ASCENT OF MONT BLA.XC. 37 



The march from the Mulcts to the foot of the 

 Grand Plateau was the most unexciting part of the 

 journey. It was one continuous, steadily ascending 

 tramp of three hours and a half now and then re- 

 tracing our footmarks with a little grumbling, when 

 it was found, on gaining the neck of a ridge of snow, 

 that there was an impracticable crevice on the other 

 side ; but the general work was not much more than 

 that of ascending the Mer de Glace, on your route to 

 the Jardin. Whenever we came to a standstill, our 

 feet directly got very cold ; and the remedy for this 

 was to drive them well into the snow. The guides 

 were anxious that we should constantly keep in 

 motion ; and, indeed, they were never still them- 

 selves during these halts. 



We had nearly gained the edge of the Grand 

 Plateau when our caravan was suddenly brought to 

 a stop by the announcement from our leading guide 

 of a huge crevice ahead, to which he could not see 

 any termination ; and it was far too wide to cross by 

 any means. It appeared that the guides had looked 

 forward all along to some difficulty here, and they 

 were now really anxious ; for Tairraz said, that if we 

 could not reach the other side our game was up, and 

 we must return. Auguste Devouassoud went ahead 

 and called for a lantern. We had now only one left 

 alight : two had burnt out, and the other had been 

 lost, shooting away like a meteor down the glacier 

 until it disappeared in a gulf. The remaining light 



