338 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



' The n6v& of the glacier of Salena, seen from the point, 

 might well appear to have no isgue. The formidable 

 barriers of rock, between which the glacier descends 

 almost precipitously, might seem to bar a passage in the 

 direction of the valley. From Munier's account (the 

 guide of Chamounix, whom I engaged in 1846 for this 

 excursion), it appears certain that he did not attempt to 

 descend (his words to me, I recollect, were " Nous 

 n'avons pas osd de descendre "), but he had preferred 

 crossing the lofty range which separates the Glacier de 

 Salena from that of La Neuva, by which he descended 

 near the Col Ferret. Trusting, however, to Charlet's 

 report of what he had actually done (for the advancing 

 afternoon left us no time for abortive attempts), we re- 

 solved to descend as much as possible by the Glacier de 

 Salena. We accordingly secured ourselves once more 

 together by ropes, and soon came amongst newly open- 

 ing crevasses as we approached the gorge which offered 

 the great obstacle to our passage. After dining, we were 

 ready to start at 3h. 45m. and again used the ropes for 

 a short space, but, soon clearing the snow, we abandoned 

 them, and following for a little way the left bank of the 

 glacier, as it got steeper and steeper, and began to break 

 into wider crevasses, Auguste volunteered to go on and 

 see whether it might be possible to effect the descent over 

 the broken ice. As we more than anticipated, however, 

 he returned to say that it was quite impracticable, and 

 that, therefore, we must submit to clamber over rocks to 

 a great height above the right bank, and to pass beneath 

 two small glaciers which seemed almost to overhang the 

 path we must follow, so steep was the mound of debris 

 which stretched from their foot. We could distinctly see 

 stones on their upper fronts, but the guides pronounced 

 them apparently safe, and recommended the precaution 

 merely of mounting the slope of debris, and slanting over 

 to the shoulder of rock as rapidly as possible. Its 

 summit was strewed with enormous blocks, tossed in 

 confusion, shattered and bruised by the mutual shocks 

 which they had evidently undergone no further back 



