IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT.3) 1.0 II '- IIIIM |50 ' |M 2.0 ^ iiiiiia 1.25 1.4 1.6 ■• 6" ► ^•w □ n Tight binding may cause shadows or di:;tortion along inte.ior margin/ La reliure serree peut causer de I'ornbre ou de la distortion le long de la marge int6rieuiuverture en papier est imprimda sont film6s en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page ^ui comporte une empreinie d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second olat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film^s en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illusiration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — *- (meaning "CON- TINUED "I, or the symool V (meas.i.ig "END "). whichever £ppli<)s. Maps, plates, charts, etc., miy be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning !n the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — *» signifie "A SUIVf^E", ie symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour etre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. rata lelure, 1 2 3 32X 1 ^ . 2 3 4 5 6 THE ART18T HUNG.— Page 210. .__-„._ {Frontispiece.) ^^A ., , Jt»"™'5i'#.i*^ b-^ i I II; BIVERS OF ICE ^ Ealt ILLUSTEATIVE OF ALPINE ADVENTURE AND GLACIER ACTION. BY R M. BALLANTYNE, ATTnoR OK "POST HASTK ." " ,^ THR TRACK OK TH. .UOOPS ;" " nm SMT. KK '"'.r- '.'/'''' 'TNBKRTHKWAVKS;" " ,„.AC K >Vo,.V;'' ".» r3 city;" -TKE NORSEMEN iN /HE WE«T ; "TH.: ,kon HORsF ' T ,/ KLOATmo MOHT ;" " KRUNO THE BOLD ;" ' K..;„T:N. T„K n^U S • SUmiNO WINDS." '• DEEP DOWN f -TIIE l.KU.THOfSE •'• ' ' THE likkroat;' "oascoyne:" "thk GOLDEN DREAM," ETC. ETC. ^ 2^itlt 5Uu«tr2tti0tt5. FIFTH EDITION. LONDON: "^ JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 BERNERS STREET. 1880. [All rights reserved.] ElJlMUmGir T. AND A. CONSTaBLK, rniXTURS TO TilE QUKKN AND TO THE UNIVEliSITr. PKEFACE. TfiE title of tliis book .sufficiently explains its culture; there is tlierefore no necessity for saying aiiytliing in the way of preface except that I havl liad some personal experience of Alps arid glaciers, and have consulted the best authorities on the subject. II. M. L. Edinburgh, 1875. * i CONTENTS ciiAr. [.— Tiir novru's pctt-rn, II.-THK 8KAMAN TAKK8 THK " CADIN - DY SUUPUISK AND ST(>RM, .... HI.-DrFPrcULTIES AMONC; THE SOCIAL SUMMITS, ,V.-SH0WS now THK CAITAIX CAMK TO AN ANCIOU. AND CONCEIVED A Di;i:i> DESIGN, V.~IN U-nrcH SEVERAL IMI-ORTANT MATTERS ARE AH- RANOED, AND ,;„.L,E W„rTE HNDEnoOES SOME RE- MARKABLE AND HITDERTO UNKNOWN EXI-EHIENCES, VL-A LESSON TAUGHT AND LEARNED, TACiE 1 VII.— THE GREAT WHITE MOUNTAIN, Vm.-INTRODUCES THE READER TO VARIOUS PERSONAOI.. AND TOUCHES ON GLACIERS, IX. -A SOLID STREAM, X.— THE FIRST EXCURSION, XL -THE PURSUIT OF SCIENCE UNDER DIFFICULTIES. . XII.-IN WHICH GILLIE LS SAGACIOUS, AN EXCURSION IS UNDERTAKEN, WONDROUS SIGHTS ARE SEEN AND AVALANCHES OF MORE KINDS THAN ONE ARK EN COUNTERfiD, . . , • • , XIII- SHOWS WHAT DANGERS MAY BE MET WITH IN THE PURSUIT OF ART AND SCIENCE, 10 S4 53 0<) 81 91 107 121 120 141 XTV.~THE GRAND ASCI':NT BEGUN, 163 188 217 VI CONTKNTS. XV. XVI. XVH. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXJ. XXII. XXIII - THK OR.\Nn ASCENT CONTINt'KD AND COMI'LEIKD, -TELLS HOW Lr.WIS DISTINOUISHED HIMSELF, -DANMiEU AND DEATH (iN THE (iLACIEU, —A MVSTEUY CLEAHED UP, .... - -MOUNTAINEEUINCJ IN UENEUAL, —RECOUDS A SKKIOUS EVENT, — DOWN IN THE MOUAINE AT LAST, PAfiK •jr.8 2S7 30:? 322 344 352 -MYSTERIOUS I'ROCEEDINGS OF THE CAPTAIN AND OILLIE, 363 -THE CAPTAIN SURPRISES HIS FRIENDS IN VARIOUS WAYS, AND IS HIMSELF BAFFLED, . • • .376 XXIV.— IN WHICH TREMENDOUS FORCES COMF TO THE CAP- TAIN'S AID 388 XXV. - -AN UNEXPECTED OEM FOUND, XXVI. -THE DENOUEMENT, XXVII.— THE LAST, . . . • . 405 . 412 . 421 LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS. THE ARTIST HUNG (p. 21(5), Frontispiece ILLUSTRATED TITLE-PAUE. "1 SAY, OLD LADY," HE SHOUTED, "IT'LL DO," ^^ar/c 33 THE MORAINE OF THE MER DE GLACE. . IGO THE CAPTAIN ON DUTY AS " THE LOOK-tUT ' 208 THE AVALANCHE, . 276 m n KIVERS OF ICE: A TALE OF ALPINE ADVENTUKE. CHAPTKi; I. TllK llOVKIl's UKTUUN. On a certain suninuT inoniing, about the niiadle of the present century, a big biufT man, of seafarin.' aspect, found himself sauntering in a certain street near Loudon Bridge, lie was a man of above fifty, but looked under forty in consequence of tlie healtii- ful vigdur of his frame, the freslmess of !iis salt- water face, and the blackness of his shaggy hair. Althougii liis gait, pilot-cloth coat, and pocketed liands proclaimed liim a sailor, there were one or tvvo contradictory points ubout liim. A huge beard and moustache savoured more of the diggings tlian the deep, and a Imrwu wide-awako with a pro- digiously broad brim suggested the backwoods. l*ausiug at tlie head of one of tliose narrow lanes which— running down between warehouses, lilthy little rag and bono sliop^, and low poverty-strickeu IlIVEKS OF ICK ,«:! I) dwellings- appear to terminate tlieir career, not unwillingly, in tbe TliameS; the sailor gazed before him with nautical earnestness for a few seconds, then glanced at the corner house for a name ; found no name ; cast his eyes up to the strip of blue sky overhead, as if for inspiration ; obtained none ; planted his legs wide apart as if he had observed a squall coming, and expected the lane to lurch heavily — wrinkled his eyebrows, and pursed his lips. " Lost yer bearin's, capp'u ? " exclaimed a shrill pert voice at his side. The seaman looked down, and beheld a small boy with a head like a disorderly door-mat, and gar- ments to match. He stood in what may be styled an imitative attitude, with his hands thrust into his ragged pockets, his little legs planted wide apart, hid cap thrust well back on his head, and his eye- brows wrinkled. He also pursed his lips to such an extent that they resembled a rosebud in a dirty bush. " Yes, imp," replied the seaman — he meant to have said " impudence," but stopped at tne first syllable as being sufficiently appropriate — "yes, imp, I have lost my bearings, and I '11 give you a copper if you 11 help me to find 'em." " AVot sort o' copper ? " demanded the urchin, "(here's three sorts of 'em, you know, in this 'ere kingdom — which appears to be a queendom at on ALPINE ADVENTURE. present — there's a larding and a lia'pcnny and a penny. I mention it, capp'n (he added apologcti- tully) in case you don't know, for you look as if you 'd come from furrin parts." The seaman's look of surprise melted into a broad qrin of amusement while this speech was being ihiently delivered. At its conclusion he pulled out a penny and held it up. "Well, it ain't much," said the small boy, "and I ain't used to hire myself cut so cheap. However, as you seem to bo raither poorly off, I don't mind if I lend you a liand for that. Only, please, don't men- tion it among your friends, as it would p'raps lower their oinnion of you, d' you see ? Now then w'ot d' you want to know ? " To tliis the " capp'n," still smiling at the small boy's precocious insolence, replied that he was in search of an old woman who dwelt in a small court styled Grubb's Court, so he was told, which lay somewhere in that salubrious neighbourhood, and asked if he, tlie imp, knew of such a place. " Know's of it ? I should tliink I does. Wy, I lives there. It's right down at the foot o' this 'ere lane, an' a wery sweet 'ristocratik spot it is — quite a perninsular, bein' land, leastwise mud, a'most sur- rounded by water, the air bein' 'ighly condoosive to the 'ealth of rats, likewise cats. As to old women, there's raither a bruad sprinklin' of 'em in the court, KIVKllS OF ICE raiigiu' from the ages of seventy to a hundred an* twenty, more or less, an' you'll take some time to go over 'em all, capp'n, if you don't know your old woman's name." " Her name is liol)y — ," said the seaman. " 0, Koby ? ah," returned the small boy, looking sedately at the ground, " let me see — yes, that 's the name of the old 'ooman, I think, wot 'angs out in the cabin, right-'and stair, top floor, end of the pas- sage, w'ere most wisiters flattens their noses, by consekince of there bein* no light, and a step close to the door which inwariably trips 'em up. Most wisitors to that old 'ooman begins their acquaintance M'it]\ her by knocking at her door with their noses instead of their knuckles. We calls htM' place the cabm, 'cause the windows is raither small, and over- 'angs the river." "Well then, my lad," said the seaman, " clap a stopper 9n your tongue, if you can, and heave ahead." " All right, capp'ii," returned the small boy, " foller me, an' don't be frightened. Port your helm a bit here, there 's a quicksand in the middle o' the track — so, steady ! " Avoiding a large pool of mud with which tlie head of the lane was garnished, and which might have been styled the bathing, not to say wallow- ing, quarters of the Grubb's Court juveniles, the UK ALl'lNE ADVKNTUliE. small boy led the blufY scaiiiaii towards the river without further remark, diverging only once from the straight road for a few seconds, for the purpose of making a furious rush at a sleeping cat with a yell worthy of a Cherokee savage, or a locomotive whistle ; a slight pleasantry which had the double effect of shooting the cat through space in glaring convulsions, and filling the small boy's mind with the placidity which naturally follows a great success. The lane presented this peculiarity, that the warehouses on its left side became more and more solid and vast and toll as they neared the river, while the shops and dwellings on its right became poorer, meaner, and more diminutive in the same direction, as if there were some mysterious connection between them, which involved the ad- versity of the one in exact proportion to the pros- perity of the other. Children and cats appeared to be the chief day-population of the place, and these disported themselves among the wheels of enormous waggons, and the legs of elephantine horses with an impunity which could only have been the result of life-long experience. The seaman was evidently unaccustomed to such scenes, for more than once during the short period of his progress down the lane, he uttered an excla- mation of alarm, and sprang to the rescue of those 6 RIVERS OF ICK large balies which are supposed to have grown suffi- ciently old to become nursing mothers to smaller babies — acts which were viewed with a look of pity by the small boy, and called from him the encou- raging observations, " Keep your mind easy, cap- p'n ; they 're all right, bless you ; the bosses knows 'em, and wouldn't 'urt 'em on no account." " This is Grubb's Court," said the boy, turning sharply to the right and passing through a low archway. " Thank 'ee, lad," said the seaman, giving him a sixpence. The small boy opened his eyes very wide indeed, exclaiming, " Hallo ! I say, capp'u, wot's this ?" at the same time, however, putting the coin in his pocket with an air which plainly said, " Whether you 've made a mistake or not, you needn't expect to get it back again." Evidently the seaman entertained no such expec- tations, for he turned a^^■ay and became absorbed in tlie scene around him. It was not cheering. Though the summer sun was high and powerful, it failed to touch the broken pavement of Grubb's Court, or to dry up the moisture which oozed from it and crept up the walls of the surrounding houses. Everything was very old, very rotten, very crooked, and very dirty. The doorways round the court were wide open — always open — Oi: ALPINK ADVENTUIIK. in some cases, because of there being no doors ; in otlier cases, because the tenements to which they led belonged to a variety of families, largely com- posed of children wlio could not even on tiptoe reach or manipulate door-handles. Nursing mot hers of two feet high were numerous, staggering about with nurslings of a foot and a half long. A few oi the nurslings, temporarily abandoned by the prema- ture mothers, lay sprawling — in some cases squall- ing — on the moist pavement, getting over the ground like large snails, and leaving slimy tracks behind them. Little boys, of the " City Arab" type, were sprinkled here and there, and one or two old women sat on door-steps contemplating the scene, or con- versing with one or two younger women. Some of the latter were busy washing garments so dirty, that the dirty water of old Father Thames seemed quite a suitable purifier. " Gillie," cried one of the younger women referred to, wiping the soap-suds from her red arms, " come here, you bad, naughty boy. AV'ere 'ave you bin ? I want you to mind baby." " Wy, mother," cried the small boy — who an- swered to the name of Gillie — " don't you see I'm engaged? I'm ashowin' this 'ere sea-capp'n the course he's got to steer for port. He wants to make the cabin of old mother Koby." " Wy don't you do it quickly, then?" demanded m 8 RIVKUS 01' ICE Gillie's mother, " you bad, nauglity, wicked boy. Beg your pardiiig, sir," slic added, to the seaman, " the boy 'aii't got no sense, besides bein' wicked and naughty — 'e ain't 'ad no train', sir, that 's w'ere it is, all along of my 'avin' too much to do, an* a large family, sir, with no 'usband to speak of; riglit up the stair, sir, to the top, and along the passage — door straight before you at the hend of it. ^lind the step, sir, w'en you gits up. Go up with the gentleman, you bad, wicked, naughty boy, and show — " The remainder of the sentence became confused in distance, as the boy and the seaman climbed the stair ; but a continuous murmuring sound, as of a vocal torrent, conveyed the assurance that the mother of Gillie was still holding forth. " 'Ere it is," said the young pilot, pausing at the top of the staircase, near the entrance to a very dark passage. " Keep 'er 'ead as she goes, but I 'd recommend you to shorten sail, mind your 'elm, an 'ave the anchor ready to let go." Having thus accommodated his language to the supposed intelligence of the seaman, the elfin youth stood listening with intense eagerness and expecta- tion as the other went into the passage, and, by sundry kicks and bumps against wooden walls, gave evidence that he found the channel intricate. Pre- sently a terrible kick occurred. This was the sea- 'Vj. i on ALI'iMi ADVKNTllia s man-, loo against tl.o stop, of wind, he had been At tb,.s. oahe 3 cpectutious were realise.!, and bis joy co„s„m,natea. With mischievous glee sparklin - eyes. i,e hastened down to the Conr! to t" bit b,s sixpence to his mother, and to announce to ";::;.''.ff'''-"-".'''^t..tbesea.capp 10 KIVKUS OF ICE ClTArTER 11. TttK SEAMAN TAKES THE " CABIN " BY SUUPBISR AND STORK. Without having done precisely what Gillie had asserted of him, our seaman had in truth made his way into the presence of the little old woman who inhabited " the cabin," and stood there gazing round him as if lost in wonder ; and well he might be, for the woman and cabin, besides being extremely old, were exceedingly curious, quaint, and small. The former was wrinkled to such an extent, that you could not have found a patch of smooth skin large enough for a pea to rest on. Her teeth were all gone, back and front, and her nose, which was straight and well-formed, made almost successful attempts to meet a chin which had once been dimpled, but was now turned up. The mouth be- tween them wore a benignant and a slightly humour- ous expression ; the eyes, which were bright, black, and twinkling, seemed to have defied the ravages of time. Her body was much bent as she sat in her chair, and a pair of crutches leaning against the on ALl'LNK ADVENTUUE. 11 cliinincy-piece suggested the idea tliat it would not be much straighter if she stood up. She was wrapped in a large, warm shawl, and wore a high cap, which fitted so close round her little visage, that hair, if any, was undistinguisliuble. The room in wliich she sat resembled the cabiu of a ship in more respects than one. It was parti- cularly low in the roof, so low that the seaman's hair touched it as he stood there looking round him ; and across this roof ran a great beam, from which hung a variety of curious ornaments, such us a Chinese lantern, a Turkish scimitar, a New Zealand club, an Eastern shield, and the model of a full- rigged ship. Elsewhere on the walls were, an orna- mented dagger, a worsted-work sampler, a framed sheet of the flags of u .. nations, a sou'-wester cap and oiled coat, a telescope, and a small staring por- trait of a sea-captain in his " go-to-meeting" clothes, which looked very much out of keeping with his staring sunburnt face, and were a bad fit. It might have been a good likeness, and was certainly the work of one who might have raised himself to the rank of a Royal Academician if he had possessed sufficient talent, and who might have painted well if he had understood the principles of drawing and colour. The windows of the apartment, of which there w(5re two very small square ones, looked out upon 1 12 TlIVEltS OF ICR the river, and, to some extent, overhung it, so that a man of san«,aiine temperament ml«^fht liave enjoyed li.sliing from them, if he coiikl have been content to catch live rats and dead cats. The prospect from these windows was, however, the best of them, being a wide reach of the noble river, crowded with its stately craft, and cut up by its ever-bustling steamers. But the most notewortliy part of this room, or " cabin," was the space between tlie two windows immediately over the chimney-piece, which the eccentric old woman had covered with a large, and, in some cases, inappropriate assortment of objects, by way of ornament, each article being cleaned and polished to the liighcst possible condition of which it was susceptible. A group of five photographs of children — three girls and two boys, looking amazed — formed tlie centrepiece of the ciesign ; around these were five other photographs of three young ladies and two young gentlemen, looking conscious, but pleased. The spaces between fhese, and every available space around them, were occupied by pot- lids of various sizes, old and battered, but shining like little suns ; small looking-glasses, also of various sizes, some square and others round ; little strings of beads ; heads of meerschaums lihat had been much used in former days ; pin-cushions, shell-baskets, one or two horse-shoes, and iron-heels of boots ; several flat irons belonging to doll's houses, with a •^- '>*, : Oil ALPIXK ADVKNTUIJK. 13 I couple of (lolls, mucli the worse for wear, niowiilin^' guard over them; besides a host of other nick- nacks, for which it were impossible to liiid lujmes or imagine uses. Everything— irom tlie old woman's cap to the uncarpeted floor, and the little grate in which a little fire was making feeble efforts to warm a lit J tea-kettle with a deliant spout— was scrupu- lously neat, and fresh, and clean, very much the re- verse of what one might have expected to find in (xjnnection with a poverty-stricken pojiulation, a dirty lane, a filthy court, a rickety stair, and a dark passage. Possibly the cause might have been found in a large and much-worn family Bible, which lay on a small table in company with a pair of tortoise- shell spectacles, at the old woman's elbow. • On this scene the nautical man stood gazing, as we have said, with much interest ; but he was too polite to gaze long. " Your servant, missis," he said with a somewhat clumsy bow. , " Good morning, sir," said the little old woman, returning the bow with the air of one who had once seen better society than that of Grubb's Court. "Your name is Eoby, I believe," continued the seaman, advancing, and looking so large in comparison, with the little room that he seemed almost to fdl it. The little old woman adniittee^veryfo„dof„,,a„dlon: 1 rV'^ 7^'" '"^^^ ^"^"'^ *" ->'"'-'^-. -'i :'7 "";'■">' '« ^«''. "'I'en about twelve year ol,l • he got\ot;v""^v°"""^'*''^^^'*-- '-«■■' ' e d^ f? 7""' '" '^'^ '"■' ^'"P' --' -- not ^e„ra of for a long t,n,e after that. I thought l,e as dea or dro.„.d, ,„, „, ^ 7 ^' "•" "'^" S0ld-d.^'8ings. an' l,ad been lucky ^'-r boy, and he wanted to .share hi., ]„ek S didn t need to send n..,^oney to prove that H. h^ contnu,ed to send n. a. .,,e every year .nS XVet'" ^ "'""'' "'""^ ^-^"^^ "-^'-^>'' ^>-. She sighed, and looked wistfully at the .spark of t"i^ t : rr *'"' "-^ "'"'^'"^ '-'^-'-" ^t- mpts o,,od the little tea-kettle with the defiant enl'..j;'f"'^'"'=™''"''-'''-ki„gnpsud- •i'^iily, why do you ask about him? - " ^."'''l' ^ ^"^- '"■'"-•■ replied Captain Wopper -..;ng or something which appeared to hals^ -5th3 Of one of his capacious pockets. " M-il- t was a chum of mine. Wc worked lo- the Californy goM-mines for rnanv a v,.„ . as partners, and, when sc in the i lum Si gether Inst we 'd made what MO 11 18 RIVERS OF ICE Mil ri-ii lili thought enough, we gave it up an' came down to San Francisco together, an' set up a hotel, under the name of the * Jolly Tars,' by Stout and Co. I was the Co., ma'am ; an', for the matter o' that, I may say I was the Stout too, for botli of us answered to the Stout or the Co., accordin' as we was addressed, d 'ee see? When Co. thought he'd made enough money to entitle him to a holiday, he came home, as you see ; but, before leavin', Willum said to lim, * Co., my lad, w'en you get home, you '11 go and see that old 'oom of the name of l^oby, whom I've often told vou about. She lives in Lunun, somewheres down by the river in a place called Grubb's Court. She was very good to me, that old 'oom was, when she was young, as I've told you before. You go an' give her my blessin' — Willum's blessin' — and this liere bag and that there letter.' * Yes,' says I, * Wil- lum, I '11 do it, my boy, as soon as ever I set futt on British soil.' I did set futt on British soil this morning, and there 's the letter ; also the bag ; so, you see, old lady, I 've kep' my promise." Captain Wopper conckided by placing a small but heavy canvas bag, and a much-soiled letter, in Mrs. Eoby's lap. To say that the little old woman seized tho letter with eager delight, would convey but a faint idea of her feelings as che opened it with trembling hands, and read it with her bright black eyes. ^tA \ on ALPINE ADVENTURE. 19 She read it half aloud, mingled with commentary, as she proceeded, and once or twice came to a pause over an illegible word, on which occasions her visitor helped her to the word without looking at :he xetter. This circumstance struck her at last as somewhat singular, for she looked up suddenly, and said, — " You appear, sir, to be familiar with the con- tents of my letter." "That's true, ma'am," replied Captain Wopper, who had been regarding the old woman with a benignant smile ; " Willum read it to me before I left, a'purpose to enable me to translate the ill- made pot-hooks and hangers, because, d'ee see, we were more used to handlin' the pick and shovel out there than the pen, an' Willum used to say he never was much of a dab at a letter. He never wrote you very long ones, ma'am, I believe ?" Mrs. Iloby looked at the fire pensively, and said, in a low voice, as if to herself rather than her visitor, " No, they were not long— never very long- but always kind and sweet to me— very sweet— ay, ay, it 's a long, long time now, a long time, since he came to me here and asked for a night's lodging." " Did you give it him, ma'am ?" asked the captain. " Give it him !" exclaimed Mrs. Eoby, with sud- den energy, " of course I did. The poor boy was nigh starving. How could I refuse him ? It is true 20 KTVKIJS OF ICE I .ill I had not much to give, for the family I was with as nuss had failed and left me in great distress, through my savings bein' in tlieir hands ; and that *3 what brought me to this little room long, long ago —ay, ay. But no blame to tlie family, sir, no blame at all. They couldn't lielp failin', an' the young ones, when they grew up, did not forget their old nuss, though they ain't rich, far from it ; and it 's wliat tliey give me that enables me to pay my rtiut and stay on here — God bless 'em." She looked affectionately at tlie daguerreotypes which hung, in the midst of the sheen and glory of put-lids, beads, and looking-glasses, a1)ove the chimney-piece. " You gave him, meanin' Willum, nothing else, T suppose?" asked the captain, with a knowing look ; " such, for instance, as a noo suit of clothes, because of his bein' so uncommon ragged that he looked as if he had bin captured in a clumsy sort of net that it would not have been difficult to break through and escape fro^^^ naked; also a few shillin's, bein* your last, to pay his way down to Gravesend, where the ship was lyin', that you had, through interest with the owners, got him a berth aboard ?" " Ah !" returned Mrs. Iioby, shaking her head and smiling gently, " I see that William has told you all about it." " He has, ma'am," replied Captain Wopper, with - iSl: on ALI'INK ADVKNTLliE. 21 a decisive nocl. " You see, out in the gold-fioldrs of Calitbrny, we had lontjr niglits togetlier in our tent, witli notliin' to do but smoke our pipes, eat our grul), and spin yarns, for we had no books nor papers, nothin' to read excei)t a noo Testament, and we wouldn't have had even that, ma'am, but for yourself. It was the Testament you gave to Willum at partin', an' very fond of it he was, bein* your gift. You see, at the time we went to Californy, there warn't many of us as caied for the Word of God. Most of us was idolaters that had run away from liome, our chief gods — for we had nmny of 'em — bein* named Adventure, Excitement, and Gold ; though there was some noble exceptions, too. ]iut, as I was oaying, we had so much time on our liands that we recalled all our past adventures together over and over again, and, you may be sure, ma'am, that your name and kindness was not forgotten. There was another name," continued Captain Wopper, drawing his chair nearer the fire, crossing his legs and stroking his beard as he looked up at the dingy ceiling, " that Willum often thought about and spoke of. It was the name of a gentleman, a clerk in the Customs, I believe, who saved his life one day when he fell into the river just below the bridge." " Mr. Lawrence," said the old woman, promptly. " Ah ! Mr. Lawrence ; yes, that's the name," con- tinued the Captain. " W^illum was very grateful to 22 RIVKRS OF ICE him, and bid me try to find him out and tell him so. Is he alive?" " Dead," said Mrs. Ptoby, shaking lier head sadly. The seaman appeared much conceTned on hearing this. For some time he did not speak, and then said that he had been greatly interested in that gentleman through Willum's account of him. " Hr.d he lefo any children ?" " Yes," Mrs. Roby told him ; " one son, who had been educated as a doctor, and had become a sort of a city missionary, and was as pleasant a young gentleman as she ever knew." " So, then, you know him ?" said the Captain. " Know him ! I should think so. Wliy, this is the district where he visits, and a kind friend he is to the poor, though he is bashful a bit, an* seems to siirink from pushin' himself where he 's not wanted." " Not the less a friend to the poor on that ac- count," thought Captain Wopper ; but he said no- tliing, and Mrs. Roby went on : — " You see, his father before him did a great deal for the poor in a quiet way here, as I have reason to know, this district lying near his office, and handy, as it were. Long after the time when he saved Willum's life, he married a sweet young creeter, who helped him in visitin' the poor, but she caught fever among 'em and died, when their only son George was about ten year old. George had been ijm:- oil ALPINK ADVENTUHK. 23 \ -' goin* about with his mother on licr visits, and seemed very fond of lier and of the people, dear child ; and after she died, ho used to continue coming with his father. Then he went to school and college and became a young doctor, and only last year he came back to us, so changed for tlie better that none of us would have known him but for his kindly voice and fine manly-looking manner. His shyness, too, has stuck to him a little, but it does not seem to hinder him now as it once d'nt Ah ! " continued Mrs. lloby, in a sympathetic tone, " it 's a great misfortune to be shy." She looked pensively at the little fire and shuok her tall cap at it, as if it or the defiant tea-kettle were answerable for something in reference to shyness. " Yes, it 'a a great misfortune to be shy," slie repeated. " Were you ever troubled with that com- plaint, Captain Wopper?" The Captain's moustache curled at the corners as he stroked his beard, and said that really, on consideration, he was free to confess that he never had been convicted of that sin. Mrs. Roby bestowed on him a look of admiration, and continued, " Well, as I have said — " She was interrupted at this point by the entrance of an active little girl, with the dirtiest face and sweetest expression imaginable, with garments ex- cessively ragged, blue eyes that sparkled as they 2{ KlVKliS OF ICK oi 1 I •!;' • looked lit you, a mouth that sucmed iikuIcj Tor kissing, if only it had been clean, and golden hair that would have fallen in clustering curls on her neck, if it had not been allowed to twist itself into something like a yellow door- mat, which rendered a bonnet unneces- sary. Bestowing a glance of surprise on the seaman, but without uttering a word, she went smartly to a corner and drew into tlie middle of the room a round table with one big and three feet, who.^e accommodating top having been previously ihit against the wall, fell down horizontal and fixed itself with a snap. On tliis the earnest little woman, quickly and neatly, spre.'id a fairish linen clolh, and proceeded to arrange thereon a small tea-pot, and cup and saucer, with other materials, for an early tea. " Two cups, Netta, my dear," said ]\Irs. Eoby. " Yes, grannie," replied Netta, in a soft, quick, little voice. " Your grandcbild ?" asked the Captain. " No ; a neighbour's child, wbo is very kind to me. She calls me grannie, because I like it. But, as I was saying," continued Mrs. Eoby, " young Dr. Lawrence came back last year and began to visit us in the old way, intending to continue, he said, until he got a situation of some sort in the colonies, I believe; but I do hope he'll not be ob- 11 OR ALI'INF-: ADVKNTL'KE. 25 liged to leave ns, for lie has bin a great blessiii' to this neighbourliood, only he gets little pay for his work, I tear, and appears to have little of his own to live on, poor young man.— Now, Captain Wopper, you '11 stop and liave a cup of tea with me. I take it early, you see,— in truth, I make a sort of din- ner of it,— and we can have a t;ilk about William over it. I 'm proud to have a friend of his at my table, sir, I do assure you, tliough it w a poor one." Captain Wopper accepted the invitation heartily, and thought, though he said nothing, that it was indeed a poor table, seeing that the only food on it, besides the very weak tea in the wonderfully small pot, consisted of one small loaf of bread. " Why, Netta," exclaimed Mrs. Eoby, with a look of surprise, " there s no butter ! Go, fetch it, dear." JVIrs. IJoby was, or thought herself, a remarkably deep character. She spoke to Netta openly, but, in secret, bestowed a meaning glance on her, and slipped a small coin into her hand. The dirty, sweet-faced damsel replied by a remarkably know- ing wink— all of which by-play, with the reason for it, was as clear to Captain Wopper as if it had been elaborately explained to him. But the Captain was a discreet man. He became deeply absorbed in daguerreotypes and sauce-pan lids above the fire- place, to the exclusion of all else. ¥* fj 26 mVEUS OF ICE T ; t' I : ! ) " You've forgotten the bag, ni'^'am," said the Captain, drawing liis cliair nearer the table. " So I have ; dear mo, what is it ?" cried Mrs. liuby, taking it up. " It's heavy." " Gold!" said the Captain. " Gold ?" exclaimed the old nurs?. " Ay, nuggets," said the seaman, opening it and emptying its contents (m the talde. As tlie old nurse gazed on the yellow heap her black eyes glittered witli pleasure, as thougli they had derived additional lustre from the precious metal, and she drew them towards her with a trembling, almost greedy, motion, at sight of which Captain Wopper's countenance became troubled. " And did Willie send this to me, dear boy?" " He did, ma'am, hoping that it would be of use in the way of making your home more comfortable, and enabling you to keep a better table." He glanced uneasily round the poor room and at the small loaf a.; he spoke, and the old v.^oman observed the gLiue. "It is very kind of him, very kind," continued Mrs Koby. " What may it be worth, now ?" " Forty pounds, more or less," answered the Captain. Again the old woman's eyes sparkled greedily, and again the seaman's countenance fell. " Surely, ma'am," said the Captain, gravely, OR ALTINK ADVENTURE. 27 " things .mist be uncomiuori dear in London, tor you tell mo that Willum has sent you a deal of money in time past, but you don't seem to be much the better for it." " Captain Wopper," said Mrs. Roby, putting her hand lightly on the Captain's arm as it lay on the table, and looking earnestly into his face, "if you had not been an old and valued friend of my dear Willie —which I learn that you are from his letter — I would have said your remark was a rude one ; but, being what you are, I don't mind telling you that I save up every penny I can scrape together for little Netta White, the girl that has just gone out to fetch the butter. Although she 's not well cared for, — owing to her mother, who's a washer- woman, bein* overburdened with work and a drunken husband,— she 's one of the dearest creeters I ever did see. Bless you, sir, you 'd be amazed if. you knew all the kind and thoughtful things that, untrained and uncared for child does, and never^ thinks she 's doing anything more than other people. It's all along of her mother's spirit, which is as. good as gold. Some months ago Little Netta hap- pened to be up here when I was at tea, and, seeing the difficulty I had to move about with my old rheumatic limbs, she said she 'd come and set out my tea and breakfast ior me; and she's done it,' sir, from that time to this, expecting nothing for it 28 inVMKS OK I(!|' juid tlunlviiii; I'm l^o \)Oi)Y lo give hor nnytliiiig. \\\\{ hIio 's inis(nky, widi u trimupliinU twinklt* in licr Mnck oyi\s, " .slio (l()(»HU*t know tliat I 'vo iiKulc a cunliiliini of lior hrotluT r.illi a i(\ and i;ivo hiin a sixpence now nnd lluMi to give to his mother without telling where he got it, and sh(» doesn't know tliat I 'ni saving up to ho able to leave sonieiliing to her when I'm called home — it can't he long, now ; it can't he long." '• Old 'ooman,"' cried Captain Wopi)er, mIiosg fnco had brighteiHHl W(H\d(Ml'nlly during this explanation, "give us your Ilip — your haiul. 1 honour your heart, ma'am, and 1 've no respect whatever tor your brain !" "I'm not sure that, that's a compliment," said Mrs. Koby, with a smile. Captain Wopper assured her with nmch solemnity that it might or might not be a compliment, but it was a fact. " Why, look here," said he, " you go and starve yourself, and deny yourself all sorts of little comforts— what then ? Why, you'll die long before your time, which is very like taking the law into your own hands, ma'am, and then you won't leave to Xetta nearly as much as you might if you had taken cave of yourself and lived longer, and saved up after a reasonable fashion. It's sheer madness. AVhy, ma'am, you're starving now, but I'll put a stop to that. Don't you mind, now, UK AIJ'INK AUVKSTl'llK 29 wlH.,th('r I 'in ni,l„ or not. Yo.i (;uii't oxi^oct any- tiiiiig 'jIho rnnn an old gold-.'-ggcr, who lia.s lived for yfMirs whcro tln-n) wcr(3 no woinon i'.xw,pt hwU iiH npiMuiml to be made of nnil,o;.j,ny, with n(,thni|,' to cover 'cmi but a eoaiin^r of dirt and a blue .skirt! I5oMid,.M, Willuni told nH3 at parting to look after .>ou and hco that y,ni wanted for nothing, whioli I pioiuised laitldully to d(». You 'vc Honie^'regard foi Willum's wishes, nia'an. ? - you wouldn't have im, breiik my proniises to Willuni, would you ?" The Captain said this with iinuiense rapidity and vigour, and fininhed it with such a Idow of his heavy fi.st on the little table that the cups and phites daneed, and the lid of the little tea-pot leaped up as if its heart were about to come out of its mouth. Mrs. IJol.y was so taken by sun)rise that she could not speak for a few seconds, and l»ef()re she had recovered sufJiciently to do so, Little Netia came in with the butter. "Now, ma'am," resumed the Captain, when the girl bad retired, "here's where it is. With your biave I '11 reveal my plans to you, and ask your advice. When I was about to leave Californy, Willuni told me first of all to go and find t/ou out,' and give you that letter and bag of nuggets, \vhieh I've done. ' Then,' says h(., ' Wopper, you go and find cat my brother Jim's widow, and give em my love an' dooty, and this b'tter, and this bag of 30 KIVEllS OF ICE I >! ; nuggets* — said letter and bag, ma'am, beiii* now in iny chest aboard ship. So, says I, * Willum, 1 will — trust me.' ' I do,' says he ; * and, Wopper,' says he, * keep your weather eye open, my boy, w'en you go to see *em, because I've my suspicions, from what my poor brother said on his deathbed, when he was wandering in his mind, that his widow is extravagant. I don't know,' Willum goes on to say, * what the son may be, but there 's that cousin, Emma Gray, that lives in the house with *tm, ' 's all right, ^he 's corresponded with me, off an ou, since ever she could write, and my brother bein' something lazy, poor fellar, through havin' too much to do I fancy, got to throw alJ the letter- writin' on her shoulders. You take special note of her, Wopper, and if it should seem to you that they don't treat her well, you let me know.* * Willum,' says I, * I will — trust me.* * Well, then,' says Willum, * there 's one other individooal I want you to ferret out, that's the gentleman — he must be an old gentleman now — that saved my life when I was a lad, Mr. Lawrence by name. You try to find him out, and if you can do him a good turn, do it.' 'Willum,' says I, 'I'll do it— trust me.' 'I do,' says he, ' and when may I expect you back in Calif orny, Wopper ?' * Willum,' says I, * that depends.' ' True,' says he, ' it does. Give us your flipper, old boy, we may never meet again in these "•> OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 31 terrestrial diggings. Good luck to you. Don't forget my last will an' testimony as now expressed. 'Willum; says I, 'I won't.' So, ma'am, I left Californy with a sacred trust, so to speak, crossed the sea, and here I am." At ^his point Captain Wopper, having warmed in his subject, took in at one bite as much of the small loaf as would have been rather a heavy dinner for Mrs. Eoby, and emptied at one gulp a full cup of her tea, after which he stroked his beard, smiled benignantly at his hostess, became suddenly earnest again, and went on— chewing as he spoke. " Now, ma'am, I *ve three questions to ask : In the first place, as it's not possible now to do a good turn to oM Mr. Lawrence, I must do it to his son. Can you tell me where he lives ?" Mrs. Eoby told him that it was in a street not ' far from where they sat, in a rather poor lodging. " Secondly, ma'am, can you tell me where Wil- lum's sister-in-law lives,— Mrs. Stout, alias Stout- ley?" " No, Captain Wopper, but I daresay Mr. Law- rence can. He knows 'most everytliink, and has a London Directory." " Good. Now, in the third place, where am 1 to find a lodi^inff?' Mrs. Eoby replied that there were plenty to bo found in London of all kinds. 32 PtlVERS OF ICE « If lif IT " You haven't a 6])are room hen, iiave you f said the Captain, looking round. Mrs. Roby shook her head and said tliat she had not; and, besides, that if she had, it would be im- possible for her to keep a lodger, as she had no servant, and could not attend on him herself. " Mrs. Eoby," said the Captain, " a gold-digging seaman don't want no servant, nor no attendance. What sup aloft?" By pohiting to a small trap- door in the ceiling, he rendered the question intelligible. "It's a garret, I believe," replied Mrs. Roby, smiling ; " but having no ladder, I , e never been up. " You 've no objection to my taking a look, have you ?" asked the Captain. *' None in the world," replied the old v/oman. Without more ado the seaman rose, mounted on a chair, pushed open the trap-door, thrust his head and shoulders through, and looked round. Appa- rently the inspection was not deemed sufficiently close, for, to the old woman's alarm and inexpres- sible surprise, he seized the edges of the hole with his strong hands, raised himself up, and finally dis- appeared in the regions above ! The alarm of the old woman was somewhat increased by the sound of her visitor's heavy tread on the boards overhead as he stumbled about. Presently his head appeared I m i ■*«%a«,ilWWatW»Wj i J '--v^.J '^^\^-'\^' 'I I It. l(l in order to tlic prod net ion of -wliat was ilesired, and the nian-of-business liiniself found it no easy inaKer to convince lier tliat slio held erroneous views on this subject, and that at lier ]>resent rate of jiro^ress, she would, to use the doctor's glacial simile, ve:y soon lo[)i)le from the ])innacle of fashion, on Mhich she sat, and 'all with the crash of a social avalanche into tlie moraine of ruin. " What a wise little woman you are, cousin Emma," stud Lewis, gaily. " You ought to have been bred to the law, or trained an accountant. However, we won't be guided by your advice just now, lirst, be- cause the doctor has ordered mother abroad for her health, which is our chief consideration ; and, second, because I wish of all things to see Swit- zerland, and climb IMont rianc. I)esides, we are not so poor as you think, and I hope to add a little to our general funds in a day or two. By the way, can you lend me ten pounds just now, mother ?" " Wliy do you want it?" asked Mrs. Stoutley, sternly, as if she meant to refuse, but at the same time opening her purse. " Don't ask me just now. I will repay you to- morrow, with interest, and shall then explain." AVith an easy, languid smile, the carelessly amiable invalid handed her last ten-pound note to her hope- Pi OR A1A',^K ADVKNTUIIK. 43 )^ fnl Ron, wlio ]uu] just Inuisrcn-cd it to liis pocket- liook, wIk'ii u rooliii.'jii (Mitcred jind prosontod a 8cra[) of dirty papor, iii(V)niiiiiir ],i.s Luly tliat tli(3 persoa wlio sent up tlic " card" desired to sec her. " Wliat is tlii.s?" said Mrs. Stoutley, lioldin^^ tlio ])ai)er j^in^^'erly witli the tips of lier fin<,a;rs, " Wip— AV;ip~W()[)per ! Wliat is Wopper ? Is tlio person a mail or a woman ?" The footman, wlio, altliongh \ven-l)red, found it dinieult to restrain a smile, intimated tliat tlio per- son was a man, and ;idded, that he said he had come from California, and wanted to see ]\Irs. Stoutley very particularly. On hearini^ this, the lady's manner changed at once, and, with more animation than she had yet exhihited, she desired that ho should he shown in. With his large wide-awake in one hand, and a canvas bag in the other, Captain AVopper entered the drawing-room, and looked around him with a beaming and rather bashful smile. " Mrs. Stoutley, I believe," he said, advancing, "and J\liss Emma Gray, I suppose," he added, turn- ing with a beaming glance towards the young lady. Mrs. Stoutley admitted that he was right, and expressed some surprise that he, a perfect stranger, should be so well acfpiainted w.lIi their names. " I am indeed a stranger personally, ma'am," said Captain Wopper, smoothing the hair down on Ma Ai RIVERS OF ICE M M rugged brow, " but T may bo said to know you pretty well, seeing that 1 bave for many years been tbc friend and messmate of your late husband's brother in Californy." " Indeed !" exclaimed INfrs. Stoutley, with in- creasing animation, as she rose and held out her hand; " any frinul of my brother-in-law is heartily welcome. I5e seated, INlr. AVopper, and h^t me hear about him. Ho was very kind to my dear husband during his last illness — very kind. I shall never forwt him." " No doubt he was," said the Captain, accepting the chair which Kmma Gray handed to him, with looks of great interest. " Thank 'ee, INIiss. Willum Stout — excuse my familiarity, ma'am, I always called him Willum, because we was like brothers — more than brothers, I may say, an' very friendly. Yes, Willum Stout wfu^ kind to his brother in his last days. It would have bin shame to him if he hadn't, for your husband, ma'am, was kind to Willum, an' he often said to me, over the camp-fires in the bush, that he 'd never forget his kindness. But it 's over now," continued the seaman in a sad tone, " an' poor Willum is left alone." " Is my uncle vcri/ poor ?" asked Lewis, who had been paying more attention to the appearance of their rugged visitor than to what he had said. " Ay, vmj poor," replied the seaman, " as regards OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 45 near relations, Icintwise sucli as ho lias seen and known in former diiys, but lie an't poor as ref^^uds gold. IIo 's got lots of that, lie and I worked not far from each other for years, an' he used to hit upon good ( laims somehow, and shovelled up the nuggets like stones." " Indeed ! I wish he 'd send a few of them this way," exel aimed Lewis, with a careless laugh. " No doubt he migiit do so, young man, if lie knew you were iu need of 'em, but your father gave him to understand that his family was rich." " Kich !" exclaimed Lewis, with a smile, in which there was a touch of contempt. " Well, yes, wo were rich enough once, but when my father was away these wretched mines became — " " Lewie !" exclaimed his mother, hastily, " what nonsense you do talk ! Really, one would think from your account that we were paupers." " Well, mother, so we are — paupers to this extent at least, that we can't afford to take a run to Switzer- land, though ordered to do so for your health, be- cause we lack funds." Lewis said this half petulantly, for he had been a " spoilt child," and might probably have been by that time a ruined young man, but for the mercy of his Creator, who had blessed him with an amiable disposition. He was one of those youths, in short, of whom people say that they can't be spoiled, 46 RIVERS OF ICE I though fond and foolish parents do their best to spoil them. " You misstate the case, naughty hoy," said Mra. Stoiitley, annoyed at being thus forced to touch on her private affairs before a stranger. " No doubt our ready cash is what our man-of-business calls 'locked up,' but that, you know, is only a matter of tempo- rary inconvenience, and cannot last long." As Mrs. Stoutley paused and hesitated, their visitor placed on the table a canvas bag, which, up to this point, he had rested on one knee. " This bag," he said, "of nuggets, is a gift from AVillum. He desired me to deliver it to you. Miss Gray, as a small acknowledgment of your kind- ness in writin' so often to him. He 'd ha""'e bought you a silk gown, or a noo bonnet, so he said, but wasn't sure as to your taste in such matters, and thought you 'd accept the nuggets and buy it for yourself. Leastwise, that's somethin' like the speech Willum tried to tell me to deliver, but he warn't good at speech-makin' no more than I at remembrin', and hoped you'd take the will for the deed." With a flush of surprise and pleasure, Emma Gray accepted both the will and the deed, with many expressions of gratitude, and said, that as she did not require either a silk dress or a bonnet just then, she would invest her little fortune ; she would I i' OK ALPINE ADVENTURE. 47 lend it, at Jiigh interest, to a lady under temporary inconvenience, who was ordered by lier doctor to Sjvitzerland for the benefit of her health. To this Mrs. Stoutley protested very earnestly that the lady in question would not accept the loan on any con- sideration; that it must not be diverted from its destined use, but be honestly expended on silk- dresses and new bonnets. To which Emma reidied, that the destiny of the gift, with interest (she was very particular on that head), should be fulfilled in good time, but that meanwhile it must be lent out. In the midst of a cross-fire of this kind the bas was opened, and its contents poured on the table, to the immense admiration of all the company, none of whom had, until that day, beheld gold in its native condition. "How much may it be worth, Mr. Wopper ?" t^^o',[ Lewis, weighing one of the largest lumps. " About two hundred pound, I should say, more or less," replied the seaman. " Indeed I" exclaimed the youth in surprise — an exclamation which was echoed by his mother and cousin in modified tones. While they sat thus toying with the lumps of gold, the conversation reverted to the sender of it, and the Captain told such entertaini'ig anecdotes of bush life, in all of which " Uncle Willum" had been an actor, that the afternoon arrived before Mrs. •18 inVKRa OF UT, I I- 4 ii r Slotillov 1j!\»] (inu^ to wisli Tor it.. 'IMiey nlao talked of llu» liist. illiu'SM «»r (li(> (l(»('('UMtMl ImUht oI' tlu» taiuilv ; ;nul wIumi it ciuni^ont. tluii Cnptaiii Woppcr (tliov had l\>und owl h\ thai, linii^ that their visitor l>ad heiMi a skipiuM*. and, liy courtcMy, a. cajitaiii) had assisted " Wilhim" in nnrsini^ I\!r. Slonth'y, U!id hatl t'ollowed him to tlie }4rav(\ 1\Iim. StoutK'y'.s j^ratitude was sneli that slu. insisted on lior visitor stavini^ io dinner. " Thank 'eo, ma'am," ho said, " I'vo dined. I ahvavs dines at one o'tdoek if T can nia.na<;o it." " Pnii wo don't dino till eii;ht ," said t ho huly, " so it will just suit for your supi-er." " Pi> oonie," said iMunia. (Jray, "wo shall ho (inito alone, and shall have a groat s])inning of yarns over Undo "William and Ipo gold-lields." " Woll, I don't i»ind if I do," said tho Captain, " hut beforo supper T must go to tho docks for my kit, and settlo my lodgings." " I am going to tho Strand, and shall bo happy to give you a lift," said Lewis. The Captain aecopted the oflor, and as they drove along, ho and his young friend tecame very intimate, insomuch that Lewis, who was light- hearted, open, and reckless, let him into his confi- dence, and spoke quite freely about his mother's difficulties. It is only justice to add that the Captain did not encourage him in this. Wliea, 4 -- oil Al.rrNK AIiVI;NTIII(K. ^a \ '"'""■""•■■ ""' y'lll' "l"'l-- -f lmnH..|r, l„. not, only '""^""'■iwsl l,in,, l,„l, ,|...w l,in, out. Anmn- oil,,:,. < ""KM, Im. <\n:w ml .,( Im„ |,1,„ ,•„.(, |,|„.,, ,,„ „,„ j„ til" lml)it, „r ,.iih,l,lin-, hihI Mat l,o Cnlly .,x,,...;l.,,,l -'f I.m „«„al |,„.k .iUm„l,„l l,i,„ to a„si«t in 'uI'lH'K to ti.e luu.l wl.ich wua to Uiko tim family iilpiimd. ■' 'I'l"- (Japtuin looked at tl.o I,nn.lH.,n,o Mtriplin,. lor II luw suoondH ill silent snrpriHo. " You .lon't mean to toll mo/' ho said slowly, Unit you (,'anil,li, ?" ' "I".lee,l J ,lo," ropli,Ml Lewis, with a hland smile, and Homelln-|iK of a twinkle in his cyo "I'oi- money ?" asked the Captain. "For money," assented the youth; "what have yon to say against it?" "Why, 1 Ve to say that it 's mean." " That 's strong language," said Lewi.,, flushing "It an't strong enough by a long way," returned the Captain, with indignation, "ifs more than mean, it 's contemptible ; it 's despicable " - The flush on Lewis's face deepened, and he looked at his companion with the air of one who meditate, knocking another down. I'erhaps the massive size and strength of the Captain induced him to change ft Ti , " ""^ *" *''"' '^'''' °«'="™'l to him the difflculty-if not impossibility-of knocking '' down a man who was down already, and the want M invKitR «>r U'Tf. of R]MV'o in I) rul^ I'ov ^\U'}\ violoni pli»y of inuMiltv Al " Look \m> \wu\ )\)\ \\\\\** oonlnuu'il jIh> rnpliiiM, laNM'nsi; ^i'< ^\»«\^0\nn«l on Mr oot^ipinnon'M Ktifo. mid fi^yii^p; o;\n\^>^()\ into hm j'm'o. " I don'f. nuMvn I'ui- lo \\\\y\ vo\iv foolin's l\v Miwin' tiu'im, or oon(11o\vinjt in i\( (ho ///?»// — i:;\n\M\nji 1\m' n\onov ia tlu* tnonniv^i tl>in|i; m. ninn o;\n do. short of siOi\lin*^ Whid door^ i( innonnt U) ? 5Sin\pl\ this 1 want ano(l\of nn\n*H n>on(\v. nnd Iho othoviwnn \Vi\nts nun«v WtMlauMi't ivy oyow i"ol»l)«»ry, X^"!* ^v^^uld bo uslianiod of \'vM ; \v«^ 'v/ Itolli lno hwy to labour t'or n\onov, i\\\\\ lab«>nr doo-n't l>iin}> il. in last onough. tliowTinv wo 'U j^o pJoj/ for it. I '11 mmU him to J4\\\n\iit to bo robbovl by n\o on o»n»dili(ni (hut. 1 sv-bniit to l>o wbbod bv hin\ ; an«l w hioh ivS to ho thd, and whioh tho wbbor, shall ilopcnd on \hc aooidont^U turn of a dioo, or soniolhing o^nally tvitliuj:— '* " InuI 1 don't uaml^lo bv nioans of dice/* inter- TOptOvi I.owis, *" I play, and bot, on billiards, w hicli iji a game of skill, requiring much practice, judg- ment, and thoiight." ^'That make^ no oiWs, my lad," continued the CApuaiii, '• There is no connection whatever be- !?■ i oil AI.I'IHK AtiVmitlliK 01 i'« »1 tHH,,, ||,n rolliM^j of n In.ll „.l 1).. taking n'^«y of " '"""*' """"7. ""v "MM«, i,|,H« Umrn h f »^ff wrif^r/ ff,^# '"•"iii«MrH,li,.,M rMMllJmfnMni. ^f m „,/„,'« mm,/.y tliMin l.li.MlH ,.„l, „,, to ,,„Vf.7- },)/*, ^M.,t „„,| ,,„.,,„ ''»<'l. Wllirll iH. ||,M(, I WM,/,L iu ^I't p„HmHm0U of //./ " Util, Ouiikii,/' iv.UnUA hjw'm, wiih n mUh f,fr Im^ li.i.l now mUmvi Uiin tim f^phii of ih, ar^/um^^ni -" yim iV/iiolo I,Ih^ lurl, i]„d winir, f fry t/, y^lfi '"•••"II my fViPfMl, I nrn r,.,i(., willing U,;,t ,oy ftUjn^ mImmiM hy |,<, vvin I'lo/n f/in." " Ifiiion, if, ? f,r,;' (;ri,.d (jupf,tti„ Worff/0r. " VtM it ill lliiH way. Inn'l il, wron^/ for wo, U, ),avv; «, lon^^ing r pi'i'ssivi'ly, " it is no snlTicicnt reason for tho doing of a tliiiif^ tliat yon cannot see it to be wrong. You nro not entitled to do anything unless yoii sec il to be right. But there are other questions connected with gambling which renders it doubly mean — the question, for instance, -whether a man is entitled to risk the loss of money which he calls his own, hiit ■which belongs to his wife and children as much as to himself. The mean positions, too, in which a gambler places himself, are numerous. One of these is, when a rich man wins the hard-earned and much- needed gains of a poor one." " But one is not supposed to know anything about the affairs of those from whom one wins," objected Lewis. " All the more reason," replied Captain Wopper, " why a man should never gamble, lest, unwittingly, he should become the cause of great suffering — it might be, of death." Still Lewis "could not see" the wrong of gambling, and the discussion was cut short by the suddan stopping of the cab at a door in the Strand, over which hung a lamp, on which the Captain observed the word " Billiards." , "Well, ta-ta, old fellow," said Lewis, gaily, as he parted from his new friend, " we '11 finish the argu- ment another day. Meanwhile, don't forget the hour — eight, sharp." . on ALI'INK ADVENTUUR. i.3 CHAPTER IV. SHOWS now THE captain camk to an ANciion. and conoeivkd A DKKl' DESIGN. WuKN Captain Woppcr parted from his young friend, he proceeded along tlio Strand in an \\Z usually grave mood, shaking Iiis licad to such a degree, as he reflected on the precocious wickedness of the rising generation, that a very ragged and perc specimen of that generation, observing his condition, gravely informed him tliat there was an hospital for incurables in London, which took in patients with palsy and St. Wituses* dance worry cheap. This recalled him from the depths of sorrowful meditation, and induced him to hail a cab, in which he drove to the docks, claimed his chest-a solid, seamanlike structure, reminding one of the wooden walls of Old England—and returned with it to the head of the lane leading to Grubl/s Court. Dis- missing the cab, he looked round for a poiter, but as no porter appeared, the Captain, having been accus- tomed through life to lielp himself, and being, as we 64 PtlVERS OF ICE I have said, remarkably stroiig, sliouldered llie nautical chest, and bore it to the top of !Mrs. Roby's stair- case. Here he encountered, and almost tumbled over, Gillie White, who saluted him with — " Hallo ! ship aho-o-oy ! starboard hard ! breakers ahead ! Why, Capi)'n, you've all but run into me !" " Why don't you show a light then," retorted the Captain, " or blow your steam-whistle, in sucli a dark hole? What 's that you 've got in your arms ?" " Tlie baby," replied Gillie. " What baby V demanded the Captain. " Our baby, of course," returned the imp, in a tone that implied the non-existence of any other baby worth mentioning. " I jrought it up to show it to the sick 'oonian next door but one to Mrs. Iioby's cabin. She 's very sick, she is, an' took a great longing to see our baby, cos she thinks it's like what her son was w'en he was a baby. If he ever was, ho don't look much like one now, for he's six-feet nothin' in his socks, an' drinks like a fish, if he don't do nothin' wuss. Good-night, Capp'n. linby 11 ketch cold if I keep on jawin' here. Mind your weather eye, and port your helm when you reach tli ; landin'. If you'll take the advice of a young salt, you '11 clew up your mainsail an' dowse some of your top-hamper — ah ! I thought so !" This last remark, deliv'ered with a broad grin of \ r i OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 55 delight, had reference to the fact that the Captain had run the corner of his cliest against the low roof of the passage with a degree of violence that shook the whole tenement. Holding his breath in hopeful anticipation, and reckless of the baby's " ketching cold," the small boy listened for more. Nor was he disappointed. In his progress along the passage Captain AVopper, despite careful steering, ran Adolently foul of several angles and beams, each of which mishaps sent a quiver through the old house, and a thrill to the heart of Gillie White. In his earnest desire to steer clear of the sick woman's door, the luckless Captain canie into collision with the opposite wall, and anxiety on this point causing him to forget the step on which he had " struck" once before, he struck ii again, and was precipitated, chest and all, against IVIrs. Eoby's door, which, fortunately for itself, burst open, and let the avalanche of chest and man descend upon Mrs. Eoby's floor. Knowing that the climax was now reached, the imp descended the stair fdled with a sort of serene ecstasy, while Captain Wopper gathered himself up and sat down on his nautical portmanteau. " I tell 'ee what it is, old 'ooman," said he, stroking his beard, " the channel into this port is about the wust I ever had the ill-luck to navigate. I hope I didn't friditen 'ee ?** il il no IlIVEltS OF ICK " Oh dear no," replied Mrs. lioby, with a smile. To say truth, the old woman seemed less aluniKul than might have been expected. Probably the noiso of the Captain's approach, and previous experience, liad prepared her for some startling visitation, for she was quite calm, and a humorous twinkle in her eyes seemed to indicate the presence of a spirit somewhat resembling that which actuated Gillie White. " Well, that 's all right," said the Captain, rising and pushing up the trap-door that led to his private berth in the new lodging ; " and now, old lady, havin' come to an anchor, I must get this chest sent aloft as fast as I can, seein' that I 've to clean myself an' rig out for a dinner at eight o'clock at the west eiul." '* Dear me," said Mrs. Roby, in surprise, " you must have got among people of quality." " It won't be easy to hoist it up," said the Cap- tain, ignoring the remark, and eyeing the chest and trap-door in the roof alternately. Just then a heavy step was heard in the passage, and a young man of large and powerful frame, with a gentle as well as gentlemanly demeanour, appeared at the door. " Come in — come in," said Mrs. Itoby, with a bright look, " this is only my new lodger, a friend of dear Wil— " I 5i on ALPIXK ADVKNTUliK. 57 " Why, bless you, old 'ooinaii," iiiLcnupted Cap- tain Wo])pcr, " he knows me well enoiigli. I weiit to him this morniii<^f and got Mrs. Stoiitloy's address. Come in, Dr. Lawrence. 1 may chiini to act the liost here now in a small way, perhaps, and bid visitors welcome — eh ! Mrs. Koby ?" " Surely, surely," replied the old woman. " Thank you botli lor the welcome," said the visitor with a pleasant smile, as he shook hands with Mrs. lioby. " i thouglit 1 recognised your voice. Captain Wopper, as you passed Mrs. Leven'a door, and came out to see how you and my old friend here get on together." "Is she any better to-night, sir?" asked Mrs. Hoby, anxiously. Lawrence shook his head sadly and said she was no better, and that he feared she had little chance of gettin., better while her dissipated son dwelt under the same roof with her. " It is breaking her leart," he added, " and, besides that, the nature of h r disease is such that recovery is impossible unless she is fed on the most generous diet. This of course she cannot have, because she lias no means of her own. Her son gambles away nearly all his small salary, and she refuses to go to an hospital lest hei absence should be the removal of the last restraining Hide between him and destruction. It is a very sad case — very." 58 r.lVKRS OF ICK :;• !i Captnin Woppcr was struck with tliis reference to fj^aiublinix coiniii!:^ so soon after his recent conver- sation on lliat subject, and asked if tliere were no charitable societies or cliarilable peoidc in London who wouhl lielp in a case so miserable. Yes, there M'ore plenty of charitable institutions, Lawrence told him, but he feared that this woman liad no special claim on any of them, and her refusal to go to an hospital would tell against her. There were also, he said, plenty of charitable peo})le, but all of those he happened to be acquainted with had been ajpealed to by him so often that he felt ashamed to try them again, lie had already given away as much of his own slender means as he could well spare, so that he saw no way out of the diffi- culty ; but he had faith in Providential supervision of human afluirs, and he believed that a way would yet be opened np. " You 're right, sir — right," said Captain Wopper, with emphasis, while he looked earnestly into the face of the young doctor. " This w^orld w^asn't made to be kicked about like* a foot-ball by chance, or circumstances, or anything of the sort. Look 'ee here, sir; it has bin putt into my heart to feel charitable leanings, and a good bit o' cash lias bin putt into my pocket, so that, bein' a lone sort o* man, I don't have much use for it. That 's on the one hand. Ou the other hand, here are you, sir, the OR ALPINE ADVKNTUIJK. 50 son of a frinid o' my chum Willum Stout, with great need of aid from cliuritablo peoi)lc, an' lierc wo two are met togctlier— both ready for action. Now, I call that a rrovidential arrangement, so please putt mo down as one of your charitable friends. It's little I can boast of in that way as yet, but it's not too late to begin. I 've long arrears to pull up, so I'll give you that to begin with. It'll help to relieve Mrs. 'L^wqw in the meantime." As he spoke, the Captain drew a black pocket- book from his breast pocket, and, taking a piece of paper therefrom, placed it in the doctor's hands. " This is a fifty-pound note !" said Lawrence, in surprise. " Well, what then ?" returned the Captain. " You didn't expect a thousand-pound note, did you ?" " Not quite that," replied Lawrence, laugliing, " but I thought that perhaps you had made a mistake." " Ah ! you judged from appearances, young man. Don't you git into the way of doin' that, else you'll be for ever sailin' on the wrong tack. Take my advice, an' never look as if you thought a man gave you more than he could afford. Nobody never does that." " Far be it from me," returned Lawrence, " to throw cold w\ater on generous impulses. I accept your gift with thanks, and will gladly put you on my li.^t. If you should find hereafter that I pump 60 lilVEIlS OF ICE 1 I! J you rather hard, please to remember that you gavo me encouragement to do so." " Pump away, sir. When you Ve pumped dry, I '11 tell you !" " Well," said Lawrence, rising, " T '11 go at once and bring your liberality into play ; and, since you have done me so good a turn, remember that you may command my services, if they can ever be of any use to you." The Captain cast a glance at the trap-door and the chest. " Well," said he, " I can scarcely ask you to do it professionally, but if you 'd lend a hand to get this Noah's ark o' mine on to the upper deck, I 'd — " " Come along," cried Lawrence, jumping up with a laugh, and seizing one end of the " ark." Captain Wopper grasped the other end, and, be- tween them, with much puffing, pushing, and squeezing, they thrust the box through the trap to the upper regions, whither the Captain followed it by means of the same gymnastic feat that he per- formed on his first ascent. Thrusting his head down, he invited the doctor to " come aloft," which the doctor did in the same undignified fashion, for his gentle manner and spirit had not debarred him from the practice and enjoyment of manly exercises. "It's a snug berth, you see," said the Captain, stumbling among the dusty lumber, and knocking ' OK ALPINE ADVENTUFvE. CI his head against the beams, "wants cleaning up, tho', and piittin' to rights a bit, but I'U soon manage that ; and when I git the dirt and cobwebs cleared away, glass putt in the port-holes, and a whitewash on the roof and walls, it '11 be a cabin fit for an admiral See what a splendid view of the river ! Just suited to a seafarin' man." "Capital!" cried Lawrence, going down on his knees to obtain the view referred to. "Eather low in the roof, however, don't you think V "Low? not at all!" exclaimed the Captain. "It's nothin' to what I've been used to on the coastin' trade off Californy. Why, I Ve had to Hve in cabins so small that a tall man couldn't keep his back straight when he was sittin' on the lockers ; but we didn't sit much in 'em ; we was chiefly used to go into 'em to lie down. This is a palace to such oabins." The doctor expressed satisfaction at finding that his new " charitable contributor" took such enlarged views of a pigeon-hole, and, promising to pay him another visit when the " cabin" should have been put to rights, said good-bye, and went to relieve the wants of the sick woman. As the captain accompanied him along the pas- sage, they heard the voice and step of poor Mrs. Leven's dissipated son, as he came stumbling and singing up the stair. G2 IUVKHS OF ICE \ ii He was a stout good-lookiurij yoiitli, and cast a half inipiulcnt half supercilious look at Caj)tain Woppor on approaching. He also bestowed a nod of careless recognition on ])r. Lawrence. Thinking it better to be out of the way, the Captain said good-bye again to his friend, and returned to the cabin, where he ex])ressed to Mrs. lloby the opinion that "that young feller Leven was goin' to the dogs at railway speed." Thereafter ho went " aloft," and, as he expressed it, " rigged himself out" in a spruce blue coat with brass buttons ; blue vest and trousers to match ; a white dicky with a collar attached and imitation carbuncle studs down the front. To these he added a black silk neckerchief tied in a true sailor's knot, but with the ends separated and carefully tucked away under his vest to prevent their interfering with the effulgence of the carbuncle studs ; a pair of light shoes with a superabundance of new tie ; a green silk handkerchief, to be carried in his hat, for the purpose of mopping his forehead when warm, and a red silk ditto to be carried in his pocket for the benefit of his nose. In addition to the studs, Captain Wopper wore, as ornaments, a solid gold ring, the rude workmanship of which induced the belief that he must have made it him- self, and a large gold watch, with a gold chain in the form of a cable, and a rough gold nugget on ALPINE ADVENTUKE. 03 atfcaclicd to it in place of a seal or key. Wo class ilie watch anionrr simple oriianients because, al- tliouo-li it went— very demonstratively too, witli a loud seli-asserling tick^its going was irregular and uncertain. Sometimes it went too slow witliout apparent cause. At other times it went too fast witliout provocation. Frequuntly it struck alto- gether, and only consented to resume work after a good deal of gentle and persuasive threatening to wind it the wrong way. It had chronic internid complaints, too, which produced sundry omiiious clicks and sounds at certain periods of the day. These passed off, however, towards evening. Occa- sionally such sounds rushed as it were into a sudden whirr and series of convulsions, ending in a dead stop, which was an unmistakeable intimation to the Captain that something vital had given way ; that the watch had gone into open mutiny, and nothing short of a visit to the watchmaker could restore it to life and duty. "I'm off now," said the Captain, descending when he was fully « rigged." " What about the door-key, mother ?— you Ve no objection to my calling you mother, have you ?" "jSTone whatever, Captain," replied Mrs. Roby, with a pleasant smile, " an old friend of William may call me whatever he pleases— short," she . added after momentary pause, " of sv/earhiV ' » I I 1 11 1 64 lUVEKS OF ICE. " Trust mo, I '11 stoj) short of tliat. You sec, old jndy, I never know'd a inolhor, and I should like 'o try to feel what it's like to have one. It's true I'm not just a lad, but you are old enough to be my mother for all that, so I'll make the experiniont. Ihit wliat about the key of the door, motlier ? I can't expect you to let mc in, you know." " Just lock it, and take the key away with you," said Mrs. Roby. " But what if a fire should break out ? " said the Captain, with a look of ii^lecision. " I 'm not afraid of fnc We 've got a splendid brigade and plenty of fire-escapes, and a good kick from a fireman would open my door without a key." " Mother, you 're a trump ! I '11 lock you in and leave you with an easy mind — " He stopped abruptly, and Mrs. Eoby asked what was the matter. "Well, it's what I said about an easy mind that threw me all aback," replied the Captain, " for to tell 'ee the truth, I haven't got an easy mind." " Not done anything wicked, I hope ? " said Mrs. Eoby, anxiously. " No, no ; nothing o* that sort ; but there is somethin' lyin* heavy on my mind, and I don't see why I shouldn't make a confidant o' you, bein* -^' 'I OU AM'INE ADVKNTUnE. Of) my niotlior, d'oo soc ; .'iiid, besides, it cons;inis Wilhun." Tliu old v/onian looked eii.L;eily at lior lod.i^'cr as lie knilled his brows in perplexity and snioollied down his forelock. "Hero's where it is," he continued, drawint; his chair closer to that of Mrs. Koby ; " when Wilhun made me his exikootcr, so to speak, he said to me, ' AVoi»per,' says he, 'I'm not one o' them tellers that holds on to his cash till he dies with it in his pocket. I've got neither wife nor chick, as you know, an* so, wot I means to do is to give the bulk of it to them that I love while I 'm alive — d 'ee see V ' I do, Willum,' says I. ' Well then,' says he, ' besides them little matters that I axed you to do for me, I want you to take partikler notice of two people. One is the man as saved my life w'en I was a youngster, or, if he 's dead, take notice of his child'n. The other is that sweet young creeter, Emma Gray, who has done the correspondence with me so long for my poor brother. You keep a sharp look-out an' find out how these two are off for money. If Emma's rich, of course it's no use to give her what she don't need, and I '11 give the most of what I 've had the good fortune to dig up here to old Mr. Lawrence, or his family, for my brother's widow, bein' ricii, don't need it. If both Emma and Lawrence are rijh, why then, just let I 6^ liiVKUb OF ICE ilio know, and I '11 try to hit on soiuo other pUm to make away with it, lor you know well enough I couklu't use it all upon myself without going into wicked extravagance, and my dear old Mrs. Roby wouldn't know wliat to do with so much cash if I sent it to her. Now, you promise to do this for me ?' says ho. ' Wilhini,' says I, ' I do.'" " Now, motlior," continued tlie Captain, " what troubles me is this, that instead o' findin' Miss Emma rich, and Mr. Lawrence poor, or wice wcrsa^ or findin' 'em botli rich, I finds 'em botli poor. That's where my difficulty lies." Mrs, Itoby olfercd a prompt solution of this diffi- culty by suggesting that William should divide the money between them. " That would do all well enough," returned the Captain, " if there were no under-currents drivin' tiie ship out of her true course. But you see, mother, I find that the late Mr. Stoutley's family is also poor — at least in difiiculties — although they live in great style, and seem to be rich ; and from what I heard the other day, I know that the son is given to gamblin*, and the mother seems to be extravagant, and both of 'em are ready enough to sponge on Miss Emma, who is quite willin' — far too willin' — to be sponged upon, so that wdiatever Willum gave to her would be just thrown away. Now the question is," continued the Captain, looking seriously at the kettle OU ALI'INE ADVFNTUUE. ff With tlio (leliant apout, " vvlwit am I to advise Willum to do?" " Advise Inm," replied Mrs. Ilohy. promptly. " to g.vo all the money to Dr. Lawrence, and «et Dr Lawrence to marry Miss Gray, and so they'll both yet the whole of it" A beaming smilo crossed tlio Captain's visage. " l^ot a bad notion, mother; but what if J)r.''Law. rence, after gettiu' the money, .lidn'l want to marry Miss Gray ?" ' " Get him to marry her first, and give the money afterwards," returned Mrs. Roby. "Ay, that might do," replied the Captain, noddin- slowly, ■• only it may be that a mau without means »my hesitate about marryin' a girl witliout means especially if ho didn't ^y^ant her, and she didn't want Am. I don't quite see how to get over all these difficulties." " There's only one way of getting over them," said Mrs. Eoby, " and that is, by bringin' the young people together, and givin' 'em a chance to faU in love." " True, true, mother, but, so far as I know, Dr Lawrence don't know the family. We couldn't" said the Captain, looking round the room, dubiously " ask 'em to take a quiet eup of tea here with us- eh ? You might ask Dr. Lawrence, as your medical man, and I might ask Miss Emma, as an old friend f: I 68 IllVEKS OF ICE of her uncle, quite in an off-hand way, you know, as if by chance. They'd never see through the dodge, and would fall in love at once, perhaps — eh ?" Captain Wopper said all this in a dubious tone, looking at the defiant kettle the while, as if pro- pitiating its favourable • reception of the idea, but it continued defiant, and hissed uncompromisingly, while its mistress laughed outright. " You 're not much of a match-maker, I see," she said, on recovering composure. " No, Captain, it wouldn't do to ask 'em here to tea." . ** Well, well," said the Captain, rising, " we '11 let match-makin' alone for the present. It 's like tryin' to beat to wind'ard against a cyclone. The best way is to square the yards, furl the sails, and scud under bare poies till it 's over. It 's blowin' too hard just now for me to make headway, so I '11 wear ship and scud." In pursuance of this resolve, Captain Wopper put on his wide-awake, locked up his mother, and went off to dine at the " west end." I OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. G9 CHAPTErt V. IN WUrCH SEVERAL IMrORTANT MATTKRS ARE ARRANGED, AND OILLIB WHITE UNDERGOES SOME REMARKABLE AND HITIIEUTO UNKNOWN EXPERIENCKS, I It is not necessary to inflict on the readier Mrs. Stoutley's dinner in detail; suffice it to say, tliut Captain Wopper conducted himself, on the whoU*, mucli more creditably than his hostess \vm\ antici- pated, and made himself so entertaining, especially to Lewis, that that young gentleman invited him to accompany the family to Switzerland, much to the amusement of his cousin Emma and the horror of his mother, who, although she enjoyed a private visit of the Captain, did not relish the thought of his becoming a travelling companion of the family. She pretended not to hear the invitation given, but when Lewis, knowing full well the state of her mind, pressed the invitation, she shook her head at him covertly and frowned. This by-play her son pre- tended not to see, and continued his entreaties, tho Captain not having replied. 70 KIVEUS OF ICE I " IhiW, (to come with us, Captain AVoppci," he said ; ' it will be such fun, and we should all enjoy you 80 much — wouldn't we, Knnna" (" yes, indeed," IVoni Emma) ; " and it would just he suited to your tastes and h. its, for the fine, fresh air of tiic moun- tains bears a wonderful resemblance to that of the sea. You Vo been accustomed no doubt to climb up the shrouds to the crosstrees ; well, in Switzer- land, you may climb up the hills to any sort of tv. OP yo\\ like, and get shrouded in mist, or tumble over a precipice and get put into your shroud al- together; and — " " Really, Lewie, you ought to be ashamed of maldng such bad puns," interrupted his mother. '' Doubtless it would be very agreeable to have Cap- tain Wopper wdth us, but I am quite sure it would be anything but pleasant for him to travel through such a wild country with such a wild goose as you for a companion." "You have modestly forgotten yourself and Emma," said Lewis ; " but come, let the Captain answer for himself. You know, mother, it has been your wish, if not your intention, to get a companion for me oil this trip — a fellow older than myself — a sort of tra- velling tutor, who could teach me something of the geology and botany of the country as we went along. Well, the Captain is older than me, I think, which is one of the requisites, and he could teacli ;ne 4 I on ALPINE AUVENTUUE. 71 ^ \ ' astfoUoiuy, no doubt, and show me liow to l)ox tbo nompnH8 I JH vojurn fof wliicli, I could show him jiGW to box an adversaty's (lose, p Jit'flcf isod by tho best authorities of tlie ring. As to geology and botany, I know a little of these sciences already, and could impart my knowledgfj to tho (!ai»t!iin, which would have the effect of fixing it more firmly in my own memory ; and every one knows that it is of far greater importance to lay a good, solid groundwork of education, than to builfj ^ showy, superficial structure, on a liad foundation. Come, then. Captain, you see your advantages. This is the last time of asking. If you don't speak now, henceforth and for ever hold your tongue." "Well, my lad," said the Captain, with much gravity, "I've turned the thing over in my mind, and since Mrs. Stoutley is so good as to say it would be agreeable to her, I Ihiiik I'll accept your invitation !" "Bravo! Captain, you're a true blue; come, have another glass of wine on the strength of it." "No wine, thank 'ee," said tho Captain, placing his hand over his glaa?i, " \ 'ye \\i\\\ my beer, and I make it a rule never to mix my liquor. Excuse me, ma'am," he continued, addressing his hostess, "your son made mention of a tooter— a travellin* tooter ; may 1 ask if you 've provided yourself with one yet ?" 79 RIVERS OF ICE i .1 " Not yet," answered Mrs. Stontley, feeling, bnt not looking, a little surprised at the question, " I luive no young friend at present quite suited for the position, and at short notice it is not easy to liud a youth of talent willing to go, and on whom one can depend. Can you recommend one?" Mrs. Stontley accompanied the question with a smile, for she put it in jest. She was, therefore, not a little surprised when the Captain said pnunpMy that he could — that he knew a young man — a doctor — who was just the very ticket (these were his exact words), a regular clipper, with everything about him trim, taut, and ship- shape, who would suit every member of the family to a tee ! A hearty laugh from every member of the family greeted the Captain's enthusiastic recommendation, and Emma exclaimed that he must be a most charming youth, while Lewis pulled out pencil and note-book to take down his name and address. " You are a most valuable friend at this crisis in our affairs," said Lewis, " I '11 make mother write to him immediately." " But have a care," said the Captain, " that you never mention who it was that recommended him. I 'm not sure that he would regard it as a compli- ment. You must promise me that." " I promise," said Lewis, " and whatever I pro- mise mother will fulfil, so make your mind easy on OR ALPINE ADVENtURE. 73 tliat head. Now, mother, I shouldn't wonder if (jiiptnin Wopper could provide you with that other litth; inexpensive luxury yon mentioned this morn- ing. D' you think you could recommend a page ?" "What's a page, lad?" " Wliat ! have you never heard of a page — a page in buttons ?" asked Lewis in surprise. " Never," replied the Captain, shaking his liead. " Why, a page is a small boy, usually clad in IjIuo tights, to make him look as like a spider as possible, with three rows of brass buttons up the front of his jacket — two of the rows being merely ornamental, and going over his shoulders. He usually wears ii man's hat for the sake of congruity, and is invari- ably as full of mischief as an egg is of meat. Can you find such an article ?" " Ila !" exclaimed the Captain. " What is he used for?" " Chiefly for ornament, doing messages, being in the way when not wanted, and out of the way when required." *' Yes," said the Captain, meditatively, " I 've got my eye—" *' Your weather eye ?" asked Lewis. " Yes, my weather eye, on a lad who '11 fit you." "To a tee?" inquired Emma, archly. " To a tee, miss," assented the Captain, with a bland smile. 74 RIVERS OF ICE \ Lewis again pulled out liis note-book to enter the name and address, but the Captain assured him that he would manage this case himself; and it was filially settled — for Lewis carried everything his own way, as a matter of course — that Dr. George Lawrence was to be written to next day, and Cap- fain Wopper was to provide a page. " And you '11 have to get him and yourself ready as fast as possible," said the youth in conclusion, " for we shall set off as soon as my mother's trunks are packed." Next morning, while Captain Wopper was seated conversing with his old landlady at the breakfast- table — the morning meal having been just concluded — he heard the voice of Gillie White in the court. Going to the end of the passage, he ordered that imp to " come aloft." Gillie appeared in a few seconds, nodded patron- isingly to old Mrs. Roby, hoped she was salubrious, and demanded to know what was up. "My lad," said the Captain — and as he spoke, the urchin assumed an awful look of mock solemnity — " I want to know if you think you could behave yourself if you was to try {'" "Ah!" said Gillie, with the air of a cross-exam- ining advocate, "the keewestion is not w'ether I could behave myself if I wos to try, but, w'ether I fhink T could. Well; ahem ! that depends. I OR ALI'IXE ADVENTUIIE. 75 tliink I could, now, if there was offered a very strong indoocement." " Just so, my lad," returned the Captain, nodding, "that's exactly what I mean to offer. AVliat d'eo say to a noo suit of blue tights, witli tln-ee rows o' brass buttons ; a situation in a respectable family ; a fair wage ; as much as you can eat and drinlc ; and a trij^ to Switzerland to begin with ?" While the Captain spoke, the small boy's eyes opened wider and wider, and his mouth followed suit, until he stood the very picture of astonishment. " You don't mean it ?" he exclaimed. " Indeed I do, my lad." "Then /'//i your man," returned the small boy emphatically, " putt me down for that sitooation ; send for a lawyer, draw up the articles, I'll sign *em right off, and — " "Gillie, my boy," interrupted the Captain, "one o' the very first things you have to do in larnin' to behave yourself is to clap a stopper on your tongue — it 's far too long." " All right, Capp'n," answered the imp, " I '11 go to Guy's Hospital d'rcctly and 'ave three-fuurlhs of it ampitated." " Well, do," said the Captain, somewhat sternly, " an' ask 'cm to attacli a brake to the bit that 's left. Now, lad," he continued, " you'vo got a very diity face." 70 HIVE Its OF ICE I ' SI V * * ■*>' !!i Gillie nodded, with his lips tightly compressed to check utterance. " And a very ragged head of hair," he added. Again Gillie nodded. The Captain pointed to a basin of water which stood on a chair in a corner of the room, beside which lay a lump of yellow soap, a comb, and a rough jack-towel. " Tliere," said he, " go to work." Gillie went to work with a will, and scrubbed himself to such an extent, that his skin must un- doubtedly have been thinner after the operation. The washing, how'ever, was easy compared with the combing. The boy's mop was such a tangled web, that the comb at first refused to pa^is through it ; and when, encouraged by the Captain, the urchin did at last succeed in rending its masses apart, various inextricable bunches came away bodily, and sundry teeth of the comb were left behind. At last, however, it was reduced to something like order, to the immense satisfaction of Mrs. Eoby and the Captain. " Now," said tho latter, " did you ever have a Turkish bath?" " No — never." " Well, then, come with mo and liave one. Have you got a cap?" " No." ' I OU ALPINE ADVENTUIiE. 7T " Hm — never mind, come along ; you 're not cleaned up yet by a long way; but we'll mimago it in course of time." As the Captain and his small proti^yd passed along the streets, the former took occasion to explain that a Turkish bath was a species of mild torture, in which a man was stewed alive, and baked in an oven, and par-boiled, and scrubbol, and pinched, and thum})cd (sometimes black and blue), and lathered with soap till he couldn't sec, and heated up to seven thousand and ten, Fahrenheit, and soused with half-boiling w^atcr, and shot at with cold water — or shot into it, as the case might be — and rolled in a sheet like a mummy, and stretched out a like corpse to cool. " Most men," he said, " felt gaspy in Turkish baths, and weak ones were alarmed lest they should get suffocated beyond recovery ; but strong men rather enjoy themselves in 'em than otherwise." " Hah !" exclaimed the imp, " may I wentur' to ax, Capp'n, wot 's the effect on hoyH ?" To this the Captain replied that ho didn't exactly know, never having heard of boys taking Turkish baths. Whereupon Billy suggested, that if possiljlc he might have himself cleaned in an ordinary bath. " Impossible, my lad," said the Captain, decidedly. " No or'nary bath would clean you under a week, unless black soap and scrubbin' brushes was used- 73 mVKliS UF ICE I JUit don't bo aliirnicd, Gillie," iio added, looking down with a twinkle in his eyes, " 1 11 go into the bath along with you. We '11 sink or swim together, my boy, and T '11 see that you 'i-e not overdone. I 'm rather fond of them myself, d'ee see, so I can recom- mend 'em from experience." Somewhat reassured by this, thou^jh still a little uneasy in his mind, the imp followed his patron to the baths. It would have been a sight worth seeing, the entrance of these two into the temple of soap-and- water. To see Billy's well-made, but very meagre and dirty little limbs unrobed; to see him decked out with the scrimpest possible little kilt, such as would, perhaps, have suited the fancy of a Fiji islander ; to see his gaze of undisguised admiration on beholding his companion's towering and massive frame in the same unwonted costume, if we may so style it ; to see the intensifying of his astonishment when ushered into the first room, at beholding six or seven naked, and apparently dead men, laid round . the walls, as if ready for dissection; to see the monkey-like leap, accompanied by a squeal, with which he sprang from a hot stone-bench, having sat down thereon before it had been covered with a cloth for his reception ; to see the rapid return of his self-possession in these unusual circumstances, and the ready manner in which he submitted him- 1) iii! u OU ALPINE ADVENTUKK. 79 self to the various operations, as if he had been accustomed to Turkish l)ath3 from a period long prior to infancy ; to see his liorror on being intro- duced to the hottest room, and his furtive glance at the door, as tliough he meditated a nisli into the open air, but was restrained by a sense of personal dignity ; to see the ruling passion strong as ever in this (he firmly believed) his nearest approach to death, when, observing that the man next to him (who, as it were, turned the corner from him) had raised himself for a moment to arrange his pillow, lie (GilLii) tipped up the corner of the man's sheet, which hung close to his face in such a manner that he (the man), on lying down again, placed his bare shoulder on the hot stone, and sprang up with a yell that startled into life the whole of the half- sleeping establishment, with the exception of the youth on the opposite bench, who, having noticed the act, was thrown into convulsions of laughter, much to the alarm of Gillie, who had thought he was asleep and feared that he might " tell;" — to see him laid down like a little pink-roll to be kneaded, and to hear him remark, in a calm voice, to the stalwart attendant, that he might go in and win and needn't be afraid of hurting him; to observe his delight wlicn put under the warm " douche," his gasping shriek when unexpectedly assailed with the '* cold-shower," and his placid air of supreme felicity when wrapped y IMAGE EVALUATION VEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 II 1.25 lev ■^ IM ll|{|2 2 m 1^ i- I nil 1.8 1.4 1.6 P .^ 7i <^ ^ /2 om. m V. Photographic Sciences CorporatioR 23 WE3T MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) v;72-45C3 % % I 80 RIVERS OF ICE up like a ghost in a white slieet, and left to dry in the cooling-room— to see and hear all this, we say, would have amply lepaid a special journey to Lon- don from any reasonable distance. The event, how- ever, being a thing of the past, and language being unequal to the description, we are compelled to leave it all to the reader's imagination. W r oii a\.vv:k Ai)Vr,xTi:];K, 81 o niAPTEr VI. II A LESSO- TAUGHT AND LEARISED. Two days after the events namted in the last cliaptcr, ratlicr late lit the evening, Dv. George Law- rence caHed at " tlie cabin" in Gnibb's Court, and found the Onptf.in taking what he called a quiet pipe. " I have been visiting poor Mrs. Le^'cn/' he said to Mrs. Ptoby, sitting down beside her, " and I fear she is a good deal worse to-night. That kind little woman, Netta White, has agreed to sit by her. I 'ni sorry that I shall be obliged to leave her at such a critical stage of her illness, but I am obliged to go abroad for some time." "Gom' abroad, sir!" exclaimed Mrs. Poby in surprise, for the Captain had not yet told her that Lawrence was to be of the partj^ although he had mentioned about himself and Gillie White. "Yes, I'm going with Mrs. Stoutley's family for some weeks to Switzerland." . Captain Wopper felt that his share in the ar- "^ w : l-L-. }\- h '■ |f 1 ? I ^M) m iii 82 KIVEKS OF ICE rangements was in danger of being found out. He therefore boldly took the lead. " Ah ! / know all about that, sir." " Indeed ?" said Lawrence. " Yes, I dined the other day with Mrs. Stoutley ; she asked me also to be of the party, and I 'm going." Lawrence again exclaimed "Indeed!" with iu- ca'easing surprise, and added, "Well, now, that is a strange coincidence." " Well, d'ee know," said the Captain, in an argu- mentative tone, "it don't seem to me much of a coincidence. You know she had to git some one to go With her son, and why not you, sir, as well as any of the other young sawbones in London ? If she hadn't got you she 'd have got another, and that would have been a coincidence to hi7n, d'ec see ? Then, as to me, it wasn't unnatural that she should take a fancy to the man that nussed her dyin* husband, an' was chum to her brother-in-law ; so, you see, that's how it came about, and I 'm very glad to fmd, sir, that we are to sail in company for a short time." , Lawrence returned this compliment heartily, and was about to make some further remark, when little Netta White rushed into the room with a frightened look and pale cheeks, exclaiming, " Oli, Dr. Lawrence, sir, she's very ill. I thiuk she's dying." ii ! OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 83 Without waiting for a reply, the child ran out of the room followed by Lawrence and Mrs. Eoby, who was assisted by the Captain — for she walked with great difficulty even when aided by her crutches. In a few seconds they stood beside Mrs. Le'^^en's bed. It was a lowly bed, with scant and threadbare coverings, and she who lay on it was of a lowly spirit — one who for many years had laid her headion the bosom of Jesus, and liad found Him, through a long coarse of poverty and mental distress, " a very present help in trouble." " I fear that I 'm very ill," she said, faintly. " No doubt you feel rather low just now," said the doctor, " but that is very much owing to your having lived so long on insufficient diet. I will give you something, however, which will soon pull you up a bit. Come, cheer up. Don't let your spirits get so low." " Yes," she murmured, " I am brought vary low, but the Lord will lift me up. He is my strength and my Kedeemer." She clasped her hands with difficulty, and shut her eyes. A silence followed, during which Captain Wopper drew Lawj'ence into the passage. " D 'you think she is near her end, doctor ?" "She looks very like it," replied the doctor. " There is a possibility that she might recover if it H m 81 RIVEliS OF ICE the right medicine coukl ho found, namely, case of mind ; hut her dissipated son has robhcd her of that, and is the only one who can give it back to her — if indeed he has the power left now. She is dying of what is unprofessionally styled a broken heart. It is unfortunate that her son is not with her at present." " Does no one know where to find him ?" asked the Captain. " I fear not,'' replied the doctor. ** Please, sir, I think / know," said a subdued voice behind them. It was that of Gillie White, who had drawn near very silortly, being overawed by the sad scene in the sick-room. " Do you, my lad ? then get along as fast as you can and show me the way," said the Captain, but- toning lip his pilot -coat. "I'll bring him here before long, doctor, if he 's to be found." In a few minutes the Captain and Gillie were at the head of the lane, where the former hailed a passing cab, bade the boy jump in, and followed him. " Now, my lad, give the address," said the Captain. " The Strand," said the boy, promptly. " What number, sir?" asked the cabman, looking at the Captain. ''Plight on till I stop you," said Gillie, with the ll OK ALrLsE ADVENTUIiK. S5 f air of a coiiiiuancler-iii-cliicf — whom iu some I'aiut manner he now resembled, for he was in livery, being clothed in blue tights and brass buttons. In a sliort time Gillie gave the order to pull up, and they got out in front of a brilliantly-lighted and open door with a lamp above it, on which was written the word Billiards. The Captain observed that it was the same door as that at which he had parted from Lewis Stoulley some days before. Disn.issing the cab and entering, they quickly found themselves in a lari>e and well-lighted billiard- room, which was crowded with men of all ages and aspects, some of whom played, others looked on and betted, a good many drank brandy and water, and nearly all smoked. It was a bright scene of dissipation, where many young men, de- ceiving themselves with the idea that they went merely to practise or to enjoy a noble game of skill, were taking tlieir first steps on the road to ruin. The Captain, closely attended by Gillie, moved slowly through the room, looking anxiously for Fred Leven. For some time they failed to find him. At last a loud curse, uttered in the midst of a knot of on-lookers, attracted their attention. It was followed by a general laugh, as a young man, whose dishevelled hair and flushed face showed that he had been drinking hard, burst from among them and staggered towards the door. ,tis 86 RIVERS OF ICE " Never mind, Fred," shouted a voice that seemed familiar to the Captain, " you '11 win it back from me next time." Ere tlie youth had passed, the Captain stepped forward and laid his hand on his arm. Fred uttered a savage growl, and drew back his clenched hand as if to strike, but Captain Wopper's size and calm look of decision induced him to hold his hand. " What d'you mean by interrupting me ?" he de- manded, sternly. V My lad," said the Captain, in a low, solemn voice, " your mother is dying, come with me. You 've no time to lose." The youth's face turned ashy pale, and he passed his hand hastily across his brow. "What's wrong?" exclaimed Lewis Stoutley, who had recognised the Captain, and come forward at the moment. " Did he lose his money to you V asked the Cap- tain, abruptly, " Well, yes, he did," retorted Lewis, with a look of offended dignity. " Come along, then, my lad. I want you too. It *s a case of life an' death. Ask no questions, but come along." The Captain said this with such an aii of autho- rity, that Lewis felt constrained to obey. Fred Hij OK ALl'IKK ADVENTURE. 87 Leven seemed to follow like one in a dream. They all got into a cab, and were driven back to Grubb's Court. As they ascended the stair, the Captain whispered to Lewis, " Keep in the background, my lad. Do nothing but look and listen." Another moment and they were in the passage, where Lawrence stopped them. " You're almost too late, sir," lie said to Fred, sternly. "If you had fed and clothed your mother better in time past, she might have got over this. Fortunately for her, poor soul, som^e people, who don't gamble away their own and their parents* means, have given her the help that you have re- fused. Go in, sir, and try to speak words of comfort to her now!^ He went in, and fell on his knees beside the bed. " Mother !" he said. Fain would he have said more, but no word could he utter. His tongue seemed to cleave to the roof of his mouth. Mrs. Leven opened her eyes on hear- ing the single word, and her cheek flushed slightly as she seized one of his hands, kissed it, and held it to her breast. Then she looked earnestly, and oh ! so anxiously, into his face, and said in a low tone : — " Fred, dear, are you s — " She stopped abruptly. " Yes, yes," cried her son, passionately ; " yes, M 11 8S IIIVKKS OF ICE inothcr, I 'ill sober now ! Oh iiiotlicr, dearest, tlailiiig Jiiullier, I am guilty, guilty; I have sinned. Oh forgive, forgive me ! Listen, listen ! I am in earnest now, my mother. Think of me us I used to ho long ago. Don't shut your eyes. Look at me, inothcr, look at Fred." The poor woman looked at him with tears of gladness in her eyes. " God bless you, Fred !" she murmured. " It is long, long, since you spoke like that. But I knew you would. I have always expected that you would. Praise the Lord !" Fred tried to speak, and again found that ho could not, but the fountain of his soul was opened. He laid his face on his mother's hand and sobbed bitterly. Those who witnessed this scene stood as if spell- bound. As far as sound or motion went, these two inight have been in the room alone. Presently the sound of sobbing ceased, and Fred, raising his head, began gently to stroke the hand he held in his. Sometime in his wild career, he knew not when or where, he had heard it said that this slight action had often a wonderful power to soothe the sick. He continued it for some time. Then the doctor advanced and gazed into the invalid's countenance. " She sleeps," he said, in a low tone. "^May I stay beside her ?" whispered Fred. I on ALPINE ADVENTURE. 80 Lawicncc nodded assiiit, and then motioning to the others to withdraw, followed them into Mrs. Iloby's room, where he told them that her sleeping was a good sign, and that they must do their best to prevent her being disturbed. " It won't be necessary for any one to watch. Her son will prove her best attendant just now ; but it may be as well that some one should sit up in this room, and look in now and then to see that the candle doesn't burn out, and that all is right. I will go now, and will make this my first visit in the morning." " Captain Wopper," said Lewis Stoutley, in a sub- dued voice, when Lawrence had left, " 1 won this ten-pouud note to-night from Fred. I — I robbed him of it. Will you give it to him in the morning ?" " Yes, my lad, I will," said the Captain. " And will you let mo sit up and watch here to- night?" " No, my lad, I won't. I mean to do that my- self." " But do let me stay an hour or so with you, in case anything is wanted," pleaded Lewis. « Well, you may." They sat down together by the fireside, Mrs. Roby having lain down on her bed with her clothes on, but they spoke never a word ; and as they sat there, the young man's busy brain arrayed before ii V, I 90 niVEKS OF ICE I' I' i 5l 1 'art liim many nnrl mnny a scene of death, and sickness, and sullbring, and sorrow, and madness, and despair, wliicli, lie knew well from hearsay (and he now Ixdieved it), had been the terrible result of gambling and drink. When the hour was past, the Captain rose and said, " Now, Lewis, you '11 go, and I '11 take a look at tlie next room." He put off his shoes and went on tiptoe. Lewis followed, and took a peep before parting. Fred had drawn three chairs to the bedside and lain down on them, with his shoulders resting on the edge of the bed, so that he could continue to stroke his mother's hand without disturbing her. He had continued doing so until his head had slowly drooped upon the pillow ; and there they now lay, the dissipated son and the humble Christian mother, sleeping quietly together. fiwi Oi: ALPINK ADVENTURE. 01 CIIArTER VII. THE GREAT WHITE MOUNTAIN. We are in Switzerland now; in tlie "land of tlie mountain and the flood"— tlie land also of per- ennial ice and snow. The solemn presence of the Great White Mountain is beginning to be fult. Its pure summit was first seen from Geneva ; its shadow is now beginning to steal over us. We are on the road to Chamouni, not yet over the frontier, in a carriage and four. Mrs. Stoutley, being a lady of unbounded wealth, always travels post in a carriage and four when she can mana^^e to do so, having an unconquerable antipathy to railroads and steamers. She could not well travel in any other fashion here, railways not having yet penetrated the mountain regions in this direction, and a mode of ascending roaring mountain torrents in steamboats not having yet been discovered. She might, however, travel with two horses, but she prefers four. Captain Wopper, who sits opposite Emma Gray, wonders in a quiet speculative way I li iiii 92 rjVEUS OF ICE wliethcr the Mines " will produce a dividend suflicient to pay the expenses of tliis journey. He is quite disinterested in tlie thought, it being under- stood that tlic Captain pays his own expenses. But \vc wander from our text, which is — the Great White Mountain. We are driving now under its sliadow with Mrs. Stoutley's party, which, in addi- tion to tho Captain and Miss Gray, already men- tioned, includes young Dr. George Lawrence and Lewis, who are on horseback ; also Mrs. Stoutley's maid (Mrs. Stoutley never travels without a maid), Susan Quick, who sits beside the Captain ; and Gillie White, alias the Spider and the Imp, who sits beside the driver, making earnest but futile efforts to draw him into a conversation in English, of which bnguage the driver knows next to nothing. But to return : ]\Irs. Stoutley and party are now I'l the verj' heart of scenery the most magnificent ; they have penetrated to a great fountain-head of European waters ; they are surrounded by the cliffs, the gorges, the moraines, and are not far from the snow-slopes and ice-fields, the couloirs, the seracs, the crevasses, and the ice-precipices and pinnacles of a great glacial world ; but not one of the party betraj'S the smallest amount of interest, or expresses the faintest emotion of surprise, owing to the melan- choly fact that all is shrouded in an impenetrable OK .\LPINE ADVENTURE. 93 veil of mist, througli which a thick fme rain per- colates as if the mountairx monarch himself were bewailing their misfortunes. "Isn't it provoking?" murnuired Mrs. Stoiitley drawing her shawl closer. *' Very," replied Emma. " Disgusting !" exclaimed Lewis, wlio rode at Ihc side of the carriage next his cousin. " It might be worse," said Lawrence, with a grim smile. " Impossible," retorted Lewis. " Come, Captain, have you no remark to make by way of inspiring a little hope ?" asked Mrs. Stoutley. " Why, never havin' cruised in this region before." answered the Captain, "my remarlcs can't be f>f much value. Ilows'ever, there is one idea that may be said to afford consolation, namely, that this sort o' thing can't last. I've sailed pretty nigh in all parts of the globe, an' I 've invariably found that bad weather has its limits— that after rain we may look for sunshine, and after storm, calm." " ITow cheering !" said Lewis, as the rain trickled from the point of his prominent nose. At that moment Gillie Wliite, happening to cast his eyes upward, beheld a vidion which drew iium him an exclamation of wild surprise. They all looked quickly in the same direction, \k 94 RIVEKS OF ICE l'< i ' ^t * m %' and llieie, tlirougli a rent in tlie watery veil, tliey beheld a little spot of blue sky, rising into which was a mountain- top so p^u-e, so faint, so high and inexpressibly far off, yet so brilliant in a glow of sunshine, that it seemed as if heaven had been opened, and one of the hills of Paradise revealed. It was the first near view that the travellers had obtained of these mountains of everlasting ice. "With the exception of tlie exclamations " Won- derful !" " Most glorious !" they found no words for a time to express their feelings, and seemed glad to escape the necessity of doing so by listening to the remarks of their driver, as he went into an elaborate explanation of the name and locality of the par- ticular pait of Mont Blanc that had been thus disclosed. The rent in the mist closed almost as quickly as it had opened, utterly concealing the beautiful vision ; but the impression it had made, being a first and a very deep one, could never more be removed. The travellers lived now in the faith of what they had seen. Scepticism was no longer possible, and in tliis improved frame of mind they dashed into the village of Chamouni — one of the haunts of those whose war-cry is " Excelsior !" — and drove to the best hotel Their arrival in the village was an unexpected point of interest to many would-be mountaineers, i t\ OK ALPINE ADVENTURK. 95 who lounged about tlie place with macintoshes and umbrellas growling at the weather. Any event out of the common forms a subject of interest to men who wait and have nothing to do. As the party passed them, growlers gazed and epeculated as to who the new-comers might be. Some thought Miss Gray pretty ; some thought otherwise — to agree on any point on. such a day being, of course, impossible. Others " guessed" that the young fellows must be uncommonly fond of riding to "get on the outside of a horse" in such weather ; some remarked that the "elderly female" seemed "used up," or " blasee," and all agreed — yes, they did agree on this point — that the thing in blue tights and buttons beside the driver was the most impudent- looking monkey the world had ever produced ! The natives of the place also had their opinions, and expressed them to each other ; especially the bronzed, stalwart, sedate-looking men who hung about in knots near the centre of the village, and seemed to estimate the probability of the stout young Englishmen on horseback being likely to require their services often — for these, said the driver, were the celebrated guides of Chan ouni ; men of bone and muscle, and endurance and courage ; the leaders of those daring spirits who consider — and justly so — the ascent to the summit of Mont Clanc, or Monte liosa, or the Matterhorn, i i\\ ; i ^ ?i i ..ill Of) mVKUS OF ICE a feat ; the men who perform lliis feat, it may be, two or three times a week — as often as you choose to call tbem to it, in fact — and think nothing of it; the men whose profession it is to risk their lives every summer from day to day for a few francs ; who have become so inured to danger that they have grown quite familiar with it, insomuch that some of the reckless blades among tliem treat it now and then with contempt, and pay the penalty of such conduct with their lives. Sinking into a couch in her private sitting-room, Mrs. Stoutley resigned herself to Susan's care, and, while she was having her boots taken off, said with a sigh : — " Well, here we are at last. What do you think of Chamouni, Susan ? " " Eather a wet place, ma'am ; ain't it ?" With a languid smile, Mrs. Stoutley admitted that it was, but added, by way of encouragement, that it was not always so. To which Susan replied that she was glad to hear it, so she was, as nothink depressed her spirits so much as wet, and clouds, and gloom. Susan was a pretty girl of sixteen, tall, as well as very sedate and womanly, for her age. Having been born in one of the midland counties, of poor, though remarkably honest, parents, who had received no ed 11 cation themselves, and therefore held it to bo \ OU ALi'INi: AI)VKNTUi;i:. 97 quite unnecessary to bestow anything so useless on their daughter, she was, until very recently, as ignornnt of all beyond the circle of her father's homestead as the daughter of the man in the moon — supposing no compulsory education- act to be in ope- ration in the orb of night. Having passed tlirough them, she now knew of the existence of France and Switzerland, but she was quite in the dark as to the position of these two countries with respect to the rest of the world, and would probably have regarded them as one and the sr.me if their boundary-line had not been somewhat deeply impressed upon her by the ungnllant manner in which the Customs' officials examined Llie contents of her modest little portmanteau in search, as Giilie gave her to under- stand, of tobacco. Mrs. Stoutley had particularly small feet, a cir- cumstance which might have induced her, more than other ladies, to wear easy boots ; but, owing to some unaccountable perversity of mental constitution, she deemed this a good reason for having her boots made unusually tight. The removal of these, therefore, aftbrded great relief, and the administration of a cup of tea produced a cheering reaction of spirits, under the influence of which she partially forgot herself, and resolved to devote a few minutes to the instruc- tion of her interestingly ignorant maid. " Yes," she said, arranging herself comfortably, G i'll »l ys KIVEKS OF ICE and sippiug her tea, wliile Susan busied herself putting away her lady's " things," and otherwise tidying the room, " it does not always rain here ; there is a little sunshine sometimes. By the way, where is Miss Gray ?" " In the bedroom, ma'am, unpacking the trunks." " Ah, well, as I was saying, they have a little sunshine sometimes, for you know, Susan, people must live, and grass or grain cannot grow without sunshine, so it has been arrang(»d that there should be enough here for these purposes, but no more than enough, because Switzerhtnd has to maintain it.s character as one of the great refrigerators of Europe." ** One of the what, ma'am ?" " Eefrigerators," explained Mrs. Stoutley ; " a refrigerator, Susan, is a freezer ; and it is the special mission of Switzerland to freeze nearly all the water that falls on its mountains, and retain it there in the form of ice and snow until it is wanted for the use of man. Isn't that a grand idea ?" The lecturer's explanation had conveyed to Susan's mind the idea of the Switzers going with long strings of carts to the top of Mont Blanc for supplies of ice to meet the European demand, and she admitted that it was a grand idea, and asked if the ice and snow lasted long into the summer. " Long into it !" exclaimed her teacher. " Why, you foolish thing, its lasts all through it " i i I r Oli ALl'INE ADVENTUHE. 99 " Oh indeed, nia'aui !" said Susan, who entertained strong doubts in lier heart as to the correctness of Mrs. Stoutley's infornuition on this point. '* Yes," continued that lady, with more animation than slie had experienced for many months past, so invigorating was the charge of moral atmosphere induced by this little breeze of instruction ; " yes, the ice and snow cover the hills and higher valleys for dozens and dozens of miles round here in all directions, not a few inches deep, such as we some- times see in England, but with thousands and mil- lions of tons of it, so that the ice in the valleys is hundreds of feet thick, and never melts away al- together, but remains there from year to year — has been there, I suppose, since the world began, and will continue, I fancy, until tlie world comes to an end." Mrs. Stoutley warmed up here to such an extent, that she absolutely flushed, and Susan, who had lieretofore regarded her mistress merely as a weakisli woman, now set her down, mentally, as a barefaced story-teller. " Surely, ma'am," she said, with diffidence, " ice and snow like that doesn't fill all the valleys, else we should see it, and find it difficult to travel through 'em ; shouldn't we, ma'am ?" " Silly girl !" exclaimed her preceptress, " I did not say it filled cdl the valleys, but the higher valleys — valleys such as, in England and Scotland, would I'S J^ - — — 100 KIVKUS OF ICK i-3 I '<1 ■ I \% iill i'l sir l»u clothed with pasturage and waving grain, and dotted with cattle and sheep and smiling cottages." Mrs. Stoutley had by this time risen to a heroic frame, and spoke poetically, which accounts for her ascribing risible powers to cottages. " And thus you see, Susan," she continued, " Switzerland is, as it were, a great ice-tank, or a series of ice- tanks, in which tlie ice of ages is accu- mulated and saved up, so that the melting of a little of it — the mere dribbling of it, so to speak — is suffi- cient to cause the continuous flow of innumerable streams and of great rivers, such as the Klione, and the Rhine, and the Var." The lecture received unexpected and appropriate illustration here by the sudden lifting of the mists, which had hitlierto blotted out the landscape. " Oh, aunt !" exclaimed Ennna, running in at the moment, "just look at the hills. IIow exquisite ! How much grander than if we had seen them quite clear from the first !" Emma was strictly correct, for it is well known that the grandeur of Alpine scenery is greatly en- hanced by the wild and weird movements of the gauze-like drapery with which it is almost always partially enshrouded. As the trio stood gazing in silent wonder and admiration from their window, which, they had been informed, commanded a view of the summit of Mont OK AM'INK ADVKNTL'IiK. 101 P 1 lilaiic, the mi«t luid risen like a curtain partially rolled up. All above the curlain-foot presented the dismal grey, to wliich they had been too long accus- tomed, but below, and, as it were, far behind this curtain, the mountain- world was seen rising upwards. So close were they to the foot of the Great Whito Monarch, tluit it seemed to tower like a giant-wa1l before them ; but this wall was varied and beautiful as well as grand. Already the curtain had risen high enough to disclose hoary clilfs and precii)ices, with steep grassy slopes between, and crowned with fringes of dark pines ; which latter, although goodly trees, looked like mere shrubs in their vast setting. Eills were seen running like snowy veins among the ;dopes, and losing themselves in the masses of debris at the mountain-foot. As they gazed, the curtain rose higher, disclosing new and more rugged features, on which shone a strange, unearthly light — the result of shadow from the mist, and sunshine behind it — while a gleam of stronger light tipped the curtain's under-edge in one direction. Still higher it rose ! Susan exclaimed that the mountain was rising into heaven ; and Emma and Mrs. Stoutley, whose read- ing had evidently failed to impress them with a just conception of mountain- scenery, stood with clasped hands in silent expectancy and admiration. The gleam of stronger light, above referred to, widened, and Susan almost shrieked with ecstasv when the i( j ■ i f 102 KlVKItS OK ICF M ^ i t .(**, curtain seemed to rend, and tlie gleam resolved itself into the great Glacier des Bossons, wliicli, rolling over the mountain -hrow like a very world of ico, thrust its mighty tongue down into the valley. From that moment Susan's disbelief in her lady's knowledge changed into faith, and deepened into profound veneration. It was, however, only a slight glimpse that had been thus afforded of the ice-world by which they . were surrounded. The great ice-fountain of those regions, commencing at the summit of Mont Blanc, flings its ample waves over mountain and vale in all directions, forming a throne on which perpetual winter reigns, and this glacier des Bossons, which filled the breasts of our travellers with such feelings of awe, was but one of the numerous rivers which flow from the fountain down the gorges and higher valleys of the Alps, until they reach those regions where summer heat asserts itself, and checks their further progress in the form of ice by melting them. " Is it possible," said Emma, as she gazed at the rugged and riven mass of solid ice before her, " that a glacier lesilly Jloivs ?" " So learned men tell us, and so we must believe," said Mrs. Stoutley. " Flows, ma'am ?" exclaimed Susan, in surprise. " Yes, so it is said," replied Mrs. Stoutlejr, with a smile. i M» ;i OH ALIMNK ADVKNTL'UE. lo;? I " Hut we can see, iiui'ani, by lookiu' at it, tliat it dont flow; can't we, ma'am?" said Susan. " True, Susan, it does not seem to move ; never- tlieless scientific men tell us that it does, and some- times we are bound to believe against the evidence of our senses." Susan looked steadily at the glacier for some time; and then, although she modestly held her tongue, scientific men fell considerably in her esteem. While the ladies were thus discussing the glacier and enlightening their maid, Lewis, Lawrence, and the Captain, taking advantage of the improved stale of the weather, had gone out for a stroll, partly with a view, as Lewis said, to freshen up thei** appetites for dinner — although, to say truth, tl. appetites of all three were of such a nature as to require no freshening up. They walked smartly along the road which leads up the valley, pausing, ever and anon, to look back in admiration at the wonderful glimpses of scenery disclosed l)y the lifting mists. Gradually these cleared away al- together, and the mountain summits stood out well defined against the clear sky. And then, for the first time, came a feeling of disappointment. "Why, Lawrence," said Lev/is, "didn't they tell us that we could see the top of Mont Blanc from Chamouni?" !i H "^., 10 4 i;ivi:us OK ice it ','! i :i " Thoy certainly did," replied Lawrence, " but I can't see it." " There are two or three splondid-looking peaks," said Lewis, pointing up the valley, " but surely tliat's not the direction of the top we look for." "No, my lad, it ain't the right point o' the compass hy a long way," said the Captain; "but yonder goes a strange sail a-head, let's overhaul her." " ITcavo a-head then, Captain," said Lewis, " and clap on stun's'ls and sky-scrapers, for the strange sail is making for that cottage on the hill, and will get into port before we overhaul her if we don't luok sharp." The "strange sail" was a woman. She soon turned into the cottage referred to, but our travellers followed her up, arranging, as they drew near, that Lawrence, being the best French schol-^r of the three (the Captain knowing nothing whatever of the language), should address her. She turned out to be a very comely young woman, the wife, as she explained, of one of the Chamouni guides, named Antoine Grennon. Her daughter, a pretty blue-eyed girl of six or so, was busy arrang- ing a casket of flowers, and the grandmother of the family was engaged in that mysterious mallet-stone- scrubbingbrush-and-cold-water system, whereby the washerwomen of the Alps convert the linen of OR ALriNK ADVENTURE. 105 tourists into shreds and patches in the shortest possible space of time. After some complimentary remarks, Lawrence asked if it were possible to see the summit of Mont T'limc from where they stood. Certainly it was ; the guide's pretty wife couhl point it out, and attempted to do so, but was for a long time unsuccessful, owing to the interference of preconceived notions — each of our travellers having set his heart upon beholding a majestic peak of rugged rock, mingled, perliups, with ice-blocks and S"10W. " Mo?t extraordinary," exclaimed the puzzled Captain, "I've squinted often enough at well- known peaks when on the look-out for landmarks from the sea, an' never failed to make 'em out. Let me see," he added, rretting behind the woman so as to look straight along her outstretched arm, " no, / can't see it. My eyes must be giving way." " Surely," said Lawrence, " you don't mean that little piece of smooth snow rising just behind the crest of yonder mountain like a bit of rounded sugar?" "Oui, monsieur" — that was precisely what she meant ; that was the summit of Mont Blanc. And so, our three travellers — like many hundreds of travellers whu had gone before them, and like many, doubtless, who shall follow — were grievously I i '|i li I 106 BTVERS OF ICE disappointed -svitli their first ^iew of Mont Blanc ! They lived, however to change their minds, to dis- cover that the village of Chamouni lies too close to the toe of the Great "Wliite Mountain to permit of his being seen to advantage. One may truly see a small scrcp of the veritable top from Chamouni, but one cannot obtain an idea of what it is that he sees. As well might a beetle walk close up to the heel of a man, and attempt from that position to form a correct estimate of his size ; as well might one plant him.self two inches distant from a large painting and expect to do it justice ! No, in order to unde^;- stand Mont Blanc, to " realise" it, to appreciate it adequately, it requires that we should stand well back, and get up on one of the surrounding heights, and make the discovery that as we rise he rises, and looks vaster and more tremendous the further off we go and the higher up we rise, until, with foot planted on the crest of one of the neighbouring giants, we still look up, as well as down, and learn — with a feeling of deeper reverence, it may be, for the Maker of the "everlasting hills" — that the grand monarch with the hoary head docs in reality tower supreme above them all. ■* OK ALI'JXE ApVEiNTUKE, 107 CHAPTEK VI IT. JNTRODUCES THE KKADER TO VAIUOUS PERSONAOES, AND KUTUrs ON GLACIERS. At this time our travellers, havii^; only just been introduced to the mountain, had a great deal to hear and see before they understood him. They returned to the hotel with the feeling of disappointment still upon them, but with excellent appetites for dinner. In the Salle d manger they met with a miscel- laneous assortment of tourists. These, of whom there were above thirty, varied not only as to size and feature, but as to country and experience. There wore veteran Alpine men-steady,' quiet, bronzed- looking fellows, some of them— who looked as if they had often " attacked" and conquered the most dangerous summits, and meant to do so again. There were men, and women too, from England, America, Germany, France, and Eussia. Some had been at Chamouni before, and wore the self-possessed air of knowledge; others had obviously never been there 'M 108 RIVERS OF ICF, li « ' before, and were excited. Many were full of interest and expectation, a few, cliiefly very young men, wore a blasf.^, half-pitiful, lialf-patronising air, as though to say, "that's light, good people, amuse yourselves wiLli your day-dreams while you may. We have tried a few weeks of this sort of thing, and have done a summit or two ; in imngination we have also been up Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa, and the Matterhorn, and a few of the Ilymalaya peaks, and most of the mountains in the moon, and several of the lixed stai's, and — haw — are now rather boa-r-d with it all than otherwise !" There were men who had do".e much and who said little, and men who had done little and who spoke much. There were " ice-men" who had a desire to impart their knowledge, and would-be ice-men who were glad to listen. Easy-going men and women there were, who flung the cares of life behind them, and " went in," as they said, for enjoyment ; and who, with abounding animal spirits, a dash of r-^^igious senti- ment, much irrepressible humour and fun, were really pleasant objects to look at, and entertaining companions to travel with. Earnest men and women there were, too, who gathered plants and insects, and made pencil-sketches and water-colour drawings during their rambles among mountains and valleys, and not a few of whom chronicled faithfully their experiences from day to dsiy. There was a Polish •m. UU ALl'lNE ADVKNTUIIE. 109 Count, u till], liiuulsonie, middle-aged, care-worn, anxious-looking man, who come there, apparently in search of health, and who was cared for and taken care of by a dark-eyed little daughter. This daughter was so beautiful, that it ought to have made the Count well — so thought most of the yonng men — simply to look at her ! There was a youthful British Lord, who had come to " do" Mont Blanc and a few otlier pep^ 3. He was under charge of a young man of considerable experience in mountaineering, whose chief delight seemed to be the leading of his charge to well-known summits by any other and more diffi- cult tracks than the obvious and right ones, inso- much that Lewis Stoutley, who hud a tendency to imprudent remark, said in his hearing that he had heard of men who, in order to gain the roof of a house, prefer :ed to go up by the waterspout rather than the staircase. There was an artist, whom Lewis — being, as already observed, given to inso- lence — styled the mad artist, because he was enthu- siastic in his art, galvanic in his actions, and had large, wild eyes, with long hair, and a broad-brimmed conical hat. Besides these, there was a Eussian Professor, who had come there for purposes of scientific investigation, and a couple of German students, and a Scotch man of letters, whose aim was general observation, and several others, whoso end was simply sewing the world. mi ■W:' fi I ■i ii ; I I if i PI m S. 110 RIVERS OF ICE In the arrangements of the table, Captain Wopper found himself between Emma Gray and the Polish Count, whose name was Horetzki. Directly oppo- site to him sat Mrs. Stoutley, having her son Lewis on her right, and Dr. Lawrence on her left. Beside tlie Count sat his lovely little daughter Nita, and just opposite to her was the mad artist. This ar- rangement was maintained throughout the sojourn of the various parties during their stay at Charaouni. They did, indeed, shift their position as regaraed the table, according to the arrival or departure of travel- lers, but not in regard to each other. Now it is an interesting, but by no means sur- prising fact, that Cupid planted himself in the midst of this party, and, with his fat lit'Je legs, in imminent danger of capsizing the dishes, began to draw his bow and let fly his arrows right and left. Being an airy sprite, though fat, and not at any time parti- cularly visible, a careless observer might have missed seeing him ; but to any one with moderate powers of observation, he was there straddling across a dish of salad as plain as the salt-cellar before Captaiu Wopper's nose. His deadly shafts, too, were visibly quivering in the breasts of Lewis Stoutley, George Lawrence, and the mad artist. Particularly obvious were these shafts in the case of the last, who was addicted to gazing somewhat presumptuously on " lovely woman" in general, from what he styled an '**,?«P«»J'«fi*$S OR ALPINE ADVKNTUKE. Ill artistic point of view- -never from any other point of view ; of course not ! Whether or not Cupid had discharged his artil- lery at the young ladies, we cannot say, for they betraye-^ no evidence of having been ^Aounded. In tlieir case, he must either have missed his aim, or driven his shafts honiL with such vigour, that they were buried out of sight altogether in their tender hearts. It is probable that not one member of tliat miscellaneous company gave a thouglit at that timo to the wounded men, except the wounded men themselves, so absorbing is the love of food ! The wounded were, however, sharp-set in all respects. They at once descried each other's condition, and, instead of manifesting sympathy with each other, were, strange to say, filled with intense jealousy. This at least is true of the younger men. Lawrence, being somewhat older, was more secretive and self- possessed. At first Captain Wopper, having declined a dish of cauliflower because it was presented alone, and having afterwards accepted a mutton chop alone, with feelings of poignant regret that he had let the cauliflower go by, was too busy to observe what the heathen-mythological youngster was doing. Indeed, at most times, the said youngster might have dis- charged a whole quiver of arrows into the Captain's eyes without his being aware of the attack ; but, at t< ] I li 112 IlIVEUS OF ICE the present time, the Captain, as the reader is aware, was up to the eyes in a plot in which Cupid's aid was necessary ; he had, as it were, invoked the fat child's presence. When, therefore, he had got ov(n' the regrets about the cauliflower, and had swallowed the mutton-chop, he began to look about him — to note the converse that passed between the young men, and the frequent glances they cast at the young womon. It was not the first time that tho Captain had, so to speak, kept his weather- eye open in regard to the affection which he had made up his mind must now have been awakened in the breasts of George Law- rence and Emma Gray ; but hitherto his hopes, although sanguine, had not received encouragement. Though polite and respectful to each other, they were by no means tender; altogether, they acted quite differently from what the Captain felt that he would hfive done in similar circumstances. A sus- picion had even crossed the poor seaman's mind that I'jnma was in love with her handsome and rattling cousin Lewis ; but anxiety on this head was some- what allayed by other and conflicting circumstances, such as occasional remarks by Lewis, to the effect that Emma was a goose, or a pert little monkey, or that she knew nothing beyond house-keeping and crochet, and similar compliments. Now, however, in a certain animated conversation between Law- dim OIJ ALl'INK AUVENTrKK. li;i \ t rciico aud Emma, tlie designing seaman tliouglit lie saw the Imdding oi his deep-laid plans, and fondly hoped ere long to behold tlie bud developed into the tlower oi" matrimony. Under this conviction he secretly hngged himself, but in the salon, that even- ing, he opened his arms and released liimself on beholding the apparently fickle Lawrence deeply engaged in converse with the Count Iloretzki, to whose pretty daughter, however, he addressed the most of his remarks. The Captain, being a blimt, honest, straightforward man, could not understand this state of matters, and fell into a fit of abstracted perplexity on the sofa beside Mrs. Stoutley, who listened listlessly to tlio Kussian Professor as he attempted to explain to her and Emma the nature of a glacier. " Well, I don't understand it at all," said Mrs. Stoutley, at the end of one of the Professor's most lucid expositions. We may remark, in passing, that the Professor, like many of his countrymen, was a good linguist, and spoke English well. " "Nc'c understand it !" he exclaimed, with a slight elevation of his eyebrows. " My dear madam, it is most plain, but I fear my want of good English does render me not quite intelligible." " Your English is excellent,'' replied Mrs. Stoutley, with a smile, " but I fear that my brain is not a -- m: -' i I 1 y in 111 laVKUS UF ICK ftufliciciiily clear one on sncli ni;ilU;rs, for I conf<;HS that I cannot understand it. Can you, Captain Wopper?" " Certainly not, ma'am," answered the Cai)tain, thinking of the lickle Lawrence ; " it takes the wind out of my sails entirely." " Indeed \" said tlie Professor. " Well, do pern jit me to try again. You understand tliat all the moun- tain-tops and elevated platea\is, for many miles around here, are covered with ice and snow." *' Oh !" exclaimed the Captain, awaking to the fact that his answer was not relevant ; " may I ax what is the particular pint that puzzles you, ma'am V* Emma laughed aloud at this, and coughed a little to conceal the fact. She was rather easily taken by surprise with passing touches of the ludicrous, and had not yet acquired the habit of effectually sup- pressing little explosions of undertoned mirth. " The thing that puzzles me," said Mrs. Stoutley, " is, that glaciers should flow, as I am told they do, and yet that they should be as hard and brittle as glass." " Ah, well, yes, just so, h'm !" said the Captain, looking very wise ; " that is exactly the pint that I want to know myself ; for no man who looks at the great tongue of that glacier day Bossung — " " Des Bossons," said the Professor, with a bland smile. "> •I •>It AM'INK ADVKNTII;!:. 11)5 Ihiy hoHHoug," repiiatod tiio Cap iliat it is marked wiili all the lines eddies of a roll tain, "can deny , and waves, an' in liver, an' yet as little can tl «l<'ny that it seems as hard-and-iast as the Gibraltar." The Professor nodded approvingly. ley rock of tf «( Y oil are n \ ight, Captain Whippor Vopper," said the Captain, with » a grave nod. Wo,,per, repeated tI,o I'mfcssor, " tl.o glacier de. I.o.s.so„3, I,ke all the other glaciers, seems to remain ""movable, though i„ reality it llows-ever flows- -lowmvard ; but its motion is so slow, that it is not I'crcept ble to the naked eye. Similarly, the hoar- l-anu of a watch is to appearance motionless Do you want proof ? Mark it just now ; look again i„ quarter of an hour, and you see that it has moved You are convinced. It is so with the glacier. Mark h>m to-day, go back to-morrow_the mark has changed. Some glaciers flow at the rate of two and three feet in the twenty-four hours." " Yes, but how do they flow, being so brittle'" demanded Mrs. Stoutley. "Ay, that's the pi,it. Professor," said the Cap- tain, nodding, "/wto do they flow, bein' made of ha«l and brittle ice 1" " Why, by rolling higgledy-piggledy over itself of course, said Lewis, flippantly, as he came up ,„d sat down on the end of the sofa, being out of humour liu IMVKKS ()|<- ICM in willi liiinsolfaiid cvcrylMxly in cohscmjuciico of linviii;* iillcrly fnilcd (o ^ijniii i\\v iillciilion of Nilii Ilorci/Ki, allllo\l^ll Ijo Iuk! niiule uniisuallv ciirncMt ('(VoHs lo join in convoraation with licr falli(>r. Owinjr lo somcwliat similar foolinga, tlu' artist liad llunj^ liiiu- solf into a chair, and aat ^darin^ at tlio Idiudv (irc- ]dacc with a dc^reo of conocnirnlion lliat on,L;ht to havo lighted (l\o (ircvvood thoroin. " The causo of a glacior (lowinj^," said tho Tro- f(\ssor, " hi\s h)ng been a dis])nlod point. So.nc niou of scicnco havo ludd that it is the pressure of ice and snow behind it which causes it to flow. Tlicy do not think that it (lows like water, but say it is forced from behind, and cruslu>d through gorj^es and ilown valleys, as it were, unwillinnly. They say that, if left alone, as they now are, without additions, from this time forward, glaciers would no longer move ; they would rest, and slowly melt away ; that their motion is due to the fact that there are milea and miles of suow^-ficlds, ihousan Is of feet deep, on the mountain-tops and in the gorges, to which fresh snows are added every winter, so that the weight of what is behind, slipping off the slopes and falling from the cliffs, crushes down and forward that which is below ; thus glaciers cannot choose but advance." " Ay, ay," said the Captain, " no doubt, no doubt, that may be so ; but why is it that, bein' as brittle as glass, a glacier don't come rumblin' and clatteriu' r ■i oil AM'INK ADVKNTiniK. 117 i; i ^. 'fm •IdWii ll.f viillcyH in hiuhU liiiid bilH, likt* l*'ii thou- Hand iiiillionM ol' hiiiuh1iu(1-ui» cliandiiliHrH ?" " Ay, there 'h the nil»," cxclaiincd I.cvviH ; " wliat say you to lliat, ?" "Hal" (;x('lin"iiuMl tlu! Pi(»tcHHf)r, a;^'aiii smiliiij^ l)!auJly, " i.|i(!iu yon liavo louclit'd what onco was, and, to Home jtliiloHoplicis it sceniH, still is, tliu great diirioiilty. [\y some great men it has ]>een held tiiat glacier iee is always in a j)!irtially soft, viscid, or S(!nii-lliiid condition, sonuiwhat like; i>itcli, so that, alth«)Ugh a2)paraif/f/ n solid, biitth;, and rigid body, it flows sluggishly in reality. ()th(;r philosfjphers have denied this tlieovy, insisting tliat the ice of glaciers is not like pitch, but like glass, and that it cnnnot be sque(;zed without being broken, nor drawn without bcung cracked. These philoHophers hp.7e discovered that when ice is subjected to great pressure it melts, and that, when the pressure is removed, the part so melted immediately freezes again — hence the name regelation, or re-freezing, is given to the process. Thus a glacier, they say, is in many places being continually melted and con- tinually and instantaneously re-frozen, so that it is made to pass through narrow gorges, and to open out again when the enormous pressure has been removed. But this theory of regelation, although unquestionably true, and although it exercises some inlluence on glacier motion, does not, in my opinion. 1; 1 118 i:iVi:i!S OF KT alone account for it. Tlic opinion wliich seems to be most in favour anion^' learntHl men— and tliat which I myself lioUl lirmly — is, the theory of the Scottish Professor Forbes, namely, that a glacier is a semi-fluid body, it is largely impregiuited through- out its extent with water, its particles move round and past each other — in other words, it flows in j)re- cisely the same manner as water, the only difference being that it is not (^uite so lluid ; it is sluggish in its flow, but it certainly models itself to the ground over which it is forced by its own gravity, and it is only rent or broken into fragments when it is com- pelled to turn sharp angles, or to pass over steep convex slopes. Forbes, by his careful measure- ments and investigations, proved incontestably that in some glaciers the central portion travelled down its valley at double or treble the rate of its sides, without the continuity of the mass being broken. In small masses, indeed, glacier-ice is to all appear- ance rigid, but on p. large scale it is unquestionably ductile." "Has the theoiy of regelation been put to t^ie jvoof ?" asked Lewis, with a degree of interest in glaciers which he had never before felt. "It has," answered the Professor. "An experi- mentalist once cut a bar of solid ice, like to a bar of soap in form and size, from p, glacier. To this an iron weight of several pounds was suspended by I on ALPINE AUVKNTUKK. iia means of a very fine wirt, which was Lied round the bar. The pressure of the wire melted the ice under it ; as the water escaped it instantly re-froze above the wire ; thus the wire went on cutting iti way Uirough the bar. and tlie water went on freez- ing, until at last the weight fell to the ground, and left the bar as solid and entire as if it had never been cut." " Well, now," said Captain Wopper, bringing his hand down on his thigh with a slap that did more to arouse Mrs. Stoutley out of her languor than the Professor's lecture on glacier ice, " I Ve sailed round the world, I have, an' seen many a strange sight, and what I 've got to say is that I '11 belFeve that when I see it." '•You shall see it soon then, I hope," said the Professor, more blandly than ever, " for I intend to verify this experiment along with several others. I go to the Mer de Glace, perhaps as far as the Jardin, to-morrow. Will you come ?" "What may the Jardang be ?" asked the Captain. "Hallo ! monkey, what's wrong?" said Lewis to Emma, referring to one of the undertoned safety- valves before mentioned. ^ " Nothing," replied Emma, pursing her little lips till they resembled a cherry. - "The Jardin, or garden," said the Professor, "is a little spot of exquisite beauty in the midst of the ^1 J 20 i;TVT:ns of ice hi* gliaciers, where a knoll of green grass and flowers peeps np in the surrounding sterility. It is one of tlie regular excursions from Chamouni." " Can ladies ljo ?" asked Lewis. " Young and active ladies can," said the Professor, with his blandest possible smile, as he bowed to Emma. " Then, we '11 all go together," cried Lewis, with energy. " Not all," said Mrs. Stoutley, with a sigh, " I am neither young nor active." *' Nonsense, mother, you 're quite young yet, you know, and as active as a kitten when you've a mind to be. Come, we '11 have a couple of porters and a chair to have you carried when you knock up." Notwithstanding the glowing prospects of ease and felicity thus opened up to her, Mrs. Stoutley resolutely refused to go on this excursion, but she generously allowed Emma to go if so disposed. Emma, being disposed, it was finally arranged that, on the following day, she, the Captain, Lewis, and Lawrence, with Gillie White as her page, should proceed up the sides of Mont Blanc with the man of science, and over the Mei de Glace to the Jardin, s )f <^'!; AL.'INK AlJVK.NTll;fi:. 121 1 > CIIAPTKH XF. A SOLID STREAM. Umm ,s a river of ice in Switzerland, ,vl,icl, taku>g Its rise on the hoary summit of Mont Blane flows throngh a sinuous mountain-channel, and terminates its grand career by liquefaction in the vale of Chamouni. A mighty river it is in all respects, and a wonderful-full of interest and mystery and apparent contradiction. It has ■> gmnd volume and sweep, varying from one to 'four m. es m width, and is about twelve nnles long, with a depth of many hundreds of feet. It i., motionless to the eye, yet it descends into the plain continu- ally. It IS hard and unyielding in its nature, yet It flows as really and steadily, if not with as lithe -i motion as a liquid river. It is not a half solid mass like mud, which might roll slowly down an incline ; it is solid, clear, transparent, brittle ice winch refuses to bend, and crac!:c sharply under a strain ; nevertheless, it has its waves and raT,ids cross-currents, eddi..s, and cn.scade.s which, seeu J| ! t 122 RIVERS OF ICE from a moderate distance, display all the grace and beauty of flowing water — as if a grand river in all its varied parts, calm and turbulent, had been actu- ally and suddenly arrested in its course and frozen to the bottom. It is being melted perpetually too. The fierce sun of summer sends millions of tiny streamlets down into its interior, which collect, augment, cut channels for themselves through the ice, and finally gush into the plain from its lower end in the form of a muddy river. Even in winter this prr>p*:s goes on, yet the ice-river never melts entirely away, but holds on its cold, stately, solemn course from year to year — has done so for unknown ages, and will probably do so to the end of time. It is pic- turesque in its surroundings, majestic in its motion, tremendous in its action, awful in its sterility, and, altogether, one of the most impressive and sublime works of God. This gigantic glacier, or stream of ice, springing, as it does, from the giant- mountain of Europe, is appropriately hemmed in, and its mighty force re- strained, by a group of Titans, whose sharp aiguilles, or needle-like peaks, shoot upward to a height little short of their rounded and white-headed superior, and from whose wild gorges and riven sides tribu- tary ice-rivers flow, and avalanches thunder inces- gantly. Leaving its cradle on the top of Mont Blanc, r' i OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 123 the great river sweeps round the Aiguille du Guant ; and, after receiving its first name of Glacier du Gdant from that mighty obelisk of rock, which rises 13,156 feet above the sea, it passes onward to wel- come two grand tributaries, the Glacier de L(5chaud, from the rugged heights of the Grandes Jorasses, and the Glacier du Tal^fre from the breast of the Aiguille du Tal^fre and the surrounding heights. Thus aug- mented, the river is named the Mer de Glace, or sea of ice, and continues its downward course ; but here it encounters what may be styled " the narrows," between the crags at the base of the Aiguille Char- moz and Aiguille du Moine, through which it steadily forces its way, though compressed to much less than half its width by the process. In one place the Glacier du Geant is above eleven hundred yards wide ; that of the Ldchaud is above eight hundred ; that of Tal^fre above six hundred — the total, when joined, two thousand five hundred yards ; and this enormous mass of solid ice is forced through a nar- row neck of the valley, which is, in round numbers, only nine hundred yards wide ! Of course the ice- river must gain in depth what it loses in breadth in tliis gorge, through which it travels at the rate of twenty inches a day. Thereafter, it tumbles ruggedly - to its termination in the vale of Chamouni, un^ier the name of the Glacier des Bois. y The explanation of the causes of the rise a^ad flow I i ■ 124 HI VERS OF ICE it I Iri :ii of this ice-river we will leave to the genial f.ud en- thusiastic Professor, wlio glories in dilatuig on such matters to Captain Wopper, who never tires of the dilations. Huge, however, though this glacier of the Mer de Glace be, it is only one of a series of similar glaciers which constitute the outlets to that vast reservoir of ice formed by the wide range of Mont Blanc, where the snows of successive winters are stored, packed, solidified, and rendered, as it were, self-vegulating in their supplies of water to the plains. And the Mont Blanc range itself is but a portion of the great glacial world of Switzerland, the area occupied by which is computed at 900 square miles. I'wo-thirds of these send their v/aters to the sea through the channel of the Ehine. The most extensive of these glaciers is the Aletsch glacier, which is fifteen miles in length. It is said that above six hundred distinct glaciers have been reckoned in Switzerland. This, good reader, is but a brief reference to the wonders of the glacial world. It is but a scratching of the surface. There is a very mine of interesting, curious, and astonishing facts below the surface. Nature is prodigal of her information to those who question her closely, correctly, and perseveringly. E\uen to those who observe her carelessly, she is not altogJTither dumb. Sho is generous ; and the God of NuUuc has caused it to be written for our instruc- I OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 125 'ion that " His works are wonderful, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." We may not, however, prolong our remarks on the subject of ice-rivers at this time. Our travellers at Chamouni are getting ready to start, and it is our duty at present to follow them. f \ i- ir T^ • . I II! I! f 1 126 KIVEKS OF ICE CHAPTER X. TUE FIRST KXCUnSION. " A SPLENDID morning I" exclaimed Dr. George Lawrence, as he entered the Salle a manger with an obviously new alpenstock in his hand. " Jolly !" replied Lewis Stoutley, who was stoop- ing at the moment to button one of his gaiters. Lewis was addicted to slang, not by any means an uncommon characteristic of youth ! "The man," he said, with some bitterness, " who invented big buttons and littli button-holes should have had his nose skewered with a button-hook. He Vas an ass !" In order to relieve his feelings and accomplish his ends, Lewis summarily enlarged the holes with his penknife. " And round buttons, too," he%aid, indignantly; *• what on earth was the use of making round buttons when flat ones had been invejited ? A big hole and 9i flat button will hold against^ny thing— even against \ ■a ; A OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. J 27 Scotch whins and heather. There, now, that abomi- nable job 13 done." " You are fond of strong language, Lewie," said Lawrence, as he examined the spike at the ond of his alpenstock. " I am. It relieves my feelings." " But don't you think it weakens your influence on occasions when nothing but strong language will serve ? You rob yourself of the power, you know, to increase the force of it/* " Oh bother ! don't moralise, man, but let 's have your opinion of the weather, which is an all-im- portant subject just now." , " I have already given my opinio- as to that," said Lawrence, " but here comes one who will give us an opinion of value. He is in capital time. Good morning, Antoine." Their guide for the day, Antoine Grennon, a fine stalwart specimen of his class, returned the salutation, and added that it was a very fine morning. « Capital, isn't it ?" cried Lewis, cheerfully, for he had got over the irritation caused by the buttons. " Couldn't be better ; could it ?" The guide did not admit that the weather could not be better. " You look doubtful, Antoine," said Lawrence. " Don't you think the day will keep up ?" t \l V i 12H RIVERS OF ICE " Keep u]) r' exclaimed Lewis ; " why, the sky is perfectly clear. Of course it will. I never saw a finer day, even in England. Why do you doubt it, Antoine?" The guide pointed to a small cloud that hung over the brow of one of the higher peaks. " Appearances are sometimes deceitful in this country," he said. " I don't doubt the fineness of the day at present, but — " He was interrupted here by the sudden and noisy entrance of Captain Wopper and the Professor, fol- lowed by the mad artist, whose name, by the way, was Slingsby. " No, no," said the Captain to the Professor, with whom he had already become very intimate, " it won't do to part company. If the Jardang is too far for the ladies, we will steer for the Mairdy- glass, an' cross over to the — what 's-'is-name — " " Chapeau," said the Professor. " Ah! the shappo," continued the Captain, "and so down by the glacier dez boys — " " The what ?" asked Lewis, with a half-suppressed smile. " The glacier dez boys, youngster," repeated the Captain, stoutly. "Oh, I see; you mean the Glacier des I^ois?" said Lewis, suppressing the smile no longer. " AVhat I mean, young man," said the Captain, OK AU'INE ADVKNTORE. 12U Sternly, " i, best known to n,yadf. Vo« and other College-breu coxcombs may call it day bwa, if you i'ke but I have overhauled the chart, and there its m^t d-e-s, which sounds dez. and b-o-i-s, which seafarm men pronounce boys, so don't go for to cross my hawse again, but rather join me in tryin' to >ndooce the Professor to putt off his trip to the Jardang, an' sail in company with us for the day" " I will join you heartily in that," said Lewis urmng to the man of science, who stood regarding •l.e Captam with an amiable s.nile, as a huge New! foundland dog might regard a large mastiff; " but TltoJd r '"''"'"^ ''"'''°'' '° '^« '^^^'J'" '° ^ sistef Tbf "'? *'' ^'■^''=^^°^' "^■°- --ble power~of ^ ^ ' <='^»^^"-^i* «-■>' irresistible power of suasion which seems inherent in her nature, has prevailed on Mademoiselle Horet.ki to jom 1^ party, and Mademoiselle is too delicate- sylphhke-to endure the fatigues of so Ion' an excursion over the ice. Our worthy guide subtest hat .would afford more pleasure to' the lacS - and course, therefore, to the gentlemen-if you we to make your first expedition only to the A ontanvert, which is but a two hours' climb fr m Chamouni, pic-nic there, cross the Mer de gC ^ which IS narrow at that point, and descend agai, to Chamoum by the side of the Glacier des Bois, wWe K«^ if 111 130 RIVEiiS OF ICE you can behold the great moraines, and also the source of the river Arveiron. This would be a pleasant and not too fatiguing round, and I, who might perhaps be an encumbrance to you, will prosecute my inquiries at the Jardin alone." " Impossible," exclaimed Lewis, " the Captain is right when he observes that we must not part company. As my mother says, we are a giddy crew, and will be the better of a little scientific ballast to keep us from capsizing into a crevasse. Do come, my dear sir, if it were only out of charity, to keep us in order." To tliis entreaty Lawrence and the artist added their persuasions, which wave further backed by the eloquence of Emma Gray and Nita Horetzki, who entered at the moment, radiant with the flush of life's dawning day, and irresistible in picturesque mountain attire, the chief characteristics of which consisted in an extensive looping up of drapery, and an ostentatious display of those staffs called alpenstocks, five feet long, tipped with chamois horn, whicli are an indispensable requisite in Alpine work. " Oh ! ;, :u muss go," said Nita, in silvery tones and disjointed English. " If you go not, monsieur, I go not !" "That of course decides the question. Made- moiselle," said the gallant Professor, with one oi ^1 II ' > oil ALPINE ADVKNTUUK. i;n L013 in )nes leur, ide- ol 1 his blandest smiles, " I sluill accompany you ^vith pleasure. But I have one little request to make. My time at Chamouni is short ; will you permit me, on arriving at the Mer de Glace, to prosecute my inquiries ? I am here to ask questions of Nature, and must do so with perseverance and patience. Will you allow me to devote more of my attention to her than to yourself ? " " H'm ! well— what you say, Aludemoiselle Gray ?" demanded Kita, with an arch look at her companion. " Is the Professor's request reasonable ?" To this Emma replied that, as Nature was, upon Mie whole, a more important lady than either of them, she thought it was reasonable ; whereupon the Professor agreed to postpone his visit to the Jardin, and devote his day to fixing stakes and making observations on the Mer de Glace, with a view to ascertaining the diurnal rate of speed at which the glacier flowed. "You spoke of putting certain questions to Nature, Professor," said Lawrence, when the party were slowly toiling up the mountain-side. " Have they not already been put to her, and satisfactorily answered some time ago?" "They have been put," replied the Professor, " by such learned men as Saussure, Agassiz, Rendu, Charpentier, and by your own countryman Forbes, and others, and undoubtedly their questions have 132 KIVEKS OF ICE received distinct answers, insonmcli tliiit our know- ledge of the nature and action of glacial ice is now very considerable. But, my dear sir, learned men liave not been agreed as to what Nature's replies mean, nor have they exhausted the subject; be- sides, no true man of science is quite satisfied with merely hearing the reports of others, he is not con- tent until he has met and conversed with Nature face to face. I wish, therefore, to have a personal interview with her in these Alps, or rather," con- tinued the Professor, in a more earnest tone, " I do wish to see the works of my ^lakcr with my own eyes, and to hear Ilis voice with the cars of i^v bwn undeistanding." "Your object, then, is to verify, not to discover?" said Lawrence. " It is both. Primarily to verify ; but the man of science always goes forth with the happy con- sciousness that the mine in which lie proposes to dig is rich in gems, and that, while seeking for one sort, he may light upon another unexpectedly." " When Captain AVopper turned up yonder gem, he lit on one which, if not of the purest water, is unquestionably a brilliant specimen of the class to "which it belongs," said Lewis, coming up at that moment, and pointing to a projection in the some- what steep part of the path up which they were windincj. -. : I f oi; AU'INE advkntuim:. 133 to i-e The gem inferred to was no other than our fVicMul Gillie White. That hilarious youth, altliouyli re- generated outwardly as regards blue cloth and buttons, hud not by any means changed his spirit eince fortune began to smile on him. Finding that his mistress, being engaged with her dark-eyed friend, did not require his services, and observing that his patron, Captain AVopper, held intercourse with the guide — in broken English, because he, the guide, also spoke broken English — that Lawrence and the Professor seemed capable of entertaining each other, that Lewis and the artist, .although dreadfully jealo' , of each oilier, were fain to hold social intercourse, the ladies being inseparable, and that he, Gillie, was therefore left to entertain him- self, he set about amusing himself to the best of his power by keeping well in rear of the party and scrambling up dangerous precipices, throw- ing stones at little birds, charging shrubs and stabbing the earth with Enmia's alpenstock, im- molating snails, rolling rocks down precipitous parts of the hill, and otherwise exhibiting a ten- dency to sport with Nature — all of which he did to music whistled by himself, and in happy forget- fulness of everything save the business in hand. He was engaged in some apparently difiicult piece of fancy work, involving large boulders, when Lewis drew attention to him. 1 i It K if ; V ll! I ' ' 134 RIVERS OF ICE " VV^hat can the imp be up to ?" he said. "Most likely worrying some poor reptile to death," said the artist, removing his conical wide- awake and fanning himself therewith. (Mr. Slingsby was very warm, his slender frame not being equal to his indomitable spirit.) " I think he is trying to break your alpenstock, Emma," observed Lewis. There seemed to be truth in this, for Gillie, having fixed the staff as a lever, was pulling at it with all his might. The projection of rock on which he stood, and which overhung the zigzag road, was partially concealed by bushes, so that the precise intention of his efforts could not be dis- covered. At that moment Antoine, the guide, turned to see what detained the party, and instantly uttered a loud shout of alarm as he ran back to then. The warning or remonstrance came too late. Gillie had loosened an enormous rock which had l)een on the point of falling, and with a throb of exultation, which found vent in a suppressed squeal, he hurled a mass, something about the size and weight of a cart of coals, down the precipice. But the current of Gillie's feelings v/as rudely changed when a shriek from the ladies, and some- thing between a roar and a yell from the gentlemen, told that they had observed a man with a mule, 4\ ^ ;;; on ALPINE ADVENTUKE. 135 -^M in ascending from the valley, had reached a spot which lay in the direct Hne of the miniature avalanche ; and when the muleteer, also observing the missile, added a hideous howl to the chorus, the poor urchin shrank back appaUed. The rock struck the track directly behind the mule with a force which, had it been expended only six inches more to the right, would have driven that creature's hind legs into the earth as if they had been tenpenny nails ; it then bounded clear over the next turning of the track, crashed madly through several bushes'! overturned five or six trees, knocked into atoms a sister rock which had taken the same leap somo " ages before, and finally, leaving behind it a grand tail of dust and mris, rolled to its rest upon the plain. At the first symptom of the danger, Captain Wopper had rushed towards the culprit. " Pascal !" he growled between his teeth, as he seized Gillie by the nape of the neck, lifted him almost off his legs, and shook him, « d'ee see what you've done?" He thnist the urchin partially over the precipice and pointed to the man and the mule. Please, I haven't da-np if." beaded "But there !" pl( you did your best to—you—- Gillie. •you—you smail- He finislied off the sentence with an open-lianded I \i ' -m- i I ] :\C) RIVEP.S OF ICE wliack that aroused the echoes of Mont Blanc, and cast the culprit adrift. " Now, look 'ee, lad," said tlie Captain, with im- pressive solemnity, " if you ever go to chuck stones like that over the precipices of this here mountain [igain, I '11 chuck you over after 'em. D'ee hear ?" " Yes, Cappen," grumbled Gillie, rubbing himself, " but if you do, it 'a murder. No jury of Englishmen would thinli of recommendin' you to mercy in the succumstances. You'd be sure to swimj — an' I — 1 could wish you a better fate." The Captain did not wait to hear the boy's good wishes, but hastened to rejoin his friends, while (lillie followed in rear commenting audibly on the recent incident. . " Well, well," he said, thrusting both hande deep into liisi trouser-pockets, according to custom when in a moralising frame of mind, " who 'd a thought it. Gillie White, that you'd 'ave bin brought all the way from London to the ITalps to make such a close sliave o' committin' man — to say nothin' of mule — slaughter, and to git whacked by your best friend ? Oh ! Cappen, Cappen, I couldn't 'ave believed it of you if I 'adn't felt it. But, I say. Gillie, icasn't it a big 'un ? Ha ! ha ! The Cappen threatened to chuck me over the precipice, but I've chucked over a wopper that beats hiin all to sticks. Hallo ! I say that 's worthy of runch. P'raps I '11 be a contributor 1^^ i' \ {;. OR ALPLXK ADVJINTUKE. 13' '1 to it w'eii I gets bacK from Zwizzeiland, if I ever does get back, vieb is by no means certain. Susan, my girl, I '11 'ave summat to enliven you witb this evenin'." We need scarcely say that this last remark had reference to Mrs. Stoutley's maid, with whom the boy had become a great favourite. Indeed the re- gard was mutual, though there was this diffeience about it, that Susan, being two years older than Gillie, and tall as well as womanly for her age, looked upon the boy as a precocious little oddity, wherens Gillie, esteeming himself a man — "all but" — regarded Susan wdth the powerful feelings of a first affection. From this, and what has been already said, it will be apparent to our fair readers that Cupid had ac- companied Mrs. Stoutley's party to Chamouni, with the intention apparently of amusing himself as well as interfering with Captain Wopper's matrimonial designs. The road to the Montanvert is a broad and easy bridle-path, which, after leaving the valley, traverses a pine-forest in its ascent, and becomes in places somewhat steep. Here and there a zigzag is found necessary, and in several places there are tracks of avalanches. About half-way up there is a spring named the Caillet, which was 'laded by trees in days of yore, but the avalanches have swept these il f n ■ |. 138 RIVERS OF I^E away. Beside the spring of pure water there was a spring of " fire-water," in a hut where so-called " refreshments" might also be obtained. As none of our party deemed it necessary to stimulate powers, which, at that time of the day, were fresh and vigor- ous, they passed this point of temptation without halting. Other temptations, however, were not so easily resisted. Tlie Professor was stopped by rocky strati- fications, the ladies were stopped by flowers and views, the younger gentlemen were of course stopped by the ladies, and the mad artist was stopped by everything. Poor Mr. Slingsby, who had been asked to join the party, in virtue of his being a friend of the Count, and, therefore, of Nita, was so torn by the conflict resulting from his desire to cultivate Nita, and cut out Lewis and Lawrence, and his desire to prosecute his beloved art, that he became madder than usual. " Splendid foregrounds" met him at every turn ; " lovely middle-distances" chained him in everywhere ; " enchanting backgrounds" be- set him on all sides ; gorgeous colours dazzled him above and below ; and Nita's black eyes pierced him continually through and through. It was ter- rible ! He was constantly getting into positions of danger — going out on ledges to obtain particular views, rolling his large eyes, pulling off his hat and tossing back his long hair, so as to drink in more OR ALPINE ADVENTUUE. l:'>9 thoroughly the beautie'? around him, and chamber- ing up precipices to fetch down bunches of wild flowers when Nita chanced to express the most distant allusion to or admiration of them. " He will leave his bones in one crevasse !" growled Antoine, on seeing him rush to a point of vantage, and, for the fiftieth time, squat down to make'' a rapid sketch of some " exquisite bit" that had taken his fancy. " 'Tis of no use," he said, on returning to his friends, " I cannot sketch. The beauties around me are too much for me." He glanced timidly at Nita, who looked at him boldly, laughed, and advised him to shut his eyes, so as not to be distracted with such beauties. " Impossible ; I cannot choose but look. See," he said, pointing backward to their track, "see what a lovely effect of tender blue and yellow through yonder opening — " " D'you mean Gillie ?" asked Lewis, with a quiet grin, as that reckless youth suddenly presented his blue coat and yellow buttons in the very opening referred to. The laugh called forth by this was checked by the voice of Captain Wopper, who was far in advance shouting to them to come on. A few minutes more, and the whole party stood on the Montanvert beside the small inn which has 140 lilVEUS OF ICE Leen erected there for the use of summer tourists, and from which point the grccat glacier broke for tlie first time in all its grandeur, on their view. Well miglit Emma and Nita stand entranced for some time, unahle to find utterance to their feelings, save in tlie one word — wonderful ! Even Slingsby's mercurial spirit was awed into silence, for, straight before them, the white and frozen billows of the Mer de Glace stretched for miles away up into the gorges of the giant hills until lost ia and mingled with the clouds of Leuveii \ i 'I m f: on AI^lNE ADVENTUKE. 141 CHAPTEE XI. THK PURSUIT OV SCIENCE UNDER DIFFICULTIKS. AijiEii the first burst of enthusiasm and interest had abated, the attention of the party became en- grossed in the proceedings of the Professor, who, with his assistants, began at once to adjust his theodolite, and fix stakes in the ice. While he was thus engaged. Captain Wopper regarded the Mer de Glace with a gaze of fixedness so intense as to draw on him the attention and arouse the curiosity of his friends. "TV you see anything curious, Captain?" asked Emma, who chanced to stand beside him. "Coorious— eh?" repeated the Captain slowly, without altering his gaze or adding to his reply. " Monsieur le Capitaiue is lost in consternation," said Nita, with a smile. " I think, Miss Horetzki," said Lewis, " that you probably mean admiratioyi." " How you knows w'at I mean ?" demanded Nita," quickly. 142 RIVEIIS OF ICE "Ha! a very proper and pertinent questicn," observed Mr, Slingsby, in an audible though under tone. " I nevair do put 'pertinent questions, sir," said Nita, turning her black eyes sharply, though with something of a twinkle in them, on the mad artist. Poor Slingsby began to explain, but Nita cut him short by turning to Lewis and again demanding, " How you knows w'at i ii:ean ?" " The uniform propriety of your thoughts. Made- moiselle," replied Lewis, with a continental bow, and an air of pretended respect, *' induces me to suppose that your words misinterpret them." Nita's knowledge of English was such that this remark gave her only a hazy idea of the youth's meaning ; she accepted it, however, as an apologetic explanation, and or-ered him to awaken the Captain and find out froi". him what it was that so riveted his attention. "You hear my orders," said Lewis, laying his hand with a slap on the Captain's shoulder. " What are you staring at ?" "Move !" muriaured the Captain, returning as it were to consciousness with a long deep sigh, " it don't move an inch." " What does not move ?" said Lawrence, who had been assisting to adjust the theodolite, and camo forward at the moment. I !!i OK ALPINE ADVENTUKE. 143 d " The ice, to be sure," answered the Captain. " I say, Professor, do 'ee mean to tell nie that the whole of that there Mairdy-glass is movin' ? " "I do," answered the Professor, pausing for a minute in his arrangements, and looking over his spectacles at the Captain with an amused expression. " Then," returned the Captain, with emphasis, " I think you '11 find that you 're mistaken." " Ha ! Captain Weeper— " " Wopper," said the Captain. '* Wopper," repeated the Professor, " you are not the first who has expressed disbelief in what he cannot see, and you will assuredly not be the last ; but if you will wait I will convince you." " Very good," replied tlie Captain, " I 'm open to conviction." " Which means," said Lewis, " that you have nailed your colours to the mast, and mean to die rather than give in." " No doubt," said the Captain, paying no atten- tion to the last remark, " I see, and believe, that at some time or other the ice here must have been in a flowin* state. I 'm too well aware o' the shape of waves an' eddies, cross-currents and ripples, to doubt or deny that, but any man with half an eyt can see that it 's anchored hard and fast now. I 've looked at it without flinchin' for good ten minutes, and not the smallest si^n of motion can I detect." I 1 'I ' \U I 1 \i KIVKKS OF ICK " So might you say of the liour liand of a watcli," observed Lawrence. "Not at all," retorted tike Captain, becoming argumentative. " I look at the hour-hand of a watch for ten minutes and don't see it move, but I do see that it has in reality passed over a very small but appreciable space in that time." " Just so," said the Professor, " I will ere long show you the same thing in regard to the ice." " I '11 bet you ten thousand pounds you don't," returned the Captain, with an assured nod. " Colours nailed !" said Lewis ; " but I say, Cap- tain," he added, remonstratively, " I thought you were a sworn enemy to gambling. Isn't betting gambling ?" " It is, young man," answered the Captain, " but I always bet ten thousand pounds sterling, which I never mean to pay if I lose, nor to accept if I win — and that is not gambling. Put that in your pipe and smoke it ; and if you '11 take my advice, you '11 go look after your friend Slingsby, who is gambolling up yonder in another fashion that will soon bring him to giief if he 's not stopped." All eyes were turned towards tlie mad artist, wlio. finding that his advances to Mademoiselle Nita were not well received, had for the time forsaken her, and returned to his first (and professional) love. In wooing her, he had clambered to an almost inac- OR ALriNE ADVENTL'liK. Its )ring Kvlio. were I, and 111 inac- cessible cliff, from which he hoped to obtain a very sketchable view of the Mer de Glace, and, when Captain Wopper drew attention to him, was making frantic eflbrts to swing himself by the branch of a tree to a projecting rock, which was so slightly attached to its parent cliff that his weight would in all probability have hurled it and himself down the precipice. The remonstrative shouts of his friends, however, induced him to desist, and he sat down to work in a less perilous position. Meanwhile the Professor, having completed his preliminary preparations, ordered his assistants to go and " fix the stages in the ice." It had been arranged that, while the scientific experiments were in progress, the young ladies should ramble about the neighbourhood in search of flowers and plants, under the care of Lewis, until two o'clock, atfwhich hour all were to assemble at the Montanveit r^otel for luncheon. Captain Wopper and Lawrence xfesolving to remain and assist, or at least observe, the Professor. The former, indeed, bearing in mind his great and riding wish even in the midst of scientific doubt and inquiries, had suggested that the latter should also accompany the ladies, the country being somewhat rugged, and the ladies — especially Miss Emma — not being very sure- footed; but Lawrence, to his disappointment, had K I J UG KIVEKS OF ICK declined, saying that tlie ladies had a sufficient protector in the gallant Lewis, and that INIiss Emma was unquestionably the surest-footed of the whole party. Lawi'ence therefore remained, and, at the Pro- lessor's request, accompanied the party who were to fix the stakes on the ice. As this operation was attended with cinsiderable difficulty and some danger, we will describe the process. Finding that the spot which he had first cliosen for his observations was not a very good one, the Professor changed his position to a point farther down on the steep sloping rocks that form the left bank of the Glacier des Bois. Here the theodolite was fixed. This instrument, as even our young readers may probably know, is a small telescope attached to a stand with three long legs, and having spirit-levels, by means of which it can be fixed in a position, if we may say so, of exact flatness with reference to the centre of the earth. Within the telescope are two crossed hairs of a spider's-wel , so fine as to be scarcely visible to the naked eye, a? id so arranged that their crossing-point is exactly ii* the centre of the tube. By means of pivots and screws the telescope can be moved up or down, rig] it or left, without in the smallest degree altering the flat- ness or position of its stand. On looking thron;/V Ri ! Oi: ALl'INK AUVKNiUKR 117 fficieiit H Emma B whole m le Pro- ' 1 were to i^^^^K cierahle 1 ibe the chosen 4 >ne, the farther 1 the left 3odolite ■'■■■, young i: i jlescope having ;ed in a 3S with i- ' lin the A* . wel, so l9 , a?id so m ' \v the m screws m ight or T' ' 1 he flat- hroii '\ t]ie telescope the delicate tlireads can be distinctly «een, and the point whero they cross can be brought to bear on any distant object. Having fixed the instrument on the rocks quite clear of the ice, the Professor determined the direc- tion of a supposed line perpendicular to the axis of the glacier. lie then sought for a conspicuous and well-defined object on the opposite side of the valley, as near as possible to that direction. In this he was greatly helped by Captain Wopper, who, having been long accustomed to look-out with precision at sea, found it not very difficult to apply his powers on land. " There 's a good land- mark, Professor," he said, pointing towards a sharply-cut rock, " as like the 1 )ook of Wellington's nose as two peas." " I see it," said the Professor, whose solid and masculine countenance was just the smallest pos- sible degree flushed by the strong under- current of enthusiasm with which he prosecuted his experi- ments. " You couldn't have a better object than the pint o' that," observed the Captain, whose enthusiasm was quite as great as, and his excitement much greater than, that of the Professor. Having carefully directed the telescope to tlie extreme point of the " Dock's" nose, the Professor now ordered one of liis assistants to go on the glacier I It) I its I '' In 1 1- i 1 • « I i iii ! 118 RIVERS OF ICE with a stake. Lawrence descended with him, and thus planted his foot on glacier- ice for the first time, as Lewis afterwards remarked, in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. While they were clambering slowly down among the loose boulders and debris which had been left by the glacier in previous years, the Professor care- fully sketched the Duke of Wellington's nose with the rocks, etc., immediately around it, in his note- book, so that it might be easily recognised again on returning to the spot on a future day. The assistant who had been sent out with the first stake proved to be rather stupid, so that it was fortunate he had been accompanied by Lawrence, and by the guide, Antoine Grennon, who stirred up his perceptions. By rough signalling he was made to stand near the place where the first stake was to be driven in. The telescope was then lowered, and the man was made, by signals, to move about and plant his stake here and there in an upright position until the point of intersection of the spider's tlireads fell exactly on tho bottom of the stake. A pre-arranged signal was th?n made, and at that point an auger hole was bored deep into the ice and the stak/driven home. " So much for number one," said Captain Wopper, with a iook of satisfaction. ^^ -- ._ " They ^'.on't fix the other ones so easily," ob- ■i. OR ALl'INK ADVENTLKE. 1 iO opper, ." ob- served tlie Professor, re-examining the stake tliroiiyh the telescope with great care. He was right in this. The first stake had been planted not far from the shore, but now Lawrence and his party had to proceed in a straight line over the glacier, which, at this steep portion of its descent into the Vale of Chamouni, was rent, dislocated, and tortured, to such an extent that it was covered with huge blocks and pinnacles of ice, and seamed with yawning crevasses. To clamber over some of the ice-ridges v/as almost impossible, and, in order to avoid pinnacles and crevasses, which were quite im- passable, frequent detours had to be made. If the ol^ject of the ice-party had merely been to cross the glacier, the difliculties would not have been great ; but th3 necessity of always returning to the straight line pointed out by the inexorable theodolite, led them into positions of considerable difficulty. To the inexperienced Lawrence they also appeared to be positions of great danger, much to the amuse- ment of Antoine, who, accustomed as he was to the fearful ice-slopes and abysses of the higher regions, looked upon this work as mere child's play. " You '11 come to have a different notion of cre- vasses, sir," he said, with a quiet smile, " after you 've bin among the seracs of the Grand Mulct, and up some of the couloirs of Monte Rosa." I I I mo uivinis ov ici " I doubt it not, Aiitoine," said Lawrence, gazing Avith feelings of awe into a terrible split in the ice, -whose beautiful light-blue sides deepened into in- tense blackness as they were lost to vision in an abyss, out of which arose the deep-toned gurgling of sub-glacial streams ; " but you must not forget that lids is quite new to me, and my feet are not yet aware of the precise grip with which they must hold on to so slippery a foundation." It was in truth no discredit to Lawrence thai he fi'lt a tendency to shrink from edges of chasms which appeared ready to break off, or walked with caution on ice-slopes which led to unfathomable holes, for the said slopes, although not steep, were undoubtedly slij-jpery. After much clambering, a ridge was at length gained, on which the second stake was set up, and then the party proceeded onwards to fix the third ; but now the difficulties proved to be greater than before. A huge block of ice was fixed upon as that which would suit their purpose, but it stood like a peninsula iu the very midst of a crevasse, and con- nected with tlie main body of ice by a neck which looked as sharp as a knife on its upper edge, so tliat none but tight-rope or slack- wire dancers could have proceeded along it ; and even such performers would have found the edge too brittle to sustain them. oil ALPINE ADVENTUKE. 151 ij "You'll luive to show, Monsieur, some of your mountaineer skill here ? " said the man who carried the stakes to Antoine. He spoke in French, wliich Lawrence understood perfectly. We render it as nearly as possible into the counterpart English. Antoine at once stepped forward with his AlpiuB axe, and, swinging it vigorously over his head, cut a deep notch on the sloping side of the neck of ice. lieyond it he cut a second notch. No man — not even a monkey — could have stood on the glassy slope which descended into the abyss at their side ; but Antonie, putting one foot in the first notch, and the other in the second, stood as secure as if he had been on a flat rock. Again he swung his axe, and planted his foot on a third notch, swinging his axe the instant it was fixed for the purpose of cutting the fourth. Thus, cut by cut and ste / by step, he passed over to the block of ice aimed at. It was but a short i ;ck. A few notches were sufficient, vet without an axe to cut these notches, the place had •een absolutely impassable. It was by no means a ' langerous " place, according to the ideas of Alpine mountaineers, nevertheless a slip, or the loss of balance, would have been followed by certain death. Antoine knew this, and, like a wise guide, took pro- per precautions. "Stay, sir," he Siud, as Lawrence was screwing up '- s 152 RIVERS OF ICE his courage to follow him, " I will show you another piece of Alpine practice." He returned as he spoke, and, unwinding a coil of rope which he carried, fastened one end thereof round his waist. Allowing a few feet of interval, he then fastened the rope round Lawrence's waist, and the assistants with the stakes — of whom there were two besides the man already referred to — also attached themselves to the rope in like manner. By this means they all passed over with compara- tive security, because if any one of them had chanced to slip, the others would have fixed the points of their axes and alpenstocks in the ice and held on until their overbalanced comrade should have been restored to his position. On gaining the block, however, it was found that the line communicating with the theodolite on the one hand, and the Dock's nose on the other, just missed it. The Professor's signals continued to indicate *' more to the left" (his left, that is) until the stake- driver stood on the extreme edge of the crevasse, and his comrades held on tight by the rope to pre- vent him from falling over. Still the professor indicated " more to the left !" As "more to the left" implied the planting of the stake in atmospheric air, they were fain to search for a suitable spot farther on. ' This they found, after some scrambling, on a •*Jk OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 15.3 •e- or of to a *MT' serrated ridge whose edge was just wide and strong enough to sustain them. Here the exact line was marked, but while the hole was being bored, an ominous crack was heard ascending as if from the heart of the glacier. "What was that?" said Lawrence, turning to the guide with a quick surprised look. " Only a split in the ice somewhere. It's a com- mon sound enough, as you might expect in a mass that is constantly moving," replied Antoine, looking gravely round him, " but I can't help thinking that tliis lump of ice, with crevasses on each side, is not the best of all spots for fixing a stake. It isn't solid enough." As he spoke, another crash was heard, not quite so loud as the last, and at the same moment the whole mass on which the party stood slid forward a few inches. It seemed as if it were about to tumble into the very jaws of the crevasse. With the natural instinct of self preservation strong upon him, Lawrence darted across the narrow ridge to the firm ice in rear, dispensing entirely with that extreme caution which had marked his first passage over it. Indeed the tight-rope and slack-wire dancers formerly referred to could not have per- formed tlie feat with greater lightness, rapidity, and precision. The stake- drivers followed him with almost similar alacrity. Even the guide retraced 154 RIVERS OF ICK liis stops \\'illiout furtlier delay than was necessary to permit of his picking up tlie stakes wiiich their proper custodians liad left behind in their alarm — lor they were not guides, merely young and in- experienced porters. " For shame, lads," said Antoine, laughing and shaking his head, "^'■ou'llbe but bad specimens of the men of ChimKuini if you don't learn more cool- ness on the ice." One would have lliought that coolness on the ice was an almost unavoidable consequence of the sur- rounding conditions, yet Lawrence seemed to con- tradict the idea, for his lace appeared unusually warm as he laughed and said : — " The shame lies with me, Antoine, foi' I set them the example, and all history goes to prove that even brave men are swept away under the iiilluence of a panic which the act of one cowardly man may produce." As Lawrence spoke in French, the port ' t THE MORAINE UF THE MER DE GLACE.— Paue ItiO. '"^#«*s«/«>w'*" -■w^ a SIM ll'jl , OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. IGl eyrie, and Aiitoine tells me that it is full three miles from this spot to our hotel in Chamouni." It did not take them long to traverse that space, and ere long, like the eagle and the sun, the ^vholo party had retired to rest — the younger members, doubtless, to dreamless slumber ; the Professor and the Captain, probably, to visions of theodolites and ice. Although, however, these worthies must needs await the coming day to have their scientific hopes realised, it would be cruel to keep our patient reader in suspense. AVe may therefore note hero, that when, on the following day, the theodolite was re-fixed, and the man of science and his amatour friend had applied their respective eyes to tlu^ tele- scope, they were assured beyond a doubt that the stakes had moved, some more and some \vm, while the "Dook's nose," of course, remained hard and fast as the rock of which it was composed. The stakes had descended from al)out one to three feet during the twenty-four hours — those near the edge having moved least, and those near the centre of the ice-river's flow having moved farthest. Of course there was a great deal of oliserving with the theodolite, and careful measuring as well as scrambling on the ice, similar to tliat of the previous day ; but the end of the whole was that the glacier was ascertained to have flowed .".efinitely m m 102 RIVEUS OF ICE ft 11(1 observably down its channel, there could be no doubt whatever about that ; the thing had been clearly proved, therefore the Professor was trium- phant, and the Captain, being a reasonable man, was "onvinced. if 'Mr Hi m '"1 m oil ALPINE ADVENTURE. 1G3 Id be no acl been j Irinm- >le man, CITArTEU XII. IN WHICH C.U.UE I:^ SAOACIOUS, AN EXCUll.SION IS UNDEUTAKMN, WON- DHOU.S SIGHTS AUK SICEN, A.NIJ AVAtAl^CHES OF MoHK KINDS THAM ONE ARE ENCOUNTERED. "Susan," said Gillie, one morning, enteiiiig t))0 private apartment of Mrs. Stoiitloy's maid witli tlie confidence of a privileged friend, Hinging liin)se]f languidly into a chair and stretching out his little legs with the air of a rather used-up, though by no means discontented, man, "Susan, this is a courious world — wery coorious — the most coorious I may say that I ever come across." " I won't speak a wopl to you, Gillie," said Susan, firmly, " unless you tlirow that cigar out of the window." " Ah, Susan, you wowhl not Vol) uie of my mornin* weed, would you?" vcmonstrated Uillie, pulfing a long cloud of smoke froip his lips as he took from between them the end of a cigar that had been thrown away by some one the night before. " \cs, ' would, child, you are too young to smoke." ■s I] U'i I ,i ' 164 RIVERS OF ICE " Child !" repeated Gillie, in a tone of reproach, " too young ! Why, Susan, there 's only two years between you an' me — that ain't much, you km/w, at our time of life." " Well, what then ? / don't smoke," said Snsnn. " True," returned Gillie, with an approving nod, "and, to say truth, I'm pleased to find that you don't. It 's a nasty habit in women." " It 's an equally nasty habit in boys. Now, do as I bid you directly." "When a man is told by the girl he loves to do anythink, he is bound to do it — even if it wor the sheddin' of his blood. Susan, your word is law." He turned and tossed the cigar-end out of tlie window. Susan laughingly stooped, kissed the urchin's forehead, and called him a good boy. " Now," said she, " what do you mean by sayin* that this is a curious world ? Do you refer to this part of it, or to the whole of it ? " "Well, for the matter of that," replied Gillie, crossing his legs, and folding his hands over his knee, as he looked gravely up in Susan's pretty face, " I means the whole of it, tJiis part included, and the people in it \ikeiuise. Don't suppose that I go for to exclude myself. We're all coorious, every one on us." "What! me too?'* f ^■^-^yT'^VjSx^ii^. ir.-- ^^^smtmstimiKifp^'i^- OR ALriNE ADVEJ^TURE. 1G5 tllG the very •I " You ? w'y, you are tlie cooriouscst of us all, 8usau, seeing that you're only a lady's-maid when y ju're pretty enough to have been a lady — a dutchess, in fact, or somethin' o' that sort." "You are an impudent little thing," retorted Susan, witli a laugh ; "Lut tell me, what do you find so curious about the people up-stairs?" "Why, for one thing, they seem all to have failed in love." "That's not very curious, is it?" said Susan, quietly; "it's common enough, anyhow." "Ah, some kinds of it, yes," returned Gillie, with the air of a philosopher, " but at Chamouni the dis- ease appears to have become viroolent an' pecoolier. There 's the Capp'n, he 's failed in love wi' the Pro- fessor, an' it seems to me that the attachment is mootooal. Then jMister Lewis has failed in love with ^Nladmysell Nita Ilooray-tskie (that's a sneezer, ain't it), an' the mad artist, as ]Mister Lewis call him, has failed in love with her too, poor feller, an' Miss Kita has failed in love with Miss Emma, an' ]\riss Emma, besides reciprocatin' that i)assion, has failed in love w4th the flowers and the scenery — gone in for it wholesale, so to speak — and Dr. Law- rence, he seems to have failed in love with every- body all round; anyhow everybody has failed in love with hivi, for he 's continually goin' about doin' little good turns wherever he gits the chance, wit.li- II /ni. mi i, 1G6 RIVEIIS OF ICE out seemin' to intend it, or sliovin' lasself to the front. In fact I do think he clonH intend it, but only can't lielp it; just the way he used to be to my old mother and the rest of us in Grubb's Court. And I say, Susan," here Gillie looked very mys- terious, and dropped his voice to a whisper, " ]\Iiss Emma has failed in love with Mm." " Nonsense, child ! how is it possible that you can tell that ?" said Susan. The boy nodded his head with a look of preter- natural wisdom, and put his forefinger to the side of his nose. " Ah," said he, " yes, I can't explain lioiv it is that I knows it, but I do know it. Bless you, Susan, I can see through a four-inch plank in thick weather without the aid of a gimlet hole. You may believe it or not, but I know that Miss Emma has failed in love with Dr. Lawrence, but whether Dr. Lawrerice has failed in love with Miss Emma is more than I can tell. Tliat plank is at least a six-inch one, an' too much for my wision. But have a care, Susan, don't mention wot I've said to a single 3oul — liviu' or dead. Miss Emma is a modest young woman, she is, an' would rather eat her fingers off, rings and all, than let hei fdeim's be known. I see that 'cause she fights shy o' Dr. Lawrence, rather too shy of 'im, I fear, for secrecy. Why he doesn't make up to lur is a puzzle thut T don't understand, for \\ i I OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 1G7 m slie 'd make a good wife, would Miss Emma, an' Dr. Lawrence may live to repent of it if he don't go in and win." Susan looked with mingled surprise and indig- nation at the precocious little creature wlio sat before her giving vent to his opinions as coolly as if he were a middle-aged man. After contemplating him for a few moments in silence, she expressed her belief that he was a conceited little imp to veiiture to speak of his young mistress in that way. " I wouldn't do it to any one but yourself, Susan," he said, in no wise abashed, " an' I hope you appre- ciate my confidence." " Don't talk such nonsense, child, but go on with what you w^ere speaking about," rejoined Susan, with a smile, to conceal which she bent down her liead as she plied her needle briskly gn one of Emma's mountain-torn dresses. "Well, where was I ?" continued Gillie, "ah, yes. Then, Lord what 's-'is-name, Le's failed in love with the mountain -tops, an' is for ever tryiu* to get at 'em, in which he would succeed, for he 's a plucky young feller, if it worn't for that snob who's got charge of 'im — Mister Lumbard— whose pecooliarity lies in preferrin' every wrong road to the right onn. As I heard ^Nlr. Lewis say the other day, w'en I chanced to bo passin* the keyhole of the sally- manjay, 'he'd raithergo up to the roof of a 'ouse by ins RIVEKS OF ICE hi tlie waterspout than the staircase/ just for the sake of boastin' of it." " And is Mr. LumLard in love with any one ? " asked Susan. " Of course he is," answered Gillie, " he 's in love with hisself. He's always talkin' of liisself, an' praisin' hisself, an' boastin' of hisself an* what he 's d(jne and agoin' to do. He's plucky enough, no doubt, and if there wor a lightnin'-conductor runnin' to the top of Mount Blang, I do b'lieve he 'd try to lead his Lordship up that; but he's too fond of talkin' an' swacrfrerin' about with his bij^j axe, an' wcarin' a coil of rope on his shoulder when he ain't goin' nowhere. Bah ! I don't like him. What do you think, Susan, I met him on the road the other evenin' w'en takin' a stroll by myself down near tlie Glassyer day Bossong, an' I says to him, quite in a friendly way, ' bong joor ' says I, which is French, you know, an' what the natives here says when they're in good humour an' want to say 'good- day,' * all serene,' * how are you off for soap ?' an' suchlike purlitenesses. Well, would you believe it, he went past without takin' no notice of me whatsumdever." " How vci'ij impolite," said Susan, " and what did you do ? " " Do," cried Gillie, drawing himself up, " why, I cocked my nose in the air and walked on witliout liisJainiii' to say another A/ord — treated 'iin with OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 1G9 did auvrin contempt. But enougli of him — an' more than enough. Well, to continue, then there's Missis Stouth3y, she 's failed in love too," " Indeed ?" '* Yes, with wittles. The Count Hiir — what 's- 'is-nanie, who's always doin' the pmiite when he's not mopin', says it 's tlie mountain hair as is agreein' with her, but I think its the hair-soup. Anyhow she's more friendly with her witiios here than she ever was in England. After comin' in from that excursion whgre them two stout fellers carried her up the mountains, an' all but capsized her and themselves, incloodin' the chair, down a precipice, while passin' a string o' mules on a track no broader than the brim of Mister Slingsby's wide-awake, she took to her wittles with a sort of lovin' awidity that au't describable. The way she shovelled in the soup, an' stowed away the mutton chops, an* pitched into the pease and taters, to say nothing of cauliflower and cutlets, was a caution to the billions. It made my mouth water to look at her, an' my eyes too — only that may have had somethin' to do with the keyhole, for them 'otels of Chamouni are oncommon draughty. Yes," continued Gillie, slowly, as if ho were musing, "she's failed in love with wittles, an' it's by no means a misplaced affection. It would be well f(jr the Count if he conld fall in the same direction. Did you ever look steadily at tlie Count, Susan ?'' 170 rJVEIiS OF ICE :|] ( I 111 111 Hi " I can't say I ever did ; at least not more so than at other people. Why ?" " Because, if you ever do look at him steadily, you '11 see cpre a-sittin' wery heavy on his long yeller face. There 's somethin' the matter with that Count, eitlicr in 'is head or 'is stummick, I ain't sure which ; hut, whichever it is, it has descended to his darter, for that gal's face is too anxious by lialf for such a young and pretty one. I have quite a sympathy, a sort o' feller-feelin*, for that Count. lie seems to me the wictim of a secret sorrow." Susan looked at her small admirer with surprise, and then hurst into a hearty laugh. " You're a queer boy, Gillie." To an unsophisticated country girl like Susan Quick, the London street-boy must indeed have seemed a remarkable being. He was not indeed an absolute " Arab," being the son of an honest, hard- working mother, but being also the son of a dnmken, ill-doing father, he had, in the course of an extensive experience of bringing his paternal parent home from gin-palaces and low theatres, imbibed a good deal of the superficial part of the " waif" character, and, but for the powerful and benign influence of his mother, might have long ago entered the ranks of our cri- minal population. As it was, he had acquired a knowledge of " the world" of London — its thoughts, feelings, and manners — which rendered him in .4 J a wi' on ALPINE ADVENTURE. 171 j^HE'' Susan's eyes a perfect iniraclc of intelligence ; and she listened to his drolleries and precocious wisdom with open-mouthed admiration. Of course the urchin was quite aware of this, and plumed him elf not a little on his powers of attraction. "Yes," continued Gillie, without remarking on Susan's observation that he was a " queer boy," for he esteemed that a compliment, " the Count is the only man among 'em who hasn't failed in love with notliiuk or nobody. But tell me, Susan, is your fair 1)11 zzum free from the — the tender — you know what?" " Oh ! yes," laughed the maid, " quite free." " Ah !" said Gillie, with a sigh of satisfaction, " then there 's hope for me" " Of course there is plenty of hope," said Susan, laughing still more heartily as she looked at the thing in blue and buttons which thus addressed her. " But now,. tell me, where are they talking of going to-day ?" " To the Jai'Jang," replied Gillie. " It was putt off to please the young ladies t'other day, and now it 's putt on to please the Professor. It seems to me that the Professor has got well to wind'ard of 'em all — as the Cappen would say ; he can twirl the whole bilin' of 'em round his little linger with his outlandish talk, which I believe is more than half nonsense. Ho^vs'ever, he 's goin* to take 'em all to /;•.. v^/ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ► V] . '>? .^v "^ .> <5> .'^>'' "^ /A Photographic Sciences Corporation %^ '<^ ^i> 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEbSTER,N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 '1>^ '<^ J? fA^ ik. '^, ^ ^ #> i/.x \ L^ - Hii" ? ' y III ■p ^ B Mj .iMiiii tL L i i|i i ).ll !W M t i It ii i\ t ii ~% ■ 172 PTVERS OF ICE the Jardang, to luncli there, an' mahe some more obserwatioiis and measurements of the ice. Why he takes so much trouble about sitch a trifle, beats mj/ understandin'. If the ice is six feet, or six hundred feet thick, what then ? If it moves, or if it don't move, wot's the odds, so long as yer 'appy? If it uwn't move, w'y don't tliey send for a company of London bo])bies and make 'em tell it to * move on ;* it couldn't refuse, you know, for notliin' can resist that. Hows'ever, they are all goin' to fooler tlie lead of tlie Professor again to-day — them that v ns with 'em last time — not tlie Count though, for I heard him say (much to the distress apperiently of liis darter) that he was goin' on business to Marteeny, over the Tait Nwar, though what that is / don't know — a mountain, I suppose. They're all keen fur goin' over thiugs in this country, an' some of 'em goes under altogether in the doin' of it. If I ain't mis- taken, that pleasant fate awaits Lord whnt's-'is-name an' Mr. Lunibard, for I heard the Cappen sayin*, just afore I come to see you, that he was goin' to take his Lordship to the main truck of jNIount Blaug by way of the signal halliards., in preference to the regular road." " Are the young ladies going?" asked Susan. " Of course they are, from, w'ich it follers that ^Ir. Lewis an' the mad artist a,re goin' too." " And Mrs. Stoutley ?" asked Susan. oil ALPIXE ADVENTURE. 173 ** 'i^o ; it's mucli too far and diflicult for her." "Gillie, Gillie!" shouted a stentorian voice at IJiis point in tlie conversation. " Ay, ay, Cappen," yelled Gillie, in reply. I^ising and thrusting his hands into his pockets, he sauntered leisurely from the room, recommending the Captain, in an undertone, to save his wind for the mountain- side. N"ot long afterwards, the same parties that had accompanied the Professor to the Montanvert were toiling up ViQ Mcr de Glace, at a considerable dis- tance above the scene of their former exploits, on their way to the Jardin. The day was all that could be desired. There were a few clouds, but these were light and feathery; clear blue predominated all over the sky. Over the' masses of the Jorasses and the peaks of the Geant, the Aiguille du Dru, the slopes of Mont .Afallet, the' pinnacles of Charmoz, and the rounded white sum- mit of lAIont Blanc- everywhere -the heavens were serene and beautiful. The Jardin, towards which they ascended, lies like an island in the midst of the Glacier du Talofre. It is a flivourite expedition of travellers, being a verdant gem on a field of white-a true oasis in the desert of ice and snow— and within a five hours' walk of Chamouni. ^ Their route lay partly on the moraines and i^artly jsr;; i ^A m ^ 174 RIVERS OF ICE if! *> ^H :un over the surface of the glacier. On their previous visit to the Mer do Glace, those of the i">arty to whom the sight was. new imagined that they had seen all the wonders of the glacier world. Tliey were soon undeceived. "^.Vhile at the Montanvert on their first excursion, they could turn tlieir eyes from the sea of ice to the tree-clad slopes hehind them, and at the Chapeau could gaze on a splendid stretch of the Vale of Chamouni to refresh their eyes when wearied with the rugged cataract of the Glacier des Bois ; but as they advanced slowly up into the icy solitudes, all traces of the softer world were lost to view. Only ice and snow lay around them. Ice under foot, ice on the cliffs, ice in the mountain valleys, ice in the higher gorges, and snow on the summits, — except where these latter were so sharp and steep that snow could not find a lodgment. There was nothing in all the field of vision to remind them of the vegetable world from which they had passed as if by magic. As Lewis remarked, they seemed to have been suddenly trans- ported to within the Arctic circle, and got lost among the ice-mountains of Spiizbergen or Nova Zembla. " It is magnificent ! " exclaimed Nita Horetzla with enthusiasm, as she paused on the summit of an ice-ridge, up the slippery sides of which she Jiad been assisted by Antoine Grennon, who still hold her little hand in his. OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 1^ "• Ah, thoughtless man! he little knew what daggers of envy were lacerating the Iieart of the mad artist, who would have given all that he possessed — colour-hox and camp-stool included — to have been allowed to hold that little hand even for a few seconds ! Indeed he had, in a fit of desperation, offered to aid her by taking the other hand when lialf-way up that very slope, but had slipped at the moment of making the offer and rolled to the bottom. Lewis, seeing the fate of his rival, wisely refrained from putting himself in a false position by offering any assistance, excusing his apparent want of gallantry by remarking that if he were doomed to slip into a crevasse he should prefer not to drag another along with him. Antoine, therefore, had the little hand all to himself. . The Professor, being a somewhat experienced iceman, assisted Emma in all cases of difficulty. As for the Captain, Gillie, and Lawrence, they had quite enough to do to look after themselves. " How different from what I had expected," said Emma, resting a hand on the shoulder of Nita ; " it is a very landscape of ice." Emma's simile was not far-fetclied. They had reached a part of the glacier where the slope and the configuration of the valley had caused severe strains on the ice in various directions, so that there were not only transverse crevasses but longi- ! ■«PI 1 T I ; I 176 ri.vp:i{S of ice tudinal cracks, which luiitcdly had cut up the ice into blocks of all shapes and sizes. These, as their position shifted, had become isolated more or less, and being partially melted by the sun, had assumed all sorts of fantastic shapes. There were ice-bridges, ice-caves, and ice obelisks and spires, some of which latter towered to a height of fifty feet or more; there were also forms suggestive of cottages and trees, with here and there real rivulets rippling down their icy beds, or leaping over pale blue ledges, or gliding into blue-green lakes, or plunging into black-blue chasms. The sun-light playing among these silvery realms — glinting over edges and peaks, blazing on broad masses, shimmering through semi-transparent cliffs, and casting soft grey shadows everywhere — was inexpressibly beautiful, while the whole, looming through a thin golden haze, seemed to be of gigantic proportions. It seemed as if the region of ice aroui.d them must at one time have been in tremendous con- vulsions, but the Professor assured them that this was not the case, that the formation of crevasses and those confused heaps of ice called seracs w^as a slow and prolonged process. "Doubtless," he said, " you have here and there the wild rush of avalanches, and suchlike convulsions, but the rup- ture of the great body of the ice is gradual. A crevasse is an almost invisible crack at first. It OR ALPINE ADVENTUHE. 177 yawns slowly and takes a long tinie to open out to the dimensions and confusion which you see around." "Wliat are those curious things?" asked Nita, pointing to some forms before her. " They look like giant mushrooms/' said Captain AVopper. " They are ice-tables," answered Antoine. "Blocks of stone on the top of cones of ice," said the Professor. " Come, we will go near and ex- amine one." The object in question was well suited to cau^e surprise, for it was found to be an enormous flat mass of rock, many tons in weight, perched on a pillar of ice and bearing some resemblance to a table with a central leg. "Now," said Captain Wopper emphatically "that ts a puzzler. How did it ever ^et ud there?" . ^ ^ ^ "I have read of such tables," said Lawrence. ihey are tlie result of the sun', action, I believe" ^ " Oh, it 's all very well, Lawrence,'-' said Lewis with a touch of sarcasm, "to talk in a vague way about the sun's action, but it's quite plain, even to an unphilosophical mind like mine, that the sun cant^ lift a block of stone some tons in weight and clap It on the top of a pillar of ic. about ten feet hio-h." ^ M If [ ^ \ |: i ' ' ' r I i I 4 178 mVEES OF ICE " Nevertheless tlie sun has done it," rctunietl Lawrence. " Am I not right, Professor?" The man of science, who had listened with a bland smile on his broad countenance, admitted that Lawrence was right. " At first," he said, " that big stone fell from the cliffs higlier up the valley, and it has now been carried down thus far by tlie ice. During its pro- gress tlie sun has been shining day by day and melting the surface of the ice all round, with the ex- ception of that part which was covered by the rock. Thus the general level of the ice has been lowered and the protected portion left prominent with its protector on the top. The sides of the block of ice n which the rock has rested have also melted slowly, reducing it to the stalk or pillar which you now see. In time it will melt so much that the rock will slide off, fall on another part of the ice, which it will protect from the sun as before until another stem shall support it, and thus it will go on until it tumbles into a crevasse, reaches the under part of the glacier, perhaps tliere gets rolled and rounded into a boulder, and finally is discharged, many years hence, it may be, into the terminal mo- raine ; or, perchance, it may get stranded on the sides of the valley among the debris or rubbish which we call the lateral moraine." As the party adv^anced, new, and, if possible, still OR ALPINE ADVENTUIIE. 170 more striking oLjects met the eye, wliile mysterious sounds struck tlie ear. Low grumbling noises and gurglings were heard underfoot, as if great bouhlers were dropping into buried lakes from the roofs of subglacial caverns, while, on the surface, tho glacier was strewn here and there with cUhris which had fallen from steep parts of the mountains that rose beside them into the clouds. Sudden rushiu'^ sounds— as if of short-lived squalls, in the midst of which were crashes like the thunder of distant artillcr;,'— began now to attract attention, and a feeling of awe crept into the hearts of those of the party who were strangers to tlie ice-world. Sounds of unseen avalanches, mu filed more or less accordin^r to distance, were mingled with what may be called the shots of the boulders, which fell almost every five minutes from the Aiguille Verte and other mountains, and there was something deej^ly im- pressive in the solemn echoes that followed each deep-toned growl, and were repeated until they died out in soft murmurs. As the party crossed an ice-plain, whose surface was thickly strewn with the wreck of mountains, a sense of insecurity crept into the feelings of more than one member of it, but not a word was said until a sudden and tremendous crash, followed by a continuous roar, was heard close at hand. " All avalanche 1" shouted Slingsby, pointing up- ^ f;i 180 n I VERS OF ICE Wl .'''•* ^var(ls, and turning back with the cvider ! intention to (1 V. lu did indeed seem the wisest tiling that man or Woman could do in the circumstances, for, high up among the wild cliffs, huge masses of rock, mingled with ice, dirt, water, and snow, were seen rushing down a "couloir," or steep gully, straight towards them. " Rest tranquil where you are," said the guide, laying his hand on the artist's arm ; " the couloir takes a bend, you see, near the bottom. There is no danger." Thus assured, the whole of the party stood still and gazed upward. Owing to the great height from which the de- scending mass was pouring, the inexperienced were deceived as to the dimensions of the avalanche. It seemed at first as if the boulders were too small to account for the sounds created, but in a few seconds their real proportions became more apparent, espe- cially when the whole rush came straight towards the spot on which the travellers stood with such an aspect of being fraught with inevitable destruction, that all of them except the guide shrank involun- tarily backwards. At this crisis the chaotic mass was driven with terrible violence against the cliffs to the left of the couloir, and bounding, we might almost say fiercely, to the right, rushed out upon OR ALPINE ADVEXTUIIE. 181 tlie frozen plain ahont two liundrea yards in aelvanco •jf the spot on which they stood. •' Is there not danger in bein^r so close to sucli places ?" asked Lewis, glancing uneasily at :N^ita, ^vhose flashing eyes and lieightened colour told' eloquently of the excitement which the sight had aroused in her breast. "Not nuich," answered the Professor, "no doubt we cannot be said to be in a place of absolute safety, nevertheless the danger is not great, because we can generally observe the avalanches in time to get out of the way of spent shots; and, besides, if we run under the lea of such boulders as thai, we are quite safe, unless it were to be hit by one pretty nearly as large as itself." He pointed as ho spoko to a mass of granite about the size of an omnibus, winch lay just in front of them. « But I see " he added, laughing, "that Antoine thinks this is not a suitable place for the deliveiy of lectures; wo must hasten forward." Soon they surmounted the steeps of the Glacier du Talefre, and reached the object of their desire the Jardni. It is well named. A wonderful spot of enrtl, and rock wlucl. rises out of the inid.t of a great bu.,i„ half formed ace, the lower part being covered w h ,.ee„ sward and spangled with flowers. wh,le the sumuut of the rock forms a splendid 1^2 PilVKKS OF ICE I . hvi' out-l(Jok from vliidi to view tlic sinToiindin;' scene. Hero, seated on the soft grass — tlic green of wliicli was absolutely delicious to the eyes after the long walk over the glaring ice — tlie jovial Professor, witli n sandwich in one hand and a flask of viii 07\linaire in tlio other, descanted on the world of ice. lie had a wilHng 'udience, for they were all too busy witli food to use their tongues in speech, except in making an occasional brief demand or comment. " Glorious !" exclaimed the Professor. . " AVhich, the view or the victuals ?" asked Lewis. " Both," cried tlio Professor, lielping himself to another lialf-dozcn sandwiches. " Thank you — no more at present," said Nita to tlie disappointed Slingsby, who placed the rejected lindj of a fowl on his own plate with a deep sigh. " Professor," said Nita, half-turning her back on the alllictcd artist, " how, when, and where be all this ice formed ?" "A comprehensive question !" cried the Professor. " Thank you — yes, a wing and a leg ; also, if yo j can opare it, a piece of the — ah ! so, you are right. Tho «^'hole fowl is best. I can then help myself. ^Liss Gray, shall I assist you to a — no ? Well, as I was about to remark, in reply to your comprehen- sive question. Mademoiselle, this basin, in which our Jardin lies, may be styled a miglity collector of oil ALPINE ADVKNTrRK. 183 '../i tho inatciiul wliicli forms that great tril)ntary of tlio !Mer (L> Glace, named tlie Glacier dii Talefre. This material is called mjve." " An* M'hat 's nevy?" asked Cai)taiii Wopper, as well as a full moath would allow him. "Neve," replied the Professor, "is snow altered by partial melting, and freezing, and compression — snow in tlie process of being squeezed into ice. You mu.st know that there is a line on all high mountains which is called the snow-line. Above this line, the snow that falls each year never disappears; below it the snow, and ico too, undergoes tho melt- ing process continually. The portion below tho snow-line is always beii?g diminished; that above it is always augmenting ; thus the loss of the one is counterbalanced by the gain of the other; and thus the continuity of glaciers is maintained. That part of a glacier which lies above the snow-line is styled Nevd ; it is the fountain-head and souice of supply to the glacier proper, which is the part that lies below the snow-line. Sometimes, for a series of years, perhaps, the supply from above is greater than the diminution below, the result being that the snout of a glacier advances into its valley, ploughs up the land, and sometimes overturns tlio cottages.-^ On the other hand the reverse process 1 Such is actually true at the present time of the Corner glacier, which has for a long time been advancing, and, during the last sixty years or so, hjs overturned between forty and lifty chalets. Hff i ii II mi 1 ) m ^r 1^^ ■ t > % lu, 184 RIVERS OF ICE goes 011^ it may bo for years, and a glacier recedes somewhat, leaving a whole valley of debris, or ter- min'il moraine, which is sometimes, after centuries perhaps, clothed with vegetation and dotteu with cottages." " This basin, or collector of neve, on whose beauti- ful oasis I have the felicity to lunch in such charm- ing society (the jovial Professor bowed to the ladies), is, according to youi talented Professor i'orbes (he bowed to Lawrence), about four thousand two hun- dred yards wide "nd all the ice it contains is, farther down, squeezed through a gorge not more than seven hurdred yards wide, thus forming that grand ice- cascade of ^he Talefre which vou have seen on the way hither. It is a splendid, as well as interesting amphitheatre, for it it, bounded, as you see, on one side by the Grandes Jorasses, on the other by Mont ^Mallet, while elsewhere you have the vast plateau whence the Glacier du Gdant is fed ; the Aiguille du Gdant, the Aiguille Noire, the Montagues Mau- dites, and Mont Blanc. Another wing, if you please — ah, finished ? No matter, pass the loaf. It will do as vvell." The Professor devoted himself for some minutes in silence to the loaf, wliich was much shorn of its proportions on leaving his hand. Like many great men, he was a great eater. The fires of intellect that burned within him seemed to require a more than OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 185 m ordinary supply of fuel. He slept, too, like an infant Hercules, and, as a natural consequence, toiled like a giant when awake. Little Gillie White regarded him with feelings of undisguised awe, astonishment, and delight, and was often sorely perplexed within himself as to whether he or Captain Wopper was the greater man. Both were colossal in size and energetic in body, and both were free and easy in manners, as well as good- humoured. No doubt, as Gillie argued witli himself (and sometimes with Susan), the Professor was un- common lamed an' deep, but then the Captain had a humorous vein, ^/hich fully counterbalanced that in Gillie's estimation. The philosophic urchin was deeply engaged in debating this point with himself, and gazing open- mouthed at the Professor, when there suddenly occurred an avalanche so peculiar and destructive that it t}irew the whole party into the utmost con- sternation. While removing a pile of plates. Gillie, in his abstraction, tripped on a stone, tumbled over the artist, crushed that gentleman's head into Nita's lap, and, descending head foremost, plates and all, into the midst of the feast, scattered a very moraine of crockery and bottles all round. It was an appalling smash, and when the Captain seized Gillie by the back of his trousers with one hand and lifted him tenderly out of the midst of the 2:h^ If I! II 11 in If ' I 18G KIVERS OF ICE d^ris, tlie limp way in which he hung suggested the idea tliat a broken bottle must have penetrated his vitals and finished him. It was not so, however. Gillie's sagacity told him tliat he would probably be wounded if he were to move. He wisely, therefore, remained quite passive, and allowed himself to be lifted out of danger. " Nobody hurt, I *ope," he said, on being set on his legs ; " it was a awk'ard plunge." " Awk'ard ? you blue spider," cried the Captain ; " you deserve to be keel-hauled, or pitched into a crevasse. Look alive now, an' clear up the mess you 've made." Fortunately the feast was about concluded when this contretemps occurred, so that no serious loss was sustained. Some of the gentlemen lighted their pipes and cigars, to solace themselves before com- mencing the return journey. The ladies went off to saunter and to botanise, and Slingsby attempted to sketch the scenery. And here again, as on the previous excursion, Captain Wopper received a chill in regard to his matrimonial hopes. AVJien the ladies rose, Lewis managed to engage Nita in an interesting conversa- tion on what he styled the flora of central Europe, and led her away. Emma was thus left without her companion. Now, thought the Captain, there 's your chance. Dr. Lawrence, go in and win ! But Lawrence I mm OR ALriXE ADVKNTUIIE. 187 did not avail himself of the chance. Ho suffered Emma to follow her friend, and remained behind talking with the Professor on the vexed subject of the cause of glacial motion. " Most extraor'nary," thought the Captain, some- what nettled, as well as disappointed. " What can the youngster mean? She's as sweet a gal as a fellow would wish to see, an' yet he don't pay no more attention to her than if she was an old bum- boat 'ooman. Very odd. Can't make it out no- how !" Captain Wopper was not the first, and will cer- tainly not be the last, to experience difficulty in ac- counting for the conduct of young men and maidens in this world of cross-currents and c|ueer fancies. i» 188 BIVERS OF ICE ClIArTEE XIII. :f : . u SHOWS WHAT DANGERS MAY BE ENCOUNTERED IN THE PUiiSUIT OF ART AND SCIENCE. Who has not experienced the almost unqualified pleasure of a walk, on a bright beautiful morning, before breakfast ? How amply it repays one for the self-denying misery of getting up ! We say misery advisedly, for it is an undoubted though short-lived agony that of arousing one's inert, con- tented, and peaceful frame into a state of activity. There is a moment in the daily life of man — of some men, at least — when heroism of a very high stamp is displf'yed ; that moment when, the ap- pointed hour of morning having arrived, he thrusts one lethargic toe from under the warm bed-clot lies into the relatively cold atmosphere of his chamber. If the toe is drawn back, the man is nobody. If it is thrust further out, and followed up by the im- willing body, the man is a hero ! The agony, how- ever, like that of tooth-drawing, is soon over, and the delightful commendations of an approving con- OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 189 science are superadded to the pleasures of an early morning walk. Such pleasures were enjoyed one morning by Emma Gray and Nita Iloretzki and Lewis .Stoutley, when, at an early hour, th.y issued from their hotel, and walked away bii;lvly up the Vale of Chamouni. " I say, Emma, isn't it a charming, delicious, and outrageously delightful day !" exclaimed Lewis. Although the young man addressed himself to his cousin, who w^alked on his left, he glanced at Nita, who walked on his right, and thus, w4th a sense of justice peculiarly his own, divided his attentions equally between them. "You are unusually enthusiastic, cousin," said Emma, with a laugh. " I thought yoia said last niglit that weather never affected you V " True, but there is more than weather here, there is scenery, and — and sunshine." " Sunshine !" repeated Nita, lifting her large orbs to his face with a look of surprise, for .although the sun may be said to have risen as regards the v/^^ild at large, it had not yet surmounted the range of ^lont Blanc, or risen to the inhabitants of Cha- mouni. " I not see it ; where is the sunshine ?" " There !" exclaimed Lewis, mentally, as he gazed straight down into her wondering orbs, and then added aloud, as he swept his arm aloft with a mock- 190 RIVERS OF ICE heroic air, "Lcliold it gleaming on the mount lin- ridges." There is no doubt that the enthusiasm of Lewis as to the weather, scenery, and sunsliine would have been much reduced, perliaps quenched alto- gether, if Nita had not been tlicre, for the youth was steeped in that exquisite condition termed first- love, — the very torments incident to which are moderated joys, — but it must not be supposed that he conducted himself with the maudlin sentimentality not unfrequently allied to that condition. Although a mischievous and, we are bound to admit, a reckless youth, he w^as masculine in his temperament, and capable of being deeply, though not easily, stirred into enthusiasm. It was quite in accordance wdth this nature that his jesting tone and manner sud- denly vanished as his gaze became riveted on the ridge to which he had carelessly directed atten- tion. Even Mta was for a moment forgotten in the sight that met his eyes, for the trees and bushes wdiich crowmed the ridge were to all appearance composed of solid fire ! "Did you ever see anything like that before Emma?" he asked, eagerly. " Never ; I have seen sunrises and sunsets in many parts of our own land, but nothing at all like that ; what can be the cause of it ?" There was good reason for the wonder thus called OK ALPINE ADVENTURE. 191 forth, for the light was not on the trees, but hcJiind them. The sun had not quite risen, hut was very near the summit of the ridge, so that these iic^.i and bushes were pictured, as it were, against the brightest part of the glowing sky. In such circum- stances we are taught by ordinary experience tiia< objects will be unusually dark, bat these trees were incomparably brigliter tlian the glowing sky itself. It was not that their mere edges were tipped with tire, but their entire substance, even to the central core of tlie pine-stems, was to all appearance made of pure light, as if each tree and shrub had been made of steel raised to a condition of intense white heat. No shining of the sun througli or upon trees can convey the slightest idea of the sight. It was something absolutely new to our travellers, and roused their astonishment as well as wonder to the highest pitch. " Oh !" exclaimed Nita, claspin^^ her hands with a force peculiar to her demonstrative nature, " how wonderful ! How I do wish the Professor was here to tell us how and what it be." That evening the Professor, who had observed the phenomenon more than once, told them all he knew about it. There were differences of opinion, he said, as to the cause, for men of physical science, not less than doctors, were prone to differ. For himself, lie had only noted the facts and knew not ■ "^^wyr^T 192 RIVERS OF ICE the cause. The luminous trees appeared only at that part of the ridge where the sun was just going to rioe — elsewhere the trees were projected as dark objects, in the usual way, against the bright sky. Not only were the trees thus apparently self-luminous, but when birds chanced to be flying amongst them, they had the appearance of sparks of molten silver flit- ting to and fro.^ "But you have not yet told me, ladies," said Lewis, as they resumed their walk, " what has induced you to indulge in so early a ramble to- day r " Can you not imagine," said Nita, " that it is the love of Nature ?" " Undoubtedly I can; but as this is the first time 6i"ce we came that you have chosen to display a love for Nature before breakfast, I may be forgiven for supposing there is another and no doubt second- ary cause." "You are right," said Emma; "were you not present last night when we discussed our plans for to-day?" " No, he was in the verandah," interposed Nita, with an arch smile, "indulging that savage and unintellectual taste you call smoking." 1 We ourselves had the satisfaction of witnessing this wonderful and beautiful phenomenon before havin<5 read or heard of it, while on a trip from Chamr--" to Maitiguy over the Tcte Noire. OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 193 not for and ou a " Ah, Mademoiselle, be not too severe. It may not, indeed, be styled an intellectual pursuit, but neither, surely, can it be called savage, seeing that it softens and ameliorates the rugged spirit of man." " It is savage," returned Nita, " because you do not encourage ladies to join you in it." " Pardon me, Mademoiselle," cried Lewis, pulling out his cigar-case, " nothing would gratify me more than your acceptance of — " " Insult me not, Monsieur," said Nita, with a toss of her pretty little head, " but reply to your cousin's question." *' Ah, to be sure, well — let me see, what was it ? Was I present when the plans for the day were arranged ? Yes I was, but I missed the first part of the conversation, having been, as Mademoiselle Horetzki truly observes, occupied with that — a — " " Savage habit," interposed Nita. " Savage habit," said Lewis, " the savage element of which I am willing to do away with at a mo- ment's notice when desired. I merely heard that the Professor had fixed to go on the glacier for the purpose of measuring it, as though it were a badly- clad giant, and he a scientific tailor who had under- taken to make a top-coat for it. I also heard that you two had decided on a walk before breakfast, and, not caring to do tailoring on the ice, I begged leave to join you — therefore I am here." 'r'.l I h ' i I'j i-f^ 194 IIIVERS OF ICE "All, you prefer woman's society and safety to manly exercise and danger i" said Nita. Although Lewis was, as we have said, by no means an effeminate youth, he w.'is at that ago when the male creature shrinks i'roni the slightest imputation of a lack of manliness. He coloured, therefore, as he laughingly replied that in his humhlo opinion his present walk involved the manly exercise of moral courage in withstanding shafts of sarcasm, which were far more dangerous in his eyes than hidden crevasses or flying boulders. " But you both forget," interposed Emma, " that I have not yet explained the object of our morning walk." " True, cousin, let us have it." " Well," continued Emma, " when you were en- gaged in your 'savage' indulgence, a difficulty stood in the way of the Professor's plans, inasmuch as our guide Antoine had asked and obtained leave to absent himself a couple of days for the purpose of taking his wife and child over the country to pay a short visit to a relative in some valley, the name of which I forget. Antoine had said that he would be quite willing to give up his leave of absence if a messenccer were sent to inform his wife of his change of plan, an surface mg, the t in the ) sketcli -^as only hat the Here* mes to colour- e him- de him r. ;ure of it pre- cipitately with horror, for, ignorant of alniost every- thing connected with glaciers, they had walked right off the solid ice and seated themselves on a compa- ratively thin projecting ledge of snow which over- liung the crevasse. Thus they remained for some time enjoying themselves, with death, as it were, waiting for t..em underneath ! What rendered their position more critical was the great heat of the day, which, whatever might be the strength of the sus- taining ledge, was reducing its bulk continually. After having sketched for some time, the artist thought it advisable to see as far down into the crevasse as possible> in order to put in the point of the longest icicle. The better to do this, he unwound his rope from his waist and flung it on the ice by his side, while he lay down on his breast and looked over the edge. Still he did not perceive the danger of his position, and went on sketching diligently in this awkward attitude. INTow it was a melancholy fact, that Master Gillie's interest in art or science was short-lived, thoudi keen. lie soon tired of watching his companion, and began to look about him with a view to mis- chief. Not seeing anything specially suggestive, he thought of aiding the operations of nature by expe- diting the descent of some neighbouring boulders from their positions on ice-blocks. He intimated his intention to Slingsby, but the artist was too ,*; 11 il u ill i li ; ( , t i- • T * •! 2 it rJVERS OF ICE nuicli ennfrosscd to aive heed to lii'n. Just as he o was rising, Gillie's eye fell on tlie rope, and a happy thought struck him. To carry striking thoughts into immediate execution was a marked feature of the boy's character. He observed that one end of the rope was attached to Mr. Slingsby's belt. Taking up tlie hook at the other end, he went with it towards a large boulder, drawing the rope after him with extreme care, for fear of arousing his com- panion by a tug. He found that, wlien fully stretched, it was just long enough to pass round the rock. Quickly fastening it, therefore, by means of the hook, he walked cpiietly away. He did not exhibit much excitement ' iiile doing this. It was, after all, but a trilling jest in his esteem, as the only result to be hoped for would be the giving of a surprise by tlie little tug which might perhaps be experienced by the artist on rising. Thereafter, Gillie sent innumerable ice-blocks to premature destruction, and enjoyed the work im- mensely for a time, but, having exploratory ten- dencies, he soon wandered about among obelisks and caverns until he found himself underneath the ice-cliff on which his friend was seated. Tlien, as he looked up at tlie overhanging ledge from which gigantic icicles were hanging, a shock of alarm thrilled his little breast. This was increased by the OR ALTINE ADVENTUriE. 215 st as lie pG, and striking marked ved that lingsby's lie went ope after his coni- bretched, he rock. of the le doing i in his 'ould be y which rtist on locks to 3rk im- )ry ten- obelisks 3atli the riien, as II which alarm I by the fallin" of one of the icicles, which went like a blua javelin into the crevasse beside him. Gillie thought of shouting to warn Mr. Slingsby of his danger, but before he could do so he was startled by an appal- ling yell. At the same moment part of the ice overhead gave way, and he beheld the artist de- scending. He was stopped with a sudden jerk, as the rope tightened, and remained suspended in the air, while his coat and colour-box accompanied icicles and snow-blocks into the abyss below. A second later and the struggling artist's head appeared to fall off, but it was only his hat. Gillie had by this time recovered himself so far as to be able to add his piercing shrieks for help to the cries of the artist, and well was it that day for Mr. Slingsby that Gillie had, since the years of in- fancy, practised his lungs to some purpose in terri- fying cats and defying " Bobbies " in the streets of London. " Oh, sir ! sir ! — I say — hi ! " he cried, panting and glaring up. " Eh ? what ? Hah ! " gasped Slingsby, panting and glaring down. "Don't kick like that, sir; pray don't," cried Gillie in agonised tones, " you'll start the boulder wot yer fast to, if you don't keep still." " Oh !" groaned the artist, and instantly hung limp and motionless, in which condition he remained 216 HI VERS OF ICE m: ^ while Gillie ran towards the place where he had kft the rest of the party, jumpiug and slipping and falling and yelling over the ice like a maniac in blue and buttons ! *D'ee hear that?" exclaimed Captain Wopper with a startled look, as he and his companions busied themselves packing up their instruments. Antoine Grennon heard it, but made no reply. He was familiar with cries of alarm. Turning abruptly he dashed off at full speed in the direction whence the cries came. The Captain and Professor instantly followed ; Lawrence overtook and passed them. In a few minutes they met the terrified boy, who, instead of waiting for them and wasting time by telling what was wrong, turned sharp round, gave one wild wave of his hand, and ran straight back to the ledge from which poor Slingsby hung. Stout willing arms were soon pulling cau- tiously on the rope, and in a few minutes more the artist lay upon the safe ice, almost speechless frcm terror, and with a deadly pallor on his brow. Strange to say the indomitable artist had held on tight to his sketch-book, possibly because it was almost as dear to him as life, but more probably because of that feeling which induces a drowning man to clutch at a straw. oil ALPINE A-DVENTURE. 217 CHAPTER XIV. TDE GRAND ASCENT BEGUN. held tt was ^bably rning Mrs. Stoutley, reposing at full length on a sofa in the salon one evening, observed to the Count Horetzki that she really could not understand it at all ; that it seemed to her a tempting of Providence to risk one's life for nothing, and that upon tlie whole she thought these excursions on glaciers were \*3ry use- less and foolish. ^ . The salon was full of people grouped in little knots, fighting the battles of the day o'er again, playing backgammon and chess, or poring over maps and guide-books. " It does indeed seem foolish," answered the Count, whose native politeness induced him always to agree with ladies when possible, " and as far as any practical purpose is served I should think it useless. Nevertheless it seems to afford amusement to many people, and amusement, in some form or other, would appear to be almost i^ecessary to our happy existence." .,./.::- :.:^-.-..:'r--:<'rr-::--:^^--- [• ^i m^.: a*: 218 PIVERS OF ICE "True," replied JMrs. Stoutley, languidly, "but people ought to content themselves with quiet and safe amusements. How ridiculous it is to find pleasure in climbing ice-precipices, and leaping over crevasses, and sitting under shower-baths of boulderstones. I *m sure that / could not find pleasure in such pranks even if I were to make the crtbrt. How much better to seek and find enjoy- ment in wandering with a book through shady forests and gathering wild-flowers ! Don't you agree with me, Count ?" The Count's usually grave and anxious visagu relaxed into a smile as he protested that he agreed with her entirely. " At the same time/' he added, " there does appear to be some sort of aspiring tendency in the young and strong, to attempt the repression of which would seem to be useless, even if desirable. Do you know, Madame, while on a voyage some years ago I saw a boy who used to dive off the fore-yard-arm into the sea, and who went regularly every morning before breakfast to the main-mast-head and sat on that button-like piece of wood called the truck ?" "How very recldess," said Mrs. Stoutley, "and how shamefully regardless of the feelings of his mother, for of course if he had a mother, and if she were a woman of right feeling, she must have been horrified !" ' V': : „_ „_^i-_ » Hi oil ALPINK ADVKiNTUUR. 219 • ft I I " I am afraid, Madame, that you would liavo est 0(31110(1 hei a lady of wrong fooling, for she ap- plauded her boy, and used to say that if he only took care to acquire as much moral as he had physical courage, so as to become as brave and bold a soldier of the Cross as he was sure to be (jf the Crown, he would resemble his own father, who was the best and bravest man that ever lived." " How strange !" nnii-murod Mrs. Stoutloy, "such inconsistencies ! But there does seem to be a con- siderable number of masculine women in the world, who encourage what we call muscular Christianity." " Yes, there are indeed strange inconsistencies around us," returned the Count. " You have, how- ever, mistaken the character of this particular mother, for she was the reverse of masculine, being delicate, and tender hearted, and refined, and lady- like, while her boy was bold as a lion — yet obedient and gentle to her as a lamb. He afterwards became a soldier, and on the occasion of a wild storm on the east coast of England he swam off to a wreck with a rope, when no man in the place could be got to do it for love or money, and was the means of rescuing four women and six men, in accomplish- ing which, however, he lost his life." "Oh, how shocking! how very sad!" said Mrs. Stoutley, startled into animation by the suddenness of the revelation, " and how different it might have i, J :^ 220 nVEKS OF ICE been if the youth had been trained to gentler amusements. lie miglit have been alive now." " Yes," returned the Count, " and the four women and six men might have been dead ! But here come two friends who are better able to give an opinion on the point than I am." " What may the pint be ?" asked Captain Wopper, with a genial smile, as if he were ready to tackle anything from a pint of beer to a "pint" of the compass. " Only state your case, Mrs. Stoutley, an' the Professor here, he'll act the judge, an' I'll be the jury." " The jury is too small," said Lewis, coming up at that moment. " Small, young man !" repeated the Captain, with feigned surprise, as he drew himself up to his full height and squared his broad shoulders. " Not physically, but numerically," retorted Lewis, "with a laugh — "ho ! Emma, Miss Horetzki, Lawrence, Slingsby," he called to the quartette, who sat chat- ting in a bay window, " you are hereby summoned to act on a jury. Come along and have yourselves impaled — I mean to say impannelled. A most important case, just going on for trial." " What is the na^ '.re of the case ?" asked Law- rence, as they all came forward and sat down in a Bcmicircle before Mrs. Stoutley. . . --- " It han't got no natur — it 's unnateral altogether," i f 'i on ALPINE AB VENTURE. 001 M ad 1 said the Captain, who had just heard it briefly stated by the Count. " Hallo ! are you appointed public prosecutor ?" demanded Lewis. " Yes, I am," retorted the Captain, " I *ve appinted myself public persecutor, Lord Advocate, Lord If i-^Mi Commissioner to the Woolsack, an' any other legal an' illegal character ye choose to name. So you clap a stopper on yer muzzle, youngster, while I state the case. Here is ]\Irs. Stoutley, my lords, ladies, and gentlemen, who says that climbin', an* gaugin', and measurin' glaciers is foolish and , useless. That's two counts which the Count here (nothin' personal meant) says the prisoner was guilty of. We '11 go in an' win on the last count, for if these things ain't useless, d'ee see, they can't be foolish. Well, the question is, ' Guilty or not guilty?"' " Guilty !" replied Mrs. Stoutley, with an amused smile. " Hear ! hear 1" from Slingsby. " Silence in the Court !" from Lewis. "I'm afraid," said the Professor, " that our forms of legal procedure are somewhat irregular." "Never mind that, Professor," said the Captain, " you go ahead an' prove the prisoner wrong. Take the wind out of her sails if 'ee can." . "^^ The Professor smiled blandly, and began in jest; if I s ; ■i ' 1 I' i I tl *fl-f -? ■ i 1 - .. ,: if ■ i ■ . 1 y ■^ ^'llt t i wm 222 mvEns OF icR but liis entliusiastic spirit and love of abstract triitli soon made him argue in earnest. " Oh, that's all very well," said IMrs. Stoutley, interrupting him, " but what possible use can there be in knowing the rate of speed at which a glacier flows ? What does it matter whether it flows six, or sixty, or six hundred feet in a day ?" " Matter !" cried Lewis, before the Professor could reply, " why, it matters very much indeed. I can prove it. Our excellent guide Antoine told me of a man who fell into a crevasse high up on the Glacier des Bossons, and was of course lost ; but about forty years afterwards the part of the glacier into which he fell had descended into the valley and the body of the man was found — at least pc tiohs of it were found here and there. This, as you are all aware, is a well-known fact. Bear in mind, in connection with this, that all glaciers do not travel ot the same rate, nor all parts of a glacier at an equal rate. Now, suppose that you were to lose a gold vvatch or a diamond ring in a crevasse, the value of which might be incalculable in consequence of being a gift from some beloved one, would it not be a matter of the last importance to know exactly the rate at which the said crevasse travelled, so that you or your grandchildren might return at the pre- cise time and claim the property?" * " " Don't talk nonsense, Lewie," said his mother. IQ OR ALPINE ADVENTUKE. 223 " No doubt," said the Professor, laughing, " my young friend's illustration is to the point, and I fear that I cannot give you anything more definite to prove the value of glacial nieasurenients and observations. I must rest my proof on the abstract truth that all knowledge is desirable, and ought to be sought after for its own sake, as being the means whereby we shall come better to know the good and wise Creator, ' whom to know,' ay His own Word says, ' is life eternal.' But I can give you distinct . proof, in a somewhat analogous case, of good result- ing from knowledge which was eagerly pursued and acquired without the marcher having the slightest idea as to the use to which his knowledge would be ultimately put. You have doubtless heard of Captain Maury, of the United States Navy ?" " Oh yes," replied Mrs. Stoutley, " he who writes that charming book, the Physical Geography of the Sea, or some such title. My son is a great admirer of that work. I tried to read it to please him, but I must confess that I could not go far into it. It seemed to me an endless and useless search after currents of wind and water." " I see you must have missed the very illu:.tra- tions which I am about to cite, for they are given in his book — one of the most interesting I ever read, and not the less interesting that its author dis- tinguishes a connection between the Creator's Word i J ! 224 IlIVEUS OF ICE II • ' ;9" m and His works. You know that Captain Maury's investigations of currents of wind and water were conducted wisely, and on a vast scale. Nautical men of many nations sent in their 'logs' to liim, and he patiently collected and collated all the facts ob- served in all parts of the ocean." " Yes, and quite useless knowledge, it appears to me," said Mrs. Stoutley. " Well, we shall see," returned the Professor. " There was once a terrible storm on the Atlantic, and a vessel with troops on board v/a« sc disabled as to be left at last a helpless log upon the sea. She was passed by other vessels, but these could render no assistance, owing to the raging storm. They, however, took note of the latitude and longitude of the wreck, and reported her on arriving at New York. A rescue-ship was at once ordered to search for her, but, before sailing, Captain Maury wns applied to for instructions how they should proceed. The man of science was seated in his studv, had probably scarce observed the storm, and knew no- thing about the wreck save her position, as observed at a certain date. Why, therefore, we might ask, apply to him ? Just because he sat at the fouutain- head of such knowledge as was needed. He had long studied, and well knew, the currents of the ocean, their direction and their rate of progress at specified times and particular places. He prepared S. oil ALl'lNE ADVEMLKK. 225 a chart ami marked a spot at or muir wliicli t)io wreck, lie said, would })r()bably be found. T!ie wreck was found — not indeed by the rescue-ship, but by another vessel, at the very spot iiulUatcd — and the surviving crew and troops were saved. So, in like manner, the study of truth regarding currents of air has led us to knowledge which enables mariners to escape the Atlantic Sargasso-sea — " " Ha ! the Doldrums," growled Captain Woj^por, as if he had a special and bitter hatred of that sea. " Yes, the Doldrums, ov Sargasso- sea, where ships used to be detained by long, vexatious calms, amid islands of floating sea-weed, but which now we escape, because studious men have pointed out, that by sailing to one side cf that sea you can get into favourable breezes, ^void the calm regions, and thus save much time." " Now, Madame," said Captain Wopper, " are you convinced ?" " Not (piite," replied Mrs. Stoutley, with a ballled look ; " but, I suppose, on the strength of this, and similar reasons, you intend to ascend Mont Blanc to-morrow?" " We do," said the Professor. " I intend to go for the purpose of attempting to fix a thermometer on the summit, in order to ascertain, if possible, the winter tempei'r.ture." _ - " And pray, for what purpose T' said Mrs. Stoutley I!' '.'..( 22C IIIVKUS OF ICE with a touch of sarcasm, " does Dr. Lawrence intend to go?" " For the purpose of seeing the magnificent view, and of testing the kings and muscles, wliich are now, I think, sufficiently trained to enable me to make the ascent with case," replied the doctor, promptly. " /go to assist the Professor," said Captain Woppcr. " And I," said Lewis, " intend to go for fun ; so you see, mother, as our reasons are all good, you had better go to bed, for it 's getting late." ^Irs. Stoutley accepted the suggestion, delivered a yawn into her pocket-handkerchief, and retired, as she remarked, to ascend Mont Blanc in dreams, and thus have all the pleasure without the bodily fatigue. We are on the sides of the mountain monarch now, slowly wending our way through the sable fringe of pines that ornaments the skirt of his while mantle. AVe tramp along very slowly, for Antoine Grennon is in front, and won't allow us to go faster. To the impatient and youthful spirits of Lawrence and Lew is, the pace appears ridiculously slow, and lliu latter docs not hesitate to make audible reference in his best French to the progress of snails, but An- toine is deaf to such references. One might fancy that he did not understand bad French, but for the momentary twinkle in his earnest eyes. But no- thing will induce him to mend his pace, for well iocs he know that the ascent of Mont Blanc is no OK ALPINK ADVKNTUIJE. 227 arch ahle liie oiiie stev. en CO and eiice An- incy m trifle ; tliat (3veii trained lun;^^'^ and niiuscleH are pretty severely taxed before tlie fifteen thousand seven hundred and eighty feet of perpendicular height above the sea- level is placed below the soles of the feet. He knows, also, from long expca'icnce, tluit ho who would climb a mountain well, and use his strength to advantage, must begin with a slow, leisurely pace, as if he were merely out for a saunter, yet must progrcjss with steady, persevering regula- rity. He knows, too, that young blood is prone to breast a mountain with head erect and spanking action, and to descend with woful countenance and limp liml)S. It must ])e restrained, and Antoine does his duty. The ascent of JMont JUanc cannot be accom- plished in one day. It is therefore necessary to sleep at a place named the Grands ^Inlets, fi )m which a fresh start is made for the summit at the earliesti hours of morning on the second day. Towards this resting-place our travellers now directed their steps. The party consisted of the Professor, Captain Wopper, Lewis, Lawrence, and Slingsby, headed by their trusty guide, besides three porters with knap- sacks containing food, wine, etc. One of these lat ter was the chamois-hunter, Baptist Lecroix. He brought up the rear of the party, and all proceeded in single file. each, like the North American Indian, treading in his predecessor's footsteps. . 4 m 228 kiv::ks of ick Tassiiig from tlie dark fringe of jtiiK'S llicy cincrj^ctl upon a more o))on country wliero the royal roho Mas wroiiglit with larch and hazel, bilberry, and varied underwood, and speckled with rhododen- drons and other flowers on a ground of rich brown, green, and grey. Steadily upwards, over the Glacier des Bossons, they went, witli airy cloudlets floating around tlieni, with the sunnnit at which tliey aimed, the Dome du Gouter, and the Aiguille du Gouter in front liu'ing them on, and other giant A'guilles around watching them. Several hours of steady climbing brought them to the Pierre rEchelle, where they were furnished with woollen leggings to protect their legs from the snow. Here aloo they procured a ladder and bcLian the tedious work of traversing; the glaciers. Hitherto their route had lain chiefly on solid ground — over grassy slopes and along rocky paths. It was now to be confined almost entirely to the ice, which they found to be cut up in all directions with fissures, so that great caution was needed in crossing crevasses and creeping round slippery ridges, and progress was for some time very slow. Coming to one of the crevasses which was too wide to leap, the ladder was pu,t in requisition. The iron spikes with which one end of it was sliod were driven firmly into the ice at one side of the chasm and the other end retted on the opposite side. OK ALI'INK ADVKXTUKK. 229 f : too., iThe vere lasm tide. Aiitoiiio crossed first, and (licii lield out liis hand to tlu; rrofcssor, wlio followed, ])ut the man of scienco was an expert ice-man, and in another moment stood lit the guide's side without having refpured assist- ance. Not so Captain Wopper. . " I 'm not exactly a feather," he said, looking with a doubtful expression at the frail bridgt;. " It bore me well enou^^h, Captain," said the Pro- fessor with a smile. " That's just what it didn't," replied the Captain, " it seemed to me to bend too much under you ; be- sides, although I 'm bound to admit that you 're a good lump of a man, Trofessor, I suspect there 's a couple of stones more on me than on you. If it was only a rope, now, such as I've bin used to, I 'd go at it at once, but — " "It is quite strong enough," said the guide con- fiilently. " Well, here goes," returned the mariner, " but if it gives way, Antoine, I '11 have you hanged for murder." Uttering this threat he crossed in safety, the others followed, and the party advanced over a part of the glacier which was rugged w^tli mounds, towers, obelisks, and pyramids of ice. For some time nothing serious interrupted their jjrogress until they came to another wide crevasse, when it was found, to the guide's indignation, that the ladder 230 lUVKKS OF ICE :H i' ■ \ '-If SKf Ir.ul bi'cn |)ini)os('ly left behind by the porter to Avliom it bud been intrusted, b(^ beini^ under tbe impression that it wouhl not be luitlier required. " Lloekhead !" cried the T'rofessor, whose enthu- siastic spirit was easily roused to indi^rnation, " it was your duty to carry it. till ordered to lay it down. You were hired to act, sir, not to think. Obedience is the highest virtue of a servant ! Shall we send liini back for it?" he said, turning to Antoine with a flushed countenance. " Not now, Monsieur," answered the guide, " it would create needless delay. We shall try to work round the crevasse." This they did by following its edge until they found a part where crossing was possible though attended with considerable danger in consequence of the wedge-like and crumbling nature of the ice. Hoping that such a dithculty would not occur again they pushed on, b\it had not gone far when another and still more impassable fissure presented itself. " How provoking, couldn't we jump it ? " said Lewis, looking inquiringly into the dark-blue depths. " Pr'aps you might, youngster, with your half- fledged spider- legs," said the Captain, " but you '11 not catch fourteen- stun-six goin' over that with its own free will. What 's to be done now, Antoine ?" The guide, after looking at tlie crevasse for a few igh aid , on ALPINE ADVKNTURE. 231 jtiinutes, said tliat the next tiling to be done was to look for asnow-l)ridarty at once converged towards him, but found that the success was only partial. lie had indeed found a ])art of the crevasse, whitih, during some of the wild storms so frequent on the mountain, had been britlged over by a snow-wreath, but the central part of the biidge liad given way, and it was thus divic'ed by a gap of about a foot wide. This would have been but a small and insignificant step to take had th(i substance been solid, but although the ico on ouo side was strong the oi)po.site edge was comparatively soft snow, and not much more than a foot thi( k. The chamois-hunter, being the lightest of the party, was c.illed to the front and ordered to test the strengt' /m. the frail bridge, if bridge it could bo called. " Why, he might as well try to step on a bit of sea-foam," said the Captain in surprise. Lawrence, Lewis, and Slingsby, having as yet hn 1 no experience of such places, expressed, or held a similar opinion, but the Professor bade them wait and see. Baptist, throwing off his pack, and fastening a A I i •■:'i ; I • » - i i4 232 UIVKIIS OF ICK II n I ■t. -it n ■f ? ■n H - ropo rcmiid liis waist, wliicli his coniradcs held, lulvantM'd to {ho cxtrcmi* (m1<^(^ oI' tlic ice, and witli Ids ItMig luuidlod ax(i, gently i)alted Mio snow on \\w opposite side. Tlie surface yieldiul, and it seemed as it even tliat small weii^lit would break tlie lump otf, l)iit the operation consolidated the mass in a few minutes, b}' reason of what tlu^ Professor termed " regelation." lie then stepped tenderly on it, erossed over, and drew the roj)e after him. Anloine li.ilovved next, and in a :ew minutes the whole party was safe on the other side. " Dr. Lawrence," said Slingsby, in a low grave tone, as they walked along af\er this, " if we ever see Chaniouni again I shall be surprised." " Indeed !'* returned Lawrence, with a short laugh, ** I don't take quite so gloomy a view of our case. Don't you think that the free and easy, quiet look of our guide and sorters indicates that such work looks more danr .rous than it really is ?" " I don't know that," said tlu^ artist, shaking his head, " when men get thoroughly accustomed to danger they become foolhardy, and don't realise it. I think it sheer madness to cross such places." Lewis, who overlie ird the conversation, could scarce refrain from a burst of laughter. " Upon my word, Slingsby," said he, " such observations come strangely from the lips of a man, who only a day or t\\'0 ago was caught IH oil ALPiNK ai>vkntui:k. t. skctcliing on a siiow-wiculli over llie cdgo of u crevasse;." "All' but I didn't know it," nitortcd tlic other, " and even iC I had known it, the ledge of snow was innnuMisely stronj^'cr than that on which we have jnst stood," At this point the conversatiftn was intenupttHl by the j^uide s(()[)[)ing and sayini,' that it was now necessary to tie the party toj^'eth(!r. They had reached those high(;r parts of the glacier where snow frequently falls and covers, to some extent, the narrower crevasses, thus, by con- ceab'ng them, rendering them extremely dangerous traps. It therefore becanu; nec(issary to attach the various members of the party together l)y means of a rope, which, passing round their waists, with a few feet between each, enabled them to rescue any one who should chance to break through. Thus, in a string, they advanced, and had scarcely proceeded a hundred yards when a surprised "hallo!" from Captain Wopper arrested them, lie had sunk up to the knees in snow. A "hallo!" of alarm instantly succeeded. He was waist deep. A sten- torian yell followed : — " Ho ! hallo ! hi ! — avast ! Hold on there abaft 1 My legs are waublin' in nothin' !" - His great weight had indeed nearly plunged him into a hidden crevasse, over which those who preceded »l < ; ( • : 234 RIVERS OF ICE hi liiiii had passed in safety. If tlie Captain had stood ulone that crevasse would certainly have heen his grave, but his friends held him tignt, and in a few seconds he was dragged out of danger. "Well, well," he said, wiping some large drops of perspiration from his brow, as he stood on the other side of the chasm, " land-lubbers talk about seafarin' men havin' nothin' but a plank between them an' death, but to my thinkin' the rottenest plank that ever was launched is absolute safety compared to *• a snow-wreath." ' " Ah ! Captain," said the Professor, laughing, " you think so just now because you 're not used to it. In a few weeks you '11 hold a different opinion." " May be so," replied the Captain quietly, " but it don't feel so — heave ahead, my hearties !" Thus encouraged the party p oceeded v;ith caution, the guide sounding the snow at each step with his long axe-handle as he moved in advance. Slowly they mounted higher and higher, occa- sionally meeting with, but always overcoming, difli- culties, until towards evening they reached the little log cabin on the Grands Mulcts, not sorry to find in it a sufficient, though humble resting-place for the night. Here they proceeded to make themselves com- fortable. Some firewood had been carried up by the porters, with which a fire was kindled, wet gar- OR ALPINE ADVKNTURE. 235 iiients were liung up to dry, and hot coflee was pro- pared, wliile the sun sank in a gorgeous world of amber and crimson fire. One by one the stars came out and gradually twinkled into brilliancy, until at last the glorious liost of heaven shone in the deepening sky with an intensity of lustre that cannot be described, con- trasting strangely with the pallid ghostly aspect of the surrounding snow-fields. These were the only trace of earth that now remained to greet the eyes of our travellers when they looked forth from the door of the little hut. Besides being calm and beautiful, the niglit was intensely cold. There is this peculiarity, on Alpine mountain tops, that when the sun's last rays desert them the tempera- ture falls abruptly, there being little or nothing of earth or rock to conserve the heat poured out during the day. The mountaineers, therefore, soon after night closed in, found it necessary to shut the dooi of their cabin, where they roused up the fire, quaffed their steaming coffee, and smoked their pipes, in joyful anticipation of the coming day. I ! 5: u ■ i| I 230 iavi.ua uv u;tc CMIAI'TKII XV. TllK (JllANI) ARt'KNT rONTINl'Kl) AND COMrM'Trn. Nkkd \V(» snv \\\i\\ tli(> V(tuii<';«M' of our iidviMilnriMH — for sucli tlu'v in;iv triilv hv. .stvlod t'clt a. ti'iulciu'V to '* sjun yarns," ns C'aplaiii NVnjun'r oxprcssctl it, till a lato lioiir that iii^lit, us ihoy sat roiiiul the firo at tho (Iramls MiiK'ts ? Durin«; this (.Mijoyabic period. LawnMuc and Li'wis made tluMusolvos liottcr actiuainlod with I*a]>tist Iahmhux, the c'haniois-hnntor, ^\•llos(' (jnit^t, gontir, and \inolttrnsivi> manner was very at tractive to thoni. ]\Ianv an aiUH'ih)to did ho relate of udven- tares aniiHig the Alpine ]H'aks Jind ])asses while pursuing the ehaniois, or guiding travellers on their way, and it is probahle that lie might have roamed in spirit among his beloved haunts— eagerly l\)llov»'ed in spirit by the young men — if he had not been called to order by the guide, who, remembering the hai\l work that lav before them on the morrow, suggested repose. The profound silence that scon reiizned in the hut was broken only bv an occa- oil AI.I'IM; AIiVKNTirUK. 2:j7 Hioilill Io||;^r (llMWII HJ^ll. ICvf'll ('iljililill \V^l|l|M•^ wiiH »|ui('l, Imviiii^' 1mm»ii mt |tovv«',rrully iiilliu'ricctl l»y froHli iiKMiiitaiii iiir 'iiiil cxitrciHo mm In liuvc t'or;;ot.toii or lun^;^(»n(i In.* nnliiiiiry timl itiV(;t(fniiut, two iniiiuhiH iiil(^r oik; Ikih (lro|)|H!(l into a |>roloim(l n-IVcsliiii^ sluinlior; and Mio Jinrioyaiicc. in Hcvcndy {i;.^^'ravat(!i(M; of Anloini! (in'.niK)n. " Monsicnr ! Monnidur !" Hiiid tiio ;^uido. " Gt-h)n<,'. I)n borer iih^" nmrrnnred Lewiw, in lones 80 Hlm, uut now Mont Blanc seemed as if inclined to resent the free and easy way in which these nen of mingled muscle and science had attacked his crown. He drew several ominous clouds around him, and shook out a flood of lioory locks from his white head, which, caught up by a blast, created apparently for the purpose, were whirled aloft in wild confusion, and swooped down upon the mountaineers with bitter emphasis, in the form of snow-drift, as if they had come direct from Captain Wopper's favourite place of reference, — Nova Zembla. Coats, which had hitherto been carried on the arm or thrown open, were put on and buttoned, and heads were bent to meet the blast and repel the snow-drift. Little was eaid, save a murmured doubt by Antoine as to the possibility of gaining the summit, even although they were now so iiear it, for the day was far spent by tliat time, and the rugged nature of the route over OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 253 which Ihey had passed, prechuled the possibility of a rapid return to tlie hut at the Grands Mulets. They paslied steadily on, liowever, for the Professor was anxious to burj^ his thermometer in the snow at the top ; the guide was anxious to maintain his credit for perseverance ; and the others were anxious to be able to say they had reached the highest height in Europe. In any weather the ascent of Mont Blanc requires somewhat more than the average share of physical vigour and perseverance ; in bad weather it demands unusual strength and resolution. When, thercfv)re, a severe ctorm of wind arose, most of the party began to show symptoms of distress. The laboui' of ascending, being coupled with that of forcing way against the blast, was very exhausting to the muscles, while the extreme cold reduced the physical energy and cooled tho most sanguine spirit. Antoine alone seemed to be proof against all influences, but the responsibility lying on him clouded his usually open countenance with a careworn expression. Prudence counselled immediate return. Ambition, as they were now so near the top, urged prolonged efibrt. T!5e guide expressed his anxieties, but meeting with no response, followed the dictates of his feeling.s, and pushed on. Like pillars of living snow they toi'ed patiently upwards. Breath became too precious to waste in T 1 ;' 1 i r m a N/ li- I t if '■••■■ ]' I ■■ ■( III*' 251 RIVKKS OF ICE wordd. They advanced in silence. The wind howled around tliem, and the snow circled iu mad evolu- tions, as if the demon of wintry storms dwelt there, and meant to defend his citadel to the " bitter end." There are t ^ rocks near the summit, winch crop through the ice like rugged jewels in the monarch's diadem. The lower is named the Petits jMulets, the upper the Derniers Pioches. On reaching the lattnr of these they paused a few moments to rest. A ftoUug Df cei'tainty that the end would be gained now began to prevail, but the guide was a little alarmed, and the Professor horrified, on looking at their companions' faces, to observe that they were pinched, haggard, and old- looking, as if they all had aged somewhat during the last few hours ! Captain Wopper's rubicund visage was pale, and his nose blue; the face of Lewis was white all over, and drawn, as if he were suffering pain ; Dr. Lawrence's countenance was yellow, and Slingsby's was green. The Professor himself was as bad as his comrades, and the porters were no better. " We shan't be beaten now," said the man of science, with a ghastly smile. " Go 'head ! nev'r s' die 'a I'ng *s th'r 's shot 'n th' locker !" replied the Captain, in the tone of a man who would rather avoid speaking, if possible. " What a face you 've got, Stoutley ! " said the arti.'^t l! I \ 1 ;o OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 255 ', I " Vuu'rc another!" replied Lewis, with a horrible erin. "Allons!" exclaimed the giiMe, Ijeiiding once more against the storm. Once, for a few minutes, the wind ceased and the clouds lifted. Captain Wopper uttered a chuor, and rushed forward in advance of the guide, took off his hat and threw it into the air. They had reached the round summit without being aware of it. They stood 15,781 feet above the sea- level ! No envious peak rose above their heads. The whole world lay below them, bathed, too, in bright sunshine, for tho storm, which had so suddenly swooped upon them, was confined, like an elemental body-guard, to the head of the mountain -king. But, clear though it was at the moment, they were too high in the air to see anything quite distinctly, yet this hazy aspect had a charm of its own, for it increased the feeling and idea of vastness in cnnnectiop with surrounding space. Around, and now heneatn, stood the moun- tain nobility of the land, looking, however, some- what reduced in size and majesty, m Been from tho royal presence. Scarcely had the mountaineers assembled and glanced at the wondrous panorama, when the en- vious clouds swooped down again and mingled with the snow-drift which once more rose to meet them. " We must b(> quick, ^lonsieur," said Antoine, ill I it ¥f'r: i ♦'! L 256 TilVKRS OF ICK taking a shovel from one of the porters, while Lecroix grasped another. " Where shall we dig 1" The Professor fixed on a spot, and, while the grave of the thermometer was being dug, a plaid was sot up on a couple of alpenstocks, in the shelter of which the others consumed the bread and wine that had been saved from breakfast. It did tliem little good, however ; the cold was too intense. The Cap- tain's beard was already fringed with icicles, and the whiskers of those who had them were covered with hoar-frost, while the breath issued from their mouths like steam. Before the thermometer was buried all had risen, arjd were endeavouring to recover heat by rubbing their hands, beating their arms across their breasts, and stamping violently. " Come," said the Professor, quickly, when the work was done, " we must start at once." " Oui, Monsieur," assented the guide, and, with- out more words, the whole party began to descend the mountain at a run. There was cause for haste. Not only did the storm increase in violence, but evening drew on apace, and all of them were more or less exhausted by prolonged muscular exertion and exposure to severe cold. Suddenly, having gone a considorable way down the mountain, they emerged from fog and snow-drift into blazincf sunshine ! The strife of elements was OR ALPINE ADVENTUliE. 257 confined entirely to tlie summit. The inferior ice- sl(ipes and the valleys far below were hathed in the golden glories of a magnificent sunset, and, before they reached the huts at the Grands Mulcts, they had passed from a condition of excessive cold to one of extreme heat, insomuch that the Captain and Professor were compelled to walk with their coats slung over their shoulders, while perspiration streamed from their bare brows. That night the party slept again at the Grands Mulcts, and next day they reached Chamouni, fagged, no doubt, and bearing marks of mountaineering in the shape of sun-burnt cheeks and peeled noses, but hearty, nevertheless, and not a little elated with their success in having scaled the mighty sides and the hoary suDimit of Mont Dlano. I 1 ,1 i s ViP\ 258 RIVERS OF IC2 CHAPTER XVL I > m :i m 'iy^ 1 1' :i"i TELT.S HOW LEWIS DISTINGUISUKD HIMSELF. Seated one morning on an easy chair in Susan Quick's apartment, and swinging his little blue legs to and fro in a careless, negligent manner. Gillie White announced it as his opinion that Mister Lewis had gone, or was fast going, mad. " Why do you think so ?" asked Susan, with a smile, looking up for a moment from some portion of Lewis's netlier integuments, which Mont Blanc had riven almost to shreds. " W'y do I think so ?" repeated Gillie ; " w'y, cos he 's not content with havin' busted his boots an* his clo'se, an' all but busted hisself, in goiu' to the top o' Mont Blang an' Monty Eosa, an' all the other Monty-thingura]K)bs about, but he's agoin' off to- • liiy with that queer fish Laycrwa to hunt some- where np above the clouds— in among the stars, .\ ttuicy — for sliamwas." " Indeed !" said Susan, with a neat little laugh. "Yes, indeed. He's mountain-mad — mad as a OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 259 h. 3 a Svviss March hare, if not madder. — By the way, Susan, wot d'ee think o* the French?" Gillie propounded this question with the air of a philosopher. " D you mean French people ?" " No ; I means the French lingo, as my friend Cappen Wopper calls it." " Well, I can't say that I have thought much about it yet. ^lissis keeps me so busy that I haven't time." "Ah!" said Gillie, "you're wastin' of precious opportoonities, Susan. I've bin a-studdyin' of that lingo myself, now, for three weeks — off and on." " Indeed !" exclaimed Susan, with an amused glance, " and what do you think of it ? " " Think of it ! I think it 's the most outrageous stuff as ever was. The man who first inwented it must 'ave 'ad p'ralersis o' the brain, besides a bad cold in 'is 'ead, for most o' the enns an' gees come tumblin' through the nose, but only git half out after all, as if the speaker was afraid to let 'em go, lest he shouldn't git hold of 'em again. There 's that there mountain, now. They can't call it Mont Blang, with a good strong out-an'-out bang, like a Briton would do, but they catches hold o' the gee when it *s got about as far as tlio bridge o' the nose, half throttles it and shoves it right back, so that you can scarce hear it at all. An' the best joke id, there ain't no ijee in the word at all 1" Hii U^i. liU in n^m ' i V ? "^■i!^ M. ?'»! m 260 RIVERS OF ICK "No?" said Susan, in surprise. "No," repeated Gillie. "I've bin studdyin* the spellin' o' the words in shop-winders an' posters, an', would you b'lieve it, they end the word Blang with a c" " You don't say so I" "Yes I do; an' liow d'ee think they spell the name o* that feller Laycrwa ?" " I 'm sure I don't know," answered Susan. " They spells it," returned Gillie, with a solemn look, " L-e-c-r-o-i-x. Now, if I had spelt it that way, I 'd have pronounced it Laycroiks. Wouldn't you ?" " Well, yes, I think I should," said Susan. " It seems to me," continued Gillie, " that they goes on the plan of spellin' one way an' purnouncin' another — always takin' care to choose the most difficult way, an' the most unnatt'ral, so that a feller has no chance to come near it except by corkin' up one nostril tight, an' borin' a small extra hole in the other about half-way up. If you was to mix a sneeze with what you said, an' paid little or no attention to the sense, p'raps it would be French — but I ain't sure. I only wish you heard Cappen Wopper hoistin' French out of hisself as if he was a wessel short-handed, an' every word was a heavy bale. He 's werry shy about it, is the Cappen, an wouldn't for the world say a word if he thought any Nil on ALPINE ADVKNTURE. 2G1 • one was near ; but when lie thinks he *s alone with Antoine — that's our guide, you know — he some- times lets fly a broadside o* French that wellnigh takes my breath away." The urchin broke into a laugh here at the memory of the Captain's efforts to master what he styled a furrin* tongue, but Susan checked him by saying slily, " How could you know. Gillie if the Captain was alone with Antoine i " "Oh, don't you know," replied Gillie, trying to recover his gravity, " the Cappen he 's wery fond o* me, and I like to gratify his feelin's by keepin' near him. Sometimes I keep so near — under the shadow of his huge calf, d'ee see — that he don't observe me on lookin* round; an*, thinkin' he's all alone, lets fly his French broadsides in a way that a'most sends Antoine on his beam-ends. But Antoine is tough, he is. He gin'rally says, ' I not un'r'stan* Eenglish ver* well,' shakes his head an* grins, but the Cappen never listens to his answers, bein' too busy loadin* and prirain' for another broadside." The man to whom he referred cub short the conversation at this point by shouting down the stair : — " Hallo ! Gillie, yon powder-monkey, where are my shoes ?" "Here they are, Cappen, all ready; fit to do dooty as a lookin*-glass to siiave yerself," cried the M ■111 iliii 2G2 mVEIlS OF ICE ft '' 'i %^l' "powder-monkey," leaping up and leaving the room abruptly. Gillie's opinion in regard to the madness of Lewis was shared by several of his friends above stairs. Doctor Lawrence, especially, felt much anxiety about him, having overheard one or two conversa- tions held by the guides on the subject of the young Englishman's recklessness. " Really, Lewis," said the Doctor, on one occasion, " you must listen to a lecture from me, because you are in a measure nnder my charge." " I 'm all attention, sir," said Lewis meekly, as he sat down on the edge of his bed and folded his hands in his lap. "Well then, to begin," said the Doctor, with a half-serious smile, "I won't trouble you with my own opinion, to which you attach no weight — " " Pardon me, Lawrence, I attach great weight to it— or, rather, it has so much weight that I can scarcely bear it." " Just so, and therefore you shan't have it. But you must admit that the opinion of a good guide is worth something. Now, I heard Antoine Grennon the other day laying down some unquestionable principles to tlie Professor — " "What! lecturing the Professor?" interrupted Lewis, "how very presumptuous." " He said," continued the Doctor, " that the l| OR ALriXK ADVKNTURE. 2C3 1 dangers coniiectod witli the ascent of these Swiss mountains are real, and, unless properly provided against, may become terrible, if not fatal. Ho instanced your own tendency to go rovin't about among the glaciers alone. AVith a comrade or a guide attached to you by a rope there is no dan^^^cr worth speaking of, but it must be as clear to you as it is to me that if, when out on the mountains alone, you step on a snow -covered crevasse and break through, your instant death is inevitable." "Yes, but," objected Lewis, with that unwilling- ness to be convinced which is one of the chief characteristics of youth, "I always walk, when alone on the glaciers, with the utmost caution, sounding the snow in front of me with the long handle of my axe at every step as I go." " If the guides do not find this always a suflicient protection for themselves, by what amazing power of self-sufficiency do you persuade yourself that it is sufficient for yoii. V demanded Lawrence. "Your question suffices. Doctor," said Lewis, laughing; "go on with your lecture, I'm all atten- tion and, and — humility." "Not my lecture," retorted Lawrence, "the guide's. He was very strong, I assure you, on the sul)ject of men going on the high glaciers without a rope, or, which comes to the same thing, alone, and he was not less severe on those who are so foolhardy, or i!^ Photographic Sciences Corporation \ s <^^ k ^^ ^^ k. h c\-' \ ^\ ^< ^4^ U ^ '^ m 0m » ^!»(1 lu» «Mi s)>mM\ nrroHM >vln»"h l\o now IVIt hww \]\v clu\n\oi« must pass, wms onl}* brond rnon);lj lo hUokI tlio briofosl |M>:»Miltio tiiuo for nn nim. Wo ruiurd tlio rillo luon* \h\\n lui'f wny to tl»o whoultl(»r. Anoflur instant and a »'lw\nu>is apjM'aviMl lik(> an arrow uliooi- itijj atlwiiirt \\\o \\\\\ sido l>rloro liini, Wo lirrd, and n\is}«i^t 1 Tho iMillct, liowovcr. m liicli l\ad l»('('n drs- tinovl \oY tho luwrt of the t^.r^^l. uninn\l, was canj^ld, in tho brain of tliat wlurli followiMt. It spraiifjf lii.-Ji into tho air. and, rollinj^ over .si^viMal tiniOM, h\y strcMchod at full lougth on tho rookrt. >Vo nood not paiUH* to dosoriho tlu» rojoicing of tho young spoitv^uian ovor his tirwt. oluuuois, or to dotail lAvrv>ix's oonijdiniontary ohsorvations thoroon. Having dopositod thoir ganio in u ]>laoo of aafoty, the hunt or suggOvStod tliat, ns Micro was no c^hanoo of thoir sooing any nioro in that looality, it >vould ho woll todovoto tho roniaindor of tho day to cxjiloring the higher slopes of a noighhouriug glacier, f(;r, familiar as ho was with all the grander features of the region, there w\^re some of the minuter details, he said, with which he was unacquainted. Lewis was a little surprised at the proposal, hut, being quite satisfied with his success, and not un- willing to join iu anything that smacked of explora- tiou, he readily assented j and, ere long, the two (»!{ Af.JMNK AI'VKN'TIMtK. 273 f cluMiioiM lind riilli'ii, )mi|'tl,iii;'i/liM;^ wit.li tlu) (lilli I{i»loro r|iiil,|,in;^ tlin lowca* ^ioiiik!, Ilcy liii'l (Im- poMilctl Mu'ir jMiriin iuhI ii(lnnH<',H a (lark ol»j(!ct wjib Hoon moving over tho ico far hclow ihcni. Lccroix jtointcd to it, and Haid that it approaoliod ihoni. " What is it — a crow ?" ankod T/iwi.s. " Mor(5 lik(5 a Tiuin ; but it i:» noithor," returned tin; hunter, adjusting hia telescope; " yes, it is, a« I fancied, a chanioi.s." " Then it cannot have seen us," aaid Lewis, "else it would not appioach." " Nay, it approaches because it has seen us. It mistakes us for relatives. Let us sit down to deceive it a little." They crouched beside a i)iece of ice, and the chamois advanced, until its pretty foiTn became 8 f 274 RIVERS OF ICE recognisable by the naked eye. Its motions, how- ever, were iiTegular. It was evidently timid. So-rae- times it came on at full gallop, then paused to look, and uttered a loud piping sound, advancing a few paces with caution, and pausing to gaze again. Le- croix replied with an imitative whistle to its call. It immediately bounded forward with pleasure, but soon again hesitated, and stopped. At last it seemed to become aware of its mistake, for, turning at a tangent, it scoured away over the ice like wind swooping down from the mountain-summits, bounded over the crevasses like an india-rubber ball, and was quickly out of sight. While gazing with profound interest at this graceful creature, the explorers were not at first aware that a dark mass of inky cloud was rapidly bearing down on them, and that one of those wild storms which sweep frequently over the high Alps seemed to be gathering. " We must make haste, if we would gain the shelter of our cave," said Lecroix, rising. As he spoke, a low rumbling sound was heard behind them. They turned just in time to Sce a small avalanche of rocks hopping down the cliffs towards them. It was so far off, and looked such an innocent rolling of pebbles, that Lewis regarded it as an insignificant phenomenon. His companion formed a better estimate of its character, but being •, i# le ts in it [a g on ALPINE ADVENTUHK. 275 at least five liuudred yards to one side of the couloir or snow-slope, down which it rushed, he judged that they were safe. lie was mistaken. Some of the largest stones flew past quite near them, several striking the glacier as they passed, and sending clouds of ice-dust over them, and one, as large as a hogshead, bounding, with awful force, straight over their heads. They turned instantly to hasten from so danger- ous a spot, but were arrested by another and much louder rumbling sound. " Quick, fly, Monsieur I" exclaimed Lecroix, setting his young companion the example. Truly there was cause for haste. A subglacial lake among the heights above had burst its icy barriers, and, down the same couloir from which the smaller avalanche had sprung, a very ocean of boulders, mud, ice, and debris camo crashing and roaring with a noise like the loudest thunder, with this difference, that there was no intermission of the roar for full quarter of an hour ; only, at frequent intervals, a series of pre-eminent peals were heard, when boulders, from six to ten feet in diameter, met with obstacles, and dashed them aside, or broke themselves into atoms. Our hunters fled for their lives, and barely gained the shelter of a giant boulder, when the skirts of the hideous torrent roared past, leaped over an hn :' I 270 lavrns of ice ice-c]i(T, and was swallowotl up liy the insaliabio creva-ssos of the glacier beh)\v. For several niiimtcs after they had reached, and stood panting in, a posi- tion of safety, they listened to tlu; thnnderons roar of Alpine artillery, nn.til it died slowly away — as if nnwillingly — in the light pattering of pehbles. Gratitude to the Almighty for didiverance from a great danger was the strongest feeliv.g in the heart of the chaniois-hnnter. Profound astonishment and joy at liaving witnessed such an amazing sight, quickened the pulso of Lewis. " That was a narrow escape, Lccroix ?" " It was. I never see such a sight without a shudder, because I lost a brother in such an ava- lanche. It wriril. nnd not, oixny of nvstrnini. Tlioy iin< ofl(Mi vory luMuvst too, nnd rcfuMO lo llidh^r. Ar tlio yoiitii Iny on Ins Imok f^a/ing dn^uniiy frmn tli.ii giildy luMi^h'., on IIk^ lirst faint iin^(^ o\ li^lil' tliid. 8\dTnsod iho omsUmmi sk}, lu8 tlioughlH Viunblod on in tlio snnio ('luv^nu^i. ** Stmns^'o, ih-M n oh Cold-linnlor. Hownin iiuois (di nioro ros hunt or .should bocoino n poctiiblo tbc former ocon]>ntion, !\n<' yot liow mimy gold-linntors tluu'o aro in iho world ! (taniblors arc gold Imntorn; nnd 1 was a gamblor onoo ! Alia, 1 Mr. T.owis, tho caj) onco llttod yoa ! riltod, did I say ? Jt Ills stiil. Havo T not boon ]>laying billiards every m'ght nearly since I came here, despite Captain Wrapper's warnings and the lesson I got from poor Lcvcn ? Poor Leven indeed ! it 's little gold that he has, and / robbed him. However, I paid him back, that's one comfort, and my stakes now are mere trillcs — just euongli to give interest to the game. Yet, rjll AM'INi; AI'VKNTi;i(K, r^'j ■ I llil ni ? jii'ul kt's Is — Rl)n»n»' oil yoii, Liwvii! ; niu'i yon U^U^' iwU'tvfii i;i a giiiiin lur il-M own Rako / 'Mm Kinuih.'Bt cci!! Rtnkrd inVolvrfl lli(> Mpii it, of (/niiiMinj:/. Yon fslioiiMn't, f|o jl, my hoy, you lon Nitn,th<;y jrnm^,^liftt*;ly ceased thoir waywani wainhtring pra(;ticf;ii and rcrnaiin'il fixed on that theme. Soon afl(;rwiut ytMl IVii'U.I ol" min(\" lojiliod Lcwln, with " llo CM\ i)o no frioinl ol' iniiio," irlunuMi Mio himlor. \vj1I» roni\!U'(t>«l l»roNVH. " I 'm uol MO HUH* (»r llml,' Miiid lUo uIIhm', " til. liiisi i!' vou I'oinil i/onrsrlf a iVicMid. Vou \vliiH|M»rod so niuoh aboiil jrold in yonr dicmiiM IIhh nioiiiiii;; that I «'{nuo \o ihiMMunhiMion vou wimo iiiIIum' lond »» rits Tho TApn^ssitMi of tlio liunlor rlninjM'd «'oni|»h«(,o!y. Thoro stHMuinl to W ji slrni:i;lo luMwrrn indi^^naiion d nut ;>iM'ro\v \\\ Ins 1 nraj^l as 1 10 hI' (»p|t('il, and, lacMi;' 1. Ii hus oonipanion, ^w'A, \\\{\\ vclionnMir-o - " Mtuusionv, I do not. r«>unt nii/.nalos|, oniMny. Tlio m>od C\Oi\ knows how hard I liavo roiif^iil a^MiiiiHl. stdf for voar:^, autl how oflvn 'A\, iiow ol'liMi I liavo boon boaton down and ovtM'conio. Clod liolp mo. It is n woarv strnu^do." TAHToix's oountor.aniH^ and \o\w9, ("han<]j('d nn rapidlv as the idond- tonus on liis own mouniain- poaks. His last wonls woro nttorod with tho diM'peat pathos, and his now pale face was turned upward, aa if he sought for h.opc from a source everlastiuL: hills." Lewis was amaze higher than tho d at the sud- r»ll Ar.l'IMK AJJVKr.TIIIlK, 201 1(1 !V8 liaiu- \\\y as 11 tho sud- ilnii ImiMt nf (rrlihi^f ill null wlio WiiM iihiiMimlly <|iii«'t mill Mi'tliilo, mikI r.iodd loohiti}/ iil> liiiri in Ftilrririi. " YoMiijr iiiiiii," n"fiiiMH'(| Mm lninlci, in n, r)iln»M loo niiM'li. il I iiiid icHiflUMJ Mi<-. tcinptntinii ill' Mi<^ litr.i i mii'lil Ihivm cMcnp^'d, ImiI, I u/ni// y(^[t lin Miivrd, ny, •i(-;|»il»! of M^ill'^ for Miniij in a »^'>vi(inrl I'or ycdiM I liiivo Moii(;lif, for ^oM ufnonj,^ Mn'M(< inoiinlfiiiifi. I li'-y ieli nn? it/ if*. t,r/ Ix; I'onnfl iJirn', lint I luivir in-vcr lonri'l it, To (l;iy I int,ciif|k,H a lik'ily piacd M. very likely pl;u;«! -hut, yonr W(*I(Ih liavf; t,urii(',(i iiic, from my pnrjM»M(!. Tlio evil Hpi'il in gorio for t.o (I;iy p had hcen holding hiin, and hurri(id (jni(;kly towards a wido cmvfiH.iQ whi(di croHH(!(l Micir paUi at tliat placo. *' Had wo not liottcr tio ourselves togtjther hefore attempting it ?" Huygested Lewis, hastening after hiiu. 1 Y ill nil i w >' -< RIVKUS OF ICK li liOcroix did not nnswdr, Iml (iui( kcned liis paro to a run. " Nol tluM'O !" oxclaiinod Lowis, in sudden alarm. " 11, is almost loo wiiUi tor a loap, utul (ho snow on tlio otbov sid(* ovcrliangs. Stoj) ! for (lod's sn,ko — not thero !" Ho vuslu^d forward, but was too lato, Locroix \vas alr(»:uly on I lie blink of ibo cliaani ; next mo- nuMit, wilb a Irointmdous Imund, lio (doarcd it, and ulii^blod on llio snow b(\yond. His weigh' snapped ofV (lie mass, liis arms were thrown wildly aloft, and, with a shout, rather than a cry, he fell headlouL;" into the dark abyss ! Horror-stricken, unable to move or cry out, Lewis stood on the edg(\ From far down in tlu; blue depths of the crevasse there arose a, terrible sound, as if of a heavy blow. It was f(»]lowed by the familiar rattling of masses of tailing ice, which seemed to die away in the profound heart of the glacier. The "weary struggle" had come to an end at last. The chamois-bunter had found a tomb, like too many, alas ! of his bold hearted countrymen, among those great fields of ice, over which he had so ofUui sped with sure foot and cool head in days gone by. Lewis was as thoroaghlv convinced that his late comrade was dead, as if he had seen his mangled corpse before him, but with a sort of passionate un- Hi <)i; Ai.i'iNK ai»vi;nt(;i!i: 2').", lich |y. late led m- Ix^lirC 1j(» r('rnH(,l iu udMiil i]u\ fiicL Mn stood jxm- I'cctly iiiol.ioiilcH^, UH if traiislixctl uikI IVo/cii, in tin,' act of l)(!n(liii^M)V(',i' tin; (;i(!va.s,s(;. lie listened in- tently ami lon«i; for a sound wMeli yet lie knew cunld never eome. An opjncH.sive, .si(d dwell, on llu* unlorlunatc iinin'M kindly, modi^st, and Ixdd disposilion, iind especially on the incid(Mits ol" ilie previous ni^dd, wlien Uiey t-wo liiid l;»in sid(» l»y side like brotlun's on their hnrd e.outdi. At last he. rose, mid, wiMi a feidini,' of dead weight ertishing his spirit, hej^nn to think of eoidinuin;^' his deseeiit. Ilr; felt th;il, idthoiis^h tluM'e wms no hope of reseninj; life, still no l.nn' shonld ho. lost in rous- ing the guides of Chaniouni and recovering, if pos- sible, the remains. Other thoughts now cnmc upon him with a rush. He was still high up among the gn^it clifVs, and alone ! The vale of Chiunouni was still far distant, and he was bewildered as to his routi;, for, in what- ov(U' direction he turned, nothing met his eye save wihlly-riven glacitn's or jugged clilVs and peaks, lie stood in the miilst of a scene of savage grjindeur, which corresjionded somewhat with liis feelings. His knowledge of ice-craft, if we may use the expression, was by that time considerable, but he felt that it was not sulVicient for the work that lay before him ; besides, what knowledge he possessed could not make up for the want of a companion and a rope, while, to add to his distress, weak- ness, resulting partly from hunger, began to tell on him. Perhaps it was well that such thoughts interfered (»lt AM'INi: ADVKNTUKK. 295 tell red >vith th(>H(» that iiiHiinnnod liirn, lor lli(;y served to rousci lii.s Hpiril, atid neivc liiiii to (ixerUou. Kediii;^ thai liJH life, under (Jod, depended on the wisdom, vij^'our, juid ])rom|)tiliide (»!' his a(;iions during' the next lew hours, he rais ! cil^o of {]\o crcviissc, jintl Mir liinullc liun^' over \t. Soinclhin;; aUiii lo (1('s|»(M'uI ion now took |ii),Msion <)t'llu» yonlli. T\\o h1o|>(» was I'ar too .sldcp to slido down. No! havinj^f Ins axe, it was inipo.sHildo to cut \\\o noccHsarv steps. In any cas(^ it, was (»xco3- sivcly (lan^(»r(tns, for. altliou^di the snow was not now. it lay on sncli an incline thai the least weight on it niiv'litset it in motion, in whieli ease inevituhle death wonld have boon the reudt. The case was too critiral to admit ol' dtday or thon«.jht. At all liazards tho axe mnst be reeovereil. Ue therefore lay dinvn with his faee to tlie slope, and l)(*<^'an to kick loot-hoKls with the t»>e of his hoots, It was exceedingly slow and laborious work, for lie dared not to kick with all his forc(» lest he shouhl lo.so his balance, and, ind(>ed, he only retained it by thrusting both arms tirndy into the ni)per holes and lixing one foot deep in a lower hole, whilo with the other he cautiously kick«'(l each new step in succession. At last, after toiling steadily thus for two hours, he regained his axe. The grip with which he seized the handle, and the tender feeling with which he afterwards laid it: on his shoulder, created in him a new idea as to the strange affection with which man can be bronght to regard inanimate objects, and the fervency with which he condemned his former flippancy, and vowed never more to go out on the high Al[t3 1 ' I Olt AFI'INK ADVKNTrnr;. 107 afonr., foniHul a Htrikiii;^ (■(timiicntjiiy on llio fn]',\yj', " Mx|K'rinn(M' tcjidicH I'ltnlM !" For HOIIH3 t-iiiK! iiKcr tliin I/^wiH julvuiiccid willi both HpL'ud und (tuition. At vnch |»((iiil, oC vuntji;^'t) tliat lie, r(3aclie(l ho uuuUi a ra|)i(l and canirul mn vcy of all llio j^M'ound Ixd'oio lii!ii, dcicidccl on Mic exact nn\iv. wliicli lir Hlionld takainfully nuniorous, but by indornitabln porsover- ance, and .soni(!tini(!H by a (biHotuatci vonlur<', 'lo ovcrcariM! thcni. Onco be ^^ot involv(Ml in a succcHsion of crevasses wdiicb ran into (jach otlicsr, so that lie found himself at last walking on the edge of a wedge of ice not a foot broad, with nnfathomable abysses on either side. The wedge tcirminatcd at last in a thin edge with a deep crevasse })eyond. lie was about to retrace Jiis steps — for tlie tenth tim<^ in that place — when it struck him that if he could only reach the other side of the crevasse on his riglit he might gain a level patcii of ice that appeared to communi- cate with the sounder part of the glacier beyond. lie paused and drew his breath. It was not much of a leap. In ordinary circumstances he could have bounded over it like a chamois, but he was weak i •' I J 2Mg lUVI'lJS OF ICF now from hunger iiud luliiiiK^; Itcaidos wliicli, tlin \V»'(IlJ(^ oil Wllicll ll(^ stood NVMH I'oltcii, lUld Illij^Ilt yield to liis 1»ouim1, wliile I lie oj)j»osil(' od^^o MciMiicd insiH'ure luid iiiii;]it fiiil Idni, like l\w. nuiss tliiil luid ]nov('d latid (o I/'croix. lie WAl tlio vouturo to ho doHporaics Imt the wny Itd'on^ liiiii W!ia yot wvy long-, mid tlio day wjih do- cliiiinjj;. SiTcwiiiL,' up ins courai^e li(» spriinj^ ovcT, and a powerful sliudder shook his rriinie when he alij^hted safe on the other side. Farther down the glaef'r ho oanii* to a levtd stretch, and he^aii to walk with «^'reatcr speed, neglecting; for a little the precaution of driviiif^ the end of his axe-handle into the snow in front at each slep. The result was, that he ati^pped suddenly on the snow that concealed a nanow crevasse. It sank at once, sending something like a giilvanic shock through his frame. The shock effected what his tired muscles might have failed to accomplish. It caused him to fling himself backward with cat-like; agility, and thus he escaped narrowly. It is need- less to say that thereafter he proceeded with a degrin; of care and caution that might have done credit even to a tmiued mountaineer. At last Lewis found it necessary to quit the glacier and scale the mountains by way of a pass which led into the gorge from which he hoped to reach the vale of Chamouni. lie was in great per- . ■ ! OH AI.I'INK AI>\'KNTri!F:. 2'M) led- Llie jass to I»l(ixity ]\v.]v, for, Mk; iispdct of Mid roimlry bcin^ unriuiiiliiir to Ihh c.yc', Ii« rcnrcd tliut In; inuHt Iiuvci lost liis way. Notliiii^' hut e morning, not long after the sad event narrated in the last chapter. " I think not. She is merely rlcpressed, as we all are, by the melancholy death of poor Lecroix." " I can well believe it," returned Lewis. " Never- theless, it seems to me that her careworn expression and deep despondency cannot be accounted for by that event." *• You know that her father left last week very suddenly," said Emma. " Perhaps thero may be domestic affairs that weigh heavily on her. I know not, for she never refers to her family or kindred. The only time I ventured to do so she appeared un- happy, and quickly changed the subject." The cousins were sauntering near their hotel, and observed Dr. Lawrence hurry from the front door. " Hallo ! Lawrence," called out Ltwis. "Ah! the very man I v/ant" exclaimed the it 30 1 KIVKUS OF ICK i) ! 31 U '.• ! m Doctor, hastening to join them, " do you Know that Miss Iloictzkiis ill?" " How strange that we should just this moment have referred to her looking ill ! Not seriously ill, 1 trust," said Emma, with a troubled look in her sympathetic eyes. " I liope not, but her case puzzles me more than any that I have yet met with. I fancy it may be the result of an overstrained nervous system, but there appears no present cause for that. She evi- dently possesses a vigorous constitution, and every one here is kind to her — her father particulailv . Even if she were in love, wliich she doesn't seem to be (a faint twinkle in the Doctor's eye here), that would not account for lier condition." "I can't help thinking," observed Lewis, with a troubled look, " that her father is somohow the cause of her careworn looks. No doubt he is very kind to her in public, but may there not be a very dilferent state of things behind the scenes?" " I think not. The Count's temper is gentle, and his sentiments are good. If he were irascible there might be something behind the scenes, for when restraint is removed and temper gets headway, good principles may check but cannot always prevent uukindness. Now, Emma, I have sought you and Lewis to ask for counsel. I do not say that Nita is seriously ill, but she is ill enough to cause those 0« ALPINK ADVE^WliE. 3^5 wlio love her nq t 1 ^'"-,eviae„Tt 'r;^w?tr"''^^■'•"^■ y«t wl,e« I suggest that ^ T , ^' ^'* '"^'•- '^'"' th- strange state of rr^^^ 1'^'' r^'''^^^- " -"' aggr vate the feven"h atta H '" '" ""' '^ "ow suffers. I wish Tl / "'" "'"''''' «''« ^'ount Without IcZt t^ f "' *° ^"'^ ^-- l''° ttiB a wise step r '""'^- ^^ ^"^ thi.Jc Ha, a frie.a of i4 sta ^ tt a' ~:?' ^^^- --atpreserar,:t^:-::^-erehe^r '^^eS?:: r/oi'r^- -"«>>' *o he. eon. *olve you fro« T'J^T' ^"-"-- "I t''^* is urgent need S ^ "'"'""^ ^"^ '^''t " ^°' ^"'^^"'ng the course I there suggest. ,,,^"'/j^^^ -tall events yo«> said Emma. " simll room ? do what I can to help I find her in h Yes, in bed, attended. er o-w'Q with Mrs. u Stoutley 's per- < 1 .^j h I !" I! h I ; 30G RIVKKS OF ICE mission, by Susan Quick. Out rid of the maid before entering on the subject." In a few minutes Emma returned to the Doctor, who still walked up and down in earnest conversa- tion with Lewis. Slie had succeeded, she said, in persuading Nita to let her father be S(nit for, and the place to which he had gone foi a few days was Saxon, in the Eh one valley. The Count's address had also been obtained, but Nita had stipulated that Ihe messenger should on no account disturb her father by entering the house, but should send for him and wait outside. " Strange prohibition !" exclaimed Lawrence. " However, we must send off a mcf jiiger without delay." " Stay," said Lewis, detaining his friend ; " there seems to be delicacy as well as mystery connected with this matter, you must therefore allow me to be the messenger." Lawrence had no objection to the proposal, and in less than an hour Lewis, guided by Antoine Grennon, was on the road to Martigny by wa} of the celebrated pass of the Tete-Noire. The guide was one of Nature's gentlemen. Al- though low in the social scale, and trained in a ruggedschool, he possessed that innate refinement of sentiment and feeling— a gift of God sometimes transmitted through a gentle mother— which makes (Ji: ALI'INE ADVKNTUUE. 307 [, and itoine fa> of Al- in a Iment Itimes lakea a true gentleniaii. '^'iioii^ luiin of the u])por ranks this refiiuiiuent of soul may bu coiinterfeited by tho superficial polish of manners ; among those who stand lower in the social scale it cannot be counter- feited at all, but still less can it be concealed. As broadcloth can neither mixkv. nor mar a true gentle- man, so fustian cannot hide one. If Ant(»ine Grennon had been bred " at Court," and arrayed in sumptuous apparel, he could not have been more considerate than he was of the feelings and wishes of others, or more gentle, yet manly, in his de- meanour. If, on an excursion, you wished to proceed in a certain direction, Antoine never suggested that you should go in another, unless there were insurmount- able difficulties in the way. If you chanced to grow weary, you could not have asked Antoine to carry your top- coat, because he would have observed your condition and anticipated your wishes. If you had been inclined to talk he would have chatted away by the hour on every subject that came within the range of his knowledge, and if you had taken him beyond his depth, he would have listened by the hour with profound respect, obviously pleased, and attempting fo understand you. Yet he would not have "bored" you. He possessed great tact. He would have allowed you to lead the conversation, and when you ceased to do so he would have stopped. I [ la!| p- It m P m 308 RIVKUS OF ICK He never looked sulky or displeased, lie neve, said unkind things, though he often said and did kind ones, and, with all that, was as independent in his opinions as the whistling wind among his native glaciers. In fact, he was a prince among guides, and a pre-eminently unselfish man. Heigho ! if all the world — you and I, reader, included — bore a stronger resemblance to Antoine Grennon, we should have happy times of it. Well, well, don't let us sigh despairingly because of our inability to come up to the mark. It is some com- fort that there are not a few such men about us to look up to as exemplars. We know several such, both men and women, among our own friends. Let's be thankful for them. It does us good to think of them ! From what we have said, the reader will not be surprised to hear that, after the first words of morn- ing salutation, Lewis Stoutley walked smartly along the high road leading up the valley of Chamouni in perfect silence, v/ith Antoine tmdging like a mute by his side. Lewis was too busy with hia thoughts to speak at first. Nita's illness, and the mystery connected somehow with the Count, afforded food not only for meditation, but anxiety, and it was not until the town lay far behind them that he looked at his guide, and said : — OK ALPINE ADVKNTUIJE. 300 " The route over the Tete-Noire is very grand, 1 am told?" " Very grand, Monsieur — magnificent !" " You are well acquainted with it, douhtlcss?" " Yes; I have passed over it hundreds of times. Does Monsieur intend to make a divergence to the Col de Balme ?" " No ; I have urgent business on hnnd, and must push on to catch the railway. Would the divergence you speak of take up much time ? Ir the Col de Balme worth going out of one's way to see ?" " It is well worthy of a visit," said the guide, replying to the last query first, " as you can there have a completely uninterrupted view — one of the very finest views — of Mont Blanc, ana all its sur- roundings. The time reqr^'red for the divergence is little more than two hours; with Monsieur's M^alk- ing powers perhaps not so much ; besides, there is plenty of time, as we shall reach Martigny much too soon for the train." " In that case we shall make the dtitour," said Lewis. " Are the roads difficult?" " No ; quite easy. It is well that Monsieur dis- pensed with a mule, as we shall be more independent ; and a mule is not so quick in its progress as an active man." - While they chatted thus, walking at a quick pace up the valley, Antoine, observing that his youn<» If!- •I 310 i?ivr,i;s OF icK hi charge was now in a convnrsational frame of mind, commented on the magnificent scencTy, and drew attention to points of interest as tliey came into viev/. Their route at first Lay in tlie low ground hy the banks of the river Arve, wliich rushed along, wild and muddy, as if rejoicing in its escape from the superincumbent glaciers that gave it birth. The great peaks of the Mont Blanc range hemmed them in on the right, the slopes of the Brevent on the left. Passing the village of Argentiere with rapid strides, and pausing but a few moments to look at the \ ist glacier of the same name which pours into the valley the ice-floods gendered among the heights around the Aiguille Verte and the Aiguille du Chardonnet, which rise respectively to a height of above 13,400 and 12,500 feet, they reached the point where the Tete-Noire route diverged to the left at that time, in the form of a mere bridle-path, and pushed for- ward towards the Col, or pass. On the way, Antoine pointed out heaps of slabs of black slate. These, he said, were collected by the peasants, who, in spring, covered their snow-clad fields with them ; the sun, heating the slabs, caused the snow beneath to melt rapidly ; and thus, by a very simple touch of art, they managed to wrest from Nature several weeks that would otherwise have been lost ! As they rose into the higher grounds, heaps and OK ALl'INK ADVENTUKE. 311 rude pillars of stone were observed. Tlicsc \v(»io the landmarks which guided travellers through that region when it was clad in its wintry robe of dee|) enow, and all paths obliterated. At last they stood on the Col de Hal me. There was a solitary inn there, but Antoine turned aside from it and led his companion a mile or so to one side, to a white stone, which marked the boundary between Switzerland and France. It is vain to attempt in words a description of scenes of grandeur. Ink, at the best, is impotent in such matters ; even paint fails to give an adequate idea. We can do no more than run over a list of names. From this commanding point of view ^lont Blanc is visible in all his majesty — vast, boundless, solemn, incomprehensible — with his Aiguilles d<.^ Tour, d'Argenti^re, Verte, du Dru, de Charmoz, dii Midi, etc., around him ; his white head in the clouds, his glacial drapery rolling into the vale of Chamouni, his rocks and his pine-clad slopes toned down by distance into fine shadows. On the other side of the vale rise the steeps of the Aiguilles Kouges and the Br^vent. To the north towers the Croix de Fer, and to the north-east is seen the entire cliain of the Bernese Alps, rising like a mighty white leviathan, with a bristling back of pinnacles. Splendid though the view was, however, Lewis did not for u moment forget his mission. Allowing ii 312 IMVK KS OF ICE r m w u < i U- i? i! ii himself only a few minutes to drink it in, he hastened back to the Tete-Noire path, and so(jn found himself traversing a widely different scene. On the Col he liad, as it were, stood aloof, and looked abroad on a vast and glorious region ; now, lie was involved in its rocky, ridgy, woody details. Hero and there long vistas opened up to view, but, for the most part, his vision was circumscribed by towering cliffs and deep ravines. Sometimes he was down in the bottom of mountain valleys, at other times walking on ledges so high on the precipice-faces, that cottages in the vales below seemed little bigger than sheep. Now the country was wooded and soft ; anon it was barren and rocky, but never tame or uninteresting. At one place, where the narrow gorge was strewn with huge boulders, Antoine pointed out a spot where two Swiss youths had been overwhelmed by an avalanche. It had come down from the red gorges of the Aiguilles Eouges, at a spot where the vale, or pass, was comparatively wide. Perhaps its width had induced the hapless lads to believe them- selves quite safe from anything descending on the ooher side of the valley. If so, they were mistaken ; the dreadful rush of rock and wrack sweet the entire plain, and buri^a them in the ruin. Towards evening the travellers reached Martigny in good time for the train, which speedily conveyed them to Saxun. OK AM'INK AUVKNTlliK. aia Tliis town is the only one in Switzorliind— tlie only one, indeed, in Europe witli the exception of Monaco — which possesses that great blight on civi- lisation, a public gambling-table. That the blight is an unusually terrible one may be assumed from the fact that every civilised European nation has found it absolutely necessary to put such places down with a stroncj hand. At the time Lewis Stoutley visited the town, liowever, it was not so singular in its infamy as it now is. He was ignorant of everything about the place save its name. Going straight to the first hotel that presented itself, he inquired for the Count Horetzki. The Count, he was told, did not reside there ; perhaps he was at the Casino. To the Casino Lewis went at once. It was an elegant Swiss building, the promenade of which was crowded with visitors. The strains of music fell sweetly on the youth's ear as he ap})roached. Leaving Antoine outside, he entered, and repeated his inquiries for the Count. They did not know the Count, was the reply, but if Monsieur would enter the rooms perhaps he might find him. Lewis, remembering the expressed desire of Nita, hesitated, but as no one seemed inclined to attend to his inquiries, beyond a civil reply that nothing was known about the Count, he entered, not a i I ■ i '■ 1 ■ [fl < f L' i . Iv , i %i lir 314 RIVKHS OF ICK HlLlc surprised at tlie |)ar(Mjt indiricnmce. AVilh llin exception of the (^ount and a lady near him, however, there was little of what nii^ht iiidicato very strong feeling on any countenance. One young and pretty girl, after placing her little pile of silver, stood awaiting the result with calm indifference — possibly assumed. Whatever miglit be tlie thoughts f)r feelings of the players, there was nothing but business-like gravi , stamped on the countenances of the four men who presided over the revolving board, each with neatly-arranged rows of silver five- franc pieces in front of him, and a wooden rake lying ready to hand. Each player also had a rake, with which he or she pushed the coins staked upon a certain space of the table, or on one of the divid- ing lines, which gave at least a varied, if not a better, chance. The process of play was short and sharp. For a few seconds the board spun, the players continuing to place, or increase, or modify the arrangement of the stakes up to nearly the last moment. As the board revolved more slowly a pea fell into a hole — red or black — and upon this tb.c fate of each hung. A notable event, truly, on which untold millions oi I j ; I il ' i " i i i Hi n m 316 IMVKU.S OF U'V. m M i 5^1 1 !<- ;! iiioiioy liavo rl»!in,i;(ul I'lrids, iiinunKM'iiMc, lives liavo \wcu SMcrilicoil, and niispcnkublo misery and crinu^ duccd ill di bv! produced 111 diiys j^ono hy Tlio decision of (lie pea — if wo may so oxprrsa it — was quietly slatinl, and to an is^norMiil, s])nr,tal('r il scomcd as if tlio c^iiardians of Uio tublo niked all tlio v«itakos into tboir own maws. But boro and tlieiv, like wbito rocks in a dnrk sea, several liUln ])iles were left untoucbed. To tbe owners of tbeso a number of silvcu' pieces were tossed — tossed so deftly tbat wo miglit almost s;iy it rained silver on those regions of tlio table. No wizard of legerde- main over equalled tbo sleigbt of ban(^, with wbieh these men pitched, reckontul, manipulated, and raked in silver pieces ! The Count's ])ilo remained untonched, and a bright flush suffused his hitherto pale cheeks while the silver rain was falling on his square, but to the surprise of T.ewMS, ho did not rake it towards him as did the others. IIo left the increased amonnt on exactly the same spot, merely drawing it gently together with his rake. As he did so the knotted haggard look returned to his once again bloodless brow and face. Not less precise and si? .;nt were his companions. The board again spun round ; the inexorable pea fell; the raking and raining were repeated, and again the Count's stake lay glittering before him. His eyes glittered even more brightly V I \ oil ALl'lNK AliVKNTmiK. 317 y Ml y tiuui the Bilvor. Lowin c(uu;hule(l that lie must have been brouglit down to dcHperate poverty and meant to recover himself by dissporato means, for ho hifi the whole stake w^nin on th(5 name spot. This time the pea fell into black. The colour was 8ynd)()lic of the Count's feelin;^s, for next moment the silver heap was raked from before 1dm, along with other heap?, as if nothing unusual had hap- pened ; and, in truth, nothing had. "Wholesale ruin and robbery was the daily occupation there I For a few seconds the Count gazed at the blank space before him with an expression of stony un- belief; then s[)ringing suddenly to his feet, he spurned his chair from him and rushed from the room. So cpiick was the movement, that he had reached the door and passed out before Lewis could stop him. Springing after him with a feeling of great alarm, the youth dashed across the entrance-hall, but turned in the wrong direction. ]3eing put right by a porter, lie leaped through the doorway and looked for An- toine, who, he knew, must have seen the Count pass, but Antoine was not there. As he quickly questioned one who stood near, he thought he saw a man running among the adjacent shrubbery. lie could not be sure, the night being dark, but he promptly ran after him. On dashing round a turn in the gravel-walk, he found two men engaged in what appeared to be a deadly struggle. I if I • \i :nM IMVI i;:i (IK KM l-t V 1 SihMonlv \\\o nluro \\\\x illuiniiii'tl l»v n I'nl IIiimIi, w lowtl ivporl r<>llo\vi»(l, \\\\y\ Iwit IcII. "All! l\lonsi(Mir," rx«'li\inu'tl AiiIoiikv mm LcwIm vMwo lorwunl, " \\\\\ ww \w\v ; ho i.s iu>(. hmi, I think." *• Hurl! l)o }uu moan ihnt ho tiiiHl lo Hhnul hiiusoirr' " Ut' h:ui !»(>( liino io try. hut. I 'in (|uili' Run* Ihnl ho nu^iint to," said Anloint*; "ho I nm uri hIiow that tln^ stony U>ok of dospair was K*>iio, and that tlu^ giMith^ o\]noi>8ion, natural to hin». lunl rolurnod. Il(^ was doadi y palo, and howod liin head as one ovorvviicluuMl with shanio. " Oh pai\ii>n, IVIonsiour 1" oxchiinicd poor Antoin(\ a.<5 be thought of tho ronghnoas with which ho had boon compollod to treat him. " 1 did not mean to throw von." " Vou did not throw mo. friond. T tripped and foil," ropliod tho Count, in a low, husky voice. " Mr. Stoutley," ho added, turning to Lewis, " by what mischance vou came here I know not, but I trust that you wore not — wore not — present. I mean — do you know tho cause of my conduct — this — " - He Slopped abruptly. {)H AM'INi; AOVKNTDIIK. ai'j " My ficiir Mir," Miiid Ia\w\h, in ii low, l;i/ir| voif'»«, 11.1/ Mm fwiiiio M 111(3 {.;niH)»ii)g Um) (JchimI/h liufi'l, niifi IniMliiij^ liitn nfU(l(«, *' I wjih in llio roonm ; f wnw you Micro ; liiit lM>li(<; no (mcaprj. In Mii« it roHonibloH its biator i>aHHion — tlic love of atrong dnnk." Tlio Count Hpoko with rucIi (U-Aq) pathoH, and in toncifl 80 utterly hopok'HH, that lAtwln'H Tcjuly Hyrn- j»aMii(!H were touched, and he wonld have given any- thinj; to h(j able to cornfoit his friend, but never before having been called upon to act a.s a comforter, he felt sorely perplexed. " Call it not a passion," he Haid. " The love of gaming, aa of drink, is a diBease ; and a disease may be cured — has been cured, even vhen desjierate." , At '••; « I ^ 320 RIVERS OF ICE II U t li i The Count shook his head. " You speak in ignorance, Mr. Stoutley. You know nothing of the struggles I have made. It is impossible." " With God all things are possible," replied Lewis, quoting, almost to his own surprise, a text of Scrip- ture. " But forgive my delay," he added ; " I came here on purpose to look for you. Your daughter Nita is ill — not seriously ill, I believe," he said, on observing the Count's startled look, " but ill enough to warrant your being sent for." " T know — I know," cried the Count, with a troubled look, as he passed his hand across his brow. " I might have expected it. She cannot sustain the misery I have brought on her. Oh ! why was I pre- vented from freeing her from such a father. Is she very ill ? Did she send for me ? Did she tell you what I am?" The excited manner and wUd aspect of the gambler, more than the words, told of a mind almost if not altogether unhinged. Observing this with some anxiety, Lewis tried to soothe him While leading him to an hotel, he explained the nature of Nita's attack as well as he could, and said that she had not only refrained from saying anything about her father, but that she seemed excessively unwilling to reveal the name of the place to which he had gone, or to send for him. OR ALPINE ADVENTUHE. 301 cZtjr.^T' '"^''''"° ""^''^•''""Mo about ?ave. f1 ' ""' ^""^' '" " e-«« tone, save his fellow-smner, vvl>o now assures him of his smcere regard. As for Antoiue Oronnon. i,e is a -se, and can be a silent, man. Ko brother eo IJ be more tender of the feelings of others than ],e Come, you will consent to be my guest to-ni^h ' Yon are „nweU; I shall be your amateur physici My treatment and a night of rest will pu' 'TnZ r^ an to-morrow, by break of day, I J^l!^ oack to Cliamoum over the Tete-.Voire." 1 r til \i ; I i f n i : f 'i i-'l ' :* Si. "; 1 322 KIVERS OF ICE CHAPTER XIX. MOUNTAINEERINQ IN OENKRAL. A WEEK passed away, during which Nita was confined to bed, and the Count waited on her with the most tender solicitude. As their meals were sent to their rooms, it was not necessary for the latter to appear in the salle-d-manger or the salon. He kept himself carefully out of sight, and intelligence of the invalid's progress was carried to their friends by Susan Quick, who was allowed to remain as sick-nurse, and who rejoiced in fiUing that office to one so amiable and uncomplaining as .Nita. Of course, Lewis was almost irresistibly tempted to talk with Susan about her cliarge, but he felt the impropriety of such a proceeding, and refrained. Not so Gillie White. That sapient blue spider, sitting in his wonted clmir, resplendent with brass buttons and brazen impudence, availed himself of every opportunity to perform an operation which he styled "pumping;" but Susan, although ready OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 323 ipted tthe ined. ►ider, rass If of liich eady enough to converse freely on things in general, was judicious in regard to things particular. Whatever might have passed in the sick-room, the pumping only brought up such facts as tliat the Count was a splendid nurse as well as a loving father, and that he and his daughter were tenderly attached to each other. " Well, Susan," observed Gillie, with an approving nod, " I 'm glad to hear wot you say, for it 's my b'lief that tender attachments is the right sort o* thing. I Ve got one or two myself." " Indeed !" said Susan, "who for, I wonder?" " W'y, for one," replied the spider, " I 've had a wery tender attachment to my mother ever since that blessed time w'en I was attached to her buzzum in the rampagin* hunger of infancy. Then I've got another attachment — not quite so old, but wery strong, oh uncommon powerful — for a young lady named Susan Quick. D'you happen to know her?" ' \jn, Gillie, you 're a sad boy," said Susan. " Well, I make a pint never to contradict a 'ooman, believin' it to be dangerous," returned Gillie, " but I can't say that I feel sad. I 'm raither jolly than otherwise," A summons from the sick-room cut short the conversation. - During the week in question it had rained a good deal, compelling the visitors at Chamouni to pass I ■ !i ;iil T 324 KIVKKS OF ICE tlie time in-(loors with books, Lillinrds, drauglits, and chess. Towards the end of the week Lewis met the Count, and discovered tliat he was abso- lutely destitute of funds — did not, in fact, possess enough to defray the hotel expenses. " Mother," said Lewis, during a private audi 'uco in her bed-chamber the same evening, " I want twenty pounds from you." " Certainly, my bu}' : but why do you come to me ? You know that Dr. Lawrence lias charge of and manages my money. How I wish there were no such thing as money, and no need for it !" Mrs. Stoutley finished her remark with her usual languid smile and pathetic sigh, but if her physician, Dr. Tough, had been there, he would probably have noted that mountain-air had robbed the smile of half its languor, and the sigh of nearly all its pathos. There was something like seriousness, too, in the good lady's eye. She had been impi\;ssed more than she chose to admit by the sudden death of Lecroix, whom she had frequently seen, and whose stalwart frame and grave countenance she had greatly admired. Besides this, one or two accidents had occurred since her arrival in the Swiss valley ; for there never passes a season without the occur- rence of accidents more or less serious in the Alps. On one occasion the news had been brought Jiat a young lady, recently married, whose good looks had on ALriNi: advkxtuue. 325 ir- boen the subject of remark more tlum once, wiia killed by ftilliiig rocks before ber husband's eyes. (3ri anotlier occasion the spirits of the tourists ^vere clouded l)y the rejiort that a guide had fallen into a crevasse, and, though not killed, was much injured. Mrs. Stoutley clianced to meet the rescue-party re- turning slowly to the village, with the poor shattered frame of the fine young fellow on a stretcher. It is one thing to read of such events in tlie news- papers. It is another and a very different thing to be near or to witness them — to be in the actual presence of physical and mental agony. Antoino Grennon, too, had made a favourable impression on Mrs. Stoutley ; and when, in passing one day his extremely humble cottage, she was invited by An- toine's exceedingly pretty wife to enter and partake of bread and milk largely impregnated with cream, which was handed to her by Antoine's excessively sweet blue-eyed daughter, the lady who had hitherto spent her life among the bright ice-pinnacles of society, was forced to admit to Emma Gray that Dr. Tough was right when he said there were some beautiful and precious stones to be found among the moraines of social life. " I know that Lawrence keeps the purse," said Lewis, " but I want your special permission to take this money, because I intend to give it away." " Twenty pounds is a pretty large gift, Lewis," ; I ' il, ( ll< 32G PTVrnS OF TCK said his motlicr, raisin;:f Iior eyebrows. " Wlio is it that lias touclied the springs of your liberality ? Not the family of poor Lecroix ?" " No ; Lecroix happily leaves no family. He was an unmarried man. I must Lot tell you just yet, mother. Trust me, it shall be well bestowed ; be- sides, I ask it as a loan. It shall be refunded." " Don't talk of refunding money to your mother, foolish boy. Go ; you may have it." Lewis kissed his motlior's cheek and thanked her. He quickly found the Count, but experienced con- siderable difficulty in persuading him to accept the money. However, by delicacy of management, and by assuming, as a matter of course, that it was a loan, to be repaid when convenient, lie prevailed. The Count made an entry of the loan in his note- book, with Lewis's London itddress, and they parted with a kindly shake of the hand, little imagining that they had seen each other on earth for the last time ! On the Monday following, a superb day opened on the vale of Chamouni, such a day as, through the medium of sight and scent, is calculated to gladden the heart of man and beast. That the beasts enjoyed it was manifest from the pleasant sounds that they sent, gushing, like a hymn of thanksgiving — and who shall say it was not ! — into the bright blue sky. Birds carolled on the shrubs and in the air ; cats oil ALPINE ADVENTURE. 327 ,ts ventured abroad with hair erect and backs curved, to exchange greetings with each other in wary de- fiance of dogs ; kittens sprawled in the sunsliinc, jind made frantic efforts to achieve the impossible feat of catching their own shadows, varying the pastime with more successful, though arduous, at- tempts at their own tails ; dogs bounded and danced, chiefly on their hind legs, round their loved compa- nion man (including woman) ; juvenile dogs chased, tumbled over, barked at, and gnawed each other with amiable fury, wagging their various tails with a vigour that suggested a desire to shake them off; tourist men and boys moved about with a decision that indicated the having of particular business on hand ; tourist women and girls were busily engaged with baskets and botanical boxes, or flitted hither and thither in climbing costume with obtrusive alpenstocks, as though a general attack on Mont Blanc and all his satellite aiguilles were meditated. Among these were our friends the Professor, Captain Wopper, Emma Gray, Slingsby, Lewis, and Lawrence, under the guidance of Antoine Grennon. Strange to say they were all a little dull, notwith- standing the beauty of the weather, and the pleasant anticipation of a day on the hills — not a hard, toil- some day, with some awful Alpine summit as its aim, but what Lewis termed a jolly day, a pic-nicky day, to be extended into night, and to include any i» i 328 IIIVERS OF rCR m pl.ico, or to be cr.t short or extended accordir'' to wliiin. The Professor was dull, because, having to leave, this was to be his last excursion ; Captain AVoppcr was dull, because his cherished matrimonial hopes wer(3 being gradually dissipated. He could not perceive that Lawrence was falling in love with Emma, or Emma with Lawrence. The utmost exer- tion of sly diplomacy of which he was capable, short of straightforward advice, had failed to accomplish anything towards the desirable end. Emma was dull, because her friend Nita, although recovering, was still far from well. Slingsby was dull for the same reason, and also because he felt his passion to be hopeless. Lewis was dull, because he knew Nita's circumstances to be so very sad ; and Lawrence was dull because — well, we are not quite sure why he was dull. He was rather a self-contained fellow, and couldn't be easily understood. Of the whole party, Antoine alone was not dull. Nothing could put him in that condition, but, seeing that the others were so, he was grave, quiet, attentive. Some of the excursionists had left at a much earlier hour. Eour strapping youths, with guides, had set out for the summit of ^Mont Blanc ; a mingled party of ladies, gentlemen, guides, and m'jles, were on the point of starting to visit the Mer de Glace ; a delicate student, unable for long excursions, was OR ALl'KCK ADVKNTLUE. 329 preparing to visit with his sister, tlio Ghicier ties Bossons. Others were going, or hud gone, to tho source of the Arvoiron, and to the Brcvent, while the British peer, having previously been conducted by a new and needlessly dillicult path to the top of Monte Eosa, was led oH' by his persecutor to attempt, by an impossible route, to scale the Matterhorn — to reach the main-truck, as Captain Wopper put it, by going down the stern-post along the keel, over the bobstay, up the fly in* jib, across the foretopmast-stay, and up the maintop-gallant halyards. This at least was Lewis Stoutley's report of the Captain's remark. We cannot answer for its correctness. But nothing can withstand the sweet influences of fresh mountain-air and sunshine. In a short time " dull caro" was put to flight, and when our party — Emma being on a mule — reached the neigh- bouring heights, past and future were largely for- gotten in the enjoyment of the present. Besides being sunny and bright, the day was rather cool, so that, after dismissing the mule, and taking to the glaciers and ice-slope, the air was found to be eminently suitable for walking. " It 's a bad look-out," murmured Captain "Wopper, when he observed that Dr. Lawrence turned deli- berately to converse with the Professor, leaving Lewis to assist Emma to alight, even although he, \he Captain, had, by means of laboured contrivance !! 3 no iJivrns op irK « Hi' \h Wi i 1^ i ( hi I P 'i 1 nnd vnst sni^ijnrilv, Imuij^lil. Ili(» Doclor and tlio mulo inl(i('1(>s(> jiixiapositioii ul \\\o rii^^lil. liino. Ih^wcvor, \]\o ('ivj^liiin's (tMU]t(M'MHU'iit wmi^ .si\nu;uin(\ !Io hooii forgot, liis trouMos in (4iS(M'vin,ij iho, cwvumH ])o.si'fioii usshukmI \\y Slin^.sby on tlu' firs! si(m»]> .Mlo]HM)f rocky gromul tlu\v bad to iloscoud, for dosconls us well uh ju^riM»(H wtMV ruMpiont at (irsl. Tlio artist walkt'd on ail lours, but witb bi.s l)n('Iv to tbo lull inntoad of bi.s face, iiia foot tbu.s being in ad van CO. " What sort of an ojitsidc-in fasbion i.s tliat, iSlingsby ?" nskml the Captain, wbon they bad roacbod tlio bottv)ni. "It's a way I bavo of rolinvinLir n)v kncos," said Slingsbv ; " t ry it." " Thank 'vc, no," roturnod tbo Cn]»t ain. " Tt dcui't suit my ptK'ooliar build ; it Mould throw too much of my woii^bt amidships." "You've no iiloa," saitl Slingsby, "v/liat a com- fort it is to a man whose knees suilbr in descending:. I'd rather go up twenty mountains than descend one. Thi^ )iian answers only on steep places, and is but a temporary relief. Still that is something at the end of a long dav." Tbt* artist exemplitied his jdan at the next slope. Til? Captain tried it, but, as he expressed it, broke iu two at the waist and rolled down the slope, to the mispcukable delight of his friends. I ft on AM'INK ADVKNTUUK. :\?,{ '• I fciir you will liiid tliin nitlidr Hnvcr(3?" BJiid tlio I'rolrHsor lu Mimu;!, dmiiij^ n, pniiMc in a H(awronco, "and MisH fJray on tlial; ocr.'iHion, [ inn t(»ld, aHf^cmdcd to iJio lop of ilm .Dcnl, (111 Midi, wliidi yon know is \n'iwo.(m U'U and eleven llioiiHand Cec'l lii},di ; niid hIio alwo, diirin;^ tlio sanio KcniHon, walktul from ('hninjx'ry to Sixi, wliicli in a f^^ood day's jonrnoy, so wo nee(l liavo no anxiety on licr aceouht." Altli()n;,di tlie Doctor Htniled aH lie spoke, hc also glanced at lOninia with a look of ndnii ration. (Jap- tain Wo])])('r noted the glaneo and wa.s cornff)rtcd. At buudieon, liowever, the Doctor Hcsated him.scdf bo that th(» I'rofes.sor'H hnlky {)erHon came l)etw(;(tn liim and Mninia. Tho Caj)tain noted that also and was (lci)ress(!d. What l)etw(;en (dation and dfipres- sion, mingled with fatigue and victuals, the Captain ultimately became recklessly jovial. "What are yonder curious things 1" asked Kmma, pointing to some gigantic ohjeets which looked at a distance like rude pillars carved hy man. "These," said the Professor, "are Nature's handi- work. You will observe that on each pillar rests a rugged capital. The capital is tho cause of tho ,11 III P!t-^ 332 lUVF.RS OF ICR ■:n ir pillar. Tl: is a hard rock which originally rested on a softer bed of friable stone. The weather has worn away the soft bed, except where it has been pro- tected by the hard stone, and thus a natural pillar has arisen — just like the ice-pillars, which are pro- tected i'roni the sun in the same way ; only the latter are more evanescent." Further on, the Professor drew the attention of liis friends to the beautiful blue colour of the holes which their alpenstocks made in the snow. " Once," said he, " while walking on the heights of Monte Rosa, I observed this effect with great interest, and, while engaged in the investigation of the cause, got a surprise which was not altogether agreeable. Some of the paths there are on very narrow ridges, and the snow on these ridges often overhangs them. I chanced to be walking in advance of my guide at the time to which I refer, and amused myself as I went along by driving my alpenstock deep into the snow, when suddenly, to my amazement, I sent the end of the staff right through the snow, and, on withdrawing it, looked down into space ! I had actually walked over the ridge altogether, and was standing above an abyss some thousands of feet deep !" " Horrible !" exclaimed Emma. " You jumped off pretty quickly, I dare say." ** Nay, I walked off with extreme caution ; but I OK \LriNE ADVENTURE. 333 confess to liaving felt a sort of cold sliudder with which my frame had not Lccn acquainted pre- viously." While they were thus conA^ersing, a cloud passed overhead and sent down a sliglit shower of snow. To most of the party tliis was a matter of indif- ference, but the man of science soon clianged their feelings by drawing attention to the form of the flakes. He carried a magnifying glass wuth him, which enabled him to show their wonders more distinctly. It was like a shower of frozen flowers of the most delicate and exquisite kind. Each flake was a flower with six leaves. Some of the leaves threw out lateral spines or points, like ferns, some were rounded, others arrowy, reticulated, and serrated ; but, although varied in many respects, there was no variation in the number of leaves. " What amazin' beauty in a snuwflake," exclaimed the Captain, "many a one I 've seen without knowin* how splendid it was." " The works of God are indeed wonderful," said tl ^. Professor, *' but they must be * sought out ' — examined with care — to be fully understood and appreciated." "Yet there are certain philosophers," observed Lewis, " "who hold that the evidence of design here and elsewhere does not at all prove the existence of God. They say that the crystals of these snow- d>i..i#^-. i 334 niVERS OF ICE and arranire themselves flakes are drawn together by means of natural forces." " They say truly," replied the Professor, " hut they seem to me to stop short in their reasoning. They appear to ignore the fact that this elemental original force of which they speak must have had a Creator. However far they may go back into mys- terious and incomprehensible elements, which they choose to call " blind forces," they do not escape tlie fact that matter cannot have created itself; that behind their utmost conceptions there must still be One non-created, eternal, living Being who created all, who upholds all, and whom we call God." Descending again from the heights in order to cross a valley and gain the opposite mountain, our ramblers quitted the glacier, and, about noon, found themselves close to a lovely pine-clad knoll, the shaded slopes of which commanded an unusually fme view of rocky cliff and fringing wood, with a background of glacier and snow-flecked pinnacles. Halting, accidentally in a row, before this spot, they looked at it with interest. Suddenly the Professor stepped in front of the others, and, point- ing to the knoll, said, with twinkling eyes — " What does it suggest ? Come, dux (to Slingsby, who happened to stand at the head of the line), tell me, sir, what does it suggest ?" "/know, sir!" exclaimed the Captain, who stood «ir ■ on ALPINE ADVENTUKE. 335 at the dunce's extremity of the line, holding out his fist with true schoolboy eagerness. " It suggests," said the artist, rolling his eyes, « ' a thing of beauty,' and— " "Next!" interrupted the Professor, pointing to Lawrence. "/know, sir," shouted the Captain. " Hold your tongue, sir I" "-A.y, ay, sir." " It is suggestive," said Lawrence, " of an oasis in the desert" "Very poor, sir," said the Professor, severely "Next." ^' "It suggests a cool shade on a hot day," said Emma. " Better, but not right. Next." " Please, sir, I 'd rather not answer," said Lewis, putting his forefinger in his mouth. " You must, sir." " / know, sir," interupted Captain Wopper, sliak- ing his fist eagerly. " Silence, you booby !-~Well, boy, what does it suggest to you ?" " Please, sir," answered Lewis, " it suggests the mole on your professorial cheek." "Sir," cried the Professor, sternly, "remind me to give you a severe caning to-night." "Yes, sir." I 'A IS i i 336 RIVEIIS OF ICE "Well, booby, what have yoic got to say to it V "Wittles!" shouted the Captain. " llight," cried the Professor, " only it would have been better expressed had you said — Luncheon. Go up, sir ; put yourself at the head of the class, and lead it to a scene of glorious festivity." Thus instructed, the Captain put himself at the head of the line. " Now, then. Captain," said Lewis, " let '3 have a true-blue nautical word of command — lioist yer main tops'l sky-scrapers abaft the kleet o'-the- spanker-boom, heave-the-main-deck-overboard-and- let-go-the-painter — or something 0' that sort." " Hold on to the painter, you mean," said Slingsby. " You 're both wrong," cried the Captain, " my orders are those of the immortal Nelson — 'Close action, my lads — England expects every man to ' — hooray !" With a wild cheer, and waving his hat, the sea- man rushed up the side of the knoll, followed by his obedient and willing crew. In order to render the feast more complete, several members of the party had brought small private supplies to supplement the cold mutton, ham, bread, and light claret which Antoine and two porters had carried in their knapsacks. Captain Wopper had brought a supply of variously coloured abominations kuowu in England by the name of comfits, in Scot- OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 337 my ose reral vate ead, had had ions cot- land £is sweeties. These, mixed with snow and water, he styled " iced-lemonade." Emma tried the mixture and declared it excellent, which caused some one to remark that the expression of her face contradicted her' tongue. Lewis produced a small flask full of a rich dark port-winey liquid, which he said he had brought because it had formerly been one of the most delightful beverages of his childish years. It was tasted with interest and rejected with horror, being liquorice water! Emma produced a bottle of milk, in the consumption of which she was ably assisted by the Professor, who declared that his natural spirits required no artificial stimulants. The Professor himself had not been forgetful of the general good. He had brought with him a complex copper implement, which his friends had supposed was a new species of theodolite, but which turned out to be a scientific coffee-pot, in the development of which and its purposes, as the man of science carefully explained, there was called into play some of the principles involved in the sciences of hydraulics and pneumatics, to which list Lewis added, in an under-tone, those of aquatics, ecstatics, and rheumatics. The machine was perfect, but the Professor's natural turn for practical mechanics not being equal to his knowledge of other branches oi science, he failed properly to adjust a screw. This resulted in an explosion of the pot, which blew its 1 I I I I I ■1 r ■! t ii f f ^ I 338 T^TVKRS OF ICR lid, as Lewis expressed it, into the north of Italy, and its contents into tlio fire. A second effort, usiii*,' the remains of the scientific pot as an ordinary kettle, was more successful. " You see, my friends," said the Professor, apolo- getically, " it is one of the prerogatives of science that her progress cannot be hindered. Her resources and appliances are iner.haustible. When one style of experiment fails we turn at once to another and obtain our result, as I now prove to you by handing this cup of coffee to Miss Gray. You had better not sweeten it. Mademoiselle. It is quite unneces- sary to make the very trite observation that in your case no sugar is required. Yes, the progress of science is slow, but it is sure. Everything must fall before it in time." " Ah, just so — * one down, another come on,' — that 's your motto, ain't it V* said Captain Wopper, who invariably, during the meal, delivered his re- marks from a cavern filled with a compound of mutton, bread, and ham. " Eut I say, Professor, are you spliced?" " Spliced ?" echoed the man of science. " Ay ; married, I mean." " Yes, I am wed," he replied, with enthusiasm. " I have a beautiful wife in Eussia, and she is good as beautiful." . " In Roosia — eh! Well, it's a longish way off, pii on ALPINE adventui:k. 339 off, but I *(1 advise you, as a fricud, not to let her know tliat you pay sucli wallopin' complinients to younj; English ladiea. It might disagi'ee with her, d'ee see ?" At this point tlic conversation and festivities were interrupted by Slingsby, who, having gone off to sketch, had seated himself on a mound within sight of his friends, in a position so doubled up and ridi- culous as to call forth tlie remark from Lawrence, that few traits of character were more admirable and interesting than those which illustrated the utter disregard of personal appearance in true and enthusiastic devotees of art. To which Captain Wopper added that " ho was a rum lot, an* no mistake." The devotee was seen by the revellers to start once or twice and clap his hands to various pockets, as though he had forgotten his india-rubber or pen- knife. Then he was observed to drop his sketching- book and hastily slap all his pockets, as if he had fcTgotten fifty pieces of india-rubber and innumer- able pen-knives. Finally, he sprang up and slapped himself all over wildly, yelling at the same time as if he had been a maniac. He had inadvertently selected an ant-hill as his seat, that was all ; but that was sufficient to check his devotion to art, and necessitate his retirement to a rocky defile, where he devoted himself to the study t m \ rn 310 inVKIIH OK ICR I of *' tlio luido" in his own p(>rson, niul wlicnco ho iv^lurncd looking imbecile and hot. S^.3h contretemps, liovvcvcr, do not matnriiilly nffect tho hoiilth or spirils of tho young and strong. Ero long Slingsby was following his com- panions with his wonted enthusiasm and devotoe- liko admiration of Nature in all her varying ttsi)ects. Ilia enthusiasm was, however, diverted from the study of vegetable and mineral, if wo may so put it, to that of animal nature, for one of the porters, who had a tendency to go poking liis staff into holes and crannies of the rocks, suddenly touched a marmot. 1 le dropped his pat;k and began at once to dig up earth and stones as fast as possible, assisted by his com- rades ; but the little creature was too sagacious for them. They came to its bed at last, and found that, while they had been busy at one end of the hole, the marmot had quietly walked out at the other, and made off. Having pushed over the valley, and once more ascended to the regions of perpetual ice, the ramblers determined to " attack" — as the phrase goes among Alpine climbers — a neighbouring summit. It was not a very high one, and Emma declared that she was not only quite able, but very anxious, to attempt it. The attempt was, therefore, made, and, after a couple of hours of pretty laborious work, accom- ^' on ALPINE ADVPiNTUHK. 341 )ng [she Inpt Ir a ]>lis]ied. Tlicy found tlicniHclvcs on a piiiiiaclo \vhi(;h ovciilookod a liu'is^c, ]K)rlioii of tlio ice-world around Mont Jiliiin;. Wliilc Htundin^' tliero, one or two aviiliuH^lidH wcro okserved, and tlu; I'rofi'SHor ]>ointed out tliiit uvalanehoH were not all of one character. Some, ho said, were composed of rock, mud, and water ; others entirely of ice ; many of th(*ni were composed of these elements mixed, and others were entirely of snow. " Tru(i, Monsieur," observed th(; ^niide, " and the last kind is sometimes very fatal There was one from which my wife and child had a narrow escape. They were visiting at the time a near relation who dwelt in a village in a valley not far distant from this spot. ]iehind the village there is a stee[) slope covered with pines; behind that the mountain rises still more steeply. The little forest stands between that village and destruction. But for it, avalanches would soon sweep the village away ; but wood is not always a sure protector. Sometimes, when frost renders the snow crisp and dry, the trees fail to check its descent. It was so on the last night of my wife's visit. A brother was about to set off with her from the door of our relative's house, when the snow began to descend through the trees like water. It was like dry flour. There was not much noise, merely a hisying sound, but it came down in a delujje, filled all the houses, and suflocated nearly i Ml I HI ■is :ri •o""' 34 'J nivi UH OK urn i; »'■«( lit i.; nil \]\o ]i(»opl(« in iliotn. My IhoIIkm* iii liiw m(i\v it, in Uuw. Wo nut luM lioi'Ho to Inll himmmI, himI luoiij^lib niy (lonr wifo uiul oliilil awny in Hiilcly, but IiIm <»wu lalluM*, inotluT. MHil Mister wvvo lost. Wo tried to Wiwh their luMise \]\o \\o\\. dwy, Ittit eoiilil lulviuieo tlin>\i<',]\ tlu» Holl Hiiow only liy tiikiii}^ two jiliml ii nlopo wliieli tlu*y tlion^^lifc might bo doseended by .slidin«» or *' <',iiHHji(lin^." It was tho tirst tinio that Mnunii hiid h(hmi hucIi work, and she I'elt nuieh iiielined to try it, but wns dissuaded by Antoino, who led h(»r round by an easier way. At tho foot of tlu^ ,slo])o th(>y eiinw^ to a couloir, or slopinu; gori;(\ so stoej) that snow eonld not lio on it. Its yurfaco w;is, tlu^nd'ore, hiird ico. AUhoni;h passable, Antoine deemed it j)rudent not to cross, tho more so that ho observed some ominous obelisks o( ieo impending at tho top of tlie slope. " \Vhv not cross and let Emma see bow we manai^e by cutting steps in the ice ?" said Lewis. He received a conclusive though unexpected an- swer from one of the obelisks above-mentioned, which fell at the moment, broke into fragments, and sw*ept the couloir from top to bottom with in- credible violence. (»i( Afj'iNK ai*vi-;nt(;i(k. 313 rt Ih wondrrCiiI wlmi a dnil of (ixprTlorif;o in r(M(uii(!(l lc» iiml((, ((H.liHh piuiplo wimj I VVitliin Uio iHixt i(rororo led Miom(, who wore willin.; (o follow to a, mWnhh^ .m|)oI,, nnro, aHhouoh at that tinio ii, was far Ivlow in tho valh^y. Tho i)oli.shingH, ho said, woro oausoil by tho ico slowly grindin^r ovor tho suvfaoo of th.^ rook, antl tho tlutin;.,^s and groov- inas woro caused, not by tho ice itself, but by stones which were embedded in ita under surface, and which cut the solid gnvnitc as if with chisok Meanwhile, Unvis and Emma, having taken tlio opportunity to search for plants, had wandered on a little in advance, and had come to another steep slope, which was. however, covered with snow at its upper part Below, where it became steeper, there •-r ■ -'' nn MVlhilu ADVKNTCIir,. nin lio Ik; \vr >v- WiiH »in RiKJW, only jHirn ir;n, wliif;li nxi(Wi»l''(! »1ow(i- wmkIm 1,o Mfi inimnriHo cliHlancn, brokon (»nly licffj niid Micro by a iow rucMn Mini, crojtpp.d Miroii(.^}i if,s miil'drc^ II, l,«3niiiiin,l,«!(l in u rooky K"'"^"> which was Hl,r(nvn thick ly with ddhrin i'roui ahovo. " Iy(5fi UH (jioHFi MiJH," Raid ICrrirna, willi a look of gloo, lor rIio poKHOMMcd an advcntiiroiiH Mpirit. "We'd JK'ttrt n»^," annwcrcd I,<;wiB. " 1'ho slopo in V(uy Ht(M!p." "'riiM\ () cfiiitifuifl couBin," rotortfid luriroa, with a hi'it^h, " l»nt it m covcrcl here with flnow tliat is Hol't and proliahiy knoo deep, (io on it, nir, and try." ThuH (;onnnand(Ml, Ti«;wif4 oheycfj, nnrl found that Iho snow wjiM indecu! knee (hicp, and Ihat there wan no ])OHHibility oi' tlieir either HJippin^' or fallirjg, uid(!HH ontj were unusually earelesM, and even in that caHo the hoU hiiow would have cheeked any- thing lik(! an involuntary gliHsado. " rA',t nie go lir.st," Baid i/ewis. "Nay, J will go firHt," returned Krnrna, "you will follow and pick nm u[) if I should fall." So saying, bIio Btejtped lightly into the flnow and advanced, while her coirj[)aiiion Btood looking at her with a hair amused hall" anxious srnile. She had not made nix steps, and Djwis was on the point of following, when he observed that there was a crack across the snow just above where he y^ i r II i^ I } ii fT nifl rivi:rs of ice it 1 m i III h stootl, and ilie whole mass began to slide. For a moment lie was transfixed with horror. The next he Jjad sprung to his cousin's side and seized her arm, shouting — "Emma! iinia! comeback. Quick! It moves." But poor Emma could not obey. She would as soon have txpected the mountain itself to give way as the huge mass of snow on which she stood. At first its motion was slow, and Lewis struggled wi.dly to extlicate her, but in vain, for the snow avalanche gathered speed as it advanced, and in its motion not only sank them to their waists, but turned them helplessly round, thus placing Lewis farthest from the firm land, lie shouted now with all the power of his lungs for help, while Emma screamed from terror. Lawrence chanced to be nearest to them. He saw at a glance what had occurred, and dashed down the hill-side at headlong speed. A wave was driving in front of the couple, who were now em- bedded nearly to their armpits, while streams of snow were hissing all round them, and the mass was beginning to rush. One look sufficed to show Lawrence that rescue from the side was impossible, but, with that swift power of perception which is aroused in some natures by the urgent call to act, he observed that some yards lower down — near the place where the ice-slo\te began — there was a rock OR ALPINE ADVP:NTUliE. 347 >• Hear to the side in tlio track of the avalanche, which jt dUUlpl}. J.Uii[)ing down to this, he sprang into the sliding flood a little above It, and, with a powerfnl effort, caught the rock and drew liiniself upon it. Next moment Emma was borne past out of reach of his hand. Lawrence rushod di;i.'p into the snow and held out his alpenstock. Km ma caught it. He felt himself turned irresistibly round, and a sick feeling of despair chilled his life-blood. At the same moment a powerful hand grasped his collar. "Hold on, Monsieur," cried Antoine, ifi a deep, yet encouraging voice, " 1 *ve got you safe." As he spoke, Emma slirieked, " I cannot hold on T* No wonder 1 She hnd not only to resist the rushing snow, but to sustain the drag of Lewis, who, as we have said, had been carried beyond his cousin, and whose ouly chance now lay in his retaining ]iold of hev arm. Jire the words had (piite left her lips, Lewns wna seen deliberately to let go his hold and throw up his arm — it seemed as if waving it. Next moment Emma was drngi^ju^ on the rock, where she and heV companions stood gazing in horror aa their companion was swept upon the ice- slopt! and carried dowL headlong. The snow was by this time whirled onward in a sort of mist or spray, in the midst of which Lewis v/aa seen to iUike a ruck with his shoulder and swing violently fe < i It 1 ■ !^ i m -' i) 348 KIVEKS OF ICE n round, while parts of liis clotliing were plainly rent from his body, hut the painful sight did not last long. A few seconds more and he was hurled, apparently a lifeless form, among the ddhris and rocks far below. Death, in such a case, might have been expected to be instantaneous, but tlie very element that caused the poor youth's fall, helped to save him. During the struggle for life while clinging U) Emma's arm, the check, brief though it was, suf- ficed to allow most of the snow to pass down before him, so that he finally f >11 on a comparatively soft bed ; but it was clear that he had been terribly injured, and, what made matters worse, he had fallen into a deep gorge surrounded by precipices, which seemed to some of the party to render it quite impossible to reach him. " AVhat is to be done ?" exclaimed Lawrence, with intense anxiety. " He must be got at immediately. Delay of treatment in his case, even for a short time, may prove fatal." •' I know it, [Monsieur," said Antoine, who had been quietly but quickly uncoiling his rope. " One of the porters and I will descend by the precipices. They are too steep for any but well-accustomed hands and feet. You, Monsieur, understand pretty well the use of the axe and rope. Cut your way down the ice-slope with Jacques. He is a steady man, and OR ALPINE ADVENT URK. 349 may be trusted. Hun, Rollo (to tlie third porter), and f(3tch aid from Gfispard's chrilet. It is the nearest. I need not say make haste." These orders were delivered in a low, rapid voice The men proceeded at once to obey them. At the same time Antoine and his comrade swung them- eelves down the cliffs, and were instantly lost to view. The young porter, whom he had named Rollo, was already going down the mountain at a smart run, and Jacques was on the ice-slope wielding his axe with ceaseless energy and effect, while Lawrence held the rope to which he was attached, and de- scended the rude and giddy staircase behind him. It was a terrible time for those who were left above in a state of inaction and deep anxiety, but there was no help for it. They had to content themselves with watching the rescue, and praying for success. It was not long before the guide and porter reached the spot where poor Lewis lay. He was not insensible, but a deadly pallor overspread his scarred face, and the position in which he lay be- tokened utter helplessness. He could scarcely speak, but whispered that he fancied he was not so much hurt as might have been expected, and expressed wonder at their having been so long in reaching him. The guide spoke to him with the tenderness of a M If- WBBm ..( i' 350 RIVERS OF ICE woman. He knew well how severely the poor youth was injured, and handled him very delicately while making such preliminary arrangements as were in his power. A few drops of brandy and water were administered, the poor limbs were arranged in a position of greater comfort, and the torn rags of clothing wrapped round him. Soon they were joined by Lawrence, who merely whispered a few kind words, and proceeded at once to examine him. His chief anxiety was as to the amount of skin that had been destroyed. Tlie exa- mination revealed a terrible and. bloody spectacle, over which we will draw a veil ; yet there was rea- son to believe that the amount of skin torn off and abraded was not sufficient to cause death. Lawrence was comforted also by finding that no bones appeared to have been broken. Nothing could be done in the way of attempting a removal until the return of Eollo with a litter. Fortunately this was not long of being brought, for the young porter was active and willing, and Gaspard had promptly accompanied him with men and mate- rials for the rescue. But it was a sad, plow, .nd painful process, to bear the poor youth's frame from that savage gorge, and convey him on a litter, carried by four men, over glaciers and down rugged mountain sides, even although done by tender hearts and strong hands. OR ALPINE ABVENTUUE. 351 Everything tliat ingenuity could contrive was done to relieve the sufferer, and when at last, after weary hours, they readied the high-road of tlie valley, a carriage was found waiting. A messenger had been sent in advance to fetch it, and Mrs. Stoutley was in it. There was something quite touching in the quiet, firm air of self-restraint, with which she met the procession, and afterwards tended her poor boy ; it was so unlike her old character I The sun was setting in a field of golden gloiy when they carried Lewis into the hotel at Chamouni, and laid him on his bed— a mere wreck of his former sel£ y^ I .; V m in mi » . !l f 352 llIVEiiS OF ICE tir CHAPTER XXL DOWN IN THE MORAINE AT LAST. As the reader may suppose, the terrible accident to Lewis Stoutley put an end to further merry- makinir amoncr our friends at Chamouni Mrs. among our Stoutley would have left for England at once if that had been possible, but Lewis could not be moved for several weeks. At first, indeed, fears were en- tertained for his life, but his constitution being good, and not having been damaged by dissipation, he rallied sooner than might have been expected, although it was evident from the beginning that complete restoration could not be looked for until many months, perhaps years, had passed away. We need scarcely say, that the rapid improve- ment of his health was largely due to the tender •watchful care of his mother. Since visiting Switzerland, that excellent lady's spirit had undergone a considerable change. With- out going minutely into particulars, we may say that the startling events which had occurred had been OR ALPINE ADYENTUIJE. 353 lat itil r/e- ler 's Lh- liat len made the means of opening her sph'itnal eyes. It had occurred to her — she scarce knew how or why — that her Creator had a claim on her for more consi- deration tlian she had been in the habit, heretofore, of testifying by a few formalities on Sundays ; that there must be some higher end and aim in life tlmn ttlie mere obtaining and maintaining of healtli, and the pursuit of pleasure ; and that ii tliere was a Saviour, whom she professed on Sundays to follow, there must be somethiii'f real from which she had to be saved, as well as something real that had to be done. Sin, she knew, of course, was the evil from which everybody had to bo saved ; but, being a good- natured and euby-going woman, she really did not feel much troubled by sin. Little weaknesses she had, no doubt, but not half so many as other people she knew of. As to anything seriously worthy tlie name of sin, she did not believe she had any at jill. It had never, until now, occurred to her tlicit the treating of her best Friend, during a lifetime, with cool and systematic indifference, or with mere pro- testations, on Sundays, of adoration, was probably as great a sin as she could commit. Her thoughts on these points she did not at first mention to any one, but she received great help and enlightenment, as well as comfort, from the quiet sensible talk of Dr. Lawrence, as he sat day after day, and hour after hour, at the bedside of his friend. I H; 11 351 laVEKS OF ICE endeavouring to cheer his spirits as well as to relieve his physical pain— for Lawrence was well fitted to do both. He was not by any means what is styled a ser- moniser. He made no apparent effort to turn con- versation into religious channels. Indeed we believe that when men talk with the unrestrained freedom of true friendship, conversation needs no directing. It will naturally flow along all channels, and into all the zigzags and crevices of human thought — religion included. Lewis was in great pain and serious danger. Lawrence was a man full of the Holy Spirit and love to Jesus. Out of the fulness of his heart his mouth spoke when his friend ap- peared to desire such converse ; but he never bored him with any subject — for it is possible to be a profane, as well as a religious, bore ! As soon as Lewis could turn his mind to any- thing, after his being brought bacli to the hotel, he asked earnestly after Nita Horetzki. " She has left," said Mrs. Stoutley. " Left ! D'you mean gone from Chamouni, mother?" exclaimed Lewis, with a start and a look of anxiety which he did not care to conceal. " Yes, they went yesterday. Nita had recovered bufficiently to travel, and the medical man who has be*n attending her urged her removal without delay. She and her father seemed both very sorry SH !! n ' 1 1 OR ALPINE AUVENTUUK. 3 .">;■) any- jl, he iouni, look rered has bhout (sorry to leave us, and left kind messages for yon. Tlio Count wanted much to see you, but we wouUl nut allow it." " Kind messages for me," repeated Lewis, in a tone of bitterness, " what .sort of messages V "Well, really, I cannot exactly remember," re- turned jMrs. Stoutley, with a slight smile, " the kind of messages that amiable peoj»le might be expected to leave in the circumstances, you know — regret that they should have to leave us in such a sud condition, and sincere hope that you might soon recover, etc. Yes, by the way, Nita also, just at parting, expressed a hope — an earnest hope— that we might meet ai^aiu. Poor dear thing, she is an extremely afiectionate girl, and quite broke down when saying good- bye." " D' you know where tliey have gone to, mother?" " No. They mean to move about from place to place, I believe." " Nita said nothing about writing to you, did she V " No." *' Did they leave any address — a jooste restante — anywhere, or any clew whatever as to their where- abouts ?" " None whatever." So then, during the weary days of suffering that he knew full well lay before him, poor Lewis had no consolatory thought in regard to Nita save in '1 ik^ ^3 %^ %.. ^^^:^ .o.At»>^.?. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / O £/. a.' /#/ S ^ # % ip. (/. % ^ '^ ^ 1.0 fM IIIIM I.I 1.25 1^ IP Mi 12.0 1.8 1-4 IIIIII.6 .<&>. V] VI % <* .% « ou, but with poor Lewie so ill, and J)r Lawrence being so young, and probably inexperienced in the ways of life, and Emma so innocent and help- less, and-in short, I 'm-hee !-that is to say~ho dear ! I am so silly, but I can't-indeed I can't- hoo-o-o I" It blew a regiilar gale now, and a very rain of straw debris fell through the cane-bottomed chaiv on which the Captain sat, as he vainly essayed to sooth his friend by earnest, pathetic, and even tender m 4 '^' III 358 i; IV Kits OF ICE adjurations to " clap a stoy)i)er upon tliat," to "hold liiird," to " belay," to " shut down the dead-lights of her peepers," and such-li\e expressive phrases. At length, amid many sobs, the pjor lady revealed the overwhelming fact that she was a beggar ; that she had actually come down to her last franc ; that her man of business had flatly declined to advance her another sovereign, informing her that the Gorong mine had declared " no dividend ;" that the wreck of her shattered fortune had been swallowed up by the expenses of their ill advised trip to Switzerland ; and that she had not even funds enough to pay their travelling expenses home ; in sliojt, that she was a miserable boulder, at the lowest level of the terminal moraine ! To all this Captain Wopper listened in perfect silence, with a blank expression on his face that revealed nothing of the state of feeling within. "Oh ! Captain Wopper," exclaimed the poor lady anxiously, "surely — surely you won't forsake me! 1 know that I have no claim on you beyond friend- ship, but you have always given us to understand that you were well o(f, and I merely wish to borrow a small sum. Just enough, and no more. Perhaps I may not be able to repay you just immediately, but I hope soon ; and even if it came to the worst, there is the furniture in Euston Square, and the carriage and horses." on ALl'LNE ADVENTURE. 350 I ■ Toor Mrs. Stoutley ! She was not aware tliat h«jr man of business had already had these resources appraised, and tliat they no more belonged to her at that moment than if they had l)een part of the personal estate of the celebrated man in the moon. Still tho Captain gazed at l>er in stolid silence. " Even my personal waidrobe," proceeded Mrs. Stoutley, be^dnning again to sveep, " I will Ldadlv dis— " ^ " Avast ! Madam," cried the Captain, suddenly, thrusting his right hand into his breeches- pocket^ and endeavouring to drag something therefrom with a series of wrenches that would have been terribly trying to the bonnet, had its ruin not been already complete, '' don't talk to me of repayment. Ain 't I your— your— husband's brother's buzzum friend- Willum's old chum an' messmate ? See here." He jerked the chair (without rising) close to a table which stood at his elbow, and placed thereon a large canvas bag, much soiled, and tied round the neck with a piece of rope-yarn, which smelt of tar even at a distance. This was the Captain's purse. He carried it always in his right trouser- pocket, and it contained his gold. As for such trifling metal as silver, he carried that loose, mixed M'lth coppers, bits of tobacco, broken pipes, and a clasp-knife, in the other pocket. He was very fond of his purse. In California he had been wont to It r if t>>«' kt.M •I 3 GO KIVEHS OF ICE carry nuggets in it, that simple species of exchange Leing tlie chief currency of the country at the time lie was there. Some of the Californian debris had dtuck to it when he had tilled it, at a place of exchange in London, with Napoleons, Empty- ing its glittering contents upon the cable, he spread it out. " Tliero, madam," he said, with a hearty smile, " you're welcome to all I Vo got about me just at this moment, and you shall have more when that 's done. Don't say * not so much,' cause it ain't much, fifty pound, more or less, barrin' the nuggets, which I '11 keep, as I dessay they would only worry you, and there's plenty more shot in the locker where that come from ; an' don't talk about payin' back or 1 liankhi' me. You 've no occasion to thank me. It 's only a loan, an' I'll hold Willum, your brother-in- law, responsible. You wouldn't decline to take it from "Willum, would you ?" " Indeed no ; William Stout has always been so kind to us — kinder than I have deserved." ' Well, then, I'll write to Willum. I'll say to him, ' Willum, my boy, here's your brother's widely bin caught in a squall, had her sails blown to rib- bons, bin throw'd on her beam-ends, and every stick torn cut of her. You *ve got more cash, Willum, than you knows what to do with, so, hand over, send me a power of attorney (is that the thing ?) or OTJ AT.PINK ADVENTUKE. 3G1 an afTydavy— whatever lawyer's dockiments is re- quired—an' I '11 stand by and do the needful.' An' Willuni'll write back, with that power an' brevity for which he is celebrated,—' Wopper, my lad, all riglit; fire away. Anything short o' ten thousand, more or less. Do yer w'ust. Yours to command, " • WiLLUM.' " There was no rr3sisting such arguments. IVfrs. Stoutley smiled through her tears as she accepted the money. Captain Wopper rose, crammed tlie empty convas bag into his pocket, and hastily retired, with portions of the bonnet attached to him. " Susan," said Mrs. Stoutley, on the maid answer- ing her summons, " we shall start for London to- morrow, or the day after, so, pray, set about packing up without delay." " Very well, ma'am," replied Susan, whose eyes were riveted with an expression of surprised curio- isty on the cane-bottomed chair. " It is my bonnet, Susan," said the lady, looking in the same direction with a sad smile. " Captain Wopper sat down on it by mistake. You had better remove it." To remove it was a feat which even Susan, with all her ready wit and neatness of hand, could not have accomplished without the aid of brush and shovel. She, therefore, carried it off, chair and all, m I 5 if 302 RIVKUS OF ICE ■r any W'ould 1 the Cap. OJ; ALPINE AbVKNTUi;K. 3G9 tain, loo]dii^r i.^u,,a ,,iy^ ^ g^^.g^j^^j ^^^^.^^ ,^ ^^ ^^^^^^^^ >e an anioosiu' sort o" thing, now, to bring old Mrs. I^oby here. The air would be fresher for her old lungs, Wouldn't it V Gillie nodded, but was otherwise reticent. " The stair, too, wouldn't be too high to get her down now and again, and a boat could be handy to shove her into without much exertion. For the ^'^- ^ter of that," said the Captain, looking out " we might have a slide made, like a Swiss couloir you ^-now, and she could glissade comfortably into 'the boat out c' the winder. Then, there's a beam to hang her ship an' Chinee lanterns from, .n' a place over the fireplace to stick her knick-knacks. What dee think, my lad V Gillie, who had began tu allow a ray of li to him lien, I 'ni tly what at more I sliould 3 money >nnds to Lewis, is offer ? deal of :s truly it sum. er well •e quite I I am vinced that he is a warm friend and a genuine man No doubt he can well aff.^rdto do what he proposes and his opinion of William Stout's character is just,' for, from what I know of him through Mrs. Koby' who knew him whoii he u-as a lad, when his life was' saved by my father, he nmst have a kind heart." "I have no doubt of it, Lawrence, and a grateful heart too if I may judge from a few words that fell from Captain Wopper about your fatlier and your- self" ^ " Indeed ! what did he say about us ?" " I have no right to repeat observations dropped inadvertently," said Lewis, with a laugh. " Nor to raise curiosity which you'don't mean to satisfy," retorted his friend ; " however, my advico is that you accept the Captain's oiler, and trust to your uncle's generosity/* vrence. m con- -mr^^K r'' I t 270 uvi:us 01' ICK CITAPTEP. XXITT. THK CAPTAIN SURPIUSR3 HIS FRIENDS IN VARIOUS WATS, AND IK FJIMSKI.K BAFKLREW TiMK and Tide passed on— as they are proverbially said to do — without waiting for any one. Some people in tlie great city, awave of this cavalier style of proceeding on the part of Time and Tide, took advantage of both, and scaled the pinnacled heights of society. Others, neglecting their opportunities, or misusing them, produced a series of avalanches more or less noteworthy, and added a few more boulders to the vast accumulations in the great social moraine. Several of the actors in this tale were among: those who, having learnt a few sharp lessons in the ava- lanche school, began to note and avail themselves of Time and Tide— notably, Mrs. Stoutley and her son and niece. A decided change had come over the spirit of Mrs. Stoutley's dream of life. She had at last visited tlie great London moraine, especially that part of it called Grubb's Court, and had already dug fefiafe&ac 0\\ AM'INE ADVKNTUIIF. 377 ANDU; erbially Some er style le, took heights Linities, anclies more great those ava- ves of ;r son r the ad at that dug up a few miggetsand diamonds,oiiftof whieh lattersho lironght to her humble home in the back street, with the design of polishing it into a good servant n)aid. Its name was Xetia White. Mrs. Stoutley had formerly been a spendthril't ; now slie was become covetous. She coveted the male diamond belonmnj' to the same part of the moraine — once named the Spider, alias the Imp — but Captain Wopper had dug up tliat one for himself and woidd not part with it. Gradually the good lady conceived and canied out the idea of digging out and rescuing a Jiumber of diamonds, considerably low^er in the scale than the Netta type, training them for service, and taking pains to get them into good situations. It was liard work no doubt, but IVIrs. Stoutley persevered, and was well repaid — for the IMaster of sucIj labourers esteems them "worthy of their hire." Emma assisted in the work most heartily. It was by no means new to her. She might have directed if slie had chosen, but she preferred to fc^llow. Lewis recovered rapidly — so rapidly that he was soon able to resume his medical studies and prose- cute them with vigour. . No bad effects of the accident remained, yet he was an altered man — not altered in appearance or in character, but in spirit. He was still off-hand in manner, handsome in face and figure, hearty in society, but earnest and grave —very grave — in private. lie pored over his books. 378 RIVKUS OF ICE m i I i and strove, successfully too, to master the (lifTieultiea of the healing art ; but do what he would, and fight against it as he might, he was constantly distracted l)y a pretty face with bright sparkling eyes and a strangely sad expression coming between him and the page. He made continual inquiries after the owner of the sparkling eyes in every direction with- out success, and at last got into the habit, when walking, of looking earnestly at people as if he expected to meet with some one. "If I had got into this state," he sometimes said to himself, " because of being merely in love with a pretty face, I should consider myself a silly nincompoop ; but it is such a terrible thing for so sweet and young a creature to be chained to a man who must, in the nature of things, land her in beggary and break her heart." Thus he deceived himself as to his main motive. Poor Lewis ! One morning Captain Wopper got up a little earlier than usual, and began a series of performances which Mrs. Roby had long ago styled " rampadgin " round his garret. The reader may have discovered by this time that the Captain was no ordinary man. Whatever he did in connection with himself was done with almost superhuman energy and noise. Since the commencement of his residence in the garret he had unwittingly subjected the nerves of poor Mrs. Pioby OR ALPINE ADVF.NTUnF. 379 (lifTiculties , and fight distracted iyes and a I liiiu and after the tion with- bit, wlien as if he 1^ had got himself, a jn'etty Jompoop ; lid young it, in the )reak Iier lis main a little rmances padgin " is time hatever lie with ice the lie had Uohy to siK h a variety of shocks, tliat the mere fact of hor reason remaining on its tlirone was an unciuestionaMe proof of a more than usually i)owerfiil constitution. It could not well be otherwise. Tlie Captain's limbs resembled the limbs of oaks in regard to size and toughness. His spirits were far above " proof." His organs were cathedral organs compared witli the mere Itarrel-organs of ordinary men. On the other hand, tlie "cabin" in Grubb's Court was but a flimsy tene- ment ; its plank floorings were thin, and its beams and rafters slim and somewhat loose owing to ago, so that when the captain snored, which he did regularly and continuously, it was as if a mastiff had got inside a double-bass and were growling hideously. r)ut Mrs. lioby had now got pretty well accus- tomed to her lodger's ways. Her nerves had become strung to the ordeal, and she even came to like the galvanic battery in which she dwelt, because of its being worked by the intimate friend of her dear William ; such is the power of love — we might almost say, in this case, of reflected love ! The good old lady had even become so acute in her perceptions, that, without seeing the "rampadger," sbe knew pre- cisely the part of his daily programme with which he happened to be engaged. Of course the snoring told its ow^n tale with brazen-tongued clamour, and the whole tenement trembled all niglit long from top ii^i^: n 51 3S0 TJlVr.IJH OF ICE to bottom Nolliiii morniuL;- in question, !Mrs. IJoby, lying plai'idly in her neat white little bcMl,nnd "gazing with a sweet contented face tlirough one of her cabin windows at the bright blue skv, heard a sound as though a com[)ound animal — hog and whale — had aroused itself and rolled over on its other side. A low whistling followed. Mrs. Iloby knew that the Cai)tain was pleasantly engaged with his thoughts — l)lanning out the proceedings of the day. Suddenly the whistling ceased and was followed by a sonorous "how— ho!" terminating in a gasp worthy of an express locomotive. The Captain had stretched him- self, and Mrs. Roby smiled at her owa thoughts, as well she might, for they embraced the idea that a twentieth part of the force employed in that stretch would have rent in twain every tendon, muscle, sinew, and fd anient in her, Mrs. Roby's, body. Next, there descended on the floor overhead a sixteen-stone cannon ball, which caused — not the neighbours, but — the boards and rafters to complain. The Captain was up ! and succeeding sounds proved that he had had another stretch, for there was a bump in the middle of it, which showed that, forgetting his stature, the careless man had hit the ceiling with his OK AI.l'INK ADVKNTL'KK. 381 i"'o of tlio HJn from 3ro other •y, lying iu^ widi T ca1)iii ^oiiihl as ile—lmd iifle. A that tlie h oughts Luldenly piiorous of an )cl him- :hts, as til at a tretcli luscle, Next, -stone s, but ptain had 1 the . his h his head. That was evidently a matter uf no conse- (|Ueiice. From this point the boards and rafters coutiuued to make uiicuasin;,' complaint, now creakiniij uneasily as if under great ])rovo('ation, anon groaning or yelling as though undc^" insuH'urable torment, Irom the ceiling of Airs. Koby's room numerous small bits of plaster, unal)le to stand it longer, fell and powdered Airs. Koby's floor. The curtains of her litlle bed saved her face. There was a slushing and swishing and gasping and blowing now, which might iiave done credit to a school of jjorijoises. The Cap- tain was washing. Something between the Happing of a m.'iin top-sail in a shifting squall and the curry- ing of a hippopotamus indicated that the Captain was drying himself. The process was interrupted by an unusual, though not quite unknown, craoh and a howl ; he had overturned the wash-luuid basin, and a double thump, followed by heavy dabs, told that the Captain was on his knees swabbing it up. Next instant the Captain's head, with beard and hair in a tremendously rubbed-up condition, ap- peared upside down at the hatchway. " Hallo ! old girl, has she sprung a leak any- where?" " Nowhere," replied Mrs. Iloby, with a quiet smile. She felt the question to be unntjcessary. "She," that is, the roof above her, never did leak in such 382 liiVKUS OF ICK '^i.cunstancos. If tl.o Tl,a,„es had «,uUle,.Iv floo 1 A ''0 garret, ,l,e C,,ptai„., energy J^l! fl 'I'lve swabbed i): „„ in f,'^ . sufnc„.„t to Cap.ain-.s feet appeared tTi V '"'""^^ "- '■•^'n,ee„,a„dh;Er^JX^^^^^^^^ ^oiis crash to the floor. ^''^'"^''- ftom Wilh n," "^ ''' """ '=™'"Pl«d J«"-, .. that 'J "from "Williim " i • -«orly; "why, when d-'d you 1 t e H """"' -n't h,a-= been here this nCif.. •"" ''°^'"'- " 0'' '^ouree lie Jiasn't • I crot ,> Tw • , linib-o'-ilie-la.v t',.f ] , ^ '"" "'«''* fr«m the I came iui;^^'''""'^ ■''*'- '»y'ittle„,atters. must take i^ fe.. t.„ / ' ^°''' ^'^tea, you wards." ■ ' *='*' >'"" breakfast after- morning. bieakfast m bed every Th?Ca";?"'""''""°'"-'"°d''--ng. OR ALPINFi: ADVENTURE. 383 ly flooded fie J out try fc a drop sea )ro]on obyshut iis head trenicii- " tJiat 's 3stman )m the atte r8. ' it to > you after- ay of ivery cnee " My dear \7opPER,~Got yer letter all right. •^ My blissin' to the poor widdy. Help her ? ov coorse I '11 help her. You did ri-ht in advaiicin' tho money, though you fell short, by a long way, when you advanced so little. Hows'evcr, no matter. I gave you my last will an' testimony w'en we parted. Here's a noo un. Inside o' this, if I don't forget it before I 've done, you '11 find a cheque for thirteen thousand pounds sterling. Give three to the widdy, with my respects; give four to dear Emma Gray, with my best love and blissin' ; give two to Mister Lewis, with my compliments ; an' give four to young Lawrence, with my benediction, for his father's saka As for the old 'ooman Eoby, you don't need to give nothin' to her. She and I understand each other. T'll look after her myself. I'll make her my residooary legatee, an' wotever else is needful ; but, in the meantime, you may as well see that she's got all that she wants. Build her a noo house too. I'm told that Grubb's Court ain't exactly aristocratic or clean ; see to that. Wotever you advance out o' yer own pocket, I '11 pay back with interest. That's to begin with, tell 'em. There's more comin'. There—I'm used up wi' writin' such a long screed. I'd raither dig a twenty- futt hole in clay sile any day.—Yours'' to command, £:„ Wiixm. " P.^Sf.— You ain't comin' back soon— are you ? " 381 lilVKKS OF ICfc ., I -,-< - I "Now, mother, what d'ec think o' that?" saul tlie Captain, Ibhling the letter and putting it in his pocket. "It's a good, kind letter— just like William," answered the old woman. " Well, so I'm inclined to think," rejoined the Cap- tain, busying liiniself about breakfast while he spoke ; "it provides for everybody in a sort o' way, and encourages 'em to go on hopeful like — don't it strike you so ? Then, you see, that's four to Miss Emma, and four to Dr. Lawrence, which would be eight, equal to four hundred a year ; and that, with the practice he 's gel tin' into, would nuike it six, or there- abouts — not bad to l)egin with, eh?" The Captain followed his renuirk with a sigh. "What's the n)atter?" asked Mrs. Koby. " Why, you remember, mother, before goin' abroad I set my heart on these two gettin' spliced ; but I fear it 's no go. Sometimes I think they looks fond o' one another, at other times 1 don't. It 's a puzzler. They're both young an' good-lookin' an' good. What more would they have ?" " Perhaps they want money," suggested the old woman. " You say Dr. Lawrence's income just now is about two hundred; well, gentlefolks find it summat difficult to keep house on that, though it 'a plenty for the likes of you an' me." " That 's true. P'r'aps the Doctor is sheerin' off for pi" ?" said tlie ' it in Ilia WilJiaiii," J tlio Cap- he spoke ; ^^'fiy, and t it strike s Emma, be eiglit, with tJie or tJiere- OR ALPINK ADVENTUIIE. 385 iiyli. ' abroad ; but r ks fond puzzler, good. he old st now ind it ,^h it 'a ofrfor frea o' drag.rrin' a younrr croetcr into poverty It never struck me in tliat liglit before/' Beaminc. under the influence of this hopeful view of the case, the Captain i.roceeded to make another move in the con.plicatcd ^.,me which he had resolved to play out and ^vin; but this move, which he had considered one of the easiest of all, proved be the most unfortunate, or rather unmanageable, yow mother," said he, " I mean to make a pro- posa to ee, before going out for the day, so that you may have tmie to think over it. This cabin o' yours amt just the thing, you know,-raither dirt/ and too high m the clouds by a long way, so rVe bin an seen a noo house on the river, not unhke this one, an I wants you to shift your bertl,. AM,at say ee — ell ', *' To the Captain's surprise and dismay, tlie old woman shook her head decidedly, and no rgument which he couid bring to bear had the leas^ efl on her. She had. in fact, got used to her humb le old home and attached to it, and could not bear the t ought of leaving it. Having exhausted his pow of suasion rn vain, he left hor to think over it and salhed forth crestfollen. However, 1.. coll d WelfwiU. the hope that time and^onsl would bring her to a right state of mind. Mean- while he would go to the parties interested, "d - communicate the contents of Willum's letter. 2 n 38G BIVERS OF ICt: He went first to Doctor Lawrence, who was de- lighted as well as pleased at what it contained. The Captain at first read only the clauses which affected his friends the Stoutleys, and said nothing about that which referred to the Doctor himself. " So you see, Doctor, I 'm off to let the Stoutleys know about this little matter, and just looked in on you in passing." " It was very kind of you, Captain." " Not at all, by no means," returned the Captain, pulling out a large clasp-knife, w^ith which he pro- ceeded carefully to pare his left thumb nail. " By the way. Doctor," he said carelessly, "were you ever in love V Lawrence flushed and cast a quick glance at his interrogator, who, however, was deeply engaged with the thumb nail. *'Well, I suppose men at my time of life," he replied, with a laugh, " have had some — " "Of course — of course," interrupted the other, " but I mean that I wonder a strapping young fellow like you, with such a good practice, don't get married." The Doctor, who had recovered himself, laughed, and said that his good practice was chiefly pmong the poor, and that even if he wished to marry — or rather, if any one would have him — he would never attempt to win a girl while he had nothing I 10 was de- ned. The ;h affected about that Stoutleys ked in on ! Captain, 1 he pro- lil. "By veve you ce at his engaged life," ho 16 other, ig fellow on't get laughed, r pmong narry — i would nothing OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 3^7 b«„„ two hundred a yeu- and prospects to .n7!r f '"PP"'' y°" "•""^'^ ^^^ if you had soffijthmg better to offer" said H,.P ;• ■'^ . ' off Che no?1 o„^ 1 .: * Captain, hnishing Cal , ''"' '-'"'«''«''' ^°"dered why tl e 1 ~ ' '^''<=«J- ^'-'7 ^vlmt he nuglit or might not do If croumstances were altered. ""«"*"«' The Captain was baffled. However, he said that circumstances were altered .nrl nft . tl.„ i„« , „ """^rea, and, after reading over the lat er part of Willum's letter, left Lawrence to digest It at his leisure. "wrence to We need not follow him on his mission. Suffice to .ay that he carried no small amount of reTi f the mmds of Mrs. Stoutley and her househ Id and, thereafter, met Gillie by appointment at' Charing Cross, whence he went to iLnsiZ , t see a villa, with a view to purchasing it.'"" '° resoluZ ^I '''*" ""'"''^ '" """^^ Mrs. Eoby's resolution, and many a time afterwards attacked hir bu always with the same result. Although "s he Baid, he fought like a true-blue British seamt aid me her broadside after broadside as fast X'oS 1-d and fire he made no impression on her whatever «-^- w 888 lavKua OF icK CIIArTEK XXIV. IN WHICH TUEMKND0U8 FOllCKS COMIC TO TlIK CAPTAIN'S AID. I'J, It is probable that most people can recall occasions when "circumstances" have done for them that which they have utterly failed to effect for them- selves. Some time after the failure of Captain Wopper's little plots and plans in regard to ^Irs. Koby, " cir- cumstances" favoured him — the wind shifted round, so to speak, and blew right astern. To continue our metaphor, it blew a tremendous gale, and the Captain's ends were gained at last only by the sink- ing of the ship ! This is how it happened. One afternoon the Captain was walking rather disconsolately down the Strand in company with his satellite — we might almost say his confidant. The street was very crowded, insomuch that at one or two crossings they were obliged to stand a few minutes before venturing over, — not that tlie difficulty was great, many active men being seen to dodge among the carts, drays fS AID. occasions lem tluit or theni- iVopper's by, " cir- id round, continue and the he siiik- 3on the own tlie 3 miglit IS very igs they nturing T active drays Viins, and busses willi mnrv^ii hutthp^nw • '"fi'v,.lIo„s (.;is(3 an.l sar.^tv "It the Capfun, wus cauticn.s. If,, wm w. , ♦ . fli.i< i> . ' ^'^'"•^ wont to snv 1 , <->" '^ '^' '^ loom tor linn i,n m ,.„n ■■'^-^"' "-^-■J-«>'''--'-o« for ,,alf a J , ;; atonoofu.:e';:c:;;;^^^ " Yes, it 's coorious, ai.rt it, sir," sai.J Oilli,. " „„• .,. other times Pvnnrf ].-•», v^iiij<-, an at; ^_^^_^ everyth.ng seen.s to go right-don't it, "^'"e, my la,l, tliat's a bolter view to til„ nf -f- returned t:,o Captain, cheerfully, " c L we'H 1 ' ahead." ^ ' ^® " heave ^s tliey were "heavin-" alonrr .'n o'l rcattle and noise around them ''' '^'' " A ingine !" |'Whatsortofaingine,n!y;ad?" - "^fire! hooray !" shouted Gillie with „Tiff„ • eyes and flushed countenance "loorn 7^ ^ ^^ oIose'longsideo'.„e, under he eeoie^^^^^^^^ -«notahaahn.er, thought;:;:::?-:- ii I 390 ItlVKRS OF ICE boiii' carried clean away sometimes by tlie wheels w'en there's a bad driver." As he spoke, the most intense excitement wa9 manifested in the crowded thoroughfare. Whips were flourished, cabmen shouted, horses reared, veliicles of all kinds scattered riglit and left even although there had seemed almost a "block" two seconds before. Timid foot passengers rushed into shops, bold ones mounted steps and kerb-stones, or stood on tip-toe, and the Captain, towering over the crowd, saw the gleam of brass helmets as the charioteer clove his way through the swaying mass. There is something powerfully exciting to most minds in the siglit of men rushing into violent action, especially when the action may possibly involve life and death. The natural excitement aroused in the Captain's breast was increased by the deep bass nautical roar that met his ear. Every man in the London fire-brigade is, or used to be, a picked man- of-war's-man, and the shouting necessary in such a thoroughfare to make people get out of the way was not only tremendous but unceasing. It was as though a dozen mad " bo's'ns," capped with brazen war-helmets, had been let loose on London society, through which they tore at full gallop behind three powerful horses on a hissing and smoking monster of brass and iroa A bomb shell from a twenty-five- ton gun could scarce have cut a lane more effec- ifmrnmummtll mmm OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 301 wlieels cut was Whips reared, eft even ck" two hed into b -stones, ing over ;s as the ig mass, to most it action, involve oused in |eep bass ,n in the d man- such a ay was was as brazen [society, three onster iy-five." effec- tually. The Captain took off his hat and cheered in sympathy. Tlie satellite almost dropped from tho lamp-post with excess of feeling. The crash and roar increased, culminated, rushed past, and was gone in a moment. Gillie dropped to the ground as if he had been shot, seized tlie Captain's hand, and attempted to drag him along. He might as well have tried to drag Vesu- vius from its base, but the Captain was willing. A hansom-cab chanced to be in front of them as they dashed into the road, the driver smoking and tO'~»l as a cucumber, being used to such incidents. lie held up a finger. " Quick, in with you, Cappen !" Gillie got behind his patron, and in attempting to expedite his movements with a push, almost sent him out at the other side. "After the ingine — slap ! " yelled Gillie to the face which looked down through the conversation-hole in the roof, " double extra fare if you look sharp." The cabman was evidently a sympathetic soul He followed in the wake of the fire-engine as well as he could; but it was a difficult process, for, while the world at large made way for it, nobody cared a straw for 7wm .' "Ain't it fun?" said Gillie, as he settled his pant- ing little body on the cushion beside his friend and master. 302 RIVEKS OF ICE i^ 4. J "Not bad," responded the Captain, who half lan<;hed at the thouj^lit of being so led away by excitement and a small boy. " I'd give up all my bright prospects of advance- ment in life," continued Gillie, "to be a fireman. There 'v> no fun goin' equal to a fire." " I^'r'aps it don't seem quite so funny to them as is bein' burnt out," suggested the Captain. " Of course it don't, but that can't be helped, you know — can it, sir ? What can't be cured must be endoored, as the proverb says. Get along, old fellow, don't spare his ribs — double fare, you know ; we '11 lose 'em if you don't." The latter part of the remark was shouted through the hole to the cabman, who, however, pulled up instead of complying. ** It 's of no use, sir," he said, looking down at the Captain, " I've lost sight of 'em." Gillie was on the pavement in a moment. "N'ever mind, Cappen, give nim five bob, an* decline the change ; come along. I see 'em go past the Bridge, so ten to one it's down about the docks somewheres— the wust place in London for a fire, w'ich, of course, means the best." The idea of its being so afforded such unalloyed pleasure to Gillie, that he found it hard to restrain himself and accommodate his pace to that of hia friend. ^ „ liiBaMiii half vay by Ivance- ireman. ;m as is ►ed, you nust be i fellow, r- we'U through lied up at the job, an* 50 past docks a fire, ^lloyed }S train I of his on AT.nXE ADVENTURE. 393 It soon became very evident that the fire was in truth somewhere about the docks, for not only was a dense cloud of smoke seen rising in that direction, but fire-engines began to dash from side streets everywhere, and to rush towards the smoke as if they were sentient things impatient for the fray. The cause of such unusual vigour and accumula- tion of power was, that a fire anywhere about the docks is deemed pre-eminently dangerous, owing to the great and crowded warehouses being stuffed from cellars to rooftrees with^combustibles. The docks, in regard to fire, form the citadel of London. If the enemy gets a footing there, he must be expelled at all hazards and at any cost. As the Captain and his proteg4 hurried along, they were naturally led in the direction of their home. A vague undefined fear at the same instant took possession of both, for they glanced gravely at each other without speaking, and, as if by mutual consent, began to run. Gillie had no need now to complain of his companion's pace. He had enough to do to keep up with it. There were many runners besides themselves now, for the fire was obviously near at hand, and the entire population of the streets seemed to be pressing towards it. A few steps more brought them in sight of the head of Grubb's Court. Here several fire-engines were standing in full play sur- rounded b a swaying mass of human beings. Still 304 T?IVKRf? OF ICR tliure was no .sign of the precis" locality of the fire, for the tail houses hid everything from view save the dense cloud which overshadowed them all Even Cai)tain Wopper's great strength would have been neutralised in sucli a crowd if it had not now been seconded by an cxcitcmrnt and anxiety that nothing could resist. He crushed his way through as if he had been one of the steam fire-engines, Gillie liolding tight to tlie stout tails of his monkey jacket. Several powerful roughs came in his way, and sought to check him. Tlie Captain had hitherto merely used his shoulders and his weight. To the roughs he applied a fist — right and left — and two went down. A few seconds brought him to the cordon of policemen. Tliey had seen him approaching, and one placed himself in front of the Captain with the quiet air of a man who is accustomed never to give way to physical force ! '* I live down Grubb's Court, my man," said the Captain, with ^^n eager respectful air, for he was of a law-abiding sp^i-it. The constable stepped aside, and nodded gravely. The Captain passed the line, but Gillie was pounced upon as if he had been a mouse and the constable a cat. '* He belongs to me," cried the Captain, turning back on hearing Gillie's yell of despair. The boy was released, and both flew down the >f the fire, i^icw save I all. 'ould have I not now xiety that y through nes, Gillie :ey jacket. ,nd sought to merely lie roughs two wont cordon of , and one with the T to give said the was of a gravely, pounced istable a turning )wn the OR ALPIXK ADVrXTUKE. 305 Court, on the pavement (jf which the sniihc-liko watcrhose lay spirting at its scams. " It's in the cabin," said the Captain, in a low deep voic*"*, as he dasliinl into tljc Court, where a crowd of firemen were toiling with cool, quiet, yet tremendous energy. No crowd interrupted them here, save the few frantic inhabitants of the Court, wlio were screaming advice and doing nothing ; but no attention whatever was paid to tliem. A foreman of the brigade stood looking cabnly upwards engaged in low-toned conversation with a brother fireman, as if they were discussing theories of the picturesque and beautiful with special application to chimney- cans, clouds of smoke, and leaping tongues of fire. Immense engine power had been brought to bear, and one of the gigantic floating-engines of the Thames had got near enough to shower tons of water over the buildings, still it was a matter of uncertainty whether the fire could be confined to the Court where it had originated. The result of the foreman's quiet talk was that the brother-fireman suddenly seized a nozzle from a comrade, and made a dash at the door leading up to "the cabin." Flames and smoke drove him back instantly. It was at this moment that Captain Wopper came on the scene. Without a moment's hesitation he 39G niVEHS OF ICE m ft -^ I i ^ n '' 11 1 rushed towards the same door; the foreman seized his arm. " It *s of no use, sir, you can't do it." The Captain shook him off and sprang in. A few seconds and he rushed out clicking, scorched, and with his eyes starting almost out of their sockets. " It is of no use, sir," remonstrated the foreman, " besides, the people have all bin got out, I 'm told. " No, they 'aven't," cried Mrs. White, coming up at the moment, frantically wringing the last article of linen on which she had been professionally en- gaged, " Mrs. Roby *s there yet." " All right, sir," said the foreman, with that quiet comforting intonation which is peculiar to men of power, resource, and self-reliance, " come to the back. The escape will be up immediately. It couldn't get down the Court, owin' to some masonry that was piled there, and had to be sent round." Quick to understand, the Captain followed the fire- man, and reached the back of the house, on the river- iside, just as the towering head of the escape emerged from a flanking alley. " This way. The small window on the right, at the top — so." The ladder was barely placed when the Captain sprang upon it and ran up as, many a time before, lie had run up the shrouds of his own vessel. A cheer from the crowd below greeted this display of ■-•"liW BiSBI nan seized A few 3hed, and ockets. foreman, 'm told, ming up 3t article [ally en- at quiet, men of lie back, :ln't get at was he fire- 5 river- nerged flit, at xptain )efore, I. A^_„ lay of OH ALPINE ADVENTURE. 397 Capta n, fi„d„ y,, ,,i„j,,^ ^^^^ _^^^^ ^^^^^ ^ ■nto the room head firat. carrying frame and .lass fortable necklace, he looked hastily round. The smoke was pretty thick, but not sufficiently so to prevent his seeing poor Mrs. Koby lying on the floor as xf she Had faUen down suffocated "Cheer up, old lass," he cried, kneeling and rais- ing her head tenderly. o e "Is that you, Cappen V said the old -.voman, in a weak voice. '• Come, we Ve no time to lose. Let me lift you ; the place is all alight. I thought you was choked." Choked! oh dear, no," replied the old woman, but I ve always heard that in a fire you should keep your face close to the ground for air-Ah i gently, Cappen, dear." While she was speaking, the Captain was getting her tucked under his strong right arm. He couW hvae whisked her on his shoulder in a moment, but was afraid of her poor old bones, and treated her as If she had been a fragUe China tea-cup of great VciXU.v3« Next moment he was out on the escape, and Inched the ground amid ringing cheers. He carried her at once to the nearest place of safety, and com- " mitting her to the care of JIra White, rushed back \ ^fent;,i HI I'! 398 mVEUS CF ICE to the scene of conflagration just as tliey were about to remove the escape. "Stop !" shouted the Captain, springing on it. " There's nobody else up, is there ?" cried a fire- man, as the Captain ran up. " No, nobody." " Come down then, directly," roared the fireman, " the escape is wanted elsewhere. Come down, I say, or we '11 leave you." " You 're welcome to leave me," roared the Cai' in, as he stepped into the window, " only hoid yoxiT noise, an' mind your own business." With a mingled feeling of amusement and in- dignation they hurried away with the escape. It had been urgently wanted to reach a commanding position whence to assail the fire. The order to send it was peremptory, so the Captain was left in his uncomfortable situation, with the smoke increas- ing around him, and the fire roaring underneath. The actions of our seaman were now curious as well as prompt. Taking a blanket from his old friend's bed, he spread it below the chimney-piece, and in a remarkably short time pulled down, without damaging, every object on the wall and threw it into the blanket. He then added to the heap the Chinese lantern, the Turkish scimitar, the New Zealand club, the Eastern shield, the ornamented dagger, the worsted work sampler, the sou'-wester, the oiled coat, OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 399 jre about )n it. id a fire- fircman, down, I Ca{ ■ ill, bid )'Our and in- iape. It mandiiig irder to left in increaa- :atli. •ious as Ills old -piece, itliout it into ihinese |d club, T, the coat, the telescope, tlie framed sheet of the flags of all nations, and the small portrait of the sea-captain in his " go-to-meetin' " clothes ; also the big Bible and a very small box, which latter contained Mrs. Roby's limited wardrobe. He tied all up in a tight bv ndle. A coil of rope hung on a peg on the wall. The bundle was fastened to the end of it and lowered to the ground, amid a fire of remarks from the crowd, which were rather caustic and humorous than complimentary. " Gillie," shouted the Captain, " cast off the rope, lad, and look well after the property." " Ay, ay, Cappen," replied the youth, taking up a thick cart-pin, or something of the sort, that lay near, and mounting guard. There was another laugh, from crowd and fire- men, at the nautical brevity and promptitude of Gillie. At every large fire in London there may be seen a few firemen standing about in what an ignorant spec- tator might imagine to be easy indifference and idle- ness, but these men are not idlers. They are resting. The men who first arrive at a fire go into action with the utmost vigour, and toil until their powers are nearly — sometimes quite— exhausted. As time passes fresh men are continually arriving from the more distant stations. These go into action as they come up, thus relieving the others, who stand aloof 400 mvEus or ice 1 ! for a time looking on, or doin^ t asy work, and re- cruiting their energies. It wati these men wlio watched the Captain's proceedings with much amuse- ment while their comrades were doing battle with the foe. Presently the Captain reappeared at the window and lowered a huge sea-chest. A third time he appeared with the model of a full-rigged ship in his hand. This time he let tlie end of the rope down, and then getting over the window, slid easily to the ground. "You're uncommon careful o' your property," exclaimed one of the onlookers, wit' a broad grin. •' 'Taint all my property, lad," replied the Captain, with a good-humoured nod, "most of it is a poor old 'ooman's belongings." So saying, he got a man to carry his sea-chest, himself shouldered the bundle. Gillie was intrusted with the full- rigged model, and thus laden they left the scene followed by another laugh and a hearty cheer. But our bluff seaman was not content with rescu- ing Mrs. Eoby and her property. He afterwards proceeded to lend his effective aid to all who desired his assistance, and did not cease his exertions until evening, by which time the fire was happily sub- dued. " She must not be moved to night. Captain," said OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 401 ?k, and re- men wlio iicli am use- battle with lie window 'd time he ship in his rope down, isily to the property," 'oad grin, le Captain, is a poor sea-chest, intrusted they left a hearty lith rescu- Ifterwards 10 desired ms until )ily sub- lin," said Dr. Lawrence, for whom Gillie had been sent ; " the place where she lies is doubtless far from comfortable but I have got her to sleep, and it would be a pity to awake her. To-morrow we shall get her into more comfortable quarters." " Could she bear movin' to-morrow, a mile or so ?** asked the Captain. " Certainly, but there is no occasion to go so far. Lodgings are to be had — " " -A 11 right, Doctor ; I *ve got a lodging ready for her, and will ask you to come an* have pot-luck with us before long. Gillie, my lad, you go hail a cab, and then come back to lend a hand wi* the cargo." In a few minutes the pair were whirling towards the west end of London, and were finally landed with their "cargo" on the banks of the Thames above the bridges, near the new building which Captain Wopper had named, after its prototype, "the cabin." To fit this up after the fashion of the old place was a comparatively short and easy work for two such handy labourers. Before they left that night it was so like its predecessor in all respects, except dirt, that both declared it to be the " identical same craft, in shape and rig, even to the little bed and curtains." Next afternoon Mrs. Eoby was brought to it by Captain Wopper, in a specially easy carriage hired for the purpose. 20 m I ii!i !!'! !!! 402 EI VERS OF ICE I'liG poor old woman had received more of a shock than she was willing to admit, and did exactly as she was bid, with many a sigh, however, at the thought of having been burnt out of the old home. She was carried up the stair in a chair by two porters, and permitted the Captain to draw a thick veil over her head to conceal, as he said, her blushes from the men. He also took particular care to draw the cur- tains of the bed close round her after she had been laid in it, and then retired to allow her to be dis- robed by Netta, who had been obtained from Mrs. Stoutley on loan expressly for tlie occasion. Much of this care to prevent her seeing the place that day, however, was unnecessary. The poor old creature was too much wearied by the short journey to look at anything. After partaking of a little tea and toast she fell into a quiet sleep, which was not broken till late on the following morning. Her first thousfht on wakinfj was the fire. Her second the Captain. He was in the room, she knew, because he was whistlincj in hU usual low tone while moving about the fireplace preparing breakfast. She glanced at the curtains ; her own curtains certainly, — and the bed too ! ]\Iuch surprised, she quietly put out her thin hand and drew the curtain slightly asida The Captain in his shirt sleeves, as usual, preparing buttered toast, the fireplace, the old kettle - with the defiant spout, singing away as defiantly as ,a itmm mmmmmm- ! of a shock exactly as er, at the '■ old home, wo porters, k veil over !S from the w the cur- 3 had been to be dis- from Mrs. 1. the place poor old 't journey t little tea ti was not ire. Her ihe knew, )ne while fast. She Jertainly, 3 quietly L slightly as usual, Id kettle iantly as on ALPINE ADVENTl'nE. ^^g command 4 :; x e„7 ' "" *"° '"'* "'"•^-» the .pot 4: T:TZT:'"'''r''''""^ Chinese lantern hanlXom'h""'""' "''^' *^ just as it should be , ' "^^m-everything butwhatavtidl:,>"'"°''<^^^-''^^-"' J^hj^ coughed, ne Captain was at her side in- "Slept well, old girl?" " '^c'7 weU, thank you T Vo »,„ j dream, d 'you know ?" ""^ '"''' "^ 1"*^" temn-r'S ,^^^'"-^^-'^^-t.-ther,befor3 ^i^it It » all ready-there, fire away." half Lrr. '/''''' °"«'" ^''-' «^"»ed, when half through her third cup, "all about » fil ^ you were in it too." ^'^®' *"'' Here she proceeded to relate her dream wif h f J most circumstantial carp ™ ^ ''^ "™'^ ^''h the Ui I 404 RIVERS OF ICE it. I managed to save your little odds and ends too. This is the noo ' cabin/ mother, that you wouldn't consent to come to. Something like the old one, ain't it ?" Mrs. Rohy spoke never a word, hut looked round the room in bewilderment. Taking the Captain's hand she kissed it, and gazed at him and the room until she fell asleep. Awaking again in half an hour, she finished her breakfast, asked for the old Bible, and, declaring herself content, fell straightway into her old ways and habit*. OK ALPINE ADVEKTUIiE. ends too. wouldn't old one, ed round Captain's the room half an the old light way 405 CHAPTER XXV. AW UNEXPECTED OEM FOUND. Although lewis Stoutley found it extremely dif ficult to pursue his studies with the profusei; £. trated eduiou of medical works at his command 1 e resolution which might be almost styled heroic To tear out the illustrations was impossible, r NitJ portrait was stamped on eveiy page, com^ellin. it toreadtheletterpressthroughit. Success, ho;ev? Tular CO 't""'/""- '' "°' °°'^ --^'^ o7Z 2 7?' ^"' ^' *"^°''«'l himself to the poo distnct of the "moraine" which had been apl priated as their own by his mother and HTZ ministered to the bodies of the sick while Mv sought to bring their souls to the Good P ^ t^ This professional work he did as a sort of amat" b mg only a student, under the guidance of 2 friend Wence, whose extending practice included Hhich Mrs. Eoby's new "cabin" was situated jl lu'" I 1 40G KIVEKS OF ICE These labourers, in what Dr. Tough had styled the London gold fields, not only did good to the people, and to themselves in the prosecution of them, but resulted occasionally in their picking up a nug- get, or a diamond, which was quite a prize. One such was found by Lewis about tliis time, which, although sadly dim and soiled when first discovered, proved to be such a precious and sparkling gem that he resolved to wear it himself. He and Emma one day paid a visit to the cabin, where they found old Mrs. Roby alone, and had a long chat with her, chiefly about the peculiarities of the Captain and his boy. " By the way," said Mrs. Roby to Lewis, when they rose to go, " a poor woman was here just before you came, askin' if I knew where she could find a doctor, for her father, she said, was v^ry ill. The two have come to live in a room near the foot of this stair, it seems, and they appear to be very poor. I could not give her Dr. Lawrence's new address, for I don't know it, so I advised her to apply to the nearest chemist. Perhaps, Mr. Lewis, you'll go yourself and see the poor man?" " Willingly, and I shall myself call for Lawrence on my way home and send him, if necessary. Come, Emma. Perhaps this may be a case for the exer- cise of your philanthropy." They soon found the place, and knocked at a low ad styled 3d to tlie I of them, ip a nug- :ze. One e, which, scovered, ling gem id Emma ey found with her, tain and is, when st before Id find a 11. The e foot of !ry poor, address, y to the lu'U go iwrence Come, le exer- t a low on AT.riNE ADVENTUIJE. 407 door, which was slowly opened by a middle-ac^ed woman, meanly clad and apparently very poor. ° Ah, sir, you're too late. He's dead," said the woman, m reply to Lewis's inquiry spirit "7 "' '" '"'' '"" ^^^^^"^'^ «^-i^--tic spirit, I am 5. sorry we are too lute. Did vuu hnd a doctor?" ^ "Ko ma'am, I didn't, but the chemist gave me the address of one, so I ran back to tell the .oor young thing that I'd go fetch one as quick L I could, and I found him just dying in her lrms.'> In whose arms? are not you the daughter-" said Emma. ;; Me. miss ! oh dear, no. I '„> only a neighbour." . Has she any friends ?" asked Lewis •■None as I knows of. The, are strangers here -only just came to tJie room. There it is" she added, stepping back and pointing to an inner door. lewis advanced and knocked, but received no answer. He knocked again. Still no answer. He therefore ventured to lift the latch and enter It was a miserable, ill-lighted room, of small size and destitute of all furniture save a truckle bed a heap of clean straw in a corner, on which lay a black shawl, a deal chair, and a small table. Abject povertv was stamped on the whole place. On the bed lay ' the dead man, covered with a sheet Ueside it ^ 408 RIVERS OF ICE 1 |),v kneeled, or rather lay, the figure of a woman. Her dress was a soiled and rusty black. Iler hair, fallen from its fastenings, hung dishevelled on her shoulders. Uer arms clasped the dead form. " My poor woman," whispered Emma, as she knelt beside her, and put a hand timidly on her shoulder. But the woman made no answer. " She has fainted, I think," exclaimed Emma, rising quickly and trying to raise the woman's head. Suddenly Lewis uttered a great cry, lifted the woman in his arms, and gazed wildly into her face. "Nita!" he cried, passionately clasping her to his heart and covering the poor faded f with kissej ; but Nita heard not. It seemed as if the silver chord had already snapped. Becoming sud- denly aware of the impropriety as well as selfishness of his behaviour, Lewis hastily bore the inanimate form to the heap of straw, pillowed the small head Oil the old shawl, and began to chafe the hands while Emma aided him to restore consciousness. They were soon successful. Nita heaved a sigh. " Now, Emma," said Lewis, rising, " this is your place just now, I will go and fetch something to revive her." He stopped for one moment at the bed in passing, and lifted the sheet. There was no mistaking the handsome face of the Count even in death. It was terribly thin, but the lines of sorrow and anxiety •>ii n. Her ir, fallen loulders. he knelt ilioulder. Emma, 1*8 head. ^ted the er face. her to with ,a if the ng sud- fishness mimate 11 head hands >usness. ligh. is your (ling to lassing, [the [t was ixiety OR ALPINE ADVENTUKE. 409 were gone at last from the marble brow, and a look of rest pervaded the whole countenance. On returning, Lewis found that Nita had thrown her arms round Emma's neck and was sobbing violently. She looked up as he entered, and held out her hand. " God has sent you," she said, looking at Emma, "to save my heart from breaking." Lewis agaii knelt beside hor and put her hand to his lips, but he had no power to utter a word. Presently, as the poor girl's eye fell on tlie bed, there was a fresh outburst of grief. " Oh how he loved me!— and how nobly he fought! — and how gloriously he conquered 1 — God be praised for that !" She spoke, or rather sobbed, in broken sentences. To distract her mind, if possible, even for a little, from her bereavement, Emma ventured to ask her how she came there, when her father became so ill, and similar questions. Little by little, in brief sentences, and with many choking words and tears, the sad story came out. Ever since the night when her father r.et with Lewis at Saxon, he had firmly resisted the tempta- tion to gamble. God had opened his ear to listen to, and his heart to receive, the Saviour. Arriving in London with the money so generously lent to them by Lewis, they took a small lodging and sought for work. God was faithful to His promises, m I 410 ETVEES OF ICE she said ; He ha J sent a measure of prosperity. Her father taught music, she obtained needlework. A 11 was going well when her father became suddenly ill. Slowly but steadily he sank. The traching had to be given up, the hoitrs of labour with the needle increased. This, coupled with constant nursing, began to sap her own strength, but she had been enabled to hold out until her father became so ill that she dared not leave him even for a few minutes to visit the shops where she had obtained sewing- work. Then, all source of livelihood being dried up, she had been compelled to sell one by one the few articles of clothing and furniture which they had begun to accumulate about them. " Thus," she said, in conclusion, " we were nearly reduced to a state of destitution, but, before absolute want had been felt by us, God mercifully to*-k my darling father home — and — and — I shall soon join him." " Say not so, darling," said Emma, twining her arms round the poor stricken girl. " It may be that He has much work for you to do for J"3us hc7'e before He takes you home. Meanwhile, He has sent us to claim you as our very dear friend — as our sister. You must come and stay with mamma and me. We, too, have tasted something of that cup of adversity, which you have drained to the very dregs, my poor Nita, but we are comparatively well off 'ity. Her ork. ill Idenly ill. ig had to le needle nursing, ^ad been ae so ill minutes sewinir- Iried up, the few ley had 5 nearly absolute o^.k my on join OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 411 now. Mamma will be so glad to have you. Say you will come. Won't you, dearest ?" i^ita replied by lifting her eyes with a bewildered look to the bed, and again burst into a passion of uncontrollable sorrow. ng her be that s here ^Q has as our la and Jiip of dregs, n off 412 RIVERS OF ICE CHAPTER XXVI. THE DENOUEMENT. Being naturally a straightforward man, and not gifted with much power in the way of plotting and scheming, Captain Wopper began in time to discover that he had plunged his mental faculties into a dis- agreeable state of confusion. " Gillie, my lad," he said, looking earnestly at his satellite while they walked one afternoon along the Bayswater road in the direction of Kensington, " it 's a bad business altogether." Gillie, not having the smallest idea what the Captain referred to, admitted that it was " wery bad indeed," but suggested that " it might be wuss." " It *s such a perplexin' state o* things," pursued the Captain, " to be always bouncin' up an' down wi' hopes, an' fears, an' disappointments, like a mad barometer, not knowin' rightly what's what or who's who." *' Uncommon perplexin'/* assented Gillie. " If I was you, Cappen, I 'd heave the barometer overboard '< and not >ttmg and discover Qto a dis- tly at his along the :oii, "it's 'hat th6 "eiy bad iss." pursued a.' down 3 a mad r who 'a "If I Jrboard on alp:\e advestckk 413 along wi' the main-deck, nail yer colours to the Z'r"*w"''" "'° *^ ke-ouppers, kick np your flyin -Jib-boom into the new moon, an' go down stem foremost like a man !" ^ " Ha !" said the Captain, with a twinkle in the corner of h„ - weather-eye," " not a bad notion " Now, my lad, I 'm goin' out to my villa at Ken- sington to dine. Thero '« t« t,„ , , , 8 to be company, too, au' you 're to be waiter—" "Stooard, you mean?" " Yf ' yes-stooard. Now, stooard, you 11 keep a good look-out, an' clap as tight a stopper on yer tongue as may be. I've got a little plot in hand, d ee see, an I want you to help me with it. Keen your eye in a quiet way on Dr. Lawrence and Miss tray. I ve taken a fancy that perhaps they may be m love with each other. You just let me have your opinion on that pint after dinner, but have a care that you don't show what you're up to, and whatever you do, don't be cheeky" ^ "^"rigl't." said the stooard, thrusting both hands into lus trouser-pockets ; " I 'II do my best.'- While these two were slowly wending their way through Kensington Gardens, Emma Gray amved at the Captain's villa-California Cottage, he called it-and rang the bell. The gate wa. opened by Netta White who, although not much bigger than when first introduced to the reader, was incompara-.ly more 414 mvKns OF icR beautiful and smart. Mrs. Stoutley had reason to be proud of her. " I did not know that you were to be here, Ketta ?" said Emma, in surprise, as she entered. " It was a very sudden call. Miss," said Netta, with a smile. " Captain Wopper wrote a note to me, begging me to ask Mrs. Stoutley to be so good as lend me to him for a day to help at his house- warming. Here is the letter. Miss." Emma laughed as she glanced carelessly at the epistle, but became suddenly grave, turned white, then red, and, snatching the letter from the girl's hand, gazed at it intently. " La ! Miss, is anything wrong ?" " May I keep this ?" asked Emma. " Certainly, Miss, if you wish it." Before she could say anything more, they were interrupted by the entrance of Dr. Lawrence. With a surprised look and smile he said — " I have been invited to dine with our friend Captain Wopper, but did not anticipate the pleasure of meeting Miss Gray here." Emma explained that she also had been invited to dine with the Captain, along with her mother and brother, but had supposed that that was all the party, as he, the Captain, had mentioned no one else, and had been particular in begging her to come an hour before the time, for the purpose of going reason to e,Netta?" lid Ketta, a note to e so good lis house- sly at the led white, the girl's OR ALPINE ADVENTURE. 415 hey were !e. With ir friend pleasure invited mother all the no one to come over his new villa with him, and giving him her private opinion of it. " I am punctual," she added, consulting her watch ; " it is just four o'clock."' " Four 1 Then what is the dinner hour ?'* " Five," answered Emma. *' The Captain's wits must have been wool- gathering," rejoined Inwrence, with a laugh. " He told me to come punctually at four. However, I rejoice in the mistake, as it gives me the great pleasure of assisting you to form an unprejudiced opinion of the merits of the new villa. Shall we begin with an exploration of the garden V* Emma had no cause to blush at such an innocent proposal, nevertheless a richer colour than usual mantled on her modest little face as she fell in with the Doctor's humour and stepped out into the small piece of ground behind the house. It was of very hmited extent, and, although not sur- rounded too closely by other villas, was nevertheless thoroughly overlooked by them, so that seclusion in that garden was, impossible. Eecognising this fact, a former proprietor had erected at the lower end of the garden a bower so contrived that its interior was in- visible from all points except one, and that was a side door to the garden which opened on a little passage by which coals, milk, meat, and similar substances were conveyed from the front to the rear of the house. • I Ml li .If! ^1 i 416 RIVERS OF ICE Dr. Lawrence and Emma walked round and round the garden very slowly, conversing earnestly. Strange to say, they quite forgot the object which had taken them there. Their talk was solely of Switzerland. As it continued, the Doctor's voice deepened in tones and interest, and his fair com- panion's cheek deepened in colour. Suddenly they turned into the bower. As they did so, Gillie White chanced to appear at the garden door above referred to, which stood ajar. The spider's countenance was a speaking one. During the five minutes which it appeared in the doorway, it, and the body belonging to it, became powerfully eloquent. It might have conveyed to one's mind, as it were, a series of tableaux vivant. Gillie's first look was as if he had been struck dumb with amazement (that was Lawrence suddenly seizing one of Emma's hands in both of his and looking intently into her face). Then Gillie's look of amazement gave place to one of intense, quite touching — we might almost say sympathetic — anxiety as he placed a hand on each knee and stooped (that was the Doctor's right hand stealing round Emma's waist, and Emma shrinking from him with averted face). The urchin's visage suddenly lighted up with a blaze of triumph, and he seized his cap as if about to cheer (that was the Doctor's superior strength prevailing and Emma's head, now turned the other way, laid on hia ^ f-MiMMHPiPP** Oh ALPINE ADVENTMIE. 417 lund and earnestly. 3ct wliich solely of )r'3 voice fair com- 3nly they lie White 3 referred lance was which it belonging ght have series of f he had hat was .'s hands er face). le to one ost say on each ht hand rinking visage )h, and ^as the imma's }n his %' Ki shoulder). All at once Gillie went into quiet con- vulsions, grinned from ear to ear, doubled himself up, slapped Ilia thigh inaudibly — d la Captain "VVopper — and otherwise behaved like an outrageous, yet self-restrained, maniac (that was — well, wo have no right to say wliat that was). As a fuitliful chronicler, hovvever, we must report that one-half minute later the stooard found Captain Woppcr in the villa drawing-room, and there stated to him that it was " hall right ; that he didn't need for to perplex hisself about Doctor Lawrence and Miss Hemma Gray, for that they was as good as spliced already, hnvins: been seen by him, Gillie, in the bower at the end of the garding ablushin' and a — ' Here the spider stopped short and went into another fit of convulsions — this time unrestrained. Ts it necessary to say that Captain Wopper sat at the foot of his own table that day — Mrs. Stoutley bei"*- r :;he head — with his rugged visage radiant, and his powerful voice explosive ; that he told innumerable sea-stories without point, and laughed at them without propriety ; that, in the excess of his hilarity, he drank a mysterious toast to the success of all sorts of engagements, present and future ; that he called Mrs. Stoutley (in joke) sister, and Emma and Lewis (also in joke) niece and neffy ; tliat he called Doctor Lawrence neffy, too, with a pointed- ness and a sense of its being tlie richest possible 2d 418 KlVr RS OF ICE joke, that covered with confusion the aHianced pair, and with surprise the rest of the company ; that he kicked the stooard amicably out of tlie room for indulging in explosions of laughter behind his chair, and recommending him, the Captain, to go it strong, and to clap ou sail till he should tear the mast out of 'er, or git blowed on his beam- ends; that the stooard returned unabashed to repeat the offence unreprovod : that, towards the end, the Captain began a long-winded graphic story which served to sliow how his good friend and chum AVillum Stout in Callyforny had commissioned him to buy aivl furnish a villa for the purpose of presenting it to a certain young lady in token of his gratitood to her for bein' such a good and faith- ful correspondent to him, Willum, while he was in furrin' parts; also, how he was commissioned to buy and furnish another villa and present it to a certain doctor whose father had saved him from drownin' long long ago, he would not say how long ago ; and how that this villa, in which they was feedin*, was one of the said villas, and that he found it quite unnecessary to spend any more of Willum's hard-earned gains in the purchase of the other villa, owing to circumstances which had took place in a certain bower that very day ! Is it necessary, we aijain ask, to detail all this ? We think not ; there- fore, we won't. '^MdSAM meed pair, Y\ thcathe room for ehind his f^in, to go 1011 Id tear liis beam- l to rei^eat 3 end, the :>ry wliich ud chum ioned him irpose of token of nd faitli- le was in iioned to t it to a ^im from how lonir hey was ie found ^^illum's ler villa, ice ia a sary, we ; tliere- O'i ALPIXK ADVENTOKK. 4,9 When reference was n.aJo to the bower Fu„„, oul stand or sit, it ao Ion,... She rosT; and ran bluslung into the garden. Captain Wop, ' He fouad her an the bower with her face in her hands, aad sat - nowwf '"," f ^ ''^P'^'" -» q«'te -Okies "0>v). It s my last billy-doo to Netta White I "ever was good at pot-hooks and hangers" And do you know this letter V said Knima hold >'S up to the seaman's eyes her uncle Wm a : last letter to herself. The Captain looked surprised (!>,..> i, 'suddenly red aad confused. " '''^''""" "W'y-ye-es, it's Willum's, ain't it?" " The same pot-hooks and hangers precM,, >" .^,. imma, "are they not? Oh!" she exdaimed thr"^ :ng her arms round the Captain's neck and k X "-/ uncle William, how .,..,ou deceive us"" ' The Captan,, to use his own expressioras «as taken aback-fairly brought up all standin'. It had never occurred to his innocent mind that he should commit himself so simply. He felt unconquerable objection to expressions of ,U t ,d aud percen-ing, with deep foresight, that s;:,;: ' ». .! 420 KIVEllS OF ICK iiupeiiding, Lis tiist impulse was to rise and fly, bu". Emma's kiss made him change his mind. He re- turned it in kind but not in degree, for it caused the bower to resound as with a pistol shot. " Oh I wot a cracker, ain't it just ? you're a nice man, ain't you, to go poachin* on other fellers — " The Captain seized his oj^portunity, he broke from Emma and dashed wildly at the spider, who incon- tinently fled down the conduit for coals, cheering with the fury of a victorious Ashantee chief 1 tH^!) , i " w^ aiiJ %, bu: ad. He re- i caused the OK ALPINE ADVENTUUE. 421 lire a nicy filers — " broke from fvho incon- 3, cheering iyll CriAPTER XXVIL THK I.AST. IIUMBLT confessing to Emma Gray that l.e had „o talent whatever for plotting, Captain Wopper went off w,th a deprecatory expression of countenance to veal hamsel to Mrs. Roby. Great was his anxiety, le entered her presence like a guilty thing. If I'owever, h« anxiety was great, his surprise and' consternation were greater when she received his revelation with tears, and for some time refused to be comforted ! The workings of the human mind are wonderful. Sometimes they are, as the Captain said, bamboozlina If analysed :t n.ight have been discovered that, apar"t a together from the shook of unexpectedness and the strain on her credulity, poor M«. Eoby suffered- without clearly understanding it-from a double loss She had learned to love Captain Wopper for his own sake, and now Captain Wopper was lost to her in W, ham stout ! On the other hand William, her darhng, her smooth-faced chubby boy, was lost to her for ever m the hairy savnge Captain M'„pper^ 4 ''5 t A/ W T?lVi:i!S OF ICK It was perplexing as well as heart-roiifling. Captain Wopper was gone, ])ecause, properly, there was no such being in existence. William Stout was gone because he would ncv^r write to her any more, and could never more return to her from California ! Tt was of no use that the Captain expressed the deepest contrition for the deception he had practised, urging that he had done it "for the best;" the eld woman only wept the more ; but when, in despera- tion, the Captain hauled taut the sheets of his intellect, got well to wind'ard of the old 'ooman an' gave her a broadside of philosophy, he was more successful. " Mother," he said, earnestly, " you don't feel easy under this breeze, 'cause why? you're entirely on the wrong tack. Ready about, now, an' see what a change it'll make. Look'ee here. You've gained us both instead of lost us both. Here am I, Willuni Stout, yours to command, a trifle stouter, it may be, and hairier than I once was, not to say older, but by a long chalk better able to love the old girl who took me in an' befriended me when I was a reg'lar castaway, with dirty weather brewin*, an' the rocks o' destitootion close under my lee ; and who '11 never forget your kindness, no never, so long as two tim- bers of the old hulk hold together. Well then, that 's the view over the starboard bulwarks. Cast your eyes over to port now. Here am I, Captain Wopper, OK ALl'lM-; ADVEKTLKi;. Capt.aiii •e was no was gono more, and •rnia ! :essed the practised, the old L despera- ts of his loman an* vas more feel easy tirely on e what a |e gained AVilluni may be, der, but irl who reg'lar e rocks 1 never tim- that 's t your opper, also yours to conniiand, strtvnj:; as a horse, as fond o' you as if you was my own mother, an' resolved to stick by you through tliick and thin to the last. So you see, you've got us both — ^Villum an' me — me an' Wil- lum, both of us lovin' you like bhizes an' lookin' arter you like dootiful sons. A double tide of affec- tion, so to speak, flowin' like strong double-stout from the beer barrel out of which you originally drew me, if I may say so. Ain't you convinced ?" Mrs. Roby was convinced. She gave in, and lived for many years afterwards in the full enjoy- ment of the double blessing which had thus fallen to her lot in the evening of her days. And here, good reader, we might close our tale ; but we cannot do so without a few parting words in reference to the various friends in whose company we have travelled so long. Of course it is unnecessary to say (especially to our lady readers, who were no doubt quite aware of it from the beginning) that Lawrence and Emma, Lewis and Kita, were, in the course of time, duly married. The love of their respective v/ives for each other induced the husbands not only to dwell in^ adjoining villas, but to enter into a medical co- partnery, in the prosecution of which they became ])rofessionally the deities, and, privately, the adored of a large population of invalids — with their more or less healthy friends — in the salubrious neighbour- 424 KIVEiiS OF ICE r,i mi i i! 'I J hood of Kensin^ton. To go about " doing good " was the business, and became the second nature, of the young doctors. It was long a matter of great sur- prise to not a few of their friends that tliough Lawrence and Lewis neither smoked nor drank, they were uncommonly healthy and apparently happy I Some caustic spirits asserted that they were sure budding wings were to be found on the shoulders of the two doctors, but we are warranted in asserting, on the best authority, that, on a strict exammation, nothing of the kind was discovered. Need we say that Emma and Nita were pattern wives ? Of course not, therefore we won't say it. Our reticence on this point will no doubt be acceptable to those who, being themselves naughty, don't believe in or admire "patterns," even though the-re be of "heavenly things." It is astonishing, though, what an effect their so-called " perfection " had in tightening the bonds of matrimony. Furthermore, they had immense families of sons and daughters, insomuch that it became necessary to lengthen their cords and strengthen their stakes, and " Calyforny Villa" became a mere band-box compared to the mansions which they ultimately called " nome." Mrs. Stoutley having managed to get entirely out of herself — chiefly by means of the Bible and the London gold-fields and moraines — became so amiable and so unlike her foiuier self, and, withal, so healthy OR ALI'INK A1)V1:NTL'1;K. 4 25 ?ood " was ire, of the great sur- -t tliough :'ank, they Y ^appy I -vere sure •ulders of asserting, mmation, id we say Of course cence on lose who, r admire ^ things," ct their e bonds mense that it 8 and Villa" jansions jly out id the liable lealthy and cheery, that the two great families of Stoiith'y and LawTenco went to war for possession of her. The feud at last threatened to become chronic, and was usually carried to an excess of virulence about Christmas and New Year time. In order, therefore, to the establishment of peace, Mrs. Stoutley agreed to live one-half of the year with Lewis, and the other half with Lawrence — Lewis to have the larger half as a matter of course ; but she retained her cottage in Netting Hill and her maid Netta White, with the right to retire at any moment, when the exigencies of the gold-fields or the moraines demanded special attention ; or when the excess of juvenile life in the mansions before mentioned became too much for her. On these occasions of retirement, which, to say truth, were not very frequent, she was accompanied by Netta Wliite — for Netta loved her mistress and clave to her as Kuth to Naomi. Being a native of the " fields," she was an able and sympathetic guide and adviser at all times, and nothing pleased Netta better than a visit to Grubb's Court, for there she saw the blessed fruit of diamond and gold digging illus- trated in the person of her own reformed father and happy mother, who had removed from their foiiner damp rooms on the ground floor to the more salu- brious apartments among the chimney pots, which had been erected on the site of the " cabin " after " the fire." Directly below them, in somewhat more 'r\ I! ! 420 i;ivK,i;s OF lOE piotentious apartments, shone anotlier rcsciiod diamond in the person of Fred Leven. He was now the support and comfort of his old mother as well as of a pretty little yoinifj woman who had loved him even while he was a drunkard, and who. had it been otherwise decreed, would have gone on loving him and mourning over him and praying for him till he was dead. In her case, however, the mourning had been turned into joy. In process of time Gillie White, alias the spidei, became a sturdy, square-set, active little man, and was promoted to the position of coachman in the family of Lewis Stoutley. Susan Quick served in the same family in the capacity of nurse for many years, and, being naturally thrown much into the society of the young coachman, was finally induced to cement the friendship which had begun in Switzerland by a wed- ding. This wedding, Gillie often declared to Susan, with much earnestness, was the " stunninest ewent that had ever occurred to him in his private capacity as a man." There is a ]iroverb which asserts that ** it never rains but it pours." This proverb was verified in the experience of the various personages of our tale, for soon after the tide of fortune had turned in their favour, the first showers of success swelled into absolute cataracts of prosperity. Among other things, the Go wrong mines suddenly went right. oil ALI'INE ADVENTUUE. 42' rcscuod IFe was lother as who liad and who. gone on lying for ever, the le spidei, L, and was lie family the same oars, and, ty of the nent the )y a wed- o Susan, t ewent capacity t never d in the bale, for n their d into other gilt. r.i Mrs. Stontley's former man of business, Mr. Temple, called one day, and informed her that lier shares in that splendid undertaking had bec.'n purchased, on her behalf, by a friend wlio had fiiith in the ultimate success of the mines ; that the friend forbade the mention of his name ; and that he, Mr. Temple, had called to pay her her dividends, and to congratulate her on her recovery of health and fortune. Dr. Tough — who, when his services were no longer required, owing to the absence of illness, had con- tinued his visits as a jovial friend — chanced to call at the same time with Mr. Temple, and added his congratulations to those of the man of business, observing, with enthusiasm, that the air of the Swiss mountains, mixed in equal parts with that of the London diamond-fields, would cure any disease under the sun. His former patient heartily agreed with him, but said that the medicine in question was not a mere mixture but a chemical compound, containing an element higher than the mountains and deeper then the diamond-fields, without which the cure would certainly not have been effected. Nc^d w^e say that Captain Wopper stuck to Mrs. Eoby and the " new cabin " to tlie last ? !Many and powerful efforts were made to induce him to bring his "mother" to dwell in Kensington, but Mrs. Eoby flatly refused to move again under any suasion less powerful than that of a fire= The eldest of Lewis 428 in VERS OF ICE !■! I i ■kx^ Stoutley's boys therefore hit on a plan for frequent and easy inter-communication. He one day sug- gested the idea of a boating-club to his brothers and companions. The proposal was received with wild enthusiasm. The club was established, and a boat- house, with all its nautical appurtenances, was built under the very shadow of ^Irs. Eoby's dwelling. A trusty " diamond " from Grubb's Court was made boat- cleaner and repairer and guardian of the keys, and Captain Wopper was created superintendent, general director, chairman, honorary member, and perpetual grand master of the club, in which varied offices he continued to give unlimited satisfaction to the end of his days. As for Slingsby, he became an aspirant to the hon- ours of the Royal Academy, and even dreamt of the president's chair ! Not being a madman, he recovered from the disease of blighted hopes, and discovered that there were other beings as well as Nita worth living for ! He also became an intimate and welcome visitor at the two Kensington mansions, the walls of which were largely decorated with his productions. Whether he succeeded in life to the full extent of his hopes we cannot say, but we have good reason to believe that he did not entirely fail. From time to time Lewis heard of his old guide Antoine Grennon from friends who at various periods paid a visit to the glaciers of Switzerland, and more T&eisnsm OK ALPINE auvi:ntui:k. 429 r frequent day siig- others and with wild nd a boat- , was built elling. A was made the keys, intendent, Tiber, and ich varied atisfaction 3 the hon- mt of the ecovered iscovered :a worth welcome le walls ductions. xtent of reason Id guide periods id more than once, in after years, he and his family were led by that prince of guides over the old romantic and familiar ground, where things were not so much given to change as in other regions ; where the ice-rivers flowed with the same aspects, the same frozen currents, eddies, and cataracts as in days gone by ; where the elderly guides were replaced by youthful guides of the same type and metal — ready to breast the mountain slopes and scale the highest peaks at a moment's notice ; and where Antoine's cottage stood unchanged, with a pretty and rather stout young woman usually kneeling in a tub, engaged in the destruction of linen, and a pretty little girl, who called her "mother" busy with a miniature washing of her own. The only difi'erence being that the child called Antoine " grandfather," and appeared to regard a strapping youth who dwelt there as her sire, and a remarkably stout but handsome middle-aged woman as her grandmother. Last, but not least, the Professor claims a parting word. Little, however, is known as to the future career of the genial man of science, one of whose chief characteristics was his reverent recognition of God in conversing about His works. After return- ing to his home in the cold north he corresponded for some years with Dr. Lawrence, and never failed to express his warmest regard for the friends with whom he had the good fortune to meet virile in 1 4 j \l 430 lilVlilif-; OF ICE, OR ALPIXE ADVENTURE. l! 1* fSwitzerland. He was [Kirticularly emphatic — we might almost say enthusiastic — in his expressions of legard for Captain Wopper, expressions and senti- ments which the bohl mariner heartily reciprocated, and he often stated to Mrs. Roby, over an afternoon cup of tea, his conviction that that Roosian Professor was out o' sight one of the best fellows he had ever met with, and that the remembrance of him warmed his lieart to furriners in general and Roosians in particular. This remark usually had the effect of inducing Mrs. Roby to ask some question about his, the Captain's, intercourse with the Professor, whicli question invariably opened the flood-gates of tlie Captain's memory, and drew from him prolonged and innumerable " yarns " about his visit to the Continent — yarns which are too long to be set down here, for the Captain never tired of relating, and old Mrs. Roby never wearied of listening to his memorable rambles on the snow-capped mountains, and his strange adventures among the — Rivers of Ice. :|. TflE END. ../■' EDINBtmOH: T. AND A. CONSTABI.B, PBINTEliS TO XME yUEEN, AND TO lUE LNlVKKHHy. :e. MR. BALLANTYNE'S BOOKS FOR BOYS. Iiatic — we essions of nd senti- iprocated, afternoon Professor liad ever 1 warmed osians in effect of ibout his, 3r, whicli !S of tlie nged and Continent liere, for Id Mrs. morable nd liis Crown 8i'o, each 5s., Cloth, with IllustrulionS 1. Post Haste. A Tale of Her ^lajesty's Mails. 2. In the Track of the Troops. 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"»&■■ ^ WJgvmt Hi a hatulsumt IBRARY, AND \ gera on a Fishing the Red Indians Regi UU8. ling Will in the I Adventures vd ring Will in th« !ck and Rescue Adventures in ro. tw and Fandes of less. \