SONNTAG CLIMBS THE GLACIER. Ill 



the cold weather of midwinter than in the warmer 

 weather of midsummer. 



October 19 th. 



A lively party visited Chester Valley to-day. They 

 started early with two sledges — Sonntag, with Jen- 

 sen on one, Knorr and Hans on the other. Sonntag 

 carried out the theodolite and chain to make a survey 

 of the glacier. The others, of course, took their rifles. 

 They saw numerous reindeer, but shot only three. 

 One of these was a trophy of Mr. Knorr's, and had 

 like to have cost him dearly. The poor animal had 

 been badly wounded in the valley, and on three legs 

 tried to climb the steep hill. Knorr, following it, 

 reached at length within twenty yards, and brought it, 

 down with a well-directed shot ; but the hunter and 

 the victim being, unfortunately for the former, in a 

 line, the hunter was carried off his legs, and the two 

 together went tumbling over the rocks in a manner 

 which, to those below, looked rather alarming. Re- 

 port does not say how the boy extricated himself. It 

 is lucky, however, that, instead of broken bones, he 

 has only a few bruises to show for his adventure. 



Sonntag, too, had his story to tell. Reaching the 

 glacier, he ascended to its surface, after travelling two 

 miles along the gorge made by the glacier on the one 

 side and the sloping mountain on the other. The 

 ascent was made by means of steps cut with a hatchet 

 in the solid ice. The glacier was found to be crossed 

 in places by deep narrow fissures, bridged with a crust 

 of snow, and so completely covered as to defy detec- 

 tion. Into one of these, fortunately a very narrow 

 one, the astronomer was precipitated by the giving 

 way of the bridge, and it is probable that he would 

 have lost his life but for a barometer which he carried 



