444 OLD ALPINE JOTTINGS. 



swerved to the left, and, regardless of a wetting, dashed 

 through the torrent which tumbles from the Margelin 

 See. Close to the Viesch glacier we found the objects 

 of our search ; the two ladies, tired out, seated upon 

 the threshold of a forsaken chalet, and the gentleman 

 seated on a rock beside them. . 



He had started with a sprained ankle, and every 

 visitor knows how bewildering the spurs of the JEg- 

 gischhorn are, even to those with sound tendons. He 

 had lost his way, and in his efforts to extricate him* 

 self, had experienced one or two serious tumbles. 

 Finally, giving up the attempt, he had resigned him- 

 self to spending the night where we found him. What 

 the consequences of exposure in such a place would 

 have been I know not. To reach the ^Eggischhorn 

 that night was out of the question ; the ladies were too 

 exhausted. I tried the chalet door and found it locked, 

 but my ice-axe soon hewed the bolt away, and forced 

 an entrance. There was some pine-wood within, and 

 some old hay which, under the circumstances, formed 

 a delicious couch for the ladies. In a few minutes a 

 fire was blazing and crackling in the chimney corner. 

 Having thus secured them, I returned to the chalets, 

 sent them bread, butter, cheese, and milk, and had the 

 exceeding gratification of seeing them return safe and 

 sound to the hotel next morning. 



Soon after this occurrence, I had the pleasure of 

 climbing the Jungfrau with Dr. Hornby and Mr. Phil- 

 potts. Christian Aimer and Christian Lauener were 

 our guides. The rose of sunrise had scarcely faded 

 from the summit when we reached it. I have sketched 

 the ascent elsewhere, and therefore will not refer to it 

 further. 



On my return from the ^Eggischhorn in 1863, I 



