{"character_count": 3775, "word_count": 697, "ccnet_language_score": [0.9686999917030334], "ccnet_perplexity": [1218.5999755859375], "fasttext_language": ["en"]}
Across these is your road, climbing up and
sliding down the waves OF ice, till you are half
sea-slck, and leaping the crerasseS with the aid
of your non-shod staff, or AIpenstock, which is


in fact third leg, or crossing them on rocks acct
dentally wedged n or on ridges of ice arched like
bridges. As you pass over the chas1ns you have
gmpses Of the splendor of their mysterious
depths Under your feet you often hear the
water roaring in the subterraneous courses which
undermine the whole glacier. The brooks which
furrow the surface drop down through round holes
called Moulins, in cascades whose lower ends
are invisible The principal one, down which
you can only look by lying on your face, while
the guide holds you by the feet is magnifcently
terrible. 1t falls into cavern under the ice to
which you can see no limit; and Byron should
have given to it the eplthet of " The He'll of
Waters" which he has wasted on Terni.


The Mer-de- Glace is at last crossed after SIX
niles Of such scenes and you again reach land
Your next task is to climb the steep rocks of the
C0"cercle, where you must scramble on both
hands and knees on the side OF the preclplce and
through a little gulley under overhanging
rock. Tins is excessively iatlgulng, but aot dam
gerous Then you descend upon the upper part
OF the GLACIER du Tatetre, where the cold IS too
great TO allow the pure white snow to melt INTO
ice. Its top Is however crusted over, 50 that 1t
may be crossed without breaking through, and at
It's farther side you reach the J0rdin or :" Gar
den' IN this icy desert. 1t is patch of rock OF
~, tIo mi
free from snow, but covered with rich green tur!,
and enamellcd with the most delicate flowers.
This delicious spot seems to exist by constant
miracle and is very likely that 1t is nourlshed by
subterraneous heat, so unnatural and Impossible
docs it seem to be. 1t is the highest spot OF
green In Europe, being eight thousand feet above
the level OF the sea. 1t perfectly realizes the
poets figure of Spring reposlng IN the lap OF
Winter. for all around its turf and flowers are
eternal snow. The Aiguilles, or 8" needles of
rock shoot up their sharp pinnacles into mid air,
without a vestige of vegetation, while the " jar
DIM is the fleece Of Gideon, which receives the
gentle dews when all around is bare. But the
most striking feature of the scene is the intense
blue Of the sky, which seems almost black, so
rare and chin is the air above you. The atmos-
phcre was clear and cold and not cloud re-
lieved the oppressive darkness above. You might
fancy that the skies were frowning on this intru-
sion into their solitudes and that you were in the
shadow of the wings of the destroying angel.


Here one is very glad to rest for an hour, and
to recruit exhausted nature, and the coarse bread
and meat which the guide had packed up at
Montauvert, and which | had then looked upon
so disdainfully, seemed now a feast for an En-
peror, and the vinegar, which is here called wine,
tasted sweet as nectar. On this little spot met
two Enghshmen with their guides. We were
the only human beings within many miles, and
were alonc, many thousand feet higher than any
one in Europe at that moment, but we had not
been introduced, and therefore they could not
speak Think Of the absurdity of etiquette on
Mont Blanc


The route back from the Jardin to Montauvert
was nearly the same as in going, but thence to
Chamouny shad the comfort of being downhlll
one, and we safely arrived at sunset, receiving
the congratulations of the village at having ac-
compshed in eleven hours the thrty-three miles
which usually required sixteen; but if you are
half as tired with reading my excursion as was
after performing it, you will be very glad to have
me here end my long letter. W. NJ. c.