124

CHAP. V.

“ He listened and looked up. I looked up too;

And twice there came a hiss that thro’ me thrilled!’Twas heard no more. A chamois on the cliffHad roused his fellows with that cry of fear,

And all were gone.”—R ogers.

THE BUET . #

ASCENT FROM CHAMOUNI.—THE CASCADE BERARD.—THE “ PIERREBERARD.”—ROUGH QUARTERS. — AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. — HOWWE PASSED THE NIGHT AND HOW THE GUIDES PASSED THE NIGHT.—DEEP STRIAE. — DAYBREAK ON MONT BLANC. — THE SUMMIT. — SEAOF CLOUDS.—DESCENT TO SIXT.—A WONDERFUL AMPHITHEATRE.—THE CHAMOIS.—FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE PLATEAU DES FONDS.—ASCENT FROM SIXT.—VIEW FROM THE COL DE l’eCHAUD.—SEVEREATTACK OF ILLNESS. — A DILEMMA.— FORWARD!—THE DISTANTCATTLE BELLS.— DEEP SNOW. — THE CHALET BeRARD REACHED.—A CLOSE BARGAIN.—A SIMPLE CURE.

It was on the 16th of August 1857 that I started formy first trip to the Buet . I had arrived some daysbefore from England, tired and jaded, and was dis-appointed to find that vigour of body and elasticityof mind did not seem to return so rapidly as I have