V. THE SIMPLON 333

and two great mountains beyond the valley of Saas.” These were the Weisshorn, and lower peak nearer Zermatt.

97. That evening James Forbes and his wife were with us in the otherwise untenanted salle-è-manger (see Deucalion, Chap. X.¹), and next morning, the 17th,

“I set off at six to visit the Père Barras,” (formerly Clavendier of the great St. Bernard, now at the monastery of the Simplon). “On the Sempione,” (I meant the Fletsch-horn,) “a field of cirri, bounded by a contour like that of common cirro-strati,² convex and fishy, but composed of the most exquisite sandy and silky forms, all in most rapid motion, but forming and vanishing, as usual, exactly at the same point, so that the mass was stationary. Reached the col in two hours of very slow walking, and breakfasted with the Father. He showed me the spot where the green actynolite is found, directly behind the convent. One of his dogs saw him with his hat on, and waited in the passage, barking furiously with delight. He parted from me half a mile down on this side (Brieg side), and I waited at the second gallery for the carriage.”

“19th July, ZERMATT.-Clouds on the Matterhorn all day till sunset, when there were playing lights over the sky, and the Matterhorn appeared in full ruby, with a wreath of crimson cloud drifting from its top.”

That day Gordon was to come up from Chamouni to meet us; he had slept at Visp, and was first at Zermatt. Just as we came in sight of the Matterhorn he met us with his most settledly practical and constitutional face-

“Yes, the Matterhorn is all very fine; but do you know there’s nothing to eat?”

“Nonsense; we can eat anything here.”

¹ [Vol. XXVI. pp. 219-222.]

² [For this word (a form of cloud combining the sharper of the cirrus and stratus, consisting of horizontal or inclined sheets, attenuated upwards into light cirri), see Modern Painters, vol. i. (Vol. III. p. 384, § 19).]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]