An Ascent of Mont Ventoiix 2 1 1 



our night's lodging in spite of the darkness. 

 They gave way to our arguments ; and, not 

 long after, pressing on from one clump of nettles 

 to another, our party arrived at the Jas. 



There we found Delacour, as well as the 

 guide with our luggage, sheltered betimes from 

 the rain. A blazing fire and a change of clothes 

 soon restored our wonted cheerfulness. A block 

 of snow, brought from the valley near by, was 

 hung in a bag in front of the hearth. A bottle 

 caught the water as the snow melted : this was 

 the cistern for our evening meal. And the 

 night was spent on a bed of beech-leaves, 

 rubbed into powder by our predecessors ; and 

 they were numerous. Who knows how many 

 years had passed since that mattress, now a 

 vegetable mould, was last renewed ! 



Those who could not sleep were told off to 

 keep up the fire. There was no lack of hands 

 to stir it, for the smoke, which had no other 

 outlet than a large hole made by the partial 

 collapse of the roof, filled the hut with an 

 atmosphere fit to smoke herrings. To obtain 

 a few mouthfuls of breathable air, we had to 

 seek them in the lower strata, with our noses 

 almost on the ground. And so we coughed 

 and cursed and poked the fire, but vainly tried 

 to sleep. We were all afoot by two o'clock in 

 the morning, ready to climb the highest cone 



