vni.] TRAVELS, 1839. 251 



had been there two years ago ; so there appears to be no 

 doubt that the gallery is nearly complete, although the 

 entrance is small and obscure, and the cold and wet make 

 it very disagreeable to traverse. 



' Our walk soon became ticklish enough. Large fields 

 of snow lying at steep angles, and affording very bad 

 footing, had to be crossed, some precipices climbed, and 

 immense tracts of loose stones scrambled over : but at 

 length we reached the Lago de Vallante, which is held 

 to be the proper source of the Po. The lake had a cir- 

 cumference of about two miles, and was still frozen over. 



* Hitherto our course had been clear ; but now, how to 

 get round the back of the mountain, which Key had never 

 visited, was more doubtful, for a rocky spur descended 

 to the plain, presenting an edge very like a cock's comb. 

 . . . Luckily we found a gap which let us pass, and we 

 thought we were about to complete the circuit by finding 

 a Col to conduct us back to France, when suddenly we 

 fell upon a valley, perhaps 2,500 feet deep ; it was the 

 valley which has Ponte at its head, and into it we had 

 no alternative but to descend. Here we had the greatest 

 difficulty in obtaining any information from the inha- 

 bit ants of the chalets. ... At last, however, we met 

 with an old man, who resolutely refused to believe that 

 we had crossed the mountain from Abries, but directed 

 us correctly to the descent of the lofty Col de Vallante ; 

 so, after dining on cold chamois, we proceeded with 

 as much heart as we could raise to regain the high 

 level from which we had descended. The Col de Val- 

 bnte joins the Monte Viso on one side, as La Traver- 

 sette does on the oth< T, JIIK! both on the top and 

 during the descent on the French side we found enor- 

 mous snow-beds, down which wo scrambled and slid 

 as best we might, sometimes sinking to our thighs, 

 always In-arin^ tin- \vat-r flowing under us. I made 

 tli'- guide go first, but often made a plunge \\linv he 



tin- Mont.- Vl8p i> awfully pivri- 

 v, tlmii-h lie had IM-CII on on<- part of it, 



lea of the e ige wildi 



