75%">AN EXPEDITION IN THE OLDEN STYLE

PAGE Buried records—Litera scripta manet—The survival of the unfit—A literary octopus—Sybaritic mountaineering—On mountain “form”—Lessons to be learned in the Alps—The growth and spread of the climbing craze—Variations of the art—A tropical day in the valley—A deserted hostelry—The hotel staff appears in several characters—Ascent of the Balfrinhorn—Our baggage train and transport department—A well-ventilated shelter—On sleeping out: its advantages on the present occasion—The Mischabelhörner family group—A plea for Saas and the Fée plateau—We attack the Südlenzspitz—The art of detecting hidden crevasses—Plans for the future—Sentiment on a summit—The feast is spread—The Alphubeljoch—We meet our warmest welcome at an inn 1 CHAPTER II. THE ROTHHORN (MOMING) FROM ZERMATT The Alpine dramatis personæ—Mountaineering fact and romance—The thirst for novelty and its symptoms—The first ascent of the Moming—Preliminaries are observed—Rock v. snow mountains—The amateur and the guide on rocks and on [pg x]snow—The programme is made out—Franz Andermatten—Falling stones in the gully—We smooth away the difficulties—The psychological effects of reaching mountain summits—A rock bombardment and a narrow escape—The youthful tourist and his baggage—Hotel trials—We are interviewed—The gushers 31 CHAPTER III. EARLY ATTEMPTS ON THE AIGUILLE DU DRU The Alps and the early mountaineers—The last peaks to surrender—The Aiguille du Dru—Messrs. Kennedy and Pendlebury’s attempt on the peak—One-day expeditions in the Alps and thoughts on huts and sleeping out—The Chamouni guide system—A word on guides, past and present—The somnolent landlord and his peculiarities—Some of the party see a chamois—Doubts as to the peak and the way—The duplicity of the Aiguille deceives us—Telescopic observations—An ill-arranged