a young chamois on the moraine. The two guides were approaching the animal, not together, but each seeking the safest path for his mule. la the course they were taking they would have passed on either side of the chamois. From our elevated situation we saw that it had not discovered their approach, until Trag's head appeared to it as he ascended the moraine. Contrary to the usual habits of these animals, which is to escape up the glacier, this dashed down to rush into the ravine, and passed in a moment both the guides. It had happened, that in getting down the mules from our attempt to lead them over the rocks, my friend's umbrella had dropped from the baggage of his mule, and was missing. The goat-herd had been sent back for it, and as the chamois entered the ravine, it was met by him, and turned. At the instant of the chamois' descent, Garinot'e dog, who was also our companion, directed by his master, caught sight of the terrified animal, and sprung down the rocks after it. In a few moments we saw the chamois return and the dog close upon it-so close, that in attempting to ascend on the left, the dog cut off its retreat-chased it round a rock, and turned it again towards the ravine-the whole party surrounding it, shouted and pelted it with stones; several doubles were made, and at length the poor chamois ran up the rocks between us and the ravine. Garinot's spirit was up, he joined his dog in the chase, leaping with the agility of a goat from rock to rock, and for several minutes we lost sight of him; when he returned, almost breathless, for he had to regain the height we had attained, he said that the chamois, hemmed in on all sides, and running behind with terror, had dashed over a precipiece 50 or 60 feet, into the torrent, and as he did not see its escape from the ravine, he had no doubt of its having been killed. We had no time to ascertain the fact, but he advised Bernard to look out on his return. It is impossible to describe the excitement of this adventure; the syndic said he had never witnessed or heard of such an actual chase. The chamois hunter usually skulks about at twilight, until he gets near enough to shoot the animal;here we actually pelted it for some

time-for the scene of the sport was immediately below us, within a stone's throw. Garinot regretted that he had not brought his rifle; and having ascertained, in the course of our journey, that I had pistols, he reproached me for not having fired one at the chamois-not that there was any chance of my killing it, but that the report would for a moment have arrested it, and his dog, used to the discharge of firearms, would then have caught it; for at one moment in the chase, the dog was within its own length of the animal. During the day, the syndic again and again adverted to this extraordinary chase, and said, "You may revisit the Alps a thousand times, and not again witness a similar scene."

Continuing to climb from the rocks, we soon fell into the direction which the mules had to pass, but our route was trackless. We were much aided, however, by the goatherd, whose skill was great in leading the way, and detecting the stones which had been placed by former travellers on the rocks or on other stones, the only mode in these wild regions of marking the easiest ascent, for often the most probable in appearance is the most impracticable in fact. A thousand other stones accidentally resembling those placed, would have bewildered any other than a regular mountaineer. We carefully placed or replaced those marks which had become less conspicuous, for the benefit of those few wanderers who might follow us. The danger and difficulty of the ascent was so great, that Bernard, dreading his return from the summit, cursed Trag for having decoyed him into this enterprise, and we now learnt that this obsequious rascal had never ascended the Lautaret before, and that Garinot, who had often been into the valley of Viu, by the Col d'Arnas, had not crossed the Lautaret within 15 years; both had been deceived by Trag, and it was providential that we had taken the syndic with us; he remembered enough of the difficulties of his former journey to wish for the guidance of a person more recently acquainted with it, and the goat-herd proved a valuable acquisition. But Trag's reluctance to have a man from Averole, and his sneer at the employment of the lad,

we could not understand, unless he considered that we had only a certain sum to meet the expenses of our journey, and every franc lessened the purse which he expected to share. Many things occurred to make us dislike the fellow, and not the least was the discovery of his ignorance of the road with which he had declared himself familiar, and had undertaken to be our guide; this is one of the serious disadvantages to travellers in the Alps out of the beaten track. In Switzerland and Savoy guides generally bear about with them the recommendations of former travellers whom they have conducted; in less frequented places, men are ready to offer their services, and swear to their knowledge of roads which they have never travelled; this should be well ascertained.

The ascent to the summit seemed to be endless. We had climbed high above the glaciers which had appeared to be so unattainable, and looking over them saw beyond what the syndic said was the summit of the Roche Melon, the lofty mountain which bounds on the left the valley of Novalise but as we afterwards saw it well, farther on our left, the peak we saw was probably that of Roche Michael, which rests above the northern boundary of the pass of the Mount Cenis. Still" Alps o'er Alps" arose, and we still wearily ascended hundreds of feet; at length, after crossing with difficulty some dangerous slopes of snow, we reached a rock whence we had a view of the actual Col, separated from us by a glacier, which we had to cross. Here Bernard begged hard to be let off, and we allowed him to return, whilst he swore never to resume a journey with his mule to the Col de Lautaret. An enormous glacier, several miles long, coursed the crest of the mountain on the right of our path. Here we saw another chamois, and the dog gave chase, pursuing it over the snow; they could long be distinguished as dark specks in motion on its vast bed; at length they were lost in the distance.

Here, on the rock, we emptied our bottles, and ate our last bread and cheese, and seeing enough of difficulty before us, offered to double the pay of the goatherd to induce him to go with us to the summit and

across the glaciers, which Garinot told us lay on the other side. Bernard remained to wait for the assistance of the lad on his return, and we marched up the glacier to the highest point of the passage, which was marked by a pile of stones heaped up from the debris of a rock of gneiss, which, on the right, flanks and surmounts the Col; but this indication was unnecessary, for, from the crest of the pass to far below us, on the other side, lay a steep slope, at least a thousand feet deep, and terminated by a dark lake, which the lad said was yet partly frozen. It lay at the base of the black precipices of the mountain, which, towards the lake, bounded this awful solitude. Down every opening in the mountain side, the glaciers, with which it was filled, descended almost to the black water beneath it. The mass below us, across which our pathless course lay, was a vast glacier covered with snow. On the right, it rose and formed the sky-line, and, far in the depth and distance, the syndic pointed out to us the rocks through which our only path of exit from this abyss lay. It could not be clearly distinguished, and seemed impracticable.

We began the descent. The danger, from its steepness, was so great, that we were directed to proceed with caution across the slope towards the passage in the rocks. Garinot led Trag's mule in the course we were to follow. Trag had disputed the propriety of the path we pursued, and descended more abruptly towards the lake to reconnoitre, intending to proceed towards the rocks from the bottom of the glacier. Garinot had no confidence in him, and continued his march. Soon Trag's voice thundered up the glacier, announcing, that it would be certain destruction to proceed by the course Garinot was taking; for, from where he was, he could sec immediately below us a fissure in the glacier half a mile long, and varying in width from one to five or six feet. This was concealed from us like a hawhaw, because the lower side had sunk below the plane of the upper. Garinot, however, persevered, after desiring us to stand firmly where we were. Trag prayed, entreated,

and cursed his obstinacy. At length the syndic saw his danger, and, getting the lad to assist him, attempted to turn the mule and retrace his steps. In doing so, the poor beast slipped from them, and rolled over and over down the glacier, to our horror. It crossed the crevice at a spot which was fortunately narrow, but continued its frightful descent towards the lake, imbedding and leaving our luggage in the snow as it rolled over. Garinot lost not a moment; he dashed downwards in a sitting posture, with greater speed than the mule rolled, and shot safely across the fissure. Trag also slid forward, perfectly understanding Garinot's action. They met below the mule, and, when near the bottom, succeeded in stopping it. Our situation during this scene cannot be imagined. We stood perfectly still; the lad had rushed down to aid the men with the mule; and, at length, one lifting it by the bridle, and another by the tail, the poor beast was poised and placed trembling upon its legs, and left there, to allow it time to rest and recover itself. The boy and Garinot then came to assist us down. Retracing part of our path, to avoid the dan ger of the crevice, we passed it safely. As we proceeded, the syndic was very desirous of impressing us with a knowledge of the danger we had providentially escaped. We climbed up to a part of the fissure, and, when near it, crawled along, and even laid ourselves as flat as possible on the snow, lest, near the edge, the ice should be dangerously thin. At length we looked into the horrible abyss of the crevice, unable to perceive its botton, probably a hundred feet below us; but the beautiful and brilliant display of every tint of blue, from the most delicate azure near the surface, to the intense blue in the darkness of its depth, was most striking. The upper edge along the whole line was fringed with enormous icicles several feet long, and much larger than my arm. With a stick we succeeded in knocking off some, and, as they fell into the caverns of ice below, the noise they occasioned, until it subsided and was lost in the depth, was most awful.

We reached the mule in safety, and, having collected our baggage,

and reloaded it, and arrived where danger ceased, we dismissed our goatherd, and passed the narrow outlet of this scene, which we cast a last look upon with feelings of intense emotion. The gorge was very short, but bounded by lofty precipices. On the top of these, on the right, the keen eye of Garinot saw the heads and horns of several chamois looking over and down upon us. From their inaccessible height they seemed to know their security, for though, when we shouted, they shrunk back, we soon saw their heads again; they only finally disappeared when I fired a pistol towards them.

After passing this gorge, we crossed another, but a much smaller glacier, with ease and safety, and then through another ravine. On issuing from this, a glorious scene presented itself, and which we were just in time to enjoy, for clouds were beginning to form on the Piedmontese side. We looked into the highest basin of the valley of Viu. On the right, and half round the amphitheatre, it was bounded by the Roche Melon. Before us the plains of Italy were seen over and beyond the range of mountains which separate them from the valley of Viu. On the left, we saw the rugged peaks and glaciers of the high range which divides the Col de Lautaret from the Col d'Arnas. Below us lay our course, down the bed of the torrent-the Stura of Viu, which issues from the lake of the Lautaret along its steep banks, and beneath the terrific precipices which bound them. So faintly were the plains seen over the intervening range of mountains, that it is probable they escaped our observation on the Col of the Lautaret, otherwise, from this greater elevation, they ought to have been more distinctly observed.

We descended with great difficulty, yet got on very well, until, unable to follow the course of the torrent, by the cataracts which it made, we turned to the right, and soon found ourselves on the brink of precipices, over which, though we could, with great care, descend from ledge to ledge, it seemed to be impracticable for a mule. We preceded the syndic and Trag, and when we had overcome the last seri

ous difficulty in our descent, we rested and looked back to see how it was possible to get the poor mule down -it appeared to our guides to be impracticable. We saw them come

to the edge of the precipices, and Garinot shake his head in despair; then disappear to explore in search of an easier place for descending. No other presented itself; and shouting down to us his enquiries, learnt from our replies our conviction that it was impossible to lead down the mule by the path which we had descended. Garinot, however, a resolute mountaineer, taking the bridle, and Trag the tail of the poor beast, urged or lifted it from ledge to ledge, sometimes by main strength, lying back against the rocks, and suspending the mule between them until its footing was safe. Once the sliding of the mule down to a place of safety brought down Trag also, and we expected the following instant to see both fall over; but, by the skill and resolution of these men, especially of Garinot, and the passive obedience of the mule, seemingly conscious of its danger, they all descended in safety. Below the precipices, we entered upon the pasturages of the Piedmontese inhabitants of the Val de Viu, and saw below us some chalets; but they unfortunately lay too much out of our route to visit them. And this is the pass by which Albanis Beaumont, in his history of the Graian Alps, conjectured that the army and the elephants of Hannibal had passed! The impossibility of such an event occurring here, throws a doubt upon his statement that he had visited these Alps himself. But though Hannibal never could have passed this way, a French patrol of thirty or forty soldiers did, during the war of the Revolution, descend to Malchiusa, the only military occurrence on this route recorded. There is a tradition of a post courier having been formerly established this way, but like that which still regularly crosses the Great St Bernard, it must have been a hardy mountaineer on foot. The only changes which time effects in these regions, are in the advance or retirement, the enlarging or lessening of the glaciers. Ages have passed without a change in the form and character of the pass by the rocks and precipices, and these pre

sent a barrier not likely to be again attempted by a mule at least. Our men declared that nothing should tempt their return by the Col de Lautaret.

After resting a short time, we started, and hastened our descent; for clouds began to envelope the Roche Melon, and the mountain which we had passed was already concealed from us. A little drizzling rain fell, which gave us firmer footing on the smooth pasturage; and, after a long and fatiguing descent, we passed below the chalets of Malchiusa, and found ourselves at the foot of the Roche Melon, whose head was now obscured. Here we met a boy, who told us that we were two good hours from Usseglio, the first hamlet where there was an inn; we made up our minds that two good hours meant four ordinary ones, and we found them so. The pasturages in which the chalets of Malchiusa are situated, are so rich and extensive, that they feed during three months 15,000 sheep annually, besides the cows and goats brought here for summer pasturage.

The whole course of the valley bears the name of Viu; but parts of the same valley are distinguished by that of some proximate village; that part which we reached was above a ravine, known by the name of Malchiusa. When we reached the torrent, we perceived that it rushed into this deep ravine, and that it would be necessary to ford it from the left bank, where we were, as the face of the rock on this side above the torrent was impracticable. We crossed with difficulty; and ascending above the precipices, on the right bank, found our path along thin, dangerous edges, and thence, by a difficult descent, reached a little plain, which appeared like paradise, after the scenes through which we had wandered.

We crossed into

this plain, by an Alpine bridge, below the overhanging rocks, which, on the left of the torrent, terminated the lower end of the ravine. Beneath these precipices we saw some wretched cabins, built, in some places, within the crevices of the rock, and in others excavated. This was the highest spot in the valley inhabited throughout the year. Thence we proceeded by a path through some meadows-the only

piece of level ground that we had seen since the morning. It brought us to Margone, a miserable village, where there was a chapel. Here we were struck with the vigorous appearance of the inhabitants, especially of the women. Their fine mien and tall forms were unlike those of a similar class in any other of the Piedmontese valleys. There was a look of haughty independence about them, but their dirty faces and clothes were proofs that they did not often make acquaintance with the bright streams of their valley. We had hoped that this place was Usseglio, but we learnt that we had yet two long miles of descent to make before we could reach it. We could get no refreshment at Margone; and even if we could, Garinot's suspicion and his dislike of the people of the valley would have induced him to urge us on quickly. He had the common prejudice of the Savoyards that the inhabitants of the Piedmontese valleys were thieves and murderers. The day was closing upon us, and he was impatient to get into a country more inhabited. On leaving Margone, we found a tolerable mountain road, with low drystone walls on either side. For some time we skirted the edge of a lofty precipice, above a ravine of tremendous depth. Descending from this height, we passed groups of labourers returning from their harvest, and many of them, generally the women, bearing heavy loads upon their shoulders, so placed and borne, that we were led to conclude that the ease with which such loads were carried, left them graceful and firm when without their burdens. Garinot recognised an old acquaintance in one of the groups.

Our course lay down a succession of steep descents, from one little plain of meadow to another, each becoming richer, until we got among trees, and more cultivated spots, and passed two or three little villages, and observed a valley opening on the left above Usseglio, which led by the Col d'Arnas to Bessans. Soon after we descended into the little plain of Usseglio, and reached the village itself after a long and adventurous day's journey. On our arriving there after dark, we were directed to what was called an albergo. Certainly it was not a place

of entertainment for man, and scarcely for horse. A Frenchman would hardly have condescended to call it a cabaret; and an Englishman's thoughts, associated with a pothouse, would certainly have been raised to an hotel, compared with it; however, we only wanted rest and refreshment. Alas! that we should have needed so much, for these were not to be found here. We ascended a flight of dirty stone steps from a stable, and entered a filthy chamber, "the parlour, kitchen, and hall;" a gaunt, unwashed, masculine-looking woman stood behind a mass of masonry, in which a pit or two served as fire-places for charcoal, and the rest of the surface for the kitchen table-disarranged, on some shelves, were dirty stone bottles containing delicious rosolio, aquavitæ, &c. The floor was covered with slops and vegetable parings and filth, six inches thick, the accumulation of an unswept floor for many years. A steep ladder led through a hole into an upper floor, where was either a piggery or a nursery; the inmates had been disturbed by our arrival, and their noises left the zoological genus uncertain, until we saw one by one of the filthy generation of this house, quarrelling for precedence, and crawling a few steps down the ladder to look upon us. Young as the children were, they had already gathered over their otherwise naked bodies some portion of that inheritance which had been squandered on the floor. These imps stared and grinned at us until the gentle tones of their grim mother's voice drove them again into the concealment of their dark and dirty habitation.

We succeeded in getting some Grisane and boiled eggs, and Garinot, who had observed our mode of making tea at his house, having laboured hard to clean some vessels, soon obtained boiling water, and we enjoyed the refreshing beverage after our day's walk. Our guides drank the wine placed before them, and obtained something to eat with appetites fortunately not over delicate. When we enquired about our beds, we were told that there were none in the house, but that a neighbour had prepared one. I wished to sleep in the grange, or hay loft, but this was overruled. Our dormitory was in the next house to the Inn.