第19章

Itwasajourneywhicharollingstonewouldmakeinafewseconds——theloftypointofdeparturewasvisiblefromthevillagebelowinthevalley。 Thepredictioncutcuriouslyclosetothetruth； forty-oneyearsafterthecatastrophe，theremainswerecastforthatthefootoftheglacier。 IfindaninterestingaccountofthematterintheHISTOIREDUMONTBLANC，byStephend\'Arve。Iwillcondensethisaccount，asfollows: Onthe12thofAugust，1861，atthehourofthecloseofmass，aguidearrivedoutofbreathatthemairieofChamonix，andbearingonhisshouldersaverylugubriousburden。 ItwasasackfilledwithhumanremainswhichhehadgatheredfromtheorificeofacreviceintheGlacierdesBossons。 Heconjecturedthatthesewereremainsofthevictimsofthecatastropheof1820，andaminuteinquest，immediatelyinstitutedbythelocalauthorities，soondemonstratedthecorrectnessofhissupposition。 Thecontentsofthesackwerespreaduponalongtable，andofficiallyinventoried，asfollows: Portionsofthreehumanskulls。Severaltuftsofblackandblondehair。Ahumanjaw，furnishedwithfinewhiteteeth。 Aforearmandhand，allthefingersofthelatterintact。 Thefleshwaswhiteandfresh，andboththearmandhandpreservedadegreeofflexibilityinthearticulations。 Thering-fingerhadsufferedaslightabrasion，andthestainofthebloodwasstillvisibleandunchangedafterforty-oneyears。Aleftfoot，thefleshwhiteandfresh。 Alongwiththesefragmentswereportionsofwaistcoats，hats，hobnailedshoes，andotherclothing；awingofapigeon，withblackfeathers；afragmentofanalpenstock； atinlantern；andlastly，aboiledlegofmutton，theonlyfleshamongalltheremainsthatexhaledanunpleasantodor。Theguidesaidthatthemuttonhadnoodorwhenhetookitfromtheglacier；anhour\'sexposuretothesunhadalreadybeguntheworkofdecompositionuponit。 Personswerecalledfor，toidentifythesepoorpatheticrelics，andatouchingsceneensured。Twomenwerestilllivingwhohadwitnessedthegrimcatastropheofnearlyhalfacenturybefore——MarieCouttet(savedbyhisbaton) andJulienDavouassoux(savedbythebarometer)。Theseagedmenenteredandapproachedthetable。Davouassoux，morethaneightyyearsold，contemplatedthemournfulremainsmutelyandwithavacanteye，forhisintelligenceandhismemoryweretorpidwithage；butCouttet\'sfacultieswerestillperfectatseventy-two，andheexhibitedstrongemotion。Hesaid: \"PierreBalmatwasfair；heworeastrawhat。Thisbitofskull，withthetuftofblondhair，washis；thisishishat。 PierreCarrierwasverydark；thisskullwashis，andthisfelthat。ThisisBalmat\'shand，Irememberitsowell!\" andtheoldmanbentdownandkisseditreverently，thenclosedhisfingersuponitinanaffectionategrasp，cryingout，\"Icouldneverhavedaredtobelievethatbeforequittingthisworlditwouldbegrantedmetopressoncemorethehandofoneofthosebravecomrades，thehandofmygoodfriendBalmat。\" Thereissomethingweirdlypatheticaboutthepictureofthatwhite-hairedveterangreetingwithhislovinghandshakethisfriendwhohadbeendeadfortyyears。 Whenthesehandshadmetlast，theywerealikeinthesoftnessandfreshnessofyouth；now，onewasbrownandwrinkledandhornywithage，whiletheotherwasstillasyoungandfairandblemishlessasifthosefortyyearshadcomeandgoneinasinglemoment，leavingnomarkoftheirpassage。Timehadgoneon，intheonecase； ithadstoodstillintheother。Amanwhohasnotseenafriendforageneration，keepshiminmindalwaysashesawhimlast，andissomehowsurprised，andisalsoshocked，toseetheagingchangetheyearshavewroughtwhenheseeshimagain。MarieCouttet\'sexperience，infindinghisfriend\'shandunalteredfromtheimageofitwhichhehadcarriedinhismemoryforfortyyears，isanexperiencewhichstandsaloneinthehistoryofman，perhaps。 Couttetidentifiedotherrelics: \"ThishatbelongedtoAugusteTairraz。Hecarriedthecageofpigeonswhichweproposedtosetfreeuponthesummit。Hereisthewingofoneofthosepigeons。 Andhereisthefragmentofmybrokenbaton；itwasbygraceofthatbatonthatmylifewassaved。WhocouldhavetoldmethatIshouldonedayhavethesatisfactiontolookagainuponthisbitofwoodthatsupportedmeabovethegravethatswallowedupmyunfortunatecompanions!\" NoportionsofthebodyofTairraz，otherthanapieceoftheskull，hadbeenfound。Adiligentsearchwasmade，butwithoutresult。However，anothersearchwasinstitutedayearlater，andthishadbettersuccess。 Manyfragmentsofclothingwhichhadbelongedtothelostguideswerediscovered；also，partofalantern，andagreenveilwithblood-stainsonit。Buttheinterestingfeaturewasthis: Oneofthesearcherscamesuddenlyuponasleevedarmprojectingfromacreviceintheice-wall，withthehandoutstretchedasifofferinggreeting!\"Thenailsofthiswhitehandwerestillrosy，andtheposeoftheextendedfingersseemedtoexpressaneloquentwelcometothelong-lostlightofday。\" Thehandandarmwerealone；therewasnotrunk。 Afterbeingremovedfromtheicetheflesh-tintsquicklyfadedoutandtherosynailstookonthealabasterhueofdeath。ThiswasthethirdRIGHThandfound； therefore，allthreeofthelostmenwereaccountedfor，beyondcavilorquestion。 Dr。HamelwastheRussiangentlemanofthepartywhichmadetheascentatthetimeofthefamousdisaster。 HeleftChamonixassoonasheconvenientlycouldafterthedescent；andashehadshownachillyindifferenceaboutthecalamity，andofferedneithersympathynorassistancetothewidowsandorphans，hecarriedwithhimthecordialexecrationsofthewholecommunity。 Fourmonthsbeforethefirstremainswerefound，aChamonixguidenamedBalmat——arelativeofoneofthelostmen——wasinLondon，andonedayencounteredahaleoldgentlemanintheBritishMuseum，whosaid: \"Ioverheardyourname。AreyoufromChamonix，MonsieurBalmat?\" \"Yes，sir。\" \"Haven\'ttheyfoundthebodiesofmythreeguides，yet?IamDr。Hamel。\" \"Alas，no，monsieur。\" \"Well，you\'llfindthem，soonerorlater。\" \"Yes，itistheopinionofDr。ForbesandMr。Tyndall，thattheglacierwillsoonerorlaterrestoretoustheremainsoftheunfortunatevictims。\" \"Withoutadoubt，withoutadoubt。AnditwillbeagreatthingforChamonix，inthematterofattractingtourists。 Youcangetupamuseumwiththoseremainsthatwilldraw!\" ThissavageideahasnotimprovedtheodorofDr。Hamel\'snameinChamonixbyanymeans。Butafterall，themanwassoundonhumannature。HisideawasconveyedtothepublicofficialsofChamonix，andtheygravelydiscusseditaroundtheofficialcouncil-table。Theywereonlypreventedfromcarryingitintoexecutionbythedeterminedoppositionofthefriendsanddescendantsofthelostguides，whoinsistedongivingtheremainsChristianburial，andsucceededintheirpurpose。 Aclosewatchhadtobekeptuponallthepoorremnantsandfragments，topreventembezzlement。Afewaccessoryoddsandendsweresold。Ragsandscrapsofthecoarseclothingwerepartedwithattherateequaltoabouttwentydollarsayard；apieceofalanternandoneortwoothertriflesbroughtnearlytheirweightingold； andanEnglishmanofferedapoundsterlingforasinglebreeches-button。 CHAPTERXLI [TheFearfulDisasterof1865] OneofthemostmemorableofalltheAlpinecatastropheswasthatofJuly，1865，ontheMatterhorn——alreadysightedreferredto，afewpagesback。ThedetailsofitarescarcelyknowninAmerica。Tothevastmajorityofreaderstheyarenotknownatall。 Mr。Whymper\'saccountistheonlyauthenticone。 Iwillimportthechiefportionofitintothisbook，partlybecauseofitsintrinsicinterest，andpartlybecauseitgivessuchavividideaofwhattheperilouspastimeofAlp-climbingis。ThiswasMr。Whymper\'sNINTHattemptduringaseriesofyears，tovanquishthatsteepandstubbornpillarorrock；itsucceeded，theothereightwerefailures。Nomanhadeveraccomplishedtheascentbefore，thoughtheattemptshadbeennumerous。 MR。WHYMPER\'SNARRATIVE WestartedfromZermattonthe13thofJuly，athalfpastfive，onabrilliantandperfectlycloudlessmorning。 Wewereeightinnumber——Croz(guide)，oldPeterTaugwalder(guide)andhistwosons；LordF。Douglas，Mr。Hadow，Rev。Mr。Hudson，andI。Toinsuresteadymotion，onetouristandonenativewalkedtogether。 TheyoungestTaugwalderfelltomyshare。Thewine-bagsalsofelltomylottocarry，andthroughouttheday，aftereachdrink，Ireplenishedthemsecretlywithwater，sothatatthenexthalttheywerefoundfullerthanbefore!Thiswasconsideredagoodomen，andlittleshortofmiraculous。 Onthefirstdaywedidnotintendtoascendtoanygreatheight，andwemounted，accordingly，veryleisurely。 Beforetwelveo\'clockwehadfoundagoodpositionforthetent，ataheightofeleventhousandfeet。 Wepassedtheremaininghoursofdaylight——somebaskinginthesunshine，somesketching，somecollecting； Hudsonmadetea，Icoffee，andatlengthweretired，eachonetohisblanketbag。 Weassembledtogetherbeforedawnonthe14thandstarteddirectlyitwaslightenoughtomove。 OneoftheyoungTaugwaldersreturnedtoZermatt。 Inafewminutesweturnedtheribwhichhadinterceptedtheviewoftheeasternfacefromourtentplatform。 Thewholeofthisgreatslopewasnowrevealed，risingforthreethousandfeetlikeahugenaturalstaircase。 Somepartsweremore，andotherswerelesseasy，butwewerenotoncebroughttoahaltbyanyseriousimpediment，forwhenanobstructionwasmetinfrontitcouldalwaysbeturnedtotherightortotheleft。Forthegreaterpartofthewaytherewasnooccasion，indeed，fortherope，andsometimesHudsonled，sometimesmyself。Atsix-twentywehadattainedaheightoftwelvethousandeighthundredfeet，andhaltedforhalfanhour；wethencontinuedtheascentwithoutabreakuntilnine-fifty-five，whenwestoppedforfiftyminutes，ataheightoffourteenthousandfeet。 Wehadnowarrivedatthefootofthatpartwhich，seenfromtheRiffelberg，seemsperpendicularoroverhanging。 Wecouldnolongercontinueontheeasternside。ForalittledistanceweascendedbysnowupontheARE^TE——thatis，theridge——thenturnedovertotheright，ornorthernside。 Theworkbecamedifficult，andrequiredcaution。Insomeplacestherewaslittletohold；thegeneralslopeofthemountainwasLESSthanfortydegrees，andsnowhadaccumulatedin，andhadfilledup，theintersticesoftherock-face，leavingonlyoccasionalfragmentsprojectinghereandthere。 Thesewereattimescoveredwithathinfilmofice。 Itwasaplacewhichanyfairmountaineermightpassinsafety。Weboreawaynearlyhorizontallyforaboutfourhundredfeet，thenascendeddirectlytowardthesummitforaboutsixtyfeet，thendoubledbacktotheridgewhichdescendstowardZermatt。Alongstrideroundaratherawkwardcornerbroughtustosnowoncemore。 Thatlastdoubtvanished!TheMatterhornwasours!Nothingbuttwohundredfeetofeasysnowremainedtobesurmounted。 Thehigherwerose，themoreintensebecametheexcitement。 Theslopeeasedoff，atlengthwecouldbedetached，andCrozandI，dashedaway，rananeck-and-neckrace，whichendedinadeadheat。At1:40P。M。，theworldwasatourfeet，andtheMatterhornwasconquered! Theothersarrived。Croznowtookthetent-pole，andplanteditinthehighestsnow。\"Yes，\"wesaid，\"thereistheflag-staff，butwhereistheflag?\"\"Hereitis，\" heanswered，pullingoffhisblouseandfixingittothestick。 Itmadeapoorflag，andtherewasnowindtofloatitout，yetitwasseenallaround。TheysawitatZermatt——attheRiffel——intheValTournanche…… Weremainedonthesummitforonehour—— Onecrowdedhourofgloriouslife。 Itpassedawaytooquickly，andwebegantoprepareforthedescent。 HudsonandIconsultedastothebestandsafestarrangementoftheparty。WeagreedthatitwasbestforCroztogofirst，andHadowsecond；Hudson，whowasalmostequaltoaguideinsurenessoffoot，wishedtobethird； LordDouglaswasplacednext，andoldPeter，thestrongestoftheremainder，afterhim。IsuggestedtoHudsonthatweshouldattacharopetotherocksonourarrivalatthedifficultbit，andholditaswedescended，asanadditionalprotection。Heapprovedtheidea，butitwasnotdefinitelydecidedthatitshouldbedone。 ThepartywasbeingarrangedintheaboveorderwhileI wassketchingthesummit，andtheyhadfinished，andwerewaitingformetobetiedinline，whensomeonerememberedthatournameshadnotbeenleftinabottle。 Theyrequestedmetowritethemdown，andmovedoffwhileitwasbeingdone。 AfewminutesafterwardItiedmyselftoyoungPeter，randownaftertheothers，andcaughtthemjustastheywerecommencingthedescentofthedifficultpart。 Greatcarewasbeingtaken。Onlyonemanwasmovingatatime； whenhewasfirmlyplantedthenextadvanced，andsoon。 Theyhadnot，however，attachedtheadditionalropetorocks，andnothingwassaidaboutit。Thesuggestionwasnotmadeformyownsake，andIamnotsurethatiteveroccurredtomeagain。Forsomelittledistancewetwofollowedtheothers，detachedfromthem，andshouldhavecontinuedsohadnotLordDouglasaskedme，about3 P。M。，totieontooldPeter，ashefeared，hesaid，thatTaugwalderwouldnotbeabletoholdhisgroundifaslipoccurred。 Afewminuteslater，asharp-eyedladranintotheMonteRosaHotel，atZermatt，sayingthathehadseenanavalanchefallfromthesummitoftheMatterhornontotheMatterhornglacier。Theboywasreprovedfortellingidlestories； hewasright，nevertheless，andthiswaswhathesaw。 MichelCrozhadlaidasidehisax，andinordertogiveMr。Hadowgreatersecurity，wasabsolutelytakingholdofhislegs，andputtinghisfeet，onebyone，intotheirproperpositions。AsfarasIknow，noonewasactuallydescending。Icannotspeakwithcertainty，becausethetwoleadingmenwerepartiallyhiddenfrommysightbyaninterveningmassofrock，butitismybelief，fromthemovementsoftheirshoulders，thatCroz，havingdoneasIsaid，wasintheactofturningroundtogodownasteportwohimself； atthismomentMr。Hadowslipped，fellagainsthim，andknockedhimover。IheardonestartledexclamationfromCroz，thensawhimandMr。Hadowflyingdownward； inanothermomentHudsonwasdraggedfromhissteps，andLordDouglasimmediatelyafterhim。Allthiswastheworkofamoment。ImmediatelyweheardCroz\'sexclamation，oldPeterandIplantedourselvesasfirmlyastherockswouldpermit；theropewastautbetweenus，andthejerkcameonusbothasononeman。Weheld；buttheropebrokemidwaybetweenTaugwalderandLordFrancisDouglas。 Forafewsecondswesawourunfortunatecompanionsslidingdownwardontheirbacks，andspreadingouttheirhands，endeavoringtosavethemselves。Theypassedfromoursightuninjured，disappearedonebyone，andfellfromtheprecipicetoprecipiceontotheMatterhornglacierbelow，adistanceofnearlyfourthousandfeetinheight。 Fromthemomenttheropebrokeitwasimpossibletohelpthem。 Soperishedourcomrades! FormorethantwohoursafterwardIthoughtalmosteverymomentthatthenextwouldbemylast；fortheTaugwalders，utterlyunnerved，werenotonlyincapableofgivingassistance，butwereinsuchastatethataslipmighthavebeenexpectedfromthematanymoment。Afteratimewewereabletodothatwhichshouldhavebeendoneatfirst，andfixedropetofirmrocks，inadditiontobeingtiedtogether。 Theseropeswerecutfromtimetotime，andwereleftbehind。 Evenwiththeirassurancethemenwereafraidtoproceed，andseveraltimesoldPeterturned，withashyfaceandfalteringlimbs，andsaid，withterribleemphasis，\"ICANNOT!\" About6P。M。，wearrivedatthesnowupontheridgedescendingtowardZermatt，andallperilwasover。 Wefrequentlylooked，butinvain，fortracesofourunfortunatecompanions；webentovertheridgeandcriedtothem，butnosoundreturned。Convincedatlastthattheywereneitherwithinsightnorhearing，weceasedfromouruselessefforts；and，toocastdownforspeech，silentlygatheredupourthings，andthelittleeffectsofthosewhowerelost，andthencompletedthedescent—— SuchisMr。Whymper\'sgraphicandthrillingnarrative。 ZermattgossipdarklyhintsthattheelderTaugwaldercuttherope，whentheaccidentoccurred，inordertopreservehimselffrombeingdraggedintotheabyss； butMr。Whympersaysthattheendsoftheropeshowednoevidenceofcutting，butonlyofbreaking。HeaddsthatifTaugwalderhadhadthedispositiontocuttherope，hewouldnothavehadtimetodoit，theaccidentwassosuddenandunexpected。 LordDouglas\'bodyhasneverbeenfound。Itprobablylodgeduponsomeinaccessibleshelfinthefaceofthemightyprecipice。LordDouglaswasayouthofnineteen。 Thethreeothervictimsfellnearlyfourthousandfeet，andtheirbodieslaytogetherupontheglacierwhenfoundbyMr。Whymperandtheothersearchersthenextmorning。 TheirgravesarebesidethelittlechurchinZermatt。 CHAPTERXLII [ChillonhasaNice，RoomyDungeon] Switzerlandissimplyalarge，humpy，solidrock，withathinskinofgrassstretchedoverit。Consequently，theydonotdiggraves，theyblastthemoutwithpowerandfuse。Theycannotaffordtohavelargegraveyards，thegrassskinistoocircumscribedandtoovaluable。 Itisallrequiredforthesupportoftheliving。 ThegraveyardinZermattoccupiesonlyaboutone-eighthofanacre。Thegravesaresunkinthelivingrock，andareverypermanent；butoccupationofthemisonlytemporary； theoccupantcanonlystaytillhisgraveisneededbyalatersubject，heisremoved，then，fortheydonotburyonebodyontopofanother。AsIunderstandit，afamilyownsagrave，justasitownsahouse。Amandiesandleaveshishousetohisson——andatthesametime，thisdeadfathersucceedstohisownfather\'sgrave。 Hemovesoutofthehouseandintothegrave，andhispredecessormovesoutofthegraveandintothecellarofthechapel。Isawablackboxlyinginthechurchyard，withskullandcross-bonespaintedonit，andwastoldthatthiswasusedintransferringremainstothecellar。 Inthatcellarthebonesandskullsofseveralhundredofformercitizenswerecompactlycordedup。Theymadeapileeighteenfeetlong，sevenfeethigh，andeightfeetwide。 IwastoldthatinsomeofthereceptaclesofthiskindintheSwissvillages，theskullswereallmarked，andifamanwishedtofindtheskullsofhisancestorsforseveralgenerationsback，hecoulddoitbythesemarks，preservedinthefamilyrecords。 AnEnglishgentlemanwhohadlivedsomeyearsinthisregion，saiditwasthecradleofcompulsoryeducation。 ButhesaidthattheEnglishideathatcompulsoryeducationwouldreducebastardyandintemperancewasanerror——ithasnotthateffect。HesaidtherewasmoreseductionintheProtestantthanintheCatholiccantons，becausetheconfessionalprotectedthegirls。Iwonderwhyitdoesn\'tprotectmarriedwomeninFranceandSpain? ThisgentlemansaidthatamongthepoorerpeasantsintheValais，itwascommonforthebrothersinafamilytocastlotstodeterminewhichofthemshouldhavethecovetedprivilegeofmarrying，andhisbrethren——doomedbachelors——heroicallybandedthemselvestogethertohelpsupportthenewfamily。 WeleftZermattinawagon——andinarain-storm，too—— forSt。Nicholasaboutteno\'clockonemorning。 Againwepassedbetweenthosegrass-cladprodigiouscliffs，speckedwithweedwellingspeepingoveratusfromvelvetygreenwallstenandtwelvehundredfeethigh。 Itdidnotseempossiblethattheimaginarychamoisevencouldclimbthoseprecipices。Loversonoppositecliffsprobablykissthroughaspy-glass，andcorrespondwitharifle。 InSwitzerlandthefarmer\'splowisawideshovel，whichscrapesupandturnsoverthethinearthyskinofhisnativerock——andtherethemanoftheplowisahero。 Nowhere，byourSt。Nicholasroad，wasagrave，andithadatragicstory。Aplowmanwasskinninghisfarmonemorning——notthesteepestpartofit，butstillasteeppart——thatis，hewasnotskinningthefrontofhisfarm，buttheroofofit，neartheeaves——whenheabsent-mindedlyletgooftheplow-handlestomoistenhishands，intheusualway；helosthisbalanceandfelloutofhisfarmbackward；poorfellow，henevertouchedanythingtillhestruckbottom，fifteenhundredfeetbelow。 [1]Wethrowahaloofheroismaroundthelifeofthesoldierandthesailor，becauseofthedeadlydangerstheyarefacingallthetime。Butwearenotusedtolookinguponfarmingasaheroicoccupation。ThisisbecausewehavenotlivedinSwitzerland。 1。ThiswasonaSunday——M。T。 FromSt。NicholaswestruckoutforVisp——orVispach——onfoot。 Therain-stormshadbeenatworkduringseveraldays，andhaddoneadealofdamageinSwitzerlandandSavoy。 Wecametooneplacewhereastreamhadchangeditscourseandplungeddownamountaininanewplace，sweepingeverythingbeforeit。Twopoorbutpreciousfarmsbytheroadsidewereruined。Onewaswashedclearaway，andthebed-rockexposed；theotherwasburiedoutofsightunderatumbledchaosofrocks，gravel，mud，andrubbish。 Theresistlessmightofwaterwaswellexemplified。 Somesaplingswhichhadstoodinthewaywerebenttotheground，strippedcleanoftheirbark，andburiedunderrockydebris。 Theroadhadbeensweptaway，too。 Inanotherplace，wheretheroadwashighuponthemountain\'sface，anditsoutsideedgeprotectedbyflimsymasonry，wefrequentlycameacrossspotswherethismasonryhadcarvedoffandleftdangerousgapsformulestogetover； andwithstillmorefrequencywefoundthemasonryslightlycrumbled，andmarkedbymule-hoofs，thusshowingthattherehadbeendangerofanaccidenttosomebody。 Whenatlastwecametoabadlyrupturedbitofmasonry，withhoof-printsevidencingadesperatestruggletoregainthelostfoothold，Ilookedquitehopefullyoverthedizzyprecipice。Buttherewasnobodydownthere。 TheytakeexceedinglygoodcareoftheirriversinSwitzerlandandotherportionsofEurope。Theywallupbothbankswithslantingsolidstonemasonry——sothatfromendtoendoftheseriversthebankslooklikethewharvesatSt。LouisandothertownsontheMississippiRiver。 ItwasduringthiswalkfromSt。Nicholas，intheshadowofthemajesticAlps，thatwecameacrosssomelittlechildrenamusingthemselvesinwhatseemed，atfirst，amostoddandoriginalway——butitwasn\'t；itwasinsimplyanaturalandcharacteristicway。Theywereropedtogetherwithastring，theyhadmimicalpenstocksandice-axes，andwereclimbingameekandlowlymanure-pilewithamostblood-curdlingamountofcareandcaution。 The\"guide\"attheheadofthelinecutimaginarysteps，inalaboriousandpainstakingway，andnotamonkeybudgedtillthestepabovewasvacated。Ifwehadwaitedweshouldhavewitnessedanimaginaryaccident，nodoubt； andweshouldhaveheardtheintrepidbandhurrahwhentheymadethesummitandlookedarounduponthe\"magnificentview，\" andseenthemthrowthemselvesdowninexhaustedattitudesforarestinthatcommandingsituation。 InNevadaIusedtoseethechildrenplayatsilver-mining。 Ofcourse，thegreatthingwasanaccidentinamine，andthereweretwo\"star\"parts；thatofthemanwhofelldownthemimicshaft，andthatofthedaringherowhowasloweredintothedepthstobringhimup。 IknewonesmallchapwhoalwaysinsistedonplayingBOTHoftheseparts——andhecarriedhispoint。 Hewouldtumbleintotheshaftanddie，andthencometothesurfaceandgobackafterhisownremains。 Itisthesmartestboythatgetstheheroparteverywhere； heisheadguideinSwitzerland，headminerinNevada，headbull-fighterinSpain，etc。；butIknewapreacher\'sson，sevenyearsold，whoonceselectedapartforhimselfcomparedtowhichthosejustmentionedaretameandunimpressive。 Jimmy\'sfatherstoppedhimfromdrivingimaginaryhorse-carsoneSunday——stoppedhimfromplayingcaptainofanimaginarysteamboatnextSunday——stoppedhimfromleadinganimaginaryarmytobattlethefollowingSunday——andsoon。Finallythelittlefellowsaid: \"I\'vetriedeverything，andtheywon\'tanyofthemdo。 WhatCANIplay?\" \"Ihardlyknow，Jimmy；butyouMUSTplayonlythingsthataresuitabletotheSabbath-day。\" NextSundaythepreachersteppedsoftlytoaback-roomdoortoseeifthechildrenwererightlyemployed。 Hepeepedin。Achairoccupiedthemiddleoftheroom，andonthebackofithungJimmy\'scap；oneofhislittlesisterstookthecapdown，nibbledatit，thenpassedittoanothersmallsisterandsaid，\"Eatofthisfruit，foritisgood。\"TheReverendtookinthesituation——alas，theywereplayingtheExpulsionfromEden!Yethefoundonelittlecrumbofcomfort。Hesaidtohimself，\"ForonceJimmyhasyieldedthechiefrole——Ihavebeenwronginghim，Ididnotbelievetherewassomuchmodestyinhim； IshouldhaveexpectedhimtobeeitherAdamorEve。\" Thiscrumbofcomfortlastedbutaverylittlewhile； heglancedaroundanddiscoveredJimmystandinginanimposingattitudeinacorner，withadarkanddeadlyfrownonhisface。Whatthatmeantwasveryplain——HEWAS IMPERSONATINGTHEDEITY!Thinkoftheguilelesssublimityofthatidea。 WereachedVispachat8P。M。，onlyaboutsevenhoursoutfromSt。Nicholas。Sowemusthavemadefullyamileandahalfanhour，anditwasalldownhill，too，andverymuddyatthat。WestayedallnightattheHo^teldeSoleil；Irememberitbecausethelandlady，theportier，thewaitress，andthechambermaidwerenotseparatepersons，butwereallcontainedinoneneatandchippersuitofspotlessmuslin，andshewastheprettiestyoungcreatureIsawinallthatregion。Shewasthelandlord\'sdaughter。AndIrememberthattheonlynativematchtoherIsawinallEuropewastheyoungdaughterofthelandlordofavillageinnintheBlackForest。 Whydon\'tmorepeopleinEuropemarryandkeephotel? NextmorningweleftwithafamilyofEnglishfriendsandwentbytraintoBrevet，andthencebyboatacrossthelaketoOuchy(Lausanne)。 Ouchyismemorabletome，notonaccountofitsbeautifulsituationandlovelysurroundings——althoughthesewouldmakeitsticklonginone\'smemory——butastheplacewhere_I_caughttheLondonTIMESdroppingintohumor。 ItwasNOTawareofit，though。Itdidnotdoitonpurpose。 AnEnglishfriendcalledmyattentiontothislapse，andcutoutthereprehensibleparagraphforme。Thinkofencounteringagrinlikethisonthefaceofthatgrimjournal: ERRATUM——WearerequestedbyReuter\'sTelegramCompanytocorrectanerroneousannouncementmadeintheirBrisbanetelegramofthe2dinst。，publishedinourimpressionofthe5thinst。，statingthat\"LadyKennedyhadgivenbirthtotwins，theeldestbeingason。\"TheCompanyexplainthatthemessagetheyreceivedcontainedthewords\"GovernorofQueensland，TWINSFIRSTSON。\"Being，however，subsequentlyinformedthatSirArthurKennedywasunmarriedandthattheremustbesomemistake，atelegraphicrepetitionwasatoncedemanded。Ithasbeenreceivedtoday(11thinst。) andshowsthatthewordsreallytelegraphedbyReuter\'sagentwere\"GovernorQueenslandTURNSFIRSTSOD，\" alludingtotheMaryborough-GympicRailwayincourseofconstruction。ThewordsinitalicsweremutilatedbythetelegraphintransmissionfromAustralia，andreachingthecompanyintheformmentionedabovegaverisetothemistake。 Ihadalwayshadadeepandreverentcompassionforthesufferingsofthe\"prisonerofChillon，\" whosestoryByronhadtoldinsuchmovingverse；soItookthesteamerandmadepilgrimagetothedungeonsoftheCastleofChillon，toseetheplacewherepoorBonnivardenduredhisdrearycaptivitythreehundredyearsago。 IamgladIdidthat，forittookawaysomeofthepainIwasfeelingontheprisoner\'saccount。Hisdungeonwasanice，cool，roomyplace，andIcannotseewhyheshouldhavebeendissatisfiedwithit。IfhehadbeenimprisonedinaSt。Nicholasprivatedwelling，wherethefertilizerprevails，andthegoatsleepswiththeguest，andthechickensroostonhimandthecowcomesinandbothershimwhenhewantstomuse，itwouldhavebeenanothermatteraltogether；buthesurelycouldnothavehadaverycheerlesstimeofitinthatprettydungeon。 Ithasromanticwindow-slitsthatletingenerousbarsoflight，andithastall，noblecolumns，carvedapparentlyfromthelivingrock；andwhatismore，theyarewrittenalloverwiththousandsofnames；someofthem——likeByron\'sandVictorHugo\'s——ofthefirstcelebrity。 Whydidn\'theamusehimselfreadingthesenames?Thentherearethecouriersandtourists——swarmsofthemeveryday——whatwastohinderhimfromhavingagoodtimewiththem?IthinkBonnivard\'ssufferingshavebeenoverrated。 Next，wetookthetrainandwenttoMartigny，onthewaytoMontBlanc。Nextmorningwestarted，abouteighto\'clock，onfoot。Wehadplentyofcompany，inthewayofwagon-loadsandmule-loadsoftourists——anddust。 Thisscatteringprocessionoftravelerswasperhapsamilelong。Theroadwasuphill——interminableuphill——andtolerablysteep。Theweatherwasblisteringlyhot，andthemanorwomanwhohadtositonacreepingmule，orinacrawlingwagon，andbroilinthebeatingsun，wasanobjecttobepitied。Wecoulddodgeamongthebushes，andhavethereliefofshade，butthosepeoplecouldnot。 Theypaidforaconveyance，andtogettheirmoney\'sworththeyrode。 WewentbythewayoftheTe^teNoir，andafterwereachedhighgroundtherewasnolackoffinescenery。 Inoneplacetheroadwastunneledthroughashoulderofthemountain；fromthereonelookeddownintoagorgewitharushingtorrentinit，andoneveryhandwasacharmingviewofrockybuttressesandwoodedheights。 Therewasaliberalallowanceofprettywaterfalls，too，ontheTe^teNoirroute。 AbouthalfanhourbeforewereachedthevillageofArgentie`reavastdomeofsnowwiththesunblazingonitdriftedintoviewandframeditselfinastrongV-shapedgatewayofthemountains，andwerecognizedMontBlanc，the\"monarchoftheAlps。\"Witheverystep，afterthat，thisstatelydomerosehigherandhigherintothebluesky，andatlastseemedtooccupythezenith。 SomeofMontBlanc\'sneighbors——bare，light-brown，steeplelikerocks——wereverypeculiarlyshaped。Somewerewhittledtoasharppoint，andslightlybentattheupperend，likealady\'sfinger；onemonstersugar-loafresembledabishop\'shat；itwastoosteeptoholdsnowonitssides，buthadsomeinthedivision。 Whilewewerestillonveryhighground，andbeforethedescenttowardArgentie`rebegan，welookeduptowardaneighboringmountain-top，andsawexquisiteprismaticcolorsplayingaboutsomewhitecloudswhichweresodelicateastoalmostresemblegossamerwebs。 Thefaintpinksandgreenswerepeculiarlybeautiful； noneofthecolorsweredeep，theywerethelightestshades。 Theywerebewitchingcommingled。Wesatdowntostudyandenjoythissingularspectacle。Thetintsremainedduringseveralminutes——fitting，changing，meltingintoeachother； palingalmostawayforamoment，thenreflushing——ashifting，restless，unstablesuccessionofsoftopalinegleams，shimmeringoverthatairfilmofwhitecloud，andturningitintoafabricdaintyenoughtoclotheanangelwith。 Byandbyweperceivedwhatthosesuper-delicatecolors，andtheircontinuousplayandmovement，remindedusof； itiswhatoneseesinasoap-bubblethatisdriftingalong，catchingchangesoftintfromtheobjectsitpasses。 Asoap-bubbleisthemostbeautifulthing，andthemostexquisite，innature；thatlovelyphantomfabricintheskywassuggestiveofasoap-bubblesplitopen，andspreadoutinthesun。Iwonderhowmuchitwouldtaketobuyasoap-bubble，iftherewasonlyoneintheworld? OnecouldbuyahatfulofKoh-i-Noorswiththesamemoney，nodoubt。 WemadethetrampfromMartignytoArgentie`reineighthours。 Webeatallthemulesandwagons；wedidn\'tusuallydothat。 Wehiredasortofopenbaggage-wagonforthetripdownthevalleytoChamonix，andthendevotedanhourtodining。 Thisgavethedrivertimetogetdrunk。Hehadafriendwithhim，andthisfriendalsohadhadtimetogetdrunk。 Whenwedroveoff，thedriversaidallthetouristshadarrivedandgonebywhilewewereatdinner；\"but，\"saidhe，impressively，\"benotdisturbedbythat——remaintranquil——giveyourselvesnouneasiness——theirdustrisesfarbeforeus—— restyoutranquil，leavealltome——Iamthekingofdrivers。 Behold!\" Downcamehiswhip，andawayweclattered。Ineverhadsuchashakingupinmylife。Therecentfloodingrainshadwashedtheroadclearawayinplaces，butweneverstopped，weneversloweddownforanything。Wetorerightalong，overrocks，rubbish，gullies，openfields——sometimeswithoneortwowheelsontheground，butgenerallywithnone。 Everynowandthenthatcalm，good-naturedmadmanwouldbendamajesticlookoverhisshoulderatusandsay，\"Ah，youperceive?ItisasIhavesaid——Iamthekingofdrivers。\"Everytimewejustmissedgoingtodestruction，hewouldsay，withtranquilhappiness，\"Enjoyit，gentlemen，itisveryrare，itisveryunusual—— itisgiventofewtoridewiththekingofdrivers—— andobserve，itisasIhavesaid，_I_amhe。\" HespokeinFrench，andpunctuatedwithhiccoughs。 HisfriendwasFrench，too，butspokeinGerman——usingthesamesystemofpunctuation，however。Thefriendcalledhimselfthe\"CaptainofMontBlanc，\"andwantedustomaketheascentwithhim。Hesaidhehadmademoreascentsthananyotherman——fortyseven——andhisbrotherhadmadethirty-seven。Hisbrotherwasthebestguideintheworld，excepthimself——buthe，yes，observehimwell——hewasthe\"CaptainofMontBlanc\"——thattitlebelongedtononeother。 The\"king\"wasasgoodashisword——heovertookthatlongprocessionoftouristsandwentbyitlikeahurricane。 TheresultwasthatwegotchoicerroomsatthehotelinChamonixthanweshouldhavedoneifhismajestyhadbeenaslowerartist——orrather，ifhehadn\'tmostprovidentiallygotdrunkbeforeheleftArgentie`re。 CHAPTERXLIII [MyPoorSickFriendDisappointed] Everybodywasout-of-doors；everybodywasintheprincipalstreetofthevillage——notonthesidewalks，butalloverthestreet；everybodywaslounging，loafing，chatting，waiting，alert，expectant，interested——foritwastrain-time。Thatistosay，itwasdiligence-time—— thehalf-dozenbigdiligenceswouldsoonbearrivingfromGeneva，andthevillagewasinterested，inmanyways，inknowinghowmanypeoplewerecomingandwhatsortoffolktheymightbe。Itwasaltogetherthelivest-lookingstreetwehadseeninanyvillageonthecontinent。 Thehotelwasbythesideofaboomingtorrent，whosemusicwasloudandstrong；wecouldnotseethistorrent，foritwasdark，now，butonecouldlocateitwithoutalight。 Therewasalargeenclosedyardinfrontofthehotel，andthiswasfilledwithgroupsofvillagerswaitingtoseethediligencesarrive，ortohirethemselvestoexcursionistsforthemorrow。Atelescopestoodintheyard，withitshugebarrelcanteduptowardthelustrouseveningstar。 Thelongporchofthehotelwaspopulouswithtourists，whosatinshawlsandwrapsunderthevastovershadowingbulkofMontBlanc，andgossipedormeditated。 Neverdidamountainseemsoclose；itsbigsidesseemedatone\'sveryelbow，anditsmajesticdome，andtheloftyclusterofslenderminaretsthatwereitsneighbors，seemedtobealmostoverone\'shead。Itwasnightinthestreets，andthelampsweresparklingeverywhere； thebroadbasesandshouldersofthemountainswereinadeepgloom，buttheirsummitsswaminastrangerichglowwhichwasreallydaylight，andyethadamellowsomethingaboutitwhichwasverydifferentfromthehardwhiteglareofthekindofdaylightIwasusedto。 Itsradiancewasstrongandclear，butatthesametimeitwassingularlysoft，andspiritual，andbenignant。 No，itwasnotourharsh，aggressive，realisticdaylight； itseemedproperertoanenchantedland——ortoheaven。 Ihadseenmoonlightanddaylighttogetherbefore，butI hadnotseendaylightandblacknightelbowtoelbowbefore。 AtleastIhadnotseenthedaylightrestinguponanobjectsufficientlycloseathand，before，tomakethecontraststartlingandatwarwithnature。 Thedaylightpassedaway。Presentlythemoonroseupbehindsomeofthosesky-piercingfingersorpinnaclesofbarerockofwhichIhavespoken——theywerealittletotheleftofthecrestofMontBlanc，andrightoverourheads——butshecouldn\'tmanagetoclimbhighenoughtowardheaventogetentirelyabovethem。 Shewouldshowtheglitteringarchofherupperthird，occasionally，andscrapeitalongbehindthecomblikerow； sometimesapinnaclestoodstraightup，likeastatuetteofebony，againstthatglitteringwhiteshield，thenseemedtoglideoutofitbyitsownvolitionandpower，andbecomeadimspecter，whilethenextpinnacleglidedintoitsplaceandblottedthespotlessdiskwiththeblackexclamation-pointofitspresence。Thetopofonepinnacletooktheshapely，clean-cutformofarabbit\'shead，intheinkiestsilhouette，whileitrestedagainstthemoon。 Theunilluminedpeaksandminarets，hoveringvagueandphantom-likeaboveuswhiletheotherswerepainfullywhiteandstrongwithsnowandmoonlight，madeapeculiareffect。