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Swiss Mountains and Cottages
(153) the ridge could be turned at all. Here, We passed close under the tremendous carefully arranging our legs so as not to Cima di Jazi, whose overhanging cornice kick each other over, we prepared to dine. seemed as if it would fall and crush us, It was twelve exactly, the sun was burn- skirting several yawning crevasses, and ing us, and there was not a vestige of we were four weary hours before we got shade. Looking the way we had come, off the snow on to the solid ice of the beyond the distant peaks, we saw a lake, Gorner glacier. This was harder to the which our guide declared was Lago Mag- feet, but sloppy and uncomfortable. giore.
Presently we reached the first rock of the On the other side, the way we had yet lateral moraine, and under its shelter we to go appeared boundless fields of snow, all lay down and slept for about threewith a few black rocks cropping up here quarters of an hour. We passed quite and there, the Matterhorn and other well- around the base of Monte Rosa, and, known peaks towering above them. It sometimes on rocks, sometimes on the was a wonderful sight, but so hot that glacier, we at length struck into the path after we had eaten all we could, we soon leading to the Riffel Hotel. Hence, a crept amongst some rocks in hopes of a short and easy walk brought us to Zerlittle shelter. This we did not find; but matt, one of the noblest centres of grand it blew fresher on this side, and we scenery in the world. were obliged to be content with that. There is no place in Switzerland which After a while we prepared to descend has arisen so rapidly in public favor as this interminable plateau of snow; the Zermatt. Its situation is surpassingly heat of the snow had, of course, made it fine, lying, as it does, in a great natural very soft, and we sank up to our knees at basin, into which six glaciers fall. There every step. We tried a glissade, but it is a great and charming variety of scenwas impossible; so we were forced to push ery-savage and grand, as well as peaceon as best we could. ful.
