"No!"

"By the Prarion, perhaps?"
"No!"

"I arrived here to-day by the 'Black Head' and I propose to-morrow to attempt the pass of Anterne, provided I can find a guide. I understand you have been able to procure one.” "Yes!"

"Nothing but yes and no"-muttered I to myself, but determining to end the matter, I said, "May I take the liberty, sir, in case I am unable to procure a guide, to ask permission to accompany you and pay one half the wages of yours?"

"Yes, you may take the liberty." Disgusted with the man and his manner, I left him to take a stroll.

It is pleasant to the traveler in such a wild and solitary region, to wander at eventide amongst the hills, with no other care than to see what is to be seen, and to converse with the occasional passers by. As I thus walked, I came across a rock covered with ruins-it was called Mount St. Michael.

Two goats that were browsing there, ran away at my approach, leaving me master of the place. I therefore seated myself near some young alder trees which grew there, and oh! what a luxury to be seated in such a place at such an hour.

The valley was already in the shade, but from the side where it opened towards Mont Blanc a resplendent light burst forth, gilding the frozen sides of the surrounding hills whose serrated summits were magnificently reflected against the deep azure of the sky.

As the sun declined, the glow gradually subsided from the fields of ice and from the transparent depths, and when from the last peak the last glimmer had disappeared, it seemed as if life had ceased to animate nature.

Then my senses which were before riveted to these summits and the scene before me, were brought back again, and I

night wind, my ear heard again the noise of the river murmuring far below, and from the heights of contemplation my mind descended to think of supper and of shelter.

Just then a priest who had come to look after his goats, passed along and I joined him. I found him possessed of considerable knowledge of the pass of Anterne and I would have proposed to him to act as my guide the next day, but for the extreme cowardice that he manifested.

"Men accustomed to these mountains," said he, "sometimes take that route, but no others. The snow in some places is very deep and not a week ago, two pigs belonging to our neighbor Peter, were lost there, and his wife who was bringing them back from the market at Samoens, also perished. I assure you this road is very bad, especially in June."

I argued on the strength of my guidebook, that, the pass was not dangerous, but on the contrary it must be comparatively easy since it was only 7,086 feet above the level of the sea, whilst the line of perpetual snow is 7,812; but as the force of my argument did not seem convincing to the priest, I took my pencil and making the calculation on the cover of my guide-book, showed him that before we reached the summit of the ridge, there were 726 feet of rock without snow or ice.

"I do not understand your figures," said he in his provincial dialect-" and your guide-book is not to be relied on—but this I do know, that two years ago this very month, a young Englishman was overtaken here and lost in the snow. I saw his father, who overcome with grief and tears, had come to search for him; he was taken to the hospitable home of Renaud, who set before him dried walnuts, meat and liquors and tried to comfort him, but he could not be soothed-he wanted his son, and thirtysix hours afterwards he was found a corpse."

It was very evident that this man had confounded the names of the localities, for the guide-book was positive, and as I did

not care for a little danger, and presuming that the priest in his timidity had exaggerated the matter, I was the more firmly fixed in my determination to attempt the passage of Anterne. I resolved too, to cross without a guide, (since I had been unable to procure one,) trusting to my book and taking care to set out directly after the Englishman, so as in a manner to be guided by his footsteps.

When I returned to the hotel, I found supper ready, a small table was set apart for me, whilst on the other side of the room the Englishman was seated at a separate table with his daughter whom I had not seen before; she was young and handsome, all blushing with the freshness of expanding womanhood, and her manners presented that mixture of grace and stiffness that is characteristic of young English girls of aristocratic birth.

As I understood English, I would have been able to profit by the conversation without taking part in it; but they spake in monosyllables, expressing a dignified disgust with the waiters, the character of the dishes, and even implying a doubt of the cleanliness of the dishes and utensils themselves.

When supper was over, the guide entered. "Well, sir," said he, "we will have to set out very early in the morning. I have been examining the weather and about noon we will have a storm and it is extremely dangerous to be on the summit at such a time on account of the snow."

This off hand manner of expressing himself visibly offended the gentleman, but before deigning to reply, he held a conversation in English with his daughter.

Eng. "This guide is very disrespectful." Daugh. "He appears to be a stupid fellow, tell him that we will not set out if there is a cloud to be seen in the sky."

Eng. to the guide. "I do not wish to start until the sky is perfectly clear."

"How," replied the guide, "At daybreak there will be clouds, but nevertheless we must set out at daybreak."

To the guide. "I tell you I will not leave this place if there is a single cloud to be seen."

Guide. "Just as you please. I will bet that you will not see the sky until nine o'clock; I suppose then you will want to leave at nine o'clock; but I tell you that about noon we will have a storm and we will then be just in the midst of the snows, whereas if we set out at daybreak, by noon we will be at Sixt and then the hardship will be over."

Eng. to his daughter. "This is only a trick of his, do you understand it? He knows it will be a bad day to-morrow and he wants us to start very early, because he is afraid that when it begins to rain we will not go and he will lose his money." Daugh. "I believe so too."

Eng. "These men are all great thieves." Daugh. "Every one of them.-Tell him what we have decided on; he is caught in his own trap."

Eng. to the guide. "My friend, I understand your design perfectly well, but I do not intend to set out unless the sky is as free from clouds as this plate. Do you understand?"

Guide. "Yes, I understand, but it is perfect folly-stop till I bring in Peter with his two pigs that he has lost."

Eng. "I forbid you to bring in the pigs." Guide. " It is merely to let you see, sir, that"—

Eng. "I forbid you."

Guide. "Just as you please."
Eng. "I forbid you, sir.”

The guide then went out, and I was unable from the conversation to form any idea of the hour they would set out.

to start. The Englishman, already of fended by the conversation of the previous evening, hearing the racket the guide was making, sprang out of bed, put his nose to the window, and seeing the sky all covered with clouds, he was unable to restrain his indignation.

"You rascal you, what do you mean?" he cried from behind the door. "I understand your roguery and I declare again that I will not start if there is a single cloud in all the circumference of the heavens. Clear out then, at once and don't bother me."

The guide went away grumbling, not being able to understand the reason of this blunt reception.

His meteorological predictions seemed about to be realized. At eight o'clock the sun pierced the canopy of clouds which until now had hung over the valley and having dispelled the mists, soon shone forth in a perfectly clear sky.

It was not till then that the Englishman and his daughter made up their minds to set out, and mounted their mules which had been standing ready saddled before the door of the inn for more than two hours. A third mule carried their baggage to Sixt by a shorter and easier route.

About twenty minutes after they had gone, I shouldered my little knapsack and set out on foot after them.

The mountain we had to climb was beautifully picturesque, about half way up the brow of the hill was covered with magnificent timber; first walnut, then beech and fir in regular succession: soon the first birch made its appearance whose trembling foliage crowns the light silvery bark. At length we reach the rocks of Fiz. These rocks stretch upwards to the clouds, and seem higher and more fearful as we approach they form a vast chain reaching nearly to Sallenche where they are terminated by the majestic peak of Warens. Gradually undermined by streams flowing down from the great lakes of ice above, immense masses of rock have become dis

or projections which are now thickly wooded, and are interspersed with smiling pasture fields; in some instances the bodies of men, hamlets and even whole sections of country have been buried beneath them.

At long intervals some bold hunter scales the summit of Fiz, and they say that at the extreme top there is a calm deep lake about which the country people relate marvelous things.

About eleven o'clock, clouds began to gather in the deep gorges of the mountains; Mont Blanc assumed a leaden colored appearance and the angles of the rocks were thrown in heavy shadows on the hoary back ground, at the same time cold puffs of wind began to blow from the South.

I thought of the prediction of the guide but only to smile at the Englishman, who in order to escape an imaginary trap had laid a real one for himself.

From time to time, where the woods were less thick and the slope of the mountains more steep, I caught sight of the two mules above my head. The Englishman and his daughter traveled on without saying a word, until the guide who was leading the mule on which the young lady rode, stopped to show them something.

It is a custom amongst the guides in this region of country, to point out to travelers a spot of a yellowish color which is seen at a great height against the bare walls of Fiz. They call this spot the man of Fiz, because it has the form and appearance of a pair of yellow breeches, so that altogether it looks like the figure of a giant.

It was this curiosity that the guide pointed out with his finger to the young lady; an expression of offended dignity was pictured upon the face of the lady whilst her father showed signs of the most comical indignation.

The young lady's anger visibly increased, whilst her father outraged by this recital, exclaimed "You are a rude fellow, sirI told you not to repeat that nasty word. I shall not pay you one farthing unless you obey me. Spur up the mule, Clara."

They resumed their journey. The guide, a simple chamois hunter, only occasionally employed as a guide, and like all those of Chamouni, rude and unpolished in his manners, understood the threat, though he did not understand the rules of etiquette; hence he did not insist further, but putting in his mouth a huge pipe crammed full of tobacco which he drew from his pocket, he proceeded to strike fire.

Clara. "What an abominable smell we shall have if this fellow smokes his pipe!" Eng. to Clara-"I never knew such an insufferable man!"

To the guide.—“I forbid you to smoke sir, because my daughter dislikes the smell."

Guide. "There will be no smell, this is good tobacco, the very best."

The entire scene was changed; on the left arose perpendicular rocks, on the right the base of Mont Buet all ice and barrenness. On every side the prospect was desolate and melancholy, varied only here and there by white patches of snow.

Eng. to Clara-"I suspect that this knave has lost the road."

"I fear he has," replied his daughter anxiously.

Eng. "You have brought us into a bad road, guide."

Guide. "We have no time now to complain, let us make haste to reach the topForward! Forward!"

Guide. "Forward! you would not listen to me yesterday, now you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have drawn this upon yourselves."

"I want to turn back," exclaimed the young lady, very much frightened.

Guide. "Impossible miss! but it is

for us, if we were safely on the other side

attention to the command.

"Stop," repeated the young lady, "stop," exclaimed her father, " quick! quick!”

Without stopping, however, or making any reply, the guide attentively examined the sky behind us-when suddenly stopping the mules, he cried out, "Come, you must dismount."

"Dismount!" they both exclaimed in a breath.-"Yes and quick-it is folly to think of going back; look at the storm that threatens us behind, the wind would overtake us in the middle of the road; we have but one chance, and that is to escape the force of the wind; the summit is still far distant-if we attempt to pass it, we must perish before reaching there. We must climb this slope on the left-once there we will be protected from the wind -down! then-the mules will find their own way— down! quick!"