ET. 28.] JOURNAL. 259 
distant. They sallied out with their guide and left 
me to myself, which was one sdtohage: But in three 
hours they returned, giving an sieaanctie account of 
the difficulties and dangers of the way. When just 
abandoning the attempt they heard a ery for help, and 
succeeded in rescuing another party of three with their 
guide, who had lost their way in the thick mist and 
storm and were wandering about in the drifts, suf- 
fering extremely with the cold, and who, as well as 
their guide, had given up all hope of reaching the 
hospice unless their cries should perchance be heard 
and bring them aid. All returned to the hospice 
together, and no further attempts to leave it were 
made that day. When left alone I had the fire to 
myself, and was spending the time in as profitable a 
manner as possible, thinking a little, too, of the strange- 
ness of passing the day in such an elevated position ; 
so their return, with an accession to their company, 
though very desirable for them, was not so favorable 
to me. And then of all people in the world the Ger- 
mans are the noisiest talkers; Frenchmen are nothing 
to them ; the fire which dried their clothes and warmed 
their fingers loosened their tongues, and they kept up 
a continual gabble for the greater part of the day. 
Scareely a winter passes that some persons are not 
lost in this pass during such storms. A gloomy lake 
on the summit of the mountain, into which the bodies 
are thrown for burial, receives the name of “ The 
Lake of the Dead ” (Todten-See). 
Monday morning, still enveloped in the clouds, but 
the storm sipancutty over. Found it no use trying 
to make a visit to the Rhone glacier ; the clouds were 
so thick we could scarcely hope to find it, and the 
recent snow so deep nothing could be seen. Was 
