THE ASCENT OF THE MATTERHORN.

CHAP. VII.

130

things, not because I have no love for or thought of them, butbecause they cannot be translated into language; and presently,when topographical details must, of necessity, be returned to again,I will endeavour to relieve the poverty of the pen by a free use ofthe pencil.

Whilst we sat upon the Aiguille de la Sausse, our attention wasconcentrated on a point that was immediately opposite—on a gapor cleft between the Meije and the mountain called the Bateau.It was, indeed, in order to have a good view of this place that wemade the ascent of the Aiguille. It (that is the gap itself) looked,as my companions remarked, obtrusively and offensively a pass.It had not been crossed, but it ought to have been; and thisseemed to have been recognised by the natives, who called it, veryappropriately, the Breche de la Meije.

I had seen the place in 18(50, and again in 1861, but had notthen thought about getting through it; and our information in re-spect to it was chiefly derived from a photographic reproduction ofthe then unpublished sheet 189, of the great map of France, whichMr. Tuckett, with his usual liberality, had placed at our disposal.It was evident from this map that if we could succeed in passingthe Breche, we should make the most direct route between the villageof La Grave and that of Berarde in the Department of the Isere, andthat the distance between these two places by this route, would beless than one-third that of the ordinary way via the villages ofFreney and Yenos. It may occur to some of my readers, why had itnot been done before ? For the very sound reason that the valleyon its southern side (Yallon des Etanfons) is uninhabited, andLa Berarde itself is a miserable village, without interest, withoutcommerce, and almost without population. Why then did we wishto cross it ? Because we were bound to the Pointe des Ecrins, towhich La Berarde was the nearest inhabited place.

When we sat upon the Aiguille de la Sausse, we were ratherdespondent about our prospects of crossing the Breche, whichseemed to present a combination of all that was formidable. There