CHAPTEE XIX 



1886 



THE earlier start was decided upon for the sake of 

 one of his daughters, who had been ill. He went 

 first to Evolena, but the place did not suit him, and 

 four days after his arrival went on to Arolla, whence 

 he writes on August 3 : 



We reached Evolena on Thursday last. . . . We had 

 glorious weather Thursday and Friday, and the latter 

 day (having both been told carefully to avoid over- 

 exertion) the wife and I strolled, quite unintentionally, 

 as far as the Glacier de Ferpecle and back again. Luckily 

 the wife is none the worse, and indeed, I think I was 

 the more tired of the two. But we saw at once that 

 Evolena was a mistake for our purpose, and were confirmed 

 in that opinion by a deluge of rain on Saturday. The 

 hotel is down in a hole at the tail of a dirty Swiss village, 

 and only redeemed by very good cooking. So, Sunday 

 being fine, I, E. and H. started up here to prospect, 18 

 miles up and down, and 2000 feet to climb, and did it 

 beautifully. It is just the place for us, at the tail of a 

 glacier in the midst of a splendid amphitheatre of 

 11-12000 feet snow heights, and yet not bare and waste, 

 any quantity of stone-pines growing about. ... I rather 



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