closed, and even then the light was
too powerful for them.

We however continued with ease and cheerfulness our descent, until an
unexpected difficulty occurred. Where in the morning we had cut our
footsteps with an axe, we now found the snow so much softened by the
sun, that we sunk in it every third or fourth step, to the middle of
the body. My friend and myself were more subject to this inconvenience
than the guides, on account of the soles of our boots presenting a
less surface to the snow, than those of their large shoes. After
plunging on in this manner for some time, I began to despair of
reaching our rock, which was yet four or five miles distant: but there
was no alternative but to proceed. We therefore kept on, though with
excessive fatigue. We frequently fell forward, and one limb being
tightly engaged in the snow, was violently twisted, and constantly
liable to be sprained; which in our situation would have been a
serious misfortune. The crevices too were, from their edges having
become softened, more dangerous than before. Perseverance and caution,
however, triumphed over all these difficulties, and we reached the
'Grand Mulet,' half an hour after five, our boots, stockings, and
pantaloons completely soaked. These were immediately stretched on the
rock to dry, which the heat of the sun soon effected. I had the
disappointment to find, on examining my pockets, that the bottle which
I had so carefully filled with the air of the summit, had been broken
in one of my frequent falls, and of course my hopes of making with it
some interesting experiments, were now destroyed. The thermometer was
also broken.

Notwithstanding the Herculean labour of the day, and the fatigue we
experienced at the time, we had not been long on our rock before we
felt strong and invigorated, as if just risen from a comfortable
night's repose. This effect of the mountain air has often been
remarked. We had even sufficient strength, and ample time to enable us
to continue our descent with ease to Chamouny; but in the present
softened state of the snow it would have been madness to attempt to
cross the glacier, which we had found difficult and dangerous the
preceding day, even before the sun's rays had affected it. In fact,
while two of the guides were looking down on our path over the
glacier, they saw a bridge of snow which we all crossed the day
before, suddenly sink into the chasm beneath.

Imprisoned thus by the glacier, which was