The telescopulist—or the telescopulariat—I do not know which is right—said a party were making a grand ascent7, and would come in sight on the remote upper heights, presently; so we waited to observe this performance. Presently I had a superb idea. I wanted to stand with a party on the summit of Mont Blanc, merely to be able to say I had done it, and I believed the telescope could set me within seven feet of the uppermost man. The telescoper assured me that it could. I then asked him how much I owed him for as far as I had got? He said, one franc. I asked him how much it would cost to make the entire ascent? Three francs. I at once determined8 to make the entire ascent. But first I inquired if there was any danger? He said no—not by telescope; said he had taken a great many parties to the summit, and never lost a man. I asked what he would charge to let my agent go with me, together with such guides and porters as might be necessary. He said he would let Harris go for two francs; and that unless we were unusually timid, he should consider guides and porters unnecessary; it was not customary to take them, when going by telescope, for they were rather an encumbrance9 than a help. He said that the party now on the mountain were approaching the most difficult part, and if we hurried we should overtake them within ten minutes, and could then join them and have the benefit of their guides and porters without their knowledge, and without expense to us.
I then said we would start immediately. I believe I said it calmly, though I was conscious of a shudder10 and of a paling cheek, in view of the nature of the exploit I was so unreflectingly engaged in. But the old daredevil spirit was upon me, and I said that as I had committed myself I would not back down; I would ascend12 Mont Blanc if it cost me my life. I told the man to slant13 his machine in the proper direction and let us be off.
Harris was afraid and did not want to go, but I heartened him up and said I would hold his hand all the way; so he gave his consent, though he trembled a little at first. I took a last pathetic look upon the pleasant summer scene about me, then boldly put my eye to the glass and prepared to mount among the grim glaciers14 and the everlasting15 snows.
We took our way carefully and cautiously across the great Glacier des Bossons, over yawning and terrific crevices16 and among imposing17 crags and buttresses18 of ice which were fringed with icicles of gigantic proportions. The desert of ice that stretched far and wide about us was wild and desolate19 beyond description, and the perils20 which beset21 us were so great that at times I was minded to turn back. But I pulled my pluck together and pushed on.
We passed the glacier safely and began to mount the steeps beyond, with great alacrity22. When we were seven minutes out from the starting-point, we reached an altitude where the scene took a new aspect; an apparently23 limitless continent of gleaming snow was tilted24 heavenward before our faces. As my eye followed that awful acclivity far away up into the remote skies, it seemed to me that all I had ever seen before of sublimity25 and magnitude was small and insignificant26 compared to this.
We rested a moment, and then began to mount with speed. Within three minutes we caught sight of the party ahead of us, and stopped to observe them. They were toiling27 up a long, slanting28 ridge29 of snow—twelve persons, roped together some fifteen feet apart, marching in single file, and strongly marked against the clear blue sky. One was a woman. We could see them lift their feet and put them down; we saw them swing their alpenstocks forward in unison30, like so many pendulums31, and then bear their weight upon them; we saw the lady wave her handkerchief. They dragged themselves upward in a worn and weary way, for they had been climbing steadily32 from the Grand Mulets, on the Glacier des Bossons, since three in the morning, and it was eleven, now. We saw them sink down in the snow and rest, and drink something from a bottle. After a while they moved on, and as they approached the final short dash of the home-stretch we closed up on them and joined them.
Presently we all stood together on the summit! What a view was spread out below! Away off under the northwestern horizon rolled the silent billows of the Farnese Oberland, their snowy crests33 glinting softly in the subdued34 lights of distance; in the north rose the giant form of the Wobblehorn, draped from peak to shoulder in sable35 thunder-clouds; beyond him, to the right, stretched the grand processional summits of the Cisalpine Cordillera, drowned in a sensuous36 haze37; to the east loomed38 the colossal39 masses of the Yodelhorn, the Fuddelhorn, and the Dinnerhorn, their cloudless summits flashing white and cold in the sun; beyond them shimmered40 the faint far line of the Ghauts of Jubbelpore and the Aiguilles des Alleghenies; in the south towered the smoking peak of Popocatapetl and the unapproachable altitudes of the peerless Scrabblehorn; in the west-south the stately range of the Himalayas lay dreaming in a purple gloom; and thence all around the curving horizon the eye roved over a troubled sea of sun-kissed Alps, and noted41, here and there, the noble proportions and the soaring domes42 of the Bottlehorn, and the Saddlehorn, and the Shovelhorn, and the Powderhorn, all bathed in the glory of noon and mottled with softly gliding43 blots44, the shadows flung from drifting clouds.
Overcome by the scene, we all raised a triumphant45, tremendous shout, in unison. A startled man at my elbow said:
“Confound you, what do you yell like that for, right here in the street?"
That brought me down to Chamonix, like a flirt46. I gave that man some spiritual advice and disposed of him, and then paid the telescope man his full fee, and said that we were charmed with the trip and would remain down, and not reascend and require him to fetch us down by telescope. This pleased him very much, for of course we could have stepped back to the summit and put him to the trouble of bringing us home if we wanted to.
I judged we could get diplomas, now, anyhow; so we went after them, but the Chief Guide put us off, with one pretext47 or another, during all the time we stayed in Chamonix, and we ended by never getting them at all. So much for his prejudice against people’s nationality. However, we worried him enough to make him remember us and our ascent for some time. He even said, once, that he wished there was a lunatic asylum48 in Chamonix. This shows that he really had fears that we were going to drive him mad. It was what we intended to do, but lack of time defeated it.
I cannot venture to advise the reader one way or the other, as to ascending49 Mont Blanc. I say only this: if he is at all timid, the enjoyments50 of the trip will hardly make up for the hardships and sufferings he will have to endure. But, if he has good nerve, youth, health, and a bold, firm will, and could leave his family comfortably provided for in case the worst happened, he would find the ascent a wonderful experience, and the view from the top a vision to dream about, and tell about, and recall with exultation51 all the days of his life.
While I do not advise such a person to attempt the ascent, I do not advise him against it. But if he elects to attempt it, let him be warily52 careful of two things: chose a calm, clear day; and do not pay the telescope man in advance. There are dark stories of his getting advance payers on the summit and then leaving them there to rot.
A frightful53 tragedy was once witnessed through the Chamonix telescopes. Think of questions and answers like these, on an inquest:
CORONER. You saw deceased lose his life?
WITNESS. I did.
C. Where was he, at the time?
W. Close to the summit of Mont Blanc.
C. Where were you?
W. In the main street of Chamonix.
C. What was the distance between you?
W. A little over five miles, as the bird flies.
This accident occurred in 1866, a year and a month after the disaster on the Matterhorn. Three adventurous54 English gentlemen, [1] of great experience in mountain-climbing, made up their minds to ascend Mont Blanc without guides or porters. All endeavors to dissuade55 them from their project failed. Powerful telescopes are numerous in Chamonix. These huge brass56 tubes, mounted on their scaffoldings and pointed57 skyward from every choice vantage-ground, have the formidable look of artillery58, and give the town the general aspect of getting ready to repel59 a charge of angels. The reader may easily believe that the telescopes had plenty of custom on that August morning in 1866, for everybody knew of the dangerous undertaking60 which was on foot, and all had fears that misfortune would result. All the morning the tubes remained directed toward the mountain heights, each with its anxious group around it; but the white deserts were vacant.
1. Sir George Young and his brothers James and Albert.
At last, toward eleven o’clock, the people who were looking through the telescopes cried out “There they are!”—and sure enough, far up, on the loftiest terraces of the Grand Plateau, the three pygmies appeared, climbing with remarkable61 vigor62 and spirit. They disappeared in the “Corridor,” and were lost to sight during an hour. Then they reappeared, and were presently seen standing63 together upon the extreme summit of Mont Blanc. So, all was well. They remained a few minutes on that highest point of land in Europe, a target for all the telescopes, and were then seen to begin descent. Suddenly all three vanished. An instant after, they appeared again, two thousand feet below!
Evidently, they had tripped and been shot down an almost perpendicular64 slope of ice to a point where it joined the border of the upper glacier. Naturally, the distant witness supposed they were now looking upon three corpses65; so they could hardly believe their eyes when they presently saw two of the men rise to their feet and bend over the third. During two hours and a half they watched the two busying themselves over the extended form of their brother, who seemed entirely67 inert68. Chamonix’s affairs stood still; everybody was in the street, all interest was centered upon what was going on upon that lofty and isolated69 stage five miles away. Finally the two—one of them walking with great difficulty—were seen to begin descent, abandoning the third, who was no doubt lifeless. Their movements were followed, step by step, until they reached the “Corridor” and disappeared behind its ridge. Before they had had time to traverse the “Corridor” and reappear, twilight70 was come, and the power of the telescope was at an end.
The survivors71 had a most perilous72 journey before them in the gathering73 darkness, for they must get down to the Grands Mulets before they would find a safe stopping-place—a long and tedious descent, and perilous enough even in good daylight. The oldest guides expressed the opinion that they could not succeed; that all the chances were that they would lose their lives.
Yet those brave men did succeed. They reached the Grands Mulets in safety. Even the fearful shock which their nerves had sustained was not sufficient to overcome their coolness and courage. It would appear from the official account that they were threading their way down through those dangers from the closing in of twilight until two o’clock in the morning, or later, because the rescuing party from Chamonix reached the Grand Mulets about three in the morning and moved thence toward the scene of the disaster under the leadership of Sir George Young, “who had only just arrived.”
After having been on his feet twenty-four hours, in the exhausting work of mountain-climbing, Sir George began the reascent at the head of the relief party of six guides, to recover the corpse66 of his brother. This was considered a new imprudence, as the number was too few for the service required. Another relief party presently arrived at the cabin on the Grands Mulets and quartered themselves there to await events. Ten hours after Sir George’s departure toward the summit, this new relief were still scanning the snowy altitudes above them from their own high perch74 among the ice deserts ten thousand feet above the level of the sea, but the whole forenoon had passed without a glimpse of any living thing appearing up there.
This was alarming. Half a dozen of their number set out, then early in the afternoon, to seek and succor75 Sir George and his guides. The persons remaining at the cabin saw these disappear, and then ensued another distressing76 wait. Four hours passed, without tidings. Then at five o’clock another relief, consisting of three guides, set forward from the cabin. They carried food and cordials for the refreshment77 of their predecessors78; they took lanterns with them, too; night was coming on, and to make matters worse, a fine, cold rain had begun to fall.
At the same hour that these three began their dangerous ascent, the official Guide-in-Chief of the Mont Blanc region undertook the dangerous descent to Chamonix, all alone, to get reinforcements. However, a couple of hours later, at 7 P.M., the anxious solicitude79 came to an end, and happily. A bugle80 note was heard, and a cluster of black specks81 was distinguishable against the snows of the upper heights. The watchers counted these specks eagerly—fourteen—nobody was missing. An hour and a half later they were all safe under the roof of the cabin. They had brought the corpse with them. Sir George Young tarried there but a few minutes, and then began the long and troublesome descent from the cabin to Chamonix. He probably reached there about two or three o’clock in the morning, after having been afoot among the rocks and glaciers during two days and two nights. His endurance was equal to his daring.
The cause of the unaccountable delay of Sir George and the relief parties among the heights where the disaster had happened was a thick fog—or, partly that and partly the slow and difficult work of conveying the dead body down the perilous steeps.
The corpse, upon being viewed at the inquest, showed no bruises82, and it was some time before the surgeons discovered that the neck was broken. One of the surviving brothers had sustained some unimportant injuries, but the other had suffered no hurt at all. How these men could fall two thousand feet, almost perpendicularly83, and live afterward84, is a most strange and unaccountable thing.
A great many women have made the ascent of Mont Blanc. An English girl, Miss Stratton, conceived the daring idea, two or three years ago, of attempting the ascent in the middle of winter. She tried it—and she succeeded. Moreover, she froze two of her fingers on the way up, she fell in love with her guide on the summit, and she married him when she got to the bottom again. There is nothing in romance, in the way of a striking “situation,” which can beat this love scene in midheaven on an isolated ice-crest with the thermometer at zero and an Artic gale85 blowing.
The first woman who ascended86 Mont Blanc was a girl aged11 twenty-two—Mlle. Maria Paradis—1809. Nobody was with her but her sweetheart, and he was not a guide. The sex then took a rest for about thirty years, when a Mlle. d’Angeville made the ascent—1838. In Chamonix I picked up a rude old lithograph87 of that day which pictured her “in the act.”
However, I value it less as a work of art than as a fashion-plate. Miss d’Angeville put on a pair of men’s pantaloons to climb it, which was wise; but she cramped88 their utility by adding her petticoat, which was idiotic89.
One of the mournfulest calamities90 which men’s disposition91 to climb dangerous mountains has resulted in, happened on Mont Blanc in September 1870. M. D’Arve tells the story briefly92 in his Histoire Du Mont Blanc. In the next chapter I will copy its chief features.
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1
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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bulge
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| n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀 | |
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glacier
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| n.冰川，冰河 | |
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rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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encumbrance
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| n.妨碍物，累赘 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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slant
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| v.倾斜，倾向性地编写或报道；n.斜面，倾向 | |
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glaciers
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| 冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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buttresses
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| n.扶壁，扶垛( buttress的名词复数 )v.用扶壁支撑，加固( buttress的第三人称单数 ) | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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sublimity
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| 崇高，庄严，气质高尚 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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pendulums
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| n.摆，钟摆( pendulum的名词复数 )；摇摆不定的事态（或局面） | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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sensuous
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| adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的 | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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shimmered
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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domes
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| n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场 | |
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gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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blots
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| 污渍( blot的名词复数 )； 墨水渍； 错事； 污点 | |
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triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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flirt
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| v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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asylum
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| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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predecessors
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| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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bugle
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| n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集 | |
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specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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perpendicularly
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| adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lithograph
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| n.平板印刷，平板画；v.用平版印刷 | |
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cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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calamities
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| n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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