s green. The
Professor himself was as bad as his comrades, and the porters were no
better.

"We shan't be beaten now," said the man of science, with a ghastly
smile.

"Go 'head! nev'r s'die s'l'ng's th'r's shot 'n th' locker!" replied the
Captain, in the tone of a man who would rather avoid speaking, if
possible.

"What a face you've got, Stoutley!" said the artist.

"You're another!" replied Lewis, with a horrible grin.

"Allons!" exclaimed the guide, bending once more against the storm.

Once, for a few minutes, the wind ceased and the clouds lifted. Captain
Wopper uttered a cheer, and rushed forward in advance of the guide, took
off his hat and threw it into the air. They had reached the round
summit without being aware of it. They stood 15,781 feet above the
sea-level! No envious peak rose above their heads. The whole world lay
below them, bathed, too, in bright sunshine, for the storm, which had so
suddenly swooped upon them, was confined, like an elemental body-guard,
to the head of the mountain-king. But, clear though it was at the
moment, they were too high in the air to see anything quite distinctly,
yet this hazy aspect had a charm of its own, for it increased the
feeling and idea of vastness in connection with surrounding space.
Around, and now beneath, stood the mountain nobility of the land,
looking, however, somewhat reduced in size and majesty, as seen from the
royal presence.

Scarcely had the mountaineers assembled and glanced at the wondrous
panorama, when the envious clouds swooped down again and mingled with
the snow-drift which once more rose to meet them.

"We must be quick, Monsieur," said Antoine, taking a shovel from one of
the porters, while Le Croix grasped another. "Where shall we dig?"

The Professor fixed on a spot, and, while the grave of the thermometer
was being dug, a plaid was set up on a couple of alpenstocks, in the
shelter of which the others consumed the bread and wine that had been
saved from breakfast. It did them little good, however; the cold was
too intense. The Captain's beard was already fringed with icicles, and
the whiskers of those who had them were covered with hoar-frost, while
the breath issued from their mouths like steam. Before the thermometer
was buried all had risen, and were endeavouring to recover heat by
rubbing their hands, beating their arms across their breasts, and
stamping violently.

"Come," said the Professor, quickly, when the wo