71

THE ASCENT <>E THE MATTERHORN.

(1I.U-. IV.

it a battlementecl wall leads upwards to the citadel.* Seen fromthe Tlieodule pass, it looks only an insignificant pinnacle, hut asone approaches it (on the ridge) so it seems to rise, and, when oneis at its base, it comjdetely conceals the upper parts of the moun-tain. I found here a suitable place for the tent; which, althoughnot so well protected as the second platform, possessed the advan-tage of being 300 feet higher up ; and fascinated by the wildnessof the cliffs, and enticed by the perfection of the weather, I wenton to see what was behind.

The first step was a difficult one. The ridge became diminishedto the least possible width—it was hard to keep one’s balance—andjust where it was narrowest, a more than perpendicular mass barredthe way. Nothing fairly within arm’s reach could be laid hold of;it was necessary to spring up, and then to haul one’s-self over thesharp edge by sheer strength. Progression directly upwards wasthen impossible. Enormous and appalling precipices plungeddown to the Tiefenmatten glacier on the left, but round the right-hand side it was just possible to go. One hindrance then succeededanother, and much time was consumed in seeking the way. I havea vivid recollection of a gully of more than usual perplexity at theside of the Great Tower, with minute ledges and steep walls; ofthe ledges dwindling down and at last ceasing; and of findingmyself, with arms and legs divergent, fixed as if crucified, pressingagainst the rock, and feeling each rise and fall of my chest as Ibreathed; of screwing my head round to look for hold, and notseeing any, and of jumping sideways on to the other side. ’Tisvain to attempt to describe such places. Whether they are sketchedwith a light hand, or wrought out in laborious detail, one stands anequal chance of being misunderstood. Their enchantment to theclimber arises from their calls on his faculties, in their demandson his strength, and on overcoming the impediments .which theyoppose to his skill. The 11011-mountaineering reader cannot feelthis, and his interest in descriptions of such places is usually small,* See the engraving "Crags of the Matterhorn,” laving p. 120.