188 r'ARHOl''s ASCENT 01' AKAUAT. 



"At the first dawn we roused ourselves np, and at about half past six 

 proceeded on our march. The last tracts of rocky fragments were 

 crossed in about half an hour, and we once more trod on the limits of 

 perpetual snow nearly in the same place as before, having first lightened 

 ourselves by depositing near some heaps of stones such articles as we 

 could dispense with. But the snowy region had undergone a great, and, 

 for us, by no means favorable change. The newly-fallen snow, which 

 had been of some use to us in our former attempt, had since melted 

 from the increased heat of the weather, and was now changed into gla- 

 cier ice, so that, notwithstanding the moderate steepness of the acclivity, 

 it would be necessary to cut steps from below. This made our pro- 

 gress a laborious affair, and demanded the full exertion of our strength 

 from the first starting. We were obliged to leave one of the peasants 

 behind at the place were we spent the night, as he complained of ill- 

 ness ; two otliers, tired in ascending the glacier, stopped at first only to 

 rest, but afterward went back to the same station. The rest of us, with- 

 out allowing ourselves to be detained an instant by these accidents, 

 pushed on unremittingly to our object, rather excited than discouraged 

 by the dilUculties in our way. We soon after came again to the great 

 crack which marks the upper edge of the icy slope just ascended, and 

 about ten o'clock we found ourselves exactly in the place where we had 

 arrived on the former occasion at noon, that is to say, on the great plain 

 of snow, which foinis the first step downward from the icy head of 

 Ararat. ***** 



After a short rest, we ascended, with the aid of hewn steps, the next 

 slope (the steepest of all,) and tlien another elevation ; but now, instead 

 of seeing immediately in front of us the grand object of all our exer- 

 tions, a whole row of hills had developed itself to our eyes, and com- 

 pletely intercepted the view of the summit. At this our spirits, which 

 had never fluctuated so long as we supposed that we had a view of all 

 the difficulties to be surmounted, sank not a litde, and our strength, ex- 

 liausted by the hard work of cutting steps in the ice, seemed hardly ad- 

 equate to the attainment of the now invisible gaol ; yet, on calculating 

 what was already done and what remained to be done — on considering 

 the proximity of the succeeding row of heights, and casting a glance at 

 my hearty followers, care fled, and "boldly onward !" resounded in my 

 bosom. We passed without stopping over a couple of hills, and there 

 we felt the mountain wind; I pressed forward round a projecting mound 

 of snow, and behold ! before my eyes, now intoxicated with joy, lay the 

 extreme cone, the highest pinnacle of Ararat. Still, a last eilort was re- 

 ({uired of us to ascend a tract of ice by means of step.-?, and that accom- 



