246 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



anything to eat, so I climbed the mountain, very 

 steep, and almost without a path ; it evidently had not 

 been crossed before, this season. From the top I saw 

 the bay and village of Buochs, and in the distance, 

 Stanz, which I reached at six o'clock ; found an inn 

 which within was more comfortable than its exterior 

 promised. I think I never enjoyed anything more than 

 the piece of cold roast veal and coarse bread, and the 

 plentiful dish of strawberries with excellent cream that 

 followed. Now that I had got out of the ordinary route 

 of travelers, I determined to visit the valley of Engel- 

 berg. I asked the landlord for a char-a-banc (as there 

 is a good enough road for this vehicle) or a horse, to 

 go this evening, but mine host seemed to have made 

 up his mind that I should stay with him all night, and 

 insisted that there would not be time for Engelberg. 

 So not to disappoint him, I made up my mind to rest 

 for the night, and sallied out to look at the village. . . . 



METRINGEN, 26th June. 



I have accomplished a journey to-day, such as I 

 think few pedestrians have ever surpassed, consider- 

 ing the difficulties of a great part of the way, from 

 Stanz to Engelberg, thirteen miles, then over a tre- 

 mendous mountain, the Joch, 6890 feet high, among 

 the snows and near the glaciers of the Titlis and the 

 Wenden stock, and then by a long path, through the 

 most sublime mountain gorge and valley of Engstlen, 

 to Meyringen. The distance from Engelberg is reck- 

 oned at nine hours (they always reckon by hours 

 here), which on ordinary routes would be thirty miles. 

 I do not know how far it really is. I accomplished it 

 between half past eleven A. M. and half past seven p. M., 

 and am fatigued past all conception, completely done 



