proceeded to climb the Glacier des Bossons, at the head of which are several clusters of high sharp rocks, called the Grands Mulets, which can be seen down at Chamouni, lifting their black heads like island peaks high above the surrounding snow.

"On the right hand, and in front, you can scramble up to them pretty well, and gain your resting-place, which is about thirty feet from the summit, either by climbing the rock from the base, which is very steep and fatiguing, or by proceeding farther up along the snow, and then returning a little way, when you find yourself nearly on a level with your shelf-for such it is. A familiar example of what I mean is given in a house built on a steep hill, where the back-door may be on the third story.

The ascent of this rock was the hardest work we had yet experienced: it was like climbing up an immense number of flag-stones, of different heights, set on their edges. Before we got half-way we heard them firing guns at Chamouni, which showed us that we were being watched from the village; and this gave us fresh energy. At last we reached something like a platform, ten or twelve feet long, and three or four broad; and below this was another tolerably level space, with a low parapet of loose stones built round it, whilst here and there were several nooks and corners which might shelter people on emergency. We acknowledged the salute at Chamouni by sticking one of our bâtons into a crevice, and tying a

handkerchief to the top of it; and then set to work to clear away the snow from our resting-place. Contrary to all my expectation, the heat we here experienced was most sultry, and even distressing. Those who have noted how long the granite posts and walls of the Italian cities retain the heat after the sun has gone down, will understand that this rock upon which we were was quite warm wherever the rays fell upon it, although in every nook of shade the snow still remained unthawed.

As soon as we had arranged our packs and bundles, we began to change our clothes, which were tolerably well wet through with trudging and tumbling about among the snow; and, cutting a number of pegs, we strewed our garments about the crannies of the rocks to dry. I put on two shirts, two pairs of lamb's-wool socks, a thick pair of Scotch plaid trousers, a 'Templar' worsted headpiece, and a common blouse; and my companions were attired in a similar manner. There was now great activity in the camp. Some of the guides ranged the wine-bottles side by side in the snow; others unpacked the refreshment knapsacks; others, again, made a rude fire-place, and filled a stewpan with snow to melt. All this time it was so hot, and the sun was so bright, that I began to think the guide who said he should take a parasol up with him, did not deserve to be laughed at."

The travellers arrived at this spot at four in the afternoon, intending to remain till midnight.

"We kept high festival that afternoon on the Grands Mulets. One stage of our journey—and that one by no means the easiest—had been achieved without the slightest hurt or harm. The consciousness of success thus far; the pure, transparent air; the excitement attached to the very position in which we found ourselves; and the strange, bewildering novelty of the surrounding scenery, produced a flowing exhilaration of spirits that I had never before experienced. The feeling was shared by all, and we laughed and sang, and made the guides contribute whatever they could to the general amusement. A fine diversion was afforded by racing the empty bottles down the glacier. We flung them off from the rock as far as we were able, and then watched their course. Whenever they chanced to point neck first down the slope, they started off with inconceivable velocity, leaping the crevices by their own impetus, until they were lost in the distance."

That evening sunset was grand and gorgeous beyond imagination-a perfect sea of glory, such as could not be elsewhere seen on earth!

"A world of wonders, where Creation seems

No more the works of nature, but her dreams."

"Night came at last; and one after another the guides fell asleep, until only three or four remained round the embers of the fire, thoughtfully smoking their pipes. And then silence, impressive beyond expression, reigned

over our isolated world. Often and often, from Chamouni, I had looked up at evening towards the darkening position of the Grands Mulets, and thought, almost with shuddering, how awful it must be for men to pass the night in such a remote, eternal, and frozen wilderness. And now I was lying there-in the very heart of its icebound and appalling solitude. In such close communion with nature in her grandest aspect, with no trace of the actual living world beyond the mere speck that our little party formed, the mind was carried far away from its ordinary train of thought—a solemn emotion of mingled awe and delight, and yet self-perception of abject nothingness, rose above every other feeling. A vast untrodden region of cold, and silence, and death, stretched out far and away from us on every side; but above, Heaven, with its countless watchful eyes, was over all!"

Yes: heaven, or rather the watchful care of Him who made the sea and the dry land, the mighty mountains and the verdant valleys, is over us night and day, wherever we be. With what reverence does the Psalmist exclaim"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."