s, or for establishing moral principle.

The morning after coming from Monte Rosa myself and son left Zermatt at
half past seven for the top of the Matterhorn, twelve hours distant,
under the guidance of Peter Knubel, his brother, and Peter Truffer,
three of the best guides for this work in the country. In an hour the
dwellings of the mountain-loving people are left behind, the tree limit
is passed soon after, the grass cheers us for three hours, when we
enter on the wide desolation of the moraines. Here is a little chapel.
I entered it as reverently and prayed as earnestly for God's will, not
mine, to be done as I ever did in my life, and I am confident that amid
the unutterable grandeur that succeeded I felt his presence and help as
fully as at any other time.

At ten minutes of two we were roped together and feeling our way
carefully in the cut steps on a glacier so steep that, standing erect,
one could put his hand upon it. We were on this nearly an hour. Just
as we left it for the rocks a great noise above, and a little to the
south, attracted attention. A vast mass of stone had detached itself
from the overhanging cliff at the top, and falling on the steep slope
had broken into a hundred pieces. These went bounding down the side in
long leaps. Wherever one struck a cloud of powdered stone leaped into
the air, till the whole mountain side smoked and thundered with the
grand cannonade. The omen augured to me that the mountain was going to
do its best for our reception and entertainment. Fortunately these
rock avalanches occur on the steep, unapproachable sides, and not at
the angle where men climb.

How the mountain grew upon us as we clung to its sides! When the great
objects below had changed to littleness the heights above seemed
greater than ever. At half past four we came to a perpendicular height
of twenty feet, with a slight slope above. Down this precipice hung a
rope; there was also an occasional projection of an inch or two of
stone for the mailed foot. At the top, on a little shelf, under
hundreds of feet of overhanging rock, some stones had been built round
and over a little space for passing the night. The rude cabin occupied
all the width of the shelf, so that passing to its other end there was
not room to walk without holding on by one's hands in the crevices of
the wall. We were now at home; had taken nine hours to do what could
be done in eight. What an eyrie in which to sleep! Be