIamtobetheguestofasuccessionofthenoblesthousesintheland。 InBerlinmylifeisacontinuedroundofgaietyintheimperialpalace。Itisthesame，whereverIgo。 H。Itmustbeverypleasant。ButitmustmakeBostonseemalittleslowwhenyouareathome。 G。S。Yes，ofcourseitdoes。ButIdon\'tgohomemuch。 There\'snolifethere——littletofeedaman\'shighernature。 Boston\'sverynarrow，youknow。Shedoesn\'tknowit，andyoucouldn\'tconvinceherofit——soIsaynothingwhenI\'mthere:where\'stheuse?Yes，Bostonisverynarrow，butshehassuchagoodopinionofherselfthatshecan\'tseeit。 AmanwhohastraveledasmuchasIhave，andseenasmuchoftheworld，seesitplainenough，buthecan\'tcureit，youknow，sothebestistoleaveitandseekaspherewhichismoreinharmonywithhistastesandculture。 Irunacrossthere，oneayear，perhaps，whenIhavenothingimportantonhand，butI\'mverysoonbackagain。 IspendmytimeinEurope。 H。Isee。Youmapoutyourplansand…… G。S。No，excuseme。Idon\'tmapoutanyplans。Isimplyfollowtheinclinationoftheday。Iamlimitedbynoties，norequirements，Iamnotboundinanyway。Iamtoooldatravelertohampermyselfwithdeliberatepurposes。 Iamsimplyatraveler——aninveteratetraveler——amanoftheworld，inaword——Icancallmyselfbynoothername。 Idonotsay，\"Iamgoinghere，orIamgoingthere\"——I saynothingatall，Ionlyact。Forinstance，nextweekyoumayfindmetheguestofagrandeeofSpain，oryoumayfindmeoffforVenice，orflittingtowardDresden。 IshallprobablygotoEgyptpresently；friendswillsaytofriends，\"HeisattheNilecataracts\"——andatthatverymomenttheywillbesurprisedtolearnthatI\'mawayoffyonderinIndiasomewhere。Iamaconstantsurprisetopeople。Theyarealwayssaying，\"Yes，hewasinJerusalemwhenweheardofhimlast，butgoodnessknowswhereheisnow。\" PresentlytheGrandsonrosetoleave——discoveredhehadanappointmentwithsomeEmperor，perhaps。Hedidhisgracesoveragain:grippedmewithonetalon，atarm\'s-length，pressedhishatagainsthisstomachwiththeother，benthisbodyinthemiddlethreetimes，murmuring: \"Pleasure，\'msure；greatpleasure，\'msure。Wishyoumuchsuccess。\" Thenheremovedhisgraciouspresence。Itisagreatandsolemnthingtohaveagrandfather。 Ihavenotpurposedtomisrepresentthisboyinanyway，forwhatlittleindignationheexcitedinmesoonpassedandleftnothingbehinditbutcompassion。 Onecannotkeepupagrudgeagainstavacuum。 Ihavetriedtorepeatthislad\'sverywords； ifIhavefailedanywhereIhaveatleastnotfailedtoreproducethemarrowandmeaningofwhathesaid。 HeandtheinnocentchatterboxwhomImetontheSwisslakearethemostuniqueandinterestingspecimensofYoungAmericaIcameacrossduringmyforeigntramping。 Ihavemadehonestportraitsofthem，notcaricatures。 TheGrandsonoftwenty-threereferredtohimselffiveorsixtimesasan\"oldtraveler，\"andasmanyasthreetimes(withaserenecomplacencywhichwasmaddening) asa\"manoftheworld。\"TherewassomethingverydeliciousabouthisleavingBostontoher\"narrowness，\"unreprovedanduninstructed。 Iformedthecaravaninmarchingorder，presently，andafterridingdownthelinetoseethatitwasproperlyropedtogether，gavethecommandtoproceed。 Inalittlewhiletheroadcarriedustoopen，grassyland。 Wewereabovethetroublesomeforest，now，andhadanuninterruptedview，straightbeforeus，ofoursummit—— thesummitoftheRiffelberg。 Wefollowedthemule-road，azigzagcourse，nowtotheright，nowtotheleft，butalwaysup，andalwayscrowdedandincommodedbygoingandcomingfilesofrecklesstouristswhowerenever，inasingleinstance，tiedtogether。 Iwasobligedtoexerttheutmostcareandcaution，forinmanyplacestheroadwasnottwoyardswide，andoftenthelowersideofitslopedawayinslantingprecipiceseightandevenninefeetdeep。Ihadtoencouragethemenconstantly，tokeepthemfromgivingwaytotheirunmanlyfears。 Wemighthavemadethesummitbeforenight，butforadelaycausedbythelossofanumbrella。Iwasallowingtheumbrellatoremainlost，butthemenmurmured，andwithreason，forinthisexposedregionwestoodinpeculiarneedofprotectionagainstavalanches； soIwentintocampanddetachedastrongpartytogoafterthemissingarticle。 Thedifficultiesofthenextmorningweresevere，butourcouragewashigh，forourgoalwasnear。 Atnoonweconqueredthelastimpediment——westoodatlastuponthesummit，andwithoutthelossofasinglemanexceptthemulethatatetheglycerin。 Ourgreatachievementwasachieved——thepossibilityoftheimpossiblewasdemonstrated，andHarrisandIwalkedproudlyintothegreatdining-roomoftheRiffelbergHotelandstoodouralpenstocksupinthecorner。 Yes，Ihadmadethegrandascent；butitwasamistaketodoitineveningdress。Theplughatswerebattered，theswallow-tailswereflutteringrags，mudaddednograce，thegeneraleffectwasunpleasantandevendisreputable。 Therewereaboutseventy-fivetouristsatthehotel—— mainlyladiesandlittlechildren——andtheygaveusanadmiringwelcomewhichpaidusforallourprivationsandsufferings。Theascenthadbeenmade，andthenamesanddatesnowstandrecordedonastonemonumenttheretoproveittoallfuturetourists。 Iboiledathermometerandtookanaltitude，withamostcuriousresult:THESUMMITWASNOTASHIGHASTHEPOINTON THEMOUNTAINSIDEWHEREIHADTAKENTHEFIRSTALTITUDE。 SuspectingthatIhadmadeanimportantdiscovery，Ipreparedtoverifyit。Therehappenedtobeastillhighersummit(calledtheGornerGrat)，abovethehotel，andnotwithstandingthefactthatitoverlooksaglacierfromadizzyheight，andthattheascentisdifficultanddangerous，Iresolvedtoventureupthereandboilathermometer。SoIsentastrongparty，withsomeborrowedhoes，inchargeoftwochiefsofservice，todigastairwayinthesoilallthewayup，andthisIascended，ropedtotheguides。Thisbreezyheightwasthesummitproper——soIaccomplishedevenmorethanIhadoriginallypurposedtodo。Thisfoolhardyexploitisrecordedonanotherstonemonument。 Iboiledmythermometer，andsureenough，thisspot，whichpurportedtobetwothousandfeethigherthanthelocalityofthehotel，turnedouttobeninethousandfeetLOWER。Thusthefactwasclearlydemonstratedthat，ABOVEACERTAINPOINT，THEHIGHERAPOINTSEEMSTOBE，THELOWERITACTUALLYIS。Ourascentitselfwasagreatachievement，butthiscontributiontosciencewasaninconceivablygreatermatter。 Cavilersobjectthatwaterboilsatalowerandlowertemperaturethehigherandhigheryougo，andhencetheapparentanomaly。IanswerthatIdonotbasemytheoryuponwhattheboilingwaterdoes，butuponwhataboiledthermometersays。Youcan\'tgobehindthethermometer。 IhadamagnificentviewofMonteRosa，andapparentlyalltherestoftheAlpineworld，fromthathighplace。 Allthecirclinghorizonwaspiledhighwithamightytumultofsnowycrests。OnemighthaveimaginedhesawbeforehimthetentedcampsofabeleagueringhostofBrobdingnagians。 Butlonely，conspicuous，andsuperb，rosethatwonderfuluprightwedge，theMatterhorn。Itsprecipitoussideswerepowderedoverwithsnow，andtheupperhalfhiddeninthickcloudswhichnowandthendissolvedtocobwebfilmsandgavebriefglimpsesoftheimposingtowerasthroughaveil。 [2]AlittlelatertheMatterhorntooktohimselfthesemblanceofavolcano；hewasstrippednakedtohisapex—— aroundthiscircledvastwreathsofwhitecloudwhichstrungslowlyoutandstreamedawayslantwisetowardthesun，atwenty-milestretchofrollingandtumblingvapor，andlookingjustasifitwerepouringoutofacrater。 Lateragain，oneofthemountain\'ssideswascleanandclear，andanothersidedenselyclothedfrombasetosummitinthicksmokelikecloudwhichfeatheredoffandflewaroundtheshaft\'ssharpedgelikethesmokearoundthecornersofaburningbuilding。TheMatterhornisalwaysexperimenting，andalwaysgetsupfineeffects，too。Inthesunset，whenallthelowerworldispalledingloom，itpointstowardheavenoutofthepervadingblacknesslikeafingeroffire。Inthesunrise——well，theysayitisveryfineinthesunrise。 2。NOTE——IhadtheveryunusuallucktocatchonelittlemomentaryglimpseoftheMatterhornwhollyunencumberedbyclouds。Ileveledmyphotographicapparatusatitwithoutthelossofaninstant，andshouldhavegotanelegantpictureifmydonkeyhadnotinterfered。 Itwasmypurposetodrawthisphotographallbymyselfformybook，butwasobligedtoputthemountainpartofitintothehandsoftheprofessionalartistbecauseIfoundIcouldnotdolandscapewell。 Authoritiesagreethatthereisnosuchtremendous\"layout\" ofsnowyAlpinemagnitude，grandeur，andsublimitytobeseenfromanyotheraccessiblepointasthetouristmayseefromthesummitoftheRiffelberg。Therefore，letthetouristropehimselfupandgothere；forIhaveshownthatwithnerve，caution，andjudgment，thethingcanbedone。 Iwishtoaddoneremark，here——inparentheses，sotospeak——suggestedbytheword\"snowy，\"whichIhavejustused。 Wehaveallseenhillsandmountainsandlevelswithsnowonthem，andsowethinkweknowalltheaspectsandeffectsproducedbysnow。ButindeedwedonotuntilwehaveseentheAlps。Possiblymassanddistanceaddsomething——atanyrate，somethingISadded。Amongothernoticeablethings，thereisadazzling，intensewhitenessaboutthedistantAlpinesnow，whenthesunisonit，whichonerecognizesaspeculiar，andnotfamiliartotheeye。Thesnowwhichoneisaccustomedtohasatinttoit——paintersusuallygiveitabluishcast——butthereisnoperceptibletinttothedistantAlpinesnowwhenitistryingtolookitswhitest。Astotheunimaginablesplendorofitwhenthesunisblazingdownonit——well，itsimplyISunimaginable。 CHAPTERXXXIX [WeTravelbyGlacier] Aguide-bookisaqueerthing。ThereaderhasjustseenwhatamanwhoundertakesthegreatascentfromZermatttotheRiffelbergHotelmustexperience。YetBaedekermakesthesestrangestatementsconcerningthismatter: 1。Distance——3hours。 2。Theroadcannotbemistaken。 3。Guideunnecessary。 4。DistancefromRiffelbergHoteltotheGornerGrat，onehourandahalf。 5。Ascentsimpleandeasy。Guideunnecessary。 6。ElevationofZermattabovesea-level，5，315feet。 7。ElevationofRiffelbergHotelabovesea-level，8，429feet。 8。ElevationoftheGornerGratabovesea-level，10，289feet。 Ihaveprettyeffectuallythrottledtheseerrorsbysendinghimthefollowingdemonstratedfacts: 1。DistancefromZermatttoRiffelbergHotel，7days。 2。TheroadCANbemistaken。IfIamthefirstthatdidit，Iwantthecreditofit，too。 3。GuidesAREnecessary，fornonebutanativecanreadthosefinger-boards。 4。Theestimateoftheelevationoftheseverallocalitiesabovesea-levelisprettycorrect——forBaedeker。 Heonlymissesitaboutahundredandeightyorninetythousandfeet。 Ifoundmyarnicainvaluable。Mymenweresufferingexcruciatingly，fromthefrictionofsittingdownsomuch。 Duringtwoorthreedays，notoneofthemwasabletodomorethanliedownorwalkabout；yetsoeffectivewasthearnica，thatonthefourthallwereabletositup。 Iconsiderthat，morethantoanythingelse，Iowethesuccessofourgreatundertakingtoarnicaandparegoric。 Mymenarebeingrestoredtohealthandstrength，mymainperplexity，now，washowtogetthemdownthemountainagain。Iwasnotwillingtoexposethebravefellowstotheperils，fatigues，andhardshipsofthatfearfulrouteagainifitcouldbehelped。 FirstIthoughtofballoons；but，ofcourse，Ihadtogivethatideaup，forballoonswerenotprocurable。 Ithoughtofseveralotherexpedients，butuponconsiderationdiscardedthem，forcause。ButatlastIhitit。Iwasawarethatthemovementofglaciersisanestablishedfact，forIhadreaditinBaedeker； soIresolvedtotakepassageforZermattonthegreatGornerGlacier。 Verygood。Thenextthingwas，howtogetdowntheglaciercomfortably——forthemule-roadtoitwaslong，andwinding，andwearisome。Isetmymindatwork，andsoonthoughtoutaplan。OnelooksstraightdownuponthevastfrozenrivercalledtheGornerGlacier，fromtheGornerGrat，asheerprecipicetwelvehundredfeethigh。Wehadonehundredandfifty-fourumbrellas—— andwhatisanumbrellabutaparachute? ImentionedthisnobleideatoHarris，withenthusiasm，andwasabouttoordertheExpeditiontoformontheGornerGrat，withtheirumbrellas，andprepareforflightbyplatoons，eachplatoonincommandofaguide，whenHarrisstoppedmeandurgedmenottobetoohasty。 HeaskedmeifthismethodofdescendingtheAlpshadeverbeentriedbefore。Isaidno，Ihadnotheardofaninstance。Then，inhisopinion，itwasamatterofconsiderablegravity；inhisopinionitwouldnotbewelltosendthewholecommandoverthecliffatonce； abetterwaywouldbetosenddownasingleindividual，first，andseehowhefared。 Isawthewisdominthisideainstantly。Isaidasmuch，andthankedmyagentcordially，andtoldhimtotakehisumbrellaandtrythethingrightaway，andwavehishatwhenhegotdown，ifhestruckinasoftplace，andthenIwouldshiptherestrightalong。 Harriswasgreatlytouchedwiththismarkofconfidence，andsaidso，inavoicethathadaperceptibletrembleinit； butatthesametimehesaidhedidnotfeelhimselfworthyofsoconspicuousafavor；thatitmightcausejealousyinthecommand，fortherewereplentywhowouldnothesitatetosayhehadusedunderhandedmeanstogettheappointment，whereashisconsciencewouldbearhimwitnessthathehadnotsoughtitatall，noreven，inhissecretheart，desiredit。 Isaidthesewordsdidhimextremecredit，butthathemustnotthrowawaytheimperishabledistinctionofbeingthefirstmantodescendanAlpperparachute，simplytosavethefeelingsofsomeenviousunderlings。No，Isaid，heMUSTaccepttheappointment——itwasnolongeraninvitation，itwasacommand。 Hethankedmewitheffusion，andsaidthatputtingthethinginthisformremovedeveryobjection。 Heretired，andsoonreturnedwithhisumbrella，hiseyeflamingwithgratitudeandhischeekspallidwithjoy。 Justthentheheadguidepassedalong。Harris\'sexpressionchangedtooneofinfinitetenderness，andhesaid: \"Thatmandidmeacruelinjuryfourdaysago，andI saidinmyheartheshouldlivetoperceiveandconfessthattheonlynoblerevengeamancantakeuponhisenemyistoreturngoodforevil。Iresigninhisfavor。 Appointhim。\" Ithrewmyarmsaroundthegenerousfellowandsaid: \"Harris，youarethenoblestsoulthatlives。Youshallnotregretthissublimeact，neithershalltheworldfailtoknowofit。Youshallhaveopportunityfartranscendingthisone，too，ifIlive——rememberthat。\" Icalledtheheadguidetomeandappointedhimonthespot。Butthethingarousednoenthusiasminhim。 Hedidnottaketotheideaatall。 Hesaid: \"TiemyselftoanumbrellaandjumpovertheGornerGrat!Excuseme，thereareagreatmanypleasanterroadstothedevilthanthat。\" Uponadiscussionofthesubjectwithhim，itappearedthatheconsideredtheprojectdistinctlyanddecidedlydangerous。 Iwasnotconvinced，yetIwasnotwillingtotrytheexperimentinanyriskyway——thatis，inawaythatmightcripplethestrengthandefficiencyoftheExpedition。 Iwasaboutatmywits\'endwhenitoccurredtometotryitontheLatinist。 Hewascalledin。Buthedeclined，onthepleaofinexperience，diffidenceinpublic，lackofcuriosity，andIdidn\'tknowwhatall。Anothermandeclinedonaccountofacoldinthehead；thoughtheoughttoavoidexposure。Anothercouldnotjumpwell——neverCOULDjumpwell——didnotbelievehecouldjumpsofarwithoutlongandpatientpractice。Anotherwasafraiditwasgoingtorain，andhisumbrellahadaholeinit。 Everybodyhadanexcuse。Theresultwaswhatthereaderhasbythistimeguessed:themostmagnificentideathatwaseverconceivedhadtobeabandoned，fromsheerlackofapersonwithenterpriseenoughtocarryitout。 Yes，Iactuallyhadtogivethatthingup——whiledoubtlessIshouldlivetoseesomebodyuseitandtakeallthecreditfromme。 Well，Ihadtogooverland——therewasnootherway。 ImarchedtheExpeditiondownthesteepandtediousmule-pathandtookupasgoodapositionasIcoulduponthemiddleoftheglacier——becauseBaedekersaidthemiddleparttravelsthefastest。Asameasureofeconomy，however，Iputsomeoftheheavierbaggageontheshorewardparts，togoasslowfreight。 Iwaitedandwaited，buttheglacierdidnotmove。 Nightwascomingon，thedarknessbegantogather——stillwedidnotbudge。Itoccurredtomethen，thattheremightbeatime-tableinBaedeker；itwouldbewelltofindoutthehoursofstarting。Icalledforthebook——itcouldnotbefound。Bradshawwouldcertainlycontainatime-table； butnoBradshawcouldbefound。 Verywell，Imustmakethebestofthesituation。SoI pitchedthetents，picketedtheanimals，milkedthecows，hadsupper，paregorickedthemen，establishedthewatch，andwenttobed——withorderstocallmeassoonaswecameinsightofZermatt。 Iawokeabouthalfpasttennextmorning，andlookedaround。 Wehadn\'tbudgedapeg!AtfirstIcouldnotunderstandit； thenitoccurredtomethattheoldthingmustbeaground。 SoIcutdownsometreesandriggedasparonthestarboardandanotherontheportside，andfooledawayupwardofthreehourstryingtosparheroff。Butitwasnouse。 Shewashalfamilewideandfifteenortwentymileslong，andtherewasnotellingjustwhereaboutssheWASaground。 Themenbegantoshowuneasiness，too，andpresentlytheycameflyingtomewithashyfaces，sayingshehadsprungaleak。 Nothingbutmycoolbehavioratthiscriticaltimesavedusfromanotherpanic。Iorderthemtoshowmetheplace。 Theyledmetoaspotwhereahugeboulderlayinadeeppoolofclearandbrilliantwater。Itdidlooklikeaprettybadleak，butIkeptthattomyself。Imadeapumpandsetthementoworktopumpouttheglacier。 Wemadeasuccessofit。Iperceived，then，thatitwasnotaleakatall。Thisboulderhaddescendedfromaprecipiceandstoppedontheiceinthemiddleoftheglacier，andthesunhadwarmeditup，everyday，andconsequentlyithadmelteditswaydeeperanddeeperintotheice，untilatlastitreposed，aswehadfoundit，inadeeppooloftheclearestandcoldestwater。 PresentlyBaedekerwasfoundagain，andIhuntedeagerlyforthetime-table。Therewasnone。Thebooksimplysaidtheglacierwasmovingallthetime。Thiswassatisfactory，soIshutupthebookandchoseagoodpositiontoviewthesceneryaswepassedalong。Istoodtheresometimeenjoyingthetrip，butatlastitoccurredtomethatwedidnotseemtobegaininganyonthescenery。Isaidtomyself，\"Thisconfoundedoldthing\'sagroundagain，sure，\"——andopenedBaedekertoseeifIcouldrunacrossanyremedyfortheseannoyinginterruptions。Isoonfoundasentencewhichthrewadazzlinglightuponthematter。Itsaid，\"TheGornerGlaciertravelsatanaveragerateofalittlelessthananinchaday。\"Ihaveseldomfeltsooutraged。 Ihaveseldomhadmyconfidencesowantonlybetrayed。 Imadeasmallcalculation:Oneinchaday，saythirtyfeetayear；estimateddistancetoZermatt，threeandone-eighteenthmiles。Timerequiredtogobyglacier，ALITTLEOVERFIVEHUNDREDYEARS!Isaidtomyself，\"IcanWALKitquicker——andbeforeIwillpatronizesuchafraudasthis，Iwilldoit。\" WhenIrevealedtoHarristhefactthatthepassengerpartofthisglacier——thecentralpart——thelightning-expresspart，sotospeak——wasnotdueinZermatttillthesummerof2378，andthatthebaggage，comingalongtheslowedge，wouldnotarriveuntilsomegenerationslater，heburstoutwith: \"ThatisEuropeanmanagement，allover!Aninchaday——thinkofthat!Fivehundredyearstogoatrifleoverthreemiles! ButIamnotabitsurprised。It\'saCatholicglacier。 Youcantellbythelookofit。Andthemanagement。\" Isaid，no，IbelievednothingbuttheextremeendofitwasinaCatholiccanton。 \"Well，then，it\'sagovernmentglacier，\"saidHarris。 \"It\'sallthesame。Overherethegovernmentrunseverything——soeverything\'sslow；slow，andill-managed。Butwithus，everything\'sdonebyprivateenterprise——andthenthereain\'tmuchlollingaround，youcandependonit。 IwishTomScottcouldgethishandsonthistorpidoldslabonce——you\'dseeittakeadifferentgaitfromthis。\" IsaidIwassurehewouldincreasethespeed，iftherewastradeenoughtojustifyit。 \"He\'dMAKEtrade，\"saidHarris。\"That\'sthedifferencebetweengovernmentsandindividuals。Governmentsdon\'tcare，individualsdo。TomScottwouldtakeallthetrade； intwoyearsGornerstockwouldgototwohundred，andinsideoftwomoreyouwouldseealltheotherglaciersunderthehammerfortaxes。\"Afterareflectivepause，Harrisadded，\"Alittlelessthananinchaday；alittlelessthananINCH，mindyou。Well，I\'mlosingmyreverenceforglaciers。\" Iwasfeelingmuchthesamewaymyself。Ihavetraveledbycanal-boat，ox-wagon，raft，andbytheEphesusandSmyrnarailway；butwhenitcomesdowntogoodsolidhonestslowmotion，Ibetmymoneyontheglacier。 Asameansofpassengertransportation，Iconsidertheglacierafailure；butasavehicleofslowfreight，Ithinkshefillsthebill。Inthematterofputtingthefineshadesonthatlineofbusiness，IjudgeshecouldteachtheGermanssomething。 IorderedthementobreakcampandprepareforthelandjourneytoZermatt。Atthismomentamostinterestingfindwasmade；adarkobject，beddedintheglacialice，wascutoutwiththeice-axes，anditprovedtobeapieceoftheundressedskinofsomeanimal——ahairtrunk，perhaps； butacloseinspectiondisabledthehair-trunktheory，andfurtherdiscussionandexaminationexplodeditentirely——thatis，intheopinionofallthescientistsexcepttheonewhohadadvancedit。Thisoneclungtohistheorywithaffectionatefidelitycharacteristicoforiginatorsofscientifictheories，andafterwardwonmanyofthefirstscientistsoftheagetohisview，byaveryablepamphletwhichhewrote，entitled，\"Evidencesgoingtoshowthatthehairtrunk，inawildstate，belongedtotheearlyglacialperiod，androamedthewastesofchaosinthecompanywiththecave-bear，primevalman，andtheotherOo\"liticsoftheOldSilurianfamily。\" Eachofourscientistshadatheoryofhisown，andputforwardananimalofhisownasacandidatefortheskin。 IsidedwiththegeologistoftheExpeditioninthebeliefthatthispatchofskinhadoncehelpedtocoveraSiberianelephant，insomeoldforgottenage——butwedividedthere，thegeologistbelievingthatthisdiscoveryprovedthatSiberiahadformerlybeenlocatedwhereSwitzerlandisnow，whereasIheldtheopinionthatitmerelyprovedthattheprimevalSwisswasnotthedullsavageheisrepresentedtohavebeen，butwasabeingofhighintellectualdevelopment，wholikedtogotothemenagerie。 Wearrivedthatevening，aftermanyhardshipsandadventures，insomefieldsclosetothegreatice-archwherethemadVispboilsandsurgesoutfromunderthefootofthegreatGornerGlacier，andherewecamped，ourperilsoverandourmagnificentundertakingsuccessfullycompleted。 WemarchedintoZermattthenextday，andwerereceivedwiththemostlavishhonorsandapplause。Adocument，signedandsealedbytheauthorities，wasgiventomewhichestablishedandendorsedthefactthatIhadmadetheascentoftheRiffelberg。ThisIweararoundmyneck，anditwillbeburiedwithmewhenIamnomore。 CHAPTERXL [PiteousRelicsatChamonix] Iamnotsoignorantaboutglacialmovement，now，asI waswhenItookpassageontheGornerGlacier。 Ihave\"readup\"since。Iamawarethatthesevastbodiesoficedonottravelatthesamerateofspeed； whiletheGornerGlaciermakeslessthananinchaday，theUnter-AarGlaciermakesasmuchaseight；andstillotherglaciersaresaidtogotwelve，sixteen，andeventwentyinchesaday。Onewritersaysthattheslowestglaciertravelstwenty-givefeetayear，andthefastestfourhundred。 Whatisaglacier?Itiseasytosayitlookslikeafrozenriverwhichoccupiesthebedofawindinggorgeorgullybetweenmountains。Butthatgivesnonotionofitsvastness。Foritissometimessixhundredfeetthick，andwearenotaccustomedtoriverssixhundredfeetdeep；no，ourriversaresixfeet，twentyfeet，andsometimesfiftyfeetdeep；wearenotquiteabletograspsolargeafactasanice-riversixhundredfeetdeep。 Theglacier\'ssurfaceisnotsmoothandlevel，buthasdeepswalesandswellingelevations，andsometimeshasthelookofatossingseawhoseturbulentbillowswerefrozenhardintheinstantoftheirmostviolentmotion； theglacier\'ssurfaceisnotaflawlessmass，butisariverwithcracksorcrevices，somenarrow，somegapingwide。 Manyaman，thevictimofasliporamisstep，hasplungeddownonoftheseandmethisdeath。Menhavebeenfishedoutofthemalive；butitwaswhentheydidnotgotoagreatdepth；thecoldofthegreatdepthswouldquicklystupefyaman，whetherhewashurtorunhurt。 Thesecracksdonotgostraightdown；onecanseldomseemorethantwentytofortyfeetdownthem；consequentlymenwhohavedisappearedinthemhavebeensoughtfor，inthehopethattheyhadstoppedwithinhelpingdistance，whereastheircase，inmostinstances，hadreallybeenhopelessfromthebeginning。 In1864apartyoftouristswasdescendingMontBlanc，andwhilepickingtheirwayoveroneofthemightyglaciersofthatloftyregion，ropedtogether，aswasproper，ayoungporterdisengagedhimselffromthelineandstartedacrossanice-bridgewhichspannedacrevice。 Itbrokeunderhimwithacrash，andhedisappeared。 Theotherscouldnotseehowdeephehadgone，soitmightbeworthwhiletotryandrescuehim。AbraveyoungguidenamedMichelPayotvolunteered。 Tworopesweremadefasttohisleatherbeltandheboretheendofathirdoneinhishandtotietothevictimincasehefoundhim。Hewasloweredintothecrevice，hedescendeddeeperanddeeperbetweentheclearbluewallsofsolidice，heapproachedabendinthecrackanddisappearedunderit。Down，andstilldown，hewent，intothisprofoundgrave；whenhehadreachedadepthofeightyfeethepassedunderanotherbendinthecrack，andthencedescendedeightyfeetlower，asbetweenperpendicularprecipices。Arrivedatthisstageofonehundredandsixtyfeetbelowthesurfaceoftheglacier，hepeeredthroughthetwilightdimnessandperceivedthatthechasmtookanotherturnandstretchedawayatasteepslanttounknowndeeps，foritscoursewaslostindarkness。Whataplacethatwastobein——especiallyifthatleatherbeltshouldbreak!Thecompressionofthebeltthreatenedtosuffocatetheintrepidfellow； hecalledtohisfriendstodrawhimup，butcouldnotmakethemhear。Theystillloweredhim，deeperanddeeper。 Thenhejerkedhisthirdcordasvigorouslyashecould； hisfriendsunderstood，anddraggedhimoutofthoseicyjawsofdeath。 Thentheyattachedabottletoacordandsentitdowntwohundredfeet，butitfoundnobottom。Itcameupcoveredwithcongelations——evidenceenoughthatevenifthepoorporterreachedthebottomwithunbrokenbones，aswiftdeathfromcoldwassure，anyway。 Aglacierisastupendous，ever-progressing，resistlessplow。 Itpushesaheadofitsmassesofboulderswhicharepackedtogether，andtheystretchacrossthegorge，rightinfrontofit，likealonggraveoralong，sharproof。Thisiscalledamoraine。Italsoshovesoutamorainealongeachsideofitscourse。 Imposingasthemodernglaciersare，theyarenotsohugeasweresomethatonceexisted。Forinstance，Mr。Whympersays: \"AtsomeveryremoteperiodtheValleyofAostawasoccupiedbyavastglacier，whichfloweddownitsentirelengthfromMontBlanctotheplainofPiedmont，remainedstationary，ornearlyso，atitsmouthformanycenturies，anddepositedthereenormousmassesofdebris。ThelengthofthisglacierexceededEIGHTYMILES，anditdrainedabasintwenty-fivetothirty-fivemilesacross，boundedbythehighestmountainsintheAlps。Thegreatpeaksroseseveralthousandfeetabovetheglaciers，andthen，asnow，shatteredbysunandfrost，poureddowntheirshowersofrocksandstones，inwitnessofwhichtherearetheimmensepilesofangularfragmentsthatconstitutethemorainesofIvrea。 \"ThemorainesaroundIvreaareofextraordinarydimensions。 ThatwhichwasontheleftbankoftheglacierisaboutTHIRTEENMILESlong，andinsomeplacesrisestoaheightofTWOTHOUSANDONEHUNDREDANDTHIRTYFEET abovethefloorofthevalley!Theterminalmoraines(thosewhicharepushedinfrontoftheglaciers) coversomethingliketwentysquaremilesofcountry。 AtthemouthoftheValleyofAosta，thethicknessoftheglaciermusthavebeenatleastTWOTHOUSANDfeet，anditswidth，atthatpart，FIVEMILESANDAQUARTER。\" Itisnoteasytogetatacomprehensionofamassoficelikethat。Ifonecouldcleaveoffthebuttendofsuchaglacier——anoblongblocktwoorthreemileswidebyfiveandaquarterlongandtwothousandfeetthick—— hecouldcompletelyhidethecityofNewYorkunderit，andTrinitysteeplewouldonlystickupintoitrelativelyasfarasashingle-nailwouldstickupintothebottomofaSaratogatrunk。 \"ThebouldersfromMontBlanc，upontheplainbelowIvrea，assureusthattheglacierwhichtransportedthemexistedforaprodigiouslengthoftime。Theirpresentdistancefromthecliffsfromwhichtheywerederivedisabout420，000feet，andifweassumethattheytraveledattherateof400feetperannum，theirjourneymusthaveoccupiedthemnolessthan1，055years!Inallprobabilitytheydidnottravelsofast。\" Glaciersaresometimeshurriedoutoftheircharacteristicsnail-pace。Amarvelousspectacleispresentedthen。 Mr。WhymperreferstoacasewhichoccurredinIcelandin1721: \"ItseemsthatintheneighborhoodofthemountainKotlugja，largebodiesofwaterformedunderneath，orwithintheglaciers(eitheronaccountoftheinteriorheatoftheearth，orfromothercauses)，andatlengthacquiredirresistiblepower，toretheglaciersfromtheirmooringontheland，andsweptthemovereveryobstacleintothesea。 Prodigiousmassesoficewerethusborneforadistanceofabouttenmilesoverlandinthespaceofafewhours； andtheirbulkwassoenormousthattheycoveredtheseaforsevenmilesfromtheshore，andremainedagroundinsixhundredfeetofwater!Thedenudationofthelandwasuponagrandscale。Allsuperficialaccumulationsweresweptaway，andthebedrockwasexposed。Itwasdescribed，ingraphiclanguage，howallirregularitiesanddepressionswereobliterated，andasmoothsurfaceofseveralmiles\' arealaidbare，andthatthisareahadtheappearanceofhavingbeenPLANEDBYAPLANE。\" TheaccounttranslatedfromtheIcelandicsaysthatthemountainlikeruinsofthismajesticglaciersocoveredtheseathatasfarastheeyecouldreachnoopenwaterwasdiscoverable，evenfromthehighestpeaks。Amonsterwallorbarrieroficewasbuiltacrossaconsiderablestretchofland，too，bythisstrangeirruption: \"OnecanformsomeideaofthealtitudeofthisbarrieroficewhenitismentionedthatfromHofdabrekkafarm，whichlieshighuponafjeld，onecouldnotseeHjorleifshofdiopposite，whichisafellsixhundredandfortyfeetinheight；butinordertodosohadtoclamberupamountainslopeeastofHofdabrekkatwelvehundredfeethigh。\" Thesethingswillhelpthereadertounderstandwhyitisthatamanwhokeepscompanywithglacierscomestofeeltolerablyinsignificantbyandby。TheAlpsandtheglacierstogetherareabletotakeeverybitofconceitoutofamanandreducehisself-importancetozeroifhewillonlyremainwithintheinfluenceoftheirsublimepresencelongenoughtogiveitafairandreasonablechancetodoitswork。 TheAlpineglaciersmove——thatisgranted，now，byeverybody。 Buttherewasatimewhenpeoplescoffedattheidea； theysaidyoumightaswellexpectleaguesofsolidrocktocrawlalongthegroundasexpectleaguesoficetodoit。 Butproofafterproofasfurnished，andthefinallytheworldhadtobelieve。 Thewisemennotonlysaidtheglaciermoved，buttheytimeditsmovement。Theycipheredoutaglacier\'sgait，andthensaidconfidentlythatitwouldtraveljustsofarinsomanyyears。Thereisrecordofastrikingandcuriousexampleoftheaccuracywhichmaybeattainedinthesereckonings。 In1820theascentofMontBlancwasattemptedbyaRussianandtwoEnglishmen，withsevenguides。Theyhadreachedaprodigiousaltitude，andwereapproachingthesummit，whenanavalanchesweptseveralofthepartydownasharpslopeoftwohundredfeetandhurledfiveofthem(allguides)intooneofthecrevicesofaglacier。 Thelifeofoneofthefivewassavedbyalongbarometerwhichwasstrappedtohisback——itbridgedthecreviceandsuspendedhimuntilhelpcame。Thealpenstockorbatonofanothersaveditsownerinasimilarway。 Threemenwerelost——PierreBalmat，PierreCarrier，andAugusteTairraz。Theyhadbeenhurleddownintothefathomlessgreatdeepsofthecrevice。 Dr。Forbes，theEnglishgeologist，hadmadefrequentvisitstotheMontBlancregion，andhadgivenmuchattentiontothedisputedquestionofthemovementofglaciers。 Duringoneofthesevisitshecompletedhisestimatesoftherateofmovementoftheglacierwhichhadswallowedupthethreeguides，andutteredthepredictionthattheglacierwoulddeliverupitsdeadatthefootofthemountainthirty-fiveyearsfromthetimeoftheaccident，orpossiblyforty。 Adull，slowjourney——amovementimperceptibletoanyeye—— butitwasproceeding，nevertheless，andwithoutcessation。