bergschrund—Homewards over the snow-slopes

The Ecrins—Clouds breaking over a ridge—Summit of the Jungfrau—Wind-blown snow

The Ecrins from the Glacier Blanc

Slab climbing—A rock ridge—On the Dent du Géant—The top at last

The second largest glacier in the Alps—On a ridge in the Oberland

Thirteen thousand feet above the sea—On the Furggen Grat—A “personally conducted” party on the Breithorn—Packing the knapsack

Monte Rosa from the Furggen Grat—The Matterhorn from the Wellenkuppe

A glacier lake—Amongst the séracs—Taking off the rope—Water at last!

The balloon “Stella” starting from Zermatt—A moment after

The Matterhorn from the Hörnli Ridge—The Matterhorn from the Furgg Glacier—Joseph Biner—The Matterhorn Hut

A hot day on a mountain-top—A summit near Saas—Luncheon en route (winter)—Luncheon on a glacier pass (summer)

A tedious snow-slope—A sitting glissade—A glacier-capped summit—On the frontier

Unpleasant going—On the crest of an old moraine

An awkward bit of climbing—Guides at Zermatt—The Boval Hut—Au revoir!

ADVENTURES ON THE ROOF
OF THE WORLD

CHAPTER I

SOME TALES OF ALPINE GUIDES

IN a former work, I have given some details of the training of an Alpine guide, so I will not repeat them here.

The mountain guides of Switzerland form a class unlike any other, yet in the high standard of honour and devotion they display towards those in their charge, one is reminded of two bodies of men especially deserving of respect and confidence, namely, the Civil Guards of Spain and the Royal Irish Constabulary. Like these, the Alpine guide oftentimes risks his health, strength—even his life—for persons who are sometimes in themselves the cause of the peril encountered. Like these, mere bodily strength and the best will in the world need to be associated with intelligence and foresight. Like these, also, keen, fully-developed powers of observation are essential. A certain climber of early days has wittily related in The Alpine Journal a little anecdote which bears on this point. “Some years ago,” writes the late Mr F. Craufurd Grove, “a member of this Club was ascending a small and easy peak in company with a famous Oberland guide. Part of their course lay over a snow-field sinking gradually on one side, sharply ended by a precipice on the other. The two were walking along, not far from the edge of this precipice, when the Englishman, thinking that an easier path might be made by going still nearer the edge, diverged a little from his companion’s track. To his considerable surprise, the guide immediately caught hold of him, and pulled him back with a great deal more vigour than ceremony, well-nigh throwing him down in the operation. Wrathful, and not disinclined to return the compliment, the Englishman remonstrated. The guide’s only answer was to point to a small crack, apparently like scores of other cracks in the névé, which ran for some distance parallel to the edge of the precipice, and about 15 feet from it.

Jean Antoine Carrel of Valournanche.
By Signor Vittorio Sella.