CHAPTER XX.

Prepare for the Gemmi-Ready excuses of a waiter-Leuk-bad -Unique Road- Cross the summit-Government extortion -Lake of Thun-Storm amid the Alps-Bern-The members of the Diet - Forbearance of young ladies - Fellowcountryman Bernese peasants Voyage on the Lake of

Thun-Interlacken-Road to Lauterbrunnen-Bosestein -Inscription-The Staubbach-Wengern Alp-Jungfrau -Avalanches-Valley of Grindelwald.

Thursday, 4th.

Ar five o'clock I was up, and stirring: we had arranged the last night to start in the cool of the morning, Mr. P—, and I on foot, his lady on a mule as yesterday, and having passed the Gemmi, to hire a carriage at Kandersteg to take us in the evening to Thun.

Even at this early hour, the bathers in their loose gowns were astir, passing to the baths, where they remain for a considerable time. We had breakfast at the hotel before we started, and I was quite amused at the adroitness, with which the waiter got out of the following difficulties. I took up a slip of paper, lying on the breakfast table, and

observed it was the bill of a person, who had exactly the same as myself. Supper, bed, and breakfast, but it was much lower than my bills generally were; so I resolved to see and compare mine with it. When the waiter brought mine to me, it was half as high again as the other, and I asked the garçon why he charged me so much more for chamber.

"Oh! Monsieur was up high."

"Well so was I."

"But Monsieur slept in a room with another.” "You have charged me much more for déjeuné." "Oh! Monsieur breakfasted on bread and

milk."

There was no catching the fellow; so I was forced to desist.

Leuk-Bad, or Baden as it is simply called by the natives, is situated 4,404 feet above the sea, in the heart of a fertile valley, enclosed by mountains : its thermal waters are the most celebrated in Switzerland, being well suited to remove disorders of the skin, and bowels; their temperature is about The great source is forty degrees of Reaumur. called the source of St. Lawrence.

When we got a little on our route, and observed the perpendicular height of the Gemmi, rising like a wall before us, it appeared miraculous how we were to surmount this formidable barrier. Gradually however as we advanced, the path unfolded itself like the mazes of a labyrinth, and we pro

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ceeded in a zigzag manner, up the face of the giant rock. Abel is not wrong when he says the way unique in its kind; for I dare say the universe does not present a similar passage. Sometimes the rocks are left like regular flights of stairs, and often nothing but a plain surface, of slippery rock, affords to man and beast an uncertain footing,-there is very little protection in the way of parapet, for often the road runs on a precipitous descent of many hundred feet, where a false movement would be certain destruction.

When we had reached to a considerable height, the valley lay beneath, with the Leukenbad in a cluster of houses: on the opposite side lay the mighty range of Alps, separating the Valais from Piedmont. The path now became so truly perpendicular, that Mrs P- dismounted, having proved her courage in horsemanship by riding over some of the most breakneck passes I ever witnessed, quite enough to terrify the most daring rider: she now walked for some time. We roused the echoes, and they proved tolerably good; - after an hour and half fatiguing ascent we reached the summit.

This truly remarkable passage was constructed by the Tyrolese in 1736. When at the foot of the mountain, you are ignorant of the way to ascend, and when at the top, you know not how to get down. A vast range of glacier, and peaked aiguilles greeted our vision on the summit. Those of Laumern, Strubal, Ragli, and farther off, Ander

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CROSS THE SUMMIT.

hink, in the Simmenthal. The torrents flowing from these icy seas, cast themselves into the little lake of Daube, along whose muddy waters we proceeded for near two miles, it is frozen during eight months of the year. About half a league from this is the auberge of Schwarrenback, inhabited only in summer, and in winter covered by eighteen feet of snow. This was the place where Werner laid the scene of his poem. "14th February.” We rested here to bait the mules.

The auberge is clean, and considering its situation comfortable: it stands on the brink of a steep glen; the bare, and rifted rocks, starting like furious giants, high towards heaven. Eternal snow descends in fleecy masses from their severe brows. As we proceeded the way became excessively rugged, owing to our traversing the broken back of a mountain, which fell a tremendous lavange in 1782. It was part of the Rinderhorn, and now the disjointed mass looks as if it had been chopped in two by some powerful hand. After passing by some chalêts, Ober Winterick, and Unter Winterick, we commenced our descent, down a steep, but picturesque gorge, from which the torrent of Nuschinen tumbles: it forms in one place a considerable cascade; the path bordered with various shrubs and blooming flowers in vast profusion, is extremely steep and rugged; yet, beautiful as it was, I saw with great pleasure the valley of Kander underneath. About half a league from the foot of

GOVERNMENT EXTORTION.

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the Gemmi is the village of Kandersteg, the only village in the entire vale. About two hours walk to the north-east is Eschental, which abounds with various romantic scenes. A pretty lake lies in a valley, surrounded by meadow and woodlands. At the auberge of the Kander we were provided with an acceptable and comfortable dinner, having partaken of which, we set off in our voiture for Thun.

The government of Bern, taking care to keep as many good things as possible to themselves, have assumed the direction of the voitures, and by a most iniquitous tariff contrive to squeeze thirtysix francs out of travellers for a drive of five hours, being actually one hour in time less than the Sardinians charge for going from Sallenches to Chaumonix, and, much as that government like the cash, they have the conscience to charge but fourteen francs.

Frutigen, three leagues from Kandersteg, is the best village in Switzerland; the houses are large, roomy, and well built. Near this is the Chateau of Tellenburg, anciently the residence of a ballie. From Schernackthal we had a good view of the snowy Blumlis-Alp, and skirted a large mountain named the Frau.

Evening came on, as we advanced, and the lovely lake of Thun was darkened by the twilight shade. Along the crests of the enormous mountains which we had left behind, dark masses of