24 THE MOUNTAINS 



of one of the "horns," and there was a 

 suggestion of darkness. It was not ex- 

 actly twilight; it was, rather, an allusive 

 warning that twilight might be expected 

 very soon. This suggestion of darkness 

 lasted, I would say, less than twenty 

 seconds, and then the highest peak in the 

 group turned to gold. As I remember 

 the color, it was not yellow, not orange, 

 not even "old gold," it was lustrous like 

 a gold coin just from the mint. Almost 

 instantly this shining gold spread out- 

 ward and downward until it entirely cov- 

 ered four peaks. To me, gazing there in 

 a kind of apocalyptic mood, it was an 

 Alpine reminder of Saint John's "four 

 horns of the golden altar which is before 

 God." 



But, before my eyes were adjusted to 

 the splendor, the gold turned into a pink 

 as delicate and rich and brilliant as is the 

 pink of a perfect Killarney rose. This 

 color remained hardly at all before it 

 deepened into a shade which was almost 



