242 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



my travels in search of the sublime. At nine o'clock 

 yesterday morning I left Zurich ; took the steamboat 

 down the lake as far as Horgen, some eight or ten 

 miles, where I took a little lunch, and crossed the 

 bridge into the little canton of Zug, Catholic, as 

 one soon finds out, by the crosses and beggars which 

 abound by the wayside. Here the lofty Mont Pilate, 

 with its sharp peaks, was in sight ; it lies on the other 

 side of Lake Lucerne. Soon after I saw the Lake of 

 Zug, and soon after one o'clock I reached Zug, on the 

 borders of the lake of the same name, the capital of 

 the canton, a retired and lifeless village. I entered 

 the best hotel well heated with my walk, which now 

 amounted to about twelve miles. I obtained a plain 

 but very good dinner of soup, the everlasting corned 

 beef, fish, roast, and strawberries and cherries ad libi- 

 tum ; chatted French with the voluble kellnerinn (the 

 demoiselle of the inn) ; paid my bill of two francs, and 

 was again on my way. It was very warm, so I walked 

 quite leisurely down the shore of the lake ; the scenery 

 growing every moment more picturesque, the Rigi 

 rising at its foot on one side, bold and abrupt, the 

 Eossberg on the other. (A sad tale belongs to this 

 last, of which I had often read.) I reached Arth, the 

 little village at the foot of the lake and of these two 

 mountains, at half past four (seven miles) ; took more 

 strawberries and milk, and at five o'clock commenced 

 the ascent of the Rigi by the shortest but most dim- 

 cult footpath. The landlord told me the ascent took 

 four hours and a half. This, indeed, I accomplished, 

 but found it a hard task. But the desire of witness- 

 ing the sunset from the top induced me to do my 

 best. I had plenty of offers to relieve me of my knap- 

 sack, and at length, as I left the village, transferred 



