CHAPTER VII.

OUR SIXTH ATTEMPT TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN. *

“ But mighty Jove cuts short, with just disdain,

The long, long views of poor, designing man.”— Homer.

ARREL had carte blanche in the matter of guides, and

his choice fell upon his relative Caesar, Luc Meynet,and two others whose names I do not know. These menwere now brought together, and our preparations were com-pleted, as the weather was clearing up.

. We rested on Sunday, August 9, eagerly watching the lessen-ing of the mists around the great peak, and started just beforedawn upon the 10th, on a still and cloudless morning, whichseemed to promise a happy termination to our enterprise.

By going always, though gently, we arrived upon the Coldu Lion before nine o’clock. Changes were apparent.Familiar ledges had vanished ; the platform, whereupon mytent had stood, looked very forlorn, its stones had beenscattered by wind and frost, and had half disappeared ; andthe summit of the Col itself, which in 1862 had always beenrespectably broad, and covered by snow, was now sharperthan the ridge of any church roof, and was hard ice. Alreadywe had found that the bad weather of the past week had doneits work. The rocks for several hundred feet below the Colwere varnished with ice. Loose, incoherent snow covered

* A brief account of this excursion was published in the Athenceum,August 29, 1863.