A SEARCH FOR THE PLEIADES 265 
until it was the counterpart of that we had de- 
scended ; and though the fatigue of the ascent 
was doubtless greater, we yet knew better what 
we were doing, and the risk of broken limbs 
was less. At intervals we had glimpses of the 
ridge above us, still seeming incredibly far 
away, and gradually swathed in such a dimness 
that we knew, although we could not see, that 
the vapors must be gathering in the air. Still 
we toiled on, up mossy dells, palisaded with the 
shy white orchis, until suddenly a shout from 
some one above caused me to look: round, and 
I saw a sight of exquisite beauty. An opening 
in the woods showed the ravine behind us, dark, 
almost black, with shadow; but beyond this 
the sunlight was so poured on the eastern slope 
of Mount Washington and his companions as to 
make them glisten in double prominence, and 
it was almost impossible to believe that they 
were not snow-covered, — Ido not mean coated 
with continuous and dazzling snow, like Mont 
Blanc, but rather clad in that scattered and 
sprinkled whiteness which clings upon the ter- 
rible peak of the Matterhorn. As we went a 
step farther, the trees hid this fair sight, and 
we entered a domain of utter shadow, fitly pre- 
paring us for the change that was presently to 
come, in the drama of the day. 
Climbing a few steps higher, I saw clearly — 
