86 ALPINE FLOWERS. Part I. 



noble groups of dark Pines, forming vast natural parks — fill him 

 with the most agreeable ideas of what his lot is to be when he is 

 up amongst the Gentians and Primulas on the high mountains. 

 The Castle of Chillon comes in to make the scene more interest- 

 ing, associated as it is with thoughts of Rousseau and the author 

 of ' The Prisoner of Chillon.' The too rapid rail allows but a 

 moment to see the castle and the neighbourhood of varied love- 

 liness by which it is surrounded, and a glimpse at the solitary 

 little islet — 



" A small green isle, it seemed no more, 

 Scarce broader than my dungeon-floor ; 

 But in it there were three tall trees. 

 And o'er it blew the mountain breeze. 

 And by it there were waters flowing. 

 And in it there were young flowers blowing. 

 Of gentle breath and hue." 



But we must leave these Arcadian spots, and enter the great 

 valley of the Rhone. I wished to reach Visp, situated at the 

 mouth of the Saas Valley, ahd left Geneva in the belief that I 

 should get there in one day, but found the diligence only left 

 Sion near midnight. Jogging over rocky roads in a diligence is 

 not the happiest way of passing the night, particularly when 

 you are informed that it will take seven or eight hours to com- 

 plete your first little stage. I formed one of the passengers 

 of a supplementary diligence, as the ordinary one had already 

 its full complement, and unhappily our carriage parted com- 

 pany with the horses several times during the night, so that 

 there were occasionally stoppages to enable the^drivers to esta- 

 blish with ropes a connection between horses and vehicle. The 

 delay caused by this made me allow a margin beyond the allotted 

 seven hours for Visp, and when, the following morning, we all 

 turned out of our uncomfortable carriages, I had the pleasure of 

 finding that .1 had been carried to Brieg, miles beyond Visp, and 

 at the foot of the Simplon. Fortunately the supplementary 

 diligence was returning by the same route ; so I was enabled 

 to get back to this little earthquake-shaken town without much 

 inconvenience, and soon commenced my first real day on the 

 Alps. 



My intention was to get to Saas, situated about fifteen miles 

 up the valley, see the flora of the region thereabouts, get back 

 to Visp, and, provided only with an alpenstock, determined to 

 return in a day or two ; but unforeseen circumstances pre- 



