Page:My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus.djvu/66



glorious day at the end of June, 1880, in fact a week or two previous to the events just described, Burgener and I had finished the more important part of our day's work (crossing the Col Tournanche), and were whiling away the time basking on a warm rock just above the level expanse of the Tiefenmatten glacier. The pipe of peace was wreathing tiny clouds and threads of smoke amongst the overhanging rocks, whilst before us towered the grandest wall the Alps can boast, the huge western face of the Matterhorn. Gradually my attention was riveted by the Col du Lion, and it was brought home to my mind, that no more difficult, circuitous, and inconvenient method of getting from Zermatt to Breuil could possibly be devised than by using this same Col as a pass. I communicated this brilliant and, as I fondly imagined, original idea to Burgener, but he did not immediately respond with the enthusiasm I had anticipated. On the contrary, he told me