OLD ALPINE JOTTINGS. 473 



On the following day, accompanied by Michel, I 

 went down to Lauterbrunnen, and afterwards crossed 

 the Petersgrat a second time to Piatt en, where the door 

 of the cure being closed against travellers, we were 

 forced into dirty quarters in an adjacent house. From 

 Platten, instead of going as before over the Lotschsattel, 

 we struck obliquely across the ridge above the Nesthorn, 

 and down upon the Jaggi glacier, making thus an 

 exceedingly fine excursion from Platten to the Bel Alp. 

 Thence, after a brief halt, I pushed on to Zermatt. 



I have already mentioned Carrel, clit le bersaglier, 

 who accompanied Bennen and myself in our attempt 

 upon the Matterhorn in 1862, and who in 1865 reached 

 the summit of the mountain. With him I had been 

 in correspondence for some time, and from his letters 

 an enthusiastic desire to be my guide up the Matter- 

 horn might be inferred. From the KifTelberg I crossed 

 the Theodule to Breuil, where I saw Carrel. He had 

 naturally and deservedly grown in his own estimation. 

 In the language of philosophy, his environment had 

 changed and he had assumed new conditions of 

 equilibrium, but they were decidedly unfavourable to 

 the climbing of the Matterhorn. His first condition 

 was that I should take three guides at 150 francs 

 apiece, and these were to be aided by porters as far as 

 the cabin upon the Matterhorn. He also objected to 

 the excellent company of Christian Michel. In fact, 

 circumstances had produced their effect upon my friend 

 Carrel, and he was no longer a reasonable man. To do 

 him justice, I believe he afterwards repented, and sent 

 his friends Bich and Meynet to speak to me while he 

 kept aloof. A considerable abatement was soon made 

 in their demands, and without arranging anything defi- 

 nitely, I quitted Breuil on the understanding that I 



