e
narrated in due course; but small blame to him, poor fellow! He was a
young guide, having only just passed his examination and obtained his
certificate, consequently he was naturally anxious to lead a party to
the top; besides this there was another motive, his fee would be
increased five-fold, twenty francs being the regulation charge to the
Grands Mulets, a hundred to the summit. For the next half hour or so
numerous crevasses barred the way; when they did not exceed four feet or
a little more we jumped across, and although we soon became accustomed
to the work it was not always an easy operation, for putting aside the
ugly look of the chasm, the foot-hold not being secure, it was a
somewhat difficult matter to spring from the slippery brink of ice on
which we stood. Sometimes we crossed over a snow-bridge but a few feet
wide, Francois first prodding it with the handle of his axe; then, being
satisfied that it would bear, he stepped forward, while we stood on the
alert to save him from an untimely death should the snow give way. The
difficulties lessened as we advanced, and, our attention not being
constantly directed to our footsteps, we were enabled to look about us a
little more. The dark-coloured Grands Mulets, no longer insignificant
but rising some hundreds of feet above the snow, their wedge-like forms
leaning well forward, seemed to defy the mighty downward pressure of
avalanche and ice.

The colour of the sky was of the deepest blue, almost indigo, the
intensity of which far exceeded anything we had ever seen, or could have
imagined possible, and it was not until we had been in the "Cabane" on
the Grands Mulets for some time that we discovered that the sky is the
same here as in any ordinary atmosphere at a lower level. The cause of
the deception is easily explained; our eyes had been rivetted on ice and
shining snow for several hours, consequently the colour appeared deeper
by contrast. At length we quitted the Glacier, and the remainder of the
journey was on slopes of snow. In some respects it was pleasanter than
before; there was a nice soft feeling about it, there was no fear of
slipping, and no particular care had to be exercised. On the other hand
the work was more fatiguing, and worst of all our boots were getting wet
through. The base of the Grands Mulets was nearly reached when our
arrival was announced by Jules, who gave a genuine Alpine shout which
was answered from the "Cabane," and, having clam