第17章

Ireadseveralbooks，andherearesomeofthethingsIfoundout。One\'sshoesmustbestrongandheavy，andhavepointedhobnailsinthem。Thealpenstockmustbeofthebestwood，forifitshouldbreak，lossoflifemightbetheresult。Oneshouldcarryanax，tocutstepsintheicewith，onthegreatheights。 Theremustbealadder，fortherearesteepbitsofrockwhichcanbesurmountedwiththisinstrument——orthisutensil——butcouldnotbesurmountedwithoutit； suchanobstructionhascompelledthetouristtowastehourshuntinganotherroute，whenaladderwouldhavesavedhimalltrouble。Onemusthavefromonehundredandfiftytofivehundredfeetofstrongrope，tobeusedinloweringthepartydownsteepdeclivitieswhicharetoosteepandsmoothtobetraversedinanyotherway。 Onemusthaveasteelhook，onanotherrope——averyusefulthing；forwhenoneisascendingandcomestoalowbluffwhichisyettoohighfortheladder，heswingsthisropealoftlikealasso，thehookcatchesatthetopofthebluff，andthenthetouristclimbstherope，handoverhand——beingalwaysparticulartotryandforgetthatifthehookgiveswayhewillneverstopfallingtillhearrivesinsomepartofSwitzerlandwheretheyarenotexpectinghim。Anotherimportantthing——theremustbearopetotiethewholepartytogetherwith，sothatifonefallsfromamountainordownabottomlesschasminaglacier，theothersmaybracebackontheropeandsavehim。Onemusthaveasilkveil，toprotecthisfacefromsnow，sleet，hailandgale，andcoloredgogglestoprotecthiseyesfromthatdangerousenemy，snow-blindness。Finally，theremustbesomeporters，tocarryprovisions，wineandscientificinstruments，andalsoblanketbagsforthepartytosleepin。 IclosedmyreadingswithafearfuladventurewhichMr。WhymperoncehadontheMatterhornwhenhewasprowlingaroundalone，fivethousandfeetabovethetownofBreil。 Hewasedginghiswaygingerlyaroundthecornerofaprecipicewheretheupperedgeofasharpdeclivityofice-glazedsnowjoinedit。Thisdeclivitysweptdownacoupleofhundredfeet，intoagullywhichcurvedaroundandendedataprecipiceeighthundredfeethigh，overlookingaglacier。Hisfootslipped，andhefell。 Hesays: \"Myknapsackbroughtmyheaddownfirst，andIpitchedintosomerocksaboutadozenfeetbelow；theycaughtsomething，andtumbledmeofftheedge，headoverheels，intothegully； thebatonwasdashedfrommyhands，andIwhirleddownwardinaseriesofbounds，eachlongerthanthelast；nowoverice，nowintorocks，strikingmyheadfourorfivetimes，eachtimewithincreasedforce。Thelastboundsentmespinningthroughtheairinaleapoffiftyorsixtyfeet，fromonesideofthegullytotheother，andIstrucktherocks，luckily，withthewholeofmyleftside。 Theycaughtmyclothesforamoment，andIfellbackontothesnowwithmotionarrested。Myheadfortunatelycametherightsideup，andafewfranticcatchesbroughtmetoahalt，intheneckofthegullyandonthevergeoftheprecipice。Baton，hat，andveilskimmedbyanddisappeared，andthecrashoftherocks——whichIhadstarted——astheyfellontotheglacier，toldhownarrowhadbeentheescapefromutterdestruction。Asitwas，Ifellnearlytwohundredfeetinsevenoreightbounds。 Tenfeetmorewouldhavetakenmeinonegiganticleapsofeighthundredfeetontotheglacierbelow。 \"Thesituationwassufficientlyserious。Therockscouldnotbeletgoforamoment，andthebloodwasspurtingoutofmorethantwentycuts。Themostseriousoneswereinthehead，andIvainlytriedtoclosethemwithonehand，whileholdingonwiththeother。Itwasuseless； thebloodgushedoutinblindingjetsateachpulsation。 Atlast，inamomentofinspiration，Ikickedoutabiglumpofsnowandstruckitasplasteronmyhead。 Theideawasahappyone，andtheflowofblooddiminished。 Then，scramblingup，Igot，notamomenttoosoon，toaplaceofsafety，andfaintedaway。Thesunwassettingwhenconsciousnessreturned，anditwaspitch-darkbeforetheGreatStaircasewasdescended；butbyacombinationofluckandcare，thewholefourthousandsevenhundredfeetofdescenttoBreilwasaccomplishedwithoutaslip，oroncemissingtheway。\" Hiswoundskepthimabedsomedays。Thenhegotupandclimbedthatmountainagain。ThatisthewaywithatrueAlp-climber；themorefunhehas，themorehewants。 CHAPTERXXXVII [OurImposingColumnStartsUpward] AfterIhadfinishedmyreadings，Iwasnolongermyself； Iwastranced，uplifted，intoxicated，bythealmostincredibleperilsandadventuresIhadbeenfollowingmyauthorsthrough，andthetriumphsIhadbeensharingwiththem。Isatsilentsometime，thenturnedtoHarrisandsaid: \"Mymindismadeup。\" Somethinginmytonestruckhim:andwhenheglancedatmyeyeandreadwhatwaswrittenthere，hisfacepaledperceptibly。Hehesitatedamoment，thensaid: \"Speak。\" Ianswered，withperfectcalmness: \"IwillascendtheRiffelberg。\" IfIhadshotmypoorfriendhecouldnothavefallenfromhischairmoresuddenly。IfIhadbeenhisfatherhecouldnothavepleadedhardertogetmetogiveupmypurpose。 ButIturnedadeafeartoallhesaid。Whenheperceivedatlastthatnothingcouldaltermydetermination，heceasedtourge，andforawhilethedeepsilencewasbrokenonlybyhissobs。Isatinmarbleresolution，withmyeyesfixeduponvacancy，forinspiritIwasalreadywrestlingwiththeperilsofthemountains，andmyfriendsatgazingatmeinadoringadmirationthroughhistears。 Atlasthethrewhimselfuponmeinalovingembraceandexclaimedinbrokentones: \"YourHarriswillneverdesertyou。Wewilldietogether。\" Icheeredthenoblefellowwithpraises，andsoonhisfearswereforgottenandhewaseagerfortheadventure。 Hewantedtosummontheguidesatonceandleaveattwointhemorning，ashesupposedthecustomwas； butIexplainedthatnobodywaslookingatthathour； andthatthestartinthedarkwasnotusuallymadefromthevillagebutfromthefirstnight\'sresting-placeonthemountainside。Isaidwewouldleavethevillageat3or4P。M。onthemorrow；meantimehecouldnotifytheguides，andalsoletthepublicknowoftheattemptwhichweproposedtomake。 Iwenttobed，butnottosleep。NomancansleepwhenheisabouttoundertakeoneoftheseAlpineexploits。 Itossedfeverishlyallnightlong，andwasgladenoughwhenIheardtheclockstrikehalfpastelevenandknewitwastimetogetupfordinner。Irose，jadedandrusty，andwenttothenoonmeal，whereIfoundmyselfthecenterofinterestandcuriosity；forthenewswasalreadyabroad。 Itisnoteasytoeatcalmlywhenyouarealion；butitisverypleasant，nevertheless。 Asusual，atZermatt，whenagreatascentisabouttobeundertaken，everybody，nativeandforeign，laidasidehisownprojectsandtookupagoodpositiontoobservethestart。Theexpeditionconsistedof198persons，includingthemules；or205，includingthecows。 Asfollows: CHIEFSOFSERVICESUBORDINATES Myself1VeterinarySurgeonMr。Harris1Butler17 Guides12Waiters4Surgeons1Footman1Geologist1 Barber1Botanist1HeadCook3Chaplains9Assistants15Barkeepers1ConfectioneryArtist1LatinistTRANSPORTATION，ETC。 27Porters3CoarseWashersandIroners44Mules1Fineditto44Muleteers7Cows2MilkersTotal，154men，51animals。GrandTotal，205。 RATIONS，ETC。APPARATUS 16CasesHams25SpringMattresses2BarrelsFlour2 Hairditto22BarrelsWhiskeyBeddingforsame1BarrelSugar2Mosquito-nets1KegLemons29Tents2，000CigarsScientificInstruments1BarrelPies97Ice-axes1TonofPemmican5CasesDynamite143PairCrutches7CansNitroglycerin2BarrelsArnica2240-footLadders1BaleofLint2MilesofRope27KegsParegoric154UmbrellasItwasfullfouro\'clockintheafternoonbeforemycavalcadewasentirelyready。Atthathouritbegantomove。 Inpointofnumbersandspectaculareffect，itwasthemostimposingexpeditionthathadevermarchedfromZermatt。 Icommandedthechiefguidetoarrangethemenandanimalsinsinglefile，twelvefeetapart，andlashthemalltogetheronastrongrope。Heobjectedthatthefirsttwomileswasadeadlevel，withplentyofroom，andthattheropewasneverusedexceptinverydangerousplaces。 ButIwouldnotlistentothat。MyreadinghadtaughtmethatmanyseriousaccidentshadhappenedintheAlpssimplyfromnothavingthepeopletiedupsoonenough； Iwasnotgoingtoaddonetothelist。Theguidethenobeyedmyorder。 Whentheprocessionstoodatease，ropedtogether，andreadytomove，Ineversawafinersight。Itwas3，122 feetlong——overhalfamile；everymanandmewasonfoot，andhadonhisgreenveilandhisbluegoggles，andhiswhiteragaroundhishat，andhiscoilofropeoveroneshoulderandundertheother，andhisice-axinhisbelt，andcarriedhisalpenstockinhislefthand，hisumbrella(closed)inhisright，andhiscrutchesslungathisback。 Theburdensofthepack-mulesandthehornsofthecowsweredeckedwiththeEdelweissandtheAlpinerose。 Iandmyagentweretheonlypersonsmounted。Wewereinthepostofdangerintheextremerear，andtiedsecurelytofiveguidesapiece。Ourarmor-bearerscarriedourice-axes，alpenstocks，andotherimplementsforus。 Weweremounteduponverysmalldonkeys，asameasureofsafety；intimeofperilwecouldstraightenourlegsandstandup，andletthedonkeywalkfromunder。 Still，Icannotrecommendthissortofanimal——atleastforexcursionsofmerepleasure——becausehisearsinterrupttheview。Iandmyagentpossessedtheregulationmountaineeringcostumes，butconcludedtoleavethembehind。 Outofrespectforthegreatnumbersoftouristsofbothsexeswhowouldbeassembledinfrontofthehotelstoseeuspass，andalsooutofrespectforthemanytouristswhomweexpectedtoencounteronourexpedition，wedecidedtomaketheascentineveningdress。 Wewateredthecaravanatthecoldstreamwhichrushesdownatroughneartheendofthevillage，andsoonafterwardleftthehauntsofcivilizationbehindus。 Abouthalfpastfiveo\'clockwearrivedatabridgewhichspanstheVisp，andafterthrowingoveradetachmenttoseeifitwassafe，thecaravancrossedwithoutaccident。 Thewaynowled，byagentleascent，carpetedwithfreshgreengrass，tothechurchatWinkelmatten。 Withoutstoppingtoexaminethisedifice，IexecutedaflankmovementtotherightandcrossedthebridgeovertheFindelenbach，afterfirsttestingitsstrength。 HereIdeployedtotherightagain，andpresentlyenteredaninvitingstretchofmeadowlandwhichwasunoccupiedsavebyacoupleofdesertedhutstowardthefurthestextremity。 Thesemeadowsofferedanexcellentcamping-place。Wepitchedourtents，supped，establishedapropergrade，recordedtheeventsoftheday，andthenwenttobed。 Weroseattwointhemorninganddressedbycandle-light。Itwasadismalandchillybusiness。Afewstarswereshining，butthegeneralheavenswereovercast，andthegreatshaftoftheMatterhornwasdrapedinacablepallofclouds。 Thechiefguideadvisedadelay；hesaidhefeareditwasgoingtorain。Wewaiteduntilnineo\'clock，andthengotawayintolerablyclearweather。 Ourcourseledupsometerrificsteeps，denselywoodedwithlarchesandcedars，andtraversedbypathswhichtherainshadgutteredandwhichwereobstructedbyloosestones。 Toaddtothedangerandinconvenience，wewereconstantlymeetingreturningtouristsonfootandhorseback，andasconstantlybeingcrowdedandbatteredbyascendingtouristswhowereinahurryandwantedtogetby。 Ourtroublesthickened。Aboutthemiddleoftheafternoontheseventeenguidescalledahaltandheldaconsultation。 Afterconsultinganhourtheysaidtheirfirstsuspicionremainedintact——thatistosay，theybelievedtheywerelost。IaskediftheydidnotKNOWit?No，theysaid，theyCOULDN\'Tabsolutelyknowwhethertheywerelostornot，becausenoneofthemhadeverbeeninthatpartofthecountrybefore。Theyhadastronginstinctthattheywerelost，buttheyhadnoproofs——exceptthattheydidnotknowwheretheywere。Theyhadmetnotouristsforsometime，andtheyconsideredthatasuspicioussign。 Plainlywewereinanuglyfix。Theguideswerenaturallyunwillingtogoaloneandseekawayoutofthedifficulty； soweallwenttogether。Forbettersecuritywemovedslowandcautiously，fortheforestwasverydense。 Wedidnotmoveupthemountain，butaroundit，hopingtostrikeacrosstheoldtrail。Towardnightfall，whenwewereabouttiredout，wecameupagainstarockasbigasacottage。Thisbarriertookalltheremainingspiritoutofthemen，andapanicoffearanddespairensued。 Theymoanedandwept，andsaidtheyshouldneverseetheirhomesandtheirdearonesagain。Thentheybegantoupbraidmeforbringingthemuponthisfatalexpedition。 Someevenmutteredthreatsagainstme。 Clearlyitwasnotimetoshowweakness。SoImadeaspeechinwhichIsaidthatotherAlp-climbershadbeeninasperilousapositionasthis，andyetbycourageandperseverancehadescaped。Ipromisedtostandbythem，Ipromisedtorescuethem。Iclosedbysayingwehadplentyofprovisionstomaintainusforquiteasiege——anddidtheysupposeZermattwouldallowhalfamileofmenandmulestomysteriouslydisappearduringanyconsiderabletime，rightabovetheirnoses，andmakenoinquiries?No，Zermattwouldsendoutsearching-expeditionsandweshouldbesaved。 Thisspeechhadagreateffect。Themenpitchedthetentswithsomelittleshowofcheerfulness，andweweresnuglyundercoverwhenthenightshutdown。InowreapedtherewardofmywisdominprovidingonearticlewhichisnotmentionedinanybookofAlpineadventurebutthis。 Irefertotheparegoric。Butforthatbeneficentdrug，wouldhavenotoneofthosemensleptamomentduringthatfearfulnight。Butforthatgentlepersuadertheymusthavetossed，unsoothed，thenightthrough；forthewhiskeywasforme。Yes，theywouldhaveriseninthemorningunfittedfortheirheavytask。Asitwas，everybodysleptbutmyagentandme——onlyweandthebarkeepers。 Iwouldnotpermitmyselftosleepatsuchatime。 Iconsideredmyselfresponsibleforallthoselives。 Imeanttobeonhandandready，incaseofavalanchesupthere，butIdidnotknowitthen。 Wewatchedtheweatherallthroughthatawfulnight，andkeptaneyeonthebarometer，tobepreparedfortheleastchange。Therewasnottheslightestchangerecordedbytheinstrument，duringthewholetime。 Wordscannotdescribethecomfortthatthatfriendly，hopeful，steadfastthingwastomeinthatseasonoftrouble。Itwasadefectivebarometer，andhadnohandbutthestationarybrasspointer，butIdidnotknowthatuntilafterward。IfIshouldbeinsuchasituationagain，Ishouldnotwishforanybarometerbutthatone。 Allhandsroseattwointhemorningandtookbreakfast，andassoonasitwaslightweropedourselvestogetherandwentatthatrock。Forsometimewetriedthehook-ropeandothermeansofscalingit，butwithoutsuccess——thatis，withoutperfectsuccess。Thehookcaughtonce，andHarrisstartedupithandoverhand，buttheholdbrokeandiftherehadnothappenedtobeachaplainsittingunderneathatthetime，Harriswouldcertainlyhavebeencrippled。 Asitwas，itwasthechaplain。Hetooktohiscrutches，andIorderedthehook-ropetobelaidaside。 Itwastoodangerousanimplementwheresomanypeoplearestandingaround。 Wewerepuzzledforawhile；thensomebodythoughtoftheladders。Oneofthesewasleanedagainsttherock，andthemenwentupittiedtogetherincouples。 Anotherladderwassentupforuseindescending。 Attheendofhalfanhoureverybodywasover，andthatrockwasconquered。Wegaveourfirstgrandshoutoftriumph。 Butthejoywasshort-lived，forsomebodyaskedhowweweregoingtogettheanimalsover。 Thiswasaseriousdifficulty；infact，itwasanimpossibility。 Thecourageofthemenbegantowaverimmediately；oncemorewewerethreatenedwithapanic。Butwhenthedangerwasmostimminent，weweresavedinamysteriousway。 Amulewhichhadattractedattentionfromthebeginningbyitsdispositiontoexperiment，triedtoeatafive-poundcanofnitroglycerin。Thishappenedrightalongsidetherock。Theexplosionthrewusalltotheground，andcovereduswithdirtanddebris；itfrightenedusextremely，too，forthecrashitmadewasdeafening，andtheviolenceoftheshockmadethegroundtremble。 However，weweregrateful，fortherockwasgone。 Itsplacewasoccupiedbyanewcellar，aboutthirtyfeetacross，byfifteenfeetdeep。TheexplosionwasheardasfarasZermatt；andanhourandahalfafterward，manycitizensofthattownwereknockeddownandquiteseriouslyinjuredbydescendingportionsofmulemeat，frozensolid。Thisshows，betterthananyestimateinfigures，howhightheexperimenterwent。 Wehadnothingtodo，now，butbridgethecellarandproceedonourway。Withacheerthemenwentattheirwork。 Iattendedtotheengineering，myself。Iappointedastrongdetailtocutdowntreeswithice-axesandtrimthemforpierstosupportthebridge。Thiswasaslowbusiness，forice-axesarenotgoodtocutwoodwith。Icausedmypierstobefirmlysetupinranksinthecellar，anduponthemIlaidsixofmyforty-footladders，sidebyside，andlaidsixmoreontopofthem。 UponthisbridgeIcausedabedofboughstobespread，andontopoftheboughsabedofearthsixinchesdeep。 Istretchedropesuponeithersidetoserveasrailings，andthenmybridgewascomplete。Atrainofelephantscouldhavecrosseditinsafetyandcomfort。Bynightfallthecaravanwasontheothersideandtheladdersweretakenup。 Nextmorningwewentoningoodspiritsforawhile，thoughourwaywasslowanddifficult，byreasonofthesteepandrockynatureofthegroundandthethicknessoftheforest；butatlastadulldespondencycreptintothemen\'sfacesanditwasapparentthatnotonlythey，buteventheguides，werenowconvincedthatwewerelost。 Thefactthatwestillmetnotouristswasacircumstancethatwasbuttoosignificant。Anotherthingseemedtosuggestthatwewerenotonlylost，butverybadlylost； fortheremustsurelybesearching-partiesontheroadbeforethistime，yetwehadseennosignofthem。 Demoralizationwasspreading；somethingmustbedone，anddonequickly，too。Fortunately，Iamnotunfertileinexpedients。Icontrivedonenowwhichcommendeditselftoall，foritpromisedwell。Itookthree-quartersofamileofropeandfastenedoneendofitaroundthewaistofaguide，andtoldhimtogofindtheroad，whilethecaravanwaited。Iinstructedhimtoguidehimselfbackbytherope，incaseoffailure；incaseofsuccess，hewastogivetheropeaseriesofviolentjerks，whereupontheExpeditionwouldgotohimatonce。 Hedeparted，andintwominuteshaddisappearedamongthetrees。Ipayedouttheropemyself，whileeverybodywatchedthecrawlingthingwitheagereyes。Theropecreptawayquiteslowly，attimes，atothertimeswithsomebriskness。Twiceorthriceweseemedtogetthesignal，andashoutwasjustreadytobreakfromthemen\'slipswhentheyperceiveditwasafalsealarm。Butatlast，whenoverhalfamileofropehadsliddenaway，itstoppedglidingandstoodabsolutelystill——oneminute——twominutes——three——whileweheldourbreathandwatched。 Wastheguideresting?Washescanningthecountryfromsomehighpoint?Washeinquiringofachancemountaineer? Stop，——hadhefaintedfromexcessoffatigueandanxiety? Thisthoughtgaveusashock。IwasintheveryfirstactofdetailinganExpeditiontosuccorhim，whenthecordwasassailedwithaseriesofsuchfranticjerksthatI couldhardlykeepholdofit。Thehuzzathatwentup，then，wasgoodtohear。\"Saved!saved!\"wasthewordthatrangout，alldownthelongrankofthecaravan。 Weroseupandstartedatonce。Wefoundtheroutetobegoodenoughforawhile，butitbegantogrowdifficult，byandby，andthisfeaturesteadilyincreased。Whenwejudgedwehadgonehalfamile，wemomentlyexpectedtoseetheguide；butno，hewasnotvisibleanywhere； neitherwashewaiting，fortheropewasstillmoving，consequentlyhewasdoingthesame。Thisarguedthathehadnotfoundtheroad，yet，butwasmarchingtoitwithsomepeasant。Therewasnothingforustodobutplodalong——andthiswedid。Attheendofthreehourswewerestillplodding。Thiswasnotonlymysterious，butexasperating。Andveryfatiguing，too；forwehadtriedhard，alongatfirst，tocatchupwiththeguide，buthadonlyfaggedourselves，invain；foralthoughhewastravelingslowlyhewasyetabletogofasterthanthehamperedcaravanoversuchground。 Atthreeintheafternoonwewerenearlydeadwithexhaustion——andstilltheropewasslowlyglidingout。 Themurmursagainsttheguidehadbeengrowingsteadily，andatlasttheywerebecomeloudandsavage。 Amutinyensued。Themenrefusedtoproceed。Theydeclaredthatwehadbeentravelingoverandoverthesamegroundallday，inakindofcircle。Theydemandedthatourendoftheropebemadefasttoatree，soastohalttheguideuntilwecouldovertakehimandkillhim。 Thiswasnotanunreasonablerequirement，soIgavetheorder。 Assoonastheropewastied，theExpeditionmovedforwardwiththatalacritywhichthethirstforvengeanceusuallyinspires。Butafteratiresomemarchofalmosthalfamile，wecametoahillcoveredthickwithacrumblyrubbishofstones，andsosteepthatnomanofusallwasnowinaconditiontoclimbit。 Everyattemptfailed，andendedincripplingsomebody。 WithintwentyminutesIhadfivemenoncrutches。 Wheneveraclimbertriedtoassisthimselfbytherope，ityieldedandlethimtumblebackward。Thefrequencyofthisresultsuggestedanideatome。Iorderedthecaravanto\'boutfaceandforminmarchingorder； Ithenmadethetow-ropefasttotherearmule，andgavethecommand: \"Marktime——bytherightflank——forward——march!\" Theprocessionbegantomove，totheimpressivestrainsofabattle-chant，andIsaidtomyself，\"Now，iftheropedon\'tbreakIjudgeTHISwillfetchthatguideintothecamp。\" Iwatchedtheropeglidingdownthehill，andpresentlywhenIwasallfixedfortriumphIwasconfrontedbyabitterdisappointment；therewasnoguidetiedtotherope，itwasonlyaveryindignantoldblackram。 ThefuryofthebaffledExpeditionexceededallbounds。 Theyevenwantedtowreaktheirunreasoningvengeanceonthisinnocentdumbbrute。ButIstoodbetweenthemandtheirprey，menacedbyabristlingwallofice-axesandalpenstocks，andproclaimedthattherewasbutoneroadtothismurder，anditwasdirectlyovermycorpse。EvenasIspokeI sawthatmydoomwassealed，exceptamiraclesupervenedtodivertthesemadmenfromtheirfellpurpose。Iseethesickeningwallofweaponsnow；IseethatadvancinghostasIsawitthen，Iseethehateinthosecrueleyes； IrememberhowIdroopedmyheaduponmybreast，Ifeelagainthesuddenearthquakeshockinmyrear，administeredbytheveryramIwassacrificingmyselftosave； IhearoncemorethetyphoonoflaughterthatburstfromtheassaultingcolumnasIcloveitfromvantorearlikeaSepoyshotfromaRodmangun。 Iwassaved。Yes，Iwassaved，andbythemercifulinstinctofingratitudewhichnaturehadplantedinthebreastofthattreacherousbeast。Thegracewhicheloquencehadfailedtoworkinthosemen\'shearts，hadbeenwroughtbyalaugh。Theramwassetfreeandmylifewasspared。 Welivedtofindoutthatthatguidehaddesertedusassoonashehadplacedahalf-milebetweenhimselfandus。 Toavertsuspicion，hehadjudgeditbestthatthelineshouldcontinuetomove；sohecaughtthatram，andatthetimethathewassittingonitmakingtheropefasttoit，wewereimaginingthathewaslyinginaswoon，overcomebyfatigueanddistress。Whenheallowedtheramtogetupitfelltoplungingaround，tryingtoriditselfoftherope，andthiswasthesignalwhichwehadrisenupwithgladshoutstoobey。Wehadfollowedthisramroundandroundinacircleallday——athingwhichwasprovenbythediscoverythatwehadwateredtheExpeditionseventimesatoneandsamespringinsevenhours。 AsexpertawoodmanasIam，Ihadsomehowfailedtonoticethisuntilmyattentionwascalledtoitbyahog。 Thishogwasalwayswallowingthere，andashewastheonlyhogwesaw，hisfrequentrepetition，togetherwithhisunvaryingsimilaritytohimself，finallycausedmetoreflectthathemustbethesamehog，andthisledmetothedeductionthatthismustbethesamespring，also——whichindeeditwas。 Imadeanoteofthiscuriousthing，asshowinginastrikingmannertherelativedifferencebetweenglacialactionandtheactionofthehog。Itisnowawell-establishedfactthatglaciersmove；Iconsiderthatmyobservationsgotoshow，withequalconclusiveness，thatahoginaspringdoesnotmove。Ishallbegladtoreceivetheopinionsofotherobserversuponthispoint。 Toreturn，foranexplanatorymoment，tothatguide，andthenIshallbedonewithhim。Afterleavingtheramtiedtotherope，hehadwanderedatlargeawhile，andthenhappenedtorunacrossacow。Judgingthatacowwouldnaturallyknowmorethanaguide，hetookherbythetail，andtheresultjustifiedhisjudgment。 Shenibbledherleisurelywaydownhilltillitwasnearmilking-time，thenshestruckforhomeandtowedhimintoZermatt。 CHAPTERXXXVIII [IConquertheGornerGrat] Wewentintocamponthatwildspottowhichthatramhadbroughtus。Themenweregreatlyfatigued。 Theirconvictionthatwewerelostwasforgotteninthecheerofagoodsupper，andbeforethereactionhadachancetosetin，Iloadedthemupwithparegoricandputthemtobed。 NextmorningIwasconsideringinmymindourdesperatesituationandtryingtothinkofaremedy，whenHarriscametomewithaBaedekermapwhichshowedconclusivelythatthemountainwewereonwasstillinSwitzerland——yes，everypartofitwasinSwitzerland。Sowewerenotlost，afterall。Thiswasanimmenserelief；itliftedtheweightoftwosuchmountainsfrommybreast。Iimmediatelyhadthenewsdisseminatedandthemapwasexhibited。 Theeffectwaswonderful。Assoonasthemensawwiththeirowneyesthattheyknewwheretheywere，andthatitwasonlythesummitthatwaslostandnotthemselves，theycheeredupinstantlyandsaidwithoneaccord，letthesummittakecareofitself。 Ourdistressesbeingatanend，InowdeterminedtorestthemenincampandgivethescientificdepartmentoftheExpeditionachance。First，Imadeabarometricobservation，togetouraltitude，butIcouldnotperceivethattherewasanyresult。Iknew，bymyscientificreading，thateitherthermometersorbarometersoughttobeboiled，tomakethemaccurate；Ididnotknowwhichitwas，soIboiledthemboth。Therewasstillnoresult； soIexaminedtheseinstrumentsanddiscoveredthattheypossessedradicalblemishes:thebarometerhadnohandbutthebrasspointerandtheballofthethermometerwasstuffedwithtin-foil。Imighthaveboiledthosethingstorags，andneverfoundoutanything。 Ihuntedupanotherbarometer；itwasnewandperfect。 Iboiledithalfanhourinapotofbeansoupwhichthecooksweremaking。Theresultwasunexpected:theinstrumentwasnotaffectingatall，buttherewassuchastrongbarometertastetothesoupthattheheadcook，whowasamostconscientiousperson，changeditsnameinthebilloffare。Thedishwassogreatlylikedbyall，thatIorderedthecooktohavebarometersoupeveryday。 Itwasbelievedthatthebarometermighteventuallybeinjured，butIdidnotcareforthat。Ihaddemonstratedtomysatisfactionthatitcouldnottellhowhighamountainwas，thereforeIhadnorealuseforit。 ChangesintheweatherIcouldtakecareofwithoutit； Ididnotwishtoknowwhentheweatherwasgoingtobegood，whatIwantedtoknowwaswhenitwasgoingtobebad，andthisIcouldfindoutfromHarris\'scorns。HarrishadhadhiscornstestedandregulatedatthegovernmentobservatoryinHeidelberg，andonecoulddependuponthemwithconfidence。SoItransferredthenewbarometertothecookingdepartment，tobeusedfortheofficialmess。 Itwasfoundthatevenaprettyfairarticleofsoupcouldbemadefromthedefectivebarometer；soIallowedthatonetobetransferredtothesubordinatemess。 Inextboiledthethermometer，andgotamostexcellentresult； themercurywentuptoabout200degreesFahrenheit。 IntheopinionoftheotherscientistsoftheExpedition，thisseemedtoindicatethatwehadattainedtheextraordinaryaltitudeoftwohundredthousandfeetabovesea-level。 Scienceplacesthelineofeternalsnowatabouttenthousandfeetabovesea-level。Therewasnosnowwherewewere，consequentlyitwasproventhattheeternalsnow-lineceasessomewhereabovetheten-thousand-footlevelanddoesnotbeginanymore。Thiswasaninterestingfact，andonewhichhadnotbeenobservedbyanyobserverbefore。 Itwasasvaluableasinteresting，too，sinceitwouldopenupthedesertedsummitsofthehighestAlpstopopulationandagriculture。Itwasaproudthingtobewherewewere，yetitcausedusapangtoreflectthatbutforthatramwemightjustaswellbeentwohundredthousandfeethigher。 Thesuccessofmylastexperimentinducedmetotryanexperimentwithmyphotographicapparatus。Igotitout，andboiledoneofmycameras，butthethingwasafailure； itmadethewoodswellupandburst，andIcouldnotseethatthelenseswereanybetterthantheywerebefore。 Inowconcludedtoboilaguide。Itmightimprovehim，itcouldnotimpairhisusefulness。ButIwasnotallowedtoproceed。Guideshavenofeelingforscience，andthisonewouldnotconsenttobemadeuncomfortableinitsinterest。 Inthemidstofmyscientificwork，oneofthoseneedlessaccidentshappenedwhicharealwaysoccurringamongtheignorantandthoughtless。AportershotatachamoisandmisseditandcrippledtheLatinist。 Thiswasnotaseriousmattertome，foraLatinist\'sdutiesareaswellperformedoncrutchesasotherwise—— butthefactremainedthatiftheLatinisthadnothappenedtobeinthewayamulewouldhavegotthatload。Thatwouldhavebeenquiteanothermatter，forwhenitcomesdowntoaquestionofvaluethereisapalpabledifferencebetweenaLatinistandamule。 IcouldnotdependonhavingaLatinistintherightplaceeverytime；so，tomakethingssafe，Iorderedthatinthefuturethechamoismustnotbehuntedwithinlimitsofthecampwithanyotherweaponthantheforefinger。 Mynerveshadhardlygrownquietafterthisaffairwhentheygotanothershake-up——onewhichutterlyunmannedmeforamoment:arumorsweptsuddenlythroughthecampthatoneofthebarkeepershadfallenoveraprecipice! However，itturnedoutthatitwasonlyachaplain。 Ihadlaidinanextraforceofchaplains，purposelytobepreparedforemergencieslikethis，butbysomeunaccountableoversighthadcomeawayrathershort-handedinthematterofbarkeepers。 Onthefollowingmorningwemovedon，wellrefreshedandingoodspirits。Irememberthisdaywithpeculiarpleasure，becauseitsawourroadrestoredtous。Yes，wefoundourroadagain，andinquiteanextraordinaryway。 Wehadploddedalongsometwohoursandahalf，whenwecameupagainstasolidmassofrockabouttwentyfeethigh。 Ididnotneedtobeinstructedbyamulethistime。 IwasalreadybeginningtoknowmorethananymuleintheExpedition。Iatonceputinablastofdynamite，andliftedthatrockoutoftheway。Buttomysurpriseandmortification，Ifoundthattherehadbeenachaletontopofit。 Ipickedupsuchmembersofthefamilyasfellinmyvicinity，andsubordinatesofmycorpscollectedtherest。 Noneofthesepoorpeoplewereinjured，happily，buttheyweremuchannoyed。Iexplainedtotheheadchaleteerjusthowthethinghappened，andthatIwasonlysearchingfortheroad，andwouldcertainlyhavegivenhimtimelynoticeifIhadknownhewasupthere。IsaidIhadmeantnoharm，andhopedIhadnotloweredmyselfinhisestimationbyraisinghimafewrodsintheair。 Isaidmanyotherjudiciousthings，andfinallywhenI offeredtorebuildhischalet，andpayforthebreakages，andthrowinthecellar，hewasmollifiedandsatisfied。 Hehadn\'tanycellaratall，before；hewouldnothaveasgoodaview，now，asformerly，butwhathehadlostinviewhehadgainedincellar，byexactmeasurement。 Hesaidtherewasn\'tanotherholelikethatinthemountains—— andhewouldhavebeenrightifthelatemulehadnottriedtoeatupthenitroglycerin。 Iputahundredandsixteenmenatwork，andtheyrebuiltthechaletfromitsowndebrisinfifteenminutes。 Itwasagooddealmorepicturesquethanitwasbefore，too。ThemansaidwewerenowontheFeil-Stutz，abovetheSchwegmatt——informationwhichIwasgladtoget，sinceitgaveusourpositiontoadegreeofparticularitywhichwehadnotbeenaccustomedtoforadayorso。 WealsolearnedthatwewerestandingatthefootoftheRiffelbergproper，andthattheinitialchapterofourworkwascompleted。 Wehadafineview，fromhere，oftheenergeticVisp，asitmakesitsfirstplungeintotheworldfromunderahugearchofsolidice，wornthroughthefoot-wallofthegreatGornerGlacier；andwecouldalsoseetheFurggenbach，whichistheoutletoftheFurggenGlacier。 Themule-roadtothesummitoftheRiffelbergpassedrightinfrontofthechalet，acircumstancewhichwealmostimmediatelynoticed，becauseaprocessionoftouristswasfilingalongitprettymuchallthetime。[1]Thechaleteer\'sbusinessconsistedinfurnishingrefreshmentstotourists。 Myblasthadinterruptedthistradeforafewminutes，bybreakingallthebottlesontheplace；butIgavethemanalotofwhiskeytosellforAlpinechampagne，andalotofvinegarwhichwouldanswerforRhinewine，consequentlytradewassoonasbriskasever。 1。\"Prettymuch\"maynotbeelegantEnglish，butitishightimeitwas。Thereisnoelegantwordorphrasewhichmeansjustwhatitmeans——M。T。 LeavingtheExpeditionoutsidetorest，Iquarteredmyselfinthechalet，withHarris，proposingtocorrectmyjournalsandscientificobservationsbeforecontinuingtheascent。 Ihadhardlybegunmyworkwhenatall，slender，vigorousAmericanyouthofabouttwenty-three，whowasonhiswaydownthemountain，enteredandcametowardmewiththatbreezeself-complacencywhichistheadolescent\'sideaofthewell-bredeaseofthemanoftheworld。 Hishairwasshortandpartedaccuratelyinthemiddle，andhehadallthelookofanAmericanpersonwhowouldbelikelytobeginhissignaturewithaninitial，andspellhismiddlenameout。Heintroducedhimself，smilingasmirkysmileborrowedfromthecourtiersofthestage，extendedafair-skinnedtalon，andwhilehegrippedmyhandinithebenthisbodyforwardthreetimesatthehips，asthestagecourtierdoes，andsaidintheairiestandmostcondescendingandpatronizingway——Iquiterememberhisexactlanguage: \"Verygladtomakeyouracquaintance，\'msure；verygladindeed，assureyou。I\'vereadallyourlittleeffortsandgreatlyadmiredthem，andwhenIheardyouwerehere，I……\" Iindicatedachair，andhesatdown。ThisgrandeewasthegrandsonofanAmericanofconsiderablenoteinhisday，andnotwhollyforgottenyet——amanwhocamesonearbeingagreatmanthathewasquitegenerallyaccountedonewhilehelived。 Islowlypacedthefloor，ponderingscientificproblems，andheardthisconversation: GRANDSON。FirstvisittoEurope? HARRIS。Mine?Yes。 G。S。(Withasoftreminiscentsighsuggestiveofbygonejoysthatmaybetastedintheirfreshnessbutonce。) Ah，Iknowwhatitistoyou。Afirstvisit!——ah，theromanceofit!IwishIcouldfeelitagain。 H。Yes，Ifinditexceedsallmydreams。Itisenchantment。 Igo…… G。S。(Withadaintygestureofthehandsignifying\"Sparemeyourcallowenthusiasms，goodfriend。\")Yes，_I_know，Iknow；yougotocathedrals，andexclaim；andyoudragthroughleague-longpicture-galleriesandexclaim；andyoustandhere，andthere，andyonder，uponhistoricground，andcontinuetoexclaim；andyouarepermeatedwithyourfirstcrudeconceptionsofArt，andareproudandhappy。Ah，yes，proudandhappy——thatexpressesit。 Yes-yes，enjoyit——itisright——itisaninnocentrevel。 H。Andyou?Don\'tyoudothesethingsnow? G。S。I!Oh，thatisVERYgood!Mydearsir，whenyouareasoldatravelerasIam，youwillnotasksuchaquestionasthat。_I_visittheregulationgallery，moonaroundtheregulationcathedral，dothewornroundoftheregulationsights，YET?——Excuseme! H。Well，whatDOyoudo，then? G。S。Do?Iflit——andflit——forIameveronthewing——butI avoidtheherd。TodayIaminParis，tomorrowinBerlin，anoninRome；butyouwouldlookformeinvaininthegalleriesoftheLouvreorthecommonresortsofthegazersinthoseothercapitals。Ifyouwouldfindme，youmustlookintheunvisitednooksandcornerswhereothersneverthinkofgoing。Onedayyouwillfindmemakingmyselfathomeinsomeobscurepeasant\'scabin，anotherdayyouwillfindmeinsomeforgottencastleworshipingsomelittlegemorartwhichthecarelesseyehasoverlookedandwhichtheunexperiencedwoulddespise； againyouwillfindmeasguestintheinnersanctuariesofpalaceswhiletheherdiscontenttogetahurriedglimpseoftheunusedchambersbyfeeingaservant。