EXPEDITION TO THE TYROL. 269 



and jumps. On reaching the bottom, we found that, aa 

 usual, the snow had melted some distance from the rock, 

 leaving a deep crevasse. But a tremendous jump, and a 

 succession of tumbles and slides brought us up standing, 

 about fifty yards beyond the awful abyss. 



We toiled up the steep snow-paths merrily enough, and 

 then reached the base of the rock forming the summit of 

 the mountain. Spiegle gave us no time to halt. He 

 pressed forward, and we were too ambitious not to follow 

 as rapidly as we could. We climbed up the last sixty or 

 seventy feet of cliff, and then stood upon the small plat- 

 form, upon the summit of the Wildgrad Kogle. No de- 

 scription can convey an idea of the grand view from this 

 lofty peak. On all sides we saw peak on peak, ridge on 

 ridge, but no valley, however near, could be discerned. 

 We stood in a world of rock and ice, far above even the 

 haunts of the chamois and vulture farther from the cares 

 and vexations of human life, and nearer to the eternal 

 s,ky than I had ever been before. A feeling of awe 

 crept over me, such as only a scene of terrible sublimity 

 could excite and, for many moments, I could do nothing 

 but gaze. 



In the meantime, however, Karl Spiegle had produced 

 some eatables from his wallet, and he now called our at- 

 tention to honoring his provision. Cold mutton and 



extremely hard bread ; and yet how delicious they tasted 



23* 



