JOURNEY OVER MOUNT GOTTHARD. 319 



At two different places we come to clefts, very nar- 

 row and profound, hollow T ed out of the fide of the 

 mountain, through each of which a ftream runs 

 gurgling down. From thefe clefts cold winds are con- 

 ftantly iffuing towards the road, and which are caufed 

 by the milling waters. 



Towards evening, when I had got down above half 

 of the way, it began to be very warm. My Fahren- 

 heit's thermometer flood at 74 degrees. However, 

 when I had got within the diftance of three miles from 

 the Dorf am Staeg, confequently not far from the bot- 

 tom, I came to yet another large bridge of fnow over 

 a full rivulet running fideways out of the mountain. 

 My guide, who rode before me, wanted here to pro- 

 ceed acrofs the fnow, feeing there was already a beaten 

 track ; but the horfe obftinately refufed to take it. 

 The rider had recourfe to violent meafures, and fet 

 fpurs to the beaft with all his might ; but this only 

 made him kick and plunge, and he abfolutely would 

 not advance. At length the rider was forced to com- 

 ply, rode fomewhat farther up by the fide of the ri- 

 vulet, and there was a ftone bridge under the fnow. 

 In pairing over the bridge, I took notice, that what I 

 had before taken for a firm mafs of fnow, was a high 

 arch of fnow only about an ell thick, under which the 

 rivulet ran with impetuofity. I was irruck with terror 

 at the thought that here we fhould in all probability 

 have perifhed, if the horfe of my conductor had not 

 been wifer than his rider. The fnowy vault, from its 

 being fo very thin, would infallibly have given way 

 under us. 



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