314 SCENE ON A GLACIEE. 



covered with eternal snow, rose over the 

 whole in solemn grandeur. 



Searching this awful place, and going from 

 ridge to ridge of rock, we at last discovered 

 the flock, by seeing an old male burrell 

 perched on a sharp ridge below, and between 

 us and a glacier, above which the mountain 

 rose abruptly and to an immense height. 

 Whilst watching these animals, down came 

 an avalanche of snow and ice from the moun- 

 tain at the upper end of the glacier, up 

 jumped the poor burrell ; in a moment they 

 were upon the glacier, and turning down 

 hill, fled for their lives. I never saw animals 

 so terrified : do^vnwards they went at full 

 speed, as if winged by fear ; — an enormous 

 lye ran right across the glacier, about half- 

 way down. The old burrell, who was leading, 

 had great difficulty in stoi^ping ; he had 

 reached the brink of the yawning chasm, 

 and was nearly in : he succeeded, however, 

 in pulling up, and, turning coolly round, 

 retired about ten paces, and then went at 

 it like an old hunter. He cleared it well, all 



