ASCENT OF MONT BLANC. 57 



with Julie, all brightness and blushes, busying about 

 to receive us. 



Several ladies and gentlemen had come thus far to 

 meet us ; and what with the friends and families of 

 the guides, we now formed a very large party indeed. 

 It was here humbly suggested that we should mount 

 our mules, to render our entry into Chamouni as im- 

 posing as possible ; so after the men had drunk with 

 their friends, and with one another, and indeed with 

 everybody, we formed into our order of march across 

 the fields between the two villages. First went the 

 two Tairraz, Balmat, and Carrier, with their ice-axes, 

 as the chiefs of the party, and specially attached to 

 us ; then we came on our mules ; after us walked the 

 body of the guides, with such of their families as had 

 come to meet them, and little boys and girls, so proud 

 to carry their batons, and appear to belong to the 

 procession ; and finally, the porters and volunteers 

 with the knapsacks brought up the rear. And so we 

 went merrily through the fields that border the Arve, 

 in the bright afternoon sunlight, receiving little bou- 

 quets from the girls on the way, and meeting fresh 

 visitors from Chamouni every minute. 



AVe had heard the guns firing at Chamouni ever 

 since we left the Pelerins ; but as we entered the 

 village we were greeted with a tremendous round of 

 Alpine artillery from the roof of the new Hotel Eoyal, 

 and the garden and courtyard of the Hotel de Londres. 

 The whole population was in the streets, and on the 



