Mountain Journeys 107 



only the great spectacles of nature which attract him and thrill 

 him; he too seems gripped by this passion for climbing for the sake 

 of climbing, which, though it had its origin in England, is making 

 progress today in our own country. But his evidence has all the 

 more value for these different reasons. 



August 12, 1857, Tyndall made his first ascent of Mont Blanc, 

 in the company of MM. Hirst and Huxley. The latter had to stop 

 at the Grands-Mulets. 



When he reached the Derniers Rochers, Tyndall felt exhausted. 

 The guide Simond cried at every halt: "Oh, how my knees hurt!" 

 I lay down upon a bed composed of granite and snow, and went 

 to sleep immediately. 



But my companion soon awakened me: "You frightened me," he 

 said, "I have been listening for several minutes, and I have not heard 

 you breathe once." 



We got up then, it was half past two .... To the feeling of fatigue 

 we had felt till then was added a new phenomenon, palpitations. We 

 were constantly subject to them, and sometimes they became so severe 

 as to cause some apprehension. I counted the number of steps that I 

 could take without stopping and found it to be fifteen or twenty. At 

 each halt my heart beat hard enough to be heard as I was leaning on 

 my alpenstock, and its subsiding was the signal for a new advance. 

 My breath was short, but easy and unhampered. I tried to find out 

 whether the articulation of the thigh was relaxed because of the 

 decreased pressure, but I could not be sure .... 



After we had passed the Derniers Rochers, we struggled on with 

 the stoical indifference of men who are carrying out a duty without 

 bothering about the results. At last a ray of hope began to brighten 

 our spirits; the summit was visible, Simond showed more energy .... 

 at half past three I clasped hands over the summit. (P. 80.) 



The account of the second ascent, made September 12, 1858, 

 merely alludes briefly to the fatigues of the mountains, (p. 189.) 



In 1859, an ascent still more important and very profitable for 

 science. Tyndall, Frankland, and nine guides passed a night on the 

 summit of Mont Blanc; they stayed there about twenty hours: 14 "' 



We did not suffer from the cold, although we had no fire and the 

 snow was at a temperature of — 15°C. But we were all ill. I was sick 

 when I left Chamounix .... I had frequently conquered my discom- 

 fort on previous occasions, and I hoped for the same thing this time. 

 But I was absolutely disappointed; my illness was more deeply rooted 

 than usual, and it grew worse during the whole ascent. But the next 

 morning I was stronger, whereas the opposite was true for several 

 of my companions. (P. 54.) 



The same year, a German, Dr. Pitschner, 147 made a remarkable 

 ascent of this same mountain; he was very seriously affected: 



