ET, 28.] JOURNAL. 249 
munication took place mostly by signs and single 
words, I giving him the German names as far as I 
could of what I wished. I got a very comfortable 
lunch of cold roast meat; but I wanted some straw- 
berries, and could not think of the German name, and 
had considerable difficulty. At length he seemed 
dubiously to comprehend what I wanted; he went 
out, and returned in a few moments with a fine dish 
of the article in question. Excellent cream is as com- 
mon as need be; so I had a fine feast. I found that 
I was the first visitor here this season. I amused my- 
self with looking over the travelers’ book (which you 
always find) and reading the remarks of former visit- 
ors. An Englishman the summer before had ascended 
the highest peak of the Titlis. I afterwards saw that 
this could readily be done, as my route led me close 
to the top of the main body of the mountain. 
To get into the valley of the Aar it was necessary 
to cross the Joch, a mountain connected with the 
Titlis, and almost as high. The pass between the two 
mountains is almost 7,000 feet at the summit, is cov- 
ered with snow, and is in immediate proximity with 
the glaciers of the Titlis. The ascent is exceedingly 
difficult ; indeed, from all I can learn, it is much more 
difficult than any of the passes at all frequented by 
travelers. I took a guide to the summit and some 
distance beyond, as a stranger could never have found 
the way. My guide was an old man of sixty years. 
From a high ridge near the summit, which belonged 
rather to the Titlis, I had a magnificent view of the 
mountains to the north and the valley I had passed 
through, and on the other side, close to us, of a vast 
glacier ; the streams emerging from it formed a small 
river, which we had some difficulty in crossing, and 
