The Days of a Man 



1881 



John the 

 Baptist 



Starting 

 out 



a hard road for a heavy man to travel. Besides, the 

 tragedy of the first climbers was fresh in his mind. 

 Then Gilbert said: "You have talked and talked 

 about mountains, but you have never done a single 

 big thing among them, and now it's time you did!" 

 I remembered, moreover, that several earnest scien- 

 tists had attempted to make the ascent. Tyndall, 

 for instance, had thought it worth while to try 

 again and again, year after year; and so had my 

 Italian namesake, the geologist Giordano. So at 

 last I fell into line, and seeking out "John the 

 Baptist" Jean Baptiste Aymonod who had 

 led us from Val Tournanche, engaged him as chief 

 guide, and arranged to get off before morning. 

 We then strolled pensively through the little grave- 

 yard to the tombs of Hadow, Hudson, and Michel 

 Croz, the unfortunate associates of Edward Whymper 

 on the first ascent in 1865. 



The party as finally made up consisted of Ander- 

 son, Gilbert, Spangler, William E. Beach (also a 

 student from Indiana University), Walter O. Williams 

 of Indianapolis, and myself. Our guides were five 

 in number " John the Baptist," a young man of 

 remarkable strength, skill, and loyalty, afterward 

 well known and appreciated in the Pennine Alps, 

 Victor Macquignaz, Francois Bic, Daniel Bic, and 

 Elie Pession all from Val Tournanche, a French 

 colony within the confines of Italy. 



When we started out shortly after midnight, the 

 moon was full and hung gracefully over the south 

 shoulder of the mountain, and the sky was without 

 a cloud. Up through dark fir forests we went, by 

 the side of a foaming torrent, then over flower- 

 carpeted pastures and steep grassy slopes dominated 

 C 260 3 



