108 Dr Barry's Ascent to the Summit of Mont Blanc. 



of the fissures, as had been anticipated, constituted a principal 

 one; often corapelHng us to retrace our steps, or to pass by 

 ridges of uncertain sohdity, on each side of which there yawned 

 an abyss of tremendous and unknown depth. 



The immediate approach to the Grand Mulct having become 

 intercepted by an almost perpendicular wall of solid ice, we 

 found it an exceedingly laborious task to reach it. However, 

 at length, two of the guides, with the greatest difficulty gained 

 the rock ; and then, by means of cords, drew up the rest of the 

 party, as well as the baggage. In this perilous undertaking, 

 the guide who took the lead, in ascending the ice cliff, did so by 

 a circuitous course, secured with a rope held by those below ; 

 as a false step would certainly have otherwise pi-oved falal, from 

 the proximity of a precipice, over which he must have fallen, 

 (See the two Plates). Our pioneers on this, and indeed on all 

 occasions, where the greatest coolness, intrepidity, experience, 

 and judgment were required, were Joseph Marie Couttet, and 

 Michel Balmat. Of these brave men I cannot speak too high- 

 ly : without them, the undertaking would undoubtedly have 

 proved a failure, at this as well as at other difficult parts. Cout- 

 tet, the principal guide, had been up eight times before ; he 

 was one of the four, swept away by an avalanche in Dr Hamel's 

 attempt of 1820, and the only one of them whose life was saved. 

 These remarks respecting the guides may be of service to some 

 future traveller ; and having xnentioned two of them, I may as 

 well give the names of the rest. They were, Pierre Tairraz, 

 who had been up three times ; Francois Desplan and Simon 

 Tournier, each up once before ; and Jean Tairraz, up for the 

 first time. They all had their good qualities, and each of them 

 had an opportunity of rendering me assistance in difficult and 

 dangerous places, and performed his part in the most faithful 

 manner. The one last named, is a courageous, enterprising, 

 and very obliging guide, whose attentions, during our sojourn 

 upon the rock, contributed much to my personal comfort. 



Having at length gained the Grand Mulet rock, but at a 

 point much lower down than usual, and as it appears by a me- 

 morandum which Couttet afterwards handed me, with a degree 

 of difficulty, that he had seen equalled on no former occasion ;* 



* The following, (some alterations having been made in the orthography), 



