soldat"-as he had styled and always proved himself as we descended the other side of the Col, he and Charlet shouldering the bags and saddle once more.

The descent was most delightful. After quitting the highest rocks we wound our way down among sunny glades of larches and wide prairies, like park scenes on an Alpine scale. On the wooded hillside were quantities of whinberries loaded with fruit, and numbers of nests of the large black wood ant, which we rarely met with in Piedmont.

Torgnon was approached by much the same kind of scenery as had led us down to St. Barthélemy the day before, chiefly through open pastures and meadows, which abounded in the numerous plants, such as the milkworts, plantain, &c., which contribute the remarkably nutritious qualities to the Alpine hay. Vipers, or rather asps (Vipera aspis), were abundant in this valley, and we met with many in these meadows, one of which I "bottled," as being so beautifully marked—and, of course, Charlet was intensely amused at my treasuring the "vermin."

At Torgnon we hunted up the curé, who took us to a little cabaret, where we could get nothing but rye bread and some thin wine; but we passed a most agreeable hour in his company. The situation of Torgnon is commanding, and has a fine view far down the valley to the south.

path led us down to Here our trusty guide

A steep and rough but regular Antey, which we reached at two. Barailler, to whom we had in the short time taken a great liking, was to have left us, but we found the whole village, mules and all, had gone up to the mountains in procession to invoke the aid of St. Grat, or some other Alpine saint, in procuring rain-the very last thing we should have thanked them for doing. The one old man left creeping about the straggling houses on the hillside told us no one would return until the evening, and nothing was to be had to eat or drink until then.

On both sides we were equally unwilling to part, and Barailler at once volunteered to go on to Valtournanche, our resting-place-he and Charlet most cheerfully offering to carry the baggage themselves. We gladly accepted their services and started again up the Val, after a rest at Antey, where all our endeavours to get something eatable were in vain, and we had to content ourselves with breaking up lumps of black bread on the stone walls, and munching them as we went along. In three hours, as our men were heavily laden, we reached the village of Valtournanche, and at a little auberge, recently opened, found shelter for the night.

CHAPTER IX.

VAL TOURNANCHE.

Valtournanche-Pass of Mont Cervin- Arrangements for ascent - Châlets of Breuil- Sunrise Ascent of Glacier-Col St. Théodule - Meynet's cabin-Scene from summit - Mont Cervin -- An ascent of the Breithorn - Animal and vegetable life- Earthquake-Return to Valtournanche Night quarters Descent to Châtillon-Geology

d'Aosta Châtillon.

Val

ON approaching Valtournanche, we soon found we had left for a time the unfrequented recesses we had been traversing, for the track of tourists. Of this we had unmistakeable evidence in the importunities of guides and beggars-the pests of the Swiss traveller, and imported over the Alps, or, at least, the fashion of them, with pretentious hotels, inconsiderate Englishmen, extortionate charges, and other advances of civilization.

The Val Tournanche leads by the great pass of the Mont Cervin, or Col St. Théodule, at the head of it, over to Zermatt, in the Valais. Though one of the highest passes in the Alps-about 11,000 feet-and not without danger, unless proper precautions are taken, as evinced by the frequent loss of life on it-yet it has become much better known of late years, and the number of travellers who attempt it is continually increasing.

Formerly the curé at Valtournanche used to entertain strangers, but we found a small house had recently been roughly fitted up there as an inn, with the title of the Hôtel du Mont Cervin; the landlord of which seemed to doubt whether the very short season, little more than a month or six weeks, would remunerate him for his outlay and the additional expense of licences from Government and the