{"1":{"fulltext":"","height":"3070","width":"1810","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0001.jp2"},"2":{"fulltext":"","height":"2910","width":"1813","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0002.jp2"},"3":{"fulltext":"","height":"2906","width":"1740","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0003.jp2"},"4":{"fulltext":"","height":"2948","width":"1574","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0004.jp2"},"5":{"fulltext":"","height":"2929","width":"1702","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0005.jp2"},"6":{"fulltext":"","height":"2945","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0006.jp2"},"7":{"fulltext":"","height":"2921","width":"1659","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0007.jp2"},"8":{"fulltext":"","height":"2948","width":"1830","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0008.jp2"},"9":{"fulltext":"HOURS OF EXERCISE\nTHE ALPS.\nJOHN TTNDALL, LL.D., F.R.S.,\n1 i\nAirrnoE of fbagmknts op science fok TrasoiBNTiFio people, heat\nAS A MODE OF MOTION, ETC., ETC.\nNEW YORK:\nD. APPLETON COMPANY,\n549 551 BROADWAY.\n18^3.","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0009.jp2"},"10":{"fulltext":"","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0010.jp2"},"11":{"fulltext":"PEEPAOE,\nA SHOET TIME AGO I published a book of Frag-\nments, which might have been called Hours of\nExercise in the Attic and the Laboratory while\nthis one bears the title of Hours of Exercise in\nthe Alps. The two volumes supplement each other,\nand, taken together, illustrate the mode in which\na lover of natural knowledge and of natural scenery\nchooses to spend his life.\nMuch as I enjoy the work, I do not think that I\ncould have filled my days and hours in the Alps with\nclambering alone. The climbing in many cases was\nthe peg on which a thousand other exercises were\nhuag. The present volume, however, is for the\nmost part a record of bodily action, written partly to\npreserve to myself the memory of strong and joyous\nhours, and partly for the pleasure of those who find\nexhilaration in descriptions associated with moun-\ntain life.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0011.jp2"},"12":{"fulltext":"VI PREFACE.\nThe papers, written during tbe last ten years, are\nprinted in the order of the incidents to which they\nrelate and, to render the history more complete,\nI have, with the permission of their authors, intro-\nduced nearly the whole of two articles by Mr.\nVaughan Hawkins and Mr. Philip Grossett. The\nformer describes the first assault ever made upon the\nMatterhorn, the latter an expedition which ended in\nthe death of a renowned and beloved guide.\nThe Grlaciers of the Alps being out of print,\nI can no longer refer to it. Towards the end of the\nvolume, therefore, I have thrown together a few\nNotes and Comments which may be useful to\nthose who desire to possess some knowledge of the\nphenomena of the ice-world, and of the properties\nof ice itself. To these are added one or two minor\narticles, which relate more or less to our British\nhills and lakes the volume is closed by an account\nof a recent voyage to Oran.\nI refrain from giving advice, further than to say\nthat the perils of wandering in the High Alps are\nterribly real, and are only to be met by knowledge,\ncaution, skill, and strength. For rashness, igno-\nrance, or carelessness the mountains leave no margin\nand to rashness, ignorance, or carelessness three-\nfourths of the catastrophes which shock us are","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0012.jp2"},"13":{"fulltext":"PREFACE. VU\nto be traced. Those who wish to know something\nof the precautions to be taken upon the peaks\nand glaciers cannot do better than consult the\nexcellent little volume lately published by Leslie\nStephen, where, under the head of Dangers of\nMountaineering, this question is discussed.\nI would willingly have published this volume\nwithout illustrations, and should the reader like\nthose here introduced two of which were published\nten years ago, and the remainder recently executed\nunder the able superintendence of Mr. Whymper\nhe will have to ascribe his gratification to the\ninitiative of Mr. William Longman, not to me.\nI have sometimes tried to trace the genesis of the\ninterest which I take in fine scenery. It cannot be\nwholly due to my own early associations for as a\nboy I loved nature, and hence, to account for that\nlove, I must fall back upon something earlier\nthan my own birth. The forgotten associations\nof a far-gone ancestry are probably the most potent^\nelements in the feeling. With characteristip pene-\ntration, Mr. Herbert Spencer has written of the\ngrowth of our appreciation of natural scenery with\ngrowing years. But to the associations of the indi-\nvidual himself he adds certain deeper, but now\nvague, combinations of states, that were organised","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0013.jp2"},"14":{"fulltext":"Vlll PREFACE.\nin the race duiing barbarous times, when its\npleasurable activities were among the mountains,\nwoods, and waters. Out of these excitations, he\nadds, some of them actual, but most of them\nnascent, is composed the emotion which a fine\nlandscape produces in us. I think this an exceed-\ningly likely proximate hypothesis, and hence infer\nthat those vague and deep combinations organised\nin barbarous times, not to go further back, have\ncome down with considerable force to me. Adding\nto these inherited feelings the pleasurable present\nexercise of Mr. Bain s muscular sense, I obtain\na somewhat intelligible, though, doubtless, still\nsecondary theory of my delight in the mountains.\nThe name of a friend whom I taught in his boy-\nhood to handle a theodolite and lay a chain, and\nwho afterwards turned his knowledge to account on\nthe glaciers of the Alps, occurs frequently in the\nfoUowiag pages. Of the firmness of a friendship,\n.uninterrupted for an hour, and only strengthened\nby th weathering of six-and-twenty years, he\nneeds no assurance. Still, for the pleasure it gives\nmyself, I connect this volume with the name of\nThomas Archer Hirst.\nJ. Tyndall.\nMay 1871.","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0014.jp2"},"15":{"fulltext":"CONTENTS.\nOHAJTTER PAGB\nI. The Lattwinen-Thor 1\nII. Disaster on the Col dtt Gteant .18\nIII. The Mattbrhorn— First Assattlt, -with J. J.\nBennek as Gttjide .27\nIV. Thermometric Stations on Mont Bianc 63\nV, A Letter from Baxb .59\nNote on the Sound of Agitated Water 65\nVI. The Urbachthai, and Gaiili Glacier 66\nVn. The Grimsel and the ^ggischhorn 75\nNote on Clouds .82\nVin. The Bel Axp .86\nIX. The Weisshorn .91\nX. Inspection of the IVIatterhorn with Bennen 114\nXI. Over the Moro .125\nXII. The Old Weissthor .130\nXIII. Eescue from a Crevasse .141\nXIV. The IMatterhorn Second .Assault, in Company\nTviTH Bennen 153\nXV. From Stein to the Grimsel 166\nXVI. The Obbraaejoch. Adventure at the ^ggisch-\nDORN .174","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0015.jp2"},"16":{"fulltext":"CONTENTS.\nOHAFTEB\nxvn.\nXVIII.\nXIX.\nXX.\nXXI.\nXXII.\nxxin.\nXXIV.\nXXV.\nXXVI.\nAscent of the JuNarBAU\nDeath of Bennen on the Haut de Crt\nAccident on the Piz Moeteeatsch\nAlpine ScutprcBB\nSeaech on the Matteehoen a Pboject\nThe Titlis, Einstera aeschlttcht, Peteesgeat, and\nItaxian Lakes\nPAGE\n180\n192\n206\n219\n252\n255\nAscent of the Eiger and Passage of the Tebft 265\nThe Matteehoen Third and Last Assatjit 271\nAscent of the Axetschhorn 295\nA Day among the Sbracs of the Gxacieb dh\nCrEANT Fourteen Years Ago .318\nNOTES ON ICE AND GLACIERS, ETC.\nI. Observations on the Mer db Giacb 339\nn. Structure and Properties op Ice 360\nm. Steuctuee of Glaciees 367\nIV. Helmholtz on Ice and Giacieirs 377\nV. Clouds 405\nVI. KlXIARNET 413\nVII. Snowdon in Winter .421\nVIIL VoTAGE to Algeria to Obsebyb the Ecupse 429","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0016.jp2"},"17":{"fulltext":"ILLUSTEATIONS.\nThe JtTKQFaiLir fbom Iktebt.aken\nAscent of the Lattwinen-Thor to face page 11\nThe Weisshoen from the Eiffel i, 91\nThe lilATTEEHOEN (from a drawing by E. W. Cooke, K. A.) 117\nRecovery of our Porter 149\nJoHANN Joseph Bentten 201\nThe Gorge of Pfeffers (sHO wiNa Erosivb\nAction) 219","height":"2929","width":"1652","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0017.jp2"},"18":{"fulltext":"Nature, thou earliest gospel of the wise.\nThou never-silent hymner unto God;\nThou angel-ladder lost amidst the skies,\nThough at the foot we dream upon the sod;\nTo thee the priesthood of the lyre belong\nThey hear religion and reply in song.\n*If he hath held thy worship undefiled\nThrough all the sins and sorrows of his youth,\nLet the man echo what he heard as child\nProm the far hill-tops of melodious Truth,\nLeaving in troubled hearts some lingering tone\nSweet with the solace thou hast given his own.\nLoBD Lytton s King Arthur,\nThe brain.\nThat forages all climes to hue its cells.\nWill not distil the juices it has sucked\nTo the sweet substance of pellucid thought,\nExcept for him who hath the secret learned\nTo mix his blood with sunshine, and to take\nThe winds into his pulses.\nJames Ettssell Loweij-","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0018.jp2"},"19":{"fulltext":"Oj\nHOUES OF EXEEGISE\nIN\nTHE ALPS.\nI.\nTHE LAUWINEN-THOR.\nIn June 1860 1 completed The Grlaeiers of the Alps,\nwhich constituted but a fraction of the work exe-\ncuted during the previous autumn and spring.\nThese labours and other matters had wearied and\nweakened me beyond measure, and to gain a little\nstrength I went to Killarney. The trip was bene-\nficial, but not of permanent benefit. The air of\nthose most lovely lakes was too moist and warm for\nmy temperament, and I longed for that keener air\nwhich derives its tone from contact with the Alpine\nsnows. In 1859 I had bidden the Alps farewell,\npurposing in future to steep my thoughts in the\ntranquillity of English valleys^ and confine my\nmountain work to occasional excursions in the\nScotch Highlands, or amid the Welsh and Cumbrian\nhills. But in my weariness the mere thought of","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0019.jp2"},"20":{"fulltext":"2 IIOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [i860\nthe snow-peaks and glaciers was an exhilaration\nand to the Alps, therefore, I resolved once more to\ngo. I wrote to my former guide. Christian Lauener,\ndesiring him to meet me at Thun on Satm-day the\n4th of August and on my way thither I fortunately\nfell in with Mr. Vaughan Hawkins. He told me of\nhis plans and wishes, which embraced an attack upon\nthe Matterhorn. Infected by his ardour, I gladly\nclosed with the proposition that we should climb\nI together for a time.\nLauener was not to be found at Thun, but in\ndriving from Neuhaus to Interlaken a chaise met us,\njj and swiftly passed within it I could discern the\nbrown visage of my guide. We pulled up and shout-\ned, the other vehicle stopped, Lauener leaped from\nit, and came bounding towards me with admirable\nenergy, through the deep and splashing mud. Grott!\nwie der Kerl springt was the admiring exclamation\nof my coachman. Lauener is more than six feet\nhigh, and mainly a mass of bone his legs are out of\nproportion, longer than his trunk and he wears a\nshort-tail coat, which augments the apparent dis-\ncrepancy. Those massive levers were now plied with\nextraordinary vigour to project his body through\nspace and it was gratifying to be thus assured that\nthe man was in first-rate condition, and fully up to\nthe hardest work.\nOn Sunday the 5th of August, for the sake of a","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0020.jp2"},"21":{"fulltext":"1860] THE LATTWINBN-TIIOK. 3\nlittle training, I ascended the Faulliorn alone. The\nmorning was splendid, but as the day advanced\nheavy cloud-wreaths swathed the heights. They\nattained a maximum about two p.m., and afterwards\nthe overladen air cleared itself by intermittent jerks\n^revealing at times the blue of heaven and the\npeaks of the mountains then closing up again, and\nhiding in their dismd,l folds the very posts which stood\nat a distance of ten paces from the hotel door. The\neffects soon became exceedingly striking, the muta-\ntions were so quick and so forcibly antithetical. I\nlay down upon a seat, and watched the intermittent\nextinction and generation of the clouds, and the al-\nternate appearance and disappearance of the moun-\ntains. More and more the sun swept off the swelter-\ning haze, and the blue sky bent over me in domes of\nampler span. At four p.m. no trace of cloud was\nvisible, and a panorama of the Oberland, such I had\nno idea that the Faulhom could command, unfolded\nitself. There was the grand barrier which separated\nus from the Valais there were the Jungfrau, Monk\nand Eiger, the Finsteraarhorn, the Schreckhorn, and\nthe Wetterhom, lifting their snowy and cloudless\ncrests to heaven, and all so sharp and wildly precipi-\ntous that the bare thought of standing on any one of\nthem made me shudder. London was still in my\nbrain, and the vice of Primrose Hill in my muscles.\nI disliked the ascent of the Faulhorn exceedingly,","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0021.jp2"},"22":{"fulltext":"4 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nand the monotonous pony track whicli led to the\ntop of it. Once, indeed, I deviated from the road\nout of pure disgust, and, taking a jumping torrent\nfor my guide and colloquist, was led astray. I now\nresolved to return to Grrindelwald by another route.\nMy host at first threw cold water on the notion,\nbut he afterwards relaxed and admitted that the\nvillage might be attained by a more direct way than\nthe ordinary one. He pointed to some rocks, emi-\nnences, and trees, which were to serve as landmarks\nand stretching his arm in the direction of Grrindel-\nwald, I took the bearing of the place, and scampered\nover slopes of snow to the sunny Alp beyond them.\nTo my left was a mountain stream making soft\nmusic by the explosion of its bubbles. I was once\ntempted aside to climb a rounded eminence, where\nI lay for an hour watching the augmenting glory\nof the mountains. The scene at hand was perfectly\npastoral green pastures, dotted with chalets, and\ncovered with cows, which filled the air with the\nincessant tinkle of their bells. Beyond was the\nmajestic architecture of the Alps, with its capitals\nand western bastions flushed with the warm light of\nthe lowering sun.\nI mightily enjoyed the hour. There was health\nin the air and hope in the mountains, and with\nthe consciousness of augmenting vigour I- quitted\nmy station, and galloped down the Alp. I was soon","height":"2948","width":"1703","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0022.jp2"},"23":{"fulltext":"1860] THE LAUWINEN-THOE. 5\namid the pinewoods which overhang the valley of\nGrrindelwald, with no guidance save the slope of the\nmountain, which, at times, was quite precipitous\nbut the roots of the pines grasping the rocks afforded\nhand and foot such hold as to render the steepest\nplaces the pleasantest of all. I often emerged from\nthe gloom of the trees upon lovely bits of pastm e\nbright emerald gems set in the bosom of the woods.\nIt appeared to me surprising that nobody had con-\nstructed a resting-place on this fine slope. With a\nfraction of the time necessary to reach the top of the\nFaulhorn, a position might be secured from which the\nprospect would vie in point of grandeur with almost\nany in the Alps while the ascent from Grrindelwald,\namid the shade of the festooned trees, would itself\nbe delightful.\nHawkins, who had halted for a day at Thun, had\narrived our guide had prepared a number of stakes,\nand on Monday morning we mounted our theodolite\nand proceeded to the Lower Glacier. With some\ndifficulty we established the instrument upon a site\nwhence the glacier could be seen from edge to edge\nand across it was fixed in a straight line a series of\ntwelve stakes. We afterwards ascended the glacier\ntill we touched the avalanche-debris of the Heisse\nPlatte. We wandered amid the moulins and cre-\nvasses unti-1 evening approached, and thus gradually\nprepared our muscles for more arduous work. On","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0023.jp2"},"24":{"fulltext":"6 EOUKS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nTuesday a sleety rain filled the entire air, and the\nglacier was so laden with fog that there was no\npossibility of our being able to see across it. On\nWednesday, happily, the weather brightened, and\nwe executed our measurements finding, as in all\nother cases, that the glacier was retarded by its\nbounding walls, its motion varying from a minimum\nof thirteen and a half inches to a maximum of\ntwenty-two inches a day. To Mr. Hawkins I\nam indebted both for the fixing of the stakes and\nthe reduction of the measurements to their diurnal\nrate.\nPrevious to leaving England I had agreed to join\na party of friends at the ^ggischhorn, on Thursday\nthe. 9th of August. My plan was, first to measure\nthe motion of the Grrindelwald glacier, and after-\nwards to cross the mountain-wall which separates the\ncanton of Berne from that of Valais, so as to pass\nfrom Lauterbrunnen to the jEggischhorn in a sipgie\nday. How this formidable barrier was to be crossed\nwas a problem, but I did not doubt being able to\nget over it somehow. On mentioning my wish to\nLauener, he agreed to try, and proposed attacking\nit through the Eoththal. In company with his\nbrother Ulrich, he had already spent some time in\nthe Eoththal, seeking to scale the Jungfrau from\nthat side. Hawkins had previously, I believe, enter-\ntained the thought of assailing the same barrier\nat the very same place. Having completed our","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0024.jp2"},"25":{"fulltext":"1860J THE LATTWINEN-THOK. 7\nmeasurements on the Wednesday, we descended to\nGrindelwald and discharged our bill. We desired to\nobtain the services of Christian Kaufmann, a guide\nwell acquainted with both the Wetterhorn and the\nJungfrau; but on learning our intentions he ex-\npressed fears regarding his lungs, and recommended\nto us his brother, a powerful young man, who had\nalso undergone the discipline of the Wetterhorn.\nHim we accordingly engaged. We arranged with\nthe landlord of the Bear to have the main mass of\nour luggage sent to the ^ggischhorn by a more\neasy route. I was loth to part with the theodolite,\nbut Lauener at first grumbled hard against taking\nit. It was proposed, however, to confine his load to\nthe head of the instrument, while Kaufmann should\ncarry the legs, and I should bear my own knapsack.\nHe yielded. Ulrich Lauener was at Grindelwald\nwhen we started for Lauterbrunnen, and on bidding\nus good-bye he remarked that we were going to\nattempt an impossibility. He had examined the\nplace which we proposed to assail, and emphatically\naffirmed that it could not be surmounted. We were\nboth a little chagrined by this gratuitous announce-\nment, and answered him somewhat warmly; for we\nknew the moral, or rather immoral, effect of such an\nopinion upon the spirits of our men.\nThe weather became more serene as we approached\nLauterbrunnen. We had a brief evening stroll, but\nretired to bed before day had quite forsaken the","height":"2945","width":"1669","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0025.jp2"},"26":{"fulltext":"8 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [18G0\nmountains. At two a.m. the candle of Lauener\ngleamed into our bedrooms, and he pronounced the\nweather fair. We got up at once, dressed, de-\nspatched our hasty breakfast, strapped our things into\nthe smallest possible volume, and between three and\nfour A.M. were on our way. The hidden sun crim-\nsoned faintly the eastern sky, but the valleys were\nall in peaceful shadow. To our right the Staub-\nbach dangled its bazy veil, while other Backs of\nminor note also hung from the beetling rocks, but\nfell to earth too lightly to produce the faintest\nmurmur. After an hour s march we deviated to\nthe left, and wound upward through the woods which\nhere cover the slope of the hill.\nThe dawn cheerfully unlocked the recesses of the\nmountains, and we soon quitted the gloom of the\nwoods for the bright green Alp. This we breasted,\nregardless of the path, until we reached the chalets\nof the Eoththal. We did not yet see the par-\nticular staircase up which Lauener proposed to lead\nus, but we inspected minutely the battlements to\nour right, marking places for future attack in case\nour present attempt should not be successful. The\nelastic grass disappeared, and we passed over rough\ncrag and shingle alternately. We reached the base\nof a ridge of debris, and mounted it. At our right\nwas the glacier of the Eoththal, along the lateral\nmoraine of which our route lay.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0026.jp2"},"27":{"fulltext":"I860] THE LATJWINEN-THOK. 9\nJust as we touched the snow a spring bubbled\nfrom the rocks at our left, spurting its water over\nstalagmites of ice. We turned towards it, and had\neach a refreshing draught. Lauener pointed out to\nus the remains of the hut erected by him and his\nbrother when they attempted the Jungfrau, and\nfrom which they were driven by adverse weather.\nWe entered an amphitheatre, grand and beautiful\nthis splendid morning, but doubtless in times of\ntempest a fit residence for the devils whom popular\nbelief has banished to its crags. The snow for a\nspace was as level as a prairie, but in front of us\nrose the mighty bulwarks which separated us from\nthe neighbouring canton. To our right were the\ncrags of the Breithom, to our left the buttresses of\nthe Jungfrau, while between both was an indentation\nin the mountain-wall, on which all eyes were fixed.\nFrom it downwards hung a thread of snow, which\nwas to be our leading-string to the top.\nThough very steep, the aspect of the place was\nby no means terrible comparing with it my\nmemory of other guUeys in the Chamouni moun-\ntains, I imagined that three hours would place us\nat the top. We not only expected an easy conquest\nof the barrier, but it was proposed that on reaching\nthe top we should turn to the left, and walk straight\nto the summit of the Jungfrau. Lauener was hope-\nful, but not sanguine. We were soon at the foot of","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0027.jp2"},"28":{"fulltext":"10 HOURS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [18G0\nthe barrier, clambering over mounds of snow. Huge\nconsolidated lumps emerged from tbe general mass\nthe snow was evidently that of avalanches which had\nbeen shot down the couloir, kneading themselves\ninto vast balls, and piling themselves in heaps upon\nthe plain. The gradient steepened, the snow was\nhard, and the axe was invoked. Straight up the\ncouloir seemed the most promising route, and we\npursued it for an hour, the impression gradually\ngaining ground that the work would prove heavier\nthan we had anticipated.\nWe then turned our eyes on the rocks to our\nright, which seemed practicable, though very steep\nwe swerved towards them, and worked laboriously\nupwards for three-quarters of an hour. Mr. Hawkins\nand the two guides then turned to the left, and\nregained the snow, leaving me among the crags.\nThey had steps to cut, while I had none, and, conse-\nquently, I got rapidly above them. The work be-\ncomes ever harder, and rest is unattainable, for there\nis n resting-place. At every brow I pause legs\nand breast are laid against the rough rock, so as to\nlessen by their friction the strain upon the arms,\nwhich are stretched to grasp some protuberance\nabove. Thus I rest, and thus I learn that three\ndays training is not sufficient to dislodge London\nfrom one s lungs. Meanwhile my companions are\nmounting monotonously along the snow. Lauener","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0028.jp2"},"29":{"fulltext":"","height":"2937","width":"1620","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0029.jp2"},"30":{"fulltext":"ASCENT OF THE LATJWINEN THOK.","height":"2966","width":"1853","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0030.jp2"},"31":{"fulltext":"y I860] THE LATTWINEN-THOE. 11\nlooks up at me at intervals, and I can clearly mark the\nexpression of his countenance it is quite spiritless,\nwhile that of his companion bears the print of absolute\ndismay. Three hours have passed and the summit\nis not sensibly nearer. The men halt and converse\ntogether. Lauener at length calls out to me, I\nthink it is impossible. The effect of Ulrich s pre-\ndiction appears to be cropping out we expostulate,\nhowever, and they move on. After some time they\nhalt again, and reiterate their opinion that the thing\ncannot be done. They direct our attention to the\ntop of the barrier light clouds scud swiftly over it,\nand snow-dust is scattered in the air. There is\nstorm on the heights, which our guides affirm has\nturned the day against us. I cast about in my mind\nto meet the difficulty, and enquire whether we might\nnot send one of them back with the theodolite, and\nthus so lighten our burdens as to be able to proceed.\nKaufmann volunteers to take back the theodolite\nbut this does not seem to please Lauener. There\nis a pause and hesitation. I remonstrate, while\nHawkins calls out Forward! Lauener once more\ndoggedly strikes his axe into the snow, and resumes\nthe ascent.\nI continued among the rocks, though with less\nh /-and less confidence in the wisdom of my choice.\nHyi^ My knapsack annoyed me excessively; the straps","height":"2934","width":"1700","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0031.jp2"},"32":{"fulltext":"12 HOURS or EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nOnce or twice I had to get round a protruding face\nof rock, and tlien found my bonds very grievous.\nAt length I came to a peculiar piece of cliff, near\nthe base of which was a sharp ridge of snow, and\nat a height of about five feet above it the rock\nbulged out, so that a stone dropped from its pro-\ntuberance would fall beyond the ridge. I had to\nwork along the snow cautiously, squatting down so\nas to prevent the rock from pushing me too far out.\nHad I a fair ledge underneath I should have felt per-\nfectly at ease, but on the stability of the snow- wedge\nI dared not calculate. To retreat was dangerous,\nto advance useless for right in front of me was\na sheer smooth precipice, which completely extin-\nguished the thought of further rock-work. I ex-\namined the place below me, and saw that a slip\nwould be attended with the very worst consequences.\nTo loose myself from the crag and attach myself to\nthe snow was so perilous an operation that I did\nnot attempt it and at length I ignobly called to\nLaueifer to lend me a hand. A gleam of satis-\nfaction crossed his features as he eyed me on my\nperch. He manifestly enjoyed being called to the\nrescue, and exhorted me to keep quite still. He\nworked up towards me, and in less than half an\nhour had hold of one of my legs. The place is\nnot so bad after all, he remarked, evidently glad\nto take me down, in more senses than one. I","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0032.jp2"},"33":{"fulltext":"1860] THE LATJWINEN-THOR. 13\ndescended in his steps, and rejoined Ha wkins upon\nthe snow. From that moment Lauener was a rege-\nnerate man the despair of his visage vanished, and\nI firmly believe that the triumph he enjoyed, by\naugmenting his self-respect, was the proximate cause\n.^f oiu* subsequent success.\nThe couloir was a most singular one; it was\nexcessively steep, and along it were two great scars,\nresembling the deep-cut channels of a mountain\nstream. They were, indeed, channels cut by the\nsnow-torrents from the heights. We scanned those\nheights. The view was bounded by a massive\ncornice, from which the avalanches are periodically\nlet loose.^ The cornice seemed firm still we cast\nabout for some piece of rock which might shelter us\nfrom the destroyer should he leap from his lair.\nApart from the labour of the ascent, which is great,\nthe frequency of avalanches will always render this\npass a dangerous one. At 2 p.m. the air became\nintensely cold. My companion had wisely pocketed\na pair of socks, which he drew over his gloves, and\nfound very comforting. My leather gloves, being\nsaturated with wet, were very much the reverse.\nThe wind was high, and as it passed the crest\nof the Breithorn its moisture was precipitated and\nHence tlie name Lanwinen-Thor, which, with the consent of\nMr. Hawkins, if not at his suggestion, I have given to the pass. [The\nname has since been adopted in all the maps. March 1871.1\n2","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0033.jp2"},"34":{"fulltext":"7\n14 HOUKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nafterwards carried away. The clouds thus generated\nshone for a time with the lustre of pearls but as\nthey approached the sun they became suddenly\nflooded with the most splendid iridescences, At our\nright now was a vertical wall of brown rock, along\nthe base of which we advanced. At times we were\nsheltered by it, but not always for the wind was\nas fitful as a maniac, and eddying round the corners\nsometimes shook us forcibly, chilled us to the mar-\nrow, and spit frozen dust in our faces. The snow,\nmoreover, adjacent to the rock had been melted and\nrefrozen to a steep slope of compact ice. The men\nwere very weary, the hewing of the steps exhausting,\nand the footing, particularly on some glazed rocks\nover which we had to pass, exceedingly insecure.\nOnce on trying to fix my alpenstock I found that\nit was coated with an enamel of ice, and slipped\nthrough my wet gloves. This startled me, for the\nstaff is my sole trust under such circumstances. The\ncrossing of those rocks was a most awkward piece\nof wqprk a slip was imminent, and the efiects of the\nconsequent glissade not to be calculated. We cleared\nthem, however, and now observed the grey haze\ncreeping down from the peak of the Breithorn to\nthe point at which we were aiming. This, however,\nwas visibly nearer and, for the first time since we\nbegan to climb, Lauener declared that he had good\nSee Note on Clouds, p. 82.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0034.jp2"},"35":{"fulltext":"1860] THE LATJWINEN-THOK. 15\nhopes Jetzt habe icli gute Hoffnung. Another\nhour brought us to a place where the gradient\nslackened suddenly. The real work was done, and\nten minutes fm ther wading through the deep snow\nplaced us fairly on the summit of the col.\nLooked at from the top the pass will seem very\nformidable to the best of climbers to an ordinary\neye it would appear simply terrific. We reached\nthe base of the barrier at nine a.m. we had sur-\nmounted it at four; seven hours consequently had\nbeen spent upon that tremendous wall. Our view\nwas limited above clouds were on all the mountains,\nand the Great Aletsch glacier was hidden by dense\nfog. With long swinging strides we went down the\nslope. Several times during our descent the snow\ncoating was perforated, and hidden crevasses revealed.\nAt length we reached the glacier, and plodded along\nit through the dreary fog. We cleared the ice just\nat nightfall, passed the Marjelin See, and soon\nfound ourselves in utter darkness on the spurs of\nthe ^ggischhorn. We lost the track and wandered\nfor a time bewildered. We sat down to rest, and\nthen learned that Lauener was extremely ill. To\nquell the pangs of toothache he had chewed a cigar,\nwhich after his day s exertion was too much for him.\nHe soon recovered, however, and we endeavoured to\nregain the track. In vain. The guides shouted, and","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0035.jp2"},"36":{"fulltext":"16 HOUKS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nafter many repetitions we heard a shout in reply. A\nherdsman approached, and conducted us to some\nneighbouring chalets, whence he undertook the\nofl ce of guide. After a time he also found himself\nin difficulty. We saw distant lights, and Lauener\nonce more pierced the air with his tremendous\nwhoop. We were heard. Lights were sent towards\nus, and an additional half-hour placed us under\nthe roof of Herr Wellig, the active and intelligent\nproprietor of the Jungfrau hotel.\nAfter this day s journey, which was a very hard\none, the tide of health set steadily in. I have no\nremembrance of any further exhibition of the symp-\ntoms which had driven me to Switzerland. Each\nday s subsequent exercise made both brain and\nmuscles firmer. We remained at the ^ggischhorn\nfor several days, occupying ourselves principally\nwith observations and measurements on the Aletsch\nglacier, and joining together afterwards in that day s\nexcursion unparalleled in my experience which\nhas fomnd in my companion a narrator worthy of its\nglories. And as we stood upon the savage ledges of\nthe Matterhorn, with the utmost penalty which the\nlaws of falling bodies could inflict at hand, I felt\nthat there were perils at home for intellectual men\ngreater even than those which then surrounded us\nfoes, moreover, which inspire no manhood by their\nattacks, but shatter alike the architect and his house","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0036.jp2"},"37":{"fulltext":"I860J THE LAUWINEN-THOK. 17\nby the same slow process of disintegration. Aftei\nthe discipline of the Matterhorn, the fatal slope of the\nCol du Greant, which I visited a few days afterwards,\nlooked less formidable than it otherwise might have\ndone. From Courmayeur I worked round to Cha-\nmouni by Qhapieu and the Col de Bonhomme. I\nattempted to get up Mont Blanc to visit the\nthermometers which I had planted on the summit\na year previously; and succeeded during a brief\ninterval of fair weather in reaching the Grrands\nMulcts. But the gleam which tempted me thus\nfar proved but a temporary truce to the war of\nelements, and, after remaining twenty hours at\nthe Mulcts, I was obliged to beat an inglorious\nretreat. Vacation Tourists, 1860.\nThis, I believe, \\ris in allusion to tlie Jeath of Sir Charles\nBarry.— J. T., 1871.","height":"2937","width":"1641","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0037.jp2"},"38":{"fulltext":"18 nOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nII.\nDISASTER ON THE COL DU GEANT.\nOn the 18tli of August, wliile Mr. Hawkins and I\nwere staying at Breuil, rumours reached us of a\ngrievous disaster which had occurred on the Col du\nGeant. At first, however, the accounts were so con-\ntradictory as to inspire the hope that they might\nbe grossly exaggerated or altogether false. But\nmore definite intelligence soon arrived, and before\nwe quitted Breuil it had been placed beyond a\ndoubt that three Englishmen, with a guide named\nTairraz, had perished on the col. On the 21st I\nsaw the brother of Tairraz at Aosta, and learned\nfrom the saddened man all that he knew. What\nI then heard only strengthened my desire to visit\nthe scene of the catastrophe, and obtain by actual\ncontact with the facts truer information than could\npossibly be conveyed to me by description. On the\nafternoon of the 22nd I accordingly reached Cour-\nmayeur, and being informed that M. Curie, the\nresident French pastor, had visited the place and\nmade an accurate sketch of it, I immediately called\nupon him. With the most obliging promptness he","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0038.jp2"},"39":{"fulltext":":860] DISASTEE ON THE COL DU G:^ANT. 19\nplaced his sketches in my hands, gave me a written\naccount of the occurrence, and volunteered to ac-\ncompany me. I gladly accepted this oflfer, and early\non the morning of Thursday the 21st of August we\nwalked up to the pavilion which it had been the\naim of the travellers to reach on the day of their\ndeath. Wishing to make myself acquainted with\nthe entire line of the fatal glissade, I walked\ndirectly from the pavilion to the base of the rocky\ncouloir along which the travellers had been preci-\npitated, and which had been described to me as so\ndangerous that a chamois-hunter had declined\nascending it some days before. At Courmayeur,\nhowever, I secured the services of a most intrepid\nman, who had once made the ascent, and who now\nexpressed his willingness to be my guide. We\nbegan our climb at the very bottom of the couloir,\nwhile M. Curie, after making a circuit, joined us on\nthe spot where the body of the guide Tairraz had\nbeen arrested, and where we found sad evidences\nof his fate. From this point onward M. Curie\nshared the dangers of the ascent, until we reached\nthe place where the rocks ended and the fatal snow-\nslope began. Among the rocks we had frequent\nand melancholy occasion to assure ourselves that we\nwere on the exact track. We found there a pen-\nknife, a small magnetic compass, and many other\nremnants of the fall.","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0039.jp2"},"40":{"fulltext":"20 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nAt the bottom of the snow-slope M. Curie quitted\nme, urging me not to enter upon the slope, but to\ntake to a stony ridge on the right. No mere in-\nspection, however, could have given me the desired\ninformation. I asked my guide whether he feared\nthe snow, and, his reply being negative, we entered\nupon it together, and ascended it along the furrow\nwhich still marked the line of fall. Under the\nsnow, at some distance up the slope, we found a fine\nnew ice-axe, the property of one of the guides. We\nheld on to the track up to the very summit of the\ncol, and as I stood there and scanned the line of my\nascent a feeling of augmented sadness took posses-\nsion of me. There seemed no sufficient reason for\nthis terrible catastrophe. With ordinary care the\nslip might in the first instance have been avoided,\nand with a moderate amount of skill and vigour the\nmotion, I am persuaded, might have been arrested\nsoon after it had begun.\nBounding the snow-slope to the left was the ridge\nalong vihich travellers to CourmayeTir usually descend.\nIt is rough, but absolutely without danger. The\nparty were, however, tired when they reached this\nplace, and to avoid the roughness of the ridge they\ntook to the snow. The inclination of the slope above\nwas moderate it steepened considerably lower down,\nbut its steepest portion did not much exceed forty-\nfive degrees of inclination. At all events, a skilful","height":"2966","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0040.jp2"},"41":{"fulltext":":860] DISASTEK ON THE COL DU GfANT. 21\nmountaineer might throw himself prostrate on the\nslope with perfect reliance on his power to arrest his\ndownward motion.\nIt is alleged that when the party entered the\nsummit of the col on the Chamouni side the guides\nproposed to return, but the Englishmen persisted\nin going forward. One thing alone could justify\nthe proposition thus ascribed to the guides by their\nfriends a fog so thick as to prevent them from\nstriking the summit of the col at the proper point,\nand to compel them to pursue their own traces back-\nwards. The only part of the col hitherto regarded\nas dangerous had been passed, and, unless for the\nreason assumed, it would have been simply absurd\nto recross this portion instead of proceeding to\nCourmayeur. It is alleged that a fog existed but\nthe summit had been reached, and the weather\ncleared afterwards, Whether, therefore, the English-\nmen refused to return or not on the Montanvert\nside, it ought in no way to influence our judgment\nof what occurred on the Courmayeur side, where the\nweather which prompted the proposal to go back\nceased to be blameable.\nA statement is also current to the effect that the\ntravellers were carried down by an avalanche. In\nconnection with this point M. Curie writes to me\nthus II parait qu a Chamounix on repand le\nbruit que c est une avalanche ^ui a fait perir les","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0041.jp2"},"42":{"fulltext":"22 HOUES OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nvoyageurs. C est la une faussete que le premier vous\nsaurez dementir sur les lieux. I subscribe without\nhesitation to this opinion of M. Curie. That a con-\nsiderable quantity of snow was brought down by the\nrush was probable, but an avalanche properly so called\nthere was not, and it simply leads to misconception\nto introduce the term at all.\nWe are now prepared to discuss the accident. The\ntravellers, it is alleged, reached the summit of the\ncol in a state of great exhaustion, and it is certain\nthat such a state would deprive them of the caution\nand j rmness of tread necessary in perilous places.\nBut a knowledge of this ought to have prevented the\nguides from entering upon the snow-slope at all. We\nare, moreover, informed that even on the gentler por-\ntion of the slope one of the travellers slipped repeat-\nedly. On being thus warned of danger, why did not\nthe guides quit the snow and resort to the ridge\nThey must have had full confidence in their power\nto stop the glissade which seemed so imminent, or\nelse tjiey were reckless of the lives they had in\ncharge. At length the fatal slip occurred, where the\nfallen man, before he could be arrested, gathered\nsufficient momentum to jerk the man behind him oflf\nhis feet, the other men were carried away in succes-\nsion, and in a moment the whole of them were rush-\ning downwards. What efforts were made to check\nthis fearful rush, %t what point of the descent the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0042.jp2"},"43":{"fulltext":"1860] DISASTER ON THE COL DU GfANT. 23\ntwo guides relinquished the rope, which of them\ngave way first, the public do not know, though this,\nought to be known. All that is known to the\npublic is that the two men who led and followed the\nparty let go the rope and escaped, while the three\nEnglishmen and Tairraz went to destruction. Tairraz\nscreamed, but, like Englishmen, the others met\ntheir doom without a word of exclamation.\nAt the bottom of the slope a rocky ridge, forming\nthe summit of a precipice, rose slightly above the\nlevel of the snow, and over it they were tilted. I do\nnot think a single second s suffering could have been\nendured. During the wild rush downwards the be-\nwilderment was too great to permit even of fear, and\nat the base of the precipice life and feeling ended\nsuddenly together. A steep slope of rocks connected\nthe base of this precipice with the brow of a second\none, at the bottom of which the first body was found.\nAnother slope ran from this point to the summit of\nanother ledge, where the second body was arrested,,\nwhile attached to it by a rope, and quite overhanging\nthe ledge, was the body of the third traveller. The\nbody of the guide Tairraz was precipitated much\nfurther, and was much more broken.\nThe question has been raised whether it was right\nunder the circumstances to tie the men together. I.\nbelieve it was perfectly right, if only properly done.\nBut the actual arrangement was this: The three","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0043.jp2"},"44":{"fulltext":"24 HOUES OP EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nEnglishmen were connected by a rope tied firmly-\nround the waist of each of .them one end of the rope\nwas held in the hand of the guide who led the party\nthe other end was similarly held by the hindmost\nguide, while Tairraz grasped the rope near its middle.\nAgainst this mode of attachment I would enter\nan emphatic protest. It, in all probability, caused\nthe destruction of the unfortunate Eussian traveller\non the Findelen Grlacier last year, and to it I believe\nis to be ascribed the disastrous issue of the slip on\nthe Col du Greant. Let me show cause for this pro-\ntest. At a little depth below the surface the snow\nupon the fatal slope was firm and consolidated, but\nupon it rested a superficial layer, about ten inches\nor a foot in depth, partly fresh, and partly disin-\ntegrated by the weather. By the proper action of\nthe feet upon such loose snow, its granules are made\nto unite so as to aiSbrd a secure footing but when\na man s body, presenting a large surface, is thrown\nprostrate upon a slope covered with such snow, the\ngranules act like friction wheels, offering hardly any\nresistance to the downward motion.\nA homely illustration will render intelligible the\ncourse of action necessary under such conditions.\nSuppose a boy placed upon an oilcloth which covers\na polished table, and the table tilted to an angle of\nforty-five degrees. The oilcloth would evidently\nslide down, carrying the boy along with it, as the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0044.jp2"},"45":{"fulltext":"1860] DISASTER ON THE COL DU GlSANT. 25\nloose snow slid over the firm snow on the Col dii\nGeant. But suppose the boy provided with a stick\nspiked with iron, what ought he to do to check his\nmotion Evidently drive his spike through the\noilcloth and anchor it firmly in the wood underneath.\nA precisely similar action ought to have been re-\nsorted to on the Col du Geant. Each man as he fell\nought to have turned promptly on his face, pierced\nwith his armed staff the superficial layer of soft\nsnow, and pressed with both hands the spike into\nthe consolidated mass underneath. He would thus\nhave applied a break, sufficient not only to bring\nhimself to rest, but, if well done, sufficient, I believe,\nto stop a second person. I do not lightly express this\nopinion it is founded on varied experience upon\nslopes at least as steep as that under consideration.\nConsider now the bearing of the mode of attach-\nment above described upon the question of rescue.\nWhen the rope is fastened round the guide s waist,\nboth his arms are free, to drive, in case of necessity,\nhis spiked staff into the snow. But in the case be-\nfore us, one arm of each guide was virtually power-\nless on it was thrown the strain of the falling man\nin advance, by which it was effectually fettered.\nBut this was not all. When the attached arm re-\nceives the jerk, the guide instinctively grasps the\nrope with the other hand in doing so, hes relin-\nquishes his staff, and thus loses the sheet-anchor of","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0045.jp2"},"46":{"fulltext":"26 HOmiS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nsalvation. Such was the case with the two guides\nwho escaped on the day now in question. The one\nlost his baton, the other his axe, and they probably\nhad to make an expert use of their legs to save\neven themselves from destruction. Tairraz was in\nthe midst of the party. Whether it was in his\npower to rescue himself or not, whether he was\ncaught in the coil of the rope or laid hold of by\none of his companions, we can never know. Let us\nbelieve that he clung to them loyally, and went\nwith them to death sooner than desert the post of\nduty.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0046.jp2"},"47":{"fulltext":"I860 THE MATTEEHOKN FIKST ASSAULT. 27\nIII.\nTRE MATTERHORN— FIRST ASSAULT.\nBy r. VAUGHAJ!^ HAWKINS, M.A.\nThe summer and autumn of 1860 will long be re-\nmembered in Switzerland as the most ungenial and\ndisastrous season, perhaps, on record; certainly\nwithout a parallel since 1834. The local papers\nwere filled with lamentations over der ewige Siid-\nwind, which overspread the skies with perpetual\ncloud, and from time to time brought up tremendous\nstorms, the fiercest of which, in the three first days\nof September, carried away or blocked up for a time,\nI believe, every pass into Italy except the Bernina.\nAt Andermatt, on the St. Grothard, we were cut off\nfor two days from all communications whatever by\nwater on every side. The whole of the lower Ehone\nvalley was under water. A few weeks later, I found\nthe Spliigen, in the gorge above Chiavenna, alto-\nInstead of attempting to write one myself, I requested the per-\nmission of my friend Mr. Hawkins to republish his admirable\naccount of our first assault upon the Matterhorn. I have to thank\nboth him and Mr. Macmillan for the obliging promptness ■with\nwhich my request was granted.","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0047.jp2"},"48":{"fulltext":"28 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\ngetlier gone, remains of the old road being just\nvisible here and there, but no more. In the Valte-\nline, I found the Stelvio road in most imminent\ndanger, gangs of men being posted in the courses of\nthe torrents to divert the boulders, which every\nmoment threatened to overwhelm the bridges on the\nroute. A more unlucky year for glacier expeditions,\ntherefore, could hardly be experienced and the\nfollowing pages present in consequence only the\nnarrative of an unfinished campaign, which it is the\nhope of Tyndall and myself to be able to prosecute\nto a successful conclusion early next August.\nI had fallen in with Professor Tyndall on the\nBasle Eailway, and a joint plan of operations had\nbeen partly sketched out between us, to combine\nto some extent the more especial objects of each\nscientific observations on his part on mine, the\nexploration of new passes and mountain topography\nbut the weather sadly interfered with these designs.\nAfter some glacier measurements had been accom-\npli^ed at Grrindelwald, a short spell of fair weather\nenabled us to effect a passage I had long desired to\ntry, from Lauterbrunnen direct to the -^ggisch-\nhorn by the Eoththal, a srfTall and unknown but\nmost striking glacier valley, known to Swiss my-\nthology as the supposed resort of condemned spirits.\nWe scaled, by a seven hours perpendicular climb,\nthe vast amphitheatre of rock which bounds the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0048.jp2"},"49":{"fulltext":"1860] THE MATTERHORN FIRST ASSAULT. 29\nAletscli basin on this side, and bad the satisfaction\nof falsifying the predictions of Uh ich Lauener, who\nbade us farewell at Orindelwald with the dis-\ncouraging assertion that he should see us back\nagain, as it was quite impossible to get over where\nwe were going. As we descended the long reaches\nof the Aletsch glacier, rain and mist again gathered\nover us, giving to the scene the appearance of a\nvast Polar sea, over the surface of which we were\ntravelling, with no horizon visible anywhere except\nthe distant line of level ice. Arrived at the\n-^ggischhorn, the weather became worse than ever\na week elapsed before the measm-ement of the\nAletsch glacier could be completed; and we re-\nluctantly determined to dismiss Bennen, who was\nin waiting, considering the season too bad for high\nascents, and to push on with Christian Lauener to\nthe glaciers about Zinal. Bennen was in great\ndistress. He and I had the previous summer re-\nconnoitred the Matterhorn from various quarters,\nand he had arrived at the conclusion that we could\nin all probability ich beinahe behaupte reach\nthe top. That year, being only just convalescent\nfrom a fever, I had been unable to make the\nattempt, and thus an opportunity had been lost\nwhich may not speedily recur, for the mountain\nwas then (September 1859) almost free from snow.\nBennen had set his heart on our making the at-","height":"2945","width":"1677","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0049.jp2"},"50":{"fulltext":"30 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\ntempt in 1860, and great was liis disappointment\nat our proposed departure for Zinal. At the last\nmoment, however, a change of plans occurred.\nLauener was unwilling to proceed with us to\nZinal we resolved to give Bennen his chance\nthe theodolite was packed up and despatched\nto Greneva, and we set off for Breuil, to try the\nMatterhorn.\nAccessible or not, however, the Mont Cervin is\nassuredly a different sort of affair from Mont Blanc\nor Monte Eosa, or any other of the thousand and\none summits which nature has kindly opened to\nman, by leaving one side of them a sloping plain\nof snow, easy of ascent, till the brink of the pre-\ncipice is reached which descends on the other side.\nThe square massive lines of terraced crags which\nfence the MatterhorUj stand up on all sides nearly\ndestitute of snow, and where the snow lies thinly on\nthe rocks it soon melts and is hardened again into\nsmooth glassy ice, which covers the granite slabs\nlike a coat of varnish, and bids defiance to the axe.\nEvery step of the way lies between two precipices,\nand under toppling crags, which may at any moment\nbring down on the climber the most formidable\nof Alpine dangers a fire of falling stones. The\nmountain too has a sort of prestige of invincibility\nwhich is not without its influence on the mind, and\nalmost leads one to expect to encounter some new","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0050.jp2"},"51":{"fulltext":"1860] THE MATTEEHORN FIIIST ASSAULT. 31\nand unheard-of soui ce of peril upon it hence I\nsuppose it is that the dwellers at Zermatt and in\nVal Tournanche have scarcely been willing to at-\ntempt to set foot upon the mountain, and have left\nthe honour of doing so to a native of another district,\nwho, as he has been the first mortal to plant foot on\nthe hitherto untrodden peak, so he will, I hope,\nhave the honour, which he deserves, of being the\nfirst to reach the top.\nJohn Joseph Bennen, of Laax, in the Upper\nEhine Valley, is a man so remarkable that I cannot\nresist the desire (especially as he cannot read\nEnglish) to say a few words about his character.\nBom within the limits of the Grerman tongue, and\nliving amidst the mountains and glaciers of the\nOberland, he belongs by race and character to a\nclass of men of whom the Laueners, Melchior\nAnderegg, Bortis, Christian Aimer, Peter Bohren,\nare also examples a type of mountain race, having\nmany of the simple heroic qualities which we asso-\nciate, whether justly or unjustly, with Teutonic\nblood, and essentially difierent from to my mind,\ninfinitely superior to the French-speaking, versatile,\nwily Chamouniard. The names I have mentioned are\nall those of first-rate men but Bennen, as (I be-\nlieve) he surpasses all the rest in the qualities which\nfit a man for a leader in hazardous expeditions,\ncombining boldness and prudence with an ease and","height":"2937","width":"1676","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0051.jp2"},"52":{"fulltext":"32 HOURS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\npower peculiar to himself, so he has a faculty of\nconceiving and planning his achievements, a way of\nconcentrating his mind upon an idea, and working\nout his idea with clearness and decision, which I\nnever observed in any man of the kind, and which\nmakes him, in his way, a sort of Garibaldi. Tyndall,\non the day of our expedition, said to him, Sie sind\nder Graribaldi der Fiihrer, Bennen to which he\nanswered in his simple way, Nicht wahr Am I\nnot an amusing touch of simple vanity, a dash\nof pardonable bounce, being one of his not least\namiable characteristics. Thoroughly sincere and\neinfach in thought and speech, devoted to his\nfriends, without a trace of underhand self-seeking\nin his relations to his employers, there is an inde-\npendence about him, a superiority to most of his\nown class, which makes him, I always fancy, rather\nan isolated man though no one can make more\nfriends wherever he goes, or be more pleasant and\nthoroughly cheerful under all circumstances. But\nhe !eft his native place, Steinen, he told me, the\npeople there not suiting him and in Laax, where\nhe now dwells, I guess him to be not perhaps alto-\ngether at home. Unmarried, he works quietly most\nof the year at his trade of a carpenter, unless when\nhe is out alone, or with his friend Bortis (a man\nseemingly of reserved and uncommunicative disposi-\ntion, but a splendid mountaineer), in the chase after","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0052.jp2"},"53":{"fulltext":"1860] THE MATTEEHOEN— FIRST ASSAULT. 33\nchamois, of which he is passionately fond, and will\ntell stories, in his simple and emphatic way, with\nthe greatest enthusiasm. Pious he is, and observant\nof religious duties, but without a particle of the\nmountain gloom, respecting the prevalence of\nwhich among the dwellers in the High Alps\nMr, Ruskin discourses poetically, but I am myself\nrather incredulous. A perfect nature s gentleman,\nhe is to me the most delightful of companions and\nthough no theory defines our reciprocal obliga-\ntions as guide and employer, am sure that no\nprecipice will ever engulf me so long as Bennen is\nwithin reach, unless he goes into it also an event\nwhich seems impossible and I think I can say I\nwould, according to the measure of my capacity, do\nthe same by him. But any one who has watched\nBennen skimming along through the mazes of a\ncrevassed glacier, or running like a chamois along\nthe side of slippery ice-covered crags, axe and foot\nkeeping time together, will think that as Lauener\nsaid of his brother Johann, who perished on the\nJungfrau, he could never fall nothing could bring\nhim to grief but an avalanche.^\nAs Bennen and Tyndall -were going up the Finsteraarliorn\nonce upon a time, the work being severe, Bennen turned round\nand said to Tyndall, Ich fiihle mich jetzt ganz wie der Tyroler\neinmal, and ^ent on to relate a story of the conversation between a\npriest and an honest TjTolese, who complained to his father con-\nfessor that religion and an extreme passion for the fair sex struggled","height":"2945","width":"1652","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0053.jp2"},"54":{"fulltext":"34 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nDelayed in our walk from the -3ilggisclihom by\nthe usual severity of the weather, Tyndall, Bennen,\nand myself reached Breuil on Saturday, August 18,\nto make our attempt on the Monday. As we\napproached the mountain, Bennen s countenance\nfell visibly, and he became somewhat gloomy the\nmountain was almost white with fresh-fallen snow.\nNur der Schnee furcht mich, he replied to our\nenquiries. The change was indeed great from my\nrecollection of the year before; the well-marked,\nterrace-like lines along the south face, which are\nso well given in Mr. Greorge Barnard s picture,\nwere now almost covered up; through the tele-\nscope could be seen distinctly huge icicles depend-\ning from the crags, the lines of melting snow, and\nthe dark patches which we hoped might spread a\ngreat deal faster than they were likely to, duiing\nthe space of twenty-four hours. There was nothing\nfor it, although our prospects of success were\nmaterially diminished by the snow, but to do the\nbest»we could. As far as I was concerned, I felt\nthat I should be perfectly satisfied with getting part\nof the way up on a first trial, which would make one\nacquainted with the nature of the rocks, dispel the\n■within liim, and neither could expel the other. Mein Sohn, said\nthe priest, Franen zu lieben und im Himmel zu kommen, das geht\nnicht. Herr Pfarrer, sagte der Tyroler, cs muss gehen^ Und\n60 sag ich jetzt, cried Bennen. Es muss gehen is always his\nmotto.","height":"2966","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0054.jp2"},"55":{"fulltext":"•i.860] THE MATTERHOKN— FIEST ASSAULT. 35\nprestige wMch seemed to hang over the untrodden\nmountain, and probably suggest ways of shortening\nthe route on another occasion.\nWe wanted some one to carry the knapsack con-\ntaining our provisions and on the recommendation\nof the landlord at Breuil, we sent for a man, nanaed\nCarrel, who, we were told, was the best mountaineer\nin Val Tom-nanche, and the nephew of M. le Cha-\nnoine Carrel, whose acquaintance I once had the\nhonour of making at Aosta. From the latter de-\nscription I rather expected a young, and perhaps\naristocratic-looking personage, and was amused at\nthe entrance of a rough, good-humoured, shaggy-\nbreasted man, between forty and fifty, an ordinary\nspecimen of the peasant class. However, he did his\nwork well, and with great good temper, and seemed\nready to go on as long as we chose though he told\nme he expected we should end by passing the night\nsomewhere on the mountain, and I don t think his\nideas of our success were ever very sanguine.\nWe were to start before 3 a.m. on Monday morn-\ning, August 20 and the short period for sleep\nthus left us was somewhat abridged in my own case,\nnot so much by thoughts of the coming expedition,\nas by the news which had just reached us in a vague,\nbut, unfortunately, only too credible form, of the\nterrible accident on the Col du Greant a few days\nbefore. The account thus reaching us was naturallj","height":"2945","width":"1688","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0055.jp2"},"56":{"fulltext":"36 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nma.gnified, and we were as yet ignorant of the names.\nI could not at niglit shake off the (totally groundless)\nidea that a certain dear friend of mine was amonar\nthem, and that I ought at that moment to be hurry-\ning off to Courmayeur, to mourn and to bury him.\nIn the morning, however, these things are forgotten\nwe are off, and Carrel pilots us with a lantern across\nthe little stream which runs by Breuil, and up the\nhills to the left, where in the darkness we seem from\nthe sound to be in the midst of innumerable rills of\nwater, the effects of the late rains. The dark outline\nof the Matterhorn is just visible against the sky, and\nmeasuring with the eye the distance subtended by\nthe height we have to climb, it seems as if success\nm/iist be possible so hard is it to imagine all tho\nups and downs which lie in that short sky-line.\nDay soon dawns, and the morning rose-light\ntouches the first peak westward of us; the air is\nwonderfully calm and still, and for to-day, at all\nevents, we have good weather, without that bitter\nenemy the north wind but a certain opaque look in\nthe ^y, long streaks of cloud radiating from the\nsouth-west horizon up towards the zenith, and the\ntoo dark purple of the hills south of Aosta, are signs\nthat the good weather will not be lasting. By five\nwe are crossing the first snow-beds, and now Carrel\nfalls back, and the leader of the day comes to the\nfront all the day he will be cutting steps, but those","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0056.jp2"},"57":{"fulltext":"1860] THE MATTEEHOEN— FIEST ASSAULT. 37\ncompact and powerful limbs of his will show no signs\nof extra exertion, and to-day he is in particularly\ngood spirits. Carpentering, by the way not fine\nturning and planing, but rough out-of-doors work,\nlike Bennen s must be no bad practice to keep\nhand and eye in training during the dead season.\nWe ascend a narrow edge of snow, a cliff some way\nto the right the snow is frozen and hard as rock,\nand arms and legs are worked vigorously. Tyndall\ncalls out to me, to know whether I recollect the\nconditions i.e. if your feet slip from the steps,\ntm*n in a moment on your face, and dig in hard\nwith alpenstock in both hands under your body by\nthis means you will stop yourself if it is possible.\nOnce on your back, it is all over, unless others\ncan save you you have lost all chance of helping\nyourself. In a few minutes we stop, and rope all\ntogether, in which state we continued the whole\nday. The prudence of this some may possibly\ndoubt, as there were certainly places where the\nchances were greater that if one fell, he would drag\ndown the rest, than that they could assist him but\nwe were only four, all tolerably sure-footed, and in\npoint of fact I do not recollect a slip or stumble of\nconsequence made by any one of us. Soon the slope\nlessens for a while, but in front a wall of snow\nstretches steeply upwards to a gap, which we have\nto reach, in a kind of recess, flanked by crags of\n3","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0057.jp2"},"58":{"fulltext":"S8 HOTJKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nformidable appearance. We turn to the rocks on\nthe left hand. As, to one walking along miry\nways, the opposite side of the path seems ever the\nmost inviting, and he continually shifting his course\nfrom side to side lengthens his journey with small\nprofit, so in ascending a mountain one is always\ntempted to diverge from snow to rocks, or vice\nversa. Bennen had intended to mount straight up\ntowards the gap, and it is best not to interfere with\nhim he yields, however, to our suggestions, and we\nassail the rocks. These, however, are ice-bound,\nsteep, and slippery hands and knees are at work,\nand progress is slow. At length we stop upon a\nledge where all can stand together, and Carrel\nproposes to us (for Bennen and he can only commu-\nnicate by signs, the one knowing only French, the\nother German) to go on and see whether an easier\nway can be found still further to the left. Bennen\ngives an approving nod he looks with indulgent\npity on Carrel, but snubs all remarks of his as to\nthe rpute. Er Weiss gar nichts, he says. Carrel\ntakes his axe, and mounts warily, but with good\ncourage presently he returns, shaking his head.\nThe event is fortunate, for had we gone further to\nthe left, we should have reached the top of the\nridge from which, as we afterwards found, there is\nno passage to the gap, and our day s work would\nprobably have ended then and there. Bennen now","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0058.jp2"},"59":{"fulltext":"1860] THE MATTEKHORN— FIEST ASSAULT. 39\nleads to the right, and moves swiftly up from ledge\nto ledge. Time is getting on, but at length we\nemerge over the rocks just in face of the gap,\nand separated from it by a sort of large snow-crater,\noverhung on the left by the end of the ridge, from\nwhich stones fall which have scarred the sides of the\ncrater. The sides are steep, but we curve quickly\nand silently round them no stones fall upon us\nand now we have reached the narrow neck of snow\nwhich forms the actual gap; it is half-past eight,\nand the first part of our work is done.\nBy no means the hardest part, however. We\nstand upon a broad red granite slab, the lowest step\nof the actual peak of the Matterhorn no one has\nstood there before us. The slab forms one end of\nthe edge of snow, surmounted at the other end by\nsome fifty feet of overhanging rock, the end of the\nridge. On one side of us is the snow-crater, round\nwhich we had been winding; on the other side a\nscarped and seamed face of snow drops sheer on the\nnorth, to what we know is the Zmutt glacier. Some\nhopes I had entertained of making a pass by this\ngap, from Breuil to Zermatt, vanish immediately.\nAbove us rise the towers and pinnacles of the Matter-\nhorn, certainly a tremendous array. Actual contact\nimmensely increases one s impressions of this^ the\nhardest and strongest of all the mountain masses of\nthe Alps its form is more remarkable than that of","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0059.jp2"},"60":{"fulltext":"40 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nother mountains, not by chance, but because it is\nbuilt of more massive and durable materials, and\nmore solidly put together nowhere have I seen\nsuch astonishing masonry. The broad gneiss blocks\nare generally smooth and compact, with little ap-\npearance of splintering or weathering. Tons of\nrock, in the shape of boulders, must fall almost daily\ndown its sides, but the amount of these, even in the\ncourse of centuries, is as nothing compared with the\nmass of the mountain the ordinary processes of\ndisintegration can have little or no effect on it. If\none were to follow Mr. Euskin, in speculating on\nthe manner in which the Alpine peaks can have\nassumed their present shape, it seems as if such a\nmass as this can have been blocked out only while\nrising from the sea, under the action of waves such\nas beat against the granite headlands of the Land s\nEnd. Once on dry land, it must stand as it does\nnow, apparently for ever.\nTwo lines of ascent offer, between which we have\nto choose one along the middle or dividing ridge,\nthe back-bone of the mountain, at the end of which\nwe stand the other by an edge some little way to\nthe right a couloir lies between them. We choose\nthe former, or back-bone ridge but the other\nproves to be less serrated, and we shall probably try\nit on another occasion. As we step from our halt-\ning-place, Bennen turns round and addresses us in","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0060.jp2"},"61":{"fulltext":"i860] THE MATTEKHOEN— riKST ASSAULT. 41\na few words of exhortation, like the generals in\nThucydides. He knows us well enough to be sure\nthat we shall not feel afraid, but every footstep\nmust be planted with the utmost precaution: no\nfear, wohl immer Achtung. Soon our difficulties\nbegin but I despair of relating the incidents of\nthis part of our route, so numerous and bewildering\nwere the obstacles along it and the details of each\nhave somewhat faded from the memory. We are\nimmersed in a wilderness of blocks, roofed and\nfestooned with huge plates and stalactites of ice, so\nlarge that one is half disposed to seize hold and\nclamber up them. Eound, over, and under them\nwe go often progress seems impossible but\nBennen, ever in advance, and perched like a bird on\nsome projecting crag, contrives to find a way. Now\nwe crawl singly along a narrow ledge of rock, with a\nwall on one side, and nothing on the other there is\nno hold for hands or alpenstock, and the ledge slopes\na little, so that if the nails in otu: boots hold not,\ndown we shall go in the middle of it a piece of\nrock juts out, which we ingeniously duck under,\nand emerge just under a shower of water, which\nthere is no room to escape from. Presently comes\na more extraordinary place a perfect chimney of\nrock, cased all over with hard black ice, about an\ninch thick. The bottom leads out into space, and\nthe top is somewhere in the upper regions there is","height":"2945","width":"1664","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0061.jp2"},"62":{"fulltext":"42 HOUKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nabsolutely notMng to grasp at, and to this day I\ncannot understand how a human being could get up\nor down it unassisted. Bennen, however, rolls up it\nsomehow, like a cat he is at the top, and beckons\nTyndall to advance my turn comes next I en-\ndeavour to mount by squeezing myself against the\nsides, but near the top friction suddenly gives\nway, and down comes my weight upon the rope\na stout haul from above, and now one knee is upon\nthe edge, and I am safe Carrel is pulled up after\nme. After a time, we get off the rocks, and mount\na slope of ice, which curves rapidly over for about\nthree yards to our left, and then (apparently) drops\nat once to the Zmutt glacier. We reach the top of\nthis, and proceed along it, till at last a sort of\npinnacle is reached, from which we can survey the\nline of towers and crags before us up to a point\nJust below the actual top, and we halt to rest a\nwhile. Bennen goes on to see whether it be possible\nto cross over to the other ridge, which seems an\neasier one. Left to himself, he treads lightly and\nalmosf carelessly along. Greb Acht, Bennen (Take\ncare of yourself) we shout after him, but need-\nlessly; he stops and moves alternately, peering\nwistfully about, exactly like a chamois but soon he\nreturns, and says there is no passage, and we must\nkeep to the ridge we are on.\nThree hours had not yet elapsed since we left the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0062.jp2"},"63":{"fulltext":"18C0] THE MATTEEnOEN— FIEST ASSAULT. 43\ngap, and from our present station we could survey\nthe route as far as a point which concealed from\nus the actual summit, and could see that the\ndifficulties before us were not greater than we had\nalready passed through, and such as time and per-\nseverance would surely conquer. Nevertheless, there\nis a tide in the affairs of such expeditions, and the\nimpression had been for some time gaining ground\nwith me that the tide on the present occasion had\nturned against us, and that the time we could\nprudently allow was not sufficient for us to reach\nthe top that day. Before trial, I had thought it\nnot improbable that the ascent might turn out\neither impossible or comparatively easy it was\nnow tolerably clear that it was neither the one nor\nthe other, but an exceedingly long and hard piece\nof work, which the unparalleled amount of ice made\nlonger and harder than usual. I asked Bennen if\nhe thought there was time enough to reach the top\nof all he was evidently unwilling, however, to give\nup hopes and Tyndall said he would give no\nopinion either way so we again moved on.\nAt length we came to the base of a mighty knob,\nhuger and uglier than its fellows, to which a little\narete of snow served as a sort of drawbridge. I\nbegan to fear lest in the ardour of pursuit we\nmight be carried on too long, and Bennen might\nforget the paramount object ©f securing our safe","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0063.jp2"},"64":{"fulltext":"44 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [18n30\nretreat. I called out to him that I thought I\nshould stop somewhere here, that if he could go\nfaster alone he might do so, but he must turn in\ngood time. Bennen, however, was already climbing\nwith desperate energy up the sides of the kerb;\nTyndall would not be behind him so I loosed the\nrope and let them go on. Carrel moved back across\nthe little arete, and sat down, and began to smoke\nI remained for a while standing with my back\nagainst the knob, and gazed by myself upon the\nscene around.\nAs my blood cooled, and the sounds of human\nfootsteps and voices grew fainter, I began to realise\nthe height and the wonderful isolation of our\nposition. The air was preternaturally still an\noccasional gust came eddying round the corner of\nthe mountain, but all else seemed strangely rigid\nand motionless, and out of keeping with the beating\nheart and moving limbs, the life and activity of\nman. Those stones and ice have no mercy in them,\nno sympathy with human adventure they submit\npassively to what man can do but let him go a step\ntoo far, let heart or hand fail, mist gather or sun go\ndown, and they will exact the penalty to the utter-\nmost. The feeling of the sublime in such cases\ndepends very much, I think, on a certain balance\nbetween the forces of nature and man s ability to\ncope with them: if they are too weak, the scene","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0064.jp2"},"65":{"fulltext":"1860] THE MATTERHOKN— FIRST ASSAULT. 45\nfails to impress if they are too strong for him,\nwhat was sublime becomes only terrible. Looking\nat the Dome du Groute or the Zumstein Spitze full\nin the evening sun, when they glow with an abso-\nlutely unearthly loveliness, like a city in the heavens,\nhave sometimes thought that, place but the\nspectator alone just now upon those shining\nheights, with escape before night all but impossible,\nand he will see no glory in the scene only the\nangry eye of the setting sun fixed on dark rocks and\ndead-white snow.\nWe had risen seemingly to an immense height\nabove the gap, and the ridge which stretches from the\nMatterhom to the Dent d Erin lay flat below but\nthe peak still towered behind me, and, measuring our\nposition by the eye along the side of our neighbour\nof equal height, the Weisshom, I saw that we must\nbe yet a long way beneath the top. The gap itself,\nand all traces of the way by which we had ascended,\nwere invisible I could see only the stone where\nCarrel sat, and the tops of one or two crags rising\nfrom below. The view was, of course, magnificent,\nand on three sides wholly unimpeded with one hand\n•I could drop a stone which would descend to Zmutt,\nwith the other to Breuil. In front lay, as in a map,\nthe as yet unexplored peaks to south and west of the\nDent d Erin, the range which separates Val Tour-\nnanche from the Valpelline, and the glacier region","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0065.jp2"},"66":{"fulltext":"46 HOUES OP EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nbeyond, called in Ziegier s map Zardezan, over which\na pass, perchance, exists to Zermatt. An illimitable\nrange of blue hills spread far away into Italy.\nI walked along the little arete, and sat down it\nwas only broad enough for the foot, and in perfectly\ncold blood even this perhaps might have appeared\nuncomfortable. Turning to look at Tyndall and\nBennen, I could not help laughing at the picture\nof our progress under difficulties. They seemed to\nhave advanced only a few yards. Have you got no\nfurther than that yet I called out, for we were all\nthe time within hearing. Their efforts appeared\nprodigious: scrambling and sprawling among the\nhuge blocks, one fancied they must be moving along\nsome unseen bale of heavy goods instead of only the\nweight of their own bodies. As I looked, an ominous\nvisitant appeared down came a fragment of rock,\nthe size of a man s body, and dashed past me on\nthe couloir, sending the snow flying. For a moment\nI thought they might have dislodged it but looking\nagain I saw it had passed over their heads, and come\nfrom flhe crags above. Neither of them, I believe,\nobserved the monster but Tyndall told me after-\nwards that a stone, possibly a splinter from it, had\nhit him in the neck, and nearly choked him. I\nlooked anxiously again, but no more followed. A\nsingle shot, as it were, had been fired across our bows\nbut the ship s course was already on the point of\nbeing put about.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0066.jp2"},"67":{"fulltext":"1860] THE MATTEKHOKN— FIKST ASSAULT. 47\nExpecting fully that they would not persevere\nbeyond a few minutes longer, I called out to Tyndall\nto know how soon they meant to be back. In an\nhour and a half, he replied, whether in jest or\nearnest, and they disappeared round a projecting\ncorner. A sudden qualm seized me, and for a few\nminutes I felt extremely uncomfortable what if\nthe ascent should suddenly become easier, and they\nshould go on, and reach the top without me I\nthought of summoning Carrel, and pursuing them\nbut the worthy man sat quietly, and seemed to have\nhad enough of it. My suspense, however, was not\nlong after two or three minutes the clatter, which\nhad never entirely ceased, became louder, and their\nforms again appeared they were evidently de-\nscending. In fact, Bennen had at length turned,\nand said to Tyndall, Ich denke die Zeit ist zu kurz.\nI was glad that he had gone on as long as he chose,\nand not been turned back on my responsibility. They\nhad found one part of this last ascent the worst of\nany, but the way was open thenceforward to the\nfarthest visible point, which can be no long way\nbelow the actual top.\nIt was now just about mid-day, and ample time for\nthe descent, in all probablity, was before us but we\nresolved not to halt for any length of time till we\nshould reach the gap. Descending, unlike ascend-\ning, is generally not so bad as it seems but in some\nplaces here only one can advance at a time, the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0067.jp2"},"68":{"fulltext":"4:8 nouns of exercise in the alps. [i860\nother carefully holding the rope. Tenez forte-\nment, Carrel, tenez, is constantly impressed on the\nman who brings up the rear. Splendid practice for\nus, this, exclaims Tyndall exultingly, as each #ucces-\nsive difl culty is overcome. At length we reach a\nplace whence no egress is possible we look in vain\nfor traces of the way we had come it is our friend\nthe ice-coated chimney. Bennen gets down first, in\nthe same mysterious fashion as he got up, and assists\nus down presently a shout is heard behind Carrel\nis attempting to get down by himself, and has stuck\nfast Bennen has to extricate him. We are now\ngetting rapidly lower soon the difficulties diminish\nour gap appears in sight, and once more we reach\nthe broad granite slab beside the narrow col, and\nbreathe more freely.\nTwo hours have brought us down thus far but if\nwe are to return by the way we came, three or four\nhours of hard work are still needed before we arrive\nat anything like ordinary snow-walking. We hold\na consultation. Bennen thinks the rocks, now that\nthe ice is melting in the afternoon sun, will be\ndifficult, and withal somewhat dangerous (etwa\ngefahrlich auch). The reader will remark that\nBennen uses the word dangerous in its legitimate\nsense. A place is dangerous where a good climber\ncannot be secure of his footing a place is Tiot\ndangerous where a good climber is in no danger of","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0068.jp2"},"69":{"fulltext":"1860] THE MATTEEHORN FIRST ASSAULT. 49\nslipping, although to slip may be fatal. We deter-\nmine to see if it be possible to descend the sides of\nthe snow-crater, on the brink of which we now stand.\nThe ^ater is portentously steep, deeply lined with\nfresh snow, which glistens and melts in the powerful\nsun. The experiment is slightly hazardous, but we\nresolve to try. The crater appears to narrow gradu-\nally to a sort of funnel far down below, through\nwhich we expect to issue into the glacier beneath.\nAt the sides of the funnel are rocks, which some one\nsuggests might serve to break our fall, should the\nsnow go down with us, but their tender mercies seem\nto me doubtful. Cautiously, with steady, balanced\ntread, we commit ourselves to the slope, distributing\nthe weight of the body over as large a space of snow\nas possible, by fixing in the pole high up, and the\nfeet far apart, for a slip or stumble now will pro-\nbably dissolve the adhesion of the fresh, not yet\ncompacted mass, and we shall go down to the bottom\nin an avalanche. Six paces to the right, then again\nto the left we are at the mercy of those overhang-\ning rocks just now, and the recent tracks of stones\nlook rather suspicious but all is silent, and soon\nwe gain confidence, and congratulate ourselves on\nan expedient which has saved us hours of time and\ntoil. Just to our right the snow is sliding by, first\nslowly, then faster keep well out of the track of\nit, for underneath is a hard polished surface, and","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0069.jp2"},"70":{"fulltext":"50 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nif your foot chance to light there, off you will pro-\nbably shoot. The snow travels much faster than we\ndo, or have any desire to do we are like a coach\ntravelling alongside of an express train in popular\niphrase, we are going side by side with a small ava-\nlanche, though a real avalanche is a very different\nmatter. Soon we come somewhat under the lee of the\nrocks, and now all risk is over, we are through the\nfunnel, and floundering waist-deep, heedless of cre-\nvasses in the comparatively level slopes beyond. We\nplunge securely down now in the deep snow, where\ncare and caution had been requisite in crossing the\nfrozen surface in the morning at length we cast\noff the rope, and are on terra firma.\nWe shall be at Breuil in unexpectedly good time,\nbefore five o clock; but it is well we are off the\nmountain early, for clouds and mist are already\ngathering round the peak, and the weather is about\nto break. Tyndall rushes rapidly down the slopes,\nand is lost to view Bennen and I walk slowly, dis-\ncussing the results of the day. I am glad to see\nthat he is in high spirits, and confident of our future\nsuccess. He agrees with me to reach the top will\nbe an exceedingly long day s work, and that we must\nallow ten hours at least Tor the actual peak, six to\nascend, four to descend we must start next time,\nhe says, ganz, ganz friih, and manage to reach the\ngap by seven o clock. Presently we deviate a little","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0070.jp2"},"71":{"fulltext":"1860] THE MATTEEHOEN ^FIEST ASSAULT. 51\nfrom our downward course the same thought occu-\npies our minds we perceive a long low line of roof on\nthe mountain-side, and are not mistaken in supposing\nthat our favourite food will at this hour be found there\nin abundance. The shepherds on the Italian hills\nare more hospitable and courteous, I think, than their\nSwiss brethren twenty cows are moving their tails\ncontentedly in line tunder the shed, for Breuil is a\nrich pastm-e valley, and in an autumn evening I\nhave counted six herds of from ninety to a hundred\neach, in separate clusters, like ants, along the stream\nin the distance. The friendly man, in hoarse but\nhearty tones, urges us on as we drink Bennen puts\ninto his hand forty centimes for us both (for we\nhave disposed of no small quantity) but he is with\ndifficulty persuaded to accept so large a sum, and\ncalls after us, C est trop, c est trop, messieurs.\nLong may civilisation and half-francs fail of reach-\ning his simple abode for, alas the great tourist-\nworld is corrupting the primitive chalet-life of the\nAlps, and the Alpine man returning to his old\nhaunts, finds a rise in the price even of niedl and\nmascarpa.\nThe day after our expedition Bennen and myself\nrecrossed the Theodule in a heavy snow-storm.\nTyndall started for Chamouni, for the weather was\ntoo bad to justify an indefinite delay at Breuil in\nthe hope of making another attempt that year, and","height":"2945","width":"1669","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0071.jp2"},"72":{"fulltext":"52 HOURS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1860\nby waiting till another season we were sure of\nobtaining less unfavourable conditions of snow and\nice upon the mountain. We had enjoyed an excit-\ning and adventurous day, and I myself was not\nsorry to have something still left to do, while we\nhad the satisfaction of being the first to set foot on\nthis, the most imposing and mightiest giant of the\nAlps the inaccessible Mont Cervin. Vacation\nTourists, 1860.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0072.jp2"},"73":{"fulltext":"1859] THEEMOMETKIC STATION ON MONT BLANC. 53\nIV.\nTHERMOMETRIC STATION ON MONT\nBLANC.\nThe thermometers referred to at p. 17 were placed\non Mont Blanc in 1859. I had proposed to the\nRoyal Society some time previously to establish\na series of stations between the top and bottom of\nthe mountain, and the council of the society was\nkind enough to give me its countenance and aid in\nthe undertaking. At Chamouni I had a number of\nwooden piles shod with iron. The one intended for\nthe summit was twelve feet long and three inches\nsquare the others, each ten feet long, were in-\ntended for five stations between the top of the\nmountain and the bottom of the Grlacier de Bossons.\nEach post was furnished with a small cross-piece, to\nv/hich a horizontal minimum thermometer might\nbe attached. Six-and-twenty porters were found\nnecessary to carry all the apparatus to the Grrands\nMulets, whence fourteen of them were immediately\nsent back. The other twelve, with one exception,\nreached the summit, whence six of them were sent","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0073.jp2"},"74":{"fulltext":"54 HOURS OF EZERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1859\nback. Six tlierefore remained. In addition to\nthese we bad three guides, Auguste Balmat being\nthe principal one these, with Dr. Frankland and\nmyself, made up eleven persons in all. Though the\nmain object of the expedition was to plant the posts\nand fix the thermometers, I was very anxious to\nmake some observations on the transparency of the\nlower strata of the atmosphere to the solar heat-\nrays. I therefore arranged a series of observations\nwith the Abbe Veuillet, of Chamoimi he was to\noperate in the valley, while I observed at the\ntop. Our instruments were of the same kind; in\nthis way I hoped to determine the influence of the\nstratum of air interposed between the top and bottom\nof the mountain upon the solar radiation.\nWishing to commence the observations at day-\nbreak, I had a tent carried to the summit, where I\nproposed to spend the night. The tent was ten feet\nin diameter, and into it the whole eleven of us were\npacked. The north wind blew rather fiercely over\nthe summit, but we dropped down a few yards to\nleeward, and thus found shelter. Throughout the\nnight we did not suffer at all from cold, though we\nhad no fire, and the adjacent snow was 15° Cent.,\nor 27° Fahr.., below the freezing point of water.\nWe were all however indisposed. I was indeed very\nunwell when I quitted Chamouni but had I fal-\ntered my party would have melted away. I had","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0074.jp2"},"75":{"fulltext":"1859] THEEMOMETRIC STATION ON MONT BLANC. 55\nfrequently cast off illness on previous occasions, and\nhoped to do so now. But in this I was unsuccess-\nful my illness was more deep-rooted than ordinary,\nand it augmented during the entire period of the\nascent. Towards morning, however, I became\nstronger, while with some of my companions the\nreverse was the case. At daybreak the wind in-\ncreased in force, and as the fine snow was perfectly\ndry, it was driven over us in clouds. Had no other\nobstacle existed, this alone would have been suffi-\ncient to render the observations on solar radiation\nimpossible. We were therefore obliged to limit\nourselves to the principal object of the expedition\nthe erection of the post for the thermometers. It\nwas sunk six feet in the snow, while the remaining\nsix feet were exposed to the air. A minimum\nthermometer was screwed firmly on to the cross-\npiece of the post; a maximum thermometer was\nscrewed on beneath this, and under this again a wet\nand dry bulb thermometer. Two minimum thermo-\nmeters were also placed in the snow one at a\ndepth of six, and the other at a depth of four feet\nbelow the surface these being intended to give\nsome information as to the depth to which the\nwinter cold penetrates. At each of the other\nstations we placed a minimum thermometer in the\nice or snow, and a maximum and a minimum in the\nair.","height":"2945","width":"1649","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0075.jp2"},"76":{"fulltext":"56 HOTJKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\nThe stations were as follows The summit, the\nCorridor, the Grrand Plateau, the glacier near the\nGrrands Mulets, and two additional ones between the\nGrrands Mulets and the end of the Grlacier de Bos-\nsons. We took up some rockets, to see whether the\nascensional power, or the combustion, was affected\nby the rarity of the air. During the night, how-\never, we were enveloped in a dense mist, which\ndefeated our purpose. One rocket was sent up\nwhich (though we did not know it) penetrated the\nmist, and was seen at Chamouni. Lecomte s experi-\nments on the alleged influence of light and rare-\nfaction in retarding combustion caused me to resolve\non making a series of experiments on Mont Blanc.\nDr. Frankland was kind enough to undertake their\nexecution. Six candles were chosen at Chamouni,\nand carefully weighed. All of them were permitted\nto burn for one hour at the top, and were again\nweighed when we returned to Chamouni. They\nwere afterwards permitted to burn an hour below.\nEejecting one candle, which gave a somewhat\nanomalous result, we found that the quantity con-\nsumed above was, within the limits of error, the\nsame as that consumed at the bottom. This result\nsurprised us all the more, inasmuch as the light of\nthe candles appeared to be much feebler at the top\nthan at the bottom of the mountain.\nThe explosion of a pistol was sensibly weaker at","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0076.jp2"},"77":{"fulltext":"1859] THEBMOMETEIC STATION ON MONT BLANC. 57\nthe top than at a low level. The shortness of the\nsound was remarkable but it bore no resemblance\nto the sound of a cracker, to which in acoustic\ntreatises it is usually compared. It resembled more\nthe sound produced by the expulsion of a cork from\na champagne-bottle, but it was much louder. The\nsunrise from the summit was singularly magnificent.\nThe snow on the shaded flanks of the mountain was\nof a pure blue, being illuminated solely by the\nreflected light of the sky the summit of the moun-\ntain, on the contrary, was crimson, being illuminated\nby transmitted light. The contrast of both was finer\nthan I can describe.\nAbout twenty hours were spent upon the top of\nMont Blanc on this occasion. Had I been better\nsatisfied with the conduct of the guides, it would\nhave given me pleasure at the time to dwell upon this\nout-of-the-way episode in mountain life. But a tem-\nper, new to me, and which I thought looked very like\nmutiny, showed itself on the part of some of my men.\nIts manifestation was slight, I must say, in most\ncases, and conspicuous only in one. Eegrets and\napologies followed, and due allowance ought to be\nmade for the perfectly novel position in which the\nmen found themselves. The awe of entire strange-\nness is very powerful in some minds and to my\ncompanions the notion of spending a night at the\ntop of Mont Blanc was passing strange. The thing","height":"2945","width":"1653","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0077.jp2"},"78":{"fulltext":"58 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1859\nhad never been attempted pr«sviously, nor has the\nexperiment been repeated since.\nAs stated at p. 17, I made an attempt dm-ing\nthe execrable weather of 1860 to reach the top, but\nwas driven down after a delay of twenty hours at the\nGrrands Mulcts. The same weather destroyed the\nlower stations. In 1861, though the cross still\nremained at the top, the thermometers exhibited\nbroken columns and were worthless for observation.\nI may add, in conclusion, that the lowest tempera-\nture at the summit of the Jardin during the winter\nof 1858 was 21° Cent, below zero. In 1859 I vainly\nendeavoured to find a thermometer which had been\nplaced in the snow upon the summit of Mont Blanc\na year previously.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0078.jp2"},"79":{"fulltext":"1861] A LETTER EROM bIle. 59\nV.\nFrom a little book called Mountaineering in 1861,\npublished nine years ago, but long since out of\nprint, I will now make a few selections. The moun-\ntain work of that year embraced the ascent of the\nWeisshorn, and the passage of the barrier between\nthe Cima di Jazzi and Monte Eosa by an untried\nand dangerous route. Both these expeditions are\ndescribed. But, besides these narratives of outward\naction, I notice in the book a subjective element,\nconsisting of the musings and reflections to which\nI often abandon myself when sauntering over easy\nground, and without which even Switzerland would\nsometimes be monotonous to me. It is only from\nthe reader accustomed to similar reflective moods\nthat I expect acceptance, or even tolerance, of these\nmusings the man of action will pass them im-\npatiently by. I begin with\nA LETTER FROM BALE.\nI reached Bale last night, and now sit on the\nbalcony of the Three Kings with the Ehine flash-\ning below me. It is silent here, but higher up, in","height":"2937","width":"1644","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0079.jp2"},"80":{"fulltext":"60 UOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\npassing the props of a bridge, it breaks into foam; its\ncompressed air-bubbles burst like elastic springs, and\nshake the air into sonorous vibrations.^ Thus the\nrude mechanical motion of the river is converted\ninto music. The hammer of the boat-builder rings\non his plank, the leaves of the poplars rustle in the\nbreeze, the watchdog s honest bark is heard in the\ndistance while from the windows of the houses\nalong the banks gleam a series of reflected suns, each\nsurrounded by a coloured glory.\nYesterday I travelled from Paris, and the day pre-\nvious from London, when the trail of a spent storm\nswept across the sea and kept its anger awake. The\nstern of our boat went up and down, the distant\ncraft were equally pendulous, and the usual results\nfollowed. Men s faces waxed green, roses faded\nfrom ladies cheeks while puzzled children yelled\nintermittently in the grasp of the demon which had\nnewly taken possession of them. One rare pale\nmaiden sat right in the line of the spray, and bore\nthe violence of the* ocean with the resignation of an\nangel. A white arm could be seen shining through\ntranslucent muslin, but even against it the briae\nbeat as if it were a mere seaweed. I sat at rest,\nhovering fearfully on the verge of that doleful\nregion, whose bourne most of those on board had\nalready passed, thinking how directly materialistic\nSee note at the end of this chapter.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0080.jp2"},"81":{"fulltext":"1861] A LETTER FROM bIxE. 61\nis the tendency of sea-sickness, through its remorse-\nless demonstration of the helplessness of the human\nsoul and will.\nThe morning of the 1st of August found me on\nmy way from Paris to Bale. The sun was strong,\nand, in addition to this source of temperature, eight\nhuman beings, each burning the slow fire which we\ncall life, were cooped within the limits of our compart-\nment. We slept, first singly, then by groups, and\nfinally as a whole. Vainly we endeavoured to ward\noff the coming lethargy. Thought gradually slips\naway from its object, or the object glides out of the\nnerveless grasp of thought, and we are conquered by\nthe heat. But what is heat, that it should work such\nchanges in moral and intellectual nature Why\nare we unable to read Mill s Logic or study the\nKritik der reinen Vernunft with any profit in a\nTurkish bath Heat, defined without reference to\nour sensations, is a kind of motion, as strictly\nmechanical as the waves of the sea, or as the aerial\nvibrations which produce sound. The communica-\ntion of this motion to the molecules of the brain\nproduces the moral and intellectual effects just re-\nferred to. Human action is only possible within a\nnarrow zone of temperature. Transgress the limit\non one side, and we are torpid by excess transgress\nit on the other, and we are torpid by defect. The\nintellect is in some sense a function of temperature.\n4","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0081.jp2"},"82":{"fulltext":"62 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nThus at noon we were drained of intellectual\nenergy eiglit hours later the mind was awake and\nactive, and through her operations was shed that\nfeeling of earnestness and awe which the mystery of\nthe starry heavens ever inspires. Physically con-\nsidered, however, the intellect of noon differed from\nthat of 8 P.M. simply in the amount of motion pos-\nsessed by the molecules of the brain.\nIt is not levity which prompts me to write thiis.\nMatter, in relation to vital phenomena, has yet to be\nstudied, and the command of Canute to the waves\nwould be wisdom itself compared with any attempt\nto stop such enquiries. Let the tide rise, and let\nknowledge advance the limits of the one are not\nmore rigidly fixed than those of the other and no\nworse infidelity could seize upon the mind than the\nbelief that a man s earnest search after truth should\nculminate in his perdition.\nThe sun was high in heaven as we rolled away\nfrom Bale on the morning of the 2nd. Sooner or\nlateji every intellectual canker disappears before\nearnest work, the influence of which, moreover,\nfills a wide margin beyond the time of its actual\nperformance. Thus, to-day, I sang as I rolled\nalong not with boisterous glee, but with serene\nand deep-lying gladness of heart. This happiness,\nhowever, had its roots in the past, and had I not\nbeen a worker previous to my release from London,","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0082.jp2"},"83":{"fulltext":"1861] A LETTEH FKOM bIlE. 63\nI could not now have been so glad an idler. In\nany other country than Switzerland the valley\nthrough which we sped would have called forth ad-\nmiration and delight. Noble fells, proudly grouped,\nflanked us right and left. Cloud-like woods of pines\noverspread them in broad patches, with between\nthem spaces of the tenderest green, while among the\nmeadows at their feet gleamed the rushing Ehine.\nThe zenith was blue, but the thick stratum of\nhorizontal air invested the snowy peaks with a veil\nof translucent haze, through which their vast and\nspectral outlines were clearly seen. As we rolled\non towards Thun the haze thickened, while dense\nand rounded clouds burst upwards, as if let loose\nfrom a prison behind the mountains. Soon after-\nwards the black haze and blacker clouds resolved\nthemselves into a thunderstorm. The air was cut\nrepeatedly by zigzag bars of solid light. Then\ncame the cannonade, and then the heavy rain-pellets\nrattHng with fury against the carriages. It after-\nwards cleared, but not wholly. Stormy cumuli\nswept round the mountains, between which, how-\never, the illuminated ridges seemed to swim in the\nopalescent air.\nAt Thun I found my faithful and favourite guide,\nJohann Bennen, of Laax, in the valley of the Ehone,\nthe strongest limb and stoutest heart of my acquaint-\nance in the Alps. We took the steamer to Interlaken,","height":"2943","width":"1680","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0083.jp2"},"84":{"fulltext":"64 HOUKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nand while we were on the lake the heavens again\ndarkened, and the deck was flooded by the gush-\ning rain. The dusky cloud-curtain was rent at\nintervals, and through the apertures thus formed\nparallel bars of extraordinary radiance escaped across\nthe lake. On reaching Interlaken I drove to the\nsteamer on the lake of Brientz. We started at 6\nP.M., with a purified atmosphere, and passed through\nscenes of serene beauty in the tranquil evening light.\nThe bridge of Brientz had been carried away by\nthe floods, the mail was intercepted, and I joined a\nyoung Oxford man in a vehicle to Meyringen. The\nwest wind again filled the atmosphere with gloom,\nand after supper I spent an hour watching the\nlightning thrilling behind the clouds. The darkness\nwas intense, and the intermittent glare corespond-\ningiy impressive. Sometimes the lightning seemed\nto burst, like a fireball, midway between the horizon\nand the zenith, spreading a vast glory behind the\nclouds and revealing all their outlines. In front of\nme \\gas a craggy summit, which indulged in inter-\nmittent shots of thunder; sharp, dry, and sudden,\nwith scarcely an echo to soften them ofi","height":"2963","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0084.jp2"},"85":{"fulltext":"65\nNOTE ON THE SOUND OF AGITATED WATER.\nA LIQUID vein descending through a round hole in the\nbottom of a tin vessel exhibits two distinct portions, the\none steady and limpid, the other unsteady and apparently\nturbid. The flash of an electric spark in a dark room\ninstantly resolves the turbid portion into isolated drops.\nExperiments made in 1849 with such a jet directed my\nattention to the origin of the sound of agitated water.\nWhen the smoke is projected from the lips of a tobacco-\nsmoker, a little explosion usually occurs, which is chiefly\ndue to the sudden bursting of the film of saliva connecting\nboth lips. An inflated bladder bursts with an explosion\nas loud as a pistol-shot. Sound to some extent always\naccompanies the sudden liberation of compressed air, and\nthis fact is also exhibited in the deportment of a water-\njet. If the surface of water into which the jet faUs intersect\nits limpid portion, the jet enters silently^ and no bubbles\nare produced. If the surface cut the turbid portion of the\njet, bubbles make their appearance with an accompaniment\nof sound. The very nature of the sound pronounces its\norigin to be the bursting of the bubbles and to the same\ncause tlie murmur of streams and the sound of breakers\nappear to be almost exclusively due. The impact of water\nagainst water is a comparatively subordinate cause of the\nsound, and could never of itself occasion the babble of a\nbrook or the musical roar of the ocean. Philosophical\nMagazine, February 1857.","height":"2937","width":"1694","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0085.jp2"},"86":{"fulltext":"66 HOUKS OF EXERCxdE IN THE ALPS. 1861\nVI.\nTHE URBACHTHAL AND GAULI GLACIER.\nOur bivouac at Meyringen was le Sauvage, who\ndischarged his duty as a host with credit to himself\nand with satisfaction to us. Forster (the statesman)\narrived, and in the afternoon of the 3rd we walked\nup the valley, with the view of spending the night at\nHof. Between Meyringen and Hof, the vale of Hasli\nis crossed by a transverse ridge called the Kirchet,\nand the barrier is at one place split through, form-\ning a deep chasm with vertical sides through which\nplunges the river Aar. The chasm is called the\nFinsteraarschlucht, and by the ready hypothesis\nof an earthquake its formation has been explained.\nMan longs for causes, and the weaker minds, unable\nto restrain their longing, often barter, for the most\nsorry theoretic pottage, the truth which patient\nenquiry would make their own. This proneness of\nthe human mind to jump to conclusions, and thus\nshirk the labour of real investigation, is a most\nmischievous tendency. We complain of the con-\ntempt with which practical men regard theory, and.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0086.jp2"},"87":{"fulltext":"1861] THE URBACHTHAL AND GAULl GLACIER. 67\nto confound them, triumphantly exhibit the specu-\nlative achievemients of master minds. But the\npractical man, though puzzled, remains uncon-\nvinced and why Simply because nine out of ten\nof the theories with which he is acquainted are de-\nserving of nothing better than contempt. Our master\nminds built their theoretic edifices upon the rock of\nfact, the quantity of fact necessary to enable them\nto divine the law being a measure of individual\ngenius, and not a test of philosophic system.*\nThe level plain of Hof lies above the mound of\nthe Kirchet how was this flat formed Is it not\ncomposed of the sediment of a lake Did not the\nKirchet form the dam of this lake, a stream issuing\nfrom the latter and falling over the dam And as\nthe sea-waves find a weak point in the cliffs against\nwhich they dash, and gradually eat their way so as\nto form caverns with high vertical sides, as at the\nLand s End, a joint or fault or some other accidental\nweakness determining their line of action so also a\nmountain torrent rushing for ages over the same dam\nwould be sure to cut itself a channel. The lake\nafter its drainage left the basis of green meadows\nas sediment behind and through these meadows\nnow flows the stream of the Aar. Imagination is\nThis was written soon after Mr. Buckle s Koyal Institution\nlecture, which I thought a piece of astonishing rhetoric, but of very\nunsound science.","height":"2937","width":"1703","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0087.jp2"},"88":{"fulltext":"68 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nessential to the natural philosopher, but its matter\nmust be facts and its function the discernment of\ntheir connection.\nWe were called at 4 a.m., an hour later than we\nintended, and the sight of the cloudless mountains\nwas an inspiration to us all. At 5.30 a.m. we were\noff, crossing the valley of Hof, which was hugged\nround its margin by a light and silky mist. We\nascended a spur which separated us from the Ur-\nbachthal, through which our route lay. The Aar\nfor a time babbled in the distance, until, on tmning\na corner, its voice was suddenly quenched by the\nlouder music of the Urbach, rendered mellow and\nvoluminous by the resonance of the chasm into\nwhich the torrent leaped. The sun was already\nstrong. His yellow light glimmered from the fresh\ngreen leaves it smote with glory the boles and the\nplumes of the pines soft shadows fell from shrub\nand rock upon the pastures snow-peaks were in\nsight, cliffy summits also, without snow or verdure,\nbut in many cases buttressed by slopes of soil which\nbore a shaggy growth of trees. To the right of us\nrose the bare cliffs of the Engelhomer, broken at\nthe top into claw-shaped masses which were turned,\nas if in spite, against the serene heaven. Bennen\nwalked on in front, a mass of organised force, silent,\nbut emitting at times a whistle which sounded like\nthe piping of a lost chamois. In a hollow of the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0088.jp2"},"89":{"fulltext":"1861] THE UEBACHTHAL AND GAULI GLACIEE. 69\nEngelhorner a mass of snow had found a lodgment\nmelted by the warm rock, its foundation was sapped,\nand down it came in a thundering cascade. The\nthick pinewoods to our right were furrowed by the\ntracks of these destroyers, the very wind of which,\nit is affirmed, tears up distant trees by the roots.\nFor a time our route lay through a spacious va lley,\nwhich at length turned to the left, and narrowed\nto a gorge. Along its bottom the hissing river\nrushed this we crossed, climbed the wall of a cut\nde sac, and from its rim enjoyed a glorious view.\nThe Urbachthal has been the scene of vast glacier\naction. Looking at these charactered cliffs, one s\nthoughts involuntarily revert to the ancient days,\nand we restore in idea a state of things which had\ndisappeared from the world before the development\nof man. Whence this wondrous power of recon-\nstruction Was it locked like latent heat in ancient\ninorganic nature, and developed as the ages rolled\nAre other and grander powers still latent in nature,\ndestined to blossom in another age Let us ques-\ntion fearlessly, but, having done so, let us avow\nfrankly that at bottom we know nothing that we\nare imbedded in a mystery, towards the solution of\nwhich no whisper has been yet conceded to the\nlistening intellect of man.\nThe world of life and beauty is now retreating,\nand the world of death and beauty is at hand. We","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0089.jp2"},"90":{"fulltext":"70 HOITES OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nwere soon at the end of the Grauli glacier, from\nwhich the impetuous Urbach rushes, and turned\ninto a chalet for a draught of milk. The Senner\nwithin proved an extortioner em unverschdmter\nHund but let him pass. We worked along the\nflank of the glacier to a point which commands a\nview of the cliffy barrier which it is the main\nobject of our journey to pass. From a range of\nsnow-peaks linked together by ridges of black rock,\nthe Grauli glacier falls, at first steeply as snow, then\nmore gently as ice. We scan the mountain barrier\nto ascertain where it ought to be attacked. JN^o one\nof us has ever been here before, and the scanty\nscraps of information which we have received tell us\nthat at one place only is the barrier passable. We\nmay reach the summit at several points from this\nside, but all save one, we are informed, lead to the\nbrink of intractable precipices, which fall sheer to\nthe Lauteraar glacier. We observe, discuss, and\nfinally decide. We enter upon the glacier black\nchasms yawn here and there through the super-\nincunibent snow, but there is no real difficulty.\nWe cross the glacier and reach the opposite slopes\nour way first lies up a moraine, and afterwards\nthrough the snow a laborious ascent brings lis\nclose to the ridge, and here we pause once more\nin consultation. There is a gentle indentation to\nour left, and a cleft in the rocks to our right our","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0090.jp2"},"91":{"fulltext":"1861] THE UKBACninAL AND GAULI GLACIER. 71\ninformation points to the cleft, but we decide in\nfavour of the saddle.\nThe winter snows were here thickly laid against\nthe precipitous crags the lower part of the buttress\nthus formed had broken away from the upper, which\nstill clung to the rocks, the whole ridge being\nthus defended by a profound chasm, called in\nSwitzerland a Bergschrund. At some places por-\ntions of snow had fallen away from the upper slope\nand partially choked the schrund, closing, however,\nits mouth only, and on this snow we were now to\nseek a footing. Bennen and myself were loose com-\ning up Forster and his guide were tied together\nbut now my friend declares that we must all be at-\ntached. We accordingly rope ourselves, and advance\nalong the edge of the fissure to a place where it is\npartially stopped. A vertical wall of snow faces us.\nOur leader carefully treads down the covering of\nthe chasm and having thus rendered it suflSciently\nrigid to stand upon, he cuts a deep gap with his\nice-axe in the opposing wall. Into the gap he tries\nto force himself, but the mass yields, and he falls\nback, sinking deeply in the snow of the schrund.\nHe stands right over the fissure, which is merely\nbridged by the snow. I call out, Take care he\nresponds, All right and returns to the charge.\nHe hews a deeper and more ample gap strikes his\naxe into the slope above him, and leaves it there","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0091.jp2"},"92":{"fulltext":"72 irOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nburies liis hands in the yielding mass, and raises his\nbody on his two arms, as on a pair of pillars. He\nthus clears the schrund, and anchors his limbs in\nthe snow above. I am speedily at his side, and we\nboth tighten the rope as our friend Forster advances.\nWith perfect courage and a faultless head, he has\nbut one disadvantage, and that is an excess of\nweight of at least two stone. In his first attempt\nthe snow-ledge breaks, and he falls back but two\nmen are now at the rope, the tension of which,\naided by his own activity, prevents him from sink-\ning far. By a second effort he clears the difficulty,\nis followed by his guide, and all four of us reach\nthe slope above the chasm. Its steepness was\ngreater than that of a cathedral roof, while below\nus, and within a few yards of us, was a chasm into\nwhich it would be certain death to fall. Education\nenables us to regard a position of this kind almost\nwith indifference still the work was by no means\nunexciting. In this early stage of our summer\nperformances, it required perfect trust in our leader\nto kee{) OMT minds at ease. We reached the saddle,\nand a cheer at the summit announced that our\nescape was secured.\nThe indentation formed the top of a kind of\nchimney or funnel in thp rocks, which led right down\nto the Lauteraar glacier. Elated with our success,\nI released myself from the rope and sprang down","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0092.jp2"},"93":{"fulltext":"1861] THE UKBACHTHAL AND GAULI GLACIEK. 73\nthe cliimney, preventing the descent from quicken-\ning to an absolute fall by seizing at intervals the\nprojecting rocks. Once an effort of this kind shook\nthe alpenstock from my hand it slid along the\nrubbish, reached a snow-slope, shot down it, and was\ncaught on some shingle at the bottom of the slope.\nQuickly skirting the snow, which, without a staff,\ncannot be trusted, I reached a ridge, from which a\njump landed me on the debris it yielded and carried\nme down passing the alpenstock I seized it, and in\nan instant was master of all my motions. Another\nsnow-slope was reached, down which I shot to the\nrocks at the bottom, and there awaited the arrival of\nmy guide.\nWe diverged fi:om the deep cut of the chimney,\nBennen adhering to the rough rocks, while I, hoping\nto make an easier descent through the funnel itself,\nresorted to it. It was partially filled with indurated\nsnow, but underneath was a stream, and my igno-\nrance of the thickness of the roof rendered caution\nnecessary. At one place the snow was broken quite\nacross, and a dark tunnel, through which the stream\nrushed, opened immediately below me. My descent\nbeing thus cut off, I crossed the couloir to the opposite\nrocks, climbed them, and found myself upon the sum-\nmit of a ledged precipice, below which Bennen stood,\nwatching me as I descended. On one of the ledges\nmy foot slipped a most melancholy whine issued","height":"2945","width":"1621","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0093.jp2"},"94":{"fulltext":"74 HOUES OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nfrom my guide, as he suddenly moved towards me\nbut the slip in no way compromised me I reached\nthe next ledge, and in a moment was clear of the\ndifficulty. We dropped down the mountain to-\ngether, quitted the rocks, and reached the glacier,\nwhere we were soon joined by Forster and his com-\npanion. Turning round, we espied a herd of seven\nchamois on one of the distant slopes of snow.\nThe telescope reduced them to five full-grown\nanimals and two pretty little kids. The day was\nfading and the deeper glacier pools were shaded by\ntheir icy banks. Through the shadowed water\nneedles of ice were darting all day long the mole-\ncules had been kept asunder by the antagonistic\nheat; their enemy is now withdrawn, and they\nlock themselves together in a crystalline embrace.\nThrough a reach of merciless shingle, which covers\nthe lower part of the glacier, we worked our way\nthen over green pastures and rounded rocks, to the\nGrrimsel Hotel, which, uncomfortable as it is, was\nreached with pleasure by us all.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0094.jp2"},"95":{"fulltext":"1861] THE GKIMSEL AND THE ^aGISCnHOEN. 75\nVII.\nTHE GRIMSEL AND THE JEGGISCHHOBN.\nThis Grrimsel is a weird region a monument carved\nwith hieroglyphics more ancient and more grand\nthan those of Nineveh or the Nile. It is a world\ndisinterred by the sun from a sepulchre of ice. All\naround are evidences of the existence and the might\nof the glaciers which once held possession of the place.\nAll around the rocks are carved, and fluted, and\npolished, and scored. Here and there angular pieces\nof quartz, held fast by the ice, inserted their edges\ninto the rocks and scratched them like diamonds,\nthe scratches varying in depth and width according\nto the magnitude of the cutting stone. Larger\nmasses, held similarly captive, scooped longitudinal\ndepressions in the rocks over which they passed,\nwhile in many cases the polishing must have been\neffected by the ice itself. A raindrop will wear a\nstone away; much more would an ice surface,\nsqueezed into perfect contact by enormous pressure,\nrub away the asperities of the rocks over which for","height":"2945","width":"1676","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0095.jp2"},"96":{"fulltext":"76 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nages it was forced to slide. The rocks thus polished\nby the ice itself are so exceedingly smooth and\nslippery that it is impossible to stand on them where\ntheir inclination is at all considerable. But what a\nworld it must have been when the valleys were thus\nfilled We can restore the state of things in\nthought, and in doing so we submerge many a mass\nwhich now lifts its pinnacle skyward. Switzerland\nin those days could not be so grand as it is now.\nPour ice into those valleys till they are filled, and\nyou eliminate those contrasts of height and depth\non which the grandeur of Alpine scenery depends.\nInstead of skiey pinnacles and deep-cut gorges we\nshould have an icy sea dotted with dreary islands\nformed by the highest mountain-tops.\nIn the afternoon I strolled up to the Siedelhom.\nAs I stood upon the broken summit of the mountain\nthe air was without a cloud and the sunbeams fell\ndirectly against the crown and slopes of the\nGalenstock at the base of which lay the glacier of\nthe Ehone. The level Bea of neve above the great\nice-cascade, the fall itself, and the terminal glacier\nbelow the fall were all apparently at hand. At the\nbase of the fall the ice undergoes an extraordinary\ntransformation it reaches this place more or less\namorphous, it quits it most beautifully laminated,\nthe change being due to the pressure endured at\nthe bottom of the fall. The wrinkling of the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0096.jp2"},"97":{"fulltext":"1861] THE GEIMSEL AND THE JilGGISCHHOIlN. 77\nglacier here was qmte visible, the dwindling of the\nwrinkles into bands, and the subdivision of these\nbands into lines which mark the edges of the\nlaminas of which the glacier at this place is made\nup. Beyond, amid the mountains at the opposite\nside of the Ehone valley, lay the Grries glacier, half\nits snow in shadow, and half illuminated by the\nsinking sun. Eound farther to the right were the\nMonte Leone and other grand masses, the grandest\nhere being the Mischabel with its crowd of snowy\ncones. Jumping a gap in the mountains, we hit\nthe stupendous cone of the Weisshorn, which slopes\nto meet the inclines of the Mischabel, and in the\nwedge of space carved out between the two the\nMatterhorn lifts its terrible head.\nWheeling farther in the same direction, we at\nlength strike the mighty spurs of the Finsteraarhom,\nbetween two of which lies the Oberaar glacier. Here\nis no turmoil of crevasses, no fantastic ice-pinnacles,\nnothing to indicate the operation of those tremen-\ndous forces by which a glacier sometimes rends its\nown breast. The grimmest giant of the Ober-\nland closes the view at the head of the Lauteraar\nglacier the Schreckhorn, whose cliffs on this side\nno mountaineer will ever scale. Between the\nSchreckhorn and Finsteraarhom a curious group of\npeaks encircle a flat snow-field, from which the\nsunbeams are flung in blazing lines. Immediately","height":"2945","width":"1676","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0097.jp2"},"98":{"fulltext":"78 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nbelow is the Unteraar glacier, with a long black\nstreak upon its back, bent hither and thither, like a\nserpent wriggling down the valley. Beyond it and\nflanking it is a ridge of mountains with a crest of\nvertical rock, hacked into indentations which sug-\ngest a resemblance to a cock s comb. To the very\nroot of the comb the mountains have been planed\nby the ancient ice.\nA scene of unspeakable desolation it must have\nbeen when not Switzerland alone, but all Europe,\nwas thus encased in frozen armour when a glacier\nfrom Ben Nevis dammed the mouth of Glenroy, and\nLlanberis and Borrodale were ploughed by frozen\nshares sent down by Snowdon and Scawfell when\nfrom the Eeeks of Magillicuddy came the navigators\nwhich dug out space for the Killarney lakes, and\ncarved through the mountains the Gap of Dunloe.^\nEvening came, and I moved downwards, over heaped\nboulders and tufted alp down with headlong speed\nover the rounded rocks of the Grrimsel, making long\nsprings at intervals, over the polished inclines, and\nreaching the hospice as the bell rings its inmates to\ntheir evening meal.\nOn Saturday I ascended from Viesch to the\nHotel Jungfrau on the slope of the ^^ggischhorn,\nand in the evening walked up to the summit of the\nmountain alone. As usual, I wandered unconsciously\nSee chapter on Killarney, p. 413.","height":"2948","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0098.jp2"},"99":{"fulltext":"1861] THE GEIMSEL AND THE JEaGISCHHOEN. 79\nfrom the beaten track, getting into a chaos of crags\nwhich had been shaken from the heights. My\nascent was quick, and I soon found myself upon\nthe crest of broken rocks which caps the mountain.\nThe peak and those adjacent, which are similarly\nshattered, exhibit a striking picture of the ruin which\nnature inflicts upon her own creations. She build-\neth up and taketh down. She lifts the mountains\nby her subterranean energies, and then blasts them\nby her lightnings and her frost. Thus grandly\nshe rushes along the grooves of change to her\nunattainable repose. Is it unattainable The\nincessant tendency of material forces is toward final\nequilibrium and if the quantity of this tendency\nbe finite, a time of repose must come at last. If\none portion of the universe be hotter than another,\na flux instantly sets in to equalise the temperatures;\nwhile winds blow and rivers roll in search of a stable\nequilibrium. Matter longs for rest when is this\nlonging to be fully satisfied? If satisfied, what\nthen Eest is not perfection it is death. Life is\nonly compatible with mutation when equilibrium\nsets in life ceases, and the world thenceforward is\nlocked in everlasting sleep.\nA wooden cross bleached by many storms sur-\nmounts the pinnacle of the ^ggischhorn, and at\nthe base of it I now take my place and scan the\nsurroimding scene. Down from its birthplace in","height":"2945","width":"1654","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0099.jp2"},"100":{"fulltext":"80 nOTJES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nthe mountains comes that noblest of ice-streams the\nGrreat Aletsch glacier. Its arms are thrown round\nthe shoulders of the Jungfrau, while from the Monk\nand the Trugberg, the Grletscherhom, the Breithorn,\nthe Aletschhorn, and many another noble pile, the\ntributary snows descend and thicken into ice. The\nmountains are well protected by their wintry coats,\nand hence the quantity of debris upon the glacier is\ncomparatively small still, along it can be noticed\ndark longitudinal streaks, which are incipient\nmoraines. Eight and left from these longitudinal\nbands sweep finer curves, twisted here and there\ninto complex windings, which mark the lamination\nof the subjacent ice. The glacier lies in a curved\nvalley, the side towards which its convex curvature\nis turned is thrown into a state of strain, the ice\nbreaks across the line of tension, a curious system of\noblique glacier ravines being thus produced. From\nthe snow-line which crosses the glacier above the\nFaulberg a pure snow-field stretches upward to the\nCol de la Jungfrau, which unites the Maiden to the\nMonk. Skies and summits are to-day without a\ncloud, and no mist or turbidity interferes with the\nsharpness of the outlines. Jungfrau, Monk, Eiger,\nTrugberg, cliffy Strahlgrat, stately, lady-like Aletsch-\nhorn, all grandly pierce the empyrean. Like a Saul of\nmountains, the Finsteraarhorn overtops all his neigh-\nboiurs then we have the Oberaarhorn, with the riven","height":"2948","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0100.jp2"},"101":{"fulltext":"1861] THE GRIMSEL AND THE iEGGISCHHOEN. 81\nglacier of Viesch rolling from his shoulders. Below is\nthe Marjelin See, with its crystal precipices and its\nfloating icebergs, snowy white, sailing on a blue-\ngreen sea. Beyond is the range which divides the\nValais from Italy. Sweeping round, the vision\nmeets an aggregate of peaks which look, as fledg-\nlings to their mother, towards the mighty Dom.\nThen come the repellent crags of Mont Cervin, the\nidea of moral savagery, of wild untameable ferocity,\nmingling involuntarily with our contemplation of\nthe gloomy pile. Next comes an object scarcely less\ngrand, conveying it may be even a deeper impression\nof majesty and might than the Matterhorn itself\nthe Weisshorn, perhaps the most splendid object in\nthe Alps. But beauty is associated with its force,\nand we think of it, not as cruel, but as grand and\nstrong. Further to the right is the Great Combin\nother peaks crowd around him, while at the extre-\nmity of the curve along which the gaze has swept\nrises the sovran crown of Mont Blanc. And now,\nas the day sinks, scrolls of pearly clouds form around\nthe mountain-crests, and are wafted from them into\nthe distant air. They are without colour of any\nkind but their grace of form and lustre are not to\nbe described.","height":"2937","width":"1645","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0101.jp2"},"102":{"fulltext":"82 HOUKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS.\nNOTE ON CLOUDS.\nIt is well known that when a receiver filled with ordinary\nundried air is exhausted, a cloudiness, due to the precipi-\ntation of the aqueous vapour diffused in the air, is produced\nby the first few strokes of the pump. It is, as might be\nexpected, possible to produce clouds in this way with the\nvapours of other liquids than water.\nIn the course of some experiments on the chemical\naction of light on vapours which have been communicated\nto the Eoyal Society, I had firequent occasion to observe\nthe precipitation of such clouds indeed, several days at a\ntime have been devoted solely to the generation and exami-\nnation of clouds formed by the sudden dilatation of mixed\nair and vapours in the experimental tubes.\nThe clouds were generated in two ways one mode\nconsisted in opening the passage between the filled experi-\nmental tube and the air-pump, and then simply dilating\nthe air by working the pump. In the other, the experi-\nmental tube was connected with a vessel of suitable size,\nthe passage between which and the experimental tube could\nbe clq^ed by a stopcock. This vessel was first exhausted\non turning the cock the air rushed firom the experimental\ntube into the vessel, the precipitation of a cloud within the\ntube being a consequence of the transfer. Instead of a\nspecial vessel, the cylinders of the air-pump itself were\nusually employed for this purpose.\nIt was found possible, by shutting ofi* the residue of air\nand vapour after each act of precipitation, and again ex-\nhausting the cylinders of the pump, to obtain with some","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0102.jp2"},"103":{"fulltext":"NOTE ON CLOUDS. 83\nsubstances, and without refilling the experimental tube,\nfifteen or twenty clouds in succession.\nThe clouds thus precipitated differed fi-om each other in\nluminous energy, some shedding forth a mild white light,\nothers flashing out with sudden and surprising brilliancy.\nThis difference of action is, of course, to be referred to the\ndifferent reflective energies of the particles of the clouds,\nAvhich were produced by substances of very different re-\nfractive indices.\nDifferent clouds, moreover, possess very different degrees\nof stability some melt away rapidly, while others linger for\nminutes in the experimental tube, resting, as they slowly\ndissolve, iipon its bottom like a heap of snow. The particles\nof other clouds are tra,iled through the experimental tube\nas if they were moving through a viscous medium.\nNothing can exceed the splendour of the diffraction\nphenomena exhibited by some of these clouds the colours\nare best seen by looking along the experimental tube from\na point above it, the face being turned towards the source\nof illumination. The differential motions introduced by\nfriction against the interior surface of the tube often cause\nthe colours to arrange themselves in distinct layers.\nThe difference in texture exhibited by different clouds\ncaused me to look a little more closely than I had previously\ndone into the mechanism of cloud-formation. A certain\nexpansion is necessary to bring down the cloud the\nmoment just before precipitation the cooling air and\nvapour may be regarded as divided into a number of poly-\nhedra, the particles along the bounding surfaces of which\nmove in opposite directions when precipitation actually sets\nin. Every cloud-particle has consumed a polyhedron of\nvapour in its formation and it is manifest that the size of\nthe particle must depend, not only on the size of the vapour","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0103.jp2"},"104":{"fulltext":"84 HOURS OF EXEECISB IN THE ALPS.\npolyhedron, but also on the relation of the density of the\nvapour to that of its liquid. If the vapour were light, and\nthe liquid heavy, other things being equal, the cloud-\nparticle would be smaller than if the vapoiir were heavy\nand the liquid light. There would evidently be more\nshrinkage in the one case than in the other these con-\nsiderations were found valid throughout the experiments\nthe case of toluol may be taken as representative of a great\nnumber of others. The specific gravity of this liquid is\n0*85, that of water being unity the specific gravity of its\nvapour is 3 26, that of aqueous vapour being 0 6. Now,\nas the size of the cloud -particle is directly proportional to\nthe specific gravity of the vapour, and inversely propor-\ntional to the specific gravity of the liquid, an easy calcula-\ntion proves that, assuming the size of the vapour polyhedra\nin both cases to be the same, the size of the particle of\ntoluol cloud must be more than six times that of the\nparticle of aqueous cloud. It is probably impossible\nto test this question with numerical accuracy but the\ncomparative coarseness of the toluol cloud is strikingly\nmanifest to the naked eye. The case is, as I have\nsaid, representative.\nIn fact, aqueous vapour is without a parallel in these\nparticulars it is not only the lightest of all vapours, in\nthe common acceptation of that term, but the lightest of\nall gases except hydrogen and ammonia. To this circum-\nstance the soft and tender beauty of the clouds of our\natmosphere is mainly to be ascribed.\nThe sphericity of the cloud-particles may be immediately\ninferred from their deportment under the luminous beams.\nThe light which they shed when spherical is eontinuous\nbut clouds may also be precipitated in solid flakes and\nthen the incessant sparkling of the cloud shows that its","height":"2948","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0104.jp2"},"105":{"fulltext":"NOTE ON CLOUDS.\nparticles are plates, and not spheres. Some portions of tlie\nsame cloud may be composed of spherical particles, others\nof flakes, the difference being at once manifested through\nthe calmness of the one portion of the cloud, and the\nuneasiness of the other. The sparkling of such flakes\nreminded me of the plates of mica in the Eiver Ehone at its\nentrance into the Lake of Geneva when shone upon by a\nstrong sun Proceedings of the Royal Society, vol. xvii.\np. 317.\nClouds are so often referred to in these pages that\nI thought it might be of interest to note the latest\nremarks on their formation.","height":"2927","width":"1634","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0105.jp2"},"106":{"fulltext":"86 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nVIII.\nTHE BEL ALP.\nOn Tuesday the IStli I accompanied a party of\nfriends to the Marjelin See, skirted the lake, struck\nin upon the glacier, and having heard much of the\nposition and the comfort of a new hotel upon the\nBel Alp, I resolved to descend the glacier and pay\nthe place a visit. The Valais range had been\ncovered before we quitted the .^ggischhorn and,\nthough the sun rode unimpeded in the higher heavens,\nvast masses of cloud continued to thrust themselves\nforth like tree-branches into the upper air.\nThe clouds extended, becoming ever blacker, until\nfinally they were unlocked by thunder, and shook\nthe|nselves down upon us in furious rain. The\nglacier is here cut up into oblique valleys of ice,\nsubdivided by sharp-edged crevasses. We advanced\nswiftly along the ridges, but these finally abutted\nagainst the mountain, and we were compelled to cross\nfrom ridge to ridge. Hirst followed Bennen, and I\ntrusted to my own devices. Joyously we struck our\naxes into the crumbling crests, and made our way","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0106.jp2"},"107":{"fulltext":"1861] THE BEL ALP. 87\nrapidly between the chasms. The sunshine gushed\ndown upon us, and partially dried our drenched\nclothes. At some distance to our left we observed\nupon the ice a group of persons, consisting of two\nmen, a boy, and an old woman, engaged beside a\ncrevasse; a thrill of horror shot through me, at\nthe thought of a man being possibly between its\njaws. We quickly joined them, and found 9a unfor-\ntunate cow firmly jammed between the frozen sides\nof the fissure, and groaning piteously. The men\nseemed very helpless their means were inadequate,\nand their efforts ill-directed. Grive the brute space,\ncut away the ice which presses the ribs, and 2/ou step\nupon that block which stops the chasm, and apply\nyour shoulders to the creature s buttocks. The ice\nsplinters fly aloft, under the vigorous strokes of\nBennen. Hirst suggests that a rope should be passed\nround the horns, so as to enable all hands to join in\nthe pull. This is done. Another rope is passed be-\ntween the hind legs. Bennen has loosened the ice\nwhich held the ribs in bondage, and now, like taari-\nners heaving an anchor, we all join in a tug, timing\nour efforts by an appropriate exclamation. The\nweight moves, but extremely little again the cry,\nand again the heave it moves a little more. This\nis repeated several times till the fore-legs are extri-\ncated and thrown forward on the ice. We now lift\nthe hinder parts, and succeed in placing the animal","height":"2937","width":"1680","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0107.jp2"},"108":{"fulltext":"88 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nUpon the glacier, panting and trembling all over.\nFolding our rope, we went onward. The day again\ndarkened. Again the thunder rang, being now pre-\nceded by lightning, w^hich was thrown into my eyes\nfrom the polished surface of my axe. Flash followed\nflash and peal succeeded peal with terrific grandeur,\nand the loaded clouds sent down from all their\nfringes tlusky streamers of rain. They looked like\nwaterspouts, so dense was their texture. Furious as\nwas the descending shower, hard as we were hit by the\nmixed pellets of ice and water, I enjoyed the scene.\nG-randly the cloud-besom swept the mountains, their\ncolossal outlines looming at intervals like over-\npowered Titans struggling against their doom.\nThe glacier becoming impracticable through cre-\nvasses, we retreated to its eastern shore, and got along\nthe lateral moraine. It was rough work. The slope to\nour left was partially clothed with spectral pines.\nStorms had stripped the trunks of their branches,\nand the branches of their leaves, leaving the tree-\nwre«ks behind, as if spirit-stricken and accursed.\n0ur home is now in sight, perched upon the^ summit\nof a bluff opposite. We passed swiftly over the\nridges towards our destination. Wet and thirsty, we\nreached the opposite side, and, striking into a beaten\ntrack, finally reached the pleasant auberge at which\nour journey ends.\nFrom the hotel on the slope of ^jgischhom an","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0108.jp2"},"109":{"fulltext":"1861] THE BEL ALP. 89\nhour s ascent is required to place you in presence of\nthe magnificent view from the summit. But the\nvery windows of the hotel upon the Bel Alp command\nnoble views, and you may sit upon the bilberry\nslopes adjacent before the grandest of mountain\nscenes. On the 14th I went down to the savage\ngorge in which the Aletsch glacier ends. A pine-\ntree stood sheer over it bending its trunk at a right\nangle near its root, and grasping a rock with its root,\nit supported itself above the chasm. Standing upon\nthe horizontal part of the tree, I hugged its upright\nstem, and looked down into the gorge. It required\nseveral minutes to chase away my timidity, and\nas the wind blew more forcibly against me, I clung\nwith greater fijxity to the tr^e. In this wild spot,\nand alone, I watched the dying fires of the day, until\nthe latest glow had vanished from the mountains.\nAbove the Bel Alp, and two hours distant, is\nthe grey pinnacle of the Sparrenhom. I went up\nthere on the 15th. To the observer from the\nhotel it appears as an isolated peak but it forms\nthe lofty end of a narrow ridge, which is torn\ninto ruins by the weather. At a distance in front of\nme was a rocky promontory like the Abschwung,\nright and left of which descended two streams of ice,\nwhich welded themselves to a common trunk glacier.\nThe scene was perfectly unexpected and strikingly\nbeautiful. Nowhere have I seen more perfect repose,","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0109.jp2"},"110":{"fulltext":"90 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nnowhere more tender curves or finer structural lines.\nTlie stripes of the moraine bending along the glacier\ncontribute to its beauty, and its deep seclusion gives\nit a peculiar charm. It seems a river so protected\nby its bounding mountains that no storm can ever\nreach it, and no billow disturb the perfect serenity\nof its rest. The sweep of the Aletsch glacier is also\nmighty as viewed from this point, and from no\nother could the Valais range seem more majestic.\nIt is needless to say a word about the grandeur of\nthe Dom, the Cervin, and the Weisshorn, all of which,\nand a great deal more, are commanded from the\nSparrenhorn.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0110.jp2"},"111":{"fulltext":"","height":"2935","width":"1722","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0111.jp2"},"112":{"fulltext":"ml\nTHE WEISSUORN FROM THE RIFFEL.","height":"2948","width":"1934","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0112.jp2"},"113":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSHOKN. 91\nIX.\nTHE WEISSHORN,\nOn Friday the 16th of August I rose at 4.30 the\neastern heaven was hot with tne glow of the rising\nsun, and against it were drawn the mountain outlines.\nAt 5.30 I bade good-bye to the excellent little au-\nberge of the Bel Alp, and went straight down the\nmountain to Briegg, took the diligence to Visp, and\nengaged a porter immediately to Eanda. I had sent\nBennen thither to inspect the Weisshorn. On my\narrival I learned that he had made the necessary\nreconnaissance, and entertained hopes of our being\nable to gain the top.\nThis noble mountain, which is fourteen thousand\neight hundred feet high, had been tried on various\noccasions and from different sides by brave and\ncompetent climbers, but all efforts had been hitherto\nunavailing.\nPrevious to quitting Eanda to assail this formid-\nable peak I had two pairs of rugs sewed together so\nas to form two sacks. These and other coverlets,\nNow a substantial hotel which merits encouragement.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0113.jp2"},"114":{"fulltext":"92 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\ntogether with our wine and provisions, were sent on\nin advance of us. At 1 p.m. on the 18th of August\nBennen, Wenger, and myself quitted the hotel, and\nwere soon zigzagging among the pines of the opposite\nmountain. Wenger had been the guide of my friend\nForster, and had shown himself so active and handy\non the Strahleck that I commissioned Bennen to\nengage him. During the previous night I had been\nvery unwell, and as I climbed the slope I suflfered\nfrom intense thirst. Water seemed powerless to\nquench the desire for drink. We reached a chalet,\nand at our request a smart young Senner caught up\na pail, and soon returned with it full of delicious\nmilk. The effect of the milk was astonishing. It\nseemed to lubricate every atom of my body, and to\nexhilarate with its fragrance my brain.\nTwo hours additional climbing brought us to our\nbivouac, a ledge of rock which jutted from the moun-\ntain-side, and formed an overhanging roof. Qn\nremoving the stones from beneath the ledge, a space\nof comparatively dry clay was laid bare. This was\nto be DB.y bed, and to soften it Wenger considerately\nstirred ift up with his axe. The position was ex-\ncellent, for lying upon my left side I commanded the\nwhole range of Monte Eosa, from the Mischabel to\nthe Breithorn. We were on the edge of an amphi-\ntheatre. Beyond the S.challenbach was the stately\nMettelhom. A row of eminences swept round to the","height":"2948","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0114.jp2"},"115":{"fulltext":";861] THE WEISSHOKN. 93\nriglit Knked by lofty ridges of cliffs, which embraced\nthe Schallenberg glacier. They formed, however,\nonly a spur of the vaster Weisshorn, the cone of which\nwas not visible from our dormitory. In company\nwith Bennen I afterwards skirted the mountain until\nthe whole colossal pyramid stood facing us. When\nI first looked at it my hopes sank, but both of us\ngathered confidence from a more lengthened gaze.\nThe mountain is a pyramid with three faces, the in-\ntersections of which form three sharp edges or aretes.\nThe end of the eastern ridge was nearest to us, and\non it our attention was principally fixed. We finally\ndecided on the route to be pm-sued next morning,\nand with a chastened hope in both our breasts we\nreturned to our shelter.\nWater was our first necessity it seemed every-\nwhere, but there was none to drink. It was locked\nto solidity in the ice and snow. The sound of it\ncame booming up from the Vispbach, as it broke into\nfoam or rolled its boulders over its waterworn bed\nand the swish of many a minor streamlet mingled\nwith the muffled roar of the large one. Bennen set\nout in search of the precious liquid, and after a long\nabsence returned with a jug and pan full. At our\nmeal, Wenger, who is a man rich in small expedients,\nturned the section of a cheese towards the flame of our\npine fire it fizzed and blistered and turned viscous,\nand, the toasted surface being removed, was consumed","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0115.jp2"},"116":{"fulltext":"94. HOTJES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nwith relish by us all. The sunset had been un-\nspeakably grand, steeping the zenith in violet, and\nflooding the base of the heavens with crimson light.\nImmediately opposite to us rose the Mischabel, with\nits two great peaks, the Grrubenhom and the Tasch-\nhorn, each barely under 15,000 feet in height.\nNext came the Alphubel, with its flattened crown of\nsnow then the Allaleinhorn and Eympfischhorn\nthen the Cima di Jazzi next the mass of Monte\nRosa, flooded with light from bottom to top. The\nface of the Lyskamm turned towards us was for the\nmost part shaded, but here and there its projecting\nportions jutted forth red hot as the light fell upon\nthem The Twins were most singularly illumin-\nated across the waist of each of them was drawn a\nblack bar, produced by the shadow of a corner of the\nBreithom, while their bases and crowns were exposed\nto the crimson light. Over the rugged face of the\nBreithom itself the light fell as if in splashes, ig-\nniting its glaciers and swathing its black crags in a\nlayer of transparent red. The Mettelhorri was cold,\n«so was the entire range governed by the Weisshorn,\nwhile the glaciers they embraced lay grey and\nghastly in the twilight shade.\nThe sunlight lingered, while up the arch of the\nopposite heavens the moon, within one day of being\nfull, seemed hastening to our aid. She finally ap-\npeared exactly behind the peak of the Eympfischhorn,","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0116.jp2"},"117":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSnORN. 95\nthe cone of the mountain being projected for a short\ntime as a triangle on the lunar disc. Only for a\nshort time, however the silver sphere soon cleared\nthe mountain, and bore away through the tinted sky.\nThe motion was quite visible, and resembled that of\na vast balloon. As the day approached its end the\nscene assumed the most sublime aspect. All the\nlower portions of the mountains were deeply shaded,\nwhile the loftiest peaks, ranged upon a semicircle,\nwere fully exposed to the sinking sun. They seemed\npyramids of solid fire, while here and there long\nstretches of crimson light drawn over the higher\nsnow-fields linked the summits together. An in-\ntensely illuminated geranium flower seems to swim\nin its own colour, which apparently surrounds the\npetals like a layer, and defeats by its lustre any at-\ntempt of the eye to seize upon the sharp outline of\nthe leaves. A similar effect was here observed upon\nthe mountains the glory did not seem to come from\nthem alone, but seemed also effluent from the air\naround them. As the evening advanced, the eastern\nheavens low down assumed a deep purple hue,\nabove which, and blending with it by infinitesimal\ngradations, was a belt of red, and over this again\nzones of orange and violet. I walked round the\ncomer of the mountain at sunset, and found the\nwestern sky glowing with a more transparent crimson\nthan that which overspread the east. The crown of","height":"2937","width":"1663","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0117.jp2"},"118":{"fulltext":"96 HOURS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nthe Weisshorn was imbedded in this magnificent\nlight. After sunset the purple of the east changed\nto a deep neutral tint, and against the faded red\nwhich spread above it the sun-forsaken mountains\nlaid their cold and ghastly heads. The ruddy colour\nvanished more and more the stars strengthened in\nlustre, until finally the moon and they held undis-\nputed possession of the sky.\nMy face was turned towards the moon until it\nbecame so chilled that I was forced to protect it by\na light handkerchief. The power of blinding the\neyes is ascribed to the moonbeams, but the real\nmischief is that produced by radiation from the eyes\ninto clear space, and the inflammation consequent\nupon the chill. As the cold increased I was fain to\nsqueeze myself more and more underneath the ledge,\nso as to lessen the space of sky against which my\nbody could radiate. Nothing could be more solemn\nthan the night. Up from the valley came the low\nthunder of the Vispbach. Over the Dom flashed in\nsuccession the stars of Orion, until finally the entire\nconstellation hung aloft. Higher up in heaven was\nthe moon, and her beams as they fell upon the snow-\nfields and pyramids were sent back in silvery lustre\nby some, while others remained a dead white. These,\nas the earth twirled round, came duly in for their\nshare of the glory. The Twins caught it at length\nand retained it long, shining with a pure spiritual\nradiance, while the moon coiitinued above the hi\\ h-","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0118.jp2"},"119":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSHOKN. 97\nAt twelve o clock I looked at my watch, and a\nsecord time at 2 a.m. The moon was then just\ntouching the crest of the Schallenberg, and we were\nthreatened with the withdrawal of her light. This\nsoon occurred. We rose at 2^ a.m., consumed our\ncoffee, and had to wait idly for the dawn. A faint\nillumination at length overspread the sky, and with\nthis promise, of the coming day we quitted our\nbivouac at 3^ a.m. No cloud was to be seen as far\nas the weather was concerned we were sure to have\nfair play. We rounded the shingly shoulder of the\nmountain to the edge of a snow-field, but before\nentering upon it I disburthened myself of my strong\nshooting jacket, leaving it on the mountain-side.\nThe sunbeams and my own exertion would, I knew,\nkeep me only too warm during the day. We crossed\nthe snow, cut our way through a piece of entangled\nglacier, reached the Bergschrund, and passed it\nwithout a rope. We ascended the frozen snow of the\ncouloir by steps, but soon diverged from it to the\nrocks at our right, and mounted them to the end of\nthe eastern arete of the mountain.\nA snow saddle separated us from the higher rocks.\nWith our staff-pikes at one side of the saddle, we\npass by steps cut upon the other. We find the\nrocks hewn into fantastic tm-rets and obelisks, while\nthe loose chips of this sculpture are strewn con-\nfusedly upon the ridge. Amid these we cautiously","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0119.jp2"},"120":{"fulltext":"98 nOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\npick our way, winding round tlie towers or scaling\nthem amain. The work was heavy from the first,\nthe bending, twisting, reaching, and drawing up\ncalling upon all the nauscles of the frame. After\ntwo hours of this work we halted, and, looking back,\nsaw two moving objects on the glacier below us.\nAt first we took them to be chamois, but they were\nmen. The leader carried an axe, and his companion\na knapsack and an alpenstock. They followed our\ntraces, losing them apparently now and then, and\nwaiting to recover them. Our expedition had put\nEanda in a state of excitement, and some of its best\nclimbers had urged Bennen to take them with him.\nThis he did not deem necessary, and now here were\ntwo of them determined to try the thing on their\nown account, and perhaps to dispute with us the\nhonour of the enterprise. On this point, however,\nour uneasiness was small.\nEesuming our gymnastics, the rocky staircase led\nus to the flat summit of a tower, where we found\nourselves cut off from a similar tower by a deep gap\nbitten, into the mountain. The rope was here our\nrefuge. Bennen coiled it round his waist; we let\nhim down along the surface of the rock, until he\nfixed himself on a ledge, where he could lend me a\nhelping hand.- I followed him, and Wenger followed\nme. By a kind of screw motion we twisted ourselves\nround the opposite tower, and reached the ridge","height":"2948","width":"1820","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0120.jp2"},"121":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSHOEN. 99\nbehind it. Work of this kind, however, is not to be\nperformed by the day, and, with a view of sparing\nour strength, we quitted the ridge and endeavoured\nto get along the southern slope of the pyramid.\nThe mountain was scarred by long couloirs, filled\nwith clear hard ice. The cutting of steps across\nthese couloirs proved to be so tedious and fatiguing\nthat I urged Bennen to abandon them and try the\nridge once more. We regained it and worked\nalong it as before. Here and there upon the\nnorthern side the snow was folded over, and we\nworked slowly upward along the cornice snow.\nThe ridge became gradually narrower, and thp\nprecipices on each side more sheer. We reached\nthe end of one of its subdivisions, and found our-\nselves separated from the next rocks by a gap about\ntwenty yards across. The ridge has here narrowed\nto a mere wall, which, however, as rock, would pre-\nsent no serious difficulty. But upon the wall of\nrock was placed a second wall of snow, which\ndwindled to a pure knife-edge at the top. It\nwas white, of very fine grain, and a little moist.\nHow to pass this snow catenary I knew not, for I\ndid not think a human foot could trust itself upon\nso frail a support. Bennen s practical sagacity,\nhowever, came into play. He tried the snow by\nsqueezing it with- his foot, and to my astonishment\nbegan to cross it. Even after the pressure of his feet","height":"2937","width":"1688","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0121.jp2"},"122":{"fulltext":"100 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nthe space lie liad to stand on did not exceed a liand-\nbreadth. I followed him, exactly as a boy walking\nalong a horizontal pole, with toes turned outwards.\nEight and left the precipices were appalling. We\nreached the opposite rock, and an earnest smile\nrippled over Bennen s countenance as he turned\ntowards me. He knew that he had done a daring\nthing, though not a presumptuous one. Had the\nsnow, he said, been less perfect, I should not have\nthought of attempting it but I knew after I had\nBet my foot upon the ridge that we might pass\nwithout fear.\nIt is quite surprising what a number of things\nthe simple observation made by Faraday in 1846\nenables us to explain. Bennen s instinctive act is\njustified by theory. The snow was fine in grain,\npure, and moist. When pressed, the attachments of\nits granules were innumerable, and their perfect\ncleanness enabled them to freeze together with a\nmaximum energy. It was this freezing which gave\nthe mass its sustaining power.\nTwo fragments of ordinary table ice brought\ncarefully together freeze and cement themselves\nat their place of junction or if two pieces floating\nin water be brought together, they instantly freeze,\nand by laying hold of either of them gently you\ncan drag the other after it through the water.\nImagine such points of attachment distributed in","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0122.jp2"},"123":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSHOEN. 101\ngreat numbers through a mass of snow. The sub-\nstance becomes thereby a semi-solid instead of a\nmass of powder. My guide, however, unaided by\nany theory, did a thing from which I should have\nshrunk, though backed by all the theories in the\nworld.\nAfter this we foimd the rocks on the ridge so\nshaken that it required the greatest caution to\navoid bringing them down upon us. With all our\ncare, moreover, we sometimes dislodged vast masses,\nwhich leaped upon the slope adjacent, loosened\nothers by their shock, these again others, until\nfinally a whole flight of them would escape, setting\nthe mountain in a roar as they whizzed and thun-\ndered along its side to the snow-fields 4,000 feet\nbelow us. The day was hot, the work hard, and\nour bodies were drained of their liquids as by a\nTurkish bath. To make good our loss we halted\nat intervals where the melted snow formed liquid\nveins, and quenched our thirst. A bottle of cham-\npagne, poured sparingly into our goblets over a little\nsnow, furnished Wenger and myself with many a\nrefreshing draught. Bennen feared his eyes, and\nwould not touch champagne. We, however, did not\nfind halting good for at every pause the muscles\nbecame set, and some minutes were necessary to\nrender them again elastic. But for both mind and\nbody the discipline was grand. There is scarcely a","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0123.jp2"},"124":{"fulltext":"102 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nposition possible to a human being which, at one\ntime or another during the day, I was not forced to\nassume. The fingers, wrist, and forearm were my\nmain reliance, and as a mechanical instrument the\nhuman hand appeared to me this day to be a miracle\nof constructive art.\nFor the most part the summit was hidden from\nus, but on reaching the successive eminences it came\nfrequently into view. After three hours spent on\nthe arete about five hours, that is, subsequent to\nstarting we saw the summit over another minor\nsummit, which gave it an illusive proximity. You\nhave now good hopes, I remarked, turning to Bennen.\nI do not allow myself to entertain the idea of\nfailure, he replied. Well, six hours passed on the\nridge, each of which put in its inexorable claim to\nthe due amount of mechanical work and at the end\nof this time we found ourselves apparently no nearer\nto the summit than when Bennen s hopes cropped out\nin confidence. I looked anxiously at my guide as\nhe fixed his weary eyes upon the distant peak.\nTherS was no confidence in his expression still I\ndo not believe that either of us entertained for a\nmoment the thought of giving in. Wenger com-\nplained of his lungs, and Bennen counselled him\nseveral times to remain behind but this the Ober-\nland man refused to do. At the commencement of\na day s work one often feels anxious, if not timid","height":"2948","width":"1808","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0124.jp2"},"125":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSHORN. 103\nbut when the work is very hard we become callous\nand sometimes stupefied by the incessant knocking\nabout. This was my case at present, and I kept\nwatch lest my indifference should become careless-\nness. I repeatedly supposed a case where a sudden\neflfort might be required of me, and felt all through\nthat I had a fair residue of strength to fall back upon\nshould such a call be made. This conclusion was\nsometimes tested by a spurt flinging myself sud-\ndenly from rock to rock, I proved my condition by\nexperiment instead of relying on surmise. An\neminence in the ridge which cut off the view of the\nsummit was now the object of our exertions. We\nreached it but how hopelessly distant did the\nsummit appear Bennen laid his face upon his\naxe for a moment a kind of sickly despair was in\nhis eye as he turned to me, remarking, Lieber\nHerr, die Spitze ist noch sehr weit oben.\nLest the desire to gratify me should urge him\nbeyond the bounds of prudence, I told my guide\nthat he must not persist on my account that I\nshould cheerfully return with tim the moment he\nthought it no longer safe to proceed. He replied\nthat, though weary, he felt quite sure of himself, and\nasked for some food. He had it, and a gulp of wine,\nwhich mightily refreshed him. Looking at the\nmountain with a firmer eye, he exclaimed, Herr\nwir miissen ihn haben, and his voice, as he spoke,","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0125.jp2"},"126":{"fulltext":"104 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nrung like steel within my heart. I thought of\nEnglishmen in battle, of the qualities which had\nmade them famous it was mainly the quality of not\nknowing when to yield of fighting for duty even\nafter they had ceased to be animated by hope.\nSuch thoughts helped to lift me over the rocks.\nAnother eminence now fronted us, behind which,\nhow far we knew not, the summit lay. We scaled\nthis height, and above us, but clearly within reach,\na silvery pyramid projected itself against the blue\nsky. I was assured ten times over by my companions\nthat it was the highest point before I ventured to\nstake my faith upon the assertion. I feared that it\nalso might take rank with the illusions which had so\noften beset oiir ascent, and I shrunk from the conse-\nquent moral shock. A huge prism of granite, or\ngranitic gneiss, terminated the arete, and from it\na knife-edge of pure white snow ran up to a little\npoint. We passed along the edge, reached that\npoint, and instantly swept with our eyes the whole\nrange of the horizon. We stood upon the crown of\nthe redoubtable Weisshorn.\nThe long-pent feelings of my two companions\nfound vent in a wild and reiterated cheer. Bennen\nshook his arms in the air and shouted as a Valaisian,\nwhile Wenger raised the shriller yell of the Oberland.\nWe looked downwards along the ridge, and far below,\nperched on one of its crags, could discern the two","height":"2948","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0126.jp2"},"127":{"fulltext":"1861] THE •WTIISSHOKN. 105\nEanda men. Again and again the roar of triumph\nwas sent down to them. They had accomplished\nbut a small portion of the ridge, and soon after our\nsuccess they wended their way homewards. They\ncame, willing enough, no doubt, to publish our\nfailure had we failed but we found out afterwards\nthat they had been equally strenuous in announcing\noiu- success they had seen us, they affirmed, like\nthree flies upon the summit of the mountain. Both\nmen had to endure a little persecution for the truth s\nsake, for nobody in Eanda would believe that the\nWeisshorn could be scaled, and least of all by a man\nwho for two days previously had been the object of\nPhilomene the waitress s constant pity, on account of\nthe incompetence of his stomach to accept all that\nshe offered for its acceptance. The energy of con-\nviction with which the men gave their evidence had,\nhowever, proved conclusive to the most sceptical\nbefore we arrived.\nBennen wished to leave some outward and visible\nsign of our success on the summit. He deplored\nhaving no suitable flag but as a substitute for such\nit was proposed that he should use the handle of one\nof our axes as a flagstaff, and surmount it by a red\npocket-handkerchief. This was done, and for some\ntime subsequently the extempore banner was seen\nflapping in the wind. To his extreme delight, it\nwas shown to Bennen himself three days afterwards","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0127.jp2"},"128":{"fulltext":"106 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nby my friend Mr. Francis Gralton, from the Eiffel-\nberg hotel.\nEvery Swiss climber is acquainted with the Weiss-\nhorn. I have long regarded it as the noblest of\nall the Alps, and most other travellers share this\nopinion. The impression it produces is in some\nmeasure due to the comparative isolation with\nwhich it juts into the heavens. It is not masked\nby other mountains, and all around the Alps its\nfinal pyramid is in view. Conversely, the Weisshorn\ncommands a vast range of prospect. Neither\nBennen nor myself had ever seen anything at all\nequal to it. The day, moreover, was perfect not\na cloud was to be seen and the gauzy haze of the\ndistant air, though sufficient to soften the outlines\nand enhance the colouring of the mountains, was\nfar too thin to obscure them. Over the peaks and\nthrough the valleys the sunbeams poured, unim-\npeded save by the mountains themselves, which\nsent their shadows in bars of darkness through the\nilluminated air. I had never before witnessed a\nscene* which affected me like this one. I opened\nmy note-book to make a few observations, but soon\nrelinquished the attempt. There was something\nincongruous, if not profane, in allowing the scien-\ntific faculty to interfere where silent worship\nseemed the reasonable service.\nWe had been ten hours climbing from our","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0128.jp2"},"129":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSHOEN. 107\nbivouac to the summit, and it was now necessary\nthat we should clear the mountain before the close\nof day. Our muscles were loose and numbed, and,\nunless extremely urged, declined all energetic ten-\nsion the thought of our success, however, ran like\na kind of wine through our fibres and helped us\ndown. We once fancied the descent would be\nrapid, but it was far from it. As in ascending,\nBennen took the lead he slowly cleared each crag,\npaused till I joined him, I pausing till Wenger\njoined me, and thus one. or other of us was always\nin motion. Our leader showed a preference for\nthe snow, while I held on to the rocks, where my\nhands could assist my feet. Our muscles were\nsorely tried by the twisting round the splintered\nturrets of the arete, but a long, long stretch of the\nridge must be passed before we can venture to swerve\nfrom it. We were roused from our stupefaction at\ntimes by the roar of the stones which we loosed from\nthe ridge and sent leaping down the mountain.\nSoon after recrossing the snow catenary already\nmentioned we quitted the ridge to get obliquely\nalong the slope of the pyramid. The face of it\nwas scarred by couloirs, of which the deeper and\nnarrower ones were filled with ice, while the others\nacted as highways for the rocks quarried by the\nweathering above. Steps must be cut in the ice, but\nthe swing of the axe is very different now from what","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0129.jp2"},"130":{"fulltext":"108 HOTJKS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nit was in the morning. Bennen s blows descended\nwith the deliberateness of a man whose fire is half-\nquenched still they fell with sufficient power, and\nthe needful cavities were formed. We retraced our\nmorning steps over some of the ice-slopes. No word\nof warning was uttered here as we ascended, but\nnow Bennen s admonitions were frequent and em-\nphatic Take care not to slip. I imagined, how-\never, that even if a man slipped he would be able to\narrest his descent; but Bennen s response when I\nstated this opinion was very prompt No it would\nbe utterly impossible. If it were snow you might\ndo it, but it is pure ice, and if you fall you will\nlose your senses before you can use your axe. I\nsuppose he was right. At length we turned directly\ndownwards, and worked along one of the ridges\nwhich lie in the line of steepest fall. We first\ndropped cautiously from ledge to ledge. At one\nplace Bennen clung for a considerable time to a face\nof rock, casting out feelers of leg and arm, and\ndesiring me to stand still. I did not understand\nthe dMiculty, for the rock, though steep, was by no\nmeans vertical. I fastened myself on to it, Bennen\nbeing on a ledge below, waiting to receive me.\nThe spot on which he stood was a little rounded\nprotuberance sufficient to afford him footing, but\nover which the slightest momentum would have\ncarried him. He knew this, and hence his caution.","height":"2948","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0130.jp2"},"131":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSHOKN. 109\nSoon after this we quitted our ridge and dropped\ninto a couloir to the left of it. It was dark, and\ndamp with trickling water. Here we disencumbered\nourselves of the rope, and found our speed greatly\naugmented. In some places the rocks were worn\nto a powder, along which we shot by glissades. We\nswerved again to the left, crossed a ridge, and got\ninto another and dryer couloir. The last one was\ndangerous, as the water exerted a constant sapping\naction upon the rocks. From our new position we\ncould hear the clatter of stones descending the\ngulley we had just forsaken. Wenger, who had\nbrought up tKe rear during the day, is now sent to\nthe front he has not Bennen s power, but his legs\nare long and his descent rapid. He scents out the\nway, which becomes more and more difficult. He\npauses, observes, dodges, but finally comes to a\ndead stop on the siunmit of a precipice, which\nsweeps like a rampart round the mountain. We\nmoved to the left, and after a long detour succeeded\nin rounding the precipice.\nAnother half-hour brings us to the brow of a\nsecond precipice, which is scooped out along its\ncentre so as to cause the brow to overhang. Chagrin\nwas in Bennen s face he turned his eyes upwards,\nand I feared mortally that he was about to propose\na reascent to the arete. It was very questionable\nwhether our muscles could liave responded to such a\n6","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0131.jp2"},"132":{"fulltext":"110 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\ndemand. While we stood pondering here, a deep\nand confused roar attracted our attention. From a\npoint near the summit of the Weisshom, a rock had\nbeen discharged down a dry couloir, raising a cloud\nof dust at each bump against the mountain. A\nhundred similar ones were immediately in motion,\nwhile the spaces between the larger masses were\nfilled by an innumerable flight of smaller stones.\nEach of them shook its quantum of dust in the air,\nuntil finally the avalanche was enveloped in a cloud.\nThe clatter was stunning, for the collisions were\nincessant. Black masses of rock emerged here and\nthere from the cloud, and sped through the air\nlike flying fiends. Their motion was not one of\ntranslation merely, but they whizzed and vibrated\nin their flight as if urged by wings. The echoes\nresounded from side to side, from the Schallenberg\nto the Weisshom and back, until finally, after many\na deep-sounding thud in the snow, the whole troop\ncame to rest at the bottom of the mountain. This\nstone avalanche was one of the most extraordinary\nthills I had ever witnessed, and in connection with\nit I would draw the attention of future climbers of\nthe Weisshorn to the danger which would infallibly\nbeset any attempt to ascend it from this side, except\nby one of its aretes. At any moment the mountain-\nside may be raked by a fire as deadly as that of\n^annon.","height":"2948","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0132.jp2"},"133":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSHOEN. Ill\nAfter due deliberation we raoved along the preci-\npice westward, I fearing that each step forward but\nplunged us into deeper difficulty. At one place,\nhowever, the precipice bevelled off to a steep in-\ncline of smooth rock, along which ran a crack, wide\nenough to admit the fingers, and sloping obliquely\ndown to the lower glacier. Each in succession\ngripped the rock and shifted his body sideways along\nthe crack until he came near enough to the glacier\nto reach it by a rough glissade. We passed swiftly\nalong the glacier, sometimes running, and, on\nsteeper slopes, sliding, until we were pulled up for the\nthird time by a precipice which seemed even worse\nthan either of the others. It was quite sheer, and\nas far as I could see right or left altogether hopeless.\nTo my surprise, both the men turned without hesi-\ntation to the right. I felt desperately blank, but I\ncould notice no expression of dismay in the counte-\nnance of either of my companions. They inspected\nthe moraine matter over which we walked, and at\nlength one of them exclaimed, Da sind die Spuren,\nlengthening his strides at the same moment. We\nlooked over the brink at intervals, and at length\ndiscovered what appeared to be a mere streak of\nclay on the face of the precipice. On this streak\nwe found footing. It was by no means easy, but to\nhard-pushed men it was a deliverance. The streak\nvanished, and we must get down the rock. This","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0133.jp2"},"134":{"fulltext":"112 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nfortunately was rough, so that by pressing the hands\nagainst its rounded protuberances, and sticking the\nboot-nails against its projecting crystals, we let\nourselves gradually down. A deep cleft separated\nthe glacier from the precipice this was crossed, and\nwe were free, being clearly placed beyond the last\nbastion of the mountain.\nIn this admirable fashion did my guides behave\non this occasion. The day previous to my arrival\nat Randa they had been up the mountain, and they\nthen observed a solitary chamois moving along the\nbase of this very precipice, and making ineffectual\nattempts to get up it. At one place the creature\nsucceeded this spot they fixed in their memories,\nand when they reached the top of the precipice they\nsought for the traces of the chamois, found them,\nand were guided by them to the only place where\nescape in any reasonable time was possible. Our\nway was now clear over the glacier we cheerfully\nmarched, escaping from the ice just as the moon\nand the eastern sky contributed about equally to the\nillumination. The moonlight was afterwards inter-\ncepted by clouds. In the gloom we were often at a\nloss, and wandered half-bewildered over the grassy\nslopes. At length the welcome tinkle of cow-bells\nwas heard in the distance, and guided by them we\nreached the chalet a little after 9 p.m. The cows\nhad been milked and the milk disposed of, but the","height":"2967","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0134.jp2"},"135":{"fulltext":"1861] THE WEISSHOEN. 113\nmen managed to get us a moderate draught. Thus\nrefreshed we continued the descent. I was half\nfamished, for my solid nutriment during the day-\nconsisted solely of part of a box of meat lozenges\ngiven to me by Mr. Hawkins. Bennen and myself\ndescended the mountain deliberately, and after many\nwindings emerged upon the valley, and reached the\nhotel a little before 1 1 p.m. I had a basin of broth,\nnot made according to Liebig, and a piece of mutton\nboiled probably for the fifth time. Fortified by\nthese, and comforted by a warm footbath, I went\nto bed, where six hours sound sleep chased away all\nconsciousness of fatigue. I was astonished on the\nmorrow to find the loose atoms of my body knitted\nBO firmly by so brief a rest. Up to my attempt upon\nthe Weisshorn I had felt more or less dilapidated,\nbut here all weakness ended, and during my subse-\nquent stay in Switzerland I was unacc[uainted with\ninfirmity.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0135.jp2"},"136":{"fulltext":"114 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nX.\nINSPECTION OF THE MATTERHORN\nOn the afternoon of the ^Oth we quitted Eanda,\nwim a threatening sky overhead. The considerate\nPhilomene compelled us to take an umbrella, which\nwe soon found useful. The flood-gates of heaven\nwere unlocked, while, defended by our cotton canopy,\nBennen and myself walked arm-in-arm to Zermatt.\nI instantly found myself in the midst of a circle of\npleasant friends, some of whom had just returned\nfrom a successful attempt upon the Lyskamm. On\nthe 22nd quite a crowd of travellers crossed the\nTheodule Pass and, knowing that every corner of\nthe hotel at Breuil would be taken up, I halted a\nday, so as to allow the people to disperse. Breuil\ncomitiands a view of the southern side of the Matter-\nhorn and it was now an object with me to discover,\nif possible, upon the true peak of this formidable\nmountain, some ledge or cranny where three men\nmight spend a night. The mountain may be ac-\ncessible or inaccessible, but one thing seems certain,\nthat starting from Breuil, or even from the chalets","height":"2964","width":"1822","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0136.jp2"},"137":{"fulltext":"1861] INSPECTION OF THE MATTERHOEN. 115\nabove Breuil, the work of reaching the summit is\ntoo much for a single day. But could a shelter he\nfound amid the wild battlements of the peak itself,\nwhich would enable one to attack the obelisk at\nday-dawn, the possibility of conquest was so far an\nopen question as to tempt a trial. I therefore sent\nBennen on to reconnoitre, purposing myself to cross\nthe Theodule alone on the following day.\nOn the afternoon of the 22nd I sauntered slowly\nup to the Eiffel, leaning at times on the head of my\naxe, or sitting down upon the grassy knolls, as my\nmood prompted. The air which filled the valleys\nof the Oberland, and swathed in mitigated density\nthe highest peaks, was slightly opalescent, though\nstill transparent, the floating particles forming so\nmany points cfappui, from which the light was\nscattered through surrounding space. The whole\nmedium glowed as if shone upon by a distant fur-\nnace, and through it the outline of the mountains\nloomed. The glow, augmented as the sun sank,\nreached its maximun, paused, and then ran speedily\ndown to a cold and colourless twilight.\nNext morning at nine o ^clock, with some scraps of\ninformation from the guides to help me on nay way,\nI quitted the Eiffel to cross the Theodule. I was\nsoon followed by the domestic of the hotel. Bennen\nhad requested him to see me to the edge of the\nglacier, and he now joined me with this intention.","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0137.jp2"},"138":{"fulltext":"116 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nHe knew my designs upon the Matterlio/n, and\nstrongly deprecated them. Only tldnk, Herr,\nhe urged, what will avail your ascent of the\nWeisshom if you are smashed upon the Mont Cervin\nMein Herr he added with condensed emphasis,\nthun Sie es nicht. The whole conversation was in\nfact a homily, the strong point of which was the\nutter uselessness of success on the one mountain if\nit were to be followed by annihilation on the\nother. We reached the ridge above the glacier,\nwhere, handing him a trinkgeld, which I had to force\non his acceptance, I bade him good-bye, assuring\nhim that I would submit in all things to Bennen s\nopinion. He had the highest idea of Bennen s\nwisdom, and hence the assurance sent him home\ncomforted.\nI was soon upon the ice, once more alone, as I\ndelight to be at times. As a habit going alone is\nto be deprecated, but sparingly indulged in it is a\ngreat luxury. There are no doubt moods when the\nmother is glad to get rid of her offspring, the wife\nof Jier husband, the lover of his mistress, and when\nit is not well to keep them together. And so, at\nrare intervals, it is good for the soul to feel the full\ninfluence of that society where none intrudes.\n.When the work is clearly within your power, when\nlong practice has enabled you to trust your own eye\nand judgment in unravelling crevasses, and your","height":"2969","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0138.jp2"},"139":{"fulltext":"","height":"2937","width":"1673","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0139.jp2"},"140":{"fulltext":"THE MATTERHORX.","height":"2948","width":"1953","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0140.jp2"},"141":{"fulltext":"1861] INSPECTION OF THE MATTEKHOKN. 117\nown axe and arm in subduing their more serious\ndifficulties, it is an entirely new experience to be\nalone amid those sublime scenes. The peaks wear\na more solemn aspect, the sun shines with a more\neffectual fire, the blue of heaven is more deep and\nawful, and the hard heart of man is often made as\ntender as a child s. You contract a closer friend-\nship for the universe in virtue of your more inti-\nmate contact with its parts. The glacier to-day filled\nthe air with low murmurs, while the sound of the\ndistant moulins rose to a kind of roar. The debris\nrustled on the moraines, the smaller rivulets bab-\nbled in their channels, as they ran to join their\ntrunk, and the surface of the glacier creaked au-\ndibly as it yielded to the sun. It seemed to breathe\nand whisper like a living thing. To my left was\nMonte Eosa and her royal court, to my right the\nmystic pinnacle of the Matterhorn, which from a\ncertain point here upon the glacier attains its max-\nimum sharpness. It drew my eyes towards it with\nirresistible fascination as it shimmered in the blue,\ntoo preoccupied with heaven to think even with\ncontempt on the designs of a son of earth to reach\nits inviolate crest.\nI crossed the Grorner glacier quite as speedily as\nif I had been professionally led. Then up the\nundulating slope of the Theodule glacier, with a\nrocky ridge to the right, over which I was informed","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0141.jp2"},"142":{"fulltext":"118 HOtKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\na rude track led to tlie pass of St. Theodule. I am\nnot great at finding tracks, and I missed this one,\nascending until it became evident that I had gone\ntoo far. Near its higher extremity the crest of the\nridge is cut across by three curious chasms, and\none of these I thought would be a likely gateway\nthrough the ridge. I climbed the steep buttress of\nthe spur and was soon in the fissure. Huge masses\nof rock were jammed into it, the presence of which\ngave variety to the exertion, calling forth strength,\nbut not exciting fear. From the summit the rocks\nsloped gently down to the snow, and in a few minutes\nthe presence of broken bottles on the moraine showed\nme that I had hit upon the track. Upwards of twenty\nunhappy bees staggered against me on the way\ntempted by the sun, or wafted by the wind, they\nhad quitted the flowery Alps to meet torpor and\ndeath in the ice-world above. From the summit I\nwent swiftly down to Breuil, where I was welcomed\nby the host, welcomed by the waiter loud were the\nexpressions of content at my arrival and I was in-\nformed that Bennen had started early in the morning\nto promenade himself around the Matterhorn.\nI lay long upon the Alp, scanning crag and snow\nin search of my guide. From the admirable account\nof the first attempt on the Matterhorn, drawn up\nby Mr. Hawkins,^ it may be inferred that the\nChapter III. of this volume.","height":"2969","width":"1822","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0142.jp2"},"143":{"fulltext":"1861] INSPECTION OF THE MATTERHOKN. 119\nascent is not likely to be a matter of mere amuse-\nment. The account narrates that after climbing\nfor several hours in the face of novel difficulties,\nmy companion thought it wise to halt so as to\nsecure our retreat. I will here state in a few\nwords what occui-rfed after our separation from\nhim. Bennen and I had first a hard scramble\nup some very steep rocks, our motions giving to\nthose below us the impression that we were urging\nup bales of goods instead of the simple weight of our\nown bodies. Turning the corner of the ridge, we had\nto cross an unpleasant slope of smooth rock, covered\nby about eighteen inches of snow. In ascending,\nthis place was passed in silence, but in coming down\nthe fear arose that the superficial layer might slip\naway with us. Bennen seldom warns me, but he\ndid so here emphatically, declaring his own power-\nlessness to render any help should the footing give\nway. Having crossed this slope in our ascent, we\nwere fronted by a cliff, against which we rose mainly\nby aid of the felspar crystals protuberant from its\nface. Midway up the cliff Bennen asked me to hold\non, as he did not feel sure that it was the best route.\nI accordingly ceased moving, and lay against the rock\nwith legs and arms outstretched. Bennen climbed\nto the top of the cliff, but returned immediately with\na flush of confidence in his eye. I will lead you to\nthe top, he said excitedly. Had I been free I should","height":"2944","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0143.jp2"},"144":{"fulltext":"120 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nhave cried Bravo but in my position I did not\ncare to risk the muscular motion which a hearty\nbravo would demand.\nAided by the rope, I was at his side in a minute,\nand we soon learned that his confidence was pre-\nmature. Difficulties thickened round us on no\nother mountain are they so thick, and each of them\nis attended by possibilities of the most blood-\nchilling kind. Our mode of motion was this\nBennen advanced while I held on to a rock, pre-\npared for the jerk if he should slip. When he\nhad secured himself, he called out, Ich bin fest,\nkommen Sie. I then worked forward, sometimes\nhalting where he had halted, sometimes passing him\nuntil a firm anchorage was gained, when it again\nbecame his turn to advance. Thus each of us waited\nuntil the other could seize upon something capable\nof bearing the shock of a falling man. At some\nplaces Bennen deemed a little extra assurance ne-\ncessary and here he emphasised his statement that\nhe was fest by a suitable hyperbole. Ich bin fest\nwie e^n Mauer, ^fest wie ein Berg, ich halte Sie\ngewiss, or some such expression.\nLooking from Breuil, a series of mo(fierate-sized\nprominences are seen along the arete of the Mat-\nterhom but when you are near them, these black\neminences rise like tremendous castles in the air,\nso wild and high as almost to quell all hope of","height":"2966","width":"1822","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0144.jp2"},"145":{"fulltext":"1861] INSPECTION OF THE MATTERIIOEN. 121\nscaling or getting round them. At the base of one\nof these edifices Bennen paused and looked closely\nat the grand mass he wiped his forehead, and\nturning to me said, Was denken Sie, Herr\nShall we go on, or shall we return I will do\nwhat you wish. I am without a wish, Bennen, I\nreplied where you go I follow, be it up or down.\nHe disliked the idea of giving in, and would wil-\nlingly have thrown the onus of stopping upon me.\nWe attacked the castle, and by a hard effort reached\none of its mid ledges, whence we had plenty of\nroom to examine the remainder. We might cer-\ntainly have continued the ascent beyond this place,\nbut Bennen paused here. To a minute of talk suc-\nceeded a minute of silence, during which my guide\nearnestly scanned the heights. He then turned\ntowards me, and the words seemed to fall from his\nlips through a resisting medium, as he said, Ich\ndenke die Zeit ist zu kurz (I think the time is too\nshort).\nBy this time each of the neighbouring peaks had\nunfolded a cloud banner, remaining clear to wind-\nward, but having a streamer hooked ©n to its\nsummit and drawn far out into space by the moist\nsouth wind. It was a grand and affecting sight,\ngrand intrinsically, but doubly impressive to feelings\nalready loosened by the awe inseparable from our\nposition. Looked at from Breuil, the mountain","height":"2939","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0145.jp2"},"146":{"fulltext":"122 nOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nshows two summits separated from each other by\na possibly impassable cleft. Only the lower one of\nthese could be seen from where we stood. I asked\nBennen how high he supposed it to be above the\npoint where we then stood he estimated its height\nat 400 feet, I at 500 feet. Probably both of us\nwere under the mark however, I state the fact as\nit occurred. The object of my present visit to\nBrueil was to finish the piece of work thus abruptly\nbroken off, and so I awaited Bennen s return with\nanxious interest.\nAt dusk I saw him striding down the Alp, and\nwent out to meet him. I sought to gather his\nopinion from his eye before he spoke, but could\nmake nothing out. It was perfectly firm, but might\nmean either pro or con. Herr, he said at length,\nin a tone of unusual emphasis, I have examined the\nmountain carefully, and find it more difficult and\ndangerous than I had imagined. There is no place\nupon it where we could well pass the night. We\nmight do so on yonder col upon the snow, but there\nwe should be almost frozen to death, and totally un-\nfit for the.work of the next day. On the rocks there\nis no ledge or cranny which could give us proper\nharbourage and starting from Breuil it is certainly\nimpossible to reach the summit in a single day. I\nwas entirely taken back by this report. Bennen\nwas evidently dead against any attempt upon the","height":"2969","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0146.jp2"},"147":{"fulltext":"861] INSPECTION OF THE MATTEKHORN. 123\nmountain. We can, at all events, reach the lower\nof the two summits, I remarked. Even that is\ndifficult, he replied but when you have reached\nit, what then The peak has neither name nor fame.\nI was silent slightly irascible, perhaps but it was\nagainst my habit to utter a word of remonstrance or\npersuasion. Bennen made his report with his eyes\nopen. He knew me well, and I think mutual trust\nhas rarely been more strongly developed between\nguide and traveller than between him and me. I\nknew that I had but to give the word and he would\nface the mountain with me next day, but it would\nhave been inexcusable in me to deal thus with him.\nSo I stroked my beard, and, like Lelia in the Prin-\ncess, when\nUpon the sward\nShe tapt her tiny silken-sandal d foot,\nI crushed the grass with my hobnails, seeking thus\na safety-valve for my disappointment.\nMy sleep was unsatisfying that night, and on the\nfollowing morning I felt a void within. The hope\nof finishing my work creditably had been suddenly\ndislodged, and, for a time, vacuity took its place.\nIt was like the removal of a pleasant drug or the\nbreaking down of a religious faith. I hardly knew\nwhat to do with myself. One thing was certain\nthe Italian valleys had no tonic strong enough to\nset me right the mountains alone could restore","height":"2937","width":"1694","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0147.jp2"},"148":{"fulltext":"124 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nwhat I had lost. Over the Joch then once more\nWe packed up and bade farewell to the host and\nwaiter. Both men seemed smitten with a sudden\nlanguor, and could hardly respond to my adieus.\nThey had expected us to be their guests for some\ntime, and were evidently disgusted at our want of\npluck. Mais, monsieur, il faut faire la penitence\npour une nuit. Veils of the silkiest cloud began to\ndraw themselves round the mountain, and to stretch\nin long gauzy filaments through the air, where\nthey finally curdled up to common cloud, and lost\nthe grace and beauty of their infancy. Had they\ncondensed to thunder I should have been better\nsatisfied but it was some consolation to see them\nthicken so as to hide the mountain, and quench the.\nlonging with which I should have viewed its un-\nclouded head. The thought of spending some days\nchamois-hunting occurred to me. Bennen seized the\nidea with delight, promising me an excellent gun.\nWe crossed the summit, descended to Zermatt,\npaused there to refresh ourselves, and went forward\nto SI. Nicholas, where we spent the night.","height":"2969","width":"1804","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0148.jp2"},"149":{"fulltext":"18611 OYER THE MORO. 125\nXI.\nOVER THE MORO.\nI HAD only seen one half of Monte Eosa and from\nthe Italian side the aspect of the mountain was\nunknown to me. I had been upon the Monte More\nthree years ago, but looked from it merely into an\ninfinite sea of haze. To complete my knowledge of\nthe mountain it was necessary to go to Macugnaga,\nand over the Moro I accordingly resolved to go.\nBut resolution had as yet taken no deep root, and on\nreaching Saas I was beset by the desire to cross the\nAlphubel. Bennen called me at three but over the\npass grey clouds were hanging, and, determined not\nto mar this fine excursion by choosing an imperfect\nday, I then gave it up. At seven o clock, however,\nall trace of cloud had disappeared; it had been\nmerely a local gathering of no importance, which the\nfirst sunbeams resolved into transparency. It was\nnow, however, too late to think of the Alphubel,\nso I reverted to my original design, and at 9 a.m.\nstarted up the valley towards Mattmark. A party","height":"2937","width":"1657","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0149.jp2"},"150":{"fulltext":"126 HOUES OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nof friends in advance contributed strongly to draw\nme on in this direction.\nOnward then we went through the soft green\nmeadows, with the river sounding to our right. The\nsun showered gold upon the pines, and brought richly\nout the colouring of the rocks. The blue wood-\nsmoke ascended from the hamlets, and the compa-\nnionable grasshopper sang and chirruped right and\nleft. High up the sides of the mountains the rocks\nwere planed down to tablets by the ancient glaciers.\nThe valley narrowed, and we skirted a pile of\nmoraine-like matter, which was roped compactly to-\ngether by the roots of the pines. Huge blocks here\nchoke the channel of the river, and raise its murmurs\nto a roar. We emerge from shade into sunshine,\nand observe the smoke of a distant cataract jetting\nfrom the side of the mountain. Crags and boulders\nare here heaped in confusion upon the hill-side, and\namong them the hardy trees find a lodgment, asking\nno nutriment from, the stones asking only a pedes-\ntal on which they may plant their trunks and lift\ntheir branches into the nourishing air. Then comes\nthe cataract itself, plunging in rhythmic gushes down\nthe shining rocks.\nThe valley again opens, and finds room for a little\nhamlet dingy hovels, with a white little church\nin the midst of them. patches of green meadow and\nyellow rye, with the gleam of the river here and","height":"2975","width":"1815","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0150.jp2"},"151":{"fulltext":"1861] OYER THE MOEO. 127\nthere. The moon hangs over the Mischabelhorner,\nturning a face which ever waxes paler towards the\nsun. The valley in the distance seems shut in by\nthe Allalein glacier, which is approached amid the\nwaterwom boulders strewn by the river in its hours\nof turbulence. The rounded rocks are now beauti-\nfied with lichens, and scattered trees glimmer among\nthe heaps. Nature heals herself. She feeds the\nglacier and planes the mountains down. She fuses\nthe glacier and exposes the dead rocks. But instantly\nher energies are exerted to neutralise the desolation,\nclothing the crags with beauty, and sending the\nwandering wind in melody through the branches\nof the pines.\nAt the Mattmark hotel, which stands at the foot\nof the Monte Moro, I was joined by a gentleman who\nhad just Kberated himself from an unpleasant guide.\nBennen halted on the way to adjust his knapsack,\nwhile my companion and myself went on. We lost\nsight of my guide, lost the track also, and clambered\nover crag and snow to the summit, where we waited\ntill Bennen arrived. The mass of Monte Eosa here\ngrandly revealed itself from top to bottom. Dark\ncliffs and white snows were finely contrasted, and the\nlonger I looked at it, the more noble and impressive\ndid the mountain appear. We were very soon clear\nof the snow, and went straight down the declivity\ntowards Macugnaga.","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0151.jp2"},"152":{"fulltext":"128 HOURS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nWe put up at the Monte Moro, where a party of\nfriends greeted me with a vociferous welcome. This\nwas my first visit to Macugnaga, and, save as a\ncaldron for the generation of fogs, I knew scarcely\nanything about it. But there were no fogs there at\nthe time to which I refer, and the place wore quite\na charmed aspect. I walked out alone in the even-\ning, up through the meadows towards the base of\nMonte Eosa, and on no other occasion have I seen\npeace, beauty, and grandeur so harmoniously blended.\nEarth and air were exquisite, and I returned to the\nhotel brimful of content.\nMonte Eosa with her peaks and spurs builds here\na noble amphitheatre. From the heart of the\nmountain creeps the Macugnaga glacier. To the\nright a precipitous barrier extends to the Cima di\nJazzi, and between the latter and Monte Eosa this\nbarrier is scarred by two couloirs, one of which, or\nthe cliff beside it, has the reputation of forming\nthe old pass of the Weissthor. It had long been\nimcertain whether this so-called Alter Pass had\never heen used as such, and many superior moun-\ntaineers deemed it from inspection to be imprac-\nticable. All doubt on this point was removed this\nyear for Mr. Tuckett, led by Bennen, had crossed\nthe barrier by the couloir most distant from Monte\nEosa, and consequently nearest to the Cima di\nJazzi. As I stood in front of the hotel in the","height":"2976","width":"1820","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0152.jp2"},"153":{"fulltext":"1861] OTEE THE MOEO. 129\nafternoon, I said to Bennen tliat I should like to\ntry the pass on the following day in ten minutes\nafterwards the plan of our expedition was arranged.\nWe were to start before the dawn, and, to leave\nBennen s hands free, a muscular young fellow named\nAndermatten was engaged to carry our provisions.\nIt was also proposed to vary the proceedings by\nassailing the ridge by the couloir nearest to Monte\nKosa.","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0153.jp2"},"154":{"fulltext":"130 nOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. flSei\nXII.\nTHE OLD WEISSTHOR.\nI WAS called by my host at a quarter before three.\nThe firmament of Monte Eosa was almost as black\nas the rocks beneath it, while above in the darkness\ntrembled the stars. At 4 a.m. we quitted the hotel.\nWe wound along the meadows, by the slumbering\nhouses, and the unslumbering river. The eastern\nheaven soon brightened, and we could look direct\nthrough the gloom of the valley at the opening of\nthe dawn. We threaded our way amid the boulders\nwhich the torrent had scattered over the plain, and\namong which groups of stately pines now find\nanchorage. Some of the trees had exerted all their\nforce in a vertical direction, and rose straight, tall,\nand mastlike, without lateral branches. We reached\na gi feat moraine, grey with years, and clothed with\nmagnificent pines our way lay up it, and from the\ntop we dropped into a little dell of magical beauty.\nDeep hidden by the glacier-built ridges, guarded by\nnoble trees, soft and green at the bottom, and tufted\nround with bilberry bushes, through which peeped\nhere and there the lichen-covered crags, I have","height":"2969","width":"1817","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0154.jp2"},"155":{"fulltext":"1861 THE OLD WEISSTHOK. 131\nrarely seen a spot in whicli I should so like to\ndream away a day. Before I entered it, Monte\nEosa was still in shadow, but on my emergence\nI noticed that her precipices were all aglow. The\npurple colouring of the mountains observed on\nlooking down the valley was indescribable out of\nItaly I have never seen anything like it. Oxygen\nand nitrogen could not produce the effect some\neffluence from the earth, some foreign constituent\nof the atmosphere, developed in those deep valleys\nby the southern sun, must sift the solar beams,-\nweaken the rays of medium refrangibility, and\nblend the red and violet of the spectrum to that\nincomparable hue. The air indeed is filled with\nfloating matters which vary from day to day, and\nit is mainly to such extraneous substances that the\nchromatic splendours of our atmosphere are to be\nascribed. The air south of the Alps is in this respect\ndifferent from that on the north, but a modicum\neven of arsenic might be respired with satisfaction,\nif warmed by the bloom which suffused the air of\nItaly this glorious dawn.\nThe ancient moraines of the Macugnaga glacier\nrank among the finest that I have seen long, high\nridges tapering from base to edge, hoary with age,\nbut beautified by the shrubs and blossoms of to-\nday. We crossed the ice and them. At the foot of\nthe old Weissthor lay couched a small glacier, which","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0155.jp2"},"156":{"fulltext":"132 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nhad landed a multitude of boulders on the slope\nbelow it and amid these we were soon threading\nour way. We crossed the little glacier, which at one\nplace strove to be disagreeable, and here I learned\nfrom the deportment of his axe the kind of work to\nwhich our porter had been previously accustomed.\nHalf a dozen strokes shook the head of the im-\nplement from its handle. We reached the rocks to\nthe right of the couloir and climbed them for softie\ndistance. At the base the ice was cut by profound\nfissures, which extended quite across, and rendered a\ndirect advance up the guUey impossible but higher\nup we dropped down upon the snow.\nClose to the rocks it was scarred by a furrow\nsix or eight feet deep, and about twelve in width,\nevidently the track of avalanches, or of rocks let\nloose from the heights. Into this we descended.\nThe bottom was firm, and roughened by stones\nwhich found a lodgment there. It seemed that\nwe had here a very suitable roadway to the top.\nBut a sudden crash was heard aloft. I looked\nupward, and right over the snow-brow which closed\nthe view perceived a large brown boulder in the air,\nwhile a roar of unseen stones showed that the visible\nprojectile was merely the first shot of a general\ncannonade. They appeared pouring straight down\nupon us the sides of the furrow preventing them\nfrom squandering their force in any other direction.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0156.jp2"},"157":{"fulltext":"1861] THE OLD WEISSTHOR. 133\nSclinell shouted the man behind me, and there\nis a ring in the word, when sharply uttered in the\nAlps, that almost lifts a man off his feet. I sprang\nforward, but, urged by a sterner impulse, the man\nbehind sprung right on to me. We cleared the\nfurrow exactly as the first stone flew by, and once in\nsafety -we could calmly admire the energy with which\nthe rattling boulders sped along.\nOur way now lay up the couloir the snow was\nsteep, but knobbly, and hence but few steps were\nrequired to give the boots a hold. We crossed and\nrecrossed obliquely, like a horse drawing a laden\ncart up hill. At times we paused and examined the\nheights. The view ended in the snow-fields above,\nbut near the summit suddenly rose a high ice-wall.\nIf we persisted in the couloir, this barrier would\nhave to be surmounted, and the possibility of\nscaling it was very questionable. Our attention\ntherefore was turned to the rocks at our right, and\nthe thought of assailing them was several times\nmooted and discussed. They at length seduced us,\nand we resolved to abandon the snow. To reach the\nrocks, however, we had to recross the avalanche\nchannel, which was here very deep. Bennen hewed\na gap at the top of its flanking wall, and, stooping\nover, scooped steps out of its vertical face. He\nthen made a deep hole, in which he anchored his\nleft arm, let himself thus partly down, and with his\n7","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0157.jp2"},"158":{"fulltext":"134 HOUES OF EXEKCISB IN THE ALPS. [1861\nright pushed the steps to the bottom. While this was\ngoing on small stones were continually flying down\nthe guUey. Bennen reached the floor, and I followed.\nOur companion was still clinging to the snow-wall,\nwhen a horrible clatter was heard overhead. It was\nanother stone avalanche, which there was hardly a\nhope of escaping. Happily a rock was here firmly\nstuck in the bed of the guUey, and I chanced to be\nbeside it when the first huge missile appeared.\nThis was the delinquent which had set the others\nloose. I was directly in the line of fire, but,\nducking behind the boulder, I let the projectile\nshoot over my head. Behind it came a shoal of\nsmaller fry, each of them, however, quite competent\nto crack a human life. Schnell with its metallic\nclang, rung from the throat of Bennen and never\nbefore had I seen his axe so promptly and vigor-\nously applied.\nWhile this infernal cannonade was directed upon\nus we hung upon a slope of snow which had been\npressed and polished to ice by the descending\nstoiies, and so steep that a single slip would have\nconverted us into an avalanche also. Without steps\nof some kind we dared not set foot on the slope,\nand these had to be cut while the stone shower\nwas falling on us. Mere scratches in the ice, how-\never, were all the axe could accomplish, and on\nthese we steadied ourselves with the energy of","height":"2976","width":"1803","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0158.jp2"},"159":{"fulltext":"861] THE OLD WEISSTHOE. 135\ndesperate men. Bennen was first, and I followed\nhim, while the stones flew thick beside and between\nus. My excellent guide thought of me more than\nof himself, and once caught upon the handle of\nhis axe, as a cricketer catches a ball upon his bat,\na lump which might have finished my climbing.\nThe labour of his axe was here for a time divided\nbetween the projectiles and the ice, while at every\npause in the volley he cut a step and sprang\nforward. Had the peril been less, it would have\nbeen amusing to see our duckings and contortions\nas we fenced with our swarming foes. A final jump\nlanded us on an embankment out of the direct line\nof fire, and we thus escaped a danger extremely\nexciting to us all.\nWe had next to descend an ice-slope to a place\nat which the rocks could be invaded. Here\nAndermatten slipped, shot down the slope, knocked\nBennen off his legs, but before the rope had jerked\nme off mine the guide had stopped his flight. The\nporter s hat, however, followed the rushing stones.\nIt was shaken off his head and lost. If discipline for\neye, limb, head, and heart be of any value, we had\nit, and were still likely to have it, here. Our first\nexperience of the rocks was by no means comforting\nthey were uniformly steep, and, as far as we could\njudge from a long look upwards, they were likely to\ncontinue so. A stififer bit than ordinary intervened","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0159.jp2"},"160":{"fulltext":"136 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nnow and .then, making us feel how possible it was to\nbe entirely cut off.\nWe at length reached real difficulty number one^\nAll three of us were huddled together on a narrow\nledge, with a smooth and vertical cliff above us.\nBennen tried it in various ways, but he was several\ntimes forced back to the ledge. At length he\nmanaged to hook the j ngers of one hand over the\ntop of the cliff, while to aid his grip hs tried to\nfasten his shoes against its face. But the nails\nscraped freely over the granular surface, and he\nhad for a time to lift himself almost by a single\narm. As he did so he had as ugly a place beneath\nhim as a human body could well be suspended over.\nWe were tied to him of course but the jerk,\nhad his grip failed, would have been terrible. He\nraised at length his breast to a level with the\ntop, and leaning over it he relieved? the strain.\nSeizing upon something further on, he lifted himself\nquite to the top then tightened the rope, while I\nslowly worked myself over the face of the cliff after\nhinf. We were soon side by side, and immediately\nafterwards Andermatten, with his long unkempt\nhair, and face white with excitement, hung midway\nbetween heaven and earth supported by the rope\nalone. We hauled him up bodily, and as he stood\nupon the ledge his limbs quivered beneath him.\nWe now strained slowly upwards amid the maz«","height":"2969","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0160.jp2"},"161":{"fulltext":"1861] THE OLD WEISSTHOE. 137\nof crags, and scaled a second cliff, resembling, though\nin a modified form, that just described. There was\nno peace, no rest, no delivery from the anxiety\nwhich weighed upon the heart. Bennen looked\nextremely blank, and often cast an eye downward to\nthe couloir we had quitted, muttering aloud, Had\nwe only held on to the snow He had soon reason\nto emphasise his ejaculation.\nAfter climbing for some time, we reached a smooth\nvertical face of rock from which, right or left, there\nwas no escape, and over which we must go. Bennen\nfirst tried it unaided, but was obliged to recoil.\nWithout a lift of five or six feet the thing was im-\npossible. When a boy I have often climbed a wall\nby placing a comrade in a stooping posture with\nhis hands and head against the wall, getting on his\nback, and permitting him gradually to straighten\nhimself till he became erect. This plan I now pro-\nposed to Bennen, offering to take him on my back.\nNein, Herr he replied nicht Sie, ich will es mit\nAndermatten versuchen. I could not persuade him,\n60 Andermatten got upon the ledge, and fixed his\nknee for Bennen to stand on. In this position my\nguide obtained a precarious grip, just sufficient to\nenable him to pass with safety from the knee to the\nshoulder. He paused here, and pulled away such\nsplinters as might prove treacherous if he laid hold\nof them. He at length found a firm one, and had","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0161.jp2"},"162":{"fulltext":"138 HOTJES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nnext to urge himself, not fairly upward, for right\nabove us the top was entirely out of reach, but\nobliquely along the face of the cliff. He suc-\nceeded, anchored himself, and called upon me to\nadvance.\nThe rope was tight, it is true, but it was not\nvertical, so that a slip would cause me to swing like\na pendulum over the cliff s face. With considerable\neffort I managed to hand Bennen his axe, and while\ndoing so my own staff escaped me and was irre-\ncoverably lost. I ascended Andermatten s shoulders\nas Bennen did, but my body was not long enough to\nbridge the way to the guide s arm so I had to risk\nthe possibility of becoming a pendulum. A little\nprotrusion gave my left foot some support. I sud-\ndenly raised myself a yard, and here was met by\nthe iron grip of my guide. In a second I was safely\nstowed away in a neighbouring fissure. Ander-\nmatten now remained. He first detached himself\nfrom the rope, tied it roiuid his coat and knapsack,\nwhich were drawn up. The rope was again let\ndowtt, and the porter tied it firmly round his waist.\nIt was not made in England, and was perhaps lighter\nthan it ought to be; so to help it hands and feet\nwere scraped with spasmodic energy over the rock.\nHe struggled too much, and Bennen cried sharply,\nLangsam I langsam Keine Furcht The poor\nfellow looked very pale and bewildered as his bare","height":"2969","width":"1822","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0162.jp2"},"163":{"fulltext":"1861] THE OLD WEISSTHOK. 139\nhead emerged above the ledge. His body soon\nfollowed. Bennen always used the imperfect for the\npresent tense, Er war ganz bleich, he remarked to\nme, by the war meaning ist\nThe young man seemed to regard Bennen with\na kind of awe. Sir, he exclaimed, you would\nnot find another guide in Switzerland to lead you\nup here. Nor, indeed, in Bennen s behalf be it\nspoken, would he have done so if he could have\navoided it; but we had fairly got into a net, the\nmeshes of which must be resolutely cut. I had\npreviously entertained the undoubting belief that\nwhere a chamois could climb a man could follow\nbut when I saw the marks of the animal on these all\nbut inaccessible ledges, my belief, though not eradi-\ncated, became weaker than it had previously been.\nOnward again, slowly winding through the craggy\nmazes, and closely scanning the cliffs as we ascended.\nOur easiest work was stiff, but the stiff was an\nagreeable relaxation from the perilous. By a lateral\ndeviation we reached a point whence we could look\ninto the coulo.ir by which Mr. Tuckett had ascended\nhere Bennen relieved himself by a sigh and ejacula-\ntion Would that we had chosen it we might pass\nup yonder rocks blindfold But repining was\nuseless our work was marked out for us and had to\nbe accomplished. After another difficult tug Bennen\nreached a point whence he could see a large extent","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0163.jp2"},"164":{"fulltext":"140 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1861\nof the rocks above us. There was no serious diffi-\nculty within view, and the announcement of this\ncheered us mightily. Every vertical yard, however,\nwas to he won only by strenuous efibrt. For a long\ntime the snow cornice hung high above us we now\napproached its level the last cliff formed a sloping\nstair with geologic strata for steps. We sprang up\nit, and the magnificent snow-field of the Grorner\nglacier immediately opened to our view. The\nanxiety of the last four hours disappeared like an\nunpleasant dream, and with that perfect happiness\nwhich perfect health can alone impart, we consumed\nour cold mutton and champagne on the summit of\nthe old Weissthor.","height":"2969","width":"1804","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0164.jp2"},"165":{"fulltext":"1862] RESCUE FROM A CREVASSE. 141\nXIII.\nRESCUE FROM A CREVASSE.\nMr. Huxley and myself had been staying for some\ndays at Grrindelwald, hoping for steady weather, and\nlooking at times into the wild and noble region\nwhich the Shreckhorn, the Wetterhorn, the Viescher-\nhomer, and the Eiger feed with eternal snows. We\nhad scanned the buttresses of the Jungfrau with a\nview to forcing a passage between the Jungfrau and\nthe Monk from the Wengern Alp to the Aletsch\nglacier. The weather for a time kept hopes and\nfears alternately afloat, but finally it declared against\nus so we moved with the unelastic tread of beaten\nsoldiers over the Grreat Sheideck, and up the Vale\nof Hasli to the Grrimsel. We crossed the pass\nwhose planed and polished rocks had long ago at-\ntracted the attention of Sir John LesKe, though the\nsolution which he then oJBfered ignored the ancient\nglacier which we now know to have been the planing\ntool employed. On rounding an angle of the Mayen-\nwand, two travellers suddenly appeared in front of\nus they were Mr. (now Sir John) Lubbock and his","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0165.jp2"},"166":{"fulltext":"142 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nguide. He had been waiting at the new hotel\nerected by M. Seiler at the foot of the Mayenwand,\nexpecting our arrival and finally, despairing of this,\nhe had resolved to abandon the mountains, and was\nnow bound for Brientz. In fact, the lakes of Swit-\nzerland, and the ancient men who once bivouacked\nalong their borders, were to him the principal\nobjects of interest and we caught him in the act\nof declaring a preference for the lowlands which we\ncould not by any means share.\nWe reversed his course, carried him with us down\nthe mountain, and soon made ourselves at home in\nM. Seller s hotel. Here we had three days training\non the glacier and the adjacent heights, and on one\nof the days Lubbock and myself made an attempt\nupon the Gralenstock. By the flank of the mountain,\nwith the Ehone glacier on our right, we reached the\nheights over the ice cascade and crossed the glacier\nabove the fall. The sky was clear and the air\npleasant as we ascended but in the earth s atmo-\nsphere the sun works his swiftest necromancy, the\nlightaess of air rendering it in a peculiar degree\ncapable of change. Clouds suddenly generated came\ndrifting up the valley of the Ehone, covering the\nglacier and swathing the mountain-tops, but leav-\ning clear for a time the upper n^ve of the Ehone.\nGrrandeur is conceded while beauty is sometimes\ndenied to the Alps. But the higher snow-fields of","height":"2976","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0166.jp2"},"167":{"fulltext":"1862] RESCUE FROM A CREVASSE. 143\nthe great glaciers are altogether beautiful not\nthroned in repellent grandeur, but endowed with a\ngrace so tender as to suggest the loveliness of woman.\nThe day was one long succession of surprises\nwrought by the cloud-filled and wind-rent air. We\nreached the top, and found there a gloom which\nmight be felt. It was almost thick enough to cut\neach of us away from the vision of his fellows. But\nsuddenly, in the air above us, the darkness would\nmelt away, and the deep blue heaven would reveal\nitself spanning the dazzling snows. Beyond the\nglacier rose the black and craggy summit of the\nFinsteraarhom, and other summits and other crags\nemerged in succession as the battle-clouds rolled\naway. But the smoke would again whirl in upon us,\nand we looked once more into infinite haze from the\ncornice which lists the mountain-ridge. Again the\nclouds are torn asunder, and again they close. And\nthus, in upper air, did the sun play a wild accompa-\nniment to the mystic music of the world below.\nFrom the Ehone glacier we proceeded down the\nEhone valley to Viesch, whence, in the cool twilight,\nall three of us ascended to the Hotel Jungfrau, on\nthe ^ggischhom. This we made our head-qaarters\nfor some days, and here Lubbock and I decided\nto ascend the Jungfrau. The proprietor of the\nhotel keeps guides for this excursion, but his charges\nare so high as to be almost prohibitory. I, however,","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0167.jp2"},"168":{"fulltext":"144 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nneeded no guide in addition to my faithful Bennen\nbut simply a porter of suflSicient strength and skill to\nfollow where he led. In the village of Laax Bennen\nfound such a porter a jowag man named Bielander,\nwho had the reputation of being both courageous\nand strong. He was the only son of his mother,\nand she was a widow.\nThis young man and a second porter we sent on\nwith our provisions to the Grrotto of the Faulberg,\nwhere we were to spend the night. Between the\n-liEggischhom and this cave the glacier presents no\ndifficulty which the most ordinary caution caimot\novercome, and the thought of danger in connection\nwith it never occurred to us. An hour and a half\nafter the departure of our porters we slowly wended\nour way to the lake of Marjelin, which we skirted,\nand were soon upon the ice. The middle of the\nglacier was almost as smooth as a carriage-road, cut\nhere and there by musical brooks produced by the\nsuperficial ablation. To Lubbock the scene opened\nout with the freshness of a new revelation, as,\npreviously to this year, he had never been among\nthe glaciers of the Alps. To me, though not new,\nthe region had lost no trace of the interest with\nwhich I first viewed it. We moved briskly along\nthe frozen incline, imtil, after a couple of hours\nmarch, we saw a solitary human being standing on\nthe lateral moraine of the glacier, near the point","height":"2969","width":"1830","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0168.jp2"},"169":{"fulltext":"i862] RESCUE FKOM A CEEVASSE. 145\nwhere we were to quit it for tlie cave of the\nFaulberg.\nAt first this man excited no attention. He stood\nand watched us, but did not come towards us,\nuntil finally our curiosity was aroused by observing\nthat he was one of ovir own two men. The glacier\nhere is always cut by crevasses, which, while they\npresent no real difficulty, require care. We ap-\nproached our porter, but he never moved and when\nwe came up to him he looked stupid, and did not\nspeak until he was spoken to. Bennen addressed\nhim in the patois of the place, and he answered in\nthe same patois. His answer must have been more\nthan usually obscure, for Bennen misunderstood\nthe most important part of it. My Grod he\nexclaimed, tm-ning to us, Walters is killed\nWalters was the guide at the -^ggischhom, with\n.whom, in the present instance, we had nothing to\ndo. No, not Walters, responded the man it is\nmy comrade that is killed. Bennen looked at him\nwith a wild bewildered stare. How killed he\nexclaimed. Lost in a crevasse, was the reply. We\nwere all so stunned that for some moments we did\nnot quite seize the import of the terrible statement.\nBennen at length tossed his arms in the air, ex-\nclaiming, Jesu Maria what am I to do With\nthe swiftness that some ascribe to dreams, I surrounded\nthe fact with imaginary adjuncts, one of which was","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0169.jp2"},"170":{"fulltext":"146 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nthat the man had been drawn dead from the crevasse,\nand was now a corpse in the cave of the Faulberg\nfor I took it for granted that, had he been still\nentombed, his comrade would have run or called\nfor our aid. Several times in succession the porter\naf rmed that the missing man was certainly dead.\nHow does he know that he is dead Lubbock\ndemanded. A man is sometimes rendered insen-\nsible by a fall without being killed. This question\nwas repeated in German, -but met with the same\ndogmatic response. Where is the man I asked.\nThere, replied the porter, stretching his arm to-\nwards the glacier. In the crevasse A stolid\nJa was the answer. It was with difl culty that\nI quelled an imprecation. Lead the way to the\nplace, you blockhead, and he led the way.\nWe were soon beside a wide and jagged cleft\nwhich resembled a kind of cave more than an or-,\ndinary crevasse. This cleft had been spanned by a\nsnow bridge, now broken, and to the edge of which\nfootsteps could be traced. The glacier at the place\nwas Considerably torn, but simple patience was\nthe only thing needed to unravel its complexity.\nThis quality our porter lacked, and, hoping to make\nshorter work of it, he attempted to cross the bridge.\nIt gave way, and he went down, carrying an immense\nload of debris along with him. We looked into the\nhole, at one end of which the vision was cut short\n1","height":"2948","width":"1825","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0170.jp2"},"171":{"fulltext":"1862] RESCUE FROM A CREYASSE. 147\nby darkness, wMle immediately under the broken\nbridge it was crammed with snow and shattered\nicicles. We saw nothing more. We listened with\nstrained attention, and from the depths of the\nglacier issued a low moan. Its repetition assured\nus that it was no delusion the man was still alive.\nBennen from the first had been extremely excited\nand the fact of his having, as a Catholic, saints\nand angels to appeal to, augmented his emotion.\nWhen he heard the moaning he became almost\nfrantic. He attempted to get into the crevasse,\nbut was obliged to recoil. It was quite plain that a\nsecond life was in danger, for my guide seemed to\nhave lost all self-control. I placed my hand heavily\nupon his shoulder, and admonished him that upon\nhis coolness depended the life of his friend. If\nyou behave like a man, we shall save him if like\na woman, he is lost.\nA first-rate rope accompanied the party, but un-\nhappily it was with the man in the crevasse. Coats,\nwaistcoats, and braces were instantly taken off and\nknotted together. I watched Bennen while this\nwork was going on his hands trembled with ex-\ncitement, and his knots were evidently insecure.\nThe last junction complete, he exclaimed, Now let\nme down Not until each of these knots has been\ntested not an inch Two of them gave way, and\nAch, Herr, lie replied to one of my remoustrances, Seia Sie\nnicht so hart.","height":"2945","width":"1661","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0171.jp2"},"172":{"fulltext":"148 HOUES OF EXEBCISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nLubbock s waistcoat also proved too tender for tbe\nstrain. The debris was about forty feet from the\nsurface of the glacier, but two intermediate promi-\nnences afforded a kind of footing. Bennen was\ndropped down upon one of these I followed, being\nlet down by Lubbock and the other porter. Bennen\nthen descended the remaining distance, and was fol-\nlowed by me. More could not find room.\nThe shape and size of the fcavity were such as to\nproduce a kind of resonance, which rendered it\ndifficult to fix the precise spot from which the\nsound issued but the moaning continued, becoming\nto all appearance gradually feebler. Fearing to\nwound the man, the ice-rubbish was cautiously\nrooted away; it rang curiously as it fell into the\nadjacent gloom. A layer two or three feet thick\nwas thus removed and finally, from the frozen mass,\nand so bloodless as to be almost as white as the sur-\nrounding snow, issued a single human hand. The\nfingers moved. EoUnd it we rooted, cleared the arm,\nand reached the knapsack, which we cut away. We\nalso* regained our rope. The man s head was then\nlaid bare, and my brandy-flask was immediately at\nhis lips. He tried to speak, but his words jumbled\nthemselves to a dull moan. Bennen s feelings got\nthe better of him at intervals he wrought like\na hero, but at times he needed guidance and stern\nadmonition. The arms once free, we passed the","height":"2968","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0172.jp2"},"173":{"fulltext":"","height":"2929","width":"1606","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0173.jp2"},"174":{"fulltext":"RECOVERY OF OUR PORTER.","height":"2973","width":"1846","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0174.jp2"},"175":{"fulltext":"i862] RESCUE FROM A CREVASSE. 149\nrope underneath them, and tried to draw the man\nout. But the ice-fragments round him had regelated\nso as to form a solid case. Thrice we essayed to\ndraw him up, thrice we failed; he had literally to\nbe hewn out of the ice, and not until his last foot\nwas extricated were we able to lift him. By pulling\nhim from above, and pushing him from below, the\nman was at length raised to the surface of the glacier.\nFor an hour we had been in the crevasse in shirt-\nsleeves the porter had been in it for two hours\nand the dripping ice had drenched us. Bennen,\nmoreover, had worked with the energy of madness,\nand now the reaction came. He shook as if he\nwould fall to pieces but brandy and some dry\ncovering revived him. The rescued man was help-\nless, unable to stand, unable to utter an articulate\nsentence. Bennen proposed to carry him down the\nglacier towards home. Had this been attempted,\nthe man would certainly have died upon the ice.\nBennen thought he could carry him for two hours\nbut the guide underrated his own exhaustion and\noverrated the vitality of the porter. It cannot be\nthought of, I said to the cave of Faulberg, where\nwe must tend him as well as we can. We got him\nto the side of the glacier, where Bennen took him\non his back in ten minutes he sank under his\nload. It was now my turn, so I took the man on\nmy back and plodded on with him as far as I was","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0175.jp2"},"176":{"fulltext":"150 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nable. Helping each other thus by turns, we reached\nthe mountain grot.\nThe sun had set, and the crown of the Jungfrau\nwas embedded in amber light. Thinking that the\nMarjelin See might be reached before darkness, I\nproposed starting in search of help. Bennen pro-\ntested against my going alone, and I thought I\nnoticed moisture in Lubbock s eye. Such an oc-\ncasion brings out a man s feeling if he have any. I\ngave them both my blessing and made for the glacier.\nBut my anxiety to get quickly clear of the crevasses\ndefeated its own object. Thrice I found myself in\ndifficulty, and the light was visibly departing. The\nconviction deepened that persistence would be folly,\nand the most impressive moment of my existence\nwas that on which I stopped at the brink of a\nprofound fissure and looked upon the mountains and\nthe sky. The serenity was perfect not a cloud,\nnot a breeze, not a sound, while the last hues of\nsunset spread over the solemn west.\nI returned warm wine was given to our patient,\nand all our dry clothes were wrapped around him.\nHot-water bottles were placed at his feet, and his\nback was briskly rubbed. He continued to groan a\nlong time but, finally, both this and the trembling\nceased. Bennen watched him solemnly, and at\nlength muttered in anguish, Sir, he is dead I\nleaned over the man and found him breathing","height":"2977","width":"1818","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0176.jp2"},"177":{"fulltext":"1862] KESCUE FEOM A CREVASSE. 151\ngently I felt his pulse it was beating tranquilly.\nNot dead, dear old Bennen he will be able to\ncrawl home with us in the morning. The pre-\ndiction was justified by the event and two days\nafterwards we saw him at Laax, minus a bit of his\near, with a bruise upon his cheek, and a few scars\nupon his hand, but without a broken bone or serious\ninjury of any kind.\nThe self-denying conduct of the second porter\nmade us forget his stupidity it may have been\nstupefaction. As I lay there wet, through the long\nhours of that dismal night, I almost registered a\nvow never to tread upon a glacier again. But, like\nthe forces in the physical world, human emotions\nvary with the distance from their origin, and a year\nafterwards I was again upon the ice.\nTowards the close of 1862 Bennen and myself\nmade the tour of Monte Eosa, halting for a day\nor two at the excellent hostelry of Delapierre, in\nthe magnificent Val du Lys. We scrambled up the\nGrauhaupt, a point exceedingly favourable to the\nstudy of the conformation of the Alps. We also\nhalted at Alagna and Macugnaga. But, notwith-\nstanding their admitted glory, the Italian valleys\ndid not suit either Bennen or me. We longed\nfor the more tonic air of the northern slopes, and\nwere glad to change the valley of Ansasca for","height":"2945","width":"1649","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0177.jp2"},"178":{"fulltext":"152 HOURS OP EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1882\nthat of Saas. We subsequently, on a perfect day,\ncrossed the Alphubel Joch a very noble pass,\nand by no means difl cult if the ordinary route be\nfollowed. But Bennen and I did not follow that\nroute. We tried to cross the mountains obliquely\nfrom the chalets of Tasch, close under the Alphubel,\nand, as a consequence, encountered on a spur of the\nmountain a danger to which I will not further refer\nthan to say that Bennen s voice is still present to\nme as he said, Ach, Herr es thut mir Leid, Sie\nhier zu sehen.\nRendered in accordance with the tone and sentiment, this\nwould be, Ah sir. it breaks my heart to see you here.","height":"2969","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0178.jp2"},"179":{"fulltext":"1862] THE MATTERHORN— SECOND ASSAULT. 153\nXIV.\nTHE MATTEEHORNSECOND ASSAULT.\nFour years ago I had not entertained a wisli or a\nthought regarding the climbing of the Matterhorn.\nIndeed, assailing mountains of any kind was then\nbut an accidental interlude to less exciting occupa-\ntions upon the glaciers of the Alps. But in 1859\nMr. Vaughan Hawkins had inspected the mountain\nfrom Breuil, and in 1860, on the strength of this\ninspection, he invited me to join him in an attack\nupon the untrodden peak. Gruided by Johann\nBennen, and accompanied by an old chamois-hunter\nnamed Carrel, we tried the mountain, but had to\nhalt midway among its precipices. We returned to\nBreuil with the belief that, if sufficient time could\nbe secured, the summit at least, one summit\nmight be won. Had I felt that we had done our\nbest on this occasion, I should have relinquished all\nfurther thought of the mountain but, unhappily,\nI felt the reverse, and thus a little cloud of dissatis-\nfaction hung round the memory of the attempt.\nIn 1861 I once more looked at the Matterhorn, but,","height":"2937","width":"1644","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0179.jp2"},"180":{"fulltext":"154 HOUKS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nas shown in Chapter X., was forbidden to set foot\nupon it. Finally, in 1862, the desire to finish what\nI felt to be a piece of work only half completed\nbeset me so strongly that I resolved to make a last\nattack upon the unconquered hill.\nThe resolution, as a whole, may have been a rash\none, but there was no rashness displayed in the\ncarrying out of its details. I did not ignore the\nlaw of gravity, but felt, on the contrary, that the\nstrongest* aspirations towards the summit of tlie\nMatterhorn would not prevent precipitation to its\nbase through a false step or a failing grasp. The\ngeneral plan proposed was this Two first-rate\nguides were to be engaged, and, to leave their arms\nfree, they were to be accompanied by two strong\nand expert porters. The party was thus to consist\nof five in all. During the ascent it was proposed\nthat three of those men should always be, not only\nout of danger, but attached firmly to the rocks and\nwhile they were thus secure, it was thought that\nthe remaining two might take liberties, and commit\nthemselves to ventures which would otherwise be\ninexcusable or impossible. With a view to this, I\nhad a rope specially manufactured in London, and\nguaranteed by its maker to bear a far greater strain\nthan was ever likely to be thrown upon it. A light\nladder was also constructed, the two sides of which\nmight be carried like huge alpenstocks, while its","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0180.jp2"},"181":{"fulltext":"1862] THE MATTEKHORN— SECOND ASSAULT. 155\nsteps, whicli could be inserted at any moment, were\nstrapped upon a porter s back. Long iron nails and\na hammer were also among our appliances. Actual\nexperience considerably modified these arrangements,\nand compelled us in almost all cases to resort to\nmethods as much open to a savage as to people\nacquainted with the mechanical arts.\nThroughout the latter half of July rumours from\nthe Matterhorn were rife in the Bernese Oberland,\nand I felt an extreme dislike to add to the gossip.\nWishing, moreover, that others who desired it\nmight have a fair trial, I lingered for nearly three\nweeks among the Bernese and Valasian Alps. This\ntime, however, was not wasted. It was employed in\nburning up the effete matters which nine months\nwork in London had lodged in my muscles in\nrescuing the blood from that fatty degeneration\nwhich a sedentary life is calculated to induce. I\nchose instead of the air of a laboratory that of the\nWetterhom, the Gralenstock, and the mountains\nwhich surround the Great Aletsch glacier. Each\nsucceeding day added to my strength.\nThere is assuredly morality in the oxygen of the\nmountains, as there is immorality in the miasma\nof a marsh, and a higher power than mere brute\nforce lies latent in Alpine mutton. We are re-\ncognising more and more the influence of physical\nelements in the conduct of life, for when the blood","height":"2927","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0181.jp2"},"182":{"fulltext":"156 HOURS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nflows in a purer current the heart is capable of\na higher glow. Spirit and matter are interfused;\nthe Alps improve us totally, and we return from\ntheir precipices wiser as well as stronger men.\nIt is usual for the proprietor of the hotel on the\nulEggischhorn to retain a guide for excursions in the\nneighbourhood and last year he happened to have\nin his employment one Walters, a man of superior\nstrength and energy. He was the house companion\nof Bennen, who was loud in his praise. Thinking\nit would strengthen Bennen, hand and heart, to\nhave so tried a man beside him, I engaged Walters,\nand we all three set off with cheerful spirits to\nZermatt. Thence we* proceeded over the Matter-\njoch and as we descended to Breuil we looked\nlong at the dangerous eminences to our right,\namong which we were to trust ourselves in a day or\ntwo. There was nothing jubilant in our thoughts\nor conversation the character of the work before\nus quelled presumption. We felt nothing that\ncould be called confidence as to the issue of the\nenterprise, but we also felt the inner compactness\nand determination of men who, though they know\ntheir work to be difficult, feel no disposition to\nshrink from it. The Matterhorn, in fact, was our\ntemple, and we aproached it with feelings not un-\nworthy of so great a shrine. Arrived at Breuil, we\nfound that a gentleman, whose long perseverance","height":"2967","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0182.jp2"},"183":{"fulltext":"1862] THE MATTERHORN— SECOND ASSAULT. 157\nmerited victory (and who has since gained it),^ was\nthen upon the mountain. The succeeding day was\nspent in scanning the crags and in making prepara-\ntions. At night Mr. Whymper returned from the\nMatterhorn, having left his tent upon the rocks. In\nthe frankest spirit, he placed it at my disposal, and\nthus relieved me from the necessity of carrying up\nmy own. At Breuil I engaged two porters, both\nnamed Carrel, the youngest of whom was the son\nof the Carrel who accompanied Mr. Hawkins and\nme in 1860, while the other was old Carrel s nephew.\nHe had served as a bersaglier in three campaigns,\nand had fought at the battle of Solferino his\nprevious habits of life rendered him an extremely\nhandy and useful companion, and his climbing\npowers proved also very superior.\nAbout noon on an August day we disentangled\nourselves from the hotel, first slowly sauntering\nalong a small green valley, but soon meeting the\nbluffs, which indicated our approach to uplifted\nland. The bright grass was quickly left behind, and\nsoon afterwards we were toiling laboriously upward\namong the rocks. The Val Tournanche is bounded\non the right by a chain of mountains, the higher\nend of which abutted, in former ages, against\nMatterhorn. But now a gap is cut out between\nboth, and a saddle stretches from the one to the\nMr. Whymper.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0183.jp2"},"184":{"fulltext":"158 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nother. From this saddle a kind of couloir runs\ndownwards, widening out gradually and blending\nwith the gentler slopes below. We held on to the\nrocks to the left of this couloir, until we reached the\nbase of a precipice which fell sheer from the summits\nabove. Water trickled from the upper ledges, and\nthe descent of a stone at intervals admonished us\nthat gravity had here more serious missiles at\ncommand than the drippings of the liquefied snow.\nSo we moved with prudent speed along the base of\nthe precipice, crossing at one place the ice-guUey\nwhere Mr. Whymper nearly lost his life. Imme-\ndiately afterwards we found ourselves upon the\nsaddle which stretches with the curvature of a chain\nto the base of the true Matterhorn. The opening\nout of the western mountains from this point ot\nview is grand and impressive, and with our eyes and\nhearts full of the scene we moved along the saddle,\nand soon came to rest upon the first steep crags of\nthe jreal Monarch of the Alps.\nHere we paused, unlocked our scrip, and had some\nbread and wine. Again and again we looked to the\ncliffs above us, ignorant of the treatment that we\nwere to receive at their hands. We had gathered\nup our traps, and bent to the work before us, when\nsuddenly an explosion occurred overhead. We\nlooked aloft and saw in mid-air a solid shot from\nthe Matterhorn, describing its proper parabola, and","height":"2968","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0184.jp2"},"185":{"fulltext":"1862] THE MATTEKHORN— SECOND ASSAULT. 159\nfinally splitting into fragments as it smote one of\nthe rocky towers in front of us. Down the scattered\nfragments came like a kind of spray, slightly wide\nof us, but still near enough to compel a sharp look-\nout. Two or three such explosions occurred, but we\nchose the back-fin of the mountain for our track,\nand from this the falling stones were speedily\ndeflected right or left. Before the set of sun we\nreached our place of bivouac. A roomy tent was\nalready there, and we had brought with us an\nadditional light one, intended to afford accom-\nmodation to me. It was pitched in the shadow of\na great rock, which seemed to offer a safe barrier\nagainst the cannonade from the heights. Carrel,\nthe soldier, built a platform, on which he placed the\ntent, for the mountain itself furnished no level\nspace of sufficient area.\nMeanwhile, fog, that enemy of tlie climber, came\ncreeping up the valleys, while dense flounces of\ncloud gathered round the hills. As night drew\nnear, the fog thickened through a series of inter-\nmittences which a mountain-land alone can show.\nSudden uprushings of air would often carry the\nclouds aloft in vertical currents, while horizontal\ngusts swept them wildly to and fro. Different\ncurrents impinging upon each other sometimes\nformed whirling cyclones of cloud. The air was\ntortured in its search of equilibrium. Sometimes","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0185.jp2"},"186":{"fulltext":"160 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nall sight of the lower world was cut away then\nagain the fog would melt and show us the sunny\npastures of Breuil smiling far beneath. Sudden\npeals upon the heights, succeeded by the sound of\ntumbling rocks, announced, from time to time, the\ndisintegration of the Matterhorn. We were quite\nswathed in fog when we retired to rest, and had\nscarcely a hope that the morrow s sun would be able\nto dispel the gloom. Throughout the night the\nrocks roared intermittently, as they swept down the\nadjacent couloir. I opened my eyes at midnight,\nand, through a minute hole in the canvas of my\ntent, saw a star. I rose and found the heavens swept\nclear of clouds, while above me the solemn battle-\nments of the Matterhorn were projected against the\nblackened sky.\nAt 2 A.M. we were astir. Carrel made the fire,\nboiled the water, and prepared our coffee. It was\n4 A.M. before we had fairly started. We- adhered as\nlong as possible to the hacked and weather-worn\nspine of the mountain, until at length its disinte-\ngration became too vast. The alternations of sun\nand frost have made wondrous havoc on the southern\nface of the Matterhorn but they have left brown-\nred masses of the most imposing magnitude behind\npillars, and towers, and splintered obelisks, grand in\ntheir hoariness savage, but still softened by the\ncolouring of age. The mountain is a gigantic ruin","height":"2974","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0186.jp2"},"187":{"fulltext":"1862] THE MATTEHIIORN SECOND ASSAULT. 161\nbut its firmer masonry will doubtless bear the\nstocks of another seon. We were compelled to\nquit the ridge, which now swept round and fronted\nus like a wall. The weather had cleft the rock\nclean away, leaving smooth sections, with here and\nthere a ledge barely competent to give a man\nfooting. It was manifest that for some time our\nfight must be severe. We examined the precipice,\nand exchanged opinions. Bennen swerved to the\nright and to the left to render his inspection com-\nplete. There was no choice over this wall we must\ngo, or give up the attempt. We reaehed its base,\nroped ourselves together, and were soon upon the\nface of the precipice. Walters was first, and Bennen\nsecond, both exchanging pushes and pulls. Walters,\nholding on to the narrow ledges above, scraped his\nironshod boots against the cliff, thus lifting himself\nin part by friction. Bennen was close behind,\naiding him with an arm, a knee, or a shoulder.\nOnce upon a ledge, he was able to give Bennen a\nhand. Thus we advanced, straining, bending, and\nclinging to the rocks with a grasp like that of\ndesperation, but with heads perfectly cool. We\nperched upon the ledges in succession each in the\nfirst place making his leader secure, and accepting\nhis help afterwards. A last strong effort threw the\nbody of Walters across the top of the wall and, he\nbeing safe, our success thus far was ensured.","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0187.jp2"},"188":{"fulltext":"162 HOURS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nThis ascent landed us once more upon the ridge,\nwith safe footing on the lodged strata of the disin-\ntegrated gneiss. Pushing upward, we approached\nthe conical summit seen from Breuil the peak,\nhowever, being the end of a nearly horizontal ridge\nforeshortened from below. But before us, and as-\nsuredly as we thought within our grasp, was the\nhighest point of the renowned Matterhorn. Well,\nI remarked to Bennen, we shall at all events win\nthe lower summit. That will not satisfy us, was\nhis reply. I knew he would answer thus, for a\nlaugh of elation, which had something of scorn in\nit, had burst from the party when the true summit\ncame in view. We felt perfectly certain of success\nnot one amongst us harboured a thought of failure.\nIn an hour, cried Bennen, the people at Zermatt\nshall see our flag planted yonder. Up we went in\nthis spirit, with a forestalled triumph making our\nascent a jubilee. We reached the first summit, and\nplanted a flag upon it. Walters, however, who was\nan exceedingly strong and competent guide, but\nwithout the genius which is fired by difficulty, had\npreviously remarked, with reference to the last pre-\ncipice of the mountain, We may still find difficulty\nthere. The same thought had probably brooded in\nother minds still it angered me slightly to hear\nmisgiving obtain audible expression.\nFrom the point on which, we planted our first","height":"2969","width":"1822","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0188.jp2"},"189":{"fulltext":"1862] THE MATTEKHORN SECOND ASSAULT. 163\nflagstaff a hacked and extremely acute ridge ran,\nand abutted against the final precipice. Along this\nwe moved cautiously, while the face of the precipice\ncame clearer and clearer into view. The ridge on\nwhich we stood ran right against it it was the only\nmeans of approach, while ghastly abysses fell on\neither side. We sat down, and inspected the place\nno glass was needed, it was so near. Three out of\nthe four men muttered almost simultaneously, It is\nimpossible. Bennen was the only man of the four\nwho did not utter the word. A jagged stretch o f\nthe ridge still separated us from the precipice. I\npointed to a spot at some distance from the place\nwhere we sat, and asked the three doubters whether\nthat point might not be reached without much\ndanger. We think so, was the reply. Then let\nus go there. We reached the place, and sat down\nthere. The men again muttered despairingly, and\nat length they said distinctly, We must give it up.\nI by no means wished to put on pressure, but direct-\ning their attention to a point at the base of the\nprecipice, I asked them whether they could not\nreach that point without much risk. The reply\nwas, Yes. Then, I said, let us go there. We\nmoved cautiously along, and reached the point\naimed at. The ridge was here split by a deep cleft\nwhich separated it from the final precipice. So\nsavage a spot I had never seen, and I sat down","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0189.jp2"},"190":{"fulltext":"164 HOURS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1862\nupon it witli the sickness of disappointed hope.\nThe summit was within almost a stone s throw of us,\nand the thought of retreat was bitter in the extreme.\nBennen excitedly pointed out a track which he\nthought practicable. He spoke of danger, of diffi-\nculty, never of impossibility; but this was the\nground taken by the other three men.\nAs on other occasions, my guide sought to fix on\nme the responsibility of return, but with the usual\nresult. Where you go I will follow, be it up or\ndown. It took him half an hour to make up his\nmind. But he was finally forced to accept defeat.\nWhat could he do The other men had yielded\nutterly, and our occupation was clearly gone. Hack-\ning a length of six feet from one of the sides of\nour ladder, we planted it on the spot where we\nstopped. It was firmly fixed, and, protected as\nit is from lightning by the adjacent peak, it will\nprobably stand there when those who planted it\nthink no more of the Matterhorn.\nH(fw this wondrous mountain has been formed\nwill be the subject of subseqiient enquiry. It is\nnot a spurt of molten matter ejected from the\nnucleus of the earth from base to summit there is\nno truly igneous rock. It has no doubt been up-\nraised by subterranean forces, but that it has been\nlifted as an isolated mass is not conceivable. It\nmust have formed part of a mighty boss or swelling.","height":"2966","width":"1817","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0190.jp2"},"191":{"fulltext":"1862] THE MATTERHORN SECOND ASSAULT. 165\nfrom which the mountain was subsequently sculp-\ntured. These subjects, however, cannot be well\ndiscussed here. To get down the precipice we had\nscaled in the morning, we had to fix the remaining\nlength of our ladder at the top, to tie our rope\nfirmly on to it, and allow it to hang down the cliff.\nWe slid down it in succession, and there it still\ndangles, for we could not detach it. A tempest of\nhail was here hurled against us as if the Matter-\nhorn, not content with shutting its door in our faces,\nmeant to add an equivalent to the process of kicking\nus downstairs. The ice-pellets certainly hit us as\nbitterly as if they had been thrown in spite, and in\nthe midst of this malicious cannonade we struck\nour tents and returned to Breuil.\n[Three years subsequently, Carrel the bersaglier,\nand some other Val Tournanche men, reached my\nrope, found it bleached to whiteness, but still\nstrong enough to bear the united weights of three\nmen. By it they were enabled to scale the preci-\npice, spend the night at a considerable elevation,\nand, through the scrutiny rendered possible by an\nearly start, to find a way to the summit of the\nMatterhom. They reached the top a day or two\nafter the memorable first ascent from Zermatt.]","height":"2942","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0191.jp2"},"192":{"fulltext":"166 HOUKS OE EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nXV.\nFROM STEIN TO THE GBIMSEL.\nOn the 19th of July 1863 Mr. Philip Lutley Sclater\nand I reached Eeichenbach, and on the following\nday we sauntered up the valley of Hasli, and over\nthe Kirchet to Imhof, where we turned to the left\ninto Gradmenthal. Our destination was Stein, which\nwe reached by a grass-grown road through fine\nscenery. The goatherds were milking when we\narrived. At the heels of one quadruped, supported\nby the ordinary uni-legged stool of the Senner,\nbent a particularly wild and dirty-looking indi-\nvidual, who, our guide informed us, was the pro-\npri^or of the inn. He is but a rough Bauer,\nsaid Jaun, but he has engaged a pretty maiden\nto keep house for him. While he thus spoke a\nlight-footed creature glided from the door towards\nus, and bade us welcome. She led us upstairs,\nprovided us with baths, took our orders for dinner,\nhelped us by her suggestions, and answered all\nour questions with the utmost propriety and\ngrace. She had been two years in England, and","height":"2969","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0192.jp2"},"193":{"fulltext":"1863] FEOM STEIN TO THE GRIMSEL. 167\nBpoke English with a particularly winning accent.\nHow she came to be associated with the unkempt\nindividual outside was a puzzle to both of us. It is\nEmerson, I think, who remarks on the benefit which\na beautiful face, without trouble to itself, confers\nupon him who looks at it. And, though downright\nbeauty could hardly be claimed for our young\nhostess, she was handsome enough and graceful\nenough to brighten a tired traveller s thoughts, and\nto raise by her presence the modest comforts she\ndispensed to the level of luxuries.^\nIt rained all night, and at 3.30 a.m., when we were\ncalled, it still fell heavily. At 5, however, the\nclouds began to break, and half an hour afterwards\nthe heavens were swept quite clear of them. At 6\nwe bade our pretty blossom of the Alps good-bye.\nShe had previously brought her gentle influence to\nbear upon her master to m.oderate the extortion of\nsome of his charges. We were soon upon the Stein\nglacier, and after some time reached a col from\nThackeray, in his Peg of Limavady/ is perhaps more to the\npoint than Emerson\nPresently a maid\nEnters with the liquor\nHalf a pint of ale\nFrothing in a beaker\nAs she came she smiled,\nAnd the smile bewitching,\nOn my word and honour,\nLighted all the kitchen.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0193.jp2"},"194":{"fulltext":"168 HOUES OF EXEllCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nwMch we looked do-wn upon the lower portion of the\nnobler and more instructive Trift glacier. Brown\nbands were drawn across the ice-stream, forming\ngraceful loops with their convexities turned down-\nwards. The higher portions of the glacier were not\nin view still those bands rendered the inference\nsecure that an ice-fall existed higher up, at the base\nof which the bands had originated. We shot down\na shingly couloir to the Trift, and looking up the\nglacier the anticipated cascade came into view. At\nits bottom the ice, by pressure, underwent that\nnotable change, analogous to slaty cleavage, which\ncaused the glacier to weather and gather dirt in\nparallel grooves, thus marking upon its surface the\ndirection of its interior lamination.\nThe ice-cascade being itself impracticable, we\nscaled the rocks to the left of it, and were soon in\npresence of the far-stretching snow-fields from which\nthe lower glacier derives nutriment. With a view\nto hidden crevasses, we here roped ourselves together.\nThe sun was strong, its direct and reflected blaze\ncombining against us. The scorching warmth ex-\nperienced at times by cheeks, lips, and neck indi-\ncated that in my case mischief was brewing but the\neyes being well protected by dark spectacles, I was\ncomparatively indifferent to the prospective dis-\nfigurement of my face. Mr. Sclater was sheltered by\na veil, a mode of defence which the habit of gcing","height":"2977","width":"1821","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0194.jp2"},"195":{"fulltext":"1863] FEOM STEIN TO THE GRIMSEL. 169\ninto places requiring the unimpeded eyesight has\ncaused me to neglect.\nThere would seem to be some specific quality in\nthe sun s rays which produces the irritation of the\nskin experienced in the Alps. The solar heat may\nbe compared, in point of quantity, with that radi-\nated from a furnace and the heat encountered by\nthe mountaineer on Alpine snows is certainly less\nintense than that endured by workmen in many of\nour technical operations. But the terrestrial heat\nappears to lack the quality which gives the solar\nrays their power. The sun is incomparably richer\nin what are called chemical rays than are our fires,\nand to such rays the irritation may be due. The\nkeen air of the heights may also have much to do\nwith it. As a remedy for sunburn I have tried\nglycerine, and found it a failure. The ordinary lip-\nsalve of the druggists shops is also worse than\nuseless but pure cold-cream, for a supply of which\nI have often had occasion to thank a friend, is an\nexcellent ameliorative.\nAfter considerable labour we reached the ridge\na very glorious one as regards the view which forms\nthe common boundary of the Ehone and Trift\nglaciers.^ Before us and behind us for many a mile\nfell the dazzling neves, down to the points where the\nSeven years previously Mr. Huxley and myself had attempted t6\nreach this col from the other side.","height":"2944","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0195.jp2"},"196":{"fulltext":"170 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\ngrey ice emerging from its white coverlet declared\nthe junction of snow-field and glacier. We had\nplodded on for hours soddened by the solar heat and\nparched with thirst. There was\nWater, water everywhere,\nBut not a drop to drink\nfor, when placed in the mouth, the liquefaction of\nthe ice was so slow, and the loss of heat from the\nsurrounding tissues so painful, that sucking it was\nworse than total abstinence. In the midst of this\nsolid water you might die of thirst. At some dis-\ntance below; the col, on the Ehone side, the musical\ntrickle of water made itself audible, and to the\nrocks from which it fell we repaired, and refreshed\nourselves. The day was far spent, the region was\nwild and lonely, when, beset by that feeling which\nhas often caused me to wander singly in the Alps, I\nbroke away from my companions, and went rapidly\ndown i-he glacier. Our guide had previously in-\nformed me that before reaching the cascade of the\nEhone the ice was to be forsaken, and the Grrimsel,\nour destination, reached by skirting the base of the\npeak called Nagelis Grratli. After descending the\nice for some time I struck the bounding rocks, and,\nclimbing the mountain obliquely, found myself among\nthe crags which lie between the Grimsel pass and\nthe Ehone glacier. It was an exceedingly desolate","height":"2969","width":"1830","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0196.jp2"},"197":{"fulltext":"1863] ¥EOM STEIN TO THE GKIMSEL. 17 1\nplace, and I soon had reason to doubt the wisdom, of\nbeing there alone. Still difficulty rouses powers of\nwhich we should otherwise remain imconscious. The\nheat of the day had rendered me weary, but among\nthese rocks the weariness vanished, and I became\nclear in mind and fresh in body through the know-\nledge that after nightfall escape from this wilder-\nness would be impossible.\nI reached the watershed of the region, where I\naccepted the guidance of a tiny stream. It received\nin its course various lateral tributaries, and at one\nplace expanded into a small blue lake bounded by\nbanks of snow. I kept along its side afterwards\nuntil, arching over a brow of granite, it discharged\nitself down precipitous and glaciated rocks. Here\nI learned that the stream was the feeder of the\nGrrimsel lake. I halted on the brow for some time.\nThe hospice was in sight, but the precipices between\nit and me seemed desperately forbidding. Nothing\nis more trying to the climber than those cliflfs which\nhave been polished by the ancient glaciers. Even\nat moderate inclinations, as may be learned from an\nexperiment on the HoUenplatte, or some other of\nthe polished rocks in Haslithal, they are not easy.\nI need hardly say that the inclination of the rocks\nflanking the Grrimsel is the reverse of moderate.\nIt is dangerously steep.\nHow to get down these smooth and precipitous","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0197.jp2"},"198":{"fulltext":"172 HOUKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\ntablets was now a problem of the utmost interest to\nme for tbe day was too far gone, and I was too ig-\nnorant of tbe locality, to permit of time being spent\nin the search of an easier place of descent. Eight\nor left of me I saw none. The continuity of the\ncliffs below me was occasionally broken by cracks\nand narrow ledges, with scanty grass-tufts sprouting\nfrom them here and there. The problem was to get\ndown from crack to crack and from ledge to ledge.\nA salutary anger warms the mind when thus chal-\nlenged, and, aided by this warmth, close scrutiny will\ndissolve difficulties which timidity might render\ninsuperable. Bit by bit I found myself getting\nlower, closely examining at every pause the rocks\nbelow me. The grass-tufts helped me for a time,\nbut at length a slab was reached where no friendly\ngrass could grow. This slab was succeeded by others\nequally forbidding. I looked upwards, thinking of\nretreat, but the failing day urged me on. From the\nmiddle of the smooth surface jutted a narrow ledge.\nGrrasping the top of the rock, I let myself down as\nfar as my stretched arms would permit, and then\nlet go my hold. I came upon the ledge with an\nenergy that alarmed me. A downward-pointing\ncrack with a streak of grass in it was next attained\nit terminated in a small, steep guUey, the portion of\nwhich within view was crossed by three transverse\nledges, and I judged that by friction the motion","height":"2974","width":"1828","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0198.jp2"},"199":{"fulltext":"1863] FROM STEIN TO THE GEIMSEL. 173\ndown the groove could be so regulated as to enable\nme to come to rest at eacb successive ledge. But\nthe rush was unexpectedly rapid, and I shot over\nthe first ledge. Having some power in reserve, I\ntried to clamp myself against the rock, but the\nsecond ledge was crossed like the first. The wish to\nspare clothes or avoid abrasions of the skin here\nvanished, and for dear life I grappled with the rock.\nBraces gave way, clothes were rent, wrists and hands\nwere skinned and bruised, while hips and knees\nsuffered variously. The motion however ended. I\nwas greatly heated, but immensely relieved otherwise.\nA little lower down I discovered a singular cave in\nthe mountain-side, with water dripping from its roof\ninto a well of crystal clearness. The ice-cold liquid\nsoon restored me to a normal temperature. I felt\nquite fresh on entering the Grimsel inn, but a\ncurious physiological effect manifested itself when I\nhad occasion to speak. The power of the brain over\nthe lips was so lowered that I could hardly make\nmyself understood.","height":"2945","width":"1664","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0199.jp2"},"200":{"fulltext":"174 HOUES OF EXEKOISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nXVI.\nTHE OBERAAEJOCH.\nADVENTUEE AT THE ^GGISCHHOEN.\nMy guide Bennen readied the Grrimsel the following\nmorning. Uncertain of my own movements, I had\npermitted him this year to make a new engagement,\nwhich he was now on his way to fulfil. As a moun-\ntaineer, Bennen had no superior, and he added to\nhis strength, courage, and skill, the qualities of a\nnatural gentleman. He was now ready to bear us\ncompany over the Oberaarjoch to the ^ggischhorn.\nOn the morning of the 22nd we bade the cheerless\nGrimsel inn good-bye, reached the Unteraar glacier,\ncrossed its load of uncomfortable moraine shingle,\nand clambered up the slopes at the other side.\nNestled aloft in a higher valley was the Oberaar\nglacier, along the unruffled surface of which our\nroute lay.\nThe morning threatened, and fitful gleams of sun-\nlight wandered over the ice. The Joch was swathed\nin mist, which now and then gave way, permitting a\nwild radiance to shoot over the top. On the windy\nsummit we took a mouthful of food and roped our-","height":"2967","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0200.jp2"},"201":{"fulltext":"1863] THE OBEEAAEJOCn. 175\nselves together. Plere, as in a hundred other places,\nI sought in the fog for the vesicles of De Saussure,\nbut failed to find them. Bennen, as long as we -were\non the Berne side of the col, permitted Jaun to take\nthe lead but now we looked into Wallis, or rather\ninto the fog which filled it, and he, as Wallis guide,\ncame to the front. I knew the Viesch glacier well,\nbut how Bennen meant to unravel its difficulties\nwithout landmarks I knew not. I asked him whether,\nif the fog continued, he could make his way down\nthe glacier. There was a pleasant timbre in Bennen s\nvoice, a light and depth in his smile, due to the\nblending together of conscious strength and warm\naffection. With this smile he turned round and\nsaid, Herr, ich bin hier zu Hause. Der Viescher\nGletscher ist meine Heimath.\nDownwards we went, striking the rocks of the\nEothhorn so as to avoid the riven ice. Suddenly we\npassed from dense fog into clear air we had crossed\nthe cloud-plane, and found a transparent atmo-\nsphere between it and the glacier. The dense\ncovering above us was sometimes torn asunder by\nthe wind, which whirled the detached cloud-tufts\nround the peaks. Contending air-currents were thus\nrevealed, and thunder, which is the common asso-\nciate, if not the product, of such contention, began\nto rattle am.ong the crags. At first the snow upon\nthe glacier was sufficiently heavy to bridge the\ncrevasses, thus permitting of rapid motion but by","height":"2943","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0201.jp2"},"202":{"fulltext":"176 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\ndegrees tlie fissures opened, and at length drove us\nto tlie rocks. These in their turn became imprac--\nti cable. Dropping down a waterfall well known to\nthe climbers of this region, we came again upon the\nice, which was here cut by complex chasms. These\nwe unravelled as long as necessary, and finally es-\ncaped from them to the mountain-side. The first\nbig drops of a thunder-shower were already falKng\nwhen we reached an overhanging crag which gave us\nshelter. We quitted it too soon, beguiled by a\ntreacherous gleam of blue, and were thoroughly\ndrenched before we reached the ^ggischhorn.\nThis was my last excursion with Bennen. In the.\nmonth of February of the following year he was\nkilled by an avalanche on the Haut de Cry, a\nmountain near Sion.^\nHaving work to execute, I remained at the\njEggischhorn for nearly a month in 1863. My\nfavourite place for rest and writing was a point on\nthe mountain-side about an hour westwards from the\nhotel, where the mighty group of the Mischabel, the\nMatterhorn, and the Weisshorn were in full view.\nOne day I remained in this position longer than\nusual, held by the fascination of the setting sun.\nBennen s death is described in Chapter XVIII. A liberal col-\nlection was made in England for his mother and sisters and Mr.\nHawkins, Mr. Tuekett, and myself had a small monument erected\nto his memory in Ernan churchyard. The supervision of the work\nwas entrusted to a clerical friend of Bennen s, who made but a\npoor use of his trust.","height":"2975","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0202.jp2"},"203":{"fulltext":"1863] ADYENTUKE AT THE ^aGlSCHHORN. 177\nThe mountains bad stood out nobly clear during tbe\nentire day, but towards evening, upon tbe Dom, a\nsingular cloud settled, wbicb was finally drawn into\na long streamer by tbe wind. Nothing can be finer\nthan the efifect of the red light of sunset on those\nstreamers of cloud. Incessantly dissipated, but ever\nrenewed, they glow with the intensity of flames. By-\nand-by the banner broke, resembling in its action\nthat of a liquid cylinder when unduly stretched,\nforming a series of crimson cloud-balls which were\nunited by slender filaments of fire. I waited for this\nglory to fade into a deadly pallor before I thought\nof returning to the hotel.\nOn arriving there I found discussed with eager\ninterest the fate of two ladies and a gentleman, who\nhad quitted the hotel in the morning without a guide,\nand who were now, it was said, lost on the mountain.\nI recommended them, said Herr Wellig, the land-\nlord, to take a guide, but they would not heed me.\nI asked him what force he had at hand. Three\nactive young fellows came immediately forward..\nTwo of them I sent across the mountain by the\nusual route to the Marjelin See, and the third I\ntook with myself along the watercourse of the\n^ggischhorn. After some walking we dipped into\na little dell, where the glucking of cowbells an-\nnounced the existence of chalets. The party had\nbeen seen passing there in the morning, but not","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0203.jp2"},"204":{"fulltext":"178 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nreturning. The embankment of the watercourse\nfell at some places vertically for twenty or thirty\nfeet. Here I thought an awkward slip might have\noccurred, and, to meet the possibility of having to\ncarry a wounded man, I took an additional lithe\nyoung fellow from the chalet.\nWe shouted as we went along, but the echoes were\nour only response. Our pace was rapid, and in the\ndubious light false steps were frequent. We all at\nintervals mistook the grey water for the grey and\nnarrow track beside it, and stepped into the stream.\nWe proposed ascending to the chalets of Marjelin,\nbut previous to quitting the watercourse we halted,\nand, directing our voices down hill, shouted a last\nshout. And faintly up the mountain came a sound\nwhich could not be an echo. We all heard it, though\nit could hardly be detached from the murmur of the\nadjacent stream. We went rapidly down the Alp,\nand after a little time shouted again. More audible\nthan before, but still verv faint, came the answer\nfromi below. We continued at a headlong pace, and\nsoon assured ourselves that the sound was not only\nthat of a human voice, but of an English voice.\nThus stimulated, we swerved to the left, and, re-\ngardless of a wetting, dashed through the torrent\nwhich tumbles from the Marjelin See. Close to the\nViesch glacier we found the objects of our search\nthe two ladies, tired out, seated upon the threshold","height":"2964","width":"1810","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0204.jp2"},"205":{"fulltext":"1863] ADVENTUKE AT THE ^GGISCHHOEN. 179\nof a forsaken chalet, and the gentleman seated on a\nrock beside them.\nHe was both an experienced climber and a brave\nman, but he had started with a sprained ankle, and\nevery visitor knows how bewildering the spurs of\nthe -^ggischhorn are, even to those whose tendons\nare sound. Thus weakened, he was overtaken by\nthe night, lost his way, and, in his efiforts to\nextricate himself, had experienced one or two\nserious tumbles. Finally, giving up the attempt,\nhe had resigned himself to spending the night\nwhere we found him. The ladies were quite tired\nout, and to reach the ^ggischhorn that night was\nout of the question. I tried the chalet door and\nfound it locked, but an ice-axe soon hewed the bolt\naway, and forced an entrance. There was some\npinewood within, and some old hay, which, under\nthe circumstances, formed a delicious couch for the\nladies. In a few minutes a fire was blazing and\ncrackling in the chimney corner. Having thus\nsecured them, I returned to the chalets first passed,\nsent them bread, butter, cheese, and milk, and had\nthe lively gratification of seeing them return safe\nand sound to the hotel next morning.","height":"2945","width":"1649","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0205.jp2"},"206":{"fulltext":"180 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nXVII.\nASCENT OF THE JUNGFRAU.\nI HAD spent nearly a fortnight at the -ilEggischhom\nin 1863, employing alternate days in wandering and\nmusing over the green Alps, and in more vigorous\naction upon the Aletsch glacier. Day after day a\nblue sky spanned the earth, and night after night\nthe stars glanced down from an unclouded heaven.\nThere is no nobler mountain group in Switzerland\nthan that seen on a fine day from the middle of the\nAletsch glacier looking southwards while to the\nnorth and more close at hand, rise the Jungfrau\nand other summits familiar to every tourist who\nhas crossed the Wengern Alp. The love of being\nalone amid those scenes caused me, on the 3rd of\nAugust, to withdraw from all society, and ascend\nthe glacier, which for nearly two hours was almost\nas even as a highway, no local danger calling away\nthe attention from the near and distant moun-\ntains. The ice yielded to the sun, rills were\nformed, which united to rivulets, and these again\ncoalesced to rapid brooks, which ran with a pleasant","height":"2964","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0206.jp2"},"207":{"fulltext":"1863] ASCENT OF THE JUNGFRAU. 181\nmusic through deep channels cut in the ice. Sooner\nor later these brooks were crossed by cracks into\nthese cracks the water fell, scooping gradually out\nfor itself a vertical shaft, the resonance of which\nraised the sound of the falling water to the dig-nity\nof thunder. These shafts constitute the so-called\nmoulins of the glacier, examples of which are shown\nupon the Mer de Griace to every tourist who visits\nthe Jardin from Chamouni. The moulins can only\nform where the glacier is not much riven, as here\nalone the rivulets can acquire the requisite volume\nto produce a moulin.\nAfter two hours ascent, the ice began to wear a\nmore hostile aspect, and long stripes of last year s\nsnow drawn over the sullied surface marked the\nlines of crevasses now partially filled and bridged\nover. For a time this snow was consolidated, and\nI crossed numbers of the chasms, sounding in each\ncase before trusting myself to its tenacity. But as\nI ascended, the width and depth of the fissures\nincreased, and the fragility of the snow-bridges\nbecame more conspicuous. The crevasses yawned\nhere and there with threatening gloom, while along\ntheir fringes the crystallising power of water\nplayed the most fantastic freaks. Long lines ot\nicicles dipped into the darkness, and at some places\nthe liquefied snow had refrozen into clusters of\nplates, ribbed and serrated like the leaves of ferns.\n9","height":"2941","width":"1701","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0207.jp2"},"208":{"fulltext":"182 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nThe cases in which the snow covering of the cre-\nvasses, when tested by the axe, yielded, became\ngradually more numerous, demanding commensurate\ncaution. It is impossible to feel otherwise than\nearnest in such scenes as this, with the noblest and\nmost beautiful objects in nature around one, with\nthe sense of danger raising the feelings at times to\nthe level of awe.\nMy way upwards became more and more difficult,\nand circuit after circuit had to be made to round\nthe gaping fissures. There is a passive cruelty in\nthe aspect of these chasms sufficient to make the\nblood run cold. Among them it is not good for\nman to be alone, so I halted in the midst of them\nand swerved back towards the Faulberg. But instead\nof it I struck the lateral tributary of the Aletsch,\nwhich runs up to the Grriinhorn Liicke. In this\npassage I was more than once entangled in a mesh\nof fissures but it is marvellous what steady, cool\nscrutiny can accomplish upon the ice, and how often\ndifficulties of apparently the gravest kind may be\nreduced to a simple form by skilful examination.\nI tried to get along the rocks to the Faulberg, but\nafter investing half an hour in the attempt I thought\nit prudent to retreat. I finally reached the Faul-\nberg by the glacier, and with great comfort consumed\nmy bread and cheese and emptied my goblet in the\nshadow of its caves. On this day it was my desire","height":"2948","width":"1815","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0208.jp2"},"209":{"fulltext":"1863] ASCENT OF THE JTJNGFRAU. 183\nto get near the buttresses of the Jungfrau, and to\nsee what prospect of success a lonely climber would\nhave in an attempt upon the mountain. Such an\nattempt might doubtless be made, but at a risk\nwhich no sane man would willingly incur.\nOn August 6, however, I had the pleasure of\njoining Dr. Hornby and Mr. Philpotts, who, with\nChristian Aimer and Christian Lauener for their\nguides, wished to ascend the Jungfrau. We quitted\nthe ^ggischhorn at 2.15 p.m., and in less than four\nhours reached the grottoes of the Faulberg. A\npine fire was soon blazing, a pan of water soon\nbubbling sociably over the flame, and the evening\nmeal was quickly prepared and disposed of. For a\ntime the air behind the Jungfrau and Monk was\nexceedingly dark and threatening rain was stream-\ning down upon Lauterbrunnen, and the skirt of the\nstorm wrapped the summits of the Jungfrau and the\nMonk. Southward, however, the sky was clear, and\nthere were such general evidences of hope that we\nwere not much disheartened by the local burst of\nill-temper displayed by the atmosphere to the\nnorth of us. Like a gust of passion the clouds\ncleared away, and before we went to rest all was*\nsensibly clear. Still the air was not transparent,\nand for a time the stars twinkled through it with\na feeble ray. There was no visible turbidity, but a\nsomething which cut oflf half the stellar brilliancy.","height":"2936","width":"1699","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0209.jp2"},"210":{"fulltext":"184 HOtTRS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nThe starlight, however, became gradually stronger,\nnot on account of the augmenting darkness, but be-\ncause the air became clarified as the night advanced.\nTwo of our party occupied the upper cave, and the\nguides took possession of the kitchen, while a third\nlay in the little grot below. Hips and ribs felt\nthroughout the night the pressure of the subjacent\nrock. A single blanket, moreover, though sufl cient\nto keep out the pain of cold, was insufiicient to\ninduce the comfort of warmth so I lay awake in a\nneutral condition, neither happy nor unhappy, watch-\ning the stars without emotion as they appeared in\nsuccession above the mountain-heads.\nAt half-past 12 a rumbling in the kitchen showed\nthe guides to be alert, and soon afterwards Christian\nAimer announced that tea was prepared. We rose,\nconsumed a crust and basin each, and at 1.15 a.m.,\nbeing perfectly harnessed, we dropped down upon\nthe glacier. The crescent moon was in the sky,\nbujj for a long time we had to walk in the shadow\nof the mountains, and therefore required illumina-\ntion. The bottoms were knocked out of two empty\nbottles, and each of these, inverted, formed a kind\nof lantern which protected from the wind a candle\nstuck in the neck. Aimer went first, holding his\nlantern in his left hand and his axe in the right,\nmoving cautiously along the snow which, as the\nresidue of the spring avalanches, fringed the glacier.","height":"2975","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0210.jp2"},"211":{"fulltext":"1863] ASCENT OP THE JUNGFKAU. 185\nAt times, for no apparent reason, the leader paused\nand struck his ice-axe into the snow. Looking\nright or left, a chasm was always discovered in\nthese cases, and the cautious guide sounded the\nsnow, lest the fissure should have prolonged itself\nunderneath so as to cross our track. A tributary\nglacier joined the Aletsch from our right a long\ncorridor filled with ice, and covered by the purest\nsnow. Down this valley the moonlight streamed,\nsilvering the surface upon which it fell.\nHere we cast our lamps away, and roped ourselves\ntogether. To our left a second long ice-corridor\nstretched up to the Lotsch saddle, which hung like\na chain between the opposing moimtains. In fact,\nat this point four noble ice-streams form a junction,\nand flow afterwards in the common channel of the\nGreat Aletsch glacier. Perfect stillness might have\nbeen expected to reign upon the ice, but even at\nthat early hour the gurgle of subgiacial water\nmade itself heard, and we had to be cautious in\nsome places lest a too thin crust might let us in.\nWe went straight up the glacier, towards the col\nwhich links the Monk and Jungfrau together. The\nsurface was hard, and we went rapidly and silently\nover the snow. There is an earnestness of feeling on\nsuch occasions which subdues the desire for conversa-\ntion. The communion we held was with the solemn\nmountains and their background of dark blue sky.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0211.jp2"},"212":{"fulltext":"186 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nDer Tag bricht exclaimed one of the men. I\nlooked towards the eastern heaven, but could dis-\ncover no illumination which hinted at the approach\nof day. At length the dawn really appeared,\nbrightening the blue of the eastern firmament;\nat first it was a mere augmentation of cold\nlight, but by degrees it assumed a warmer tint.\nThe long uniform incline of the glacier being\npassed, we reached the first eminences of snow\nwhich heave like waves around the base of the\nJungfrau. This is the region of beauty in the\nhigher Alps beauty pure and tender, out of which\nemerges the savage scenery of the peaks. For the\nhealthy and the pure in heart these higher snow-\nfields are consecrated ground.\nThe snow bosses were soon broken by chasms\ndeep and dark, which required tortuous winding on\nour part to get roimd them. Having surmounted a\nsteep slope, we passed to some red and rotten rocks,\nwhich required care on the part of those in front to\nprevent the loose and slippery shingle from falling\nupon those behind. We gained the ridge and\nwound along it. High snow eminences now flanked\nus to the left, and along the slope over which we\npassed the siracs had shaken their frozen boul-\nders. We tramped amid the knolls of the fallen\navalanches towards a white wall which, so far as we\ncould see, barred further progress. To our right","height":"2967","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0212.jp2"},"213":{"fulltext":"1863] ASCENT OF THE JUNGFEAU. 187\nwere noble chasms, blue and profound, torn into the\nheart of the neve by the slow but resistless drag of\ngravity on the descending snows. Meanwhile the\ndawn had brightened into perfect day, and over\nmountains and glaciers the gold and purple light\nof the eastern heaven was liberally poured. We\nhad already caught sight of the peak of the\nJungfrau, rising behind an eminence and piercing\nfor fifty feet or so the rosy dawn. And many\nanother peak of stately altitude caught the blush,\nwhile the shaded slopes were all of a beautiful azure,\nbeing illuminated by the firmament alone. A large\nsegment of space enclosed between the Monk and\nTrugberg was filled like a reservoir with purple\nlight. The world, in fact, seemed to worship, and\nthe flush of adoration was on every mountain-head.\nOver the distant Italian Alps rose clouds of the\nmost fantastic forms, jutting forth into the heavens\nlike enormous trees, thrusting out umbrageous\nbranches which bloomed and glistened in the solar\nrays. Along the whole southern heaven these fan-\ntastic masses were ranged close together, but still\nperfectly isolated, until on reaching a certain altitude\nthey seemed to meet a region of wind which blew\ntheir tops like streamers far away through the air.\nWarmed and tinted by the morning sun those unsub-\nstantial masses rivalled in grandeur the mountains\nthemselves.","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0213.jp2"},"214":{"fulltext":"188 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nThe final peak of the Jungfrau is now before us,\nand apparently so near But the mountaineer\nalone knows how delusive the impression of nearness\noften is in the Alps. To reach the slope which led\nup to the peak we must scale or round the harrier\nalready spoken of. From the coping and the ledges\nof this beautiful wall hung long stalactites of ice,\nin some cases like inverted spears, with their sharp\npoints free in air. In other cases, the icicles which\ndescended from the overhanging top reached a\nprojecting lower ledge, and stretched like a crystal\nrailing from the one to the other. To the right of\nthis barrier was a narrow gangway, from which the\nsnow had not yet broken away so as to form a\nvertical or overhanging wall. It was one of those\naccidents which the mountains seldom fail to fur-\nnish, and on the existence of which the success of the\nclimber entirely depends. Up this steep and narrow\ngangway we cut our steps, and a few minutes placed\nus safely at the bottom of the final pyramid of the\nJungfrau.\nFrom this point we could look down into the\nabyss of the Eoththal, and certainly its wild environs\nseemed to justify the uses to which superstition\nhas assigned the place. For here it is said the\noriginal demons of the mountains hold their orgies,\nand hither the spirits of the doubly-damned among\nmen are sent to bear them company. The slope up","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0214.jp2"},"215":{"fulltext":"1863] ASCENT OF THE JUNOFEAU. 189\nwhich we had now to climb was turned towards the\nsun its aspect was a southern one, and its snows\nhad been melted and recongealed to hard ice. The\naxe of Aimer rung against the obdurate solid, and\nits fragments whirred past us with a weird-like\nsound to the abysses below. They suggested the\nfate which a false step might bring along with it.\nIt is a practical tribute to the strength and skill of\nthe Oberland guides that no disaster has hitherto\noccurred upon the peak of the Jungfrau.\nThe work upon this final ice-slope was long and\nheavy, and during this time the summit appeared\nto maintain its distance above us. We at length\ncleared the ice, and gained a stretch of snow which\nenabled us to treble our upward speed. Thence to\nsome loose and shingly rocks, again to the snow,\nwhence a sharp edge led directly up to the top.\nThe exhilaration of success was here added to that\nderived from physical nature. On the top fluttered\na little black flag, planted by our most recent\npredecessors. We reached it at 7.15 a.m., having\naccomplished the ascent from the Faulberg in six\nhours. The snow was flattened on either side of\nthe apex so as to enable us all to stand upon it,\nand here we stood for some time, with all the\nmagnificence of the Alps unrolled before us.\nWe may look upon those mountains again and\nagain from a dozen difi erent points of view, a","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0215.jp2"},"216":{"fulltext":"190 HOUES OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1863\nperennial glory surrounds them which associates with\nevery new prospect fresh impressions. I thought\nI had scarcely ever seen the Alps to greater advan-\ntage. Hardly ever was their majesty more fully\nrevealed or more overpowering. The colouring of\nthe air contributed as much to the effect .as the\ngrandeur of the masses on which that colouring fell.\nA calm splendour overspread the mountains, soften-\ning the harshness of the outlines without detracting\nfrom their strength. But half the interest of such\nscenes is psychological the soul takes the tint of sur-\nrounding nature, and in its turn becomes majestic.\nAnd as I looked over this wondrous scene towards\nMont Blanc, the Grand Combin, the Dent Blanche,\nthe Weisshorn, the Dom, and the thousand lesser\npeaks which seemed to join in celebration of the\nrisen day, I asked myself, as on previous occasions\nHow was this colossal work performed? Who\nchiselled these mighty and picturesque masses out of\na i»ere protuberance of the earth And the answer\nwas at hand. Ever young, ever mighty with the\nvigour of a thousand worlds still within him ^the\nreal sculptor was even then climbing up the eastern\nsky. It was he who raised aloft the waters which\ncut out these ravines it was he who planted the\nglaciers on the mountain-slopes, thus giving gravity\na plough to open out the valleys and it is he who,\nacting through the ages, will finally lay low these","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0216.jp2"},"217":{"fulltext":"1863] ASCENT OF THE JUNOFKAU. 191\nmighty monuments, rolling them gradually sea-\nward\nSowing tho seeds of continents to be\nSO that the people of an older earth may see mould\nspread and com wave over the hidden rocks which\nat this moment bear the weight of the Jungfrau.\nEight yeaxs ago I was evidently a sun-worshipper nor have I\nyet lost the oonviction of his ability to do all here ascribed to him.\nJ.T., 1871.","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0217.jp2"},"218":{"fulltext":"192 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nXVIII.\nDEATH OF BENNEN ON THE HA UT DE CRT.\n4\nBy PHILIP C. GOSSETT.\n[On a Marcli morning in 1864 I was returning to town\nfrom Chislehurst, when my attention was directed to an\naccount of an Alpine disaster published in that day s\nTimes. No names were mentioned, and I commented,\nrather severely on the rashness of trusting to mountain-\nsnow so early in the year. On the following day I learned\nthat my brave Bennen was one of the victims. Mr. P. C.\nGossett wrote for the Alpine Journal a Narrative of the\nAccident, which, through the obliging kindness of the\nauthor, I am enabled to publish here. Mr. Gossett was\naccompanied by his friend M. Boissonnet on the fatal day.]\nOn February 28, 1864, we left Sion with Bennen to\nmount the Haut de Cry. We started at 2.15 a.m.\nin a light carriage that brought us to the village of\nArdon, distant six miles. We there met three men\nthat were to accompany us as local guides and\nporters Jean Joseph Nance, Frederic Eebot, who","height":"2966","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0218.jp2"},"219":{"fulltext":"1864] DEATH OF EENNEN. 193\nacted as my personal guide, and Auguste Bevard.\nWe at once began to ascend on the right hank of\nthe Lyzeme. The night was splendid, the sky\ncloudless, and the moon shining brightly. For\nabout half an hour we went up through the vine-\nyards by a rather steep path, and then entered the\nvalley of the Lyzeme, about 700 feet above the\ntorrent. We here found a remarkably good path,\ngradually rising and leading towards the Col de\nCheville. Having followed this path for about\nthree hours, we struck off to the left, and began\nzigzagging up the mountain-side through a pine\nforest. We had passed what may be called the snow-\nline in winter a little above 2,000 feet. We had not\nascended for more than a quarter of an hour in this\npine forest before the snow got very deep and very\nsoft. We had to change leader every five or six\nminutes, and even thus our progress was remarkably\nslow. We saw clearly that, should the snow be as\nsoft above the fir region, we should have to give up\nthe ascent. At 7 a.m. we reached a chalet, and\nstopped for about twej^ty minutes to rest and look\nat the sunrise on the Diablerets. On observing an\naneroid, which we had brought with us, we found\nthat we were at the height of about 7,000 feet the\ntemperature was 1° C.\nThe Haut de Cry has four aretes, the first running\ntowards the W., the second SE., the third E., and","height":"2937","width":"1678","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0219.jp2"},"220":{"fulltext":"194 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nthe fourth NE. We were between the two last-\nnamed aretes. Our plan was to go np between them\nto the foot of the peak, and momit it by the arete\nrunning NE. As we had expected, the snow was in\nmuch better state when once we were above the\nwoods. For some time we advanced pretty rapidly.\nThe peak was glistening before us, and the idea of\nsuccess put us in high spirits. Our good fortune did\nnot last long we soon came to snow frozen on the\nsurface, and capable of bearing for a few steps and\nthen giving way. But this was nothing compared to\nthe trouble of pulling up through the pine wood, so\ninstead of making us grumble it only excited our\nhilarity. Bennen was in a particularly good humour,\nand laughed aloud at our combined efforts to get out\nof the holes we every now and then made in the snow.\nJudging from appearances, the snow-field over which\nwe were walking covered a gradually rising Alp.\nWe made a second observation with our aneroid, and\nfound, rather to our astonishment and dismay, that\nwe had only risen 1,000 feet in the last three hours.\nIt was 10 o clock we were» at the height of about\n8,000 feet; temperature —1*5 C. During the\nlast half-hour we had found a little hard snow, so\nwe had all hope of success. Thinking we- might\nadvance better on the arete, we took to it, and rose\nalong it for some time. It soon became cut up by\nrocks, so we took to the snow again. It turned out\nI","height":"2969","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0220.jp2"},"221":{"fulltext":"1864] DEATH OF BENNEN. 195\nto be here hard frozen, so that we reached the\nreal foot of the peak without the slightest difficulty.\nIt was steeper than I had expected it would be,\njudging from the valley of the Ehone. Bennen\nlooked at it with decided pleasure having completed\nhis survey, he proposed to take the eastern arete, as\nin doing so we should gain at least two hours. Eebot\nhad been over this last-named arete in summer, and\nwas of Bennen s opinion. Two or three of the party\ndid not like the idea much, so there was a discussion\non the probable advantages and disadvantages of\nthe NE. and E. aretes. We were losing time so\nBennen cut matters short by saying Ich will der\nErste iiber die arete Thus saying, he made for\nthe E. arete it looked very narrow, and, what was\nworse, it was considerably cut up by high rocks, the\nintervals between the teeth of the arete being filled\nup with snow. To gain this arete, we had to go up\na steep snow-field, about 800 feet high, as well as I\nremember. It was about 150 feet broad at the top,\nand 400 or 500 at the bottom. It was a sort of\ncouloir on a large scale. During the ascent we sank\nabout one foot deep at every step. Bennen did not\nseem to like the look of the snow very much. He\nasked the local guides whether avalanches ever came\ndown this couloir, to which they answered that our\nposition was perfectly safe. We had mounted on the\nnorthern side of the couloir, and having arrived at","height":"2941","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0221.jp2"},"222":{"fulltext":"196 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. ;i864\n150 feet from the top, we began crossing it on a\nhorizontal curve, so as to gain the E. arete. The\ninflexion or dip of the couloir was slight, not above\n25 feet, the inclination near 35°. We were walking\nin the following order Bevard, Nance, Bennen,\nmyself, Boissonnet, and Rebot. Having crossed over\nabout three-quarters of the breadth of the couloir,\nthe two leading men suddenly sank considerably\nabove their waists. Bennen tightened the rope.\nThe snow was too deep to think of getting out of the\nhole they had made, so they advanced one or two\nsteps, dividing the snow with their bodies. Bennen\nturned round and told us he was afraid of starting\nan avalanche we asked whether it would not be\nbetter to return and cross the couloir higher up.\nTo this the three Ardon men opposed themselves\nthey mistook the proposed precaution for fear, and\nthe two leading men continued their work. After\nthree or four steps gained in the aforesaid manner,\nthe gnow became hard again. Bennen had not\nmoved he was evidently undecided what he should\ndo as soon, however, as he saw hard snow again, he\nadvanced and crossed parallel to, but above, the fur-\nrow the Ardon men had made. Strange to say, the\nsnow supported him. While he was passing I observed\nthat the leader, Bevard, had about twenty feet of\nrope coiled round his shoulder. I of course at once\ntold him to uncoil it and eet on the arete, from which","height":"2965","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0222.jp2"},"223":{"fulltext":"1864] DEATH OF BENNEN. 197\nhe was not more than fifteen feet distant. Bennen\nthen told me to follow. I tried his steps, but sank\nup to my waist in the very first. So I went through\nthe furrows, holding my elbows elose to my body, so\nas not to touch the sides. This furrow was about\ntwelve feet long, and, as the snow was good on the\nother side, we had all come to the false conclusion\nthat the snow was accidentally softer there than else-\nwhere. Boissonet then advanced he had made but\na few steps when we heard a deep, cutting sound.\nThe snow-field split in two about fourteen or fifteen\nfeet above us. The cleft was at first quite narrow,\nnot more than an inch broad. An awful silence\nensued it lasted but a few seconds, and then, it was\nbroken by Bennen s voice, Wir sind alle verloren.\nHis words were slow and solemn, and those who\nknew him felt what they really meant when spoken\nby such a man as Bennen. They were his last\nwords. I drove my alpenstock into the snow, and\nbrought the weight of my body to bear on it it\nwent in to within three inches of the top. I then\nwaited. It was an awful moment of suspense.\nI turned my head towards Bennen to see whether\nhe had done the same thing. To my astonishment,\nI saw him turn round, face the valley, and stretch\nout both arms. The ground on which we stood\nbegan to move slowly, and I felt the utter use-\nlessness of any alpenstock. I soon sank up to my","height":"2943","width":"1679","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0223.jp2"},"224":{"fulltext":"198 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nshoulders and began descending backwards. From\nthis moment I saw nothing of what had happened\nto the rest of the party. With a good deal of\ntrouble I succeeded in turning round. The speed\nof the avalanche increased rapidly, and before long\nI was covered up with snow and in utter darkness.\nI was suffocating, when with a jerk I suddenly came\nto the surface again. The rope had caught most\nprobably on a rock, and this was evidently the\nmoment when it broke. I was on a wave of the\navalanche, and saw it before me as I was carried\ndown. It was the most awful sight I ever wit-\nnessed. The head of the avalanche was already\nat the .spot where we had made our last halt. The\nhead alone was preceded by a thick cloud of snow-\ndust the rest of the avalanche was clear. Around\nme I heard the horrid hissing of the snow, and far\nbefore me the thundering of the foremost part of\nthe avalanche. To prevent myself sinking again, I\nmade use of my arms much in the same way as\nwhen swimming in a standing position. At last I\nnoticed that I was moving slower then I saw the\npieces of snow in front of me stop at some yards\ndistance then the snow straight before me stopped,\nand I heard on a large scale the same creaking\nsound that is produced when a heavy cart passes\nover hard-frozen snow in winter. I felt that I also\nhad stopped, and instantly threw up both arms to","height":"2969","width":"1813","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0224.jp2"},"225":{"fulltext":"1864] DEATH OF BENNEN. 199\nprotect my head in case I should again be covered\nup. I had stopped, but the snow behind me was\nstill in motion; its pressure on my body was so\nstrong that I thought I should be crushed to death.\nThis tremendous pressure lasted but a short time,\nand ceased as suddenly as it had begun. I was\nthen covered up by snow coming from behind me.\nMy first impulse was to try and uncover my head\nbut this I could not do the avalanche had frozen by\npressure the moment it stopped, and I was frozen\nin. Whilst trying vainly to move my arms, I\nsuddenly became aware that the hands as far as the\nwrist had the faculty of motion. The conclusion\nwas easy, they must be above the snow. I set to\nwork as well as I could it was time, for I could\nnot have held out much longer. At last I saw a\nfaint glimmer of light. The crust above my head\nwas getting* thinner, and it let a little air pass,\nbut I could not reach it any more with my\nhands the idea struck me that I might pierce\nit with my breath. After several efibrts I suc-\nceeded in doing so, and felt suddenly a rush of air\ntowards my mouth I saw the sky again through\na little round hole. A dead silence reigned around\nme I was so surprised to be still alive, and so\npersuaded at the first moment that none of my\nfellow-sufi erers had survived, that I did not even\nthink of shouting for them. I then made vain","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0225.jp2"},"226":{"fulltext":"200 HOIJES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nefforts to extricate my arms, but foimd it im-\npossible the most I could do was to join the ends\nof jxxj fingers, but they could not reacb the snow\nany longer. After a few minutes I heard a man\nshouting what a relief it was to know that I was\nnot the sole survivor to know that perhaps he was\nnot frozen in and could come to my assistance I\nanswered the voice approached, but seemed un-\ncertain where to go, and yet it was now quite near.\nA sudden exclamation of surprise Eebot had seen\nmy hands. He cleared my head in an instant, and\nwas about to try and cut me out completely, when\nI saw a foot above the snow, and so near to me that\nI could touch it with my arms, although they were\nnot quite free yet. I at once tried to move the\nfoot it was my poor friend s. A pang of agony\nshot through me as I saw that the foot did not\nmove. Poor Boissonnet had lost sensation, and was\nperhaps already dead. Eebot did his best: after\nsome time he wished me to help him, so he freed\nmy arms a little more, so that I could make use of\nthem. I could do but little, for Eebot had torn the\naxe from my shoulder as soon as he had cleared my\nhead (I generally carry an axe separate from my\nalpenstock the blade tied to the belt, and the\nhandle attached to the left shoulder). Before com-\ning to me Eebot iiad helped Nance out of the snow\nhe was lying nearly horizontally, and was not much","height":"2948","width":"1822","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0226.jp2"},"227":{"fulltext":"","height":"2929","width":"1639","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0227.jp2"},"228":{"fulltext":"JOHANN JOSEPH BENNEN.","height":"2976","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0228.jp2"},"229":{"fulltext":"1864] DEATH OF BENNEN. 201\ncovered over. Nance found Bevard, who was up-\nright in the snow, but covered up to the head.\nAfter about twenty minutes the two last-named\nguides came up. I was at length taken out; the\nsnow had to be cut with the axe down to my feet\nbefore I could be pulled out. A few minutes after\n1 o clock P.M. we came to my poor friend s face.\nI wished the body to be taken out completely, but\nnothing could induce the three guides to work any\nlonger, from the moment they saw that it was too\nlate to save him. I acknowledge that they were\nnearly as incapable of doing anything as I was.\nWhen I was taken out of the snow the cord had to\nbe cut. We tried the end going towards Bennen,\nbut could not move it it went nearly straight\ndown and showed us that there was the grave of the\nbravest .guide the Valais ever had, and ever will\nhave. The cold had done its work on us we could\nstand it no longer, and began the descent. We\nfollowed the frozen avalanche for about twenty-five\nminutes, that being the easiest way of progressing,\nand then* took the track we had made in the\nmorning in five hours we reached Ardon.\nI have purposely put apart the details I have been\nasked to give on certain points.\n1. The avalanche consisted only of snow; the\nupper stratum was eleven days old. At the moment\nthe avalanche started it was about twelve o clock.","height":"2937","width":"1657","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0229.jp2"},"230":{"fulltext":"202 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nprobably a few minutes before. The temperature\nwas then above freezing point, and we were within\n300 or 350 feet from the summit. The snow was\nthawing, and the whole snow-field in a state of uncer-\ntain equilibrium. By cutting through the snow at\nthe top of the couloir we cut one of the main points\nby which the snow of the two different layers held\ntogether what led us into the error was, as I have\nbefore said, the fact that the snow was quite hard in\nsome places, and quite soft in others. The avalanche\nmay have taken a minute to descend I can give no\ncorrect estimation on this point. We fell between\n1,900 and 1,960 feet, the head of the avalanche\ngoing 800 feet lower.\n2. The rope was in my opinion the cause of my\npoor friend s as well as of Bennen s death. The\nfollowing facts may prove it; At the moment the\navalanche started the first and last guides merely\nheld the rope Bennen had not seen the use of a rope\nat all, so we had been less strict than we should\notherwise have been in ts use. During the descent\nthe rope caught, probably on a rock below the surface.\nThis happened between Bennen and Nance, that is\nto say between the second and third man in the\nmarching line. Nance told me afterwards that this\nwas the worst part of the descent he had the pres-\nsure of the snow on his body, whilst the rope nearly\ncut him in two. I believe that it was at this","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0230.jp2"},"231":{"fulltext":"1864] DEATH OF BENNEN. 203\nmoment that Bennen and Boissonnet lost their\nupright position, owing to the pressure of snow on\ntheir backs. Nance also lost his position, but was\nfortunate in being thrown out horizontally, and\nthat almost on the surface of the avalanche. I was\nbetween Bennen and Boissonnet, but not tied to\nthe rope, as I had iron rings to my belt through\nwhich the cord ran. Eebot, who was last in the\nline, was thrown clean out of the avalanche; he\nwas carried during the descent towards one of the\nsides of the stream. He was the only one of us who\nescaped unhurt. Thus, when we stopped in our\ndescent, two only were tied to the rope Boissonnet\nand Bennen the very two who perished.\n3. The congealing of the snow happened by pres-\nsure. The fore part of the avalanche stopped first,\nand the rest was forced against it. The circumstance\nI can least understand is the sudden fall in the teni-\nperature of the air after the accident. I can give no\nestimate of it, but it was intense.\n4. The bruises Bevard, Nance, and I sustained\nwere slight, but our feet were severely frost-bitten.\nBennen has been accused of rashness in this imfortu-\nnate accident. It is not the case. He was misled\nby the total difference of the state of snow in a winter\nascent from what is to be met with in summer.","height":"2943","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0231.jp2"},"232":{"fulltext":"204 HOUKS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nI have been recently favoured witli a letter from\nMr. Grossett, from which the following is an ex-\ntract\nBerne: March 17, 1871.\nBennen s body was found with great difficulty\nthe third day after Boissonnet was found. The cord-\nend had been covered up with snow. The cure\nd Ardon informed me that poor Bennen was found\neight feet under the snow, in a horizontal position,\nthe head facing the valley of the Lyzerne. His\nwatch had been wrenched from the chain, probably\nwhen the cord broke the chain, however, remained\nattached to his waistcoat. Three years ago I met\none of my Ardon guides he told me that Bennen s\nwatch had been found by a shepherd seven months\nafter the accident. This shepherd had been one of\nthe party who went up to look for Bennen during\nthe following summer he had watched the melting\nof the avalanche. When mounted, the watch\nobeyed. This reminds me of your fall on the\nMorleratsch glacier.^\nI know you were very much attached to Bennen\nthe same was the case with him in regard to you.\nAn hour before his death the Matterhorn showed its\nblack head over one of the aretes of the Haut de Cry.\nI asked Bennen whether he thought it would ever\nbe ascended. His answer was a decided Yes\nSee Chapter XIX,","height":"2965","width":"1805","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0232.jp2"},"233":{"fulltext":"1864] DEATH OF BENNEN. 205\nbut he added, alluding to your last attack on the\nmountain, Wir waren fiinf der Trofessor und ich\nstimmten fiir Vorwarts die drei andern stimmten\ndagegen.\nThere is one circumstance in reference to my\nfall with the avalanche of the Haut de Cry that\nI am utterly unable to understand I mean what\nphysical phenomena took place when the avalanche\nstopped and froze. It stopped because in its pro-\ngress downwards- the broad couloir down which it\nwas going got narrower, and the mass of snow could\nnot pass. It froze because the successive portions\nof the body of the avalanche became compressed\nagainst the head, which latter had come to a stop.\nWhen the layer in which I was stopped, the pres-\nsure on my body was enormous so great, in fact,\nthat I expected I should be crushed flat. This\npressure ceased suddenly I know it, for the atro-\ncious pains it was causing ceased suddenly too.\nWhat happened during that interval\n[Bennen was well acquainted with winter snow\nbut no man of his temper, and in his position,\nwould place himself in direct opposition to local\nguides, whose knowledge of the mountain must\nhave been superior to his own.]\n10","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0233.jp2"},"234":{"fulltext":"206 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nXIX.\nACCIDENT ON THE PIZ MORTEBATSCH.\nWhile staying at Pontresina in 1864 I joined Mr.\nHutchinson, and Mr. Lee-Warner, of Eugby, in a\nmemorable expedition up the Piz Morteratsch. This\nis a very noble mountain, and, as we thought, safe\nand easy to ascend. The resolute Jenni, by far the\nboldest man in Pontresina, was my guide while\nWalter, the official guide chef, was taken by my\ncompanions. With a dubious sky overhead, we\nstarted on the morning of July 30, a little after\nfour A.M. There is rarely much talk at the begin-\nning of a mountain excursion you are either sleepy\nor solemn so early in the day. Silently we passed\nthrough the pine woods of the beautiful Eosegg\nvalley, watching anxiously at intervals the play of\nthe clouds around the adjacent heights. At one\nplace a spring gushed from the valley-bottom, as\nclear and almost as copious as that which pours out\nthe fuU-formed river Albula. The traces of ancient","height":"2965","width":"1805","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0234.jp2"},"235":{"fulltext":"1864J ACCIDENT ON THE PIZ MORTERATSCH. 207\nglaciers were present everywhere, the valley being\nthickly covered with the rubbish which the ice had\nleft behind. An ancient moraine, so large that in\nEngland it might take rank as a mountain, forms a\nbarrier across the upper valley. Once probably it\nwas the dam of a lake, but it is now cut through by\nthe river which rushes from the Eosegg glacier.\nThese works of the ancient ice are to the mind what\na distant horizon is to the eye. They give to the\nimagination both pleasure and repose.\nThe morning, as I have said, looked threatening,\nbut the wind was good by degrees the cloud-scowl\nrelaxed, and broader patches of blue became visible\nabove us. We called at the Eosegg chalets, and\nhad some milk. We afterwards wound round a\nshoulder of the hill, at times upon the moraine of\nthe glacier, and at times upon the adjacent g-rass\nslope then over shingly inclines, covered with the\nshot rubbish of the heights. Two ways were now\nopen to us, the one easy but circuitous, the other\nstiif but short. Walter was for the former, and\nJenni for the latter, their respective choices being\ncharacteristic of the two men. To my satisfaction\nJenni prevailed, and we scaled the steep and slippery\nrocks. At the top of them we found ourselves upon\nthe rim of an extended snow-field. Our rope was\nhere exhibited, and we were bound by it to a com-\nmon destiny. In those higher regions the snow-fields","height":"2934","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0235.jp2"},"236":{"fulltext":"208 HOTJKS OP EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nshow a beauty and a purity of which persons who\nlinger low down have no notion. We crossed\ncrevasses and bergschrunds, mounted vast snow-\nbasses, and doubled round walls of ice with long\nstalactites pendent from their eaves. One by one\nthe eminences were surmounted. The crowning\nrock was attained at half-past twelve. On it we\nuncorked a bottle of champagne mixed with the\npure snow of the mountain, it formed a beverage,,\nand was enjoyed with a gusto, which the sybarite of\nthe city could neither imitate nor share.\nWe spent about an. hour upon the warm gneiss-\nblocks on the top. Veils of cloud screened us at\nintervals from the sun, and then we felt the keen-\nness of the air but in general we were cheered and\ncomforted by the solar light and warmth. The\nshiftings of the atmosphere were wonderful. The\nwhite peaks were draped with opalescent clouds\nwhich never lingered for two consecutive minutes\nin the same position. Clouds differ widely from\neach other in point of beauty, but I had hardly seen\nthem more beautiful than they appeared to-day,\nwhile the succession of surprises experienced through\ntheir changes were such as rarely fall to the lot even\nof an experienced mountaineer.\nThese clouds are for the most part produced by\nthe chilling of the air through its own expansion.\nWhen thus chilled, the aqueous vapour diffused","height":"2969","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0236.jp2"},"237":{"fulltext":"1864] ACCIDENT ON THE PIZ MOETEKATSCH. 209\nthrough it, which is previously unseen, is precipi-\ntated in visible particles. Every particle of the\ncloud has consumed in its formation a little poly-\nhedron of vapour, and a moment s reflection will\nmake it clear that the size of the cloud-particles\nmust depend, not only on the size of the vapour\npolyhedron, but on the relation of the density of the\nvapour to that of its liquid. If the vapour were\nlight and the liquid heavy, other things being\nequal, the cloud-particle would be smaller than if\nthe vapour were heavy and the liquid light. There\nwould evidently be more shrinkage in the one case\nthan in the other. Now there are various liquids\nwhose weight is not greater than that of water,\nwhile the weight of their vapours, bulk for bulk, is\nfive or six times that of aqueous vapour. When\nthose heavy vapours are precipitated as clouds,\nwhich is easily done artificially, their particles are\nfound. to be far coarser than those of an aqueous\ncloud. Indeed water is without a parallel in this\nparticular. Its vapour is the lightest of all vapours,\nand to this fact the soft and tender beauty of the\nclouds of our atmosphere is mainly due.*\nAfter an hour s halt upon the summit the descent\nbegan. Jenni is the most daring man and power-\nful character among the guides of Pontresina.\nThe manner in which he bears down all the others\nChapter V., p. 405, is devoted to Clouds. See also note, p. 82.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0237.jp2"},"238":{"fulltext":"210 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nin conversation, and imposes his own will upon\nthem, shows that he is the dictator of the place.\nHe is a large and rather an ugly man, and his\nprogress up hill, though resistless, is slow. He had\nrepeatedly expressed a wish to make an excursion\nwith me, and on this occasion he may have desired\nto show us what he could do upon the mountains.\nHe accomplished two daring things the one success-\nfully, while the other was within a hair s-breadth\nof a very shocking issue.\nIn descending we went straight down upon a\nbergschrund, which had compelled us to make a\ncircuit in coming up. This particular kind of\nfissure is formed by the lower portion of a snow-\nslope falling away from the upper, a crevasse being\nthus formed between both, which often surrounds\nthe mountain as a fosse of terrible depth. Walter\nwas the first of our party, and Jenni was the last.\nIt was qtdte evident that the leader hesitated to\ncross the chasm but Jenni came forward, and half\nby Expostulation, half by command, caused him to\nsit down on the snow at some height above the\nfissure. I think, moreover, he helped him with a\nshove. At all events, the slope was so steep that\nthe guide shot down it with an impetus sufl cient to\ncarry him clear over the schrund. We all after-\nwards shot the chasm in this pleasant way. Jenni\nwas behind. Deviating from our track, he","height":"2967","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0238.jp2"},"239":{"fulltext":"1864] ACCIDENT ON THE PIZ MOETERATSCH. 211\ndeliberately chose the widest part of the chasm, and\nshot over it, lumbering like behemoth down the\nsnow-slope at the other side. It was an illustration\nof that practical knowledge which long residence\namong the mountains can alone impart, and in the\npossession of which our best English climbers fall\nfar behind their guides.\nThe remaining steep slopes were also descended\nby glissade, and we afterwards marched cheerily\nover the gentler inclines. We had ascended by\nthe Eosegg glacier, and now we wished to descend\nupon the Morteratsch glacier and make it our high-\nway home.\nWe reached the point at which it was necessary\nto quit our morning s track, and immediately\nafterwards got upon some steep rocks, rendered\nslippery here and there by the water which trickled\nover them. To our right was a broad couloir,\nfilled with snow, which had been melted and re-\nfrozen, so as to expose a steeply sloping wall of ice.\nWe were tied together in the following order\nJenni led, I came next, then Mr. Hutchinson, a\npractised mountaineer, then Mr. Lee-Warner, and\nlast of all the guide Walter. Lee-Warner had had\nbut little experience of the higher Alps, and he was\nplaced in front of Walter, so that any false step on\nhis part might be instantly checked.\nAfter descending the rocks for a time Jenni turned","height":"2937","width":"1659","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0239.jp2"},"240":{"fulltext":"212 HOUES OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nand asked me whether I thought them or the ice-slope\nthe better track. I pronounced without hesitation in\nfavour of the rocks, but he seemed to misunderstand\nme, and turned towards the couloir. I stopped\nhim at the edge of it, and said, Jenni, you know\nwhere you are going the slope is pure ice. He\nreplied, I know it but the ice is quite bare for a\nfew yards only. Across this exposed portion I will\ncut steps, and then the snow which covers the ice\nwill give us a footing. He cut the steps, reached\nthe snow, and descended carefully along it, all fol-\nlowing him, apparently in good order. After some\ntime he stopped, turned, and looked upwards at the\nlast three men. Keep carefully in the steps, gentle-\nmen, he said a false step here might detach an\navalanche. The word was sca;rcely uttered when I\nheard the sound of a fall behind me, then a rush,\nand in a moment my two friends and their guide, all\napparently entangled together, whirred past me. I\nsuddenly planted myself to resist their shock, but in\n•an in fetant I was in their wake, for their impetus was\nirresistible. A moment afterwards Jenni was whirled\naway, and thus, in the twinkling of an eye, all five\nof us found ourselves riding downwards with un-\ncontrollable speed on the back of ah avalanche\nwhich a single slip had originated.\nPrevious to stepping on the slope, I had, accord-\ning to habit, made clear to my mind what was to be","height":"2948","width":"1817","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0240.jp2"},"241":{"fulltext":".86i] ACCIDENT ON THE PIZ MOKTEEATSCH. 213\ndone in case of mishap and accordingly, wlien over-\nthrown, I turned promptly on my face and drove my\nbaton through the moving snow, and into the ice\nunderneath. No time, however, was allowed for the\nbreak s action for I had held it firmly thus for a\nfew seconds only, when I came into collision with\nsome obstacle and was rudely tossed through the air,\nJenni at the same time being shot down upon me.\nBoth of us here lost our batons. We had been carried\nover a crevasse, had hit its lower edge, and, instead\nof dropping into it, were pitched by our great velo-\ncity far beyond it. I was quite bevsdldered for a\nmoment, but immediately righted myself, and could\nsee the men in front of me half buried in the snow,\nand jolted from side to side by the ruts among which\nwe were passing. Suddenly I saw them tumbled\nover by a lurch of the avalanche, and immediately\nafterwards found myself imitating their motion.\nThis was caused by a second crevasse. Jenni knew\nof its existence and plunged, he told me, right into\nit a brave act, but for the time unavailing. By\njmnping into the chasm he thought a strain might\nbe put upon the rope sufi cient to check the motion.\nBut, though over thirteen stone in weight, he was\nviolently jerked out of the fissure and almost\nsqueezed to death by the pressure of the rope.\nA long slope was below us, which led directly down-\nwards to a brow where the glacier fell precipitously.","height":"2937","width":"1664","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0241.jp2"},"242":{"fulltext":"214 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nAt the base of the declivity the ice was cut by a\nseries of profound chasms, towards which we were\nrapidly borne. The three foremost men rode upon the\nforehead of the avalanche, and were at times almost\nwholly immersed in the snow but the moving layer\nwas thinner behind, and Jenni rose incessantly and\nwith desperate energy drove his feet into the firmer\nsubstance underneath. His voice, shouting Halt!\nHerr Jesus, halt I was the only one heard during\nthe descent. A kind of condensed memory, such as\nthat described by people who have narrowly escaped\ndrowning, took possession of me, and my power of\nreasoning remained intact. I thought of Bennen on\nthe Haut de Cry, and muttered, It is now my turn.\nThen I coolly scanned the men in front of me, and\nreflected that, if their vis viva was the only thing to\nbe neutralised, Jenni and myself could stop them\nbut to arrest both them and the mass of snow in\nwhich they were caught was hopeless. I expe-\nrienced no intolerable dread. In fact, the start was\ntoo iudden and the excitement of the rush too great\nto permit of the development of terror.\nLooking in advance, I noticed that the slope, for\na short distance, became less steep, and then fell as\nbefore. Now or never we must be brought to rest.\nThe speed visibly slackened, and I thought we were\nsaved. But the momentum had been too great\nthe avalanche crossed the brow and in part regained","height":"2969","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0242.jp2"},"243":{"fulltext":"1864] ACCIDENT ON TKE PIZ MOKTEEATSCH. 215\nits motion. Here Hutchinson threw his arm round\nhis friend, all hope being extinguished, while I\ngrasped my belt and struggled to free myself.\nFinding this difficult, from the tossing, I sullenly\nresumed the strain upon the rope. Destiny had\nso related the downward impetus to Jenni s pull\nas to give the latter a slight advantage, and the\nwhole question was whether the opposing force\nwould have sufficient time to act. This was also\narranged in our favour, for we came to rest so near\nthe brow that two or three seconds of our average\nmotion of descent must have carried us over. Had\nthis occurred, we should have fallen into the cliasms,\nand been covered up by the tail of the avalanche.\nHutchinson emerged from the snow with his fore-\nhead bleeding, but the wound was superficial; Jenni\nhad a bit of flesh removed from his hand by collision\nagainst a stone the pressure of the rope had left\nblack welts on my arms and we all experienced a\ntingling sensation over the hands, like that pro-\nduced by incipient frostbite, which continued for\nseveral days. This was all. I found a portion of\nmy watch-chain hanging round my neck, another\nportion in my pocket the watch was gone.\nThis happened on the 30th of July. Two days\nafterwards I went to Italy, and remained there\nfor ten or twelve days. On the 16th of August,\nbeing again at Pontresina, I made on that day an","height":"2945","width":"1675","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0243.jp2"},"244":{"fulltext":"216 HOTJES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nexpedition in search, of the lost watch.. Both the\nguides and myself thought the sun s heat might\nmelt the snow above it, and I inferred that if its\nback should happen to be uppermost the slight\nabsorbent power of gold for the solar rays would\nprevent the watch from sinking as a stone sinks\nunder like circumstances. The watch would thus\nbe brought quite to the surface and, although a\nsmall object, it might possibly be seen from some\ndistance. Five friends accompanied me up the\nMorteratsch glacier. One of them was the late\nMr. North, member for Hastings, a most lovable\nman. He was then sixty-four years of age, but he\nexhibited a courage and collectedness, and indeed a\ndelight, in the wild- savagery of the crevasses which\nwere perfectly admirable.\nTwo only of the party, both competent moun-\ntaineers, accompanied me to the track of our glis-\nsade, but none of us ventured on the ice where it\noriginated. Just before stepping upon the snow,\na stone .some tons in weight, detached by the sun\nfrom the heights above us, came rushing down the\nline of our descent. Its leaps became more and more\nimpetuous, and on reaching the brow near which we\nhad been brought to rest it bounded through the\nair, and with a single spring reached the lower\nglacier, raising a cloud of ice-dust. Some frag-\nments of rope found upon the snow assured us that","height":"2948","width":"1822","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0244.jp2"},"245":{"fulltext":"1864] ACCIDENT ON THE TIZ MOETEKATSCH. 217\nwe were upon the exact track of the avalanche, and\nthen the search commenced. It had not continued\ntwenty minutes when a cheer from one of the guides\nChristian Michel of Grrindelwald announced\nthe discovery of the watch. It had been brought\nto the surface in the manner surmised, and on ex-\namination seemed to be dry and uninjured. I\nnoticed, moreover, that the position of the hands\nindicated that it had only run down beneath the\nsnow. I wound it up, hardly hoping, however, to\nfind it capable of responding. But it showed instant\nsigns of animation. It had remained eighteen days\nin the avalanche, but the application of its key at\nonce restored it to action, and it has gone with\nunvarying regularity ever since\nMr. Hutchinson has published the following note\nof the accident in the Alpine Journal\nAs one of the party concerned in the accident on\nthe Piz Morteratsch last July, I trust I shall not be\nthought presumptuous in bearing my testimony to\nthe entire accuracy of Professor Tyndall s account.\nI can add no facts of any importance to those there\nmentioned, unless it be that we estimated the dis-\ntance down which we were carried at fully 1,000\nfeet a conclusion which, Mr. Tyndall tells me, was\nconfirmed by his subsequent visit to the sj)ot. The\nangle of the slope we did not measure, nor can I","height":"2937","width":"1632","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0245.jp2"},"246":{"fulltext":"218 HOUES OP EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\ngive the time of our descent with any accuracy it\nseemed to me a lifetime. From the moment that\nthe snow cracked, Jenni behaved with the greatest\ncoolness and courage. But he ought not to have\ntaken us down the ice-slope so late in the day it\nwas then nearly half-past two o clock and that\nafter a warning word from Professor Tyndall and\nmyself. Of Walter s conduct the less said the\nbetter; our opinion of his courage was not raised\nby this trial of it.\n[Until Mr. Grossett s letter reached me a few days\nago I was not aware of the singular likeness between\nthe loss of Bennen s watch and of my own. April\n1871.]","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0246.jp2"},"247":{"fulltext":"","height":"2929","width":"1639","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0247.jp2"},"248":{"fulltext":"THE GOEGE OE PFEFFEES (SHOWING EROSIVE AOTiONJ.","height":"2886","width":"1862","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0248.jp2"},"249":{"fulltext":"1864 ALPINE SCULPTUKE. 219\nXX.\nALPINE SCULPTURE.\nTo the physical geologist the conformation of the\nAlps, and of mountain-regions generally, constitutes\none of the most interesting problems of the present\nday. To account for this conformation, two hypo-\ntheses have been advanced, which may be respect-\nively named the hypothesis of fracture and the\nhypothesis of erosion. Those who adopt the for-\nmer maintain that the forces by which the Alps\nwere elevated produced fissures in the earth s crust,\nand that the valleys of the Alps are the tracks of\nthese fissures. Those who hold the latter hypothesis\nmaintain that the valleys have been cut out by the\naction of ice and water, the mountains themselves\nbeing the residual forms of this grand sculpture.\nTo the erosive action here indicated must be added\nthat due to the atmosphere (the severance and de-\ntachment of rocks by rain and frost), as affecting\nthe forms of the more exposed and elevated peaks.\nI had heard it stated that the Via Mala was a\nstriking illustration of the fissure theory that the\nprofound chasm thus named, and through which the","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0249.jp2"},"250":{"fulltext":"220 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nHinter-Ehein now flows, could be nothing else than\na crack in the earth s crust. To the Via Mala I\ntherefore went in 1864 to instruct myself by actual\nobservation upon the point in question.\nThe gorge commences about a quarter of an\nhour above Tusis and, on entering it, the first\nconclusion is that it must be a fissure. This con-\nclusion in my case was modified as I advanced.\nSome distance up the gorge I found upon the slopes\nto my right quantities of rolled stones, evidently\nrounded by water-action. Still further up, and just\nbefore reaching the first bridge which spans the\nchasm, I found more rolled stones, associated with\nsand and gravel. Through this mass of detritus,\nfortunately, a vertical cutting had been made, which\nexhibited a section showing perfect stratification.\nThere was no agency in the place to roll these\nstones, and to deposit these alternating layers of\nsand and pebbles, but the river which now rushes\nsome hundreds of feet below them. At one period\nof the Via Mala s history the river must have run at\nthis high level. Other evidences of water-action\nsoon revealed themselves. Froifl. the parapet of the\nfirst bridge I could see the solid rock 200 feet above\nthe bed of the river scooped and eroded.\nIt is stated in the guide-books that the river,\nwhich usually runs along the bottom of the gorge, has\nbeen known almost to fill it dming violent thunder-","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0250.jp2"},"251":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTURE. 221\nBtorins and it may be urged that the marks of\nerosion which the sides of the chasm exhibit are due\nto those occasional floods. In reply to this, it may\nbe stated that even the existence of such floods is not\nwell authenticated, and that if the supposition were\ntrue, it would be an additional argument in favour\nof the cutting power of the river. For if floods\noperating at rare intervals could thus erode the\nrock, the same agency, acting without ceasing upon\nthe river s bed, must certainly be competent to\nexcavate it.\nI proceeded upwards, and from a point near\nanother bridge (which of them I did not note) had\na fine view of a portion of the gorge. The river\nhere runs at the bottom of a cleft of profound\ndepth, but so narrow that it might be leaped across.\nThat this cleft must be a crack is the impression\nfirst produced; but a brief inspection suflSces to\nprove that it has been cut by the river. From top\nto bottom we have the unmistakable marks of\nerosion. This cleft was best seen by looking down-\nwards from a point near the bridge but looking\nupwards from the bridge itself, the evidence of\naqueous erosion was equally convincing.\nThe character of the erosion depends upon the\nrock as well as upon the river. The action of water\nupon some rocks is almost purely mechanical they\nare simply ground away or detached in sensible","height":"2937","width":"1665","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0251.jp2"},"252":{"fulltext":"222 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nmasses. In other cases tlie action is chemical as well\nas mechanical. Water, in passing over limestone,\ncharges itself with carbonate of lime without da-\nmage to its transparency the rock is dissolved in the\nwater and the gorges cut by water in such rocks\noften resemble those cut in the ice of glaciers by\nglacier streams. To the solubility of limestone is\nprobably to be ascribed the fantastic forms which\npeaks of this rock usually assume, and also the\ngrottos and caverns which interpenetrate limestone\nformations. A rock capable of being thus dissolved\nwill expose a smooth surface after the water has\nquitted it and in the case of the Via Mala it is the\npolish of the surfaces, and also the curved hollows\nscooped in the sides of the gorge, which assure us\nthat the chasm has been the work of the river.\nAbout four miles from Tusis, and not far from\nthe little village of Zillis, the Via Mala opens into a\nplain bounded by high terraces, evidently cut by\nwater. It occurred to me the moment I saw it that\nthe plain had been the bed of an ancient lake and\na farmer, who was my temporary companion, imme-\ndiately informed me that such was the tradition of\nthe neighboiirhood. This man conversed with intel-\nligence, and as I drew his attention to the rolled\nstones, which rest not only above the river, but above\nthe road, and inferred that the river must have been\nthere to have rolled those stones, he saw the force of","height":"2948","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0252.jp2"},"253":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTUKE. 223\nthe evidence perfectly. In fact, in former times, and\nsubsequent to the retreat of the great glaciers, a\nrocky barrier crossed the valley at this place, dam-\nming the river which came from the glaciers higher\nup. A lake was thus formed which poured its\nwaters over the barrier. Two actions were here at\nwork, both tending to obliterate the lake the rais-\ning of its bed by the deposition of detritus, and the\ncutting of its dam by the river. In process of time\nthe cut deepened into the Via Mala the lake was\ndrained, and the river now flows in a definite\nchannel through the plain which its waters once\ntotally covered.\nFrom Tusis I crossed to Tiefenkasten by the\nSchien Pass, and thence over the Julier Pass to\nPontresina. There are three or four ancient lake-\nbeds between Tiefenkasten and the siunmit of the\nJulier. They are all of the same type a more or\nless broad and level valley-bottom, with a barrier in\nfront through which the river has cut a passage, the\ndrainage of the lake being the consequence. These\nlakes are sometimes dammed by barriers of rock,\nsometimes by the moraines of ancient glaciers.\nAn example of this latter kind occurs in the Eosegg\nvalley, about twenty minutes below the end of the\nRosegg glacier, and about an hour from Pontresina.\nThe valley here is crossed by a pine-covered moraine\nof the noblest dimensions in the neighbourhood of","height":"2935","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0253.jp2"},"254":{"fulltext":"224 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nLondon it might be called a mountain. That it is\na moraine, the inspection of it from a point on the\nSurlei slopes above it will convince any person pos-\nsessing an educated eye. Where, moreover, the in-\nterior of the mound is exposed, it exhibits moraine-\nmatter detritus pulverised by the ice, with boulders\nentangled in it. It stretched quite across the valley,\nand at one time dammed the river up. But now the\nbarrier is cut through, the stream having about one-\nfourth of the moraine to its right, and the remaining\nthree-fourths to its left. Other moraines of a more\nresisting character hold their ground as barriers to\nthe present day. In the Val di Campo, for example,\nabout three-quarters of an hour from Pisciadello?\nthere is a moraine composed of large boulders, which\ninterrupt the course of a river and compel the water\nto fall over them in cascades. They have in great\npart resisted its action since the retreat of the\nancient glacier which formed the moraine. Behind\nthe moraine is a lake-bed, now converted into a\nmeadow, which is quite level, and rests on a deep\nlayer of mould.\nAt Pontresina a very fine and instructive gorge is\nto be seen. The river from the Morteratsch glacier\nrushes through a deep and narrow chasm which is\nspanned at one place by a stone bridge. The rock\nis not of a character to preserve smooth polishing;\nbut the larger features of water-action are perfectly","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0254.jp2"},"255":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTUEE. 225\nevident from top to bottom. Those features are in\npart visible from the bridge, but still better from\na point a little distance from the bridge in the\ndirection of the upper village of Pontresina. The\nhollowing out of the rock by the eddies of the water\nis here quite manifest. A few minutes walk up-\nwards brings us to the end of the gorge and behind\nit we have the usual indications of an ancient lake,\nand terraces of distinct water origin.\nFrom this position the genesis of the gorge is\nclearly, revealed. After the retreat of the ancient\nglacier, a transverse ridge of comparatively resisting\nmaterial crossed the valley at this place. Over the\nlowest part of this ridge the river flowed, rushing\nsteeply down to join at the bottom of the slope the\nstream which issued from the Eosegg glacier. On\nthis incline the water became a powerful eroding\nagent, and finally cut its channel to its present depth.\nGreological writers of reputation assume at this\nplace the existence of a fissure, the washing out\nof which resulted in the formation of the gorge.\nNow no examination of the bed of the river ever\nproved the existence of this fissiu e and it is certain\nthat water can cut a channel through unfisbured rock\nthat cases of deep cutting can be pointed out\nwhere the clean bed of the stream is exposed, the rock\nwhich forms the floor of the river not exhibiting a\ntrace of fissure. An example of this kind occurs near","height":"2945","width":"1682","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0255.jp2"},"256":{"fulltext":"226 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE AUPS. [1864\nthe Bemina Grasthaus, about two hours from Pontre-\nsina. A little way below the junction of the two\nstreams from the Bernina Pass and the Heuthal the\nriver flows through a channel cut by itself, and 20\nor 30 feet in depth. At some places the river-bed\nis covered with rolled stones at other places it is\nbare, but shows no trace of fissure. The abstract\npower of water (if I may use the term) to cut\nthrough rock is demonstrated by such instances.\nBut if water be competent to form a gorge without\nthe aid of a fissure, why assume the existence of such\nin cases like that at Pontresina It seems far more\nphilosophical to accept the simple and impressive\nhistory written on the walls of those gorges by the\nagent which produced them.\nNrmierous cases might be pointed out, varying\nin magnitude, but all identical in kind, of barriers\nwhich crossed valleys and formed lakes having been\ncut through by rivers, narrow gorges being the con-\nsequence. One of the most famous examples of\nthis kind is the Finsteraarschlucht in the valley of\nHasli. Here the ridge called the Kirchet seems\nsplit across, and the river Aar rushes through the\nfissure. Behind the barrier we have the meadows\nand pastures of Imhof resting on the sediment of\nan ancient lake. Were this an isolated case, one\nmight reasonably conclude that the Finisteraar-\nschlucht was produced by an earthquake, as some","height":"2948","width":"1817","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0256.jp2"},"257":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTURE. 227\nsuppose it to have been but when we find it to be\na single sample of actions which are frequent in\nthe Alps when probably a hundred cases of the\nsame kind, though different in magnitude, can be\npointed out it seems quite unphilosophical to\nassume that in each particular case an earthquake\nwas at hand to form a channel for the river. As in\nthe case of the barrier at Pontresina, the Kirchet,\nafter the retreat of the Aar glacier, dammed the\nwaters flowing from it, thus forming a lake, on the\nbed of which now stands the village of Imhof.\nOver this barrier the Aar tumbled towards Mey-\nringen, cutting, as the centuries passed, its bed ever\ndeeper, until finally it became deep enough to drain\nthe lake, leaving in its place the alluvial plain,\nthrough which the river now flows in a definite\nchannel.^\n•But the broad view taken by the advocates of the\nfracture theory is, that the valleys are the tracks of\nprimeval fissures produced by the upheaval of the\nland, and the cracks across the barriers to which\nI have referred are in reality portions of the\ngreat cracks which formed the valleys. Such an\nargument, however, would virtually concede the\ntheory of erosion as applied to the valleys of the\nAlps. The narrow gorges, often not more than\ntwenty or thirty feet across, sometimes even\nFor further observations see p. 256.","height":"2945","width":"1657","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0257.jp2"},"258":{"fulltext":"228 HOURS or exeecise in the alps. [1864\nnarrower, frequently occur at the bottom of broad\nvalleys. Such fissures might enter into the list of\naccidents which gave direction to the real erosive\nagents which scooped the valley out but the for-\nmation of the valley, as it now exists, could no\nmore be ascribed to it than the motion of a railway\ntrain could be ascribed to the finger of the engineer\nwhich turns on the steam.\nThese deep gorges occur, I believe, for the most\npart in limestone strata and the efiects which the\nmerest driblet of water can produce on such rocks\nare quite astonishing. It is not uncommon to meet\nchaSfems of considerable depth produced by small\nstreams the beds of which are dry for a large portion\nof the year. Eight and left of the larger gorges\nsuch secondary chasms are usually to be found.\nThe idea of time must, I think, be more and more\nincluded in our reasonings on these phenomena.\nHappily, the marks which the rivers have, in most\ncases, left behind them, and which refer, geologi-\ncall/ considered, to actions of yesterday, give us\nground and courage to conceive what may be ef-\nfected in geologic periods. Thus the modern por-\ntion of the Via Mala throws .light upon the whole.\nNear Bergiin, in the valley of the Albula, there is\nalso a little Via Mala, which is not less significant\nthan the great one. The river flows here through\na profound limestone gorge but to the very edges","height":"2948","width":"1812","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0258.jp2"},"259":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTURE. 229\nof the gorge we have the evidences of erosion. The\nmost striking illustration of water-action upon\nlimestone rock which I have ever witnessed is, I\nthink, furnished by the gorge at Pfafifers. Here the\ntraveller passes along the side of the chasm midway\nbetween top and bottom. Whichever way he looks,\nbackwards or forwards, upwards or downwards, to-\nwards the sky or towards the river, he meets every-\nwhere the irresistible and impressive evidence that\nthis wonderful fissure has been sawn through the\nmountain by the waters of the Tamina.\nI have thus far confined myself to the considera-\ntion of the gorges formed by the cutting through\nof the rock-barriers which frequently cross the\nvalleys of the Alps as far as I have examined them\nthey are the work of erosion. But the larger\nquestion still remains. To what action are we to\nascribe the formation of the valleys themselves\nThis question includes that of the formation of the\nmountain-ridges, for were the valleys wholly filled,\nthe ridges would disappear. Possibly no answer\ncan be given to this question which is not beset\nwith more or less of difl culty. Special localities\nmight be found which would seem to contradict\nevery solution which refers the conformation of the\nAlps to the operation of a single cause.\nStill the Alps present features of a character suffi-\nciently definite to bring the question of their origin\n11","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0259.jp2"},"260":{"fulltext":"230 HOUKS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nwithin the sphere of close reasoning. That they\nwere in whole or in part once beneath the sea will\nnot be disputed; for they are in great part com-\nposed of sedimentary rocks which required a sea to\nform them. Their present elevation above the sea\nis due to one of those local changes in the shape of\nthe earth which have been of frequent occurrence\nthroughout geologic time, and which in some cases\nhave depressed the land, and in others caused the\nsea-bottom to protrude beyond its surface. Con-\nsidering the inelastic character of its materials, the\nprotuberance of the Alps could hardly have been\npushed out without dislocation and fracture and\nthis conclusion gains in probability when we con-\nsider the foldings, contortions, and even reversals\nin position of the strata in many parts of the Alps\nSuch changes in the position of beds which were\nonce horizontal could not have been effected without\ndislocation. Fissures would be produced by these\ncnanges; and such fissures, the advocates of the\nfracture theory contend, mark the positions of the\nvalleys of the Alps.\nImagination is necessary to the man of science,\nand we could not reason on our present subject\nwithout the power of presenting mentally a picture\nof the earth s crust cracked and fissured by the\nforces which produced its upheaval. Imagination,\nhowever, must be strictly checked by reason and by","height":"2948","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0260.jp2"},"261":{"fulltext":"i864j ALPINE SCTJLPTUKE. 231\nobservation. That fractures occurred cannot, I think,\nbe doubted, but that the valleys of the Alps are thus\nformed is a conclusion not at all involved in the\nadmission of dislocations. I never met with a\nprecise statement of the manner in which the ad-\nvocates of the fissure theory suppose the forces to\nhave acted ^whether they assume a general eleva-\ntion of the region, or a local elevation of distinct\nridges or whether they assume local subsidences\nafter a general elevation, or whether they would\nsuperpose upon the general upheaval minor and\nlocal upheavals.\nIn the absence of any distinct statement, I\nwill assume the elevation to be general that a\nswelling out of the earth s crust occurred here,\nsufficient to place the most prominent portions of\nthe protuberance three miles above the sea-level.\nTo fix the ideas, let us consider a circular portion of\nthe crust, say one hundred miles in diameter, and\nlet us suppose, in the first instance, the circum-\nference of this circle to remain fixed, and that the\nelevation was confined to the space within it. The\nupheaval would throw the crust into a state of\nstrain and, if it were inflexible, the strain must be\nrelieved by fracture. Crevasses would thus intersect\nthe crust. Let us now enquire what proportion the\narea of these open fissures is likely to bear to the\narea of the unfissured crust. An approximate","height":"2942","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0261.jp2"},"262":{"fulltext":"232 nOUKS of EXBKCISE in the alps. [1864\nanswer is all that is here required for the problem\nis of such a character as to render minute precision\nunnecessary.\nNo one, I think, would affirm that the area of the\nfissures would be one-hundredth the area of the land.\nFor let us consider the strain upon a single line\ndrawn over the summit of the protuberance from\na point on its rim to a point opposite. Regarding\nthe protuberance as a spherical swelling, the length\nof the arc corresponding to a chord of 100 miles\nand a versed sine of 3 miles is 100*24 miles conse-\nquently the surface to reach its new position must\nstretch 0*24 of a mile, or be broken. A fissure or a\nnumber of cracks with this total width would relieve\nthe strain that is to say, the sum of the widths of\nall the cracks over the length of 100 miles would be\n420 yards. If, instead of comparing the width of the\nfissures with the length of the Hnes of tension, we\ncompared their areas with the area of the unfissured\nlancl, we should of course find the proportion much\nless. These considerations will help the imagina\ntion to realise what a small ratio the area of the\nopen fissures must bear to the unfissured crust.\nThey enable us to say, for example, that to assume\nthe area of the fissures to be one-tenth of the area\nof the land would be quite absurd, while that the\narea of the fissures could be one-half or more than\none-half that of the land would be in a proportionate","height":"2948","width":"1802","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0262.jp2"},"263":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTTTRE. 233\ndegree untliiiikable. If we suppose the elevation\nto be due to the shrinking or subsidence of the\nland all round our assumed circle, we arrive equally\nat the conclusion that the area of the open fissures\nwould be altogether insignificant as compared with\nthat of the unfissured crust.\nTo those who have seen them from a commanding\nelevation, it is needless to say that the Alps them-\nselves bear no sort of resemblance to the picture\nwhich this theory presents to us. Instead of deep\ncracks with approximately vertical walls, we have\nridges before us running into peaks, and gradually\nsloping to form valleys. Instead of a fissured crust,\nwe have a state of things closely resembling the\nsurface of the ocean when agitated by a storm.\nThe valleys, instead of being much narrower than\nthe ridges, occupy the greater space. A plaster\ncast of the Alps turned upside down, so as to invert\n-the elevations and depressions, would exhibit blunter\nand broader mountains, with narrower valleys be-\ntween them, than the present ones. The valleys\nthat exist cannot, I think, with any correctness of\nlanguage be called fissures. It may be urged that\nthey originated in fissures but even this is un-\nproved, and, were it proved, would still make the\nfissures play the subordinate part of giving direction\nto the agents which are to be regarded as the real\nsculptors of the Alps.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0263.jp2"},"264":{"fulltext":"234 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nThe fracture theory, then, if it regards the eleva-\ntion of the Alps as due to the operation of a force\nacting throughout the entire region, is, in my\nopinion, utterly incompetent to account for the\nconformation of the country. If, on the other hand,\nwe are compelled to resort to local disturbances,\nthe manipulation of the earth s crust necessary to\nobtain the valleys and the mountains will, I ima^-\ngine, bring the difficulties of the theory into very\nstrong relief. Indeed an examination of the region\nfrom many of the more accessible eminences\nfrom the Gralenstock, the Grrauhaupt, the Pitz\nLanguard, the Monte Confinale or, better still,\nfrom Mont Blanc, Monte Eosa, the Jungfrau, the\nFinsteraarhom, the Weisshorn, or the Matterhom,\nwhere local peculiarities are toned down, and the\noperations of the powers which really made this\nregion what it is are alone brought into prominence\nmust, I imagine, convince every physically-minded\nman of the inability of any fracture theory to\naccount for the present conformation of the Alps.\nA correct model of the mountains, with an un-\nexaggerated vertical scale, produces the same effect\nupon the mind as the prospect from one of the\nhighest peaks. We are apt to be influenced by\nlocal phenomena which, though insignificant in\nview of the general question of Alpine conformation,\nare, with reference to our customary standards, vast","height":"2967","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0264.jp2"},"265":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULriTJEE. 235\nand impressive. In a true model those local peculi-\narities disappear for on the scale of a model they\nare too small to be visible while the essential facts\nand forms are presented to the undistracted at-\ntention.\nA minute analysis of the phenomena strengthens\nthe conviction which the general aspect of the Alps\nfixes in the mind. We find, for example, numerous\nvalleys which the most ardent plutonist would not\nthink of ascribing to aRy other agency than erosion.\nThat such is their genesis and history is as certain\nas that erosion produced the Chines in the Isle of\nWight. From these indubitable cases of erosion\ncommencing, if necessary, with the small ravines\nwhich run down the flanks of the ridges, with their\nlittle working navigators at their bottoms we can\nproceed, by almost insensible gradations, to the\nlargest valleys of the Alps and it would perplex\nthe plutonist to fix upon the point at which\nfracture begins to play a material part.\nIn ascending one of the larger valleys, we enter it\nwhere it is wide and where the eminences are gentle\non either side. The flanking mountains become\nhigher and more abrupt as we ascend, and at length\nwe reach a place where the depth of the valley is a\nmaximum. Continuing our walk upwards, we find\nourselves flanked by gentler slopes, and finally\nemerge from the valley and reach the summit of an","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0265.jp2"},"266":{"fulltext":"236 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nopen col, or depression in tlie chain of mountains.\nTliis is the common character of the large valleys.\nCrossing the col, we descend along the opposite\nslope of the chain, and through the same series of\nappearances in the reverse order. If the valleys on\nboth sides of the col were produced by fissures, what\nprevents the fissure from prolonging itself across the\ncol The case here cited is representative and I\nam not acquainted with a single instance in the\nAlps where the chain has been cracked in the\nmanner indicated. The cols are simply depressions\nand in the case of many of them the unfissured rock\ncan be traced from side to side.\nThe typical instance just sketched follows as a\nnatural consequence from the theory of erosion.\nBefore either ice or water can exert great power as\nan erosive agent, it must collect in sufficient mass.\nOn the higher slopes and plateaus in the region of\ncols the power is not fully developed but lower\ndown tributaries unite, erosion is carried on with\nincreased vigour, and the excavation gradually\nreaches a maximum. Lower still the elevations\ndiminish and the slopes become more gentle the\ncutting power gradually relaxes, until finally the\neroding agent quits the mountains altogether, and\nthe grand effects which it produced in the earlier\nportions of its course entirely disappear.\nI have hitherto confined myself to the consideration","height":"2969","width":"1802","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0266.jp2"},"267":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTURE. 237\nof the broad question of the erosion theory as\ncompared with the fracture theory and all that I\nhave been able to observe and think with reference\nto the subject leads me to adopt the former. Under\nthe term erosion I include the action of water, of\nice, and of the atmosphere, including frost and rain.\nWater and ice, however, are the principal agents,\nand which of these two has produced the greatest\neffect it is perhaps impossible to say. Two years\nago I wrote a brief note On the Conformation of\nthe Alps, in which I ascribed the paramount\ninfluence to glaciers. The facts on which that\nopinion was foimded are, I think, imassailable but\nwhether the conclusion then announced fairly follows\nfrom tjbie. facts is, I confess, an open question.\nThe arguments which have been thus far urged\nagainst the conclusion are not convincing. Indeed,\nthe idea of glacier erosion appears so daring to some\nminds that its boldness alone is deemed its sufficient\nrefutation. It is, however, to be remembered that\na precisely similar position was taken up by many\nrespectable people when the question of ancient\nglacier extension was first mooted. The idea was\nconsidered too hardy to be entertained; and the evi-\ndences of glacial action were sought to be explained\nby reference to almost any process rather than the\ntrue one. Let those who so^sely took the side of\nPhil. Mag. vol. xxiv. p. 169.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0267.jp2"},"268":{"fulltext":"238 HOUKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nboldness in that discussion beware lest they place\nthemselves, with reference to the question of glacier\nerosion, in the position formerly occupied by theii\nopponents.\nLooking at the little glaciers of the present day-\nmere pigmies as compared to the giants of the\nglacial epoch we find that from every one of them\nissues a river more or less voluminous, charged with\nthe matter which the ice has rubbed from the rocks.\nWhere the rocks are of a soft character, the amount\nof this finely pulverised matter suspended in the\nwater is very great. The water, for example, of the\nriver which flows from Santa Catarina to Bormio\nis thick with it. The Ehine is charged with this\nmatter, and by it has so silted up the Lake of\nConstance as to abolish it for a large fraction of its\nlength. The Ehone is charged with it, and tens of\nthousands of acres of cultivable land are formed by\nit above the Lake of Greneva.\nIpi the case of every glacier we have two agents\nat work the ice exerting a crushing force on\nevery point of its bed which bears its weight, and\neither rasping this point into powder or tearing it\nbodily from the rock to which it belongs; while\nthe water which everywhere circulates upon the bed\nof the glacier continually washes the detritus away\nand leaves the rock^ clean for further abrasion.\nConfining the action of glaciers to the simple rubbing","height":"2965","width":"1809","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0268.jp2"},"269":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTURE. 239\naway of the rocks, and allowing them sufficient time\nto act, it is not a matter of opinion, but a physical\ncertainty, that they will scoop out valleys. But the\nglacier does more than abrade. Eocks are not\nhomogeneous they are intersected by joints and\nplaces of weakness, which divide them into virtually\ndetached masses. A glacier is undoubtedly compe-\ntent to root such masses bodily away. Indeed the\nmere a jpriori consideration of the subject proves the\ncompetence of a glacier to deepen its bed. Taking\nthe case of a glacier 1,000 feet deep (and some of\nthe older ones were probably three times this depth),\nand allowing 40 feet of ice to an atmosphere, we find\nthat on every square inch of its bed such a glacier\npresses with a weight of 375 lbs., and on every square\nyard of its bed with a weight of 486,000 lbs. With a\nvertical pressure of this amount the glacier is urged\ndown its valley by the pressure from behind. We\ncan hardly, I think, deny to such a tool a power of\nexcavation.\nBefore concluding these remarks, I refreshed my\nmemory by a second reading of the paper of Mr. John\nBall, published in the Philosophical Magazine for\nFebruary 1863. Mr. Ball s great experience of the\nAlps naturally renders everything he writes regard-\ning them interesting. But though I have attended\nto the suggestions contained in his paper, I am\nunable to see the cogency of his arguments.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0269.jp2"},"270":{"fulltext":"240 HQUKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nAn inspection of the map of Switzerland, with\nreference to the direction of its valleys, suggests to\nmy mind no objection whatever to the theory of\nerosion.\nThe reperusal of his paper assured me that Mr.\nBall had paid attention to the formation of ancient\nlakes. He deems their beds a prominent feature of\nAlpine valleys and he considers the barriers which\ndammed them up, and which were not removed\nby the ancient glaciers, as a formidable difficulty\nin the way of Prof. Tyndall s bold hypothesis.\nLooking at the operation as a whole, writes Mr.\nBall, it is to me quite inconceivable that a glacier\nshould be competent to scoop out valleys a mile or\nmore in depth, and yet be imable to remove the\nmain inequalities from its own channel.\nTo this I reply that a glacier is competent to\nremove such barriers, and they probably have been\nground down in some cases thousands of feet.\nBut being of more resisting material than the\nadjacent rock, they are not ground down to the\nlevel of that rock. Were its bed uniform in the\nfirst instance, the glacier would, in my opinion,\nproduce the inequalities which Mr. Ball thinks it\nought to remove. I have recently had the pleasure\nof examining some of these barriers in the com-\npany of Mr. Ball; and to me they represented\nnothing more than the natural accidents of the","height":"2965","width":"1807","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0270.jp2"},"271":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTURE. 241\nlocality. It would, I think, be far more wonderful\nto find the rocks of the Alps perfectly homogeneous,\nthan to find them exhibiting such variations of resis-\ntance to grinding down as are actually observed.\nThe question of lake-basins is now in com-\npetent hands, and on its merits I will offer no\nopinion. But I cannot help remarking that the\ndams referred to by Mr. Ball furnish a conclusive\nreply to some of the argrunents which have been\nurged against Prof. Eamsay s theory. These barriers\nhave been crossed by the ice, and many of them\npresent steeper gradients than Prof. Eamsay has\nto cope with in order to get his ice out of his lake-\nbasins. An inspection of the barriers shows that\nthey were incompetent to embay the ice they are\nscarred and fluted from bottom to top. When it is\nurged against Prof. Ramsay that a glacier cannot\ndrop into a hole 2,000 feet deep and get out again,\nthe distance ought to be stated over which these\n2,000 feet have to be distributed. A depression\n2,000 feet deep, if only of sufficient length, would\nconstitute no material obstacle to the motion of a\ngreat glacier.\nThe retardation of a glacier by its bed has\nalso been referred to as proving its impotence as\nan erosive agent but this very retardation is in\nsome measure an expression of the magnitude of the\nerosive energy. Either the bed must give way, or","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0271.jp2"},"272":{"fulltext":"242 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nthe ice must slide over itself and to make ice slide\nover itself requires great power. We get some idea\nof the crushing pressure which the moving glacier\nexercises against its bed from the fact that the resist-\nance, and the effort to overcome it, are such as to\nmake the upper layers of a glacier move bodily over\nthe lower ones a portion only of the total motion\nbeing due to the progress of the entire mass of the\nglacier down its valley.\nThe sudden bend in the valley of the Ehone at\nMartigny has also been regarded as conclusive\nevidence against the theory of erosion. Why, it\nhas been asked, did not the glacier of the Ehone\ngo straight forward instead of making this awkward\nbend But if the valley be a crack, why did the\ncrack make this bend The crack, I submit, had at\nleast as much reason to prolong itself in a straight\nline as the glacier had. A statement of Sir John\nHerschel with reference to another matter is perfectly\napplicable here A crack once produced has a\ntendency to run for this plain reason, that at its\nmomentary limit, .at the point at which it has just\narrived, the divellent force on the molecules there\nsituated is counteracted only by half of the cohesive\nforce which acted when there was no crack, viz. the\ncohesion of the uncracked portion alone Proc. Roy.\nSoc vol. xii. p. 678). To account then for the bend,\nthe adherent of the fracture theory must assume the","height":"2948","width":"1826","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0272.jp2"},"273":{"fulltext":"1861] ALPINE SCULPTURE. 243\nexistence of some accident wliicli turned the crack\nat right angles to itself; and he surely will permit\nthe adherent of the erosion theory to make a similar\nassumption.\nThe influence of small accidents on the direction\nof rivers is beautifully illustrated in glacier streams,\nwhich are made to cut either straight or sinuous\nchannels by causes apparently of the most trivial\ncharacter. In his interesting paper On the Lakes\nof Switzerland, M. Studer also refers to the bend of\nthe Rhine at Sargans in proof that the river must\nthere follow a pre-existing fissure. I made a special\nexpedition to the place in 1864 and though I\nfelt that M. Studer had good grounds for the\nselection of this spot, I was unable to arrive at his\nconclusion as to the necessity of a fissure.\nAgain, in the interesting volume recently published\nby the Swiss Alpine Club, M. Desor informs us that\nthe Swiss naturalists who met last year at Samaden\nvisited the end of the Morteratsch glacier, and there\nconvinced themselves that a glacier had no tendency\nwhatever to imbed itself in the soil. I scarcely\nthink that the question of glacier erosion, as applied\neither to lakes or valleys, is to be disposed of so\neasily. Let me record here my experience of the\nMorteratsch glacier. I took with me in 1864\na theodolite to Pontresina, and while there had\nto congratidate myself on the invaluable aid of","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0273.jp2"},"274":{"fulltext":"244\nHOUKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS.\n[1864\nmy friend Mr. Hirst, who in 1857 did such good\nservice upon the Mer de Griace and its tributaries.\nWe set out three lines across the Morteratsch glacier,\none of which crossed the ice-stream near the well-\nknown hut of the painter Georgei, while the two\nothers were staked out, the one above the hut and\nthe other below it. Calling the highest line A, the\nline which crossed the glacier at the hut B, and the\nlowest line C, the following are the mean hourly\nmotions, of the three lines, deduced from observa-\ntions which extended over several days. On each\nline eleven stakes were fixed, which are designated\nby the figures 1, 2, 3, c. in the Tables.\nMorteratsch Glacier, Line A.\nNo. of Stake. Hoxirly Motion.\n1\n2\n3\n4\n5\n6\n7\n8\n9\n10\n11\nAs in all other measurements of this kind, the re-\ntarding influence of the sides of the glacier is mani-\nfest the centre moves with the greatest velocity.\n0-35]\nnch.\n0-49\n0-53\n0-54\nj\n0-56\n0-54\n0-52\nj\n0-49\n0-40\n0-29\n0-20\njj","height":"2977","width":"1805","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0274.jp2"},"275":{"fulltext":"1864]\nALPINE SCULPTURE.\n245\nMorteratsch Glacier^ Line B.\nNo. of Stake\nHourly Motion\n1\n0-05 inch.\n2\n0-14\n3\n0-24\n4\n0-32\n5\n0-41\n6\n0-44\n7\n0-44\n8\n0-45\n9\n0-43\n10\n0-44\n11\n0-44\nThe first stake of this line was quite close to the\nedge of the glacier, and the ice was thin at the place,\nhence its slow motion. Crevasses prevented us from\ncarrying the line sufficiently far across to render the\nretardation of the further side of the glacier fully\nevident.\nMorteratsch Glacier, Line C.\nNo. of Stake. Hotirly Motion.\n1\n2\n3\n4\n5\n6\n7\n8\n9\n10\n11\n0-05\ninch.\n0-09\n0-18\nj\n0-20\nM\n0-25\n0-27\nJ\n0-27\n5\n0-30\nJ\n0-21\n020\n0-16\nn","height":"2929","width":"1668","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0275.jp2"},"276":{"fulltext":"246 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1864\nComparing the three lines together, it will be\nobserved that the velocity diminishes as we descend\nthe glacier. In 100 hours the maximum motion of\nthe three lines respectively is as follows\nMaximum Motion in 100 hours.\nLine A .56 inches\nB 45\nC 30\nThis deportment explains an appearance which\nmust strike every observer who looks upon the\nMorteratsch from the Piz Languard, or from the\nnew Bernina Eoad. A medial moraine runs along\nthe glacier, commencing as a narrow streak, but to-\nwards the end the moraine extending in width, until\nfinally it quite covers the terminal portion of the\nglacier. The cause of this is revealed by the fore-\ngoing measurements, which prove that a stone on the\nmoraine where it is crossed by the line A approaches\na s^ond stone on the moraine where it is crossed\nby the line C with a velocity of twenty-six inches\nper one hundred hours. The moraine is in a state of\nlongitudinal compression. Its materials are more\nand more squeezed together, and they must conse-\nquently move laterally and render the moraine at\nthe terminal portion of the glacier wider than above.\nThe motion of the Morteratsch glacier, then,\ndiminishes as we descend. The maximimi motion","height":"2965","width":"1822","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0276.jp2"},"277":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTURE. 247\nof the third line is thirty inches in one hundred\nhoiu-s, or seven inches a day a very slow motion\nand had we run a line nearer to the end of the\nglacier, the motion would have been slower still.\nAt the end itself it is nearly insensible. Now I\nsubmit that this is not the place to seek for the\nscooping power of a glacier. The opinion appears\nto be prevalent that it is the snout of a glacier that\nmust act the part of ploughshare and it is certainly\nan erroneous opinion. The scooping power will\nexert itself most where the weight, and consequently\n(other things being equal) the motion, is greatest. A\nglacier s snout often rests upon matter which has\nbeen scooped from the glacier s bed higher up. I\ntherefore do not think that the inspection of what\nthe end of a glacier does or does not accomplish can\ndecide this question.\nThe snout of a glacier is potent to remove any-\nthing against which it can fairly abut and this\npower, notwithstanding the slowness of the motion,\nmanifests itself at the end of the Morteratsch glacier.\nA hillock, bearing pine-trees, was in front of the\nglacier when Mr. Hirst and myself inspected its end\nand this hillock is being bodily removed by the\nthrust of the ice. Several of the trees are over-\nturned and in a few years, if the glacier continues\nits reputed advance, the mound will certainly be\nploughed away.","height":"2937","width":"1698","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0277.jp2"},"278":{"fulltext":"248\nHOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS.\n[1864\nI will here record a few other measurements exe-\ncuted on the Eosegg glacier the line was staked\nout across the trunk formed by the junction of the\nEosegg proper with the Tschierva glacier, a short\ndistance below the rocky promontory called Agaliogs.\nRosegg Glacier.\nNo. of Stake. Hourly Motion\n1\n0-01 inch.\n2\n0-05\n3\n0-07\n4\n0-10\n5\n0-11\n6\n013\n7\n0-14\n8\n0-18\n9\n0-24\n10\n0-23\n11\n0-24\nThis is an extremely slowly moving glacier the\nmaximum hardly amounts to seven inches a day.\nCrevasses prevented us from continuing the line\nquite across the glacier.\nTo return to the question of Alpine conformation\nit stands, I think, thus We have, in the first\nplace, great valleys, such as those of the Ehine and\nthe Ehone, which we might conveniently call valleys\nof the first order. The mountains which flank\nthese main valleys are also cut by lateral valleys\nrunning into the main one, and which may be","height":"2964","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0278.jp2"},"279":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCULPTURE. 249\ncalled valleys of the second order. When these\nlatter are examined, smaller valleys are found\nrunning into them, which may he called valleys\nof the third order. Smaller ravines and depressions,\nagain, join the latter, which may be called valleys\nof the fourth order, and so on until we reach streaks\nand cuttings so minute as not to merit the name\nof valleys at- all. At the bottom of every valley\nwe have a stream, diminishing in magnitude as the\norder of the valley ascends, carving the earth and\ncarrying its materials to lower levels. We find\nthat the larger valleys have been filled for untold\nages by glaciers of enormous dimensions, always\nmoving, grinding down and tearing away the rocks\nover which they passed. We have, moreover, on\nthe plains at the feet of the mountains, and in enor-\nmous quantities, the very matter derived from the\nsculpture of the mountains themselves.\nThe plains of Italy and Switzerland are cumbered\nby the debris of the Alps. The lower, wider, and\nmore level valleys are also filled to unknown depths\nwith the materials derived from the higher ones.\nIn the vast quantities of moraine-matter which\ncumber many even of the higher valleys we have\nalso suggestions as to the magnitude of the erosion\nwhich has taken place. This moraine-matter, more-\nover, can only in small part have been derived from\nthe falling of rocks upon the ancient glacier it is","height":"2937","width":"1681","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0279.jp2"},"280":{"fulltext":"250 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [18G4\nin great part derived from the grinding and the\nploughing-out of the glacier itself. This accounts\nfor the magnitude of many of the ancient moraines,\nwhich date from a period when almost all the moun-\ntains were covered with ice and snow, and when,\nconsequently, the quantity of moraine-matter de-\nrived from the naked crests cannot have been\nconsiderable.\nThe erosion theory ascribes the formation of\nAlpine valleys to the agencies here briefly referred\nto. It invokes nothing but true causes. Its ar-\ntificers are still there, though, it may be, in\ndiminished strength; and if they are granted\nsufficient time, it is demonstrable that they are\ncompetent to produce the effects ascribed to them.\nAnd what does the fracture theory offer in com-\nparison? From no possible application of this\ntheory, pure and simple, can we obtain the slopes\nand forms of the mountains. Erosion must in the\nlong run be invoked, and its power therefore con-\nceded. The fracture theory infers from the disturb-\nances of the Alps the existence of fissures and this\nis a probable inference. But that they were of a\nmagnitude sufficient to determine the conformation\nof the Alps, and that they followed, as the Alpine\nvalleys do, the lines of natural drainage of the\ncountry, are assumptions which do not appear to me\nto be justified either by reason or by observation.","height":"2965","width":"1814","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0280.jp2"},"281":{"fulltext":"1864] ALPINE SCDLPTUIIE. 251\nThere is a grandeur in the secular integration of\nsmall ejBfects implied by the theory of erosion\nalmost superior to that involved in the idea of\na cataclysm. Think of the ages which must have\nbeen consumed in the execution of this colossal\nsculpture. The question may, of course, be pushed\nto further limits. Think of the ages which the\nmolten earth required for its consolidation. But\nthese vaster epochs lack sublimity through our in-\nability to grasp them. They bewilder us, but they\nfail to make a solemn impression. The genesis of\nthe mountains comes more within the scope of the\nintellect, and the majesty of the operation is en-\nhanced by our partial ability to conceive it. In the\nfalling of a rock from a mountain-head, in the shoot\nof an avalanche, in the plunge of a cataract, we\noften see more impressive illustrations of the power\nof gravity than in the motions of the stars. When\nthe intellect has to intervene, and calculation is\nnecessary to the building up of the conception, the\nexpansion of the feelings ceases to be proportional\nto the magnitude of the phenomena.","height":"2928","width":"1706","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0281.jp2"},"282":{"fulltext":"252 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1865\nXXI.\nSEARCH ON THE MATTERHORN A PROJECT.\nIn July 1865 my excellent friend Hirst and myself\nvisited Grlarus, intending, if circumstances favoured\nus, to climb tlie Todi. We had, however, some\ndifficulty with the guides, and therefore gave the\nexpedition up. Crossing the Klausen pass to Altdorf,\nwe ascended the Grotthardt Strasse to Wasen, and\nwent thence over the Susten pass to Gradmen, which\nwe reached late at night. We halted for a moment\nat Stein, but the blossom of 1863^ wg,s no longer\nthere, and we did not tarry. On quitting Gradmen\nnext morning I was accosted by a guide, who asked\nme .whether I knew Professor Tyndall. He is\nkilled, sir, said the man killed upon the Matter-\nhorn. I then listened to a somewhat detailed\naccount of my own destruction, and soon gathered\nthat, though the details were erroneous, something\nserious if not shocking had occurred. At Imhof the\nrumour became more consistent, and immediately\nafterwards the Matterhorn catastrophe was in every\nPage 167.","height":"2966","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0282.jp2"},"283":{"fulltext":"1865] CLIMBING PROJECT. 253\nmouth, and in all the newspapers. My friend and\nmyself wandered on to Miirren, whence, after an\nineffectual attempt to cross the Petersgrat, we went\nby Kandersteg and the Gemmi to Zermatt.\nOf the four sufferers on the Matterhorn one\nremained behind. But expressed in terms either of\nmental torture or physical pain, the suffering in my\nopinion was nil. Excitement during the first\nmoments left no room for terror, and immediate\nunconsciousness prevented pain. No death has\nprobably less of agony in it than that caused by the\nshock of gravity on a mountain-side. Expected, it\nwould be terrible but unexpected, not. I had\nheard, however, of other griefs and sufferings conse-\nquent on the accident, and this prompted a desire\non my part to find the remaining one and bring\nhim down.\nI had seen the road-makers at work between\nSt. Nicholas and Zermatt, and was struck by the\nrapidity with which they pierced the rocks for\nblasting. One of these fellows could drive a hole a\nfoot deep into hard granite in less than an hour. I\nwas therefore determined to secure in aid of my\nproject the services of a road-maker. None of the\nZermatt guides would second me, but I found one\nof the Lochmatters of St. Nicholas willing to do so.\nHim I sent to Greneva to buy 3,000 feet of rope,\nwhich duly came on heavily laden mules to Zermatt.\n12","height":"2934","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0283.jp2"},"284":{"fulltext":"254 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1865\nHammers and steel punches were prepared a tent\nwas put in order, and the whole was carried up to\nthe chapel by the Schwarz See. But the weather\nwould by no means smile upon the undertaking. I\nwaited in Zermatt for twenty days, making excur-\nsions with pleasant friends, but they merely spanned\nthe brief intervals which separated one rain-gush\nor thunderstorm from another. Bound by an en-\ngagement to my friend Professor De la Eive, of\nGreneva, where the Swiss naturalists had their annual\nassembly in 1865, I was forced to leave Zermatt.\nMy notion was to climb to the point where the men\nslipped, and to fix there suitable irons in the rocks.\nBy means of ropes attached to these I proposed to\nscour the mountain along the line of the glissade.\nThere were peculiarities in the notion which need\nnot now be dwelt upon, inasmuch as the weather\nrendered them all futile.\nJ^I am not sure that the proposed search is prac-\nticable it would certainly require unusually good\nweather for its execution. April 1871.]","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0284.jp2"},"285":{"fulltext":"1866] THE TITLIS. 255\nXXII.\nTHE TITLIS, FINSTERAARSCHLUCHT,\nPETEBSGRAT, AND ITALIAN LAKES.\nIn the summer of 1866 I first went to Engsteln,\none of tlie most charming spots in the Alps. It had\nat that time a double charm, for the handsome\nyoung widow who kept the inn supplemented by her\nkindness and attention within doors the pleasures\nextracted from the outer world. A man named\niMaurer, of Meyringen, was my guide for a time.\nWe climbed the Titlis, g oing straight up it from\nthe Joch Pass, in the track of a scampering chamois\nwhich showed us the way. The Titlis is a very\nnoble mass one of the few which, while moderate\nin height, bear a lordly weight of snow. The view\nfrom the summit is exceedingly fine, and on it I\nrepeated with a hand spectroscope the observations\nof M. Janssen on the absorption-bands of aqueous\nvapour. On the day after this ascent I quitted\nEngsteln, being drawn towards the Wellhorn and\nWetterhorn, both of which, as seen from Engsteln,\ncame out with inexpressible nobleness. The upper","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0285.jp2"},"286":{"fulltext":"256 HOURS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1866\ndome of heaven was of the deepest blue, while only\nthe faintest lightening of the colour towards the\nhorizon indicated the augmented thickness of the\natmosphere in that direction. The sun was very\nhot, but there was a clear rivulet at hand, deepening\nhere and there into pebbled pools, into which I\nplunged at intervals, causing my guide surprise if\nnot anxiety; for he shared the common super-\nstition that plunging, when hot, into cold water is\ndangerous. The danger, and a very serious one it\nis, is to plunge into cold water when cold. The\nstrongest alone can then bear immersion without\ndamage.\nThis year I subjected the famous Finsteraarschlucht\nto a closer examination than ordinary. The earth-\nquake theory already adverted to was prevalent\nregarding it, and I wished to see whether any\nevidences existed of aqueous erosion. It will be\nremembered that the Schlucht or gorge is cut\nth:^pugh a great barrier of limestone rock called the\nKirchet, which throws itself across the valley of\nHasli, about three-quarters of an hour s walk above\nMeyringen, The plain beyond the barrier, on which\nstands the hamlet of Imhof, is formed of the sedi-\nment of a lake of which the Kirchet constituted the\ndam. This dam is now cut through for the passage\nof the Aar, forming one of the noblest gorges in\nSwitzerland. Near the summit of the Kirchet is a","height":"2967","width":"1804","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0286.jp2"},"287":{"fulltext":"•1866] FINSTERAAESCHLTJCHT. 257\nhouse with a signboard inviting the traveller to visit\nthe Aarenschlucht, a narrow lateral gorge which\nruns down to the very bottom of the principal one.\nThe aspect of this smaller chasm from its bottom to\nits top proves to demonstration that water had in\nformer ages worked there as a navigator. It is\nscooped, rounded, and polished, so as to render it\npalpable to the common eye that it is a gorge of\nerosion. But it was regarding the sides of the great\nchasm that I needed instruction, and from its edge\nI could see nothing to satisfy me. I therefore\nstripped and waded into the river until a point was\nreached which commanded an excellent view of both\nsides of the gorge. The water was cutting, but I\nwas repaid. Below me on the left-hand side was\na jutting cliff, which bore the thrust of the river\nand caused the Aar to swerve from its direct course.\nFrom top to bottom this cliff was polished, roim.ded,\nand scooped. There was no room for doubt. The\nriver which now runs so deeply down had once been\nabove. It has been the delver of its own channel\nthrough the barrier of the Kirchet.\nI went on to Eosenlaui, proposing to climb the\nneighbouring mountains in succession. In fact I\nwent to Switzerland in 1866 with a particular\nhunger for the heights. But the weather thickened\nbefore Eosenlaui was reached, and on the night fol-\nlowing the morning of my departure from Engsteln","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0287.jp2"},"288":{"fulltext":"258 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1866\nI lay upon my plaid under an impervious pine, and\nwatched as wild a thunderstorm and as heavy a\ndownpour of rain as I had ever seen. Most extra-\nordinary was the flicker on cliffs and trees, and most\ntremendous was the detonation succeeding each\ndischarge. The fine weather came thus to an end,\nand next day I gave up the Wetterhom for the\nignoble Faulhorn. Here the wind changed, the air\nbecame piercingly cold, and on the following morn-\ning heavy snow-drifts buttressed the doors, windows,\nand walls of the inn. We broke away, sinking at\nsome places to the hips in snow. A descent of a\nthousand feet carried us from the bleakest winter\ninto genial summer. My companion held on to the\nbeaten track, while I sought a rougher and more\ndirect one to the Scheinigeplatte, a resting-place\nwhich commands a noble view of the precipices of\nthe Jungfrau. We were solitary visitors there, and\nI filled the evening with Miss Thackeray s Story\nof Elizabeth, which some benevolent traveller had\nleft at the hotel.\nThence we dropped down to Lauterbrunnen, went\nup the valley to the little inn at Trechslawinen, and\ncrossed the Petersgrat the following day. The\nrecent precipitation had cleared the heavens and re-\nloaded the heights. It was, perhaps, the splendour\nof the weather and the pmity of the snows, aided\nby the subjective efiect due to contrast with a series","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0288.jp2"},"289":{"fulltext":"1866] PETERSaKAT. 259\nof most dismal days, that made me think the Peters-\ngrat so noble a standpoint for a view of the moun-\ntains. The horizontal extent was vast, and the\ngrouping magnificent. The undoubted monarch of\nthis unparagoned scene was the Weisshorn, and this\nmay have rendered me partial in my judgment, for\nmen like to see what they love exalted. At Flatten\nwe found shelter in the house of the cure. Next\nday we crossed the Lotschsattel, and swept round by\nthe Aletsch glacier to the -lEggischhorn.\nHere I had the pleasure of meeting a very ardent\nclimber, who entertains peculiar notions regarding\nguides. He deems them, and rightly so, very ex-\npensive, and he also feels pleasure in trying his own\npowers. Very likely it is my habit of going alone\nthat causes me to sympathise with him. I would,\nhowever, admonish him that he may go too far in\nthis direction, and probably his own experience has\nby this time forestalled the admonition. Still, if\nskill, strength, and self-reliance are things to be\ncultivated in the Alps, they are, within certain\nlimits, best exercised and developed in the absence\nof guides. And if the real climbers are ever to be\ndiflferentiated from the crowd who write and talk\nabout the mountains.; it is only to be done by dis-\npensing with professional assistance. But no man\nwithout natural aptitude and due training would be\njustified in committing himself to ventm-es of this","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0289.jp2"},"290":{"fulltext":"260 HOURS OF exercise in the alps. [1866\nkind, and it is an error to suppose tliat tlie necessary-\nknowledge can be obtained in one or two summers\nin the Alps. Climbing is an art, and those who\nwish to cultivate it on their own account ought to\ngive themselves sufficient previous practice in the\ncompany of first-rate guides. Here, moreover, as\nin every other sphere of human action, whether\nintellectual or physical, as indeed among the guides\nthemselves, real eminence falls only to the lot of\nfew. Whatever be the amount of preparation, real\nclimbers must still remain select men.\nFrom the Bel Alp, Mr. Grirdlestone and I, without\nany guide, made an attack upon the Aletschhorn.\nWe failed. The weather as we started was unde-\ncided, but we hoped the turn might be in our\nfavour. We first kept along the Alp, with the Jaggi\nglacier to our right, then crossed its moraine, and\nmade the trunk glacier our highway until we\nreached the point of confluence of its branches.\nHere we turned to the right, the Aletschhorn, from\nbase to summit, coming into view. We reached\nthe true base of the mountain, and without halting\nbreasted its snow. But as we climbed the atmo-\nsphere thickened more and more. About the Nest-\nhorn the horizon deepened to pitchy darkness, and\non the Aletschhorn itself hung a cloud, which we at\nfirst hoped would melt before the strengthening sun,\nbut which instead of melting became denser. Now","height":"2964","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0290.jp2"},"291":{"fulltext":"1866] ITALIAN LAKES. 261\nand then an echoing rumble of the wind warned us\nthat we might expect rough handling above. We\npersisted, however, and reached a considerable\nheight, unwilling to admit that the weather was\nagainst us, until a more savage roar and a ruder\nshake than ordinary caused us to halt, and look\nmore earnestly and anxiously into the darkening\natmosphere. We were forced to give in, and during\nour descent the air was thick and dark with falling\nsnow. Holding on in the dimness to the medial\nmoraine, we managed to get down the glacier, and\nto clear it at a practicable point, whence, guided\nby the cliffs which flanked our right, and which\nbecame visible only when we came almost into\ncontact with them, we hit the proper track to the\nBel Alp hotel.\nThough my visits to the Alps had already numbered\nthirteen, I had never gone so far southward as the\nItalian lakes. The perfectly unmanageable weather\nof July 1866 caused me to cross with Mr. Grirdlestone\ninto Italy, in the hope that a respite of ten or\ntwelve days might improve the temper of the\nmountains. We walked over the Simplon to the\nvillage of the same name, and took thence the\ndiligence to Domo d Ossola and Baveno. The at-\nmospheric change was wonderful and still the\nclear air which we enjoyed below was the self-same\nair that heaped clouds and snow upon the mountains.","height":"2936","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0291.jp2"},"292":{"fulltext":"262 HOUKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1866\nIt came across tlie heated plains of Lombardy\ncharged with moisture, but the moisture was\nin the transparent condition of true vapour, and\nhence invisible. Tilted by the mountains, the air\nrose, and as it expanded it became chilled, and as it\nbecame chilled it discharged its vapour as visible\ncloud, the globules of which swelled by coalescence\ninto raindrops on the mountain-flanks, or were\nfrozen to snow upon the mountain-heads.\nWe halted on the margin of the Lago Maggiore.\nI could hear the lisping of the waters on the shingle\nfar into the night. My window looked eastward,\nand through it could be seen the first warming of\nthe sky at the approach of dawn. I rose, and\nwatched the growth of colour all along the east.\nThe mountains, from mere masses of darkness pro-\njected against the heavens, became empurpled. It\nwas not as a mere wash of colour overspreading\ntheir surfaces. They blent with the atmosphere as\nif they were part and parcel of the general purple of\nthe air. Nobody was stirring at the time, and the\nlap of the lake upon its shore only increased the\nsense of silence.\nThe holy hour was quiet as a nun\nBreathless with adoration.\nIn my subsequent experience of the Italian lakes\nI met with nothing which affected me so deeply as\nthis morning scene on the Lago Maggiore.","height":"2973","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0292.jp2"},"293":{"fulltext":"r866] MILAN AND COMO. 263\nFrom Baveno we crossed the lake to Lidno, and\nwent thence to Lugano. At Belaggio, on the junc-\ntion of the two branches of the Lake of Como, we\nhalted a couple of days. Como itself we reached in\na small sailing-boat, as a storm prevented the steamer\nfrom taking us. There we saw the statue of Volta\na prophet justly honoured in his own country.\nFrom Como we went to Milan. A climber, of course,\ncould not forego the pleasure of looking at Monte\nEosa from the cathedral roof. The distribution of\nthe statues magnified the apparent vastness of the\npile still the impression made on me by this great\nedifice was one of disappointment. Its front seemed\nto illustrate an attempt to cover meanness of concep-\ntion by profusion of adornment. The interior, how-\never, notwithstanding the cheat of the ceiling, is\nexceedingly grand.\nFrom Milan we went to Orta, where we had a\nplunge into the lake. We crossed it subsequently,\nand walked on to Varallo thence by Fobello over a\ncountry of noble beauty to Ponte Grande in the Val\nAnsasca. Thence again by Macugnaga, over the\ndeep snow of the Monte Moro, reaching Mattmark\nin drenching rain. The temper of the northern\nslopes did not appear to have improved during our\nabsence. We returned to the Bel Alp, fitful\ntriumphs of the sun causing us to hope that we might\nstill have fair play upon the Aletschhorn. But the day","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0293.jp2"},"294":{"fulltext":"264\nHOURS OP EXEECISE IN THE ALPS.\n[1866\nafter our arrival snow fell so heavily as to cover the\npastures for 2,000 feet below the hotel. Partial\nfamine among the herds was the consequence. They\nhad eventually to be driven below the snow- line.\nAvalanches were not unfrequent on slopes which\na day or two previously had been covered with\ngrass and flowers. In this condition of things\nMr. Milman, Mr. Grirdlestone, and I climbed the\nSparrenhorn, and found its heavy-laden Kamm\nalmost as hard as that of Monte Eosa. Occupation\nout of doors was, however, insufficient to fill the\nmind, so I wound my plaid around my loins, and in\nmy cold bedroorii studied Mozley upon Miracles.","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0294.jp2"},"295":{"fulltext":"1867 ASCENT OF THE EIGEK. 265\nXXIII.\nASCENT OF THE EIGER AND PASSAGE OF\nTHE TRIFT.\nGrBiNDELWALD was my first halting-place in the\nsmmner of 1867 I reached it, in company with a\nfriend, on Sunday evening the 7th of July. The\nair of the glaciers and the excellent little dinners\nof the Adler rendered me rapidly fit for mountain-\nwork. The first day we made an excursion along\nthe lower glacier to the Kastenstein, crossing, in re-\nturning, the Strahleck branch of the glacier above\nthe ice-fall, and coming down by the Zasenberg.\nThe second day was spent upon the upper glacier.\nThe sunset covered the crest of the Eiger with\nindescribable glory that evening. It gave defini-\ntion to a vague desire I had previously entertained\nto climb the mountain, and I forthwith arranged\nwith excellent old Christian Michel, and with Peter\nBaumann, the preliminaries of the ascent.\nAt half-past one o clock on the morning of the\n11th we started from the Wengern Alp no trace of\ncloud was visible in the heavens, which were sown\nbroadcast with stars. Those low down twinkled\nwith extraordinary vivacity, many of them flashing","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0295.jp2"},"296":{"fulltext":"266 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1867\nlights of different colours. When an opera-glass\nwas pointed to such a star, and shaken, the line of\nlight described by the image of the star resolved\nitself into a string of richly coloured beads rubies\nand emeralds hung thus together on the same curve.\nThe dark intervals between the beads corresponded\nto the moments of extinction of the star. Over the\nsummit of the Wetterhorn the Pleiades hung like a\ndiadem, while at intervals a solitary meteor shot\nacross the sky.\nWe passed along the Alp, and then over the balled\nsnow and broken ice cast down a glacier which\nfronted us. Here the ascent began we passed from\nsnow to rock and from rock to snow by turns. The\nsteepness for a time was moderate, the only thing\nrequiring caution being the thin crusts of ice upon\nthe rocks over which water had tricklfed the previous\nday. The east gradually brightened, the stars be-\ncome paler and disappeared, and at length the crown\nof the adjacent Jungfrau rose out of the twilight\ninto the rose of the sun. The bloom crept gradually\ndownwards over the snows. At length the whole\nmountain-world partook of the colour. It is not in\nthe night nor in the day it is not in any statical\ncondition of the atmosphere that the mountains\nlook most sublime. It is during the few minutes\nof transition from twilight to full day through the\nsplendours of the dawn.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0296.jp2"},"297":{"fulltext":"1867] ASCENT OF THE EIGER. 267\nSeven hours climbing brought us to the higher\nfilopes, which were for the most part ice, and re-\nquired deep step-cutting. The whole duty of the\nclimber on such slopes is to cut his steps properly,\nand to stand in them securely. At one period of my\nmountain life I looked lightly on the possibility of\na slip, having full faith in the resources of him who\naccompanied me, and very little doubt of my own.\nExperience has qualified this faith in the power even\nof the best of climbers upon a steep ice-slope. A\nslip under such circumstances must not occur.\nThe Jungfrau began her cannonade very early,\nfive avalanches having thundered down her pre-\ncipices before eight o clock in the morning. Bau-\nman, being the youngest man, undertook the labour\nof step-cutting, which the hardness of the ice ren-\ndered severe. He was glad from time to time to\nescape to the snow-cornice which, unsupported save\nby its own tenacity, overhung the Grrindelwald side\nof the mountain, checking himself at intervals by\nlooking over the edge of the cornice, to assure him-\nself that its strength was sufficient to bear our\nweight. A wilder precipice is hardly to be seen\nthan this wall of the Eiger, viewed from the cornice\nat its top. It seems to drop sheer for eight thou-\nsand feet down to Grrindelwald. When the cornice\nbecame unsafe, the guide retreated, and step-cutting\nrecommenced. We reached the summit before nine","height":"2935","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0297.jp2"},"298":{"fulltext":"268 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [-1867\no clock, and had from it an outlook over as glorious\na scene as this world perhaps affords.\nOn the following day I went down to Lauter-\nbrunnen, and afterwards crossed the Petersgrat to\nFlatten, where, the door of the cure being closed\nagainst travellers, we were forced into dirty quarters\nin an adjacent house. From Flatten, instead of going\nas before over the Lotschsattel, we struck obliquely\nacross the ridge above the Nesthom, and got down\nupon the Jaggi glacier, making thus an exceedingly\nfine excursion from Flatten to the Bel Alp. Thence,\nafter a day s halt, I pushed on to Zermatt.\nI have already mentioned Carrel, the bersaglier,\nwho accompanied Bennen and myself in our attempt\nupon the Matterhom in 1862, and who in 1865\nreached the summit of the mountain. With him\nI had been in correspondence for some time, and\nfrom his letters an enthusiastic desire to be my\nguide up the Matterhom might be inferred. From\nthe Eiffelberg I crossed the Theodule to Breuil,\nwhere I saw Carrel. He had naturally and de-\nservedly grown in his own estimation. But I\nwas discomfited by the form his self-consciousness\nassumed. His demands were exorbitant, and he\nalso objected to the excellent company of Christian\nMichel. In fact my friend Carrel was no longer\na reasonable man. I believe he afterwards felt","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0298.jp2"},"299":{"fulltext":"1867] THE TRIFT PASS. 269\nashamed of himself, and sent his friends Bich and\nMeynet to speak to me while he kept aloof. But\nthe weather was then too bad to permit of any-\ndefinite arrangement being made.\nI waited at the Eiffel for twelve days, making\nsmall excursions here and there. But, though the\nweather was not so abominable as it had been in the\nprevious year, the frequent snow-discharges on the\nMatterhom kept it unassailable. In company with\nMr. Crawfurd Grrove, who had engaged Carrel as his\nguide, Michel being mine, I made the pass of the\nTrift from Zermatt to Zinal. I could imderstand\nand share the enthusiasm experienced by Mr. Hinch-\nliff in crossing this truly noble pass. It is certainly\none of the finest in the whole Alps. For that one\nday, moreover, the weather was magnificent. Next\nday we crossed to Evolena, going considerably astray,\nand thus converting a light day into a rather heavy\none. From Evolena we purposed crossing the Col\nd Erin back to Zermatt, but the weather would not\nlet us. This excursion had been made with the view\nof allowing the Matterhorn a little time to arrange\nits temper but tlie temper continued sulky, and at\nlength wearied me out. We went round by the\nvalley of the Ehone to Zermatt, and, finding matters\nworse than ever, both Mr. Grrove and myself returned\nto Visp, intending to quit Switzerland altogether.\nHere he changed his mind and returned to Zermatt","height":"2936","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0299.jp2"},"300":{"fulltext":"270 HOTJES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1867\non the same day the weather changed also, and\ncontinued fine for a fortnight. He succeeded in\ngetting with Carrel to the top of the Matterhom,\nand I succeeded in joining the British Association\nat Dundee. A ramble in the Highlands, including\na visit to the Parallel Eoads of Glenroy, concluded\nmy vacation in 1867.","height":"2963","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0300.jp2"},"301":{"fulltext":"1868] THE MATTERHOEN— THIRD ASSAULT. 271\nXXIV.\nTHE MATTERHOEN— THIRD AND LAST\nASSAULT.\nThe oil of life burnt rather low with me in 1868.\nDriven from London by Dr. Bence Jones, I reached\nthe Giessbach hotel on the Lake of Brientz early\nin July. No pleasanter position could be found for\nan invalid. My friend Hirst was with me, and we\nmade various little excursions in the neighbourhood.\nThe most pleasant of these was to the Hinterburger\nSee, a small and ionely lake high up among the\nhills, fringed on one side by pines, and overshadowed\non the other by the massive limestone buttresses of\nthe Hinterburg. It is an exceedingly lovely spot,\nbut rarely visited. The Griessbach hotel is an\nadmirably organised establishment. The table is\nserved by Swiss girls in Swiss costume, fresh,\nhandsome, and modest, well brought up, who come\nthere, not as servants, but to learn the mysteries of\nhousekeeping. And among her maidens moved like\na little queen the daughter of the host noiseless,\nbut effectual in her rule and governance. I went\nto the Gica_]).ich with a prejudice against the","height":"2937","width":"1676","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0301.jp2"},"302":{"fulltext":"272 HOIJES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\nillumination of the fall. The crowd of spectators\nmay suggest the theatre, but the lighting up of the\nwater is fine. I liked the colourless light best it\nmerely intensified the contrast revealed by ordinary\ndaylight between the white foam of the cascades\nand the black surrounding pines.\nFrom the Griessbach we went to Thun, and thence\nup the Simmenthal to Lenk. Over the sulphur spring\na large hotel has been recently erected, and here we\nfound a number of Swiss and Grermans, who thought\nthe waters did them good. In one large room the\nliquid gushes from a tap into a basin, diffusing\nthrough the place the odour of rotten eggs. The\npatients like this smell indeed they regard its\nfoulness as a measure of their benefit. The director\nof the establishment is intelligent and obliging,\nsparing no pains to meet the wishes and promote\nthe comfort of his guests. We wandered while at\nLenk to the summit of the Eawyl pass, visited the\nSieb^nbriinnen, where the river Simmen bursts full-\ngrown from the rocks, and we should have clambered\nup the Wildstrubel had the weather been tolerable.\nFrom Lenk we went to Gsteig, a finely situated\nhamlet, but not celebrated for the peace and com-\nfort of its inn and from Gsteig to the Diablerets\nhotel. While there I clambered up the Diablerets\nmountain, and was amazed at the extent of the\nsnow-field upon its tabular top. The peaks, if they","height":"2969","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0302.jp2"},"303":{"fulltext":"18§8] THE MATTERHOEN— THIKD ASSAULT. 273\never existed, have been shorn away, and miles of\nflat neve, unseen from below, overspread their\nsection.\nFrom the Diablerets we drove down to Aigle.\nThe Traubenkur had not commenced, and there\nwas therefore ample space for us at the excellent\nhotel. We were compelled to spend a night at\nMartigny. I heard the trumpet .of its famous\nmosquito, but did not feel its attacks. The follow-\ning night was more pleasantly spent on the cool col\nof the Great St. Bernard. On Tuesday, July 21,\nwe reached Aosta, and, in accordance with previous\ntelegraphic arrangement, met there the Chanoine\nCarrel. Jean-Jacques Carrel, the old companion of\nMr. Hawkins and myself, and others at Breuil, were\ndissatisfied with the behaviour of the bersaglier last\nyear, and this feeling the Chanoine shared. He had\nwritten to me during the winter, stating that two\nnew men had scaled the Matterhom, and that they\nwere ready to accompany me anywhere. He now\ndrove, with Hirst and myself, to Chatillon, where at\nthe noisy and comfortless inn we spent the night.\nHere Hirst quitted me, and I turned with the\nChanoine up the valley to Breuil.\nAt Val Tournanche I saw a maiden niece of the\nChanoine who had gone high up the Matterhom, and\nwho, had the wind not assailed her petticoats too\nroughly, might, it was said, have reached the top.","height":"2940","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0303.jp2"},"304":{"fulltext":"274 HOUES OP EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\nI can believe it. Her wrist was like a weaver s beam,\nand her frame seemed a mass of potential energy.\nThe Chanoine had recommended to me as guides\nthe brothers Joseph and Pierre Maquignaz, of Val\nTournanche, his praises of Joseph as a man of un-\nshaken coolness, courage, and capacity as a climber\nbeing particularly strong. Previous to reaching\nBreuil, I saw this Joseph, who seemed to divine by\ninstinct my name and aim.\nCarrel was at Breuil, looking very dark Bich pe-\ntitioned for a porter s post, blaming Carrel bitterly\nfor his greed in the previous year but I left the\narrangement of these matters wholly in the hands\nof Maquignaz. He joined me in the evening, and\non the following day we ascended one of the neigh-\nbouring summits, discussing as we went our chances\non the Matterhorn. In 1867 the chief precipitation\ntook place in a low atmospheric layer, the base of\nthe mountain being heavily laden with snow, while\nthe i^ummit and the higher rocks were bare. In\n1868 the distribution was inverted, the top being\nheavily laden and the. lower rocks clear. An addi-\ntional element of uncertainty was thus introduced.\nMaquignaz could not say what obstacles the snow\nmight oppose to us above, but he was resolute and\nhopeful. My desire was to finish for ever my contest\nwith the Matterhorn by making a pass over its sum-\nmit from Breuil to Zermatt. In this attempt my","height":"2948","width":"1802","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0304.jp2"},"305":{"fulltext":"1868] THE MATTEEHORN— THIKD ASSAULT. 275\nguide expressed bis willingness to join me, Kis inter-\nest in the project being apparently equal to my own.\nHe, however, only knew the Zermatt side of the\nmoimtain through inspection from below and he\nacknowledged that a dread of it had filled him the\nprevious year. He now reasoned, however, that as\nMr. Whymper and the Taugwalds had mtanaged to\ndescend, we ought to be able to do the same. On\nthe Friday we climbed to the Col de la Furka,\nexamined from it the northern face of the pyramid,\nand discovered the men who were engaged in building\nthe cabin on that side. We worked afterwards along\nthe ridge which stretches from the Matterhorn to\nthe Theodule, crossing its guUeys and scaling all its\nheights. It was a pleasant piece of discipline, on\nnew ground, to both my guide and me.\nOn the Thursday evening a violent thunderstorm\nhad .burst over Breuil, discharging new snow upon\nthe heights, but also clearing the oppressive air.\nThough the heavens seemed clear in the early part\nof Friday, clouds showed a disposition to meet us\nfrom the south as we retm-ned from the col. I\nenquired of my companion whether, in the event\nof the day being fine, he would be ready to start on\nSunday. His answer was a prompt negative. In\nVal Tournanche, he said, they always sanctified the\nSunday. I mentioned Bennen, my pious Catholic\nguide, whom I permitted and encouraged to attend","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0305.jp2"},"306":{"fulltext":"276 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\nhis mass on all possible occasions, but who, never-\ntheless, always yielded without a murmur to the\ndemands of the weather. The reasoning had its\neffect. On Saturday Maquignaz saw his confessor,\nand arranged with him to have a mass at 2 a.m. on\nSunday; after which, unshaded by the sense of\nduties unperformed, he would commence the ascent.\nThe claims of religion being thus met, the point\nof next importance, that of money, was set at rest\nby my immediate acceptance of the tariff published\nby the Chanoine Carrel. The problem being thus\nreduced to one of muscular physics, we pondered\nthe question of provisions, decided on a bill of fare,\nand committed its execution to the industrious\nmistress of the hotel.\nA fog, impenetrable to vision, had filled the whole\nof the Val Tournanche on Saturday night, and the\nmountains were half concealed and half revealed by\nthis fog when we rose on Sunday morning. The\neast at sunrise was louring, and the light which\nstreamed through the cloud orifices was drawn in\nominous red bars across the necks of the mountains.\nIt was one of those uncomfortable Laodicean days\nwhich engender indecision threatening, but not\nsufficiently so to warrant postponement. Two guides\nand two porters were considered necessary for the\nfirst day s climb. A volunteer, moreover, attached\nhimself to our party, who carried a sheepskin as part","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0306.jp2"},"307":{"fulltext":"1868] THE MATTERHOKN— THIRD ASSAULT. 277\nof the furniture of tlie cabin. To lighten theii\nlabour, the porters took a mule with them as far as\nthe quadruped could climb, and afterwards divided\nthe load among themselves. While they did so I\nobserved the weather. The sun had risen with con-\nsiderable power, and had broken the cloud-plane\nto pieces. The severed clouds gathered into masses\nmore or less spherical, and were rolled grandly over\nthe ridges into Switzerland. Save for a swathe of\nfog which now and then wrapped its flanks, the\nMatterhorn itself remained clear, and strong hopes\nwere raised that the progress of the weather was in\nthe right direction.\nWe halted at the base of the Tete du Lion, a bold\nprecipice formed by the sudden cutting down of the\nridge which flanks the Val Tournanche to the right.\nFrom its base to the Matterhorn stretches the Col\ndu Lion, crossed for the first time in 1860, by Mr.\nHawkins, myself, and our two guides. We were now\nbeside a snow-gulley, which was cut by a deep furrow\nalong its centre, and otherwise scarred by the descent\nof stones. Here each man arranged his bundle and\nhimself so as to cross the gulley in the minimum of\ntime. The passage was safely made, a few flying\nshingle only coming down upon us. But danger\ndeclared itself where it was not expected. Joseph\nMaquignaz led the way up the rocks. I was next,\nPierre Ma(iuignaz next, and last of all the porters,\n13","height":"2929","width":"1650","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0307.jp2"},"308":{"fulltext":"278 HOUES OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\nSuddenly a yell issued from the leader Cachez-\nvous I crouched instinctively against the rock,\nwhich formed a by no means perfect shelter, when a\nboulder buzzed past me through the air, smote the\nrocks below me, and with a savage hum flew down to\nthe lower glacier. Thus warned, we swerved to an\narete, and when stones fell afterwards they plunged\nto the right or left of us.\nIn 1860 the great couloir which stretches from\nthe Col du Lion downwards was filled with a neve oi\ndeep snow. But the atmospheric conditions whict\nhave caused the glaciers of Switzerland to shrink so\nremarkably during the last ten years have swepi\naway this nevL We had descended it in 1860\nhip-deep in snow, and I was now reminded of its\nsteepness by the inclination of its bed. Maquignaz\nwas incredulous when I pointed out to him the line\nof descent to which we had been committed, in order\nto avoid the falling stones of the Tete du Lion.\nBeijnen s warnings on the occasion were very em-\nphatic, and I could understand their wisdom now\nbetter than I did them.\nWhen Mr. Hawkins and myself first tried the\n1 I should estimate the level of the Lo wer Grindelwald glacier, at\nthe point where it is usually entered upon to reach the Eismeer, to\nbe nearly one hundred feet vertically lower in 1867 than it was in\n1856. I am glad to find that the question of Benchmarks to fix\neuch changes of level is now before the Council of the British\nAssociation.","height":"2965","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0308.jp2"},"309":{"fulltext":"1868] THE MATTEEHORN— THIRD ASSAULT. 279\nMatterliorn, a temporary danger, sufficient to quell\nfor a time the enthusiasm even of our lion-hearted\nguide, was added to the permanent ones. Fresh\nsnow had fallen two days before it had quite over-\nsprinkled the Matterhorn, converting the brown of\nits crags into an iron-grey; this snow had been\nmelted and refrozen, forming upon the rocks an\nenamelling of ice. Besides their physical front,\nmoreover, in 1860, the rocks presented a psycho-\nlogical one, derived from the rumour of their savage\ninaccessibility. The crags, the ice, and the character\nof the mountain, all conspired to stir the feelings.\nMuch of the wild mystery has now vanished, espe-\ncially at those points which in 1860 were places ol\nvirgin difficulty, but down which ropes now hang tc\nassist the climber. The intrinsic grandeur of the\nMatterhorn, however, cannot be effaced.\nAfter some hours of steady climbing we halted\nupon a platform beside the tattered remnant of oae\nof the tents employed by me in 1862. Here we\nsunned ourselves for an hour. We subsequently\nworked upward, scaling the crags and rounding the\nbases of those wild and wonderful rock-towers, into\nwhich the weather of ages has hewn the southern\nridge of the Matterhorn. The work required know-\nledge, but with a fair amount of skill it is safe work.\nI can fancy nothing more fascinating to a man given\nby nature and habit to such things than a climb","height":"2942","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0309.jp2"},"310":{"fulltext":"580 HOURS or EXEECISE in the alps. [1868\nalone among these crags and precipices. He need\nnot be theological, but, if complete, the grandeur ol\nthe place would certainly fill him with religious awe.\nLooked at from Breuil, the Matterhorn presents\ntwo summits the one, the summit proper, a square\nrock-tower in appearance the other, which is really\nthe end of a sharp ridge abutting against the rock-\ntower, an apparently conical peak. On this peak\nBennen and myself planted our flagstaff in 1862.\nAt some distance below it the mountain is crossed by\nan almost horizontal ledge, always loaded with snow,\nwhich, from its resemblance to a white necktie, has\nbeen called the Cravate. On this ledge a cabin was\nput together in 1867. It stands above the precipice\nwhere I quitted my rope in 1862. Up this precipice,\nby the aid of a thicker I will not say a stronger\nrope, we now scrambled, and, following the exact\nroute pursued by Bennen and myself five years\npreviously, we came to the end of the Cravate. At\nsom§ places the snow upon the ledge fell steeply\nfrom its junction with the cliff deep step-cutting\nwas also needed where the substance had been melted\nand recongealed. The passage, however, was soon\naccomplished along the Cravate to the cabin, which\nwas almost filled with snow.\nOur first need was water. We could, of course,\nalways melt the snow, but this would involve a\nwasteful expenditure of heat. The cliff at the base","height":"2948","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0310.jp2"},"311":{"fulltext":"1868] THE MATTERHORN— THIKD ASSAULT. 281\nof whicli the hut was built, overhung, and from its\nedge the liquefied snow fell in showers beyond the\ncabin. Four ice-axes were fixed on the ledge, and\nover them was spread the residue of a second tent\nwhich I had left at Breuil in 1862. The water\nfalling upon the canvas flowed towards its centre.\nHere an orifice was made, through which the\nliquid descended into vessels placed to receive it.\nSome modification of this plan might probably be\nemployed with profit for the storing-up of water for\ndroughty years in England.\nI lay for some hours in the warm sunshine, in\npresence of the Italian mountains, watching the\nmutations of the air. But when the sun sank the\nair became chill, and we all retired to the cabin.\nWe had no fire, though warmth was much needed.\nA lover of the mountains, and of his kind, had\ncontributed an india-rubber mattrass, on which I\nlay down, a light blanket being thrown over me,\nwhile the guides and porters were rolled up in\nsheepskins. The mattrass was a poor defence against\nthe cold of the subjacent rock. I bore this for two\nhours, unwilling to disturb the guides, but at\nlength it became intolerable. On learning my\ncondition, however, the good fellows were soon\nalert, and, folding a sheepskin round me, restored\nme gradually to a pleasant temperature. I fell\nasleep, and found the guides preparing breakfast,","height":"2937","width":"1705","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0311.jp2"},"312":{"fulltext":"282 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\nand the morning well advanced, when I opened my\neyes.\nIt was past six o clock wheii the two brothers\nand I quitted the cabin. The porters deemed\ntheir work accomplished, but they halted for a\ntime to ascertain whether we were likely to be\ndriven back or to push forward. We skirted the\nCravate, and reached the ridge at its western\nextremity. This we ascended along the old route\nof Bennen and myself to the conical peak already\nreferred to, which, as seen from Breuil, constitutes\na kind of second summit of the Matterhorn. From\nthis point to the base of the final precipice of the\nmountain stretches an arete, terribly hacked by the\nweather, but on the whole horizontal. When I\nfirst made the acquaintance of this savage ridge\ncalled by Italians the Spalla it was almost clear of\nsnow. It was now loaded, the snow being bevelled\nto an edge of exceeding sharpness. The slope to\nthe^eft, falling towards Zmutt, was exceedingly\nsteep, while the precipices on the right were abysmal.\nNo other part of the Matterhorn do I remember\nwith greater interest than this. It was terrible,\nbut its difiiculties were fairly within the grasp of\nhuman skill, and this association is more ennobling\nthan where the circumstances are such as to make\nyou conscious of your own helplessness. On one of\nthe sharpest teeth of the ridge Joseph Maquignaz","height":"2963","width":"1803","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0312.jp2"},"313":{"fulltext":"1868] THE MATTEEHORN— THIRD ASSAULT. 283\nhalted, and, turning to me with a smile, remarked,\nThere is no room for giddiness here, sir. In fact,\nsuch possibilities, in such places, must be alto-\ngether excluded from the chapter of accidents of the\nclimber.\nIt was at the end of this ridge, where it abuts\nagainst the last precipice of the Matterhorn, that\nmy second flagstaff was left in 1862. I think there\nmust have been something in the light falling upon\nthis precipice that gave it an aspect of greater\nverticality when I first saw it than it seemed to\npossess on the present occasion. We had, however,\nbeen struggling for many hours previously, and may\nhave been dazed by our exertion. I cannot other-\nwise account for three of my party declining flatly\nto. make any attempt upon the precipice. It looks\nvery bad, but no real climber with his strength\nunimpaired would pronounce it, without trial, in-\nsuperable. Fears of this rock-wall, however, had been\nexcited long before we reached it. It was probably\nthe addition of the psychological element to the\nphysical the reluctance to encounter new dangers\non a mountain which had hitherto inspired a super-\nstitious fear that quelled further exertion.\nSeven hundred feet, if the barometic measurement\ncan be trusted, of very difficult rock-work now lay\nabove us. In 1862 this height had been imder-\nestimated by both Bennen and myself. Of the","height":"2937","width":"1689","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0313.jp2"},"314":{"fulltext":"284 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\n14,800 feet of the Matterhorn, we then thought we\nhad accomplished 14,600. If the barometer speaks\ntruly, we had only cleared 14,200.\nDescending the end of the ridge, we crossed a\nnarrow cleft, and grappled with the rocks at the\nother side of it. Our ascent was oblique, bearing\nto the right. The obliquity at one place fell to\nhorizontality, and we had to work on the level\nround a difficult protuberance of rock. We cleared\nthe difficulty without haste, and then rose straight\nagainst the precipice. Above us a rope hung down\nthe cliff, left there by Maquignaz on the occasion\nof his first ascent. We reached the end of this rope,\nand some time was lost by my guide in assuring\nhimself that it was not too much frayed by friction.\nCare in testing it was doubly necessary, for the\nrocks, bad in themselves, were here crusted with ice.\nThe rope was in some places a mere hempen core\nsurrounded by a casing of ice, over which the hands\nslid helplessly. Even with the aid of the rope in this\ncondition it required an effi)rt to get to the top of\nthe precipice, and we willingly halted there to take\na minute s breath. The ascent was virtually accom-\nplished, and a few minutes more of rapid climbing\nplaced us on the lightning-smitten top. Thus ended\nthe long contest between me and the Matterhom.\nThe day thus far had swung through alternations\nfog and sunshine. While we were on the ridge","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0314.jp2"},"315":{"fulltext":"i868] THE MATTEKHOKN— THIED ASSAULT. 285\nbelow, the air at times was blank and chill with\n.mist then with rapid solution the cloud would\nvanish, and open up the abysses right and left of us.\nOn our attaining the summit a fog from Italy\nrolled over us, and for some minutes we were clasped\nby a cold and clammy atmosphere. But this passed\nrapidly away, leaving above us a blue heaven, and\nfar below us the sunny meadows of Zermatt. The\nmountains were almost wholly unclouded, and such\nclouds as lingered amongst them only added to\ntheir magnificence. The Dent d Erin, the Dent\nBlanche, the Grabelhorn, the Mischabel, the range\nof heights between it and Monte Eosa, the Lyskamm,\nand the Breithorn were all at hand, and clear\nwhile the Weisshom, noblest and most beautiful of\nall, shook out a banner towards the north, formed\nby the humid southern air as it grazed the crest of\nthe mountain.\nThe world of peaks and glaciers surrounding this\nimmediate circlet of giants was also open to us up\nto the horizon. Our glance over it was brief, for it\nwas eleven o clock, and the work before us soon\nclaimed all our attention. I found the debris of\nmy former expedition everywhere below, the\nfragments of my tents, and on the top a piece of\nmy ladder fixed in the snow as a flagstaff. The\nsummit of the Matterhorn is a sharp horizontal\narete, and along this we now moved eastward. On","height":"2934","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0315.jp2"},"316":{"fulltext":"286 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [186S\nour left was the roof-like slope of snow seen from\nthe Eiffel and Zermatt on our right were the\nsavage precipices which fall into Italy. Looking to\nthe further end of the ridge, the snow there seemed\nto be trodden down, and I drew my companions\nattention to the apparent footmarks. As we ap-\nproached the place it became evident that human\nfeet had been there two or three days previously.\nI think it was Mr. Elliot of Brighton* who had\nmade this ascent the first accomplished from\nZermatt since 1865. On the eastern end of the\nridge we halted to take a little food not that I\nseemed to need it it was the remonstrance of\nreason rather than the consciousness of physical\nwant that caused me to do so.\nWe took our ounce of nutriment and gulp of\nwine (my only sustenance during the entire day),\nand stood for a moment silently and earnestly\nlooking down towards Zermatt. There was a cer-\ntain official formality in the manner in which the\nguides turned to me and asked, Etes-vous content\nd essayer A sharp responsive Oui set us im-\nmediately in motion. It was nearly half-past eleven\nwhen we quitted the summit. The descent of the\nroof-like slope already referred to offered no diffiL-\nculty; but the gradient very soon became more\nformidable.\nKilled in 1869 upon the Schreckhorn.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0316.jp2"},"317":{"fulltext":"1868] THE MATTERHOEN— THIED ASSAULT. 287\nOne of the two faces of the Matterhorn pyramid,\nseen from Zermatt, falls towards the Zmutt glacier,\nand has a well-known snow-plateau at its base. The\nother face falls towards the Furgge glacier. We were\non the former. For some time, however, we kept\nclose to the arete formed by the intersection of the\ntwo faces of the pyranodd, because nodules of rock jutted\nfrom it which offered a kind of footing. These rock\nprotuberances helped us in another way round them\nan extra rope which we carried was frequently doubled,\nand we let ourselves down by the rope as far as it\ncould reach, liberating it afterwards (sometimes with\ndifficulty) by a succession of jerks. In the choice\nand use of these protuberances the guides showed both\njudgment and skill. The rocks became gradually\nlarger and more precipitous, a good deal of time\nbeing consumed in dropping down and doubling round\nthem. Still we preferred them to the snow-slope at\nour left as long as they continued practicable.\nThis they at length ceased to be, and we had to\ncommit Ourselves to the slope. It was in the worst\npossible condition. When snow ^rst falls at these\ngreat heights it is usually dry, and has no coherence.\nIt resembles, to some extent, flour, or sand, or saw-\ndust. Shone upon by a strong sun it partly melts,\nshrinks, and becomes more consolidated, and when\nsubsequently frozen it may be safely trusted. Even\nthough the melting of the snow and its subsequent","height":"2933","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0317.jp2"},"318":{"fulltext":"288 HOFKS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\nfreezing may be only very partial, the cementing of\nthe granules adds immensely to the safety of the\nfooting. Hence the advantage of descending such a\nslope before the sun has had time to unlock the\nrigidity of the night s frost. But we were on the\nsteepest Matterhom slope during the two hottest\nHours of the day, and the sun had done his work\neffectually. The layer of snow was about fifteen\ninches thick. In treading it we came immediately\nupon the rock, which in most cases was too\nsmooth to furnish either prop or purchase. It was\non this slope that the Matterhom catastrophe oc-\ncurred: it is on this slope that other catastrophes\nwill occur, if this mountain should ever become\nfashionable.\nJoseph Maquignaz was the leader of our little\nparty, and a brave, cool, and competent leader he\nproved himself to be. He was silent, save when he\nanswered his brother s anxious and oft-repeated\nquestion, Es-tu bien place, Joseph Along with\nbeing perfectly cool and brave, he seem ed to be\nperfectly truthful. He did not pretend to be bien\nplace when he was not, nor avow a power of hold-\ning which he knew he did not possess. Pierre\nMaquignaz is, I believe, under ordinary circum-\nstances, an excellent guide, and he enjoys the\nreputation of being never tired. But in such cir-\ncumstances as we encountered on the Matterhom he","height":"2948","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0318.jp2"},"319":{"fulltext":"1868] THE MATTERHOEN— THIKD ASSAULT. 289\nis not the equal of his brother. Joseph, if I may\nuse the term, is a man of high boiling point, his\nconstitutional sangfroid resisting the ebullition of\nfear. Pierre, on the contrary, shows a strong ten-\ndency to boil over in perilous places.\nOur progress was exceedingly slow, but it was\nsteady and continued. At every step our leader\ntrod the snow cautiously, seeking some rugosity\non the rock beneath it. This however was rarely\nfound, and in most cases he had to establish a me-\nchanical attachment between the snow and the slope\nwhich bore it. No semblance of a slip occurred in\nthe case of any one of us, and had it occurred I\ndo not think the worst consequences could have\nbeen avoided. I wish to stamp this slope of the\nMatterhorn with the character that really belonged\nto it when I descended it, and I do not hesitate to\nsay that the giving way of any one of our party\nwould have carried the whole of us to ruin. Why,\nthen, it may be asked employ the rope The rope,\nI reply, notwithstanding all its possible drawbacks\nunder such circumstances, is the safeguard of the\nclimber. Not to speak of the moral effect of its\npresence, an amount of help upon a dangerous slope\nthat might be measured by the gravity of a few\npounds is often of incalculable importance and\nthus, though the rope may be not only useless but\ndisastrous if the footing be clearly lost, and the","height":"2935","width":"1683","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0319.jp2"},"320":{"fulltext":"290 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\nglissade fairly begun, it lessens immensely the chance\nof this occurrence.\nWith steady perseverance, difficulties upon a\nmountain, as elsewhere, come to an end. We were\nfinally able to pass from the face of the pyramid to\nits rugged edge, where it was a great relief to feel\nthat honest strength and fair skill, which might\nhave gone for little on the slope, were masters of\nthe situation.\nStanding on the arete, -at the foot of a remarkable\ncliff-gable seen from Zermatt, and permitting the\nvision to range over the Matterhom, its appearance\nis exceedingly wild and impressive. Hardly two\nthings can be more different than the two aspects of\nthe mountain from above and below. Seen from\nthe Eiffel, or Zermatt, it presents itself as a com-\npact pyramid, smooth and steep, and defiant of the\nweathering air. From above, it seems torn to\npieces by the frosts of ages, while its vast facettes\nare so foreshortened as to stretch out into the\ndistaiice like plains. But this underestimate of the\nsteepness of the mountain is checked by the deport-\nment of its stones. Their discharge along the side of\nthe pyramid to-day was incessant, and at any moment,\nby detaching a single boulder, we could let loose\na cataract of them, which flew with wild rapidity\nand with a thunderous clatter down the mountain.\nWe once wandered too far from the arete, and were","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0320.jp2"},"321":{"fulltext":"1868] THE MATTEEHOEN— THIRD ASSAULT. 291\n■warned back to it by a train of these missiles sweep-\ning past us.\nAs long as our planet yields less heat to space\nthan she receives from the bodies of space, so long\nwill the forms upon her surface undergo mutation,\nand as soon as equilibruim, in regard to heat, has\nbeen established we shall have, as Thomson has\npointed out, not peace, but death. Life is the pro-\nduct and accompaniment of change, and the self-\nsame power that tears the flanks of the hills to pieces\nis the mainspring of the animal and vegetable worlds.\nStill, there is something chilling in the contempla-\ntion of the irresistible and remorseless character of\nthose infinitesimal forces, whose integration through\nthe ages pulls down even the Matterhorn. Hacked\nand hurt by time, the aspect of the mountain from\nits higher crags saddened me. Hitherto the impres-\nsion that it made was that of savage strength, but\nhere we had inexorable decay.\nThis notion of decay, however, implied a reference\nto a period when the Matterhorn was in the full\nstrength of mountainhood. My thoughts naturally\nran back to its possible growth and origin. Nor\ndid they halt there, but wandered on through molten\nworlds to that nebulous haze which philosophers have\nregarded, and with good reason, as the proximate\nsource of all material things. I tried to look at\nthis universal cloud, containing within itself the","height":"2933","width":"1662","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0321.jp2"},"322":{"fulltext":"292 HOUES OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\nprediction of all that has since occurred I tried to\nimagine it as the seat of those forces whose action\nwas to issue in solar and stellar systems, and all\nthat they involve. Did that formless fog contain\npotentially the sadness with which I regarded the\nMatterhorn Did the thought which now ran back\nto it simply return to its primeval home If so,\nhad we not better recast our definitions of matter\nand force for if life and thought be the very flower\nof both, any definition which omits life and thought\nmust be inadequate, if not untrue.\nQuestions like these, useless as they seem, may\nstill have a practical outcome. For if the final goal\nof man has not been yet attained, if his development\nhas not been yet arrested, who can say that such\nyearnings and questionings are not necessary to the\nopening of a finer vision, to the budding and the\ngrowth of diviner powers Without this upward\nforce could man have risen to his present height\nWhen I look at the heavens and the earth, at my\nowi* body, at my strength and weakness of mind,\neven at these ponderings, and ask myself. Is there\nno being or thing in the universe that knows more\nabout these matters than I do ^what is my an-\nswer Supposing our theologic schemes of creation,\ncondemnation, and redemption to be dissipated\nand the warmth of denial which they excite, and\nwhich, as a motive force, can match the warmth of","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0322.jp2"},"323":{"fulltext":"1368] THE MATTERHOKN— THIRD ASSAULT. 293\naffirmation, dissipated at tlie same time would the\nundeflected human mind return to the meridian of\nabsolute neutrality as regards these ultra-physical\nquestions Is such a position one of stable equi-\nlibrium Such are the questions, without replies,\nwhich could run through consciousness during a\nten minutes halt upon the weathered spire of the\nMatterhorn.\nWe shook the rope away from us, and went\nrapidly down the rocks. The day was well advanced\nwhen we reached the cabin, and between it and the\nbase of the pyramid we missed our way. It was late\nwhen we regained it, and by the time we reached the\nridge of the Hornli we were unable to distinguish\nrock from ice. We should have fared better than\nwe did if we had kept along the ridge and felt our\nway to the Schwarz See, whence there would have\nl)een no difficulty in reaching Zermatt, but we left\nthe Hornli to our right, and found ourselves inces-\nsantly checked in the darkness by ledges and preci-\nX)ices, possible and actual. We were afterwards\nentangled in the woods of Zmutt, carving our way\nwearily through bush and bramble, and creeping\nat times along dry and precipitous stream-beds.\nBut we finally struck the path and followed it to\nZermatt, which we reached between one and two\no clock in the morninof.\nHaving work to do for the Norwich meeting of","height":"2937","width":"1673","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0323.jp2"},"324":{"fulltext":"294 HOUKS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1868\nthe British Association, I remained several days at\nthe Eiffel, taking occasional breathings with plea-\nsant companions upon the Eiffelhorn. I subse-\nquently crossed the Weissthor with Mr. Paris to\nMattmark, and immediately afterwards returned to\nEngland.\nOn the 4th of September, SigTior Griordano, to\nwhom we are indebted for a very complete geological\nsection of the Matterhorn, with Joseph Maquignaz\nand Carrel as guides, followed my route over the\nmountain. In a letter dated Florence, December\n31, 1868, he writes to me thus\nQuant a moi, je dirai que vraiment, j ai trouve\ncette fois le pic assez difficile. J ai surtout\ntrouve difficile la traversee de I arete qui suit le\npic Tyndall du cote de I ltalie. Quant au versant\nSuisse, je I ai trouve mo ins difficile que je ne croyais,\nparce que la neige y etait un peu consolidee par la\nchaleur. En descendant le pic du cote de Zermatt\nj ai encouru un veritable danger par les avalanches\nde pierres Un de mes deux guides a eu le\nhavresac coupe en deux par un bloc, et moi-meme\nj ai ete un peu contusionn^.","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0324.jp2"},"325":{"fulltext":"1869 ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHOEN. 295\nXXV.\nASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHORN.\nThe failure through bad weather of a former\nattempt upon the Aletschhom has been already\nrecorded but a succession of cloudless days at the\nBel Alp in August 1869 stirred up the desire to try\nagain. This was strengthened by the wish to make\na series of observations from the greatest accessible\nelevation on the colour and polarisation of the sky.\nI had no guide of my own, but the Knecht at the\nhotel had been up the mountain, and I thought that\nwe two might accomplish the ascent without any other\nassistance. It was the first time the mountain had\nbeen attempted by a single guide, and I was there-\nfore careful to learn whether he was embarrassed by\neither doubt or fear. There was no doubt or fear\nin the matter he really wished to go with me. His\nmaster (the proprietor of the hotel) had asked him\nwhether he was not undertaking too much. I am\nundertaking no more than my companion, was his\nreply.\nAt twenty minutes ,past two we quitted the Bel","height":"2929","width":"1661","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0325.jp2"},"326":{"fulltext":"296 HOUES OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\nAlp. The moon, which seven hours previously had\ncleared the eastern mountain-tops with a visible\nmotion, was now sloping to the west. The light was\nwhite and brilliant, and shadows of corresponding\ndarkness were cast upon the earth. The larger stars\nwere out, those near the horizon especially sparkling\nwith many-coloured fires. The Pleiades were near\nthe zenith, while Orion hung his sword a few degrees\nabove the eastern horizon. Our path lay along the\nslope of the mountain, parallel to the Oberaletsch\nglacier, the lateral moraine of which was close to us\non our right. After climbing sundry grass acclivities\nwe mounted this moraine, and made it our pathway\nfor a time. At a certain point the shingly ridge\nbecame depressed, opening a natural passage to the\nglacier. We found the ice hummocky, and there-\nfore crossed it to a medial moraine composed of\ngranite debris and loaded here and there with clean\ngranite blocks of enormous size. Beyond this\nmojpaine we found smoother ice and better light, for\nwe had previously journeyed in the shadow of the\nmountains.\nWe marched upwards along the glacier chatting\nsociably at times, but at times stilled into silence by\nthe stillness of the night. Es tagt at length\nexclaimed my companion. It dawns Orion had\nmoved upwards, leaving space between him and the\nhorizon for the morning star. All the east was","height":"2966","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0326.jp2"},"327":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHORN. 297\nbelted by that dafifodil sky which in some states\nof the atmosphere announces the approach of day in\nthe Alps. We spun towards the east. It brightened\nand deepened, but deeper than the orange of the\nspectrum it did not fall. Amid this the mountains\nrose. Silently and solemnly their dark and dented\noutlines rested against the dawn.\nThe mass of light thus thrown over the shaded\nearth long before the sun appeared above the horizon\ncame not from illuminated clouds, but from matter\nfar more attenuated than clouds matter which main-\ntains comparative permanence in the atmosphere,\nwhile clouds are formed and dissipated. It is not\nlight reflected from concentric shells of air of varying\ndensity, of which oiir atmosphere may be rightly\nassumed to be made up for the light reflected from\nthese convex layers is thrown, not upon the earth at\nall, but into space. The rose of dawn is usually\nascribed, and with sufficient correctness, to trans-\nmitted light, the blue of the sky to reflected light\nbut in each case there is both transmission and\nreflection. No doubt the daffodil and orange of\nthe east this morning must have been transmitted\nthrough long reaches of atmospheric air, and no\ndoubt it was during this passage of the rays that the\nselective winnowing of the light occurred which gave\nthe sky its tint and splendour. But if the distance\nof the sun below the horizon when the dawn first","height":"2934","width":"1703","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0327.jp2"},"328":{"fulltext":"298 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\nappeared betaken into account, it will become evident\nthat the solar rays must have been caused to swerve\nfrom their rectilineal course by reflection. The\nrefraction of the atmosphere would be wholly in-\ncompetent to bend the rays round the convex earth\nto the extent now under contemplation.\nThus the light which is reflected must be first\ntransmitted to the reflecting particles, while the\ntransmitted light, except in the direct line of the\nsun, must be reflected to reach the eyes. What\nmainly holds the light in our atmosphere after the\nsun has retired behind the earth is, I imagine, the\nsuspended matter which produces the blue of the\nsky and the morning and the evening red. Through\nthe reverberation of the rays from particle to particle,\nthere must be at the very noon of night a certain\namount of illumination. Twilight must continue\nwith varying degrees of intensity all night long, and\nthe visibility of the nocturnal firmament itself may\nbe due, not, as my excellent friend Dove seems\nto assume, to the light of the stars, but in great part\nto the light of the sun, scattered in all directions\nthrough the atmosphere by the almost infinitely\nattenuated matter held there in suspension.\nWe had every prospect of a glorious day. To our\nleft was the almost full moon, now close to the\nridge of the Sparrenhorn. The firmament was as\nblue as ever I have seen it deep and dark, and to","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0328.jp2"},"329":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHOKN. 299\nall appearance jpure that is to say, unmixed with\nany colour of a lower grade of refrangibility than\nthe blue. The lunar shadows had already become\nweak, and were finally washed away by the light of\nthe east. But while the shadows were at their\ngreatest depth, and therefore least invaded by the\ndawn, I examined the firmament with a Nicol s prism.*\nThe moonlight, as I have said, came from the left,\nand right in front of me was a mountain of dark\nbrown rock, behind which spread a heaven of the\nmost impressive depth and purity. I looked over\nthe mountain-crest through the prism. In one\nposition of the instrument the blue was not sensibly\naffected in the rectangular position it was so far\nquenched as to reduce the sky and the dark moun-\ntain beneath it to the same uniform hue. The\noutline of the mountain could hardly be detached\nfrom the sky above it. This was the direction in\nwhich the prism showed its maximum quenching\npower in no other direction was the extinction of\nthe light of the sky so perfect. And it was at right\nangles to the lunar rays so that, as regards the\npolarisation of the sky, the beams of the moon\nbehave exactly like those of the sun.\nThe glacier along which we first marched was a\ntrunk of many tributaries, and consequently of many\nmedial moraines, such moraines being always one\nArt. X, of Fragments of Science is devoted to the sky.","height":"2934","width":"1699","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0329.jp2"},"330":{"fulltext":"300 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\nless in number than the tributaries.^ But two\nprincipal branches absorbed all the others as con-\nstituents. One of these descended from the Great\nand Little Nesthorn and their spurs the other\nfrom the Aletschhorn. Up this latter branch we\nsteered from the junction. Hitherto the surface of\nthe glacier, disintegrated by the previous day s sun,\nand again hardened by the night s frost, had crackled\nunder our feet but on the Aletschhorn branch the\nice was coated by a kind of fur, resembling the nap\nof velvet: it was as soft as a carpet, but at the\nsame time perfectly firm to the grip of the boot.\nThe sun was hidden behind the mountain and,\nthus steeped in shade, we could enjoy, with spirits\nunblunted by the heat, the loveliness and grandeur\nof the scene.\nEight before us was the pyramid of the Aletsch-\nhorn, bearing its load of glaciers, and thrusting\nabove them its pinnacle of rock while right and\nleft of us towered and fell to snowy cols such other\npeaks as usually hang about a mountain of nearly\n14,000 feet elevation. And amid them all, with a\ncalmness corresponding to the deep seclusion of the\nplace, wound the beautiful system of glaciers along\nwhich we had been marching for nearly three hours.\nI know nothing which can compare in point of\nglory with these winter palaces of the mountaineer,\nunder the opening illumination of the morning.\nGlaciers of the Alps/ p. 264.","height":"2967","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0330.jp2"},"331":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHOEN. 301\nAnd the best of it is, that no right of property in\nthe scene could enhance its value. To Switzerland\nbelongs the rock to the early climber, competent\nto enjoy them, ^belong the sublimity and beauty\nof mass, form, colour, and grouping. And still tlie\noutward splendour is by no means all. In the\nmidst of a puddly moor, says Emerson, I am afraid\nto say how glad I am which is a strong way of\naffirming the influence of the inner man as regards\nthe enjoyment of external nature. And surely the\ninner man is a high factor in the effect. The mag-\nnificence of the world outside suffices not. Like\nlight falling upon the polished plate of the photo-\ngrapher, the glory of Nature, to be felt, must\ndescend upon a soul prepared to receive its image\nand superscription.\nMind, like force, is known to us only through\nmatter. Take, then, what hypothesis you will\nconsider matter as an instrument through which the\ninsulated mind exercises its powers, or consider\nboth as so inextricably mixed that they stand or\nfall together from both points of view the care of\nthe body is equally important. The morality of\nclean blood ought to be one of the first lessons\ntaught us by our pastors and masters. The physical\nis the substratum of tlie spiritual, and this fact ought\nIt ■will not be supposed that I here mean the stuffing or pam-\npering of the body. The shortening of the supplies, or a good\nmonkish fast at intervals, is often the best discipline for the body.\n14","height":"2935","width":"1691","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0331.jp2"},"332":{"fulltext":"302 HOURS OF EX-ERCISE IN THl!: ALPS. [1869\nto give the food we eat and to tlie air we breathe\na transcendefital significance. Boldly and truly\nwrites Mr. Euskin, Whenever you throw your\nwindow wide open in the morning, you let in\nAthena, as wisdom and fresh air at the same instant\nand whenever you draw a pure, long, full breath of\nright heaven, you take Athena into your heart, through\nyour blood; and with the blood into thoughts of\nthe brain. No higher value than this could be\nassigned to atmospheric oxygen.\nPrecisely three hours after we had quitted our\nhotel the uniform gradient of the Aletschhorn glacier\ncame to an end. It now suddenly steepened to run\nup the mountain. At the base we halted to have\nsome food, a huge slab of granite serving us for a\ntable. It is not good to go altogether without food\nin these climbing expeditions nor is it good to eal;\ncopiously. Here a little and there a little, as the\nneed makes itself apparent, is the prudent course.\nFor, left to itself, the stomach infallibly sickens, and\nthe forces of the system ooze away. Should the\nsickness have set in so as to produce a recoil from\nnutriment, the stomach must be forced to yield.\nA small modicum of food usually suffices to set\nit right. The strongest guides and the sturdiest\nporters have sometimes to use this compulsion.\nSie miissen sich zwingen. The guides refer\nthe capriciousness of the stomach at great eleva-","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0332.jp2"},"333":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHORN. 303\ntions to the air. This may be a cause, but I am\ninclined to think that something is also due to the\nmotion the long-continued action of the same\nmuscles upon the diaphragm. The condition of\nthings antecedent to the journey must also be taken\ninto account. There is little, if any, sleep the\nstarting meal is taken at an unusual hour and if\nthe start be made from a mountain cave or cabin,\ninstead of from the bed of an hotel, the deviation\nfrom normal conditions is aggravated. It could not\nbe the mere difference of height between Mont\nBlanc and Monte Eosa which formerly rendered\ntheir effects upon travellers so different. It is that,\nin the one case, you had the melted snow of the\nGrands Mulets for your coffee, and a bare plank for\nyour bed while in the other you had the compara-\ntive comforts of the auberge on the Eiffel. On the\npresent occasion I had a bottle of milk, which suits\nme better than anything else. That and a crust are\nall I need to keep my vigour up and to ward off\nle mal des montagnes.\nAfter half an hour s halt we made ready for the\npeak, meeting first a quantity of moraine matter\nmingled with patches of snow, and afterwards the\nrifted glacier. We threaded our way among the\ncrevasses, and here I paid particular attention to the\ndeportment of my guide. The want of confidence,\nor rather the absence of that experience of a guide s","height":"2933","width":"1701","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0333.jp2"},"334":{"fulltext":"304 HOURS OF EXEKCISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\npowers, on whicli alone perfect reliance can be based,\nis a serious drawback to the climber. This source of\nweakness has often come home to me since the death\nof my brave friend Bennen. His loss to me was like\nthat of an arm to a fighter. But I was glad to\nnotice that my present guide was not likely to err\non the score of rashness. He left a wider margin\nbetween us and accident than I should have deemed\nnecessary he sounded with his staff where I should\nhave trod without hesitation and, knowing my own\ncaution, I had good reason to be satisfied with his.\nStill, notwithstanding all his vigilance, he once\nwent into a concealed fissure only waist-deep, how-\never, and he could certainly have rescued himself\nwithout the tug of the rope which united us.\nAfter some time we quitted the ice, striking\na rocky shoulder of the mountain. The rock had\nbeen pulled to pieces by the weather, and its\nfragments heaped together to an incoherent ridge.\nOver the lichened stones we worked our way,\nour course, though rough, being entirely free from\ndanger. On this ridge the sun first found us,\nstriking us at intervals, and at intervals disappearing\nbehind the sloping ridge of the Aletschhorn. We\nattained the summit of the rocks, and had now\nthe upper reaches of the n^ve before us. To our\nleft the glacier was greatly torn, exposing fine\nvertical sections, deep blue pits and chasms, which","height":"2948","width":"1813","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0334.jp2"},"335":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHOKN. 305\nwere bottomless to vision and ledges, from whose\ncopings hung vaster stalactites than those observed\nbelow. The beauty of the higher crevasses is\nmightily enhanced by the long transparent icicles\nwhich hang from their eaves, and which, loosened\nby the sun, fall into them with ringing sound.\nAbove us was the customary Bergschrund but the\nspring avalanches had swept over it, and closed it,\nand since the spring it had not been able to open\nits jaws. At this schrund we aimed, reached it, and\ncrossed it, and immediately found ourselves at the\nbase of the final cap of the mountain.\nLooking at the Aletschhom from the Sparrenhorn,\nor from any other point which commands a similar\nview of the pyramid, we see upon the ridge which\nfalls from the summit to the right, and at a con-\nsiderable distance from the top, a tooth or pinnacle of\nrock, which encloses with the ridge a deep indenta-\ntion. At this gap we now aimed. We varied our\nascent from steep snow to rock, and from steep rock\nto snow, avoiding the difficulties when possible, and\nfacing them when necessary. We met some awkward\nplaces, but none whose subjugation was otherwise than\npleasant, and at length surmounted the edge of the\narete. Looking over this, the facette of the pyramid\nfell almost sheer to the Middle Aletsch glacier. This\nwas a familiar sight to me, for years ago I had\nstrolled over it alone. Below it was the Grreat","height":"2936","width":"1706","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0335.jp2"},"336":{"fulltext":"306 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\nAletsch, into which the Middle Aletseh flows, and\nbeyond both was the well-known ridge of the -iiEggisch-\nhorn. We halted, but only for a moment. Turn-\ning suddenly to the left, we ascended the rocky ridge\nto a sheltered nook which suggested a brief rest and\na slight renewal of that nutriment which, as stated,\nis so necessary to the wellbeing of the climber.\nFrom time to time during the ascent I examined\nthe polarisation of the sky. I should not have halted\nhad not the fear of haze or clouds upon the summit\nadmonished me. Indeed, as we ascended, one thin,\narrowy cloud shot like a comet s tail through the air\nabove us, spanning ninety degrees, or more, of the\nheavens. Never, however, have I observed the sky\nof a deeper, darker, and purer blue. It was to ex-\namine this colour that I ascended the Aletschhorn,\nand I wished to observe it where the hue was deepest\nand the polarisation most complete. You can look\nthrough very different atmospheric thicknesses at\nright angles to the solar beams. When, for example,\nthe sun is in the eastern or western horizon, you\ncan look across the sun s rays towards the northern\nor southern horizon, or you can look across them to\nthe zenith. In the latter direction the blue is deeper\nand purer than in either of the fornier, the propor-\ntion of the polarised light of the sky to its total light\nbeing also a maximum.\nThe sun, however, when I was on the Aletschhorn,","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0336.jp2"},"337":{"fulltext":"*1^\n18G9] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHOEN. 307\nwas not in the horizon, but high above it. I\nplaced my staff upright on a platform of snow.\nIt cast a shadow. Inclining the staff from the\nsun, the shadow lengthened for a time, reached its\nmajor limit, and then shortened. The simplest\ngeometrical consideration will show that the staff\nwhen its shadow was longest was perpendicular to\nthe solar rays the atmosphere in this direction was\nshallower and the sky bluer than in any other direc-\ntion perpendicular to the same rays. Along this\nline I therefore looked through the Nicol. The light,\nI found, could be quenched so as to leave a residue as\ndark as the firmament upon a moonless night but\nstill there was a residue the polarisation was not\ncomplete. Nor was the colour, however pure its\nappearance, by any means a monochromatic blue. A\ndisc of selenite, gradually thickening from the cen-\ntre to the circumference, when placed between the\nNicol and the sky, yielded vivid iris colours. The\nblue was very marked but there was vivid purple,\nwhich requires an admixture of red to produce it.\nThere was also a bright green, and some yellow. In\nfact, however purely blue the sky might seem, it sent\nto the eye all the colours of the spectrum it owed\nits colour to the jpredominance of blue, that is to\nsay, to the enfeeblement, and not to the extinction,\nof the other colours of the spectrum. The green\nwas particularly vivid in the portion of the sky","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0337.jp2"},"338":{"fulltext":"308 HOTJES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\nnearest to the mountains, where the light was daf-\nfodil.\nA pocket spectroscope confirmed these results.\nPermitting the light of an illuminated cloud to\nenter the slit of the instrument, a vivid spectrum\nwas observed but on passing beyond the rim of the\ncloud to the adjacent firmament, a sudden fall in\nthe intensity of all the less refrangible rays of the\nspectnmi was observed. There was an absolute\nshortening of the spectrum in the direction of the\nred, through the total extinction of the extreme red.\nThe fall in luminousness was also very striking as\nfar as the green the blue also sufi ered, but not so\nmuch as the other colours.\nThe scene as we ascended grew more and more\nsuperb, both as regards grouping and expansion.\nViewed from the Bel Alp the many-peaked Dom is\na most imposing mountain it has there no com-\npetitor. The mass of the Weisshom is hidden, its\nsummit alone appearing. The Matterhom, also,\nbesides being more distant, has a portion of its\npyramid cut obliquely away by the slope of the\nsame ridge that intercepts the Weisshom, and\nwhich is seen to our right when we face the\nvalley of the Ehone, falling steeply to the pro-\nmontory called the Nessel. Viewed from this\npromontory, the Dom finds its match, and more\nthan its match, in its mighty neighbour, whose","height":"2948","width":"1811","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0338.jp2"},"339":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHORN. 309\nhugeness is here displayed from top to bottom. On\nthe lower reaches of the Aletschhorn also the Dom\nmaintains its superiority, the Weisshom being for\na time wholly unseen, and the Matterhom but\nimperfectly. As we rise, however, the Dom steadily\nloses its individuality, until from the ridge of the\nAletschhorn it is jimibled to a single leviathan heap\nwith the mass of Monte Eosa. The Weisshom mean-\nwhile as steadily gains in grandeur, rising like a\nmountain Saul amid the congregated hills, until\nfrom the arete it distances all competitors. In\ncomparison with this kingly peak, the Matterhom\nlooks small and mean. It has neither ,the mass nor\nthe form which would enable it to compete, from\na distant point of view, with the Weisshom.\nThe ridge of the Aletschhorn is of schistose gneiss,\nin many places smooth, in all places steep, and\nsometimes demanding skill and strength on the part\nof the climber. I thought we could scale it with\ngreater ease if untied, so I flung the rope away from\nme. My guide was in front, and I carefully watched\nhis action among the rocks. For some time there\nwas nothing to cause anxiety for his safety. There\nwas no likelihood of a slip, and if a slip occurred\nthere was opportunity for recovery. But after a\ntime this ceased to be the case. The rock had been\nscaled away by weathering parallel to the planes of\nfoliation, the surfaces left behind being excessively","height":"2937","width":"1703","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0339.jp2"},"340":{"fulltext":"310 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\nsmooth, and in many cases flanked by slopes and\ncouloirs of perilous steepness. I saw that a slip\nmight occur here, and that its consequences would\nbe serious. The rope was therefore resumed.\nA fair amount of skill and an absence of all pre-\ncipitancy rendered our progress perfectly secure.\nIn every place of danger one of us planted himself\nas securely as the rock on which he stood, and\nremained thus fixed until the danger was passed by\nthe other. Both of us were never exposed to peril\nat the same moment. The bestowal of a little\nextra time renders this arrangement possible along\nthe entire ridge of the Aletschhorn in fact, the\ndangers of the Alps can be almost reduced to the\nlevel of the dangers of the street by the exercise of\nskill and caution. For rashness, ignorance, or care-\nlessness the mountains leave no margin; and to\nrashness, ignorance, or carelessness three-fourths\nof the catastrophes which shock us are to be traced.\nEvqjQ those whose faculties are ever awake in danger\nare sometimes caught napping when danger seems\nremote they receive accordingly the punishment\nof a tyro for a tyro s neglect.\nWhile ascending the lower glacier we found the\nair in general crisp and cool but we were visited\nat intervals by gusts of Fohn warm breathings of\nthe unexplained Alpine sirocco, which passed over\nSee illustration at the end of this chapter.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0340.jp2"},"341":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHnOEN. 311\nour cheeks like puffs from a gently heated stove.\nOn the arete we encountered no Fohn; but the\nrocks were so hot as to render contact with them\npainful. I left my coat among them, and went\nupward in my shirt-sleeves. At our last bivouac\nmy guide had allowed two hours for the remaining\nascent. We accomplished it in one, and I was\nsurprised by the shout which announced the\npassage of the last difficulty, and the proximity\nof the top of the mountain. This we reached pre-\ncisely eight hours after starting an ascent of fair\nrapidity, and without a single mishap from begin-\nning to end.\nEock, weathered to fragments, constitutes the\ncrown of the Aletschhorn but against this and\nabove it is heaped a buttress of snow, which tapers,\nas seen from the ^ggischhorn, to a pinnacle of sur-\npassing beauty. This snow was firm, and we readily\nattained its highest point. Over this I leaned for\nten minutes, looking along the face of the pyramid,\nwhich fell for thousands of feet to the neves at its\nbase. We looked down upon the Jungfrau, and\nupon every other peak for nailes around us, one only\nexcepted. The exception was the Finsteraarhorn,\nthe highest of the Oberland mountains, after which\ncomes the Aletschhorn. I could clearly track the\ncourse pursued by Bennen and myself eleven years\npreviously the spm s of rock and slopes of snow,","height":"2926","width":"1679","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0341.jp2"},"342":{"fulltext":"312 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\nthe steep and weathered crest of the mountain, and\nthe line of our swift glissade as we returned.\nEound about the dominant peak of the Oberland\nwas grouped a crowd of other peaks, retreating\neastward to Grraubiinden and the distant Engadin\nretreating southward over Italy, and blending ulti-\nmately with the atmosphere. At hand were the\nJungfrau, Monch, and Eiger. A little further off\nthe Blumlis Alp, the Weisse Frau, and the Grreat\nand Little Nesthorn. In the distance the grim\nprecipices of Mont Blanc, rising darkly from the\nAllee Blanche, and lifting to the firmament the\nsnow-crown of the mountain. The Combin and its\nneighbours were distinct and then came that\ntrinity of grandeur, with which the reader is so well\nacquainted the Weisshorn, the Matterhorn, and\nthe Dom ^supported by the Alphubel, the AUalein-\nhom, the Eympfischhorn, the Strahlhorn, and the\nmighty Monte Rosa. From no other point in the\nAlps have I had a greater command of their mag-\nnificence perhaps from none so great; while the\nblessedness of perfect health, on this perfect day,\nrounded off within me the external splendour. The\nsun seemed to take a pleasirre in bring-ing out the\nglory of the hills. The intermixture of light and\nshade was astonishing while to the whole scene a\nmystic air was imparted by a belt of haze, in which\nthe furthest outlines disappeared, as if infinite\ndistance had rendered them impalpable.","height":"2967","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0342.jp2"},"343":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHHORN. 313\nTwo concentric shells of atmosphere, perfectly\ndistinct in character, clasped the earth this morning.\nThat which hugged the surface was of a deep neutral\ntint, too shallow to reach more than midway up the\nloftier mountains. Upon this, as upon an ocean,\nrested the luminous higher atmospheric layer, both\nbeing separated along the horizon by a perfectly\ndefinite line. This higher region was without a\ncloud the arrowy streamer that had shot across the\nfirmament during our ascent, first reduced to feathery\nstreaks, had long since melted utterly away. Blue\nwas supreme above, while all round the horizon the\nintrinsic brilliance of the upper air was enhanced by\ncontrast with the dusky ground on which it rested.\nBut this gloomier portion of the atmosphere was also\ntransparent. It was not a cloud-stratum cutting off\nthe view of things below it, but an attenuated mist,\nthrough which were seen, as through a glass darkly,\nthe lower mountains, and out of which the higher\npeaks and ridges sprung into sudden glory.\nOur descent was conducted with the same care\nand success that attended our ascent. I have already\nstated it to be a new thing for one man to lead a\ntraveller up the mountain, and my guide in ascending\nhad informed me that his wife had been in a state\nof great anxiety about him. But until he had cleared\nall dangers he did not let me know the extent of her\ndevotion, nor the means she had adopted to ensure\nhis safety. When we were once more unon the","height":"2932","width":"1691","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0343.jp2"},"344":{"fulltext":"314 HOURS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS. [1869\nlower glacier, having left all difficulties behind us,\nhe remarked with a chuckle that she had been in a\nterrible state of fear, and had informed him of her\nintention to have a mass for his safety celebrated\nby the village priest. But if he profited by this\nmediation, I must have done so equally for in all\ndangerous places we were tied together by a rope\nwhich was far too strong to break had I slipped.\nMy safety was, in fact, bound up in his, and I\ntherefore thought it right to pay my share of the\nexpense. How much did the mass cost I asked.\nOh, not much, sir, he replied; only ninety cen-\ntimes. Not deeming the expense worth dividing,\nI let him pay for such advantage as I had derived\nfrom the priest s intercession.\nIn 1868 I had been so much broken down on\ngoing to the Alps that even amongst them I found\nit difficult to recover energy. In 1869, however,\nafter a severe discipline in bathing and climbing,^\nmy weariness disappeared, and before I attacked\nthe Aletschhorn I felt that my restoration was en-\nsured. In my subsequent rambles it was a great\nIn 1 869 I tried to get to the top of the Wetterhorn m a single day\nfrom Grrindelwald, but the wildness of the storm and the bitterness\nof the cold drove Peter Baumann and me back, when we were within\na quarter of an hour of the top. I was afterwards in the habit of\ntaking to the Eiffel See when heavy snow was falling. It was at\nthe Bel Alp, however, that I found myself renewed.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0344.jp2"},"345":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHIIOEN. 315\ndelight and refreshment to me, whenever I felt\nheated, to choose a bubbling pool in some mo\\mtain\nstream, roll myself in it, and afterwards dance myself\ndry in the sunshine. Each morning I had a tub in\na rivulet, a header in a lake, or a douche under a\ncascade. The best of these was half a mile or more\nfrom the hotel, but there was an inferior waterfall\nclose at hand to which I resorted when time was\nshort. On a bright morning towards the end of\nAugust 1869 I was returning fromi this cascade to my\nclothes, which were about twenty yards off. They\nmight have been reached by walking on the grass,\nbut I chose to walk on some slippery blocks of gneiss,\nand using no caution I staggered and fell. My shin\nwas urged with great force against the sharp crystals,\nwhich inflicted three ugly wounds but I sponged\nthe blood away, wrapped a cold bandage round the\ninjured place, and limped to the hotel. I was quite\ndisabled, but felt sure of speedy recovery, my health\nwas so strong.\nFor four or five days I remained quietly in bed.\nThe wound had become entirely painless there\nwas hardly any inflammation and no pus. I felt\nso well that I thought a little exercise would do\nme less harm than good. I abandoned my cold\nbandage and went out. That night inflammation\nset in, pus appeared, and in trying to dislodge it I\npoisoned the wound. It became worse and worse","height":"2936","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0345.jp2"},"346":{"fulltext":"316 nouns of exercise in the alps. [1869\nerysipelas set in, and at last it became evident that\nI might lose my foot or something more important.\nAfter remaining nearly a fortnight at the Bel Alp\nwithout medical advice I resolved to go to Geneva.\nI wrote accordingly to my friend Professor De la Eive,\nwith the view of securing the services of an able\nsurgeon. I was carried down to Brieg on a kind of\nbier, and midway on the mountain-slope had the good\nfortune to meet Mr. Ellis of Sloane Street. He\nexamined my wound, and I have good reason to feel\ngrateful to him for his extreme kindness and his\nexcellent advice. My friend Soret met me at the\nrailway station, and Dr. Gauthier was at my side a\nfew seconds after I entered my hotel.\nBut, despite all the care, kindness, and real skill\nbestowed upon me, I was a month in bed at Geneva.\nA sinus about five inches long had worked its channel\nfrom the wound down to the instep, which was\nundermined by an abscess. This Dr. Gauthier dis-\ncovered and by assiduous attention cured. In her\nbeautiful residence at Lammermor, on the margin\nof Lake Leman, Lady Emily Peel had a bed erected\nfor me as soon as I was able to go there, and it was\nunder her roof that the last traces of the sinus\ndisappeared. I was so emaciated, however, that it\nrequired several months to restore the flesh and the\nstrength that this paltry accident cost me.","height":"2964","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0346.jp2"},"347":{"fulltext":"1869] ASCENT OF THE ALETSCHnOEN. 317\nIn 1870 I was again at the Bel Alp for several\nweeks, dxiring which my interest was continually\nkept awake by telegrams from the seat of war for\nthe enterprising proprietors both at the Bel Alp and\nthe -^ggischhom had run telegraphic wires from\nthe valley of the Ehone up to their respective hotels.\nThe most noteworthy occurrence among the moun-\ntains in 1870 was a terrific thunderstorm, which set\ntwo forests on fijre by the same discharge. One fire\nnear the Kieder Alp was speedily quenched; the\nother, under the Nessel, burned for several successive\ndays and nights, and threatened to becorae a public\ncalamity. A constant fiery glow was kept up by the\ncombustion of the underwood, which formed the ve-\nhicle of transmission among the larger trees. Three\nor four of these would often burst simultaneously\ninto pyramids of flame, which would last but a few\nminutes, leaving the trees with all their branches as\nred-hot embers behind. Heavy and persistent rain\nat length extinguished the conflagration.","height":"2934","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0347.jp2"},"348":{"fulltext":"318 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [185?\nXXVI.\nA DAT AMONG THE SCRAGS OF THE GLA-\nCIER Du g:Eant fourteen tears\nAGO.\nHAYiNa fixed my head-quarters at tlie Montanvert,\nI was engaged for nearly six weeks during the\nsummer of 1857 in making observations on the Mer\nde Glace and its tributaries. Throughout this time\nI had the advantage of the able and unremitting\nassistance of my friend Mr. Hirst, who kindly under-\ntook, in most cases, the measurement of the motion\nof the glacier. My permanent guide, Edouard\nSimond, an intelligent and trustworthy man, was\nassistant on these occasions, and having arranged\nwith Mr. Hirst the measurements required to be\nmade, it was my custom to leave the execution of\nthem to him, and to spend much of my time alone\nupon the glaciers. Days have thus been occupied\namid the confusion of the Glacier du Geant, at the\nbase of the great ice-fall of La Noire, in trying\nto connect the veined structure of the glacier with","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0348.jp2"},"349":{"fulltext":"1857] THE SliRACS OF THE GLACIER DU G^ANT. 319\nthe stratification of its neve and often, after wan-\ndering almost unconsciously from peak to peak and\nfrom hollow to hollow, I have found myself, as the\nday was waning, in places from which it required a\nsound axe and a vigorous stroke to set me free.\nThis practice gradually developed my powers of\ndealing with the difficulties of the glacier. On\nsome occasions, however, I found the assistance of a\ncompanion necessary, and it was then my habit to\ntake with me a hardy boy named Balmat, who was\nattached to the hotel at the Montanvert. He could\nclimb like a cat, and one of our first expeditions\ntogether was an ascent to a point above Trelaporte,\nfrom which a mag-nificent view of the entire glacier\nis obtained. This point lies under the Aiguille de\nCharmoz, and to the left of a remarkable cleft,\nwhich is sure to attract the traveller s attention\non looking upwards from the Montanvert. We\nreached the place through a precipitous couloir on\nthe Montanvert side of the mountain; and while\ntwo chamois watched us from the crags above, we\nmade our observations, and ended our survey by\npledging the health of Forbes and other explorers\nof the Alps.\nWe descended from the eminence by a different\nroute during both ascent and descent I had\noccasion to admire the courage and caution of my\nyoung companion, and the extraordinary cohesive","height":"2936","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0349.jp2"},"350":{"fulltext":"320 HOURS OF EXEBCISE IN THE ALPS. [1857\nforce by which lie clung to the rock. He, moreover,\nevidently felt himself responsible for my safety, and\nonce when I asserted my independence so far as to\nattempt descending a kind of chimney, which,\nthough rather dangerous-looking. I coniSidered to be\npracticable, he sprang to my side, and, with out-\nstretched arm and ringing voice, exclaimed, Mon-\nsieur, je vous defends de passer par la\nAnxious to avoid the inconvenience of the rules\nof the Chamouni guides, my aim, from the first,\nwas to render myself as far as possible independent\nof their assistance. Wishing to explore the slopes\nof the Col du Greant, not for the purpose of crossing\ninto Piedmont, but to examine the fine ice-sections\nwhich it exhibits, and to trace amid its chasms the\ngradual conversion of the snow into ice, I at first\nthought of attempting the ascent of the col alone\nbut le petit Balmat, as my host at the Montanvert\nalways named him, acquitted himself so well on the\noccasion referred to that I thought he would make\na suitable companion. On naming the project to\nhim he eagerly embraced my proposal in fact, he\nsaid he was willing to try Mont Blanc with me if I\ndesired it.\nOn the morning of Friday, July 24, we ac-\ncordingly set off for the Tacul, I making, as we\nascended, such few observations as lay in our way.\nl^he sun shone gloriously upon the mountains, and","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0350.jp2"},"351":{"fulltext":"1857] THE S^RACS OF THE GLACIER DU G^ANT. 321\ngleamed by reflection from the surface of the glacier.\nLooked at through a pair of very dark spectacles,\nthe scene was exceedingly striking and instructive.\nTerraces of snow clung to the mountains, exposing,\nhere and there, high vertical sections, which cast\ndense shadows upon the adjacent plateaux. The\nglacier was thrown into heaps and hummocks,\ntheir tops glistening with white, silvery light, and\ntheir sides intensely shaded. When the lateral light\nwas quite shut out, and all that reached the eyes\nhad to pass through the spectacles, the contrast\nbetween light and shade was much stronger than\nwhen the glacier was viewed by the broad light of\nday. In fact, the shadows were no longer grey\nmerely, but black to a similar augmentation of\ncontrast towards the close of the day is to be re-\nferred the fact that the Dirt Bands of the Mer de\nGlace are best seen by twilight.\nA gentleman had started in the morning to cross\nthe col, accompanied by two strong guides. We\nmet a man returning from the Jar din, who told us\nthat he had seen the party that preceded us that\nthey had been detained a long time amid the\nseracs, and that our ascending without ladders was\nquite out of the question. As we approached the\nTacul, my lynx-eyed little companion ranged with\nthe telescope over the snowy slopes of the col, and\nat length exclaimed, Je les vois, tons les trois 1","height":"2935","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0351.jp2"},"352":{"fulltext":"322 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1857\nthe Monsieur in the middle, and a guide before\nand behind. They seemed like three black specks\nupon the shoulders of the Griant below them was\nthe vast ice-cascade, resembling the foam of ten\nNiagaras placed end to end and stiffened into rest,\nwhile the travellers seemed to walk upon a floor as\nsmooth as polished Carrara marble. Here and\nthere, however, its uniformity was broken by vertical\nfaults, exposing precipices of the stratified neve.\nOn an old moraine near the Tacul, piled up\ncenturies ago by the Griacier de Lechaud, immense\nmasses of granite are thrown confusedly together;\nand one enormous slab is so cast over a number of\nothers as to form a kind of sheltered grotto, which\nwe proposed to make our resting-place for the night.\nHaving deposited our loads here, I proceeded to the\nicefall of the Talefre, while my companion set out\ntowards the Couvercle in search of firewood. I\nwalked round the base of the frozen cascade, and\ncliqibed up among its riven pinnacles, examining the\nstructure as I ascended. The hollow rumble of the\nrocks as they fell into the crevasses was incessant.\nFrom holes in the ice-clififs clear cataracts gushed,\ncoming I knew not whence, and going I knew not\nwhither. Sometimes the deep gurgle of sub-glacial\nwater was heard, far down in the ice. The resonance\nof the water as it fell into shafts struck me suddenly\nat intervals on turning corners, and seemed, in each","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0352.jp2"},"353":{"fulltext":"1857] THE Sf-KACS OF THE GLACIER BU G:^ANT. 323\ncase, as if a new torrent had bounded into life.\nStreams flowed through deep channels which they\nthemselves had worn, revealing beautifully the rib-\nboned structure. At the further end of the Grlacier\nde Lechaud the Capucin Eock stood, like a preacher;\nand below him a fantastic group of gi-anite pinnacles\nsuggested the idea of a congregation. The outlines\nof some of the ice-cliffs were also very singular\nand it needed but a slight effort of the imagination\nto people the place with natural sculpture.\nAt six o clock the shrill whistle of my companion\nannounced that our time of meeting was come.\nHe had found some wood dry twigs of rhododen-\ndrons, and a couple of heavy stumps of juniper. I\nshouldered the largest of the latter, while he\nstrapped his twigs on his back, and led the way to\nthe Tacul. The sun shot his oblique rays against us\nover the heights of Charmoz, and cast our shadows\nfar up the glacier. We filled our saucepan, which\nBalmat named a machine, with clear water, and\nbore it to our cavern, where the fire was soon\ncrackling under the machine. I was assailed by the\nsmoke, which set my eyes dripping tears but this\ncleared away when the fire brightened, and we\nboiled our chocolate and made a comfortable evening\nmeal.\nI afterwards clambered up the moraine to watch\nthe tints of the setting sun clouds floated round the","height":"2936","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0353.jp2"},"354":{"fulltext":"324 HOUES OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1857\nAiguille de Charmoz, and were changed from grey to\nred, and from red to grey, as their positions varied.\nThe shadows of the isolated peaks and pinnacles\nwere drawn, at times, in black bands across the\nclouds and the Aiguille du Moine smiled and\nfrowned alternately. One high snow-peak alone\nenjoyed the unaltered radiance of the sinking day\nthe sunshine never forsook it, but glowed there,\nlike the steady light of love, while a kind of\ncoquetry was carried on between the atmosphere and\nthe surrounding mountains. The notched summits\nof the Grrande and Petite Jorasse leaned peacefully\nagainst the blue firmament. The highest moun-\ntain-crags were cleft, in some cases, into fantastic\nforms; single pillars stood out from all else, like\nlonely watchers, over the mountain scene; while\nlittle red clouds playfully embraced them at inter-\nvals, and converted them into pillars of fire.\nThe sun at length departed, and all became cold\nancj^ grey upon the mountains but a brief secondary\nglow came afterwards, and warmed up the brown\ncliffs once more. I descended the moraine, the\nsmell of the smoke guiding me towards the rock\nunder which I was to pass the night. A fire was\nburning at the mouth of the grotto, reddening with\nits glare the darkness of the interior. Beside the fire\nsat my little companion, with a tall, conical, red night-\ncap drawn completely over his ears; our saucepan","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0354.jp2"},"355":{"fulltext":"1857] THE SfKACS OF THE GLACIER DU Gf ANT. 325\nwas bubbling on tbe fire be watcbed it medita-\ntively, adding at times a twig, wbicb sprung im-\nmediately into flame, and strengtbened tbe glow\nupon bis countenance. He looked, in fact, more like\na demon of tbe ice-world tban a being of ordinary\nflesb and blood. I bad been recommended to take\na bit of a tallow candle witb me to rub my face\nwitb, as a protection against tbe sun by tbe ligbt\nof tbis we spread our rugs, lay down upon tbem, and\nwrapped tbem round us.\nTbe countless noises beard upon tbe glacier during\ntbe day were now stilled, and dead silence ruled tbe\nice-world tbe roar of an occasional avalancbe, bow-\never, sbooting down tbe flanks of Mont Mallet broke\nupon us witb startling energy. I did not sleep till\ntowards four o clock in tbe morning, wben I dozed\nand dreamed, and mingled my actual condition witb\nmy dream. Wben I awoke, I found my bead weary\nenougb upon tbe clay of tbe old moraine, my ribs\npressed closely against a block of granite, and my\nfeet amid sundry fragments of tbe same material.\nIt was nearly five o clock on Saturday tbe 25tb\nwben I arose my companion quickly followed my\nexample. He also bad slept but little, and once or\ntwice during tbe Mgbt I fancied I could feel bim\nsbiver. We were, bowever, well protected from tbe\ncold. Tbe bigb moraine of tbe Glacier du Lecbaud\nwas on one side, tbat of tbe Grlacier du Geant on\n15","height":"2930","width":"1692","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0355.jp2"},"356":{"fulltext":"326 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1857\nthe other, while the cliffs of Mont Tacul formed the\nthird side of a triangle, which sheltered us from the\nsharper action of the wind. At times the calm was\nperfect, and I felt almost too warm then again a\nsearching wind would enter the grotto, and cause\nthe skin to shrink on all exposed parts of the body.\nIt had frozen hard, and to obtain water for washing\nI had to break through a sheet of ice which coated\none of the pools upon the glacier.\nIn a few minutes our juniper fire was crackling\ncheerily we made our chocolate and breakfasted.\nMy companion emptied the contents of a small\nbrandy bottle into my flask, which, however, was\ntoo small to hold it all, and on the principle, I-\nuppose, of avoiding waste, he drank what remained.\nIt was not much, but sufficient to muddle his brain,\nand to make him sluggish and drowsy for a time.\nWe put the necessary food in our knapsacks and\nfaced our task, first ascending the Grlacier du\nTacul along its eastern side, until we came to the\nbase of the seracs.\nThe vast mass of snow collected on the plateau\nof the Col du Greant, and compressed to ice by its\nown weight, reaches the throat of the valley, which\nstretches from the rocks called J^e Eognon to the\npromontory of the Aiguille Noire. Through this\ndefile it is forced, falling steeply, and forming one\nof the grandest ice-cascades in the Alps. At the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0356.jp2"},"357":{"fulltext":"1867] THE SfRACS OF THE GLACIER DU G^ANT. 327\nsummit it is broken into transverse chasms of enor-\nmous width and depth the ridges between these\nbreak across again, and form -those castellated\nmasses to which the name of seracs has been\napplied. In descending the cascade the ice is\ncrushed and riven; ruined towers^ which have\ntumbled from the summit, cumber the slope, and\nsmooth vertical precipices of ice rise in succession\nout of the ruins. At the base of the fall the frag-\nments are again squeezed together, but the con-\nfusion is still great, the glacier being tossed into\nbillowy shapes, scooped into caverns, and cut into\ngorges by torrents which expand here and there\ninto deep green lakes.\nAcross this portion of the glacier we proceeded\nwestward, purposing to attempt the ascent at the\nEognon side.^ Perils and difficulties soon began to\nthicken round us. The confusion of ice-pinnacles,\ncrags, and chasms was very bewildering. Plates of\nStanding here alone, on another occasion, I heard the roar of\n■what appeared to be a descending avalanche, but the duration of the\nBound suprised me. I looked through my opera glass in the direction\nfrom which the sound proceeded, and saw issuing from the end of\none of the secondary glaciers on the side of Mont Tacul a torrent of\nwhat appeared to me to be sto»es and mud. I could see the rocks\nand debris jumping down the declivities, and forming singular\ncascades. The noise continued for a quarter of an hour, when the\ndescending torrent diminished until the ordinary stream, due to\nthe melting of the glacier, alone remained. A sub-glacial lake had\nevidently burst its bounds, and carried the debris along with it in its\nrush downwards.","height":"2936","width":"1697","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0357.jp2"},"358":{"fulltext":"328 irouES of exeecise in the alps. [1857\nice jutted from the glacier like enormous fins, up\nthe sides of which we had to rise by steps, and along\nthe edges of which we had to walk. Often, while\nperched upon these eminences, we were flanked\nright and left by crevasses, the depth of which\nmight be inferred from their impenetrable gloom.\nAt some places forces of extreme complexity had\nacted on the mass the ridges were broken into\ncolumns, and some of these were twisted half round\nwhile the chasms were cut up into shafts which\nresembled gigantic honeycombs. Our work was\nvery difficult, sometimes disheartening neverthe-\nless, our inspiration was, that what man has done\nman may do, and we accordingly persevered. My\nfellow-traveller was silent for a time the brandy\nhad its effect upon him, and he confessed it; but\nI thought that a contact with the cold ice would\nsoon cause this to disappear, after which I resolved\nnot to influence his judgment in the least.\n■Looking now to the right, I suddenly became\naware that, high above us, a multitude of unstable\ncrags and leaning columns of ice covered the pre-\ncipitous incline. We had reached a position where\nprotecting cliffs rose to our right, while in front of\nus was a space more open than any we had yet\npassed. The reason was that the ice avalanches had\nchosen it for their principal path. We had stepped\nupon this space when a peal above us brought us to","height":"2966","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0358.jp2"},"359":{"fulltext":"1857] THE sfKACS OF THE OLACIEK DU GiiANT. 329\na stand. Crash crash crash nearer and nearer,\nthe sound becoming more continuous and confused,\nas the descending masses broke into smaller blocks.\nOnward they came boulders half a ton and more\nin weight, leaping down with a kind of maniacal\nfury, as if their sole mission was to crush the seracs\nto powder. Some of them on striking the ice\nrebounded like elastic balls, described parabolas\nthrough the air, again smote the ice, and scattered\nits dust like clouds in the atmosphere. Deflected\nby their collision with the glacier, some blocks were\ncarried past us within a few yards of the spot where\nwe stood. I had never before witnessed an exhibi-\ntion of force at all comparable to this, and its\nproximity rendered that fearful which at a little\ndistance would have been sublime.\nMy companion held his breath, and then ex-\nclaimed, C est terrible il faut retourner. In\nfact, while the avalanche continued we could not\nat all calculate upon our safety. When we heard\nthe first peal we had instinctively retreated to the\nshelter of the ice bastions but what if one of these\nmissiles struck the tower beside us would it be\nable to withstand the shock We knew not. In\nreply to the proposal of my companion, I simply\nsaid, By all means, if you desire it but let us\nwait a little. I felt that fear was just as bad a\ncounsellor as rashness, and thought it but fair to","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0359.jp2"},"360":{"fulltext":"1530 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1857\nwait until my companion s terror had subsided.\nWe waited accordingly, and lie seemed to gather\ncourage and assurance. I scanned the heights and\nsaw that a little more effort in an upward direction\nwould place us in a much less perilous position, as\nfar as the avalanches were concerned. I pointed this\nout to my companion, and we went forward. Once\nindeed, for a minute or two, I felt anxious. We\nhad to cross in the shadow of a tower of ice, of a\nloose and threatening character, which quite over-\nhung our track. The freshly broken masses at its\nbase, and at some distance below it, showed that it\nmust have partially given way some hours before.\nDon t speak or make any noise, said my companion\nand, although rather sceptical as to the influence of\nspeech in such a case, I held my tongue and escaped\nfrom the dangerous vicinity as fast as my legs and\nalpenstock could carry me.\nUnbroken spaces, covered with snow, now began\nto gpread between the crevasses these latter, how-\never, became larger, and were generally placed end\nto end en echelon. When, therefore, we arrived at\nthe edge of a chasm, by walking along it we usually\nsoon reached a point where a second one joined on\nit. The extremities of the chasms ran parallel to\neach other for some distance, one being separated\nfrom the other, throughout this distance, by a wall\nof incipient ice, coped at the top by snow. At other","height":"2967","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0360.jp2"},"361":{"fulltext":"1857J THE S^RACS OF TEE GLACIEE DU G13ANT. 331\nplaces, however, the lower portion of the partition\nbetween the fissures had melted away, leaving the\nchasm spanned by a bridge of snow, the capacity of\nwhich to bear us was often a matter of delicate ex-\nperiment. Over these bridges we stepped as lightly\nas possible AUez doucement ici, was the per-\npetual admonition of my companion, et il faut\ntoujours sonder.\nIn many cases, indeed, we could not at all guess\nat the state of matters underneath the covering of\nsnow. We had picked up a few hints upon this\nsubject, but neither of us was at this time suflEi-\nciently experienced to make practical use of them.\nThe sounding too was rather weary work, as, to\nmake it of any value, the baton must be driven\ninto the snow with considerable force. Further\nup in the ni^v^ the fissures became less frequent,\nbut some of them were of great depth and\nwidth. On those silent heights there is something\npeculiarly solemn in the aspect of the crevasses,\nyawning gloomily day and night, as if with a never-\nsatisfied hunger. We stumbled on the skeleton of\na chamois, which had probably met its death by\nfalling into a chasm, and been disgorged lower down.\nBut a thousand chamois between these cavernous\njaws would not make a mouthful. I scarcely knew\nwhich to choose these pitfalls of the neve, or the\navalanches. The latter are terrible, but they are","height":"2941","width":"1655","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0361.jp2"},"362":{"fulltext":"332 HOURS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1857\ngrand, outspoken things; the ice crags proclaim\nfrom their heights, Do not trust us we are mo-\nmentary and merciless. They wear the aspect of\nhostility undisguised but these chasms of the nev^\nare typified by the treachery of the moral world,\nhiding themselves under shining coverlets of snow,\nand compassing their ends by dissimulation.\nAfter some time we alighted on the trace of those\nwho had crossed the day before. The danger was\nover when we made the discovery, but it saved us\nsome exploring amid the crevasses which still re-\nmained. We at length got quite clear of the fissures\nand mounted zigzag to the summit of the col.\nClouds drove up against us from the valley of\nCourmayeur, but they made no way over the col.\nAt the summit they encountered a stratum of drier\nair, mixing with which they were reduced, as fast as\nthey came, to a state of invisible vapour. Upon the\nvery top of the col I spread my plaid, and with the\nappetites of hungry eagles we attacked our chicken\nand mutton. I examined the snow and made some\nexperiments on sound but little Balmat s feet were\nso cold that he feared being frostbitten, and Tat his\nentreaty we started on our descent again as soon as\npossible.\nTo the top of the seracs we retraced the course by\nwhich we had ascended, but here we lost the track,\nfor there was no snow to retain it. A new lesson","height":"2964","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0362.jp2"},"363":{"fulltext":"1857] THE SERACS OF THE GLACIER DU GiEANT. 333\nwas before us. We kept nearer to the centre of the\nglacier than when we ascended, thereby avoiding the\navalanches, but getting into ice more riven and dis-\nlocated. We were often utterly at a loss how to pro-\nceed. My companion made several attempts to regain\nthe morning s track, preferring to risk the avalanches\nrather than be blocked and ditched up in an ice-\nprison from which we saw no means of escape.\nWherever we turned peril stared us in the face but\nthe recurrence of danger had rendered us callous to\nit, and this indifference gave a mechanical surety to\nthe step in places where such surety was the only\nmeans of avoiding destruction. Once or twice, while\nstanding on the summit of a peak of iccj and looking\nat the pits and chasms beneath me, at the distance\nthrough which we had hewn our way, and at the\nwork still to be accomplished, I experienced an in-\ncipient flush of terror. But this was immediately\ndrowned in action. Indeed the case was so bad, the\nnecessity for exertion so paramount, that the will\nacquired an energy which crushed out terror. We\nproceeded, however, with the most steady watch-\nfulness. When we arrived at a difficulty which\nseemed insuperable, we calmly inspected it, looking\nat it on all sides and though we had often to\nretrace our steps amid cliffs and chasms, still for-\nmidable obstacles repeatedly disappeared before\nour cool and searching examination. We made no","height":"2936","width":"1702","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0363.jp2"},"364":{"fulltext":"S34 HOTmS OF EXERCISE IN THE ALPS. [1867\nhaste, we took no rest, but ever tended downwards.\nWith all our instincts of self-preservation awake, we\ncrossed places which, without the spur of necessity\nto drive us, we should have deemed impassable.\nOnce, having walked for some distance along the\nedge of a high wedge of ice, we had to descend its\nleft face in order to cross a crevasse. The ice was\nof that loose granular character which causes it to\nresemble an aggregate of little polyhedrons jointed\ntogether more than a coherent solid. I was not\naware that the substance was so utterly disintegrated\nas it proved to be. To aid me in planting my foot\nsecurely on the edge of the crevasse, I laid hold of\na projecting corner of the ice. It crumbled to\npieces in my hand I tottered for a moment in the\neffort to regain my balance, my footing gave way,\nand I went into the chasm. I heard my companion\nscream, mon Dieu, il est perdu but a ledge\nabout two feet wide jutted from the side of the\ncrevasse and this received me, my fall not amount-\ning to more than three or four feet. A block\nof ice which partially jammed up the chasm con-\ncealed me from Balmat. I called to him, and he\nresponded by another exclamation, mon Dieu,\ncomme j ai peur He helped me up, and, looking\nanxiously in my face, demanded N avez-vous pas\npeur? Afterwards the difficulties lessened by\ndegrees, and we began to gladden ourselves by","height":"2967","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0364.jp2"},"365":{"fulltext":"1857] THE SfHACS OF THE GLACIER DU Gf ANT. 335\nmutual expressions of content with what we had\naccomplished. We at length reached the base of\nthe seracs ordinary crevasess were trivial in com-\nparison with those from which we had escaped, so\nwe hastened along the glacier, without halting, to\nthe Tacul.\nHere a paltry accident caused me more damage\nthan all the dangers of the day. I was passing\na rock, the snow beside it seemed firm, and I\nplaced my baton upon it, leaning trustfully upon\nthe staff. Through the warmth of the rock, or\nsome other cause, the snow had been rendered\nhollow underneath it yielded, I fell forward, and\nalthough a cat-like capacity of helping myself in\nsuch cases saved me from serious hurt, it did not\nprevent my knee from being urged with all my\nweight against an edge of granite. I rested for half\nan hour in our grotto at the Tacul, and afterwards\nstruggled lamely along the Mer de Grlace home to\nthe Montanvert. Bloodshot eyes, burnt cheeks, and\nblistered lips were the result of the journey, but\nthese soon disappeared, and fresh strength was\ngained for further action.\nThe above account was written on the day follow-\ning the ascent, and while all its incidents were fresh\nin my memory. Last September, guided by the\ntracks of previous travellers, I ascended nearly to the\nsummit of the ice-fall, along its eastern side, and to","height":"2936","width":"1679","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0365.jp2"},"366":{"fulltext":"336\nHOURS OF EXEECISE IN THE ALPS.\n[1867\nthose acq uainted only with such dangers as I then\nexperienced the account which I have just given\nmust appear exaggerated. I can only say that the\ntrack which I pursued in 1858 bore no resemblance\nin point of difl culty to that which I followed in\n1857. The reason probably is, that in my first\nexpedition neither myself nor my companion knew\nanything of the route, and we were totally destitute\nof the adjuncts which guides commonly use in\ncrossing the Grrand Col.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0366.jp2"},"367":{"fulltext":"NOTES AND COMMENTS\nICE AND GLACIEES\nAND OTHEE SCEAPS.\nVOYAaE TO ALQEEIA TO OBSEEVE\nTHE ECLIPSE.","height":"2919","width":"1621","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0367.jp2"},"368":{"fulltext":"","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0368.jp2"},"369":{"fulltext":"c\nI.\nOBSERVATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE.\nThe law established by Forbes and Agassiz, tbat the\ncentral portions of a glacier moved faster than the\nsides, was amply illustrated and confirmed by the\ndeportment of lines of stakes placed across the Mer\nde Griace and its tributaries in 1857. The portions\nof the trunk glacier derived from these tributaries\nwere easily traceable throughout the glacier by\nmeans of the moraines. Thus, for example, the\nportion of the trunk stream derived from the\nGlacier du Greant might be distinguished in a\nmoment from the other portions by the absence of\ndebris upon its surface. Attention was drawn by\nProf. Forbes to the fact that the eastern side of\nthe Mer de Griace in particular is excessively\ncrevassed and he accounted for this crevassing by\nsupposing that the Grlacier du Greant moves most\nswiftly, and in its effort to drag its more sluggish\ncompanions along with it tears them asunder, thus\nproducing the fissures and dislocation for which\nthe eastern side of the glacier is remarkable. Too\nmuch weight must not be attached to this explanation","height":"2929","width":"1640","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0369.jp2"},"370":{"fulltext":"340\nOBSEEVATIONS ON THE MEK DE GLACE.\n[1857\nIt was one of those suggestions which are perpetu-\nally thrown out by men of science during the\ncourse of an investigation, and the fulfilment or\nnon-fulfilment of which cannot materially aflfect\nthe merits of the investigator. Indeed, the merits\nof Forbes must be judged on far broader grounds.\nThe qualities of mind and the physical culture\ninvested in his Travels in the Alps are such as\nto make it, in the estimation of the physical in-\nvestigator at least, outweigh all other books upon\n^he subject.\nWhile thus acknowledging its merits, however,\nlet a free and frank comparison of its statements\nwith facts be instituted. To test whether the\nGrlacier du Greant moved more quickly than its\nfellows, jive different lines were set out across the\nMer de Glace, in the vicinity of the Montanvert.\nIn each case it was found that the point of swiftest\nmotion did not lie upon the Grlacier du Greant at\nall, but was displaced so as to bring it compara-\ntively close to the eastern side of the glacier. But\nthough the special opinion of Forbes just referred\nto here falls to the ground, the deviation of the\npoint of swiftest motion from the centre of the\nglacier will probably, when its cause is pointed out,\nbe regarded as of special importance to his theory.\nAt the place where these five lines were run\nacross it the glacier turns its convex cm-vature to","height":"2948","width":"1835","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0370.jp2"},"371":{"fulltext":"1867] OBSEKVATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE. 341\nthe eastern side of the valley, being concave towards\nthe Montanvert. Let us then take a holder analogy\nthan even that suggested in the explanation of\nForbes, where he compares the Glacier du Greant to\na strong and swiftly flowing river. Let us enquire\nhow a river would behave in sweeping round a curve\nsimilar to that here existing. The point of swiftest\nmotion would undoubtedly lie on that side of the\ncentre of the stream towards which it turns its\nconvex curvature. Can this be the case with the\ntrunk of the Mer de Grlace If so, then we ought\nto have a shifting of the point of maximum motion\ntowards the eastern side of the valley, when the\ncurvature of the glacier so changes as to turn its\nconvexity to the western side.\nNow, such a change of flexure actually occurs\nopposite the passages called Les Fonts, and at this\nplace the view just enunciated was tested. It was\nimmediately ascertained that the point of swiftest\nmotion here lay at a difierent side of the axis from\nthat observed lower down. But to confer strict\nnumerical accuracy upon the result, stakes were\nfixed at certain distances from the western side of\nthe glacier, and others at equal distances from the\neastern side. The velocities of these stakes were\ncompared with each other, two by two, a stake on\nthe western side being always compared with a\nsecond one which stood at the same distance from","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0371.jp2"},"372":{"fulltext":"342 OBSEEYATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE. [1857\nthe eastern side. The results of this measurement\nare given in the following table, the numbers\ndenoting inches\n1st pair\n2nd pair\n3rd pair\n4tli pair\nethpair\nWest\n15\n17i\n22A\n23|\n23f\nEfffit\n12J\n15i\n15^\nI8i\n19^\nIt is here seen that in each case the western\nstake moved more swiftly than its eastern fellow\nstake thus proving, beyond a doubt, that opposite\nthe Fonts the western side of the Mer de Griace\nmoves swiftest a result precisely the reverse of\nthat observed where the curvature of the valley was\ndifferent.\nBut an additional test of the explanation is\npossible. Between the Ponts and the promontory\nof Trelaporte the glacier passes another point of\ncontrary flexure, its convex curvature opposite to\nTrelaporte being turned towards the base of the\nAiguille du Moine, on the eastern side. A series of\nstakes was placed across the glacier here and the\nvelocities of those placed at certain distances from\nthe western side were compared, as before, with\nthose of stakes placed at the same distances from\nthe eastern side. The following table shows the\nresult of these measurements the numbers, as\nbefore, denote inches\n1st pair\n2nd pair\nSrdpair\nWest\n12|\n15\nm\nEast\n14f\nm\n19","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0372.jp2"},"373":{"fulltext":"1857]\nOBSEBYATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE.\n343\nHere we find that in each case the eastern stake\nmoved faster than its fellow. The point of maxi-\nmum motion has therefore once more crossed the\naxis of the glacier.\nDetermining the point of maximum motion for a\ngreat number of transverse sections of the Mer de\nGlace, and uniting these points, we have what is\ncalled the locus of the point. The dotted line in\nthe annexed figure represents the centre of the\nMer de Grlace; the hard line which crosses the\naxis of the glacier at the points a a is then the\nlocus of the point of swiftest motion. It is a curve\nKe. 1.\nmore deeply sinuous than the valley itself, and it\ncrosses the central line of the valley at each point\nof contrary flexure. The position of towns upon\nthe banks of rivers is usually on the convex side of\nthe stream, where the rush of the water renders\nsilting-up impossible and the same law which\nregulated the flow of the Thames, and determined\nthe position of the towns upon its banks, is at this\nmoment operating with silent energy among the\nAlpine glaciers.","height":"2929","width":"1657","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0373.jp2"},"374":{"fulltext":"344 OBSERVATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE. [1857\nAnother peculiarity of glacier motion is now to\nbe noticed.\nBefore any observations bad been made upon the\nsubject, it was surmised by Prof. Forbes that the\nportions of a glacier near its bed were retarded by\nfriction against the latter. This view was after-\nwards confirmed by his own observations, and by\nthose of M. Martins. Nevertheless the state of\nour knowledge upon the subject rendered further\nconfirmation of the fact highly desirable. A rare\nopportunity for testing the question was furnished\nin 1857 by an almost vertical precipice of ice,\nconstituting the side of the Grlacier du Greant,\nexposed near the Tacul. The precipice was about\n140 feet in height. At the top and near the bottom\nstakes were fixed, and by hewing steps in the ice\nI succeeded in fixing a stake in the face of the\nprecipice at a point about forty feet above the base.\nAfter the lapse of a sufficient number of days, the\nprogress of the three stakes was measured reduced\nto the diurnal rate, the motion was as follows\nTop stake\n6-00 inches\nMiddle stake\n4-59\nBottom stake\n2-56\nWe thus see that the top stake moved with more\nIt was here that my prudent guide, Edouard Simon, demanded,\n•Est-ce que vous ayez une femme and, when I replied in the\nnegative, added, Vous serez tu6 tout de meme.","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0374.jp2"},"375":{"fulltext":"1857] OBSERYATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE. 345\nthan twice the velocity of the bottom one, while the\nvelocity of the middle stake lies between the two.\nBut it also appears that the augmentation of velocity\nupwards is not proportional to the distance from the\nbottom, but increases in a quicker ratio. At a\nheight of 100 feet from the bottom, the velocity\nwould undoubtedly be practically the same as at\nthe surface. Measurements made upon an adjacent\nice-cliff proved this. We thus see the perfect\nvalidity of the reason assigned by Forbes for the\ncontinued verticality of the walls of transverse\ncrevasses. Indeed a comparison of the result with\nhis anticipations and reasonings will prove alike\ntheir sagacity and their truth.\nThe most commanding view of the Mer de Grlace\nand its tributaries is obtained from a point above\nthe remarkable cleft in the mountain-range under-\nneath the Aiguille de Charmoz, which is sure to\nattract the attention of an observer standing at the\nMontanvert. This point, marked Gr on the map of\nForbes, I succeeded in attaining. A Tubingen\nProfessor once visited the glaciers of Switzerland,\nand seeing these apparently rigid masses enclosed in\nsinuous valleys, went home and wrote a book, flatly\ndenying the possibility of their motion. An inspec-\ntion from the point now referred to would have\ndoubtless confirmed him in his opinion and indeed\nnothing can be more calculated to impress the","height":"2929","width":"1673","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0375.jp2"},"376":{"fulltext":"346 OBSERYATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE. [1857\nmind with the magnitude of the forces brought into\nplay than the squeezing of the three tributaries of\nthe Mer de Griace through the neck of the valley at\nTrelaporte.\nBut let me state numerical results. Previous\nto its junction with its fellows, the Grlacier du Greant\nmeasures 1,134 yards across. Before it is influenced\nby the thrust of the Talefre, the Grlacier de Lechaud\nhas a width of 825 yards while the width of the\nTalefre branch across the base of the cascade, before\nit joins the Lechaud, is approximately 638 yards.\nThe sum of these widths is 2,597 yards. At Tre-\nlaporte those three branches are forced through a\ngorge 893 yards wide, with a central velocity of\n20 inches a day The result is still more astonish-\ning if we confine our attention to one of the tribu-\ntaries that of the Lechaud. This broad ice-river,\nwhich before its junction with the Talefre has a\nwidth of 825 yards, at Trelaporte is squeezed to a\ndriblet of less than 88 yards in width, that is to say,\nto about one-tenth of its previous horizontal trans-\nverse dimension.\nWhence is the force derived which drives the\nglacier through the gorge No doubt pressure\nfrom behind. Other facts also suggest that the\nGrlacier du Greant is throughout its length in a\nstate of forcible longitudinal compression. Taking\na series of points along the axis of this glacier if","height":"2968","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0376.jp2"},"377":{"fulltext":"185;] OLSERVATIOKS ON THE MEK DE GLACE. 347\nthese points, during the descent of the glacier,\npreserved their distances asunder perfectly constant,\nthere could be no longitudinal compression. The\nmechanical meaning of this term, as applied to a\nsubstance capable of yielding like ice, must be that\nthe hinder points are incessantly advancing upon\nthe forward ones. I was particularly anxious to test\nthis view, which first occurred to me on a priori\ngrounds. Three points, A, B, 0, were therefore\nfixed upon the axis of the Glacier du Greant, A being\nthe highest up the glacier. The distance between\nA and B was 545 yards, and that between B and C\nwas 487 yards. The daily velocities of these three\npoints, determined by the theodolite, were as fol-\nlows:\nA 20 55 inches.\nB 15-43\nC 12-75\nThe result completely corroborates the foregoing\nanticipation. The hinder points are incessantly\nadvancing upon those in front, and that to an\nextent sufficient to shorten a segment of this glacier,\nmeasming 1,000 yards in length, at the rate of\n8 inches a day. Were this rate uniform at all\nseasons, the shortening would amount to 240 feet in\na year. When we consider the compactness of this\nglacier, and the uniformity in the width of the\nvalley which it fills, this result cannot fail to excite","height":"2929","width":"1690","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0377.jp2"},"378":{"fulltext":"34S OBSEEVATIONS ON THE MER DE aLACE. [1857\nsurprise and the exhibition of force thus rendered\nmanifest must be mainly instrumental in driving\nthe glacier through the jaws of the granite vice at\nTrelaporte.\nWhen the Grlacier du Greant is observed from a\nsufficient distance, a remarkable system of seams of\nwhite ice appears to sweep across it, in the direction\nof the dirt-bands. These seams are more resistant\nthan the ordinary ice of the glacier, and sometimes\nprotrude above the surface to a height of three\nor four feet. Their origin was for some time a\ndifficulty, and it was at the base of the ice-cascade\nwhich descends from the basin of the Talefre that\nthe key to their solution first presented itself. It\nwas well known that the ice of a glacier is not of\nhomogeneous structure, but that the general more\nor less milky mass is traversed by blue veins of a\nmore compact and transparent texture. In the\nupper portions of the Mer de Grlace these veins\nsweep across the glacier in gentle curves, leaning\nforward to which leaning forward Prof. Forbes\ngave the name of the frontal dip. A case of\nbackward dip has never been described. But at\nthe base of the ice-cascade referred to I had often\nnoticed the veins exposed upon the walls of a\nlongitudinal crevasse leaning backwards and for-\nwards on both sides of a vertical line, like the\njoints of stones used to turn an arch.","height":"2968","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0378.jp2"},"379":{"fulltext":"1857] OBSERVATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE. 349\nThis fact was found to connect itself in the follow-\ning way with the general state of the glacier. At\nthe base of the ice-fall a succession of protuberances,\nwith steep frontal slopes, followed each other, and\nwere intersected by crevasses. Let the hand be\nplaced flat upon the table, with the palm down-\nwards let the fingers be- bent so as to render the\nspace between the joints nearest the nails and the\nends of the fingers nearly vertical. Let the second\nhand be now placed upon the back of the first, with\nits fingers bent as in the former case, and their\nends resting upon the roots of the first fingers. The\ncrumpling of the hands fairly represents the crump-\nling of the ice, and the spaces between the fingers\nrepresent the crevasses by which the protuberances\nare intersected. On the walls of these crevasses the\nchange of dip of the veined structure above referred\nto was always observed, and at the base of each pro-\ntuberance a vein of white ice was found firmly\nwedged into the mass of the glacier.\nThe next figure represents a series of these crumples\nwith the veins of white ice Hi at their bases.\nIt was soon observed that the water which trickled\ndown the protuberances, and gushed here and there\nfrom glacier orifices, collected at the bases of the\ncrumples, and formed streams which cut for them-\nselves deep channels in the ice. These streams\nseemed to be the exact matrices or moulds of th^\n16","height":"2933","width":"1657","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0379.jp2"},"380":{"fulltext":"350 OBSERVATIONS ON THE MEE DE GLACE. [1857\nveins of white ice, and the latter were finally traced\nto the gorging up of the channels of glacial rivulets\nby winter snow. The same explanation applies to\nthe system of bands upon the Glacier du Greant. I\nwas enabled to trace the little arms of white ice\nwhich once were the tributaries of the streams, to\nsee a trunk vein of the ice dividing into branches,\nand uniting again so as to enclose glacial islands. I\nfinally traced them to the region of their formation,\nFIG 2.\nan^ by sketches of existing streams taken near the\nbase of the siracs, and of bands of white ice taken\nlower down, a resemblance so striking was exhibited\nas to leave no doubt of their relationship. On the\nwalls of some deep crevasses, moreover, which\nintersected the white ice-seams, I found that the\nlatter penetrated the glacier only to a limited\ndepth, having the appearance of a kind of glacial\n*trap intruded from ^bovp.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0380.jp2"},"381":{"fulltext":"1857] OBSERVATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE. 351\nBut liow is the backward dip of the blue veins to\nbe accounted for Doubtless in the following way\nAt the base of the cascade the glacier is forcibly\ncompressed by the thrust of the mass behind it\nbesides this, it changes its inclination suddenly and\nconsiderably; it is bent upwards, and the conse-\nquence of this bending is a system of wrinkles, such\nas those represented in the next figure. The in-\nterior of a bent umbrella-handle sometimes presents\nwrinkles which are the representatives, in little, of\nthe protuberances upon the glacier. The coat-sleeve\nis an equally instructive illustration when the arm\nis bent at the elbow the sleeve wrinkles, and as the\nplaces where these wrinkles occur in the cloth are\ndetermined, to some extent, by the previous creasing,\nso also the places where the wrinkles are formed\nupon the glacier are determined by the previous\nscarring of the ice during its descent down the\ncascade. The manner in which these crumples tend\nto scale off speaks strongly in favour of the ex-\nplanation given. The following figm^e represents a","height":"2937","width":"1613","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0381.jp2"},"382":{"fulltext":"852 OBSERYATIONS ON THE MEB DE GLACE. [1857\ntype of numerous instances of scaling off. By means\nof a hydraulic press it is easy to produce a perfectly\nsimilar scaling in small ma.sses of ice. One conse-.\nquence of this crumpling of the glacier would be\nthe baGkwa,rd a,nd forward inclina,tion of the veins\nas actually observed. The same appearance was\nnoticed on the wrinkles of the Grlacier du Greant.\nIt was also proved, by measurements, that these\nwrinkles shorten as they descend.\nIn virtue of what quality, then, can ice be bent and\nsqueezed, and have its form changed in the manner\nindicated in the foregoing observations The only\ntheory worthy of serious consideration at the pre-^\nsent day is the celebrated Viscous Theory of glacial\nmotion. Numerous appearances, as we have seen,\nfavour the idea that ice is a viscous or semi-fluid\nsubstance, and that it flows as such in the glaciers\nof the Alps. The aspect of many glaciers, as a whole\ntheir power of closing up crevasses, and of recon-\nstructing themselves after having been precipitated\ndown glacial gorges-^the obvious bendings andi","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0382.jp2"},"383":{"fulltext":"1857] OBSERTATIONS ON TttB MiBR i)E GLACE. 353\ncontortions of various portions of tiie ice, are all in\nharmony witli the notion. The laminar structure\nof the glacier has also been regarded by eminent\nauthorities as a crucial test in favour of the viscous\ntheory, and aflSirmed to be impossible of explanation\non any other hypothesis.\nNevertheless, this theory is so directly opposed t D\nour ordinary experience of the nature of ice as to\nleave upon the mind a lingering doubt of its truth.\nCan we imitate the phenomena without invoking the\nexplanation? We can. Moulds of various forms\nwere hollowed out in boxwood, and pieces of ice\nwere placed in these moulds and subjected to pres-\nsure. In this way spheres of ice were flattened into\ncakes, and cakes formed into transparent lenses. A\nstraight bar of ice, six inches long, was passed\nthrough a series of moulds augmenting in curvatuife,\nand was finally bent into a semiring. A small\nblock of ice was placed in a hemispherical cavity,\nand was pressed upon by a hemispherical protube-\nrance, not large enough to fill the cavity; the ice\nyielded and filled the space between both, thus\nforming itself into a transparent cup. The speci-\nmens of ice here employed were so exceedingly\nbrittle that a pricker driven into the ice was com-\npetent to split blocks of the substance eight cubic\nfeet in volume, the surface of fractm-e being in all\ncases as clean and sharp as that of glass.","height":"2940","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0383.jp2"},"384":{"fulltext":"354 OBSEKVATIONS ON THE MEE DE OLACE. [1857\nThese experiments, then, demonstrate a capacity\non the part of small masses of ice which they have\nnot been hitherto known to possess. They prove, to\nall appearance, that the substance is much more\nplastic than it was ever imagined to be. But the\nreal germ from which these results have sprung is\nto be found in a lecture given at the Eoyal Institu-\ntion in June 1850, and reported in the Athenaeum\nand Literary Gazette for that year. Faraday then\nshowed that when two pieces of ice, at a tempera-\nture of 32° Fahr., are placed in contact with each\nother, they freeze together, by the conversion of the\nfilm of moisture between them into ice. The case\nof a snowball is a familiar illustration of the prin-\nciple. TVTien the snow is below 32°, and therefore\ndry, it will not cohere, whereas when it is in a\nthawing condition it can be squeezed into a hard\nmass. During one of the hottest days of July 1857,\nwhen the thermometer was upwards of 100° Fahr. in\nthe sun, and more than 80° in the shade, I observed\na number of blocks of ice, which had been placed\nin a heap, frozen together at their places of contact\nand I afterwards caused them to freeze together under\nwater as hot as the hand could bear. Facts like\nthese suggested the thought that if a piece of\nice a straight prism, for example were placed in\na bent mould and subjected to pressure it would\nbreak, but that the force would also bring its","height":"2963","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0384.jp2"},"385":{"fulltext":"1857] OBSERVATIONS ON TKE MER DE GLACE. 355\nruptm-ed surfaces into contact, and thus the con-\ntinuity of the mass might be re-established. Ex-\nperiment, as we have seen, completely confirmed\nthis surmise the ice passed from a continuous\nstraight bar to a continuous bent one, the transition\nbeing effected, not by a viscous movement of the\nparticles, but through fracture and regelation.\nLet the transition from curve to curve be only\ngradual enough, and we have the exact case of a\ntransverse slice of a glacier.\nAll the phenomena of motion, on which the idea of\nviscosity has been based, are brought by such experi-\nments as the above into harmony with the demon-\nstrable properties of ice. In virtue of this property,\nthe glacier accommodates itself to its bed while pre-\nserving its general continuity, crevasses are closed\nup, and the broken ice of a cascade, such as that of\nthe Talefre or the Ehone, is recompacted to a solid\ncontinuous mass.\nThe very essence of viscosity is the ability of\nyielding to a force of tension, the texture of the sub-\nstance, after yielding, being in a state of equilibrium,\nso that it has no strain to recover from; and the\nsubstances chosen by Prof. Forbes as illustrative\nof the physical condition of a glacier possess this\npower of being drawn out in a very eminent degree.\nBut it has been urged, and justly urged, that we","height":"2929","width":"1652","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0385.jp2"},"386":{"fulltext":"356 OBSEEVATIONS ON THE MEK DE GLACE. [1857\nouglit not to conclude that viscosity is absent\nbecause hand specimens are brittle, any more than\nwe ought to conclude that ice is not blue because\nsmall fragments of the substance do Jlot exhibit\nthis colour. To test the question of viscosity, then,\nwe must appeal to the glacier itself. Let us do so.\nAn analogy between the motion of a glacier\nthrough a sinuous valley and of a rivel in a sinuous\nchannel has been already pointed out. But the\nanalogy fails in one important particular the river,\nand much more so a mass of flowing treacle, honey,\ntar, or melted caoutchouc, sweeps round its curves\nwithout rupture of continuity. The viscous mass\nstretches, but the icy mass breaks, and the excessive\ncrevassing pointed out by Prof. Forbes himself\nis the consequence. The inclinations of the Mer\nde Grlace and its three tributaries were, moreover,\ntaken, and the association of transverse crevasses\nwith the changes of inclination were accurately\nnoted. Every traveller knows the utter dislocation\nand confusion produced by the descent of the Mer\nde Grlace from the Chapeau downwards. A similar\nstate of things exists in the ice-cascade of the\nTalefre. Descending froM the Jardin, as the ice\napproaches the fall, great transverse chasms are\nformed, which at length follow each other so speedily\nas to reduce the ice-masses between them to mere\nplates and wedges, along which ihe explorer has to\ncreep cautiously. These plates and wedges are in","height":"2948","width":"1813","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0386.jp2"},"387":{"fulltext":"1857] OBSERVATIONS ON ME M5ER DE €tLACiE. 357\nsome cases bent and crumpled by the lateral pressure,\nand some large pyram.ids are turned 90° round,\nso as to have tbeir veins at right angles to the\nnormal position. The ice afterwards descends the\nfall, the portions exposed to view being a fantastic\nassemblage of frozen boulders, pinnacles, and towers,\nsome erect, some leaning, falling at intervals with a\nsound like thunder, and crushing the ice-crags on\nwhich they fall to powder. The descent of the ice\nthrough this fall has been referred to as a proof of\nits viscosity but the description just given does not\nharmonise with our ideas of a viscous substance.\nBut the proof of the no!n-visCosity of the substance\nmust be sought at places where the change of incli-\nnation is very small. Nearly opposite I Angle there\nis a change from four to nine degrees, and the\nconsequence is the production of transverse fissures\nwhich render the glacier here perfectly impassable.\nFurther up the glacier transverse crevasses are pro-\nduced by a change of inclination from three to five\ndegrees. This change of inclination is protracted\nFig. 5.\nin fig. 5 the bend occurs at the point B it is\nscarcely perceptible, and still the glacier is unable\nto pass over it without breaking across.\nAgain, the crevasses being due to a state of strain\nfrom which the ice relieves itself by breaking, the","height":"2929","width":"1676","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0387.jp2"},"388":{"fulltext":"358 OBSERVATIONS ON THE MER DB GLACE. [1857\nrate at which they widen may be* taken as a measure\nof the amount of relief demanded by the ice. Both\nthe suddenness of their formation and the slowness\nwith which they widen are demonstrative of the\nnon-viscosity of the ice. For were the substance\ncapable of stretching, even at the small rate at which\nthey widen, there would be no necessity for their\nformation.\nFurther, the marginal crevasses of a glacier are\nknown to be a consequence of the swifter flow of its\ncentral portions, which throws the sides into a state\nof strain from which they relieve themselves by\nbreaking. Now it is easy to calculate the amount\nof stretching demanded of the ice in order to ac-\ncommodate itself to the speedier central flow. Take\nthe case of a glacier half a mile wide. A straight\ntransverse element, or slice, of such a glacier, is\nbent in twenty-four hours to a curve. The ends of\nthe slice move a little, but the centre moves more\nlet us suppose the versed side of the curve formed\nby the slice in twenty-four hours to be a foot, which\nis a fair average. Having the chord of this arc, and\nits versed side, we can calculate its length. In the\ncase of the Mer de G^lace, which is about half a\nmile wide, the amount of stretching demanded\nwould be about the eightieth of an inch in twenty-\nfour hours. Surely, if the glacier possessed a pro-\nperty which could with any propriety be called\nviscosity, it ought to be able to respond to this","height":"2968","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0388.jp2"},"389":{"fulltext":"1857] OBSEKVATIONS ON THE MER DE GLACE. 359\nmoderate demand but it is not able to do so\ninstead of stretching as a viscous body, in obedience\nto this slow strain, it breaks as an eminently fragile\none, and marginal crevasses are the consequence.\nIt may be urged that it is not fair to distribute the\nstrain over the entire length of the curve but re-\nduce the distance as we may, a residue must remain,\nwhich is demonstrative of the non-viscosity of the ice.\nTo sum up, then, two classes of facts present\nthemselves to the glacier investigator one class in\nharmony with the idea of viscosity, and another as\ndistinctly opposed to it. Where pressure comes\ninto play we have the former where tension comes\ninto play we have the latter. Both classes of facts\nare reconciled by the assumption, or rather the\nexperimental verity, that the fragility of ice\nand its power of regelation render it possible for\nit to change its form without prejudice to its\ncontinuity.\n[Very interesting experiments upon the bending of\nice have been recently made by Mx. Matthews and\nMr. Froude. In these experiments the temperature\nof the ice, I believe, was some degrees below the\nfreezing point: it would be important to repeat\nthese experiments with Ice at the temperature\nwhich it actually possesses in glaciers, namely, at\n32°.— April 1871.]","height":"2937","width":"1631","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0389.jp2"},"390":{"fulltext":"360 STRUCTUEE AND PKOPEETIES GF ICE. [1857\nII.\nsmuCTURE AND PBOPEBTIES OF ICE.\nBeing desirous of examining how tlie interior of a\nmass of ice is affected by a beam of radiant heat\nsent through itj I availed myself of the sunny\nweather of September and October 1857. The\nsunbeams, condensed by a lens, were sent in various\ndirections through slabs of ice. The path of every\nbeam was observed to be instantly studded with\nlustrous spots, which increased in magnitude and\nnumber as the action continued. On examining\nthe spots more closely, they were found to be\nflattened spheroids, and around each of them the ice\nwas so liquefied as to form a beautiful flower-shaped\nfigure possessing six petals. From this number there\nwas mo deviation. At first the edges of the liquid\nleaves were unindented but a continuance of the\naction usually caused the edges to become senrated\nlike those of ferns. When the ice was caused to\nmove across the beam, or when the beam was caused\nto traverse different portions of the ice in succession,\nthe sudden generation and crowding together of\nthese liquid flowers, with their central spots shining","height":"2968","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0390.jp2"},"391":{"fulltext":"1857] STRUCTTJRE AND PEOPEKTIES OF ICE. 361\n■with more than metallic brilliancy, was exceedingly-\nbeautiful.\nIn almost all cases the flowers were formed in\nplanes parallel to the surface of freezing it mat-\ntered not whether the beam traversed the ice\nparallel to this surface or perpendicular to it.\nSome apparent exceptions to this rule were found,\nwhich will form the subject of future investigation.\nThe general appearance of the shining spots at\nthe centres of the flowers was that of the bubbles of\nair entrapped in the ice to examine whether they\ncontained air or not, portions of ice containing them\nwere immersed in warm water. When the ice sur-\nrounding the cavities had completely melted, the\nlatter instantly collapsed, and no trace of air rose to\nthe surface of the water. A vacuum, therefore, had\nbeen formed at the centre of each spot, due, doubt-\nless, to the well-known fact that the volume of\nwater in each flower was less than that of the ice,\nby the melting of which the flower was produced.\nThe associated air-and-water cells, found in such\nnumbers in the ice of glaciers, and also observed in\nlake ice, were next examined. Two hypotheses have\nbeen started to account for these cells. One at-\ntributes them to the absorption of the sun s heat by\nthe air of the bubbles, and the consequent melting\nof the ice which surrounds them. The other\nhypothesis supposes that the liquid in the cells","height":"2937","width":"1694","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0391.jp2"},"392":{"fulltext":"362 STEUCTUKE AND PKOPEKTIES OF ICE. [1867\nnever has been frozen, but has continued in the\nliquid condition from the neve or origin of the\nglacier downwards. Now if the water in the cells\nbe due to the melting of the ice, the associated air\nmust be rarefied, because the volume of the liquid\nis less than that of the ice which produced it;\nwhereas if the air be simply that entrapped in\nthe snow of the nev6, it will not be thus rarefied.\nHere, then, we have a test as to whether the water-\ncells have been produced by the melting of the ice.\nPortions of ice containing these compound cells\nwere immersed in hot water, the ice around the\ncavities being thus gradually melted away. When\na liquid connexion was established between the\nbubble and the atmosphere, the former collapsed to\na smaller bubble. In many cases the residual\nbubble did not reach the hundredth part of the\nmagnitude of the primitive one. There was no\nexception to this rule, and it proves that the water\nof these particular cavities, at all events, is really\ndue to the melting of the adjacent ice.\nBut how was the ice surrounding the bubbles\nmelted The hypothesis that the melting is due\nto the absorption of the solar rays by the air of the\nbubbles is that of M. Agassiz, which has been re-\nproduced and subscribed to by the Messrs. Schla-\ngintweit, and accepted generally as the true one.\nLet us pursue it to its consequences.","height":"2963","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0392.jp2"},"393":{"fulltext":"1867] STRUCTUKE AND PEOPERTIES OF ICE. 363\nComparing equal weights of air and water,\nexperiment proves that to raise a given weight of\nwater one degree in temperature, as much heat\nwould be needed as would raise the same weight of\nair four degrees.\nComparing equal volumes of air and water, the\nwater is known to be 770 times heavier than the\nair consequently, for a given volume of air to raise\nan equal volume of water one degree in temperature,\nit must part with 770 x 4 3080 degrees.\nNow the quantity of heat necessary to melt a\ngiven weight of ice would raise the same weight of\nwater 142*6 Fahr. degrees in temperature. Hence\nto produce, by the melting of ice, an amount of\nwater equal to itself in bulk, a bubble of air must\nyield up 3080 x 142*6, or upwards of four hundred\nthousand degrees Fahrenheit.\nThis is the amount of heat which, according\nto the hypothesis of M. Agassiz and the Messrs.\nSchlagintweit, is absorbed by the bubble of air\nunder the eyes of the observer. That is to say, the\nair is capable of absorbing an amount of heat which,\nhad it not been communicated to the surrounding\nice, would raise the bubble to a temperature 160\ntimes that of fused cast iron. Did air possess this\nenormous power of absorption it would not be with-\nout inconvenience for the animal and vegetable life\nof our planet.","height":"2933","width":"1678","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0393.jp2"},"394":{"fulltext":"■Mi STETJCTUEE AND PKOPEETIES OP ICE. i[1857\nTlie fact is, that a bubble of air at the earth s\nsurface is unable, in the slightest appreciable degree,\nto absorb the sun s rays for those rays before they\nteach the earth haVe been perfectly sifted by their\npassage through the atmosphere. I made the\nfollowing experiment illustrative of this point The\nrays from an electric lamp were condensed by a lens,\nand the concentra,ted beam sent through the bulb\nof a dififerential thermometer. The heat of the\nbeam was intense still not the slightest effect was\nproduced upon the thermometer. In fact, all the\nrays that air could absorb had been absorbed before\nthe thermometer was reached, while the rays that\nglass could absorb had been absorbed by the lens.\nThe heat consequently passed through the thin\nglass envelope of the thermometer, and the air\nwithin it, without imparting the slightest sensible\nheat to either.\nThe liquid bubbles observed in lake ice, and those\nwhich oceulf iii the deeper portions of glacier ice, are\nproduced by heat which has been conducted through\nthe substance without melting it. Regarding heat\nas a mode of motion, it seems natural to infer, that\ninasmuch as within the inass each molecule is con-\ntrolled in its motion by the surrouliciing molecules,\nthe liberty of liquidity must be attained by the\nmolecules at the surface of ice before the molecules\nin the interior can attain this liberty. But if a","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0394.jp2"},"395":{"fulltext":"2857] STKUCTURE AND rEOPERTIES OF ICE. 365\ncavity exist in the interior, the molecules surround-\ning that cavity are in a condition similar to those\nat the surface; and they may be liberated by an\namount of motion which has been transmitted\nthrough the ice without prejudice to its solidity.\nThe conception is helped when we call to mind the\ntransmission of motion through a series of elastic\nballs, by which the last ball of the series is detached,\nwhile the others do not suffer visible separation.\nIt may indeed be proved, by actual experiment,\nthat the interior portion of a mass of ice can be\nliquefied by an amount af heat which has been\nconducted through the exterior portions without\nmelting them.\nNow precisely the converse of this takes place\nwhen two pieces of ice, at 32° Fahr., with moist\nsurfaces, are brought into contact. Superficial\nportions are by this act transferred to the centre\nwhere a temperature of 32° is not quite sufficient\nto produce liquefaction. The motion of liquidity\nwhich the surfaces possessed before contact is now\nchecked, and the pieces of ice freeze together. This\nappears to furnish a satisfactory explanation of all\nthe cases of this nature which have hitherto been\nobserved.\nThe particles of a crushed mass of ice at 32°, or a\nball of moist snow, may, it is now well known, be\nsqueezed into slabs or cups of ice. That moisture is","height":"2929","width":"1656","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0395.jp2"},"396":{"fulltext":"366\nSTKUCTUKE AND PKOPEETiES OF ICE.\n[1857\nnecessary here, and that the same agent is necessary\nin the conversion of snow into glacier ice, was proved\nby the following experiment. A ball of ice was\ncooled in a bath of solid carbonic acid and ether,\nand thus rendered perfectly dry. Placed in a suit-\nable mould, and subjected to hydraulic pressure,\nthe ball was crushed but the crushed fragments\nremained as white and opaque as those of crushed\nglass. The particles, while thus dry, could not be\nsqueezed so as to form pellucid ice, which is so\neasily obtained when the compressed mass is at a\ntemperature of 32° Fahr.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0396.jp2"},"397":{"fulltext":"1858] STRUCTUKE OF GLACIEES. 367\nIII.\nSTRUCTURE OF GLACIERS.\nIf a transparent colourless solid be reduced to\npowder, the powder is white. Thus rock crystal,\nrock salt, and glass, in powder are all white. A glass\njar, partially filled with a solution of carbonate of\nsoda, with a little gum added to give it tenacity,\npresents, on the addition of a little tartaric acid, the\nappearance of a tall white column of foam. In all\nthese cases, the whiteness and the opacity are due\nto the intimate and irregular admixture of a solid\nor a liquid with air in like manner the whiteness\nof snow is due to the mixture of air and transparent\nparticles of ice.\nThe snow falls upon mountain eminences, and,\nabove the snow-line, each year leaves a residue the\nsubstance thus collects in layers, forming masses of\ngreat depth. The lower portions are squeezed by\nthe pressure of those above them, and a gradual\napproach to ice is the consequence. The air being\ngradually expelled, the transparency of the substance\naugments in proportion.","height":"2937","width":"1661","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0397.jp2"},"398":{"fulltext":"368 STKUCTUEE OF GLACIERS. [1858\nBut even after the snow has been squeezed to\nhard ice in the upper glacier region, it always con-\ntains a large amount- of the air originally entrapped\nin the snow. The air is distributed through the\nsolid in the form of bubbles, which give the ice a\nmilky appearance. At the lower extremity of a\nglacier the ice, as everybody knows, is blue and\ntransparent. The transition from one state to the\nother is not, in all cases, a gradual change which\ntakes place uniformly throughout the entire mass.\nThe white ice, on the contrary, of the middle\nglacier region is usually striped by veins of a more\ntransparent character, the air which gives to the ice\nits whiteness having been, by some means or other,\nwholly or partially ejected from the veins. These\nveins sometimes give the ice of many glaciers\na beautiful laminated appearance; vast portions,\niiideed, of varibils glaciers consist of this laminated\nicie^\nffhe theory of the veins which perhaps first pre-\ngetitis itself to the iiuad, and ^hich is still enter-\ntained by many intelligent Alpine explorers, is that\nthe veining of the middle glaciers is simply a con-\ntinuation of the bedd/ing of the neve that not only\ndo the annual snow-falls produce beds of great\nthickness, but every successive fall tends to produce\na layer of less thickness, which layers, or the surfaces\ngeparating them, ultimately appear as the blue veins.","height":"2967","width":"1806","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0398.jp2"},"399":{"fulltext":"1858] STRUCTURE OF GLACIERS. 369\nThis theory demands respectful consideration\non the exposed sections of the neve the lines of\nstratification are very manifest, exhibiting in many\ncases appearances strongly resembliiig that of the\nveined structure. Indeed, it was with a view to\nexamine this subject more closely that I withheld\nmy observations on the structure of the Mer de\nGrlace in 1857, and betook myself once more to the\nmountains during the summer of 1858. My desire\nat that time was to settle once for all the rival\nclaims of the only two theories which then deserved\nserious attention ^namely, those of pressure and\nof stratification.\nIn pursuance of this idea, I first visited the Lower\nglacier of Grindelwald, one of the most accessible,\nand at the same time most instructive, in the entire\nrange of the Alps. Ascending the branch of this\nglacier which descends from the Schreckhom, the\nStrahleck, and the Finsteraarhorn, I came to the\nbase of an ice-fall which forbade further advance.\nQuitting the glacier here, I ascended the side of\nthe flanking mountain, so as to reach a point from\nwhich the fall, and the glacier below it, are dis-\ntinctly visible and from this position I observed\nthe gradual development and perfecting of the\nstructure at the base of the fall. On the middle of\nthe fall itself no trace of the structure was manifest\nbut where the glacier changed its inclination at the","height":"2937","width":"1684","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0399.jp2"},"400":{"fulltext":"370 STEUCTUEE OF GLACIEES. [1858\nbottom, being bent upwards so as £hrow its surface\ninto a state of intense longitudinal compression,\nthe blue veins first made their appearance. The\nbase of the fall was a true structure mill, where\nthe transverse veins were manufactured, being after-\nwards sent forward, giving a character to portions of\nthe glacier which had no share in their formation.\nI afterwards examined the fall from the opposite\nside of the valley, and corroborated the observations.\nIt is difficult, in words, to convey the force of the\nevidence which this glacier presents to the observer\nwho sees it it seems in fact like a grand laboratory\nexperiment made by Nature herself with especial\nreference to the point in question. The squeezing\nof the mass, its yielding to the force brought to bear\nupon it, its wrinkling and scaling off, and the ap-\npearance of the veins at the exact point where the\npressure begins to manifest itself, leave no doubt on\nthe mind that pressure and structure stand to each\notjier in the relation of cause and effect, and that\nthe stratification could have nothing to do with the\nphenomenon.\nI subsequently crossed the Strahleck, descended\nthe glaciers of the Aar, crossed the Grrimsel, and\nexamined the glacier of the Ehone. This glacier\nhas also its grand ice-fall. In company with Prof.\nEamsay, I climbed in 1858 the precipices flanking\nthe fall at the Grimsel side. What has been","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0400.jp2"},"401":{"fulltext":"1858] STKUCTUEE OF aLACIEES. 371\nstated regarding the Grrindelwald ice-fall is true of\nthat of the Ehone the base of the cascade is the\nTnaniifactory of the structure and, as all the ice\nhas to pass through this mill, the entire mass of the\nglacier from the base of the fall downwards is beau-\ntifully laminated.\nDescending the valley of the Ehone to Viesch,\nI went thence to the -^ggischhorn, and remained\nfor eight days in the vicinity of the Grreat Aletsch\nglacier the noblest ice-stream of the Alps. A\nhighly intelligent explorer had adduced certain\nphenomena of this glacier as an evidence against\nthe pressure theory of the veined structure and I\ndid not think myself justified in quitting the place\nuntil I had perfectly satisfied myself that the Aletsch\nnot only presented no phenomena at variance with the\npressure theory, but exhibited some which seemed\nfatal to the theory of the stratification.\nI subsequently proceeded to Zermatt, and spent\nten days on the Eifi elberg, exploring the entire\nsystem of glaciers between Monte Eosa and the\nMont Cervin. These glaciers exhibit, perhaps in a\nmore striking manner than any others in the Alps,\nthe yielding of glacier ice when subjected to intense\npressm-e. The great western glacier of Monte Eosa,\nthe Schwartze glacier, the Trifti glacier, and the gla-\nciers of St. Theodule, are first spread out as wide and\nextensive neves over the breasts of the mountains.","height":"2937","width":"1622","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0401.jp2"},"402":{"fulltext":"3t 2 ^TRITGTUKE OF GLACIERS. [1858\nThey move down, and are finally forced into the\nvalley containing the trunk, or Grorner glacier.\nHere they are squeezed to narrow strips, which\ngradually dwindle in width until they form driblets\nnot more than a few yards aci^oss. From the\nGrorner Grrat, or from the summit of the Eiffelhorn,\nthese parallel strips of giacierj each separated from\nits neighbour by a medial moraine,, present a. most\nstriking and instructive appearance.\nThe structure of these glaciers was carefully\nexamined, and in all cases as I travelled from\nregions where the pressure was feeble to others\nwhere it was intense, the ice changed from a state\nalmost, if not entirely, structureless, to one in which\nthe veining was exhibited in great perfection. Each\nglacier, for example, where it met the opposing\nmass in the trunk valley, and was pressed against\nthe latter by the thrust from behind, exhibited a\nbeautifully developed structure.\nProofs have been already adduced that the Grlacier\ndu G-eant is in a state of longitudinal compression\nit has also been shown that the seams of white ice\nwhich intersect this glacier are due to the filling up\nof the channels of glacier streams by snow, and the\nsubsequent compression of the substance. Here,\nthen, we have a vast ice-press which furnishes us\nwith a test of the pressure theory. Both in 1857\nand 1858 I found many of these seams of white ice","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0402.jp2"},"403":{"fulltext":"1858] STRTJCTUKE OP GLACIEES. 373\nintersected by blue veins of the finest and most\ndistinct character, their general direction being at\nright angles to the direction of pressure.\nBut the notions of M. Agassiz as to the turning\nup of the strata so as to expose their edges at the\nsurface, and the acute remarks and arguments of\nMr. John Ball on the same subject, might still\ncast a doubt upon the pressure theory, by suggesting\na possible, though extremely improbable, explanation\nof the structure in accordance with the theory of\nstratification.\nHence my strong desire to discover some crucial\nphenomenon which should set this question for ever\nat rest, and leave no room for doubt, even on tlie\nminds of those who never saw a glacier. On\nWednesday, August 18, I was fortunate enough to\nmake this discovery upon the Fm-gge glacier.\nThis ice-field spreads out as an almost level plain\nat the base of Mont Cervin. The strata pile them-\nselves one above the other without disturbance, and\nhence with gi-eat regularity. The ice at length\nreaches a brow, over which it is precipitated, form-\ning in its descent four great terraces, and shutting\nup the lower valley as a cul de sac. When I reached\nthis place huge blocks of ice stood, like rocking\nstones, upon the topmost ledge, and numbers, which\nhad fallen, had been caught by the other ledges,\nand occupied very threatening positions the base\n17","height":"2937","width":"1668","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0403.jp2"},"404":{"fulltext":"S74 STRUCTURE OF GLACIERS. [1858\nof the fall was cumbered with crushed ice, and large\nboulders of the substance had been cast a consider-\nable way down the glacier.\nOn the faces of the terraces horizontal lines of\nstratification were shown in the most perfect manner.\nHere and there the exertion of a powerful lateral\nsqueeze was manifest, causing the beds to crumple,\nand producing numerous faults. Examining the\nfall from a distance through an opera-glass, I thought\nI could discover lines of veining running through\nthe strata, at a high angle, exactly as the planes of\ncleavage often run at a high angle to the bedding of\nslate rocks. The surface of the ice was, however,\nweathered; and I was unwilling to accept an obser-\nvation upon such a cardinal point with a shade of\ndoubt attached to it. Leaving my field-glass with my\nguide, who was to give me warning should the blocks\noverhead gi\\/*b way, I advanced to the wall of ice,\nand at several places cut away with my axe the\nw§athered superficial portions. Underneath I found\nthe true veined structure, running nearly at right\nangles to the planes of stratification.\nI afterwards climbed the glacier to the right, and,\nas I ascended, still better illustrations of the co-\nexistence of the structure and the strata than those\nobserved upon the terraces exhibited themselves.\nThe ice was greatly dislocated, and on the faces of","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0404.jp2"},"405":{"fulltext":"1858] STEUCTUKE OF GLACIERS. 375\nthe crevasses the beds were distinctly shown, with\nthe veins crossing them. The idea that the veins\ncould be due to the turning up of the strata is\nplainly irreconcileable with these observations.\nThe same year I visited the Mer de Griace and\nits tributaries, and found the pressure key applic-\nable to their phenomena also. The transverse\nstructure of the Griacier du Geant is formed at the\nbase of the seracs that of the Talefre branch of the\nMer de Glace at the base of the Talefre ice-fall,\nwhere the change of inclination and the thrust\nfrom behind produce the requisite longitudinal com-\npression. I have ah eady had occasion to remark\nupon the peculiar dipping of the structure, and the\nscaling-off of the protuberances, which are effects\nof the same cause. These phenomena are exhibited\nat the base of all the ice-cascades.\nThe principal kinds of structure may be divided\ninto three as follows\n1st, Marginal structure, developed by pressure\ndue to the swifter motion of the centre of the\nglacier.\n2nd, Longitudinal structure, due to mutual\npressure of two tributary glaciers the structure\nhere is parallel to the medial moraine which divides\nthe tributaries.\n3rd, Transverse structure, produced by pressure","height":"2929","width":"1667","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0405.jp2"},"406":{"fulltext":"376\nSTEUCTUKE OP GLACIERS.\n[1858\ndue to the change of inclination, and to the longi-\ntudinal thrust endured by the glacier at the base\nof an ice-fall.\nThe lamination of a glacier is a peculiarly inter-\nesting case of cleavage. It is produced in the same\nmanner as the lamination of slate rock, which is\nknown, through the distortion of its fossils, to have\nsuffered great pressure at right angles to the planes\nof cleavage.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0406.jp2"},"407":{"fulltext":"1865;; HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND 6LACIEKS. 377\nIV.\nHELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIERS.\nSwitzerland has attractions for the scientific\nphilosophers of Grermany, and around the Titlis,\nBunsen, Heknholtz, Kirchhofif, and Wiedemann are\nnot unfamiliar names. Nor have their visits to the\nAlps been unproductive of results. Some time ago\nI was favoured by Professor Helmholtz with the\nFirst Part of his Popular Scientific Lectures. It\ncontains four of them the first, On the Eelation\nof the Natural Sciences to Science in general the\nsecond, On Goethe s Labours in Natural Science\nthe third, On the Physiological Origin of Musical\nHarmony; and the fourth, On Ice and Griaciers.\nThe lectures are in German, and it is much to be\ndesired that some competent person should under-\ntake their translation into English.\nI turned with natural interest to the last-men-\ntioned discourse, to see how my notions and experi-\nments on the formation and motion of glaciers were\nI have reason to believe that a translation of the two parts\nhitherto published will soon be forthcoming. J. T., 1871.","height":"2937","width":"1632","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0407.jp2"},"408":{"fulltext":"378 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEKS. [1865\nregarded by so eminent a man. I will here en-\ndeavour to give a summary of the scientific portion\nof the lecture.\nProfessor Helmholtz refers the cold of the upper\nregions of the atmosphere to the causes generally\nassigned; but he adds a remark important at the\npresent moment, when the origin of the hot wind\ncalled Fohn in Switzerland is the subject of so\nmuch discussion. This wind, as Helmholtz justly\nobserves, may not only be a cold wind upon the\nmountain-summits, but a wet one, and it may\ndeposit its moisture there. A wind thus dried upon\nthe heights, and warmed by its subsequent fall into\nthe valleys, would possess the heat and dryness of\nthe Fohn. These qualities are, therefore, no proof\nthat the origin of the Fohnwind is Sahara.\nIt will probably be remembered that I deduced\nthe formation of glaciers, and their subsequent\nmotion through valleys of varying width and flexure,\nfrc^n the fact that when two pieces of ice are pressed\ntogether they freeze together at their places of\ncontact. This fact was first mentioned to me\nverbally by its discoverer, Faraday. Soon after-\nwards, and long before I had occasion to reflect\nupon its cause, the application of the fact to the\nformation and motion of glaciers flashed upon me.\nSnow was in the yard of the Eoyal Institution at the\ntime stuffing a quantity of it into a steel mould.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0408.jp2"},"409":{"fulltext":"1865]\nHELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIERS.\n379\nwhich I had previously employed to demonstrate\nthe influence of pressure on magnetic phenomena,\nI squeezed the snow, and had the pleasure of seeing\nit turn out from the mould as a cylinder of trans-\nKg- 6.\nlucent ice. I immediately went to Faraday, and\nexpressed the conviction that his little outlying\nexperiment would be found to constitute the basis\nof a true theory of glaciers. It became subsequently\nknown to me that the Messrs. Schlagintweit had","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0409.jp2"},"410":{"fulltext":"380 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIERS. [1865\nmade a similar experiment with snow but they did\nnot connect with it the applications which suggested\nthemselves to me, and which have since been de-\nveloped into a theory of glacier-motion.\nA section of the mould used in the experiment\nabove referred to is given in the foregoing figure.\nA B is the solid base of the mould c d e r a hollow\ncylinder let into the base P is the solid plug used\nto compress the snow. When sufficiently squeezed,\nthe bottom, a b, is removed, and the cylinder of\nice is pushed out by the plug. The mould closely\nresembles one of those employed by Professor\nHelmholtz.\nThe subsequent development of the subject by\nthe moulding of ice into various forms by pressure\nis too well known to need dwelling upon here. In\napplying these results to glaciers, I dwelt with\nespecial emphasis upon the fact that while the\npower of being moulded by pressure belonged in an\neminent degree to glacier ice, the power of yielding,\nby stretching, to a force of tension, was sensibly\nwanting. On this point Prof. Helmholtz speaks\nas follows Tyndall in particular maintained,\nand proved by calculation and measurement, that\nthe ice of a glacier does not stretch in the smallest\ndegree when subjected to tension that when suf-\nficiently strained it always breaks and he adds,\nin another place, that the property thus revealed","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0410.jp2"},"411":{"fulltext":"1865]\nHELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEES.\n381\nestablishes an essential difference between a stream\nof ice, and one of lava, tar, honey, or mud.\nIn the beautiful experiments of M. Tresca re-\ncently executed, the power of ice to mould itseK\nunder pressure has been very strikingly illustrated.\nProfessor Helmholtz also, in the presence of his\naudiences at Heidelberg and Frankfort, illustrated\nthis property in various ways. From snow and\nFig. 7 Fig. 8.\nbroken fragments of ice he formed cakes and\ncylinders; and uniting the latter, end to end, he\npermitted them to freeze together to long sticks of\nice. Placing, moreover, in a suitable mould a\ncylinder of ice of the shape represented in fig. 7, he\nsqueezed it into the cake represented in fig. 8. In\nfact he corroborated, by a series of striking experi-\nmental devices of his own the results previously\nobtained by myself.","height":"2932","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0411.jp2"},"412":{"fulltext":"382 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEKS. [1865\nWith regard to the application of these results\nto the phenomena of glaciers. Professor Helmholtz,\nafter satisfying himself of the insufficiency of other\nhypotheses, thus finally expresses his conviction\nI do not doubt that Tyndall has assigned the\nessential and principal cause of glacier-motion, in\nreferring it to fracture and regelation.\nIt is perhaps worth stating that the term re-\ngelation was first introduced in a paper published\nby Mr. Huxley and myself more than seven years\nafter the discovery of the fact by Faraday, and that\nit was suggested to us by our friend Dr. Hooker,\nDirector of the Eoyal Grardens at Kew. As already\nremarked, the formation and motion of glaciers, and\nother points of a kindred nature, had been referred\nto regelation long before I occupied myself with the\ncause of regelation itself. This latter question is\nnot once referred to in the memoir in which the\nregelation theory was first developed.* The en-\nquiries, though related, were different. In referring\nthe motion of glaciers to a fact experimentally\ndemonstrated, I referred it to its proximate cause.\nTo refer that cause to its physical antecedents\nformed the subject of a distinct enquiry, in which,\nbecause of my belief in the substantial correctness of\nFaraday s explanation, I took comparatively little\npart.\nPhil. Trans, vol. cxlvii. p. 327.","height":"2965","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0412.jp2"},"413":{"fulltext":"1865] HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIERS. 383\nFive persons, however, mingled more or less\nin the enquiry viz. Professor Faraday, Principal\nForbes, Professor James Thomson, Professor (now\nSir) William Thomson, and myself.^ Professor James\nThomson explained regelation by reference to an\nimportant deduction, first drawn by him,^ and alniost\nsimultaneously by Professor Clausius, from the\nmechanical theory of heat. He had shown it to be\na consequence of this theory that the freezing-point\nof water must be lowered by pressure that is to\nsay, water when subjected to pressure will remain\nliquid at a temperature below that at which it would\nfreeze if the pressure were removed. This theoretic\ndeduction was confirmed in a remarkable manner by\nthe experiments of his brother.* Eegelation, accord-\ning to James Thomson s theory, was thus accounted\nfor When two pieces of ice are pressed together,\nor laid the one upon the other, their compressed\nparts liquefy. The water thus produced has ren-\ndered latent a portion of the heat of the surround-\ning ice, and must therefore be lower than 0° C.\nin temperature. On escaping from the pressure\nthis water refreezes and cements the pieces of ice\ntogether.\nProc. Koy. Soc. vol. ix. p. 141 and vol. x. p. 152. PhiL Mag.\nS. 4, vol. xvi. pp. 347 and 544 and vol. xvii. p. 162.\nProc. Eoy. Soc. Edinb. February 1850.\nPogg. Ann. vol. Ixxxi. p. 168.\nPhil. Mag. August 1850.","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0413.jp2"},"414":{"fulltext":"384 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIERS. [1866\nI always admitted that this explanation dealt with\na true cause. But considering the infinitesimal\nmagnitude of the pressure sufficient to produce re-\ngelation, in common with Professor Faraday and\nPrincipal Forbes, I deemed the cause an insufficient\none. Professor James Thomson, moreover, grounded\nupon the foregoing theory of regelation a theory of\nglacier-motion, in which he ascribed the changes of\nform which a glacier undergoes to the incessant\nliquefaction of the ice at places where the pressure\nis intense, and the refreezing, in other positions, of\nthe water thus produced.^ I endeavoured to show\nthat this theory was inapplicable to the facts.\nProfessor Helmholtz has recently subjected it to the\ntest of experiment, and the conclusions which he\ndraws from his researches are substantially the same\nas mine.\nThus, then, as regards the incapacity of the ice\non which my observations were made to stretch in\nobedience to tension, and its capacity to be moulded\nto a!hy extent by pressure as regards the essential\ndifference between a glacier, and a stream of lava,\nhoney, or tar as regards the sufficiency of pressure\nand regelation to account for the formation of\nglaciers, and of fracture and regelation to account\nfor their motion as regards, finally, the insuf-\nficiency of the theory which refers the motion to\nProc Eoy. Soc. vol. viii. p. 455.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0414.jp2"},"415":{"fulltext":"1865] HELMHOLTZ ON ICE .AND GLACIERS. 385\nliquefaction by pressure, and refreezing, the views\nof Professor Helmholtz and myself appear to be\nidentical.\nBut the case is different with regard to the cause\nof regelation itself. Here Professor Helmholtz, like\nM. Jamin, accepts the clear and definite explanation\nof Professor James Thomson as the most satisfactory\nthat has been advanced and he supports this view\nby an experiment so beautiful that it cannot fail to\ngive pleasure even to those against whose opinions\nit is adduced. But before passing to the experiment,\nwhich is described in the Appendix to the lecture,\nit will be well to give in the words of Professor\nHelmholtz the views which he expresses in the body\nof his discourse.\nYou will now ask with surprise, he says, how it\nis that ice, the most fragile and brittle of all known\nsolid substances, can flow in a glacier like a viscous\nmass and you may perhaps be inclined to regard\nthis as one of the most unnatural and paradoxical\nassertions that ever was made by a natural phi-\nlosopher. I will at once admit that the enquirers\nthemselves were in no small degree perplexed by the\nresults of their investigations. But the facts were\nthere, and could not be dissipated by denial. How\nthis kind of motion on the part of ice was possible\nremained long an enigma the more so as the known\nTraite de Physique, vol. ii. p. 105.","height":"2929","width":"1699","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0415.jp2"},"416":{"fulltext":"386 HELMHOLTZ ON. ICE AND GLACIERS. [1865\nbrittleness of ice also manifested itself in glaciers by\nthe formation of numerous fissures. This, as Tyndall\nrightly maintained, constituted an essential differ-\nence between the ice-stream, and a stream of lava,\ntar, honey, or mud.\nThe solution of this wonderful enigma was found\nas is often the case in natural science in an ap-\nparently remote investigation on the nature of heat,\nwhich forms one of the most important conquests of\nmodern physics, and which is known under the name\nof the mechanical theory of heat. Among a great\nnimiber of deductions as to the relations of the most\ndiverse natural forces to each other, the principles of\nthe mechanical theory of heat enable us to draw\ncertain conclusions regarding the dependence of the\nfreezing-point of water on the pressure to which the\nice and water are subjected.\nProfessor Helmholtz then explains to his audience\nwhat is meant by latent heat, and points out that,\nthrough the circulation of water in. the fissures and\ncapillaries of a glacier, its interior temperature must\nremain constantly at the freezing-point.\nBut, he continues, the temperatiu-e of the\nfreezing-point of water can be altered by pressure.\nThis was first deduced by James Thomson, and\nalmost simultaneously by Clausius, from the me-\nchanical theory of heat and by the same deductions\neven the magnitude of the change may be predicted.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0416.jp2"},"417":{"fulltext":"1865] HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEKS. 387\nFor the pressure of every additional atmosphere, the\nfreezing-point sinks 0°*0075 C. The brother of the\ngentleman first named, William Thomson, the cele-\nbrated Griasgow physicist, verified experimentally the\ntheoretic deduction by compressing a mixture of ice\nand water in a suitable vessel. The mixture became\ncolder and colder as the pressure was augmented, and\nby the exact amount which the mechanical theory of\nheat required.\nIf, then, by pressure a mixture of ice and water\ncan be rendered colder without the actual abstraction\nof heat, this can only occur by the liquefaction of\nthe ice and the rendering of heat latent. And this\nis the reason why pressure can alter the point of\ncongelation\nIn the experiment of William Thomson just\nreferred to ice and water were enclosed in a solid\nvessel from which nothing could escape. The case\nis somewhat difierent when, as in the case of a\nglacier, the water of the compressed ice can escape\nthrough fissures. In this case the ice is compressed,\nbut not the water which escapes. The pressed ice\nwill become colder by a quantity corresponding to\nthe lowering of its freezing-point by the pressure.\nBut the freezing-point of the uncompressed water is\nnot lowered. Here, then, we have ice colder than\n0° C. in contact with water at 0° C. The con-\nsequence is, that round the place of pressm-e the","height":"2929","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0417.jp2"},"418":{"fulltext":"388 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEES. [1865\nwater will freeze and form new ice, while, on the\nother hand, a portion of the compressed ice continues\nto be melted (wahrend dafiir ein Theil des gepressten\nEises fortschmilzt).\nThis occurs, for instance, when two pieces of ice\nare simply pressed together. By the water which\nfreezes at the points of contact they are firmly\nimited to a continuous mass. When the pressure is\nconsiderable, and the chilling consequently great, the\nunion occurs quickly, but it may also be effected by\na very slight pressure if sufficient time be afforded.\nFaraday, who discovered this phenomenon, named it\nthe regelation of ice} Its explanation has given\nrise to considerable controversy: I have laid that\nexplanation before you which I consider to be the\nmost satisfactory.\nIn the Appendix, Professor Helmholtz returns to\nthe subject thus handled in the body of his dis-\ncourse. The theory of the regelation of ice, he\nobserves, has given rise to a scientific discussion\nbet^^een Faraday and Tyndall on the one hand, and\nJames and William Thomson on the other. In the\ntext of this lecture I have adopted the theory of the\nlatter, and have therefore to justify myself for so\ndoing. He then analyses the reasonings on both sides,\npoints out the theoretic difficulties of Faraday s\nI have corrected this slight inadvertence. We owe the name\nto Hooker.\n1","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0418.jp2"},"419":{"fulltext":"1885] HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIERS. 389\nexplanation, shows what a small pressure can accom-\nplish if only sufficient time be granted to it, draws\nattention to the fact that when one piece of ice is\nplaced upon another the pressure is not distributed\nover the whole of the two appressed surfaces, but is\nconcentrated on a few points of contact. He also\nholds, with Professor James Thomson, that in an\nexperiment devised by Principal Forbes even the\ncapillary attraction exerted between two plates of\nice is sufficient, in due time, to produce regelation.\nTo illustrate the slow action of tlie small differences\nof temperature which here come into play Professor\nHelmholtz made the following experiment, to which\nreference has been already made.\nA glass flask with a drawn-out neck was half\nfilled with water, which was boiled until all the air\nabove it was driven out. The flask was then her-\nmetically sealed. When cooled, the flask was void\nof air, and the water within it freed from the\npressure of the atmosphere. As the water thus\nprepared can be cooled considerably below 0° C.\nbefore the first ice is formed, while when ice is in\nthe flask it freezes at 0° C. [why J. T.], the flask\nwas in the first instance placed in a freezing mixture\nuntil the water was changed into ice. It was after-\nwards permitted to melt slowly in a place the tem-\nperature of which was 2° C, until the half of it\nwas liquefied","height":"2937","width":"1680","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0419.jp2"},"420":{"fulltext":"390 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEKS. [1865\nThe flask thus half filled with water having a\ndisk of ice swimming upon it was placed in a mix-\nture of ice and water, being quite surrounded by the\nmixture. After an hour the disk within the flask was\nfrozen to the glass. By shaking the flask the disk\nwas liberated, but it froze again. This occurred as\noften as the shaking was repeated. The flask was\npermitted to remain for eight days in the mixture,\nwhich was preserved throughout at a temperature\nof 0° C. During this time a number of very regular\nand sharply defined ice-crystals were formed, and\naugmented very slowly in size. This is perhaps\nthe best method of obtaining beautifully formed\ncrystals of ice.\nWhile, therefore, the outer ice which had to\nsupport the pressure of the atmosphere slowly\nmelted, the water within the flask, whose freezing-\npoint, on account of a defect of pressure, was\n0° 0075 C. higher, deposited crystals of ice. The\nheat abstracted from the water in this operation\nhad, moreover, to pass through the glass of the\nflask, which, together with the small diiOference of\ntemperature, explains the slowness of the freezing\nprocess.\nA single additional condition in connection with\nthis beautiful experiment I should like to have\nseen fulfilled namely, that the water in which the\nflask was immersed, as well as that within it, should","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0420.jp2"},"421":{"fulltext":"1865]\nHELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEKS.\n391\nbe purged of its air by boiling. It is just possible\nthat the point of congelation may not be entirely\nindependent of the presence of air in the water.\nThe revival of this subject by Professor Helmholtz\nhas caused me to naake a few additional experi-\nments on the moulding and regelation of ice. The\nfollowing illustrates both: A quantity of snowy\npowder was scraped from a block of clear ice and\nFig. 9.\nFig. 10.\nplaced in a boxwood mould having a shape like\nthe foot of a claret-glass. The ice-powder being\nsqueezed by a hydraidic press, a clear mass of ice\nof the shape shown in section at the bottom of\nfig. 9 was the result. In another mould the same\npowder was squeezed so as to form small cylinders,\nthree of which are shown separate in fig. 9. A third\nmould was then employed to form a cup of ice,\nwhich is shown at the top of fig. 9. Bringing all","height":"2936","width":"1676","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0421.jp2"},"422":{"fulltext":"392 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEKS. [1865\nthe parts into contact, they were cemented through\nregelation to form the claret-glass sketched in fig. 10,\nfrom which several draughts of wine might be taken,\nif the liquid were cooled sufficiently before pouring\nit into the cup of ice.\nThere are brass shapes used for the casting of\nflowers and other objects which answer admirably\nfor experiments on the regelation of ice. One of\nEg. 11.\nthem was purchased for me by Mr. Becker. Ice-\npowder squeezed into it regelated to a solid mass\nand came from the mould in the sharply defined\nform sketched in fig. 11.\nI placed a small piece of ice in warm water and\npressed it underneath the water by a second piece.","height":"2968","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0422.jp2"},"423":{"fulltext":"1865] HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEES. 393\nThe submerged morsel was sosmall tliat the vertical\npressure was almost infinitesimal. It froze, not-\nwithstanding, to the under surface of the superior\npiece of ice. Two pieces of ice were placed in a\nbasin of warm water, and allowed to come together.\nThey froze as soon as they touched each other.\nThe parts surrounding the place of contact rapidly\nmelted away, but the two pieces continued for a\ntime united by a narrow bridge of ice. The bridge\nfinally melted away, and the pieces were for a\nmoment separated. But bodies which water wets,\nand against which it rises by capillary attraction,\nmove spontaneously together upon water. The ice\nmorsels did so, and immediately regelation again set\nin. A new bridge was formed, which in its tiirn was\ndissolved, and the pieces closed up as before. Thus\na kind of pulsation was kept up by the two pieces\nof ice. They touched, froze, a bridge was formed\nand melted, leaving an interval between the pieces.\nAcross this they moved, touched, froze, the same\nprocess being repeated over and over again.\nWe have here the explanation of the curious fact\nthat when several large lumps of ice are placed in\nwarm water and allowed to touch each other, rege-\nlation is maintained among them as long as they\nremain undissolved. The final fragments may not\nbe the one-hundredth part of the original ones\nin size; but through the process just described,","height":"2937","width":"1640","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0423.jp2"},"424":{"fulltext":"394 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEES. [1865\nthey incessantly lock themselves together until they\nfinally disappear.\nAccording to Professor James Thomson s theory,\nto produce regelation the pieces of ice have to\nexercise pressure, in order to draw from the surround-\ning ice the heat necessary for the liquefaction of the\ncompressed part and then this water must escape\nand be refrozen. All this requires time. In the fore-\ngoing experiments, moreover, the water liquefied\nby the pressure issued into the surrounding warm\nwater, but notwithstanding this the floating frag-\nments regelated in a moment. It is not necessary\nthat the touching surfaces should be flat; for\nin this case a film of water might be supposed\nto exist between them of the temperature 0°C.\nThe surfaces in contact may be convex: they\nmay be virtual points that are about to touch\neach other, clasped all round by the warm liquid,\nwhich is rapidly dissolving them as they ap-\nproach. Still they freeze immediately when they\ntouch.\nThere are two points urged by Helmholtz one\nin favour of the view he has adopted, and the other\nshowing a difficulty associated with the view of\nFaraday on which a few words may be said. I\nfound, says Helmholtz, the strength and rapidity\nof the union of the pieces of ice in such com-\nplete correspondence with the amount of pressure","height":"2969","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0424.jp2"},"425":{"fulltext":"1865] HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEKS. 395\nemployed, that I cannot doubt that the pressure is\nactually the sufficient cause of the union.\nBiit, according to Faraday s explanation, the\nstrength and quickness of the regelation must also\ngo hand in hand with the magnitude of the pressure\nemployed. Helmholtz rightly dwells upon the feet\nthat the appressed surfaces are usually not perfectly\ncongruent that they really touch each other in a\nfew points only, the pressure being, therefore, con-\ncentrated. Now the effect of pressure exerted on\ntwo pieces of ice at a temperature of 0° C. is not\nonly to lessen the thickness of the liquid film be-\ntween the pieces, but also to flatten out the appressed\npoints, and thus to spread the film over a greatei\nspace. On both theories, therefore, the strength\nand quickness of the regelation ought to correspond\nto the magnitude of the pressure.\nThe difficulty referred to above is thus stated by\nHelmholtz In the explanation given by Faraday,\naccording to which the regelation is caused by a\ncontact action of ice and. water, I find a theoretic\ndifficulty. By the freezing of the water a very\nsensible quantity of heat would be set free and it\ndoes not appear how this is to be disposed of.\nOn the part of those who accept Faraday s expla-\nnation, the answer here would be that the free heat\nis diffused through the adjacent ice. But against\nthis it will doubtless be urged that ice already at a","height":"2937","width":"1692","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0425.jp2"},"426":{"fulltext":"39j5 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEES. [1865\ntemperature of 0° C. cannot take up more heat\nwithout liquefaction. If this be true under all\ncircumstances, Faraday s explanation must undoubt-\nedly be given up. But the essence of that expla-\nnation seems to be that the interior portions of a\nmass of ice require a higher temperature to dissolve\nthem than that sufficient to cause fusion at the\nsurface. When therefore two moist surfaces of ice at\nthe temperature 0 are pressed together, and when,\nin virtue of the contact action assumed by Faraday,\nthe film of water between them is frozen, the\nadjacent ice (which is now in the interior, and not\nat the surface as at first) is in a condition to with-\ndraw by conduction, and without prejudice to its\nown solidity, the small amount of heat set free.\nOnce granting the contact action claimed by Fara-\nday, there seems to be no difficulty in disposing of\nthe heat rendered sensible by the freezing of the film.\nWhen the year is advanced, and after the ice\nimported into London has remained a long time in\nstore, if closely examined, parcels of liquid water\nwill be found in the interior of the mass. I en-\nveloped ice containing such water-parcels in tinfoil,\nand placed it in a freezing mixture until the liquid\nparcels were perfectly congealed. Eemoving the\nice from the freezing mixture, I placed it, covered\nby its envelope, in a dark room, and found, after a\ncouple of hours exposure to a temperature somewhat","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0426.jp2"},"427":{"fulltext":"1865] HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEKS. 397\nover 0° C, the frozen parcels again liquid. The\nheat which fused this interior ice passed through\nthe Jlrmer surrounding ice without the slightest\nvisible prejudice to its solidity. But if the freezing\ntemperature of the ice-parcels be 0° C, then the\nfreezing temperature of the mass surrounding them\nmust be higher than 0° C, which is what the expla-\nnation of Faraday requires.\nIn a quotation at p. 389 I have attached to the\ndescription of a precaution taken by Professor Helm-\nholtz the query why He states that water freed\nof its air sinks, without freezing, to a temperature\nfar below 0° C. while when a piece of ice is in\nthe water it cannot so sink in temperature, but is\ninvariably deposited in the solid form at 0° C. This\nsurely proves ice to possess a special power of solidi-\nfication over water. It is needless to say that the\nfact is general that a crystal of any salt placed in\na saturated solution of the salt always provokes\ncrystallisation. Applying this fact to the minute\nfilm of water enclosed between two appressed\nsurfaces of ice, it seems to me in the highest degree\nprobable that the contact action of Faraday will\nset in, that the film will freeze and cement the\npieces of ice together.^\nApart from the present discussion, the following\nBoth Professor Helmholtz and I have since agreed to consider\nthe physical oause of regelation an open question.\n18","height":"2929","width":"1699","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0427.jp2"},"428":{"fulltext":"398 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIERS. [1885\nobservation is perhaps worth recording: It is well\nknown that ice during a thaw disintegrates so as to\nform rude prisms whose axes are at right angles to\nthe planes of freezing. I have often observed this\naction on a large scale during the winters that I\nspent as a student on the banks of the Lahn. The\nmanner in which these prisms are in some cases\nformed is extremely interesting. On close inspec-\ntion, a kind of cloudiness is observed in the interior\nof a mass of apparently perfect ice. Looked at\nthrough a strong lens, this cloudiness appears as\nstrisB at right angles to the planes of freezing, and\nwhen the direction of vision is across these planes\nthe ends of the striae are apparent. The spaces be-\ntween the striae are composed of clear unclouded ice.\nWhen duly magnified, the objects which produce the\nstriae turn out to be piles of minute liquid flowers,\nwhose planes are at right angles to the direction of\nthe striae.\nSince writing the above, I have been favoured\nwith a copy of a discourse delivered by Professor\nDe la Eive, at the opening of the forty-nihth meet-\ning of the Societe Helvetique, which assembled in\n1865 at Greneva. From this admirable resume of\nour present knowledge regarding glaciers I make\nthe following extract, which, together with those\nfrom the lecture of Helmholtz, will show sufl ciently","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0428.jp2"},"429":{"fulltext":"1865] HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEES. 399\nhow the subject is now regarded by scientific men\nSuch, gentlemen, says M. De la Eive, is a de-\nscription of the phenomena of glaciers, and it now\nremains to explain them, to consult observation,\nand deduce from it the fundamental character of\nthe phenomena. Observation teaches us that gravity\nis the motive force, and that this force acts upon a\nsolid body ice—imparting to it a slow and con-\ntinuous motion. What are we to conclude from this\nThat ice is a solid which possesses the property of\nflowing like a visco.us body a conclusion which\nappears very simple, but which was nevertheless\nannounced for the first time hardly five-and-twenty\nyears ago by one of the most distinguished philo-\nsophers of Scotland, Professor James D. Forbes.\nThis theory, for it truly is a theory, basing itself on\nfacts as numerous as they are well observed, enun-\nciates the principle that ice possesses the character-\nistic properties which belong to plastic bodies.\nAlthough he did not directly prove it, to Professor\nForbes belongs not the less the great merit of insist-\ning on the plasticity of ice, before Faraday, in dis-\ncovering the phenomenon of regelation, enabled\nTyndall to prove that the plasticity was real, at\nleast partially.\nThe experiment of Faraday is classical in con-\nnexion with our subject. It consists, as yon know,\nin this, that if two morsels of ice be brought into","height":"2937","width":"1694","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0429.jp2"},"430":{"fulltext":"400 HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEES. [1865\ncontact in water, whicli may be even warm, they\nfreeze together. Tyndall immediately saw the ap-\nplication of Faraday s experiment to the theory of\nglaciers he comprehended that, since pieces of ice\ncould thus solder themselves together, the substance\nmight be broken, placed in a mould, compressed,\nand thus compelled to take the form of the cavity\nwhich contained it. A wooden mould, for example,\nembraces a spherical cavity; placing in it frag-\nments of ice and squeezing them, we obtain an ice\nsphere placing this sphere in a second mould with\na lenticular cavity aaad pressing it, we transform the\nsphere into a lens. In this way we can impart any\nform whatever to ice.\nSuch is the discovery of Tyndall, which may well\nbe thus named, particularly in view of its conse-\nquences. For all these moulds magnified become\nthe borders of the valley in which a glacier flows.\nHere the action of the hydraulic press which has\nserved for the experiments of the laboratory is re-\nplaced by the weight of the masses of snow and ice\ncollected on the summits, and exerting their pres-\nsure on the ice which descends into the valley.\nSupposing, for example, between the spherical mould\nand the lenticular one, a graduated series of other\nmoulds to exist, each of which diifers very little from\nthe one which precedes and from that which follows\nit, and that a mass of ice could be made to pass","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0430.jp2"},"431":{"fulltext":"1865] HELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIERS. 401\nthrough all these moulds in succession, the pheno-\nmenon would then become continuous. Instead of\nrudely breaking, the ice would be compelled to change\nby insensible degrees from the spherical to the\nlenticular form. It would thus exhibit a plasticity\nwhich might be compared to that of soft wax. But\nice is only plastic under pressure it is not plastic\nunder tension and this is the important point which\nthe vague theory of plasticity was unable to explain.\nWhile a viscous body, like bitumen or honey, may\nbe drawn out in filaments by tension, ice, far from\nstretching in this way, breaks like glass under this\naction. These points well established by Tyndall, it\nbecame easy for him to explain the mechanism of\nglaciers, and by the aid of an English geometer, Mr.\nWilliam Hopkins, to show how the direction of the\ncrevasses of a glacier are the necessary consequences\nof its motion.\nI have quite recently had a mould constructed for\nme by Mr. Becker,* and yesterday (November 16,\n1 865) made with it an experiment which, on account\nof the ease with which it may be performed, will in-\nterest all those who care about exhibiting in a strik-\ning and instructive manner the effects of regelation.\nI am continually indebted to this able mechanism for prooi^Jt,\nand intelligent aid in the carrying out of my ideas.","height":"2928","width":"1646","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0431.jp2"},"432":{"fulltext":"402\nHELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIERS.\n[1865\nThe mould is shown in fig. 12. It consists of two\npieces of cast iron, a B c and d f G, slightly wedge-\nshaped and held together by the iron rectangle k e\nwhich is slipped over them. The inner face of a b\nc is shown in fig. 13. In it is hollowed out a semi-\nring M N, with a semicylindrical passage o leading\ninto it. The inner face ofDFG is similarly hol-\nlowed out, so that when both faces are placed\ntogether, as in fig. 12, they enclose a ring 4 inches in\nexternal diameter, from m to n, and of an inch in\nthickness, with the passage o, 1 inch in diameter,","height":"2968","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0432.jp2"},"433":{"fulltext":"•865]\nHELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND aLACIERS.\n403\ninto which fits the polished iron plug p. At q and\nr, fig. 13, are little pins which, fitting into holes\ncorresponding to them, keep the slabs ABC and d f G\nfrom sliding over each other.\nThe mould being first cooled by placing it for a\nshort time in a mixture of ice and water, fragments\nof ice are stuffed into the orifice o and driven down\nFig. 13.\nFig. 14.\nwith a hammer by means of the plug p. The bruised\nand broken ice separates at x, one portion going to\nthe right, the other to the left. Driving the ice\nthus into the mould, piece after piece, it is finally\nfilled. By removing the rectangle r e, the two","height":"2937","width":"1669","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0433.jp2"},"434":{"fulltext":"404 flELMHOLTZ ON ICE AND GLACIEKS. [1865\nhalves of tlie mould are then separated, and a per-\nfect ring of ice is found within. Two such rings\nsoldered by regelation at a are shown in fig. 14. It\nwould be easy thus to construct a chain of ice. An\nhydraulic press may of course be employed in this\nexperiment, but it is not necessary with the hammer\nand plug beautiful rings of ice are easily obtained\nby the regelation of the crushed fragments.\nI have now to add the description of an experiment\nwhich suggested itself to my ingenious friend Mr.\nDuppa, when he saw the ice-rings just referred to,\nand which was actually executed by him yesterday\n(the 16th) in the laboratory of the Eoyal Institution.\nPouring a quantity of plaster of paris into a proper\nvessel, an ice-ring was laid upon the substance, an\nadditional quantity of the cement being then\npoured over the ring. The plaster set, enclosing\nthe ring within it the ring soon melted, leaving its\nperfect matrix behind. The mould was permitted to\ndr|^, and, molten lead being poured into the space\npreviously occupied by the ice, a leaden ring was\nproduced. Now ice can be moulded into any shape\nstatuettes, vases, flowers, and innumerable other\nornaments can be formed from it. These enclosed\nin cement, in the manner suggested by Mr. Duppa,\nremain intact sufficiently long to enable the cement\nto set around them they afterwards melt and dis-\nappear, leaving behind them perfect plaster moulds,\nfrom which casts can be taken.","height":"2966","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0434.jp2"},"435":{"fulltext":"OLOUOS. 405\nV.\nCLOUDS.\nFeom every natural fact invisible relations radiate,\nthe apprehension of which imparts a measure of\ndelight; and there is a store of pleasure of this\nkind ever at hand for those who have the capacity\nto turn natural appearances to account. It is\npleasant, for example, to lie on one s back upon a\ndry green slope and watch the clouds forming and\ndisappearing in the blue heaven. A few days back\nthe firmament was mottled with floating cumuli,\nfrom the fringes of which light of dazzling white-\nness was reflected downwards, while the chief mass\nof the clouds lay in dark shadow. From the edge of\none large cloud- field stretched small streamers, which,\nwhen attentively observed, were seen to disappear\ngradually, and finally to leave no trace upon the\nblue sky. On the opposite fringe of the same\ncloud, and beyond it, small patches of milky mist\nwould appear, and curdle up, so as to form little\ncloudlets as dense apparently as the large mass be-\nside which they were formed. The counter processes\nof production and consumption were evidently","height":"2937","width":"1670","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0435.jp2"},"436":{"fulltext":"406 CLOUDS.\ngoing on at opposite sides of the cloud. Even in\nthe midst of the serene firmament, where a moment\npreviously the space seemed absolutely void, white\ncloud-patches were formed, their sudden appearance\nexciting that kind of surprise which might be\nsupposed to accompany the observation of a direct\ncreative act.\nThese clouds were really the indicators of what\nwas gQing on in the unseen air. Without them no\nmotion was visible but their appearance and dis-\nappearance proved not only the existence of motion,\nbut also the want of homogeneity in the atmo-\nsphere. Though we did not see them, currents\nwere mingling, possessing different temperatures and\ncarrying different loads of invisible watery vapour\nWe know that clouds are not true vapour, but\nvapour precipitated by cold to water. We know\nalso that the amount of water which the air can\nhold in the invisible state depends upon its tempe-\nrat?u:e the higher the temperature of the air, the\nmore water will it be able to take up. But, when\na portion of warm air, carrying its invisible charge,\nis invaded by a current of low temperature, the\nchilled vapour is precipitated, and a cloud is the\nconsequence. In this way two parcels of moist air,\neach of which taken singly may be perfectly trans-\nparent, can produce by their mixture an opaque\ncloud. In the same way a body of clear humid air,","height":"2968","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0436.jp2"},"437":{"fulltext":"CLOUDS. 407\nwhen it strikes tlie cold summit of a mountain, may-\nrender that mountain cloud-capped.\nAn illustration of this process, which occurred\nsome years ago in a Swedish ball-room, is recounted\nby Professor Dove. The weather was clear and\ncold, and the ball-room was clear and warm. A\nlady fainted, and air was thought necessary to her\nrestoration. A military officer present tried to open\nthe window, but it was frozen fast. He broke the\nwindow with his sword, the cold air entered, and\nit sTWwed in the room. A minute before this all\nwas clear, the warm air sustaining a large amount\nof moistm e in a transparent condition. When the\ncolder air entered, the vapour was first condensed\nand then frozen. The admission of cool air even\ninto our London ball-rooms produces mistiness.\nMountain-chains are very effective in precipitating\nthe vapour of our- south-westerly winds and this\nsometimes to such an extent as to produce totally\ndifferent climates on the two sides of the same\nmountain-group. This is very strikingly illustrated\nby the observations of. Dr. Lloyd on the rainfall of\nIreland. Stations situated on the south-west side\nof a mountain-range showed a quantity of rain far\nin excess of that observed upon the north-east side.\nThe winds in passing over the mountains were\ndrained of their moisture, and were afterwards\ncomparatively dry.","height":"2937","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0437.jp2"},"438":{"fulltext":"408 CLOUDS.\nTwo or three years ago I had an opportunity of\nwitnessing a singular case of condensation at Mor-\ntain in Normandy. The tourist will perhaps re-\nmember a little chapel perched upon the highest\nsummit in the neighbourhood. A friend and I\nchanced to be at this point near the hour oft sunset.\nThe air was cloudless, and the sun flooded the hill-\nsides and valleys with golden light. We watched\nhim as he gradually approached the crest of a hill,\nbehind which he finally disappeared. Up to this\npoint a sunny landscape of exquisite beauty was\nspread before us, the atmosphere being very trans-\nparent but now the air seemed suddenly to curdle\ninto mist. Five minutes after the sun had de-\nparted, a dense fog filled the valleys and drifted in\nfleecy masses up the sides of the hills. In an in-\ncredibly short time we found ourselves enveloped\nin local clouds so dense as to render our retreat a\nmatter of some difl culty.\nIm this case, before the sun had disappeared the\nair was evidently nearly saturated with transparent\nvapour. But why did the vapour curdle up so\nsuddenly when the sun departed Was it because\nthe withdrawal of his beams rendered the air of\nthe valleys colder, and thus caused the precipitation\nof the moisture diffused through the air? No.\nWe must look for an explanation to a more direct\naction of the sun upon the atmospheric moisture.","height":"2963","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0438.jp2"},"439":{"fulltext":"CLOUDS. 409\nLet me explain. The beams which reach us from\nthe sun are of a very composite character. A\nsheaf of white sunbeams is composed of an infinitude\nof coloured rays, the resultant effect of all upon\nthe eye being the impression of whiteness. But\nthough the colours, and shades of colour, which\nenter into the composition of a sunbeam are infinite,\nfor the sake of convenience we divide them into seven,\nwhich are known as the prismatic colours.\nThe beams of the sun, however, produce heat as\nwell as light, and there are different qualities of\nhe^jt in the sunbeam as well as different qualities of\nlight nay, there are copious rays of heat in a\nsunbeam which give no light at all, some of which\nnever even reach the retina at all, but are totally\nabsorbed by the humours of the eye. Now, the same\nsubstance may permit rays of heat of a certain\nquality to pass freely through it, while it may\neffectually stop rays of heat of another quality.\nBut in all cases the heat stopped is expended in\nheating the body which stops it. Now, water pos-\nsesses this selecting power in an eminent degree.\nIt allows the blue rays of the solar beam to pass\nthrough it with facility, but it slightly intercepts\nthe red rays, and absorbs with exceeding energy the\nobscure rays and those are the precise rays which\npossess the most intense heating power.\nWe see here at once the powerful antagonism","height":"2929","width":"1660","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0439.jp2"},"440":{"fulltext":"410 CLOUDS.\nof the sun to the formation of visible fog, and we\nsee, also, how the withdrawal of his beams may be\nfollowed by sudden condensation, even before the\nair has had any time to cool. As long as the solar\nbeams swept through the valleys of Mortain, every\nparticle of water that came in their way was re-\nduced to transparent vapour by the heat which the\nparticle itself absorbed or, to speak more strictly,\nin the presence of this antagonism precipitation\ncould not at all occur, and the atmosphere remained\nconsequently clear.* But the moment the sun with-\ndrew, the vapour followed, without opposition, its\nown tendency to condense, and its sudden curdling\nup was the consequence.\nWith regard to the air, its temperature may not\nonly have remained sensibly unchanged for some\ntime after the setting of the sun, but it may have\nactually become warmer through the heat set free\nby the act of condensation. It was not, therefore,\nthS action of cold air upon the vapour which pro-\nduced the effect, but it was the withdrawal of that\nsolar energy which water has the power to absorb,\nand by absorbing to become dissipated in true-\nvapour.\nI once stood with a friend upon a mountain\nwhich commands a view of the glacier of the Ehone\nAt this time I was brooding over experiments on the absorption\nof radiant heat by aqueous vapour.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0440.jp2"},"441":{"fulltext":"CLOUDS. 411\nfrom its origin to its end. The day had been one\nof cloudless splendour, and there was something\nawful in the darkness of the firmament. This deep-\nening of the blue is believed by those who know\nthe mountains to be an indication of a humid atmo-\nsphere. The transparency, however, was wonderful.\nThe summits of Mont Cervin and the Weisshorn\nstood out in clear definition, while the mighty mass\nof the Finsteraarhorn rose with perfect sharpness of\noutline close at hand. As long as the sun was high\nthere was no trace of fog in the valleys, but as he\nsloped to the west the shadow of the Finsteraarhorn\ncrept over the snow-fields at its base. A dim sea of\nfog began to form, which after a time rose to a con-\nsiderable height, and then rolled down like a river\nalong the flanks of the mountain. On entering the\nvalley of the Ehone, it crossed a precipitous barrier,\ndown which it poured like a cataract but long before\nit reached the bottom it escaped from the shadow\nin which it had been engendered, and was hit once\nmore by the direct beams of the sun. Its utter\ndissipation was the consequence, and though the\nbillows of fog rolled on incessantly from behind,\nthe cloud-river made no progress, but disappeared,\nas if by magic, where the sunbeams played upon it.\nThe conditions were analogous to those which hold\nin the case of a glacier. Here the ice-river is\nincessantly nourished by the mountain snow it","height":"2929","width":"1649","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0441.jp2"},"442":{"fulltext":"112\nCLOUDS.\nmoves down its valley, but does not advance in\nfront. At a certain point the consumption by\nmelting is equal to the supply, and here the glacier\nceases. In the case before us the cloud-river,\nnourished by the incessant condensation of the\natmospheric vapour, moved down its valley, but\nceased at the point where the dissipating action of\nthe sunbeams equalled the supply from the cloud\ngenerator behind.","height":"2947","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0442.jp2"},"443":{"fulltext":"1860] lULLABNEY. 413\nvr.\nKILLABNEY,\nThe total amount of heat which the sun sends\nannually to the earth is invariable, and hence if\nany portion of the earth s surface during any given\nyear be colder than ordinary, we may infer with\ncertainty that some other portion of the surface\nis then warmer than ordinary. The port of Odessa\nowes its importance to a case of atmospheric com-\npensation of this kind. Forty or fifty years ago,\nWestern Europe received less than its normal\namount of heat; the missing sunbeams fell upon\nthe East, and Odessa became, to some extent, the\ngranary from which the hungry West was fed. The\nposition it then assumed it has since maintained.\nThe atmosphere is the grand distributor of heat.\nIt has its cold and warm currents vast aerial\nrivers, which chill or cheer according to the piexi-\nmate sources from which they are derived. In this\npresent year 1860 the British Isles appear to lie\nnear the common boundary of two such currents\nthe limit, however, shifting so as to cause both","height":"2921","width":"1660","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0443.jp2"},"444":{"fulltext":"414 KILLAENEY. [1860\nto pass over us in swift succession. Near thiKS\nboundary line the atmospheric currents mingle,\nand the copious aqueous precipitation which we\nnow observe is the result.\nSuperadded to this source of general rain, we\nhave at Killarney local condensers in the neigh-\nbouring mountains. Round the cool crests of\nCarrantual and his peaked and craggy brothers the\nmoist and tilted south-west wind curdles ceaselessly\ninto clouds, which nourish the moss and heather\nwhose decomposition produces the peat which\nclothes the disintegrated rocks. Grrandly the vast\ncumuli build themselves in the atmosphere, hanging\nat times lazily over the mountains and mottling\nwith their shadows the brown sides of the hills.\nEeddened by the evening sun, these clouds cast\ntheir hues upon the lakes, the crisped surface of\nwhich breaks up their images into broad spaces of\ndiffused crimson light. On other days the cumuli\nseem whipped into dust, and scattered through the\ngeneral air, mixing therewith as the smoke of\nLondon mingles with the supernatant atmosphere.\nDay by day the guides prophesy fine weather the\nblaokest cloud is all for hate. You are assured\nthat if you start to-day you will not get a single\ndhrop of rain you go, and are drenched but the\nguide s purpose is accomplished, the moderate sum of\nthree and sixpence being added to his private store.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0444.jp2"},"445":{"fulltext":"I860] KILLARNET. .415\nIn ages past these mountain condensers acted\ndifferently. The wet winds of the ocean, which now\ndescend in liquid showers upon the hills, once\ndischarged their contents as snow. And a famous\ndeposit they must have made. In addition to the\ncharms which this region presents to every eye,\nthe mind of him who can read the rocks aright\nis carried back to a time when deep snowbeds\ncumbered the mountain-slopes, and vast glaciers\nfilled the vales. In neither England nor Wales do\nthe traces of glacial action reach the magnitude\nwhich they exhibit here.\nThe Gap of Dunloe is the channel of an ancient\nglacier; and all through it the scratching and\npolishing may be traced. The flanks of the Purple\nMountain have been planed down by the moving\nice, and the rocky amphitheatre which the guides\nchoose for the production of echoes has been scooped\nand polished by the same agency. Near the point\nwhere the road from the Gap joins that up the Black\nValley is a slab of rock, which rivals the famous\nHollen Platte in HasHthal. The Black Valley,\nindeed, was the mould through which a great glacier\nfrom the adjacent mountains moved, unhasting,\nunresting, grinding the rocks right and left, and\nfilling the entire basin now occupied by the waters\nof the Upper Lake. All the islands of fhis lake\nare glacier domes. The shapes, moreover, which","height":"2925","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0445.jp2"},"446":{"fulltext":"416 KILLARNEY. [1860\nhave suggested the fanciful names given to some\nof the rocks are entirely due to the planing of the\nice. The Cannon Eock, the Griant s Coffin, the\nMan-of-War, and others, owe their forms to the\nmighty moulding-plane which in bygone ages passed\nover them.\nI have spoken of the echoes in the Gap of Dunloe.\nThey are very fine, and are usually awakened by a\nguide who plays a bugle, and to whom extra wages\nare paid on this account. The man times his\noperations so that the echo and the original sound\nshall not overlap, and he usually places his guests\nbehind a hill-brow, which partially cuts away the\ndirect sound, but offers no impediment to the echoes.\nHe flourishes his trumpet, and pauses the rocks\nr.espond, the first return of the sound being almost\nas strong as the blast itself; the sonorous pulses leap\nfrom crag to crag, and from them to the listener s\near, diminishing in intensity and augmenting in\nsoftness the oftener they are reflected. Moore s\nmelody of The Meeting of the Waters, suitably\nplayed, is thus returned with exquisite sweetness by\nthe reflecting rocks.\nThe rain here is pitiless, but the march of the\nshowering clouds over the mountains is sometimes\nvery grand. One really good day is all that I have\nbeen able to number out of six spent on the banks\nof the Lower Lake, and even that day was ushered","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0446.jp2"},"447":{"fulltext":"I860] KILLAKNEY. 417\nin by heavy rain. Afterwards, however, the cloud\niield broke, and the condensed vapours rolled them-\nBelves up into sphered masses, which sailed majesti-\ncally through the ether. With some other visitors\nI rowed to the Upper Lake, landed at the base of\nthe Purple Mountain, and with one companion\nclimbed the latter to its crest. This is covered by\nloose masses of stone of a purplish hue, from which\nthe mountain derives its name.\nA few days previously I had been on the top of\nMangerton, a spot selected by the guides as afford-\ning a prospect of the entire region of the Lakes.\nBut Mangerton is a stupid mountain, and it is\nclimbed by a wearisome pony track. It is incom-\nparably inferior to the Purple Mountain. From\nthe latter, on one side, we look into the heart of\nMagillicuddy s Peeks, and shake hands with Car-\nrantual across the Grap of Dunloe. It commands a\nsplendid mountain panorama, and on the occasion\nof my visit showed the Peeks in their true character,\nas cloud-generators. A light wind swept across\nthem. Far to westward, towards the sea, the air\nwas cloudless but over the Peeks its moisture was\ndensely precipitated, and formed there a canopy\nwhich threw an inky gloom upon the mountains.\nThe clouds sometimes descended so as to touch\nthe summits, but for the most part they floated a\nlittle way above them, leaving the jagged outlines","height":"2929","width":"1658","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0447.jp2"},"448":{"fulltext":"4:18 KILLAENET. [1«6/)\nclear. From the Reeks the clouds were wafted\nwestward but here, meeting with warmer air, they\ndiminished in size, the smaller ones melting quite\naway. Below us gleamed the Upper Lake, running\nin and out amid the mountains, fringed with woods\nand studded with islands covered with sunny foliage.\nFrom this lake a long, sinuous, and narrow outlet,\ncalled the Long Eange, runs to the Middle Lake.\nThe suddenness with which this lovely sheet of\nwater opens on quitting the Long Eange constitutes\nperhaps the greatest surprise which the traveller\nhere encounters.\nWe walked along the ridge of the Purple Moun-\ntain ankle deep in elastic moss, with glorious views\nat either side. Arrived at the end of its greatest\nspur, the Middle and Lower Lakes with their\nislands, and the wooded and tortuous peninsula\nbetween them, lay before us. No view of the\nEnglish lakes known to me could compete in loveli-\nness with this one. We passed onward through the\nheather to the brow above the Bay of Glena, and\nthere clambered down the mountain, helping our-\nselves by the trees which grasped with gnarled roots\nthe mossed and slippy crags. At Glena we met\nour boat, and were rowed over the jerking waves to\nthe island of Innisfallen, and thence to our hotel.\nVarious bits of climbing were accomplished during\nmy stay, and almost in every case in opposition to","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0448.jp2"},"449":{"fulltext":"I860] KILLAENET. 419\nthe guides. The Eagle Eock, for example, a truly\nnoble mass, and others, were climbed, amid emphatic\nenunciations of impossible. Yet these guides and\nboatmen are fine, hardy fellows, and of great\nendurance, but they appear averse to trying their\nstrength under new conditions.\nI write on a drenching day, and a strong wind\nwhich wails dismally round the house has roused\nthe Lower Lake to foam and fury. Innisfallen\nlooms feebly through the grey haze, but the opposite\nToumies mountains are plunged in impenetrable\ngloom. All round the horizon is built a black\ncloud-wall, but the zenithal heaven is clear. Over\nthe coping of this thunderous bulwark the sun\nshoots his rays, which, meeting the dropping cloud\nof the opposite heaven, paint upon it a complete\nand magnificent bow. Here the white beam enters\nthe front of the falling drop, and is reflected at its\nback, emerging unravelled to its component hues.\nBut the condition is, that after being thus un-\nravelled, the coloured rays shall not diverge on\nquitting the drop. If they did, they would be lost\nimmediately to the senses but they are squeezed\ntogether to parallel sheaves, and thus their intensity\nis preserved through long aerial distances. Above the\nvivid bow hangs its spectral secondary brother, in which\na double reflection within each raindrop enfeebles\nthe colours, and inverts the order of succession.","height":"2928","width":"1679","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0449.jp2"},"450":{"fulltext":"420 KILLAKNEY. [1860\nTouched by the wand of law, the dross of facts\nbecomes gold, the meanest being raised thereby to\nbrotherhood with the highest. Thus the smoke of\nan Irish cabin lifts our speculations to the heavenly\ndome. We look through the cloudless air at the\ndarkness of infinite space, and are met by the azure\nof the firmament ^we look through a long reach\nof the same atmosphere at the bright sun or moon\nand see them orange or red. We look through the\npeat-smoke at a black rock, or at the dark branches\nof a yew, and see the smoke blue we look through\nthe same smoke at a cloud illuminated to whiteness\nby the sun and find the smoke red. The selfsame\ncolumn of smoke may be projected against a bright\nand a dark portion of the same cloud, and thus\nmade to appear blue and red at the same time.\nThe blue belongs to the light reflected from the\nsmoke the red to the light transmitted through\nit. In like manner, the hues of the atmosphere are\nnot due to colouring matter, but to the fact of\nits being a turbid medium. Through this we look\nat the blackness of unillumined space and see the\nblue; at the western heaven at sunset, and meet\nthat light which steeps the clouds of evening in\norange and crimson dyes.\nI","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0450.jp2"},"451":{"fulltext":"1860] SNOWDON IN WINTER. 421\nVII.\nSNOWDON IN WINTER.\nTainted by the city air, and with gases not natural\neven to the atmosphere of London, I gladly chimed\nin with the proposal of an experienced friend to\nlive four clear days at Christmas on Welsh mutton\nand mountain air. On the evening of the 26th of\nDecember 1 860 Mr. Busk, Mr. Huxley, and I found\nourselves at the Penryhn Arms Hotel in Bangor.\nNext morning we started betimes. The wind had\nhowled angrily during the night. It now swept over\nthe frozen road, carrying the looser snow along with it,\nshooting the crystals with projectile force against\nour faces, and compelling us to lean forward at a\nconsiderable angle to keep upon our feet. Our\ndestination was Capel Curig, with a prospective\ndesign upon Snowdon but we had no batons fit for\nthe ascent. At Bethesda, however, after many vain\nenquiries in Welsh and English about walking-sticks,\nwe found a shop which embraced among its multi-\ntudinous contents a sheaf of rake-handles. Two of\nthese we purchased at fourpence each, and had them\n19","height":"2929","width":"1663","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0451.jp2"},"452":{"fulltext":"422 SNOWDON IN WINTEE. [1860\nafterwards furnislied with rings and iron spikes, at\nthe total cost of one shilling. Thus provided, we\nhoped that old Snowdon s craggy chaos might be\ninvaded with a hope of success.\nOn the morning of the 28th we issued from our\nhotel. A pale blue, dashed with ochre, and blending\nto a most delicate green, overspread a portion of\nthe eastern sky. Grrey cumuli, tinged ruddily here\nand there as they caught the morning light, swung\naloft, but melted more and more as the day advanced.\nThe eastern mountains were all thickly covered with\nnewly fallen snow. The effect was unspeakably\nlovely. In front of us was Snowdon over it and\nbehind it the atmosphere was closely packed with\ndense brown haze, the lower filaments of which\nreached almost half-way down the mountain, but\nstill left all its outline clearly visible through the\nattenuated fog. No ray of sunlight fell upon the\nhill, and the face which it turned towards us, too\nstoep to hold the snow, exhibited a precipitous slope\nof rock, faintly tinted by the blue grey of its icy\nenamel. Below us was Llyn Mymbyr, a frozen\nplain; behind us the hills were flooded with sunlight,\nand here and there from the shaded slopes, which\nwere illuminated chiefly by the light of the firma-\nment, shimmered a most delicate blue.\nThis beautiful effect deserves a word of notice\nmany doubtless have observed it during the late snow.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0452.jp2"},"453":{"fulltext":"1860] SNOWDON IN WINTEK. 423\nTen days ago, in driving from Kirtlington to Grlymp-\nton, the window of my cab became partially opaque\nby the condensation of the vapour of respiration.\nWith the finger-ends little apertures were made in\nthe coating, and when viewed through these the\nsnow-covered landscape flashed incessantly with\nblue gleams. They rose from the shadows of\nobjects along the road, which shadows were illumi-\nnated by the light of the sky. The blue light is\nbest seen when the eye is in motion, thus causing\nthe images of the shadows to pass over different\nparts of the retina. The whole shadow of a tree\nmay thus be seen with stem and branches of the\nmost delicate blue. I have seen similar effects\nupon the fresh neves of the Alps, the shadow being\nthat of the human body looked at through an\naperture in a handkerchief thrown over the face.\nThe same splendid effect was once exhibited in a\nmanner jiever to be forgotten by those who witnessed\nit, on the sudden opening of a tent-door at sunrise\non the summit of Mont Blanc.\nAt Pen-y-Grwrid Busk halted, purposing to descend\nto Llanberis by the road, while Huxley and I went\nforward to the small public-house known as Pen\nPass. Here our guide, Eobert Hughes, a powerful\nbut elderly man, refreshed himself, and we quitted\nthe road and proceeded for a short distance along a\ncar-track which seemed to wind round a spur of","height":"2937","width":"1600","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0453.jp2"},"454":{"fulltext":"424 SNOWDON IN WINTER. [1860\nSnowdon. *Is tliere no shorter way up? we de-\nmanded. Yes but I fear it is now impracticable,\nwas the reply. Gro straight on, said Huxley, and\ndo not fear us.\nUp the man went with a spurt, suddenly putting\non all his steam. The whisky of Pen Pass had\ngiven him a flast of energy, which we well knew\ncould not last. In fact, the guide, though he\nacquitted himself admirably dm-ing the day, had\nat first no notion that we should reach the summit\nand this made him careless of preserving himself\nat the outset. Toning him down a little, we went\nforward at a calmer pace. Crossing the spur, we\ncame upon a pony-track on the opposite side. It\nwas rendered conspicuous by the unbroken layer of\nsnow which rested on it. Huxley took the lead,\nwading knee-deep for nearly an hour.\nI, wishing to escape this labour, climbed the\nslopes to the right, and sought a way oyer the\nlesf loaded bosses of the mountain. On our re-\nmarking to Hughes that he had never assailed\nSnowdon under such conditions, he replied that he\nhad, and under worse. The 12th of April last, he\naffirmed, was a worse day, and he had led a lady\non that day almost to the summit. Unluckily for\nhim, there was a smack of bounce in the reply.\nIt caused us to conclude that the same energy which\nhad led the lady could lead us, and hence, when","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0454.jp2"},"455":{"fulltext":"1860] SNOWDON IN WINTEE. 425\nHuxley fell back, the guide was sent to the front,\nto break the way. He did this manfully for nearly\nan hour, at the end of which he seemed very jaded,\nand as he sat resting on a corner of rock I asked\nhim whether ,he was tired. I am, was his reply.\nHuxley gave him a sip of brandy, and I came for\na short time to the front.\nI had no gaiters, and my boots were incessantly\nfilled with snow. My own heat sufficed for a\ntime to melt the snow but this clearly could not\ngo on for ever. My left heel first became numbed\nand painful and this increased till both feet were\nin great distress. I sought relief by quitting the\ntrack and trying to get along the impending shingle\nto the right. The high ridges afibrded me some\nrelief, but they were separated by couloirs in which\nthe snow had accumulated, and through which I\nsometimes floundered waist-deep. The pain at\nlength became unbearable I sat down, took off\nmy boots and emptied them put them on again\ntied Huxley s pocket handkerchief round one ankle,\nand my own round the other, and went forward\nonce more. It was a great improvement the pain\nvanished, and did not return.\nThe scene was grand in the extreme. Before us were\nthe buttresses of Snowdon, crowned by his conical\npeak while below us were three llyns, black as ink,\nand contracting additional gloom from the shadow of","height":"2936","width":"1657","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0455.jp2"},"456":{"fulltext":"4:26 SNOWDON IN WINTEE. [I860\nthe mountain. The lines of weathering had caused\nthe frozen rime to deposit itself upon the rocks, as\non the tendrils of a vine, the crags being fantasti-\ncally wreathed with runners of ice. The summit,\nwhen we looked at it, damped our ardour a little\nit seemed very distant, and the day was sinking fast.\nFrom the summit the mountain sloped downward\nto a col which linked it with a bold eminence to\nour right. At the col we aimed, and half an hour\nbefore reaching it we passed the steepest portion of\nthe track. This I quitted, seeking to cut off the zig-\nzags, but gained nothing but trouble by the attempt.\nThis difficulty conquered, the col was clearly within\nreach on its curve we met a fine snow cornice,\nthrough which we broke at a plunge, and gained\nsafe footing on the mountain-rim. The health and\ngladness of that moment were a full recompense\nfor the entire journey into Wales.\nWe went upward along the edge of the cone\nwii^ the noble sweep of the snow cornice at our\nleft. The huts at the top were all cased in ice,\nand from their chimneys and projections the snow\nwas drawn into a kind of plumage by the wind.\nThe crystals had set themselves so as to present the\nexact appearance of feathers, and in some cases\nthese were stuck against a common axis, so as ac-\ncurately to resemble the plumes in soldiers caps.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0456.jp2"},"457":{"fulltext":"1860] SNOWDON IN WINTER. 427\nIt was 3 o clock when we gained the summit. Above\nand behind us the heavens were of the densest grey\ntowards the western horizon this was broken by belts\nof fiery red, which nearer the sun brightened to\norange and yellow. The mountains of Flintshire\nwere flooded with glory, and later on, through the\ngaps in the ranges, the sunlight was poured in\ncoloured beams, which could be tracked through the\nair to the places on which their radiance fell. The\nscene would bear comparison with the splendom S\nof the Alps themselves.\nNext day we ascended the pass of Llanberis. The\nwaterfalls, stiffened into pillars of blue ice, gave it a\ngrandeur which it might not otherwise exhibit.\nThe wind, moreover, was violent, and shook clouds\nof snow-dust from the mountain-heads. We de-\nscended from Pen-y-Grwrid to Beddgelert. What\nsplendid skating surfaces the lakes presented so\nsmooth as scarcely to distort the images of the hills I\nA snow-storm caught us before we reached our hotel.\nThis melted to rain during the night. Next day we\nengaged a carriage for Carnarvon, but had not pro-\nceeded more than two miles when we were stopped\nby the snow. Huge barriers of it were drifted across\nthe road; and not until the impossibility of the\nthing was clearly demonstrated did we allow the\npostilion to back out of his engagement. Luckily","height":"2929","width":"1597","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0457.jp2"},"458":{"fulltext":"428 SNOWDON IN WINTER. [1860\nour luggage was portable. Strapping our bags and\nknapsacks on our shoulders, partly through the\nfields, and partly along the less encumbered por-\ntions of the road, we reached Carnarvon on foot, and\nthe evening of the 31st of December saw us safe\nin London*","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0458.jp2"},"459":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. 429\nVIII.\nVOYAGE TO ALGERIA TO OBSERVE THE\nECLIPSE.\nThe opening of the Eclipse Expedition was not pro-\npitious. Portsmouth, on the 5th of December 1870,\nwas swathed by a fog, which was intensified by smoke,\nand traversed by a drizzle of fine rain. At six p.m. I\nwas on board the Urgent. On Tuesday morning the\nweather was too thick to permit of the ship s being\nswung and her compasses calibrated. The Admiral\nof the port, a man of very noble presence, came on\nboard. Under his stimulus the energy which the\nweather had damped appeared to become more ac-\ntive, and soon after his departure we steamed down\nto Spithead. Here the fog had so far lightened as\nto enable the officers to swing the ship.\nAt three p.m. on Tuesday the 6th of December\nwe got away, gliding successively past Whitecliff\nBay, Bembridge, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor, and\nSt. Catherine s Lighthouse. On Wednesday morning\nwe sighted the Isle of Ushant, on the French side of\nthe Channel. The northern end of the island has\nbeen fretted by the waves into detached tower-like","height":"2929","width":"1640","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0459.jp2"},"460":{"fulltext":"430 VOYAGE TO ALGEKIA. [1870\nmasses of rock of very remarkable appearance. In\nthe Channel the sea was green, and opposite Ushant\nit was a brighter green. On Wednesday evening we\ncommitted ourselves to the Bay of Biscay. The roll\nof the Atlantic was full, but not violent. There had\nbeen scarcely a gleam of sunshine throughout the\nday, but the cloud-forms were fine, and their apparent\nsolidity impressive. On Thursday morning I rose\nrefreshed, and found the green of the sea displaced\nby a deep indigo blue. The whole of Thursday we\nsteamed across the bay. We had little blue sky, but\nthe clouds were again grand and varied cirrus,\nstratus, cumulus, and nimbus, we had them all.\nDusky hairlike trails were sometimes dropped from\nthe distant clouds to the sea. These were falling\nshowers, and they sometimes occupied the whole\nhorizon, while we steamed across the rainless circle\nwhich was thus surrounded. Sometimes we plunged\ninto the rain, and once or twice, by slightly changing\nCQprse, avoided a heavy shower. From time to time\nperfect rainbows spanned the heavens from side to side.\nAt times a bow would appear in fragments, showing\nthe keystone of the arch midway in air, and its two\nbuttresses on the horizon. In all cases the light of the\nbow could be quenched by a Nicol s prism, with its\nlong diagonal tangent to the arc. Sometimes gleam-\ning patches of the firmament were seen amid the\nclouds. When viewed in the proper direction, the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0460.jp2"},"461":{"fulltext":"1870] YOTAGE TO ALGERIA. 4iJl\ngleam could be quenched by a Nicol prism, a dark\naperture being thus opened into stellar space.\nAt sunset on Thursday the denser clouds were\nfiercely fringed, while through the lighter ones\nseemed to issue the glow of a conflagration. On\nFriday morning we sighted Cape Finisterre, the\nextreme end of the arc which sweeps from Ushant\nround the Bay of Biscay. Calm spaces of blue, in\nwhich floated quietly scraps of cumuli, were behind\nus, but in front of us was a horizon of portentous\ndarkness. It continued thus threatening throughout\nthe day. Towards evening the wind strengthened to\na gale, and at dinner it was difficult to preserve the\nplates and dishes from destruction. Our thinned\ncompany hinted that the rolling had other conse-\nquences. It was very wild when we went to bed.\nI slumbered and slept, but after some time was\nrendered actively conscious that my body had become\na kind of projectile, which had the ship s side for a\ntarget. I gripped the edge of my berth to save my-\nself from being thrown out. Outside, I could hear\nsomebody say that he had been thrown from his\nberth, and sent spinning to the other side of the\nsaloon. The screw laboured violently amid the\nlurching; it incessantly quitted the water, and,\ntwirling in the air, rattled against its bearings, and\ncaused the ship to shudder from stem to stern. At\ntimes the waves struck us, not with the soft impact","height":"2934","width":"1637","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0461.jp2"},"462":{"fulltext":"432 VOTAGE TO ALaERIA. [1870\nwHcli miglit be expected from a liquid, but with the\nsudden solid shock of battering-rams. No man\nknows tbe force of water, said one of tbe oflficers,\nuntil be has experienced a storm at sea. These\nblows followed each other at quicker intervals, the\nscrew rattling after each of them, until, finally, the\ndelivery of a heavier stroke than ordinary seemed\nto reduce the saloon to chaos. Furniture crashed,\nglasses rang, and alarmed enquires immediately fol-\nlowed. Amid the noises I heard one note of forced\nlaughter it sounded very ghastly. Men tramped\nthrough the saloon, and busy voices were heard aft,\nas if something there had gone wrong.\nI rose, and not withoiit difficulty got into my\nclothes. In the after-cabin, under the superinten-\ndence of the able and energetic navigating lieutenant,\nMr. Brown, a group of blue-jackets were working at\nthe tiller-ropes. These had become loose, and the\nhelm refused to answer the wheel. High moral\nlessons might be gained on shipboard by observing\nwhat steadfast adherence to an object can accomplish,\nand what large effects are heaped up by the addition\nof infinitesimals. The tiller-rope, as the blue-jackets\nstrained in concert, seemed hardly to move still it\ndid move a little, until finally j by timing the pull to\nthe lurching of the ship, the mastery of the rudder\nwas obtained. I had previously gone on deck.\nRound the saloon-door were a few members of the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0462.jp2"},"463":{"fulltext":"1870] VOTAaE TO ALGERIA. 433\neclipse party, wlio seemed in no mood for scientific\nobservation. Nor did I but I wished to see the\nstorm. I climbed the steps to the poop, exchanged\na word with Captain Toynbee, the only member of\nthe party to be seen on the poop, and by his direction\nmade towards a cleat not far from the wheel.\nEound it I coiled my arms. With the exception of\nthe men at the wheel, who stood as silent as corpses,\nI was alone.\nI had seen grandeur elsewhere, but this was a new\nform of grandeur to me. The Urgent is long and\nnarrow, and during our expedition she lacked the\nsteadying influence of suJS cient ballast. She was for\na time practically rudderless, and lay in the trough\nof the sea. I could see the long ridges, with some\nhimdreds of feet between their crests, rolling upon\nthe ship perfectly parallel to her sides. As they\napproached they so grew upon the eye as to render\nthe expression mountains high intelligible. At\nall events, there was no mistaking their mechanical\nmight, as they took the ship upon their shoulders,\nand swung her like a pendulum. The poop sloped\nsometimes at an angle which I estimated at over\nforty-five degrees wanting my previous Alpine\npractice, I should have felt less confidence in my\ngrip of the cleat. Here and there the long rollers\nThe cleat is a T-shaped mass of metal employed for the\nfastening of ropes.","height":"2935","width":"1644","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0463.jp2"},"464":{"fulltext":"434 VOYAGE TO ALGEEIA. [1870\nwere tossed by interference into heaps of greater\nheight. The wind caught their crests, and scattered\nthem over the sea, the whole surface of which was\nseething white. The aspect of the clouds was a fit\naccompaniment to the fury of the ocean. The moon\nwas almost full at times concealed, at times\nrevealed, as the scud flew wildly over it. These\nthings appealed to the eye, while the ear was filled\nby the whistle and boom of the storm and the\ngroaning of the screw.\nNor was the outward agitation the only object of\ninterest to me. I was at once subject and object\nto myself, and watched with intense interest the\nworkings of my own mind. The Urgent is an\nelderly ship. She had been built, I was told, by a\ncontracting firm for some foreign Grovernment, and\nhad been diverted from her first purpose when con-\nverted into a troop-ship. She had been for some\ntime out of work, and I had heard that one of her\nboilers, at least, needed repair. Our scanty but\nexcellent crew, moreover, did not belong to the\nUrgent, but had been gathered from other ships.\nOur three lieutenants were also volunteers. All this\npassed swiftly through my mind as the ship shook\nunder the blows of the waves, and I thought that\nprobably no one on board could say how much of this\nthumping and straining the Urgent would be able\nto bear. This uncertainty caused me to look","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0464.jp2"},"465":{"fulltext":"1870] YOTAaE TO ALGEKIA. 435\nsteadily at the worst, and I tried to strengthen\nmyself in the face of it.\nBut at length the helm laid hold of the water,\nand the ship was got gradually round to face the\nwaves. The rolling diminished, a certain amount\nof pitching taking its place. Our speed had fallen\nfrom eleven knots to two. I went again to bed.\nAfter a space of calm, when we seemed crossing the\nvortex of a storm, heavy tossing recommenced. I\nwas afraid to allow myself to fall asleep, as my berth\nwas high, and to be pitched out of it might be\nattended with bruises, if not with fractures. From\nFriday at noon to Saturday at noon we accom-\nplished sixty-six miles, or an average of less than\nthree miles an hour. I overheard the sailors talking\nabout this storm. The Urgent, according to those\nthat knew her, had never previously experienced\nanything like it.^\nAll through Saturday the wind, though somewhat\nsobered, blew dead against us. The atmospheric\neffects were exceedingly fine. The cumuli resembled\nmountains in shape, and their peaked summits shone\nas white as Alpine snows. At one place this resem-\nblance was greatly strengthened by a vast area of\ncloud, uniformly illuminated, and lying like a neve\nThere is, it will be seen, a fair agreement between these\nimpressions and those so vigorously described by a scientific\ncorrespondent of the Times.","height":"2933","width":"1627","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0465.jp2"},"466":{"fulltext":"436 VOYAGE TO ALGEEIA. [1870\nbelow the peaks. From it fell a kind of cloud-river,\nstrikingly like a glacier. The horizon at sunset\nwas remarkable spaces of brilliant green between\nclouds of fiery red. Eainbows had been frequent\nthroughout the day, and at night a perfectly conti-\nnuous lunar bow spanned the heavens from side\nto side. Its colours were feeble; but, contrasted\nwith the black ground against which it rested, its\nluminousness was extraordinary.\nSunday morning found us opposite to Lisbon, and\nat midnight we rounded Cape St. Vincent, where\nthe lurching seemed disposed to recommence.\nThrough the kindness of Lieutenant Walton, a cot\nhad been slung for me. It hung between a tiller-\nwheel and a flue, and at one a.m. I was roused by\nthe banging of the cot against its boundaries.\nBut the wind was now behind us, and we went along\nat a speed of eleven knots. We felt certain of reach-\ning Cadiz by three. But a new lighthouse came\nin sight, which some affirmed to be Cadiz lighthouse,\nwhile the surrounding houses were declared to be\nCadiz itself. Out of deference to these statements,\nthe navigating lieutenant changed his course, and\nsteered for the place. A pilot came on board, and he\ninformed us that we were before the mouth of the\nGuadalquivir, and that the lighthouse was that of\nCipiona. Cadiz was still some eighteen miles distant.\nWe steered towards the city, hoping to get into","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0466.jp2"},"467":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALGEKIA. 437\nthe harbour before dark. But the pilot was snapped\nup by another vessel, and we did not get in. We\nbeat about during the night, and in the morning\nfound ourselves about fifteen miles from Cadiz. The\nsun rose behind the city, and we steered straight into\nthe light. The three-towered cathedral stood in the\nmidst, round which swarmed apparently a multitude\nof chimney-stacks. A nearer approach showed the\nchimneys to be small turrets. A pilot was taken on\nboard for there is a dangerous shoal in the harbour.\nThe appearance of the town as the sim shone upon its\nwhite and lofty walls was singularly beautiful. We\ncast anchor some officials arrived and demanded a\nclean bill of health. We had none. They would\nhave nothing to do with us so the yellow quaran-\ntine flag was hoisted, and we waited for per-\nmission to land the Cadiz party. After some hours\nof delay the English consul and vice-consul came on\nboard, and with them a Spanish officer, ablaze with\ngold lace and decorations. Under slight pressure\nthe requisite permission had been granted. We\nlanded our party, and in the afternoon weighed\nanchor. Thanks to the kindness of our excellent pay-\nmaster, I was here transferred to a roomier berth.\nCadiz soon sank beneath the sea, and we sighted\nin succession Cape Trafalgar, Tarifa, and the re-\nvolving light of Ceuta. The water was very calm,\nand the moon rose in a quiet heaven. She swung","height":"2934","width":"1660","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0467.jp2"},"468":{"fulltext":"438 VOYAGE TO ALGEEIA. [1870\nwith her convex surface downwards, the common\nboundary between light and shadow being almost\nhorizontal. A pillar of reflected light shimmered\nup to us from the slightly rippled sea. I had already\nnoticed the phosphorescence of the water, but to-\nnight it was stronger than usual, especially among\nthe foam at the bows. A bucket let down into the\nsea brought up a number of the little sparkling\norganisms which cause the phosphorescence. I\ncaught some of them in my hand. And here an\nappearance was observed which was new to most of\nus, and strikingly beautiful to all. Standing at the\nbow and looking forwards, at a distance of forty or\nfifty yards from the ship a number of luminous\nstreamers were seen rushing towards us. On nearing\nthe vessel they rapidly turned, like a comet round\nits perihelion, placed themselves side by. side, and,\nas parallel trails of light, kept up with the ship. One\nof them placed itself right in front of the bow as a\npioneer. These comets of the sea were joined at\nintervals by others. Sometimes as many as six at a\ntime would rush at us, bend with extraordinary\nrapidity round a sharp curve, and afterwards keep us\ncompany. Leaning over the bow, and scanning the\nstreamers closely, the frontal portion of each revealed\nthe outline of a porpoise. The rush of the creatures\nthrough the water had started the phosphorescence,\nevery spark of which was converted by the motion","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0468.jp2"},"469":{"fulltext":"1870] VOTAGE TO AXaERIA. 439\nof the retina into a line of light. Eacli porpoise\n■was thus wrapped in a luminous sheath. The phos-\nphorescence did not cease at the creature s tail, but\nwas carried many porpoise-lengths behind it.\nTo our right we had the African hills, illuminated\nby the moon. Gribraltar Eock at length became\nvisible, but the town remained long hidden by a belt\nof haze. Through this at length the brighter lamps\nstruggled. It was like the gradual resolution of a\nnebula into stars. As the intervening depth be-\ncame gradually less the mist vanished more and\nmore, and finally all the lamps shone through it.\nThey formed a bright foil to the sombre mass of rock\nabove them. The sea was so calm and the scene so\nlovely that Mr. Huggins and myself stayed on deck\ntill the ship was moored, near midnight. During\nour walking to and fro a striking enlargement of\nthe disc of Jupiter was observed whenever the heated\nair of the f annels came between us and the planet.\nOn passing away from the heated air, the fiat dim\ndisc would immediately shrink to a luminous point.\nThe effect was one of retinal persistence. The retinal\nimage of the planet was set quivering in all azimuths\nby the streams of heated air, describing in quick\nsuccession minute lines of light, which summed\nthemselves to a disc of sensible area.\nAt six o clock next morning the gun at the signal\nstation on the summit of the rock boomed. At eight","height":"2940","width":"1644","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0469.jp2"},"470":{"fulltext":"440 VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. [1870\nthe band on board the Trafalgar training-ship,\nwhich was in the harbour, struck up the national\nanthem and immediately afterwards a crowd of\nmite-like cadets swarmed up the rigging. After the\nremoval of the apparatus belonging to the Gribral-\ntar party we went on shore. Winter was in Eng-\nland when we left, but here we had the warmth\nof summer. The vegetation was luxuriant ^palm-\ntrees, cactuses, and aloes, all ablaze with scarlet\nflowers. A visit to the Grovernor was proposed, as\nan act of necessary courtesy, and I accompanied Ad-\nmiral Ommaney and Mr. Huggins to the Convent, or\nGrovernment House. We sent in our cards, waited\nfor a time, and were then conducted by an orderly\nto his Excellency. He is a fine old man, over six\nfoot high, and of frank military bearing. He re-\nceived us and conversed with us in a very genial\nmanner. He took us to see his garden, his palms,\nhis shaded promenades, and his orange-trees loaded\n■v^th fruit, in all of which he took manifest de-\nlight. Evidently the hero of Kars had fallen\nupon quarters after his own heart. He appeared full\nof good nature, and engaged us on the spot to dine\n.with him that day.\nWe sought the town-major for a pass to visit the\nlines. While awaiting his arrival I purchased a\nstock of white glass bottles, with a view to experi-\nments on the colour of the sea. Mr. Huggins and","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0470.jp2"},"471":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALaEKIA. 441\nmyself, who wished to see the rock, were taken by\nCaptain Salmond to the library, where a model of\nGibraltar is kept, and where we had a capital pre-\nliminary lesson. At the library we met Colonel\nMaberly, a courteous and kindly man, who gave us\ngood advice regarding our excursion. He sent an\norderly with us to the entrance of the lines. The\norderly handed us over to an intelligent Irishman,\nwho was directed to show us everything that we\ndesired to see, and to hide nothing from us. We\ntook the upper lines, traversed the galleries hewn\nthrough the limestone, looked through the em-\nbrasures, which opened like doors in the precipice,\nover the hills of Spain, reached St. Greorge s Hall, and\nwent still higher, emerging on the summit of one\nof the noblest cliffs I have ever seen.\nBeyond were the Spanish Knes, marked by a line\nof white sentry-boxes nearer were the English lines,\nless conspicuously marked out; and between both\nwas the neutral ground. Behind the Spanish lines\nwas the conical hill called the Queen of Spain s\nChair. The general aspect of Spain from the rock\nis bold and rugged. Doubling back from the gal-\nleries, we struck upwards towards the crest, reached\nthe signal station, where we indulged in shandy-gaff\nand bread and cheese. Thence to O Hara s Tower,\nthe highest point of tlie rock. It was built by a\nk former Governor, who, forgetful of the laws of","height":"2929","width":"1617","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0471.jp2"},"472":{"fulltext":"442 YOYAGE TO ALGEEIA. [1870\nterrestrial curvature, thought he might look from the\ntower into the port of Cadiz. The tower is riven,\nand may be climbed along the edges of the crack.\nWe got to the top of it thence descended the\ncurious Mediterranean Stair a zigzag, mostly of\nsteps down a steeply falling slope, amid palmetto\nbrush, aloes, and prickly pear.\nPassing over the Windmill Hill, we were joined\nat the Grovernor s Cottage by a car, and drove after-\nwards to the lighthouse a^Europa Point. The tower\nwas built, I believe, by Queen Adelaide, and it con-\ntains a fine dioptric apparatus of the first order,\nconstructed by the Messrs. Chance of Birmingham.\nAt the appointed hour we were at the Convent.\nDuring dinner the same genial traits which appeared\nin the morning were still more conspicuous. The\nfreshness of the Grovernor s nature showed itself\nbest when he spoke of his old antagonist in arms,\nMouravieff. Chivalry in war is consistent with its\n^ern prosecution. These two men were chivalrous,\nand after striking the last blow became friends for\never. Our kind and courteous reception at Gibral-\ntar is a thing to be remembered with pleasure.\nOn the 15th of December we committed our\nselves to the Mediterranean. The views of Gibraltar\nwith which we are most acquainted represent it as a\nhuge ridge but its aspect, end on, both from the\nSpanish lines and from the other side, is truly","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0472.jp2"},"473":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. 443\nnoble. There is a sloping bank of sand at the back\nof the rock, which I was disposed to regard simply\nas the debris of the limestone. I wished to let\nmyself down upon it, but had not the time. My\nfriend Mr. Busk, however, assures me that it is\nsilica, and that the same sand constitutes the\nadjacent neutral ground. There are theories afloat\nas to its having been blown from Sahara. The\nMediterranean throughout this first day, and indeed\nthroughout the entire voyage to Oran, was of less\ndeep a blue than the Atlantic. Possibly the quan-\ntity of organisms may have modified the colour.\nAt night the phosphorescence was delicious, break-\ning with the suddenness of a snapped spring along\nthe crests of the waves formed by the port and\nstarboard bows. Its strength was not uniform.\nHaving flashed brilliantly for a time, it would in\npart subside, and afterwards regain its vigour.\nSeveral large phosphorescent masses of wierd ap-\npearance also fl(fated past.\nOn the morning of the 16th we sighted the fort\nand lighthouse of Marsa el Kibir, and beyond them\nthe white walls of Oran lying in the bight of a bay,\nsheltered by dominant hills. The sun was shining\nbrightly; during our whole voyage we had not had so\nfine a day. The wisdom which had led us to choose\nOran as our place of observation seemed demonstra-\nted. A rather excitable pilot came on board, and","height":"2933","width":"1625","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0473.jp2"},"474":{"fulltext":"444 YOTAaE TO ALGERIA. [1870\nhe guided us in behind the Mole, which had suf-\nfered much damage last year from an unexplained\noutburst of waves from the Mediterranean. Both\nport and bow anchors were cast into deep water.\nWith three huge hawsers the ship s stern was made\nfast to three gun-pillars fixed in the Mole and here\nfor a time the Urgent rested from her labours.\nM. Janssen, who had rendered his name celebrated\nby his observations of the eclipse in India in 1868,\nwhen he showed the solar flames to be eruptions of\nincandescent hydrogen, was already encamped in\nthe open country about eight miles from Oran. On\nthe 2nd of December he had quitted Paris in a\nballoon, with a strong yoimg sailor as his assistant,\nhad descended near the mouth of the Loire, seen M.\nGrambetta, and received from him encouragement and\naid. On the day of our arrival his encampment was\nvisited by Mr. Huggins, and the kind and courteous\nEngineer of the Port drove me subsequently in his\nojni phaeton to the place. It bore tfee best repute as\nregards freedom from haze and fog, and commanded\nan open outlook, but it was inconvenient for us on\naccount of its distance from the ship. The place\nnext in repute was the railway station, between\ntwo and three miles distant from the Mole. It was\ninspected, but, being enclosed, was abandoned for an\neminence in an adjacent garden, the property of Mr.\nHinshelwood,a Scotchman who had settled some years","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0474.jp2"},"475":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. 445\npreviously as an esparto merciiant in Oran,* and\nwho in the most liberal manner placed his ground\nat the disposition of the party. Here the tents were\npitched on the Saturday by Captain Salmond and his\nintelligent corps of sappers, the instruments being\nerected on the Monday under cover of the tents.\nClose to the railway station runs a new loopholed\nwall of defence, through which the highway passes\ninto the open country. Standing on the highway,\nand looking southwards, about twenty yards to the\nright is a small bastionet, intended to carry a gun or\ntwo. Its roof I thought would form an admirable\nbasis for my telescope, while the view of the sur-\nrounding country was unimpeded in all directions.\nThe authorities kindly allowed me the use of this\nbastionet, Two -men, one a blue-jacket named\nElliot, and the other a marine named Hill, were\nplaced at my disposal by Lieutenant Walton and\nthus aided, on Monday morning I mounted my\ntelescope. The instrument was new to me, and I\nwished to master all the details of its manipulation.\nAfter some hours of discipline, and as the day\nwas sobering towards twilight, the telescope was\ndismounted and put under cover. Mr. Huggins\njoined me, and we visited together the Arab quarter\nof Oran. The flat-roofed houses appeared very\nEsparto is a kind of grass now much used in the maniifacture of\npaper.\n20","height":"2937","width":"1622","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0475.jp2"},"476":{"fulltext":"446 VOYAGE TO ALGEKIA. [1870\nclean and white. The street was filled with\nloiterers, and the thresholds were occupied by-\npicturesque groups. Some of the men are very\nfme we saw many straight, manly fellows who\nmust have been six foot four in height. They passed\nus with perfect indifference, evincing no anger,\nsuspicion, or curiosity, hardly caring in. fact to glance\nat us as we passed. In one instance only during my\nstay at Oran was I spoken to by an Arab. He was a\ntall, good-humoured fellow, who came smiling up\nto me, and muttered something about les Anglais.\nThe mixed population ©f Oran is pictm-esque in\nthe highest degree the Jews, rich and poor, vary-\ning in their costumes as their wealth varies the\nArabs more picturesque still, and of all shades of\ncomplexion the negroes, the Spaniards, the French,\nall grouped together, and each preserving their\nown individuality, formed a picture intensely inter-\nesting me.\nf On Tuesday, the 20th, I was early at the bastionet,\nwith the view of schooling both myself and my men.\nThe night had been very squally. The sergeant of\nthe sappers took charge of our key, and on Tuesday\nmorning Elliot went for it. He brought back the\nintelligence that the tents had been blown down,\nand the instruments overturned. Among these was\na large and valuable equatorial from the Eoyal\nObservatory, Grreenwich. It seemed hardly possible","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0476.jp2"},"477":{"fulltext":"1870] VOTAGE TO ALGEKIA. 447\nthat this instrument, with its wheels and verniers\nand delicate adjustments, c.ould have escaped unin-\njured from such a fall. This, however, was the case\nand dm ing the day all the overturned instruments\nwere restored to their places, and found to be in\npractical working order. This and the following\nday were devoted to incessant schooling. I had\ncome out as a general star-gazer, and not with the\nintention of devoting myself to the observation of\nany particular phenomenon. I wished to see the\nwhole the first contact, the advance of the moon,\nand the successive swallowing up of the solar spots,\nthe breaking of the last line of crescent by the lunar\nmountains into Bailey s beads, the advance of the\nshadow through the air, the appearance of the corona\nand prominences at the moment of totality, the\nradiant streamers of the corona, the internal struc-\nture of the flames, a glance through a polariscope, a\nsweep roimd the landscape with the naked eye, the\nreappearance of the solar limb through Bailey s\nbeads, and, finally, the retreat of the lunar shadow\nthrough the air.\nFor these observations I was provided with a\ntelescope of admirable definition, mounted, adjusted,\npacked, and most liberally placed at my disposal by\nMr. Warren De la Eue. The telescope grasped the\nwhole of the sun, and a considerable portion of the\nspace surrounding it. But it would not take in","height":"2933","width":"1603","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0477.jp2"},"478":{"fulltext":"YOTAGB TO ALGEEIA. [1870\nthe probable extreme limits of the corona. For\nthis the finder was suitable but, instead of it, I had\nlashed on to the large telescope a light but powerful\ninstrument, constructed by Eoss, and lent to me\nby Mr. Huggins. I was also furnished with an\nexcellent binocular by Mr. Dallmeyer. In fact, no\nman could have been more efl ciently supported\nthan I was. It required a strict parcelKng out of\nthe two minutes and some seconds of totality to\nembrace in them the entire series of observations.\nThese, while the sun remained visible, were to be\nmade with an unsilvered diagonal eyepiece, which\nreflected but a small fraction of the sun s light, this\nfraction being still further toned down by a dark\nglass. At the moment of totality the dark glass\nwas to be removed, and a silver reflector pushed in,\nso as to get the maximum of light from the corona\nand prominences. The time of totality was distri-\nbuted as follows\n1. Observe approach of shadow through the air: totality.\n2. Telescopa\n3. Finder\n4. Double image prism\n5. Naked eye\n6. Finder or binocular\n7. Telescope\n8. Observe retreat of shadow.\n30 seconds.\n30 seconds.\n15 seconds.\n10 seconds.\n20 seconds.\n20 seconds.\nIt was proposed to begin and end with the tele-\nscope, so that any change in the field of view","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0478.jp2"},"479":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. 449\noccurring during the totality might be noticed.\nElliot stood beside me, watch in hand, and fur-\nnished with a lantern. He called out at the end of\neach interval, and I moved from telescope to finder,\nfrom finder to polariscope, from polariscope to naked\neye, from naked eye back to finder, from finder to\ntelescope, abandoning the instrument finally to\nobserve the retreating shadow. All this we went\nover twenty times, while looking at the actual sun,\nand keeping him in the middle of the field. It was\nmy object to render the repetition of the lesson so\nmechanical as to leave no room for flurry, forgetful-\nness, or excitement. Volition was not to be called\nupon, nor judgment exercised, but a well-beaten\npath of routine was to be followed. Had the oppor-\ntunity occurred, I think the programme would have\nbeen strictly carried out.\nBut the opportunity did not occur. For several\ndays the weather had been ill-natured. We had\nwind so strong as to render the hawsers at the stern\nof the Urgent as rigid as iron, and, therefore, to\ndestroy the navigating lieutenant s sleep. We had\nclouds, a thunder-storm, and some rain. Still the\nhope was held out that the atmosphere would\ncleanse itself, and if it did we were promised an air\nof extraordinary limpidity. Early on the 22nd we\nwere all at our posts. Spaces of blue in the early\nmorning gave us some encouragement, but all","height":"2933","width":"1630","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0479.jp2"},"480":{"fulltext":"450 TOTAGE TO ALGEKIA. [1870\ndepended on the relation of these spaces to the\nsurrounding clouds. Which of them were to grow\nas the day advanced The wind was high, and to\nsecure the steadiness of my instrument I was forced\nto retreat behind a projection of the bastionet, place\nstones upon its stand, and, further, to avail myself of\nthe shelter of a sail. My practised men fastened\nthe sail at the top, and loaded it with boulders at the\nbottom. It was tried severely, but it stood firm.\nThe clouds and blue spaces fought for a time\nwith varying success. The sun was hidden and\nrevealed at intervals, hope oscillating in synehronism\nwith the changes of the sky. At the moment of\nfirst contact a dense cloud intervened, but a minute\nor two afterwards the cloud had passed, and the\nenchroachment of the black body of the moon was\nevident upon the solar disc. The moon marched\nonward, and I saw it at frequent intervals a large\ngroup of spots were approached and swallowed up.\nSjibsequently I caught sight of the lunar limb as it\ncut through the middle of a large spot. The spot\nwas not to be distinguished from the moon, but rose\nlike a mountain above it. The clouds, when thin,\ncould be seen as grey scud drifting across the black\nsurface of the moon but they thickened more and\nmore, and made the intervals of clearness scantier.\nDuring these moments I watched with an interest\nbordering upon fascination the march of the silver","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0480.jp2"},"481":{"fulltext":"870] VOTAaE TO ALGEKIA. 451\nsickle of the sun across the field of the telescope.\nIt was so sharp and so beautiful. No trace of the\nlunar limb could be observed beyond the sun s\nboundary. Here, indeed, it could only be relieved\nby the corona, which was utterly cut off by the dark\nglass. The blackness of the moon beyond the sun\nwas, in fact, confounded with the blackness of\nspace.\nBeside me was Elliot with the watch and\nlantern, while Lieutenant Archer, of the Eoyal\nEngineers, had the kindness to take charge of my\nnote-book. I mentioned, and he wrote rapidly\ndown, such things as seemed worthy of remembrance.\nThus my hands and mind were entirely free but it\nwas all to no purpose. A patch of sunlight fell and\nrested upon the landscape some miles away. It\nwas the only illuminated spot within view. But to\nthe north-west there was still a -space of blue which\nmight reach us in time. Within seven minutes of\ntotality another small space towards the zenith\nbecame very dark. The atmosphere was, as it were,\non the brink of a precipice it was charged with\nhumidity, which required but a slight chill to bring\nit down in clouds. This was furnished by the with-\ndrawal of the solar beams the clouds did come\ndown, covering up the space of blue on wliich our\nhopes had so long rested. I abandoned the tele-\nscope and walked to and fro, like a leopard in its","height":"2933","width":"1619","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0481.jp2"},"482":{"fulltext":".452 VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. [1870\ncage. As the moment of totality approached, the\ndescent towards darkness was as obvious as a falling\nstone. I looked towards a distant ridge, where I\nknew the darkness would first appear. At the moment\na fan of beams, issuing from the hidden sun, was\nspread out over the southern heavens. These\nbeams are bars of alternate light and shade, pro-\nduced in illuminated haze by the shadows of\nfloating cloudlets of varying density. The beams\nare really parallel, but by an effect of perspective\nthey appear divergent, like a fan, having the sun,\nin fact, for their point of intersection. The dark-\nness took possession of the ridge to which I have\nreferred, lowered upon M. Janssen s observatory,\npassed over the southern heavens, blotting out the\nbeams as if a sponge had been drawn across them.\nIt then took successive possession of three spaces of\nblue sky in the south-eastern atmosphere. I again\nlooked towards the ridge. A glimmer as of day-\ndawn was behind it, and immediately afterwards\nthe fan of beams which had been for more than two\nminutes absent revived. The eclipse of 1870 had\nended, and, as far as the corona was concerned,\nwe had been defeated.\nEven in the heart of the eclipse the darkness was\nby no means perfect. Small print could be read.\nIn fact, the clouds which rendered the day a dark\none, by scattering light into the shadow, rendered","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0482.jp2"},"483":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALaEKIA. 453\nit less intense than it would have been had the\natmosphere been without cloud. In the more open\nspaces I sought for stars, but could find none.\nThere was a lull in the wind before and after\ntotality, but during the totality the wind was\nstrong. I waited for some time on the bastionet,\nhoping to get a glimpse of the moon on the opposite\nborder of the sun, but in vain. The clouds con-\ntinued, and some rain fell. The day brightiued\nsomewhat afterwards, and, having packed all up, in\nthe sober twilight Mr. Crookes and myself climbed\nthe heights above the fort of Vera Cruz. From this\neminence we had a very noble view over the\nMediterranean and the flanking African hills. The\nsunset was remarkable, and the whole outlook\nexceedingly fine.\nThe able and well-instructed medical ofiicer of\nthe Urgent, Mr. Goodman, observed the following\ntemperatures during the progress of the eclipse\nHour\nDeg.\nHour\nDeg.\n11.45\n56\n12.43\n61\n11.56\n55\n1.5\n52\n12.10\n64\n1.27\n53\n12.37\n63\n1.44\n56\n12.39\n62\n2.10\n57\nThe minimum temperature occurred some minutes\nafter totality, when a slight rain fell.\nThe wind was so strong on the 23rd that Captain\nHenderson would not ventm*e out. Guided by JNIr.","height":"2926","width":"1637","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0483.jp2"},"484":{"fulltext":"454 VOYAGE TO ALaEBIA. [1870\nGroodman, I visited a cave scooped into a remarkable\nfitratum of sliell-breccia, and, thanks to my guide,\nsecured specimens. Mr. Busk informs me that a\nprecisely similar breccia is found at Gribraltar at\napproximately the same level. During the after-\nnoon Admiral Ommaney and myself drove to the\nfort of Marsa el Eabir. The fortification is of\nancient origin, the Moorish arches being still there\nin decay, but the fort is now very strong. About\nfour or five hundred dragoons, fine-looking men,\nwere looking after their horses, waiting for a lull to\nenable them to embark for France. One of their\nofficers was wandering in a very solitary fashion over\nthe fort. We had some conversation with him. He\nhad been at Sedan, had been taken prisoner, but\nhad effected his escape. He shook his head when\nwe spoke of the termination of the war, and pre-\ndicted its long continuance. There was bitterness\nin his tone as he spoke of the charges of treason\nwMch had been so lightly levelled against French\ncommanders. The green waves raved round the\npromontory on which the fort stands, smiting the\nrocks, breaking into snow, and jumping, after\nimpact, to a height of a hundred feet and more into\nthe air. On our return our vehicle broke down\nthrough the loss of a wheel. The Admiral went on\nboard, while I hung long over the agitated sea.\nThe little horses of Oran well merit a passing","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0484.jp2"},"485":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. 455\nword. Their speed and endurance, which are both\nheavily drawn upon by their drivers, are extra-\nordinary.\nThe wind sinking, we lifted anchor on the 24th.\nFor some hours we went pleasantly along; but\nduring the afternoon the storm revived, and it blew\nheavily against us all the night. When we came\nopposite the Bay of Almeria, on the 25th, the\ncaptain turned the ship, and steered into the bay,\nwhere, under the shadow of the Sierra Nevada, we\npassed Christmas night in peace. Next morning\na rose of dawn rested on the snows of the adjacent\nmountains, while a purple haze was spread over the\nlower hills. I had no notion that Spain possessed\nso fine a range of mountains as the Sierra Nevada.\nThe height is considerable, but the form also is\nsuch as to get the maximum of grandeur out of the\nheight. We got away at eight a.m., passing for a\ntime through shoal water, the bottom of which had\nbeen evidently stirred up. The adjacent land\nseemed eroded in a remarkable manner. Doubtless\nit has its times of flood, which excavate these\nvalleys and ravines, and leave those singular ridges\nbehind. Towards evening I climbed the mainmast,\nand, standing on the crosstrees, saw the sun set\namid a blaze of fiery clouds. The wind was strong\nand bitterly cold, and I was glad to return to\nthe deck along a rope which stretched from the","height":"2929","width":"1613","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0485.jp2"},"486":{"fulltext":"456 VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. [1870\nmast-head to the ship s side. That night we cast\nanchor beside the Mole of Gribraltar.\nOn the morning of the 27th, in company with\ntwo friends, I drove to the Spanish lines, with the\nview of seeing the rock from that side. It is an\nexceedingly noble mass. The Peninsular and Ori-\nental mail-boat had been signalled and had come.\nHeavy duties called me homeward, and by trans-\nferring myself from the Urgent to the mail-\nsteamer I should gain three days. I hired a boat,\nrowed to the steamer, learned that she was to start\nat one, and returned with all speed to the Urgent.\nMaking known to Captain Henderson my wish to\nget away, he expressed doubts as to the possibility\nof reaching the mail-steamer in time. With his\naccustomed kindness, he, however, placed a boat at\nmy disposal. Four hardy fellows and one of the\nship s officers jumped into it my luggage, hastily\nthrown together, was tumbled in afterwards, and we\nwe»e immediately on our way. We had nearly four\nmiles to row in about twenty minutes but we\nhoped the mail-boat might not be punctual. For a\ntime we watched her anxiously there was no motion\nwe came nearer, but the flags were not yet hauled\nin. The men put forth all their strength, animated\nby the exhortations of the ofl cer at the helm. The\nroughness of the sea rendered their eflforts to some\nextent nugatory still we were rapidly approaching","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0486.jp2"},"487":{"fulltext":"1870] YOTAaE TO ALGERIA. 457\nthe steamer. At length she moved, punctually\nalmost to the minute, at first slowly, but soon with\nquickened pace. We turned to the left, so as to\ncut across her bows. Five minutes pull would have\nbrought us up to her. The officer waved his cap\nand I my hat. If they could only see us, they\nmight back to us in a moment. But they did not\nsee us, or if they did, they paid no attention to us.\nI returned to the Urgent, discomfited, but grateful\nto the fine fellows who had wrought so hard to carry\nout my wishes.\nGrlad of the quiet, in the sober afternoon I took\na walk towards Europa Point. The sky darkened,\nand heavy squalls passed at intervals. Eain began\nto fall, and I returned home. Private theatricals\nwere at the Convent, and the kind and courteous\nGovernor had sent cards to the eclipse party. I\nfailed in my duty in not going. I had heard of\nSt. Michael s Cave as rivalling, if not outrivalling,\nthe Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. On the 28th\nMessrs. Crookes, Carpenter, and myself, guided by a\nmilitary policeman who imderstood his work, ex-\nplored the cavern. The mouth is about 1,100 feet\nabove the sea. We zigzagged up to it, and first\nwere led into an aperture in the rock some height\nabove the true entrance of the cave. In this upper\ncavern we saw some tall and beautiful stalactite\npillars.","height":"2929","width":"1646","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0487.jp2"},"488":{"fulltext":"458 voTAaE TO Algeria. [1870\nThe water drips from the roof charged with\nbicarbonate of lime. Exposed to the air, the car-\nbonic acid partially escapes, and the simple carbonate\nof lime, which is hardly at all soluble in water,\ndeposits itself as a solid, forming stalactites and\nstalagmites. Even the exposure of chalk or lime-\nstone water to the open air partially softens it. A\nspecimen of the Eedboume water exposed by\nMessrs. Grraham, Miller, and Hofmann in a shallow\nbasin, fell from eighteen degrees to nine degrees of\nhardness. The softening process of Clark is virtually\na hastening of the natural process. Here, however,\ninstead of being permitted to evaporate, half the\ncarbonic acid is appropriated by lime, the half thus\ntaken up, as well as the remaining half, being pre-\ncipitated. The solid precipitate is permitted to\nsink, and the clear supernatant liquid is limpid soft\nwater.\nWe returned to the real mouth of St. Michael s\nOlive, which is entered by a wicket. The floor was\nsomewhat muddy, and the roof and walls were wet.\nOur guide took off his coat, but we did not follow\nhis example. We were soon in the midst of a\nnatural temple, where tall columns sprang complete\nfrom floor to roof, while incipient columns were\ngrowing to meet each other, upwards and downwards.\nThe water which trickles from the stalactite, after\nhaving in part yielded up its carbonate of lime, falls","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0488.jp2"},"489":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALGEEIA. 459\nupon the floor vertically underneath, and there\nbuilds the stalagmite. Consequently, the pillars\ngrow from above and below simultaneously along\nthe same vertical. It is easy to distinguish the\nstalagmitic from the stalactitic portion of the\npillars. The former is always divided into short\nsegments by protuberant rings, as if deposited\nperiodically, while the latter presents a uniform\nsurface. In some cases the points of inverted cones\nof stalactite rested on the centres of pillars of\nstalagmite. The process of solidification and the\narchitecture were alike beautiful.\nWe followed our guide through various branches\nand arms of the cave, climbed and descended steps,\nhalted at the edges of dark shafts and apertures,\nsqueezed ourselves through narrow passages, where\nthe sober grey of my coat suffered less than the black\nof my companions From time to time we halted,\nwhile Mr. Crookes illuminated with ignited magne-\nsium wire the roof, columns, dependent spears, and\ngraceful drapery of the stalactite. Once, coming to\na magnificent cluster of icicle-like spears, we helped\nourselves to specimens. There was some difficulty\nin detaching the more delicate ones, their fragility\nwas so great. A consciousness of vandalism which\nsmote me at the time haunts me still for, though\nour requisitions were moderate, this beauty ought\nnot to be at all invaded. Pendent from the roof in","height":"2921","width":"1602","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0489.jp2"},"490":{"fulltext":"460 VOYAGE TO ALaEEIA. [1870\ntheir natural habitat, nothing can exceed their\ndelicate beauty; they live, as it were, surrounded\nby organic connections. In London they are curious,\nbut not beautiful. Of gathered shells Emerson\nwrites\nI wiped away the weeds and foam,\nAnd brought my sea-born treasures home\nBut the poor, unsightly, noisome things\nHad left their beauty on the shore,\nWith the sun, and the sand, and the wild uproar.\nThe promontory of Gribraltar is so burrowed with\ncaverns that it has been called the Hill of Caves.\nThey are apparently related to the geologic disturb-\nances which the rock has undergone. The earliest\nof these is the tilting of the once horizontal strata.\nSuppose a force acting upon the promontory at its\nsouthern extremity, near Europa Point, tending to\ntwist the strata in a direction opposed to that of the\nhands of a watch, and suppose the rock to be of a\npartially yielding character, such a force would turn\ntke strata into screw-surfaces, the greatest amount of\ntwisting being endured near the point of application\nof the force. Such a twisting the rock appears to\nhave suffered but instead of the twist fading gra-\ndually and uniformly off in passing from south to\nnorth, the want of uniformity in the material has\nproduced lines of dislocation where there are abrupt\nchanges in the amount of twist. Thus, at the\nnorthern end of the rock the dip to the west is","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0490.jp2"},"491":{"fulltext":"i870] VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. 461\nnineteen degrees in tlie middle hill it is thirty-\neight degrees in the centre of the south hill, or\nSugar Loaf, it is fifty-seven degrees. At the southern\nextremity of the Sugar Loaf the strata are vertical,\nwhile further to the south they actually turn over\nand dip to the east.\nThe rock is thus divided into three sections, sepa-\nrated from each other by surfaces of dislocation,\nwhere the rock is much wrenched and broken.\nThese places of dislocation are called the Northern\nand Southern Quebrada, from the Spanish Tierra\nQuebrada, or broken ground and it is at these\nplaces that the inland caves of Gribraltar are almost\nexclusively found. Based on the observations of\nDr. Falconer and himself, an excellent and most\ninteresting account of these caves, and of the human\nremains and works of art which they contain, was\ngiven by Mr. Busk at the meeting of the Congress\nof Prehistoric Archaeology at Norwich, and after-\nwards printed in the Transactions of the Congress.*\nLong subsequently to the operation of the twisting\nforce just referred to, the promontory underwent\nvarious changes of level. There are sea-terraces and\nlayers of shell-breccia along its flanks, and numerous\ncaves which, unlike the inland one, are the product\nIn this essay IVIr. Busk refers to the previous labours of Mr.\nSmith, of Jordan Hill, to -whom we owe most of our knowledge of\nthe geology of the rock.","height":"2924","width":"1612","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0491.jp2"},"492":{"fulltext":"462 VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. [1870\nof marine erosion. The Apes Hill, on the African\nside of the strait, Mr. Busk informs me has underr\ngone similar disturbances.^\nIn the harbour of Gibraltar, on the morning of\nour departure, I resumed a series of observations\non the colour of the sea. On my way out I had\ncollected a number of specimens, with a view to\nsubsequent examination. But the bottles were claret\nbottles, and I could by no means feel sure of their\npurity. At Gibraltar, therefore, I purchased fifteen\nwhite glass bottles, with ground glass stoppers, and\nat Cadiz, thanks to the friendly guidance of Mr.\nCameron, I secured a dozen more. These seven-and-\ntwenty bottles were filled with water, taken at\ndifferent places between Oran and Spithead.\nAnd here let me express my warmest acknowledg-\nments to Captain Henderson, the commander of\nH.M.S. Urgent, who aided me in my obser-\nvations in every possible way. Indeed, my best\nthanks are due to all the officers for their unfail-\ning courtesy and help. The captain placed at my\ndisposal his own coxswain, an intelligent fellow\nnamed Thorogood, who skilfully attached a cord to\neach bottle, weighted it with lead, cast it into the sea,\nNo one can rise from the perusal of Mr. Busk s paper ■without a\nfeeling of admiration for the principal discoverer and indefatigable\nexplorer of the Gibraltar caves, the late Captain Frederick Brome.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0492.jp2"},"493":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. 463\nand, after three successive rinsings, filled it under my\nown eyes. The contact of jugs, buckets, or other\nvessels was thus avoided, and even the necessity of\npouring the water out afterwards through the dirty\nLondon air.\nThe mode of examination applied to these bottles\nafter my return to London is in some sense comple-\nmentary to that of the microscope, and may I think\nmaterially aid enquiries conducted with that instru-\nment. In microscopic examination attention is\ndirected to a small portion of the liquid, the aim\nbeing to detect the individual suspended particles.\nIn my case, a large portion of the liquid is illumi-\nnated by a powerfully condensed beam, its general\ncondition being revealed through the light scattered\nby suspended particles. Care is taken to defend the\neye from the access of all other light, and, thus de-\nfended, it becomes an organ of inconceivable deli-\ncacy. Were water of uniform density perfectly free\nfrom suspended matter, it would, in my opinion,\nscatter no light at all. The track of a luminous\nbeam could not, I think, be seen in such water. But\nan amount of impurity so infinitesimal as to be\nscarcely expressible in numbers, and the individual\nparticles of which are so small as wholly to elude the\nmicroscope, may, when examined by the method\nalluded to, produce not only sensible, but striking,\neffects upon the eye.","height":"2928","width":"1639","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0493.jp2"},"494":{"fulltext":"464\nYOTAGE TO ALGEEIA.\n[1870\nThe results of the examination of nineteen bottles,\nfilled at various places between Gibraltar and\nSpithead, are here tabulated\nNo.\nLocality\nColour of Sea\nAppearance in Electric Beam\n1\nGibraltar Harbour\nGreen\nThick with fine particles\n2\nTwo miles from Gibraltar\nClearer green\nThick with very fine particles\n3\nOff Cabreta Point\nBright gi een\nStiU thick, but less so\n4\nOfE Cabreta Point\nBlack-indigo\nMuch less thick, very pure\n5\n6\nOff Tarifa\nUndecided\nCobalt-blue\nThicker than No. 4\nMuch purer than No. 5\nBeyond Tarifa\n7\nTwelve miles from Cadiz\nYellow-green\nVery thick\n8\nCadiz Harbour\nYellow-green\nExceedingly thick\n9\nFourteen miles from Cadiz\nYeUow-green\nThick, but less so\n10\nFourteen miles from Cadiz\nBright green\nMuch less thick\nn\nBetween Capes St. Mary\nand Yincent\nDeep indigo\nVery little matter, very pure\n12\nOfE the Biuiings\nStrong green\nThick with fine matter\n13\nBeyond the BurUngs\nIndigo\nVery little matter, pure\n14\nOfE Cape Finisterre\nUndecided\nLess pure\n16\nBay of Biscay\nBlack-indigo\nVery little matter, very pure\n16\nBay of Biscay\nIndigo\nVery fine matter. Iridescent\n17\nOfE Ushant\nDark green\nA good deal of matter\n18\nOfE St. Catherine s\nYeUow-green\nExceedingly thick\n19\nSpithead\nGreen\nExceedingly thick\nHere, in the first instance, we have three speci-\nmens of water, described as green, a clearer green,\nand bright green, taken in Gribraltar Harbour, at a\npoint two miles from the harbour, and off Cabreta\nPoint. The home examination showed that the\nfirst was thick with suspended matter, the second\nless thick, and the third still less thick. Thus\nthe green brightened as the suspended matter be-\ncame less.\nPrevious to the fourth observation our excellent\nnavigating lieutenant, Mr. Brown, steered along\nthe coast, thus avoiding the adverse current which\nsets in through the Strait of Gribraltar from the","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0494.jp2"},"495":{"fulltext":"187*0 VOTAOE TO ALGEEIA. 465\nAtlantic to the Mediterranean. He was at length\nforced to cross the boundary of the Atlantic current,\nwhich was defined with extraordinary sharpness. On\nthe one side of it the water was a vivid green, on the\nother a deep blue. Standing at the bow of the ship,\na bottle could be filled with blue water, while at the\nsame moment a bottle cast from the stern could be\nfilled with bright green water. Two bottles were\nsecured, one on each side of this remarkable boun-\ndary. In the distance the Atlantic had the hue\ncalled ultramarine but looked fairly down upon, it\nwas of almost inky blackness black qualified by a\ntrace of indigo.\nWhat change does the home examination here\nreveal? In passing to indigo, the water becomes\nsuddenly augmented in purity, the suspended matter\nhas become suddenly less. Off Tarifa, the deep\nindigo disappears, and the sea is undecided in colour.\nAccompanying this change, we have a rise in the\nquantity of suspended matter. Beyond Tarifa, we\nchange to cobalt-blue, the suspended matter falling\nat the same time in quantity. This water is dis-\ntinctly purer than the green. We approach Cadiz,\nand at twelve miles from the city get into yellow-\ngreen water this the London examination shows to\nbe thick with suspended matter. The same is true\nof Cadiz Harbom-, and also of a point fourteen miles\nfrom Cadiz in the homeward direction. Here there","height":"2921","width":"1667","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0495.jp2"},"496":{"fulltext":"466 YOTAGE TO ALGEKIA. [1870\nis a sudden change from yellow-green to a bright\nemerald-green, and accompanying the change a\nsudden fall in the quantity of suspended matter.\nBetween Cape St. Mary and Cape St. Vincent the\nwater changes to the deepest indigo. In point of\npurity, this indigo water is shown by the home exa-\nmination to transcend the emerald-green water.\nWe now reach the remarkable group of rocks\ncalled the Burlings, and find the water between the\nshore and the rocks a strong green the home exami-\nnation shows it to be thick with fine matter. Fifteen\nor twenty miles beyond the Burlings we come again\ninto indigo water, from which the suspended matter\nhas in great part disappeared. Off Cape Finisterre,\nabout the place where the Captain went down, the\nwater becomes green, and the home examination\npronounces it to be thicker. Then we enter the Bay\nof Biscay, where the indigo resumes its power, and\nwhere the home examination shows the greatly aug-\nmented purity of the water. A second specimen of\nwater taken from the Bay of Biscay held in suspen-\nsion fine particles of a peculiar kind the size of them\nwas such as to render the water richly iridescent. It\nshowed itself green, blue, or salmon colour, accord-\ning to the direction of the line of vision. Finally,\nwe come to our last two bottles, the one taken oppo-\nsite St. Catherine s lighthouse, in the Isle of Wight,\nthe other at Spithead. The sea at both these places","height":"2946","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0496.jp2"},"497":{"fulltext":"1870] YOTAGE TO ALGERIA. 467\nwas green, and both specimens, as miglit be expected,\nwere pronounced by the home examination to be\nthick with suspended matter.\nTwo distinct series of observations are here re-\nferred to the one consisting of direct observations\nof the colour of the sea, conducted during the\nvoyage from Gibraltar to Portsmouth the other\nconducted in the laboratory of the Eoyal Institu-\ntion. And here it is to be noted that in the home\nexamination I never knew what water I had in my\nhands. The labels, which had written upon them\nthe names of the localities, had been tied up, all\ninformation regarding the source of the water being\nthus precluded. The bottles were simply numbered,\nand not till all the waters had been examined were\nthe labels opened, and the locality and sea-colour\ncorresponding to the various specimens ascertained.\nI must, therefore, have been perfectly unbiassed in\nmy home observations, and they, I think, clearly\nestablish the association of the green colour of sea-\nwater with fine suspended matter, and the association\nof the ultramarine colour, and more especially of\nthe black-indigo hue of sea-water, with the com-\nparative absence of such matter.\nWhat, in the first place, is the cause of the dark\nhue of the deep ocean A preliminary remark or\nA note, written to me on October 22, by my friend Canou\nKingsley, contains the following reference to this point I have","height":"2921","width":"1604","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0497.jp2"},"498":{"fulltext":"468 VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. (_1870\ntwo will clear our way towards an explanation.\nColour resides in white light, appearing generally\nwhen any constituent of the white light is with-\ndrawn. The hue of a purple liquid, for example,\nis immediately accounted for by its action on a\nspectrum. It cuts out the yellow and green, and\nallows the red and blue to pass through. The\nblending of these two colours produces the purple.\nBut while the liquid attacks with special energy the\nyellow and green colours, it enfeebles the whole\nspectrum; and by increasing the thickness of the\nstratum we absorb the whole of the light. The\ncolour of a blue liquid is similarly accounted for.\nIt first extinguishes the red then, as the thickness\naugments, it attacks the orange, yellow, and green\nia succession the blue alone finally remaining.\nBut even it might be extinguished by a sufficient\ndepth of liquid.\nAnd now we are prepared for a brief, but tolerably\ncomplete, statement of the action of sea-water upon\nlight, to which it owes its darkness. The spectrum\nembraces three classes of rays the thermal, the\nvisual, and the chemical. These divisions overlap\neach other the thermal rays are in part visual, the\nnever seen the Lake of Geneva, but I thought of the brilliant dazzling\ndark blue of the mid-Atlantic under the sunlight, and its black-blue\nunder cloud, both so solid that one might leap off the sponson on to\nit without fear this was to me the most wonderful thing which T\nsaw on my voyages to and from the West Indies.","height":"2946","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0498.jp2"},"499":{"fulltext":"J870] VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. 469\nvisual r ys in part chemical, and vice versa. The\nvast body of thermal rays is beyond the red, being\ninvisible. These rays are attacked with exceeding\nenergy by water. They are absorbed close to the\nsui-face of the sea, and are the great agents in\nevaporation. At the same time the whole spectrum\nsuffers enfeeblement water attacks all its rays, but\nwith dififerent degrees of energy. Of the visual rays,\nthe red are attacked first, and first extinguished.\nWhile the red is disappearing the remaining colours\nare enfeebled. As the solar beam plunges deeper into\nthe sea, orange follows red, yellow follows orange,\ngreen follows yellow, and the various shades of blue,\nwhere the water is deep enough, follow green\nAbsolute extinction of the solar beam would be the\nconsequence if the water were deep and uniform\nand if it contained no suspended matter, such\nwater would be as black as ink. A reflected glim-\nmer of ordinary light would reach us from its sur-\nface, as it would from the surface of actual ink bui\nno light, hence no colour, would reach us from\nthe body of the water.\nIn very clear and very deep sea-water this con-\ndition is approximately fulfilled, and hence the\nextraordinary darkness of such water. The indigo,\nto which I have already referred, is, I believe, to be\nascribed in part to the suspended matter, which is\nnever absent, even in the purest natural water, and\n21","height":"2929","width":"1602","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0499.jp2"},"500":{"fulltext":"470 VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. [1870\nin part to the slight reflection of the light from the\nlimiting surfaces of strata of different densities. A\nmodicum of light is thus thrown back to the eye\nbefore the depth necessary to absolute extinction\nhas been attained. An effect precisely similar occurs\nunder the moraines of the Swiss glaciers. The ice\nhere is exceptionally compact, and, owing to the\nabsence of the internal scattering common in bubbled\nice, the light plunges into the mass, is extinguished,\nand the perfectly clear ice presents an appearance of\npitchy blackness.^\nThe green colour of the sea when it contains\nmatter in a state of mechanical suspension has now\nto be accounted for, and here, again, let us fall back\nupon the sure basis of experiment. A strong white\ndinner-plate was surrounded securely by cord, and\nhad a lead weight fastened to it. Fifty or sixty\nyards of strong hempen line were attached to the\nplate. With it in his hand, my assistant, Thorogood,\nOccupied a boat fastened as usual to the davits of\nthe Urgent, while I occupied a second boat nearer\nto the stern of the ship. He cast the plate as a\nmariner heaves the lead, and by the time it had\nreached me it had sunk a considerable depth in the\nwater. In all cases the hue of this plate was green\neven when the sea was of the darkest indigo, the\nI learn from a correspondent that certain Welsh tarns, whicli\nare reputed bottomless, have this inky hue.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0500.jp2"},"501":{"fulltext":"1870j VOYAGE TO ALGEEIA. 471\ngreen was vivid and pronounced. I could notice\nthe gradual deepening of the colour as the plate\nsank, but at its greatest depth in indigo water the\ncolour was still a blue-green.\nOther observations confirmed this one. The\nUrgent is a screw steamer, and right over the\nblades of the screw was an orifice called the screw-\nwell, through which one could look from the poop\ndown upon the screw. The surface glimmer which\nso pesters the eye was here in a great measure\nremoved. Midway down a plank crossed the screw-\nwell from side to side, and on this I used to place\nmyself to observe the action of the screw underneath.\nThe eye was rendered sensitive by the moderation\nof the light, and, still further to remove all dis-\nturbing causes. Lieutenant Walton had a sail and\ntarpaulin thrown over the mouth of the well.\nUnderneath this I perched myself and watched the\nscrew. In an indigo sea the play of colour was\nindescribably beautiful, and the contrast between\nthe water which had the screw-blades for a back-\nground, and that which had the bottom of the ocean\nas a background, was extraordinary. The one was\nof the most brilliant green, the other of the deepest\nultramarine. The surface of the water above the\nscrew-blade was always ruffled. Liquid lenses\nIn no case, of course, is the green pure, but a mixture of green\nand blue.","height":"2921","width":"1593","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0501.jp2"},"502":{"fulltext":"472 VOYAGE TO ALGERIA. [1870\nwere thus formed, by wliich the coloured light was\nwithdrawn from some places and concentrated upon\nothers, the colour being thus caused to flash with\nmetallic lustre. The screw-blades in this case\nplayed the part of the plate in the former case,\nand there were other instances of a similar kind.\nThe white bellies of the porpoises showed the green\nhue, varying in intensity as the creatures swung to\nand fro between the surface and the deeper water.\nFoam, at a certain depth below the surface, is also\ngreen. In a rough sea the light which has pene-\ntrated the summit of a wave sometimes reaches the\neye, a beautiful green cap being thus placed upon\nthe wave even in indigo water.\nBut how is this colour to be connected philo-\nsophically with the suspended particles Take the\ndinner-plate which showed so brilliant a green when\nthrown into indigo water. Suppose it to diminish\nin size until it reaches an almost microscopic mag-\nnitude. It would still behave substantially as the\nlarger plate, sending to the eye its modicum of green\nlight. If the plate, instead of being a large coherent\nmass, were ground to a powder sufficiently fine, and\nin this condition diffused through the clear sea-water,\nit would send green light to the eye. In fact, the\nsuspended particles which the home examination\nreveals act in all essential particulars like the plate,,\nor like the screw-blades, or like the foam, or like","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0502.jp2"},"503":{"fulltext":"1870] VOYAGE TO ALaERIA. 473\nthe bellies of the porpoises. Thus I think the\ngreenness of the sea is physically connected with the\nmatter which it holds in suspension.\nWe reached Portsmouth on the 5th of January\n1871. There ended a voyage which, though its main\nobject was not realised, has left behind it pleasant\nmemories, both of the aspects of natm-e and the\ngenial kindUness of men.","height":"2913","width":"1584","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0503.jp2"},"504":{"fulltext":"i","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0504.jp2"},"505":{"fulltext":"519 551 Broadway, New Yoek.\nD. APPLETON CO. S NEW WOEKS.\nTHEEE CENTUKIES OF ENGLISH LITEEA-\nTURE. By Chaeles Drake Tonge. 1 vol., large 12mo, 61Z pages.\nPrice, $2.00.\nOne of the best compendinmB we have seen of English literatuie. Edin-\niurgh Courant.\nThis is a book which every student should possess it is broad in design,\nminute and careful in execution, and it contains a great amount of most valuable\ninformation and advice on a subject which is not easily exhausted. /S co OTia/J.\nSOUTH SEA BUBBLES. By the Eael and the\nDoctor. 1 vol. 12mo, 312 pages. Cloth. Price, fl.50.\nSouth Sea Bubbles makes one long to visit Polynesia. Melville fascinated\nus with his enchanting Omoo and Typee. After a long interval came The\nPilgrims and the Shrine, with like enthusiasm for the beauty of the Southern\nisles and islanders. And now young Lord Pembroke and Dr. Kingsley ravish us\nonce more from the chills and toils of a Northern existence to the sunny paradise\nof the Pacific. Their joint volume is happy alike in its designation and its con-\nception. Zowc^oa Athenceum.\nSIGHTED AT LAST. A E ovel. With Illustra-\ntions. 1 vol., 8vo. Price, paper covers, $1.00 cloth, $1.50.\nThis is the first work of a young American lady, who has evidently a large\nshare of talent and literary skill, and whose vivid pages have much of the charm\nof Jane Eyre. The scene of the story is chiefly in Connecticut, and partly in\nNew York City, and the characteristics of American country life, as well as of\nfashionable society, are strongly portrayed.\nAPPLETOKS HAND ATLAS OF MODERN\nGEOGRAPHY, IN 31 MAPS exhibiting clearly the more important\nPhysical Features of the Countries delineated, and noting all the\nChief Places of Historical, Commercial, or Social Interest. Edited,\nwith an Introduction on the Study of Geography, by the Rev. George\nButler, M. A. 1 vol., folio. Cloth. Price, $2.50.\nBEATRICE. By Julia Kavanagh. 1 vol., 12ino.\nPrice, $1.25. Forming the third vohimo of the new edition of Julia\nKavanagh s Novels. Volumes already published: Nathalie\nand Daisy Burns. Price, $1.25 each.\nThere is a quiet power in the writing of this gifted author, which ie ag far\nremoved from the sensational school as any of the modern novels can be.","height":"2929","width":"1670","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0505.jp2"},"506":{"fulltext":"540 551 Bboadwat, New Yobk.\nB. APPLETON CO. S NEW WOPJvS.\nCHEISTIA]^ THEOLOGY AND MODERN SKEP-\nTICISM. By the Duke op Somerset, K. G. 1 vol., 12mo. Cloth.\nPrice, $1.00.\nChristian Theology and Modem Skepticism, by the Duke of Somerset, is a\nvery remarkable work, which has made a profound sensation in England, where\nthe high rank of its author has, no doubt, aided in giving it currency. It is a\ncalm and clear statement of the skeptical views which so largely prevail among\nthe scientific and thoughtful men of the day in reference to much of the standard\ntheology, and attempts to show that the theological doctrines of the Christian\nChurch must be modified to meet successfully the questions of the age. Tha\nauthor, if we are not mistaken, is a man of advanced years, who has been a\ncabinet-minister, and has held other high offices. He writes like a gentleman\nanxious to say with courtesy what he believes to be true, and, at the same time,\nto avoid giving needless offence to any one.\nEECOLLECTIO^nTS of past life. By Sir Henkt\nHolland, Bart. 1 vol., 12mo., cloth, 350 pages. Price, $2.00.\nBut the mere spectacle of such a life is of itself interesting. Its length alone\nwould make it remarkable, but it is the life of a man who, at eighty-four, can say\nthat bat for the loss, inevitable as time goes on, of many endeared to him by the\nties of family and friendship, he can point to no serious misfortune in the course\nof fifty years of practice no ill-health sufficient to prevent his attending to the\nmaladies of others no irretrievable mistakes, such as many men have to recol-\nlect no reverses in business, such as fall to the lot of most no wearing labors\nno disappointed ambition full and free intercourse with the wise, the good, the\ndistinguished and the great; entire and life-long exemption from pecuniary\ncares; and, he says in conclusion, What may well rank higher in the scale\nof earthlj^lessings, my children have never been other than a source of satisfac-\ntion and happiness to me. The book is one that we can most heartily com-\nmend. 7%e Nation.\nTHE LEADEES OF PUBLIC OPINION IN^ IRE-\nLAND. SWIFT, FLOOD, GRATTAN, O CONNELL. By W. E.\nH. Lecky, M. a. 1 vol., 12mo, cloth, 320 pages. Price, $1.75.\nAn eloquent and Impartial volume. Examiner.\nMr. Lecky s study of the past and present of Irish public life is both inter-\nesting and valuable at this time. Standard.\nMr. Lecky s sketches of his leaders are very well done indeed. They are\nbright, vigorous, sympathetic, and laudatory, but always with discernment.\nThe faults of Swift, Flood, and O Connell, are neither concealed nor defended;\nand though Grattan probably had faults of some sort, the author s liking for\nhis character is evidently so great that he has not dwelt on any. Oftserwr.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0506.jp2"},"507":{"fulltext":"549 551 Broadway, New York.\nD. APPLETON CO. S NEW WORKS.\nMAK AND HIS DWELLmG-PLACE. By James\nHiNTON, author of the Mystery of Pain and Life in Natirre.\n1 vol., 12mo. Cloth. Price, $1.75.\nThe author of this work holds a unique position among the thinkers of the\nf. ^e. He brintfs to the discussion of mau and Nature, and the higher problems of\nluiinan life, the latest and most thorough scientific preparation, and constantly\nemploys the later dynamic philosophy m dealing with them. But he is broader\nl;ian the scientific school which he recognizes, but with him the moral and\nrc ligious elements of man are supreme. He conjoins strict science with high\nspirituality of view. Man and his Dwelling-Place is here rewritten and com-\npressed, and presents in a pointed and attractive style original aspects of the\nmost engaging questions of the time.\nA MAN^UAL OF THE A:N AT0MY OF YERTE-\nBRATED ANIMALS. By Thomas H. Huxlky, LL. D., F. R. S.\n1 vol., 12mo. Illustrated* Price, $2.50.\nThis long-expected work will be cordially welcomed by aU students and\nteachers of Comparative Anatomy as a compendious, reliable, and, notwithstand-\ning its small dimensions, most comprehensive guide on the subject of which it\ntreats. To praise or to criticise the work of so accomplished a master of his\nfavorite science would be equally out of place. It is enough to say that it realizes\nin a remarkable degree the anticipations which have been formed of it and that\nit presents an extraordinary combination of wide, general views, with the clear,\naccurate, and succinct statement of a prodigious number of individual facts.\nTHE WOELD BEFORE THE DELUGE. By Loms\nFiGUiER. The Geological portion newly revised by H. W. Bristow,\nF. R. S., of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, Hon. Fellow of\nKing s College, London. With 235 Illustrations. Being the first\nvolume of the new and cheaper edition of Figuier s works. 1 vol.,\nsmall 8vo. Price, $3.50.\nT^he AthencBum sajBi We find in The World before the Deluge a book\nworth a thousand gilt Christmas volumes, and one most suitable as a gift to in-\ntellectual and earnestly inquiring students.\nN. B.— In the new edition of The World before the Deluge, the text has\nbeen again thoroughly revised by Mr. Bristow, and many important additions\nmade, the result of the recent investigations of himself and his colleagues of the\nGeological Survey.\nThe other volumes of the new and cheaper edition of Figuier s Works\nivill be issued in the following order\nTHE YEGETABLE WORLD. From tlie Frencli of\nLouis Figuier. Edited by C. 0. a Napier, F. G. S. With 471\nIllustrations. Cloth. Price, $3.50,\nTHE mSECT WORLD. A Popular Account of the\nOrders of Insects. From the French of Louis Figuier. Edited by\nE. W. Jansen. With 570 Illustrations. Cloth. Price, $3.50.\nTHE OOEAK WORLD. A Descriptive History of\nthe Sea and its Inhabitants. From the French of Louis Figuier.\nEdited by C. 0. G. Napier, F. G. S. With 427 Illustrations. Cloth.\nPrice, $3.50.\nREPTILES AND BIRDS. From the French of\nLouis Figuier. Edited by Pabker Gilmore. With 307 Illustra-\ntions. Cloth. Price, $3.50.","height":"2929","width":"1703","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0507.jp2"},"508":{"fulltext":"649 551 Broauwat, New York.\nD. APPLETON CO. S NEW WORKS.\nPRE-HISTOPJC TIMES, AS ILLUSTRATED BY\nANCIENT REMAINS, AND THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS\nOF MODERN SAVAGES. By Sir John Lubbock, Bart. 1 vol.,\n8vo, 640 pages. Illustrated. Price, $5.00.\nA work of more than usual interest, in wMch he has dealt with a very dif-\nficult subject in the most scientific, but at the same time in the most alluring\nmanner. Times.\nAs a history of the discoveries which have been made, and as a resume of\nour present knowledge of p?e-historic men, it leaves nothing to be desired. It\ncannot be read but with interest and pleasure.— /StowtZart?.\nThe chapter on the Antiquity of Man shows a marvellous range, a mastery\nof the antiquarian, geological, astronomical, and physical branches of the subject,\nand no English resum^ so complete of the facts of the old and new Stone ages,\nand of the Bronze age, is elsewhere to be found. /62\nThe book ranks among the noblest works of the interesting and important\nclass to which it belongs. J.?Aew EM7W.\nThose who desire a compact and careful review of the whole subject, well\nillustrated, will find it in this volume. 76i(?.\nOn the subject of pre-historic Archaeology it is not only a good book of refer-\nence, but the Xi^BV— Nature.\nMABEL LEE. A I^ovel. By the Author of Valerie\nAylmer, Morton House, etc. With Illustrations. 1 vol., 8vo.\nPrice, paper covers, $1 cloth, $1.50.\nMabel Lee, like the other works of this young and popular authoress, is a\nBtory of Southern life and character. The scene is laid in Virginia, and after-\nward in South Carolina, and the manners and customs of the South are well\ndelineated. The plot, which is highly interesting, turns in a great degree on the\nmysterious and abnormal influences which have of late years attracted so much\nattention under their various forms of animal magnetism, mesmerism, or\nBpiritualisnk\nCHRIST IK MODERN LIFE. Sermons preached in\nSt. James s Chapel, York Street, St. James s Square, Loudon. By\nRev. Stopfoed A. Brooke, M. A. 1 vol., 12mo, 408 pages. Price,\n$2.00.\nThe main thought which underlies this volume is enthroned in the first\ntwo sermons, and is this That the ideas which Christ made manifest on earth\nare capable of endless expansion, to suit the wants of man in every age; and\nthat they do expand, developing into new forms of larger import and wider\napplication, in a direct proportion to that progress of mankind of which tlioy\nare both root and sap. If we look long and earnestly enough, we shall find in\nthem (not read into them, as some say) the explanation and solution not only of\nour religious, but even our political and social problems. Nor do they contradict\nthe ideas which direct scientific research, nor those which have been generalized\nfrom the results of that research, but are in essential analogy with both one and\nthe oth.Qv. Extract from Preface.","height":"2948","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0508.jp2"},"509":{"fulltext":"549 651 Beoad-way, Ne-w Tobk.\nD. APPLETON CO. S NEW WORKS.\nPRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY; OR, THE MOD-\nERN Changes op the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as\nIllustrative of Geology. By Sir Charles Ltell, Bart., M. A.,\nF. R. S. Eleventh and entirely revised edition. In two volumes.\nIllustrated with Maps, Plates, and Woodcuts. 670 pages each.\nPrice, $8.00.\nThere has been an interval of five years between the last and present edition of\nthe first volume of the Principles of Geology. During this time much discussion has\ntaken place on important theoretical points bearing on meteorology and climate, and\nmuch, new Information obtained by deep-sea dredging, in regard to the temperature\nand shape of the bed of the ocean, and its hying inhabitants.\nThe changes made in the tenth edition were so numerous and important, that I\nhave thought it best to reprint the preface to the edition in fuU, thereby giving the\nreader the opportunity of knowing what advance has been made lq the work since\n1853, when the ninth edition appeared. The pages of additions and corrections given\nIn that preface correspond so nearly to those of the present volume, that the passages\nreferred to may be always found by turning a few pages backward or forward.\nExtract from Preface.\nA POPULAR EDITION OF THE LIFE OF\nDANIEL WEBSTER. By George Ticknor Curtis. Illustrated\nwith elegant Steel Portraits, and fine Woodcuts of different Views at\nFranklin and Marshfleld. In two vols. Small 8vo. Price, $6.00.\nIt may be considered great praise, but we think that Mr. Curtis has written\nthe Life of Daniel Webster as it ought to be written. Boston Courier:\nIt is a work which will eventually find its way into every Ubrary, and almost\nevery family. St. Louis Bepublican.\nWe believe the present work to be a most valuable and important contri-\nbution to the history of American parties and politics. London Saturday Beview.\nThe author has made it a very readable volume, a model biography of a\nmost gifted man, wherein the intermingling of the statesman and lawyer with\nthe husband, father, and friend, is painted so that we feel the reality of the pict-\nure. Journal of Commerce.\nOf Mr. tnrtis s labor we wish to record our opinion, in addition to what we\nhave already said, that, in the writing of this book, he has made a most valuable\ncontribution to the best class of our literature. N. Y. Tribune.\nBEETON S EYERY-DAT COOKERY AKD\nHOUSEKEEPING BOOK Comprising Instructions for Mistresses\nand Servants, and a Collection of over Fifteen Hundred Practical\nRecipes. With 104 Colored Plates, showing tlie Proper Mode of\nsending Dishes to Table. 1 vol., 12mo. Half bound. 404\npages. Price, $1.50.\nMrs. Boeton has brought to her new offering to the public a most anxious\ncare to describe plainly and fully all the more difflcnlt and recondite portions of\ncookery, while the smallest items have not been unconsidered trifles, but each\nrecipe and preparation has claimed minute attention.","height":"2921","width":"1677","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0509.jp2"},"510":{"fulltext":"549 551 Beoadwat, New York,\nD. APPLETON CO. S NEW WORKS.\nA liEW AIIJ) CHEAPER EDITIOI^ OE SOUTH-\nSEA BCTBBLES. By the Earl and the Doctor. 1 vol., 12mo.\nCloth. Price, $1.50.\nThe freshest, breeziest book of travel that has appeared for many a day, is South-\nBea Bubbles, by tho Earl and the Doctor. It is the voyages in bewitching Polynesia\nof Lord Pembroke and Dr. Kingsley. The Sandwich Islands are the especial delight\nof both voyagers. -A Y. Herald\nlife in the Society Islands, and in the adjacent groups of coral-girt islands, has\nnever been more spiritedly etched, unless it be in the sketches, now nigh forgotten,\nwhich we owe to the picturesque pen of our countryman, Herman Melville. Christian\nUnion.\nTEXT-BOOKS OF SCIENCE, now in Couese of\nPublication. In 12mo, containing about 300 pages each. Price,\n$1.50 each, bound in cloth. A Series of Elementary Works on\nScience Mechanical and Physical adapted for the Use of Artisans\nand Students.\nI. METALS: their Properties and Treatment. By Ch^iles\nLoudon Bloxam, Professor of Chemistry in King s College. With\n105 Figures on Wood. Price, $1.60.\nWith such a manual as this, no difficulty wiU be found in gaining some knowledge\nof the wonderful processes by which man wms from the earth the precious and useful\nmetals, and converts them to his use in almost numberless ways. Scotsman.\nm\nIL INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF INORGANIC\nCHEMISTRY. By William Allen Miller, M. D. With 11 Figures\non Wood. Price, $1.50.\nThis text-book of inorganic chemistry is one of the most usefU elementary manu-\nals we have met with for a long time. PhilosopMoal Magazine.\nm. THEORY OF HEAT. By J. Clark Maxwell, M. A., Pro-\nfessor of Experimental Physics in the University of Cambridge.\nPrice, $1.50.\nConsidered as addressed to students already vrell trained in something more than\nthe elements of mathematics, and familiar with the fundamental laws of mechanics. It\nwould be hard to name a better book. Philosophical Magazine.\nS ^hf","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0510.jp2"},"511":{"fulltext":"","height":"2923","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0511.jp2"},"512":{"fulltext":"","height":"2945","width":"1753","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0512.jp2"},"513":{"fulltext":"","height":"2929","width":"1672","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0513.jp2"},"514":{"fulltext":"","height":"2936","width":"1769","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0514.jp2"},"515":{"fulltext":"","height":"2928","width":"1695","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0515.jp2"},"516":{"fulltext":"","height":"3058","width":"1842","jp2-path":"hoursofexercisei01tynd_0516.jp2"}}