A Frozen Hurricane!

JJear Mr. Editor : I closed my last letter after relat, ing our experience in Brieg and the start up the pass. There was a storm brewing and great black elouds ■svere hiding the mountain peaks. Dsrkness was hastened by these sable miste and added to this there were lighter exhalations floating up the vslley and now and then enveloping u.s. "We had expected nothing but walking and pusliing our wheels ior fifteen miles, so we bowed our heads, clcsed our teeth determinedly and p:odded ou. We had already ridden scvcnty miles that day, and our progrese was just that weary niachineliko drawing one leg after the other vhiki mentally we went into a ort of painful dream oblivious to all exoept the road and the snail like advance over it. The mountaineers we met smüed knowingly and hurried on driving their herds of goats. Everybody was coming down the pass except our foolhardy selves. At last we halted near by a spring and look out of my bundie, the strawberries and bread before mentioned. The bei ries were jam by this time but we spread the mess on süces oí bread aüd, laughing, ate our improvised supper. A 1VEABY TKA.M1'. Then we advanced again upon the road which zig-zagged up i:ie steep mountain side. It was 'lurk and rain íell in frequent shovern oï ühort dm-ation. Absolutely no shelter oxcept an occasional niche in tlie rock wliere a bizarre painted Yirgin apIicared behind bars and surrouuded by old wreaths o! dead flowers. AU at once, the road soemed to end at the vergti oí a, írightful preeipice, but, in reality, there was an abrupt turn and tbe road was cut for some dist anee in the face oí t he rock. "We gazf d do ivo into the valley over the parap3t and we thought of Sinbad's valley of diamonds and the roe and pieoes of meat. In the darkness, the chasm was simply teriffic. Then tliere was a long distance which is to me a confusión of horrors. Btreaks oL üghtnong gave us glimpses oí depths unfcthomaUe, heights inacessible andan Interminable road anead of us. The pires swayed and cracked above u and deep down in the chasm we could hear the rumbling, growüng and splashing Saltine, as it tumb'.ed ulong its rocky gorge. A PLACE OB KEPÜQE. But relief alwnys comes ust as trouble toecomes ui emlurable and a turn ïeTealed Ihe long hope "refuge," as hotels on a mountain pass are ':alleü. We stored our wheels in a bain amu! various fowls and vehicles and tlieü urged the landlady to prepare our bed at once. She cufíed each one ot 13 children and sent approximately two-thirds of them on various errands and soon beckoned us to follow her wnile she led with a flickering candle up rickety Btairs, through shaky passages, to a room apart where she lelt us witli half the candle to light us about disrobing. We soon ascended the precipitous bed and upon its dizzy summit iell aslcep. A TRUE WALl'UKGIS. About midnight we awoke amidst a quaking and roaring and whistling und found the house rocking :uid the wlndow b'own out. The wind seemed to expand the room Hke a balioon. Boards cracked and a lose (splinter ie the ceiüng vibrated until it naoaned and shrieked. The demons oí the mountains seemed freed and above the aoise of the tempest, we could hear crashing trees and tumbling rocks. It was a true "W'alpurgis niglit and eery witch was pounding that iaotel with her broom stick, I am sure. This ended in the convenüonal way. Tho rain ceased, the wind went .lown and wc slept. llorning at last aud we departod. The valley was fi'.led with mist and clouds b'.own about between us and the inouutains and, at times wrapped us up. Tl.ere Avas a rumbling in 'ovges overcharged by the torrents oï ilie night. I heard 1he twltter o; a single binl ia tiiat vast soütadc and loi.eïiness. The wind blew the -:louds aiong rapidly. Kow we :.;o iolded ii. the misiB, now lookiug througli clcar air at Mouto Leou and other mious ijcaks ; eometimes plodding bliudly on, aud again amazei by grand abysses and overhanging cUiis. ïhunderlng cascades jjour over the galleries and tunnels througli -.vhkh we passed. Galieries are stoue tsheds e.vtending irom the niountain side OAei the road to protect the traveler from avalauchcs. At last near the top of the pass, we looked upon those PROZKN HURKICANES. the glacierts. Imagine a storm at Bea and then ireeze it. There is the wildness o! a Whirlpool united with the immobility of rocke. It is nature's cemetery A'ith iti soHtude and 6olemnlty. After pansiug the most dangerous part of the road, we at last reached the Bummit ol the pass. I shlver now when I recollect the long, cold tunnels, drlpping galleries and the freak, natural foasin in which nothing giows except that unpronounceable rliododendron. REACIIED THE HOSPICE. Passing througli the just mentionetl basin, we ' tliat benevolent institution with kindly. jolly monks as hosïs. We were cbilled and weary and you should l;i.vo seen the feast wWch they set t)efore us. We were warmcd with soup and wine and led with good ubstantlal food and then hospitably shown the spacious halls and neat bed chami.ers and impressivo chnpel. A good old monk was our guide and I thrill yet with aivc when I reeall the reverential tone in which he said "Xapoleon !" and pointed at a picture of the great emperor whom all Europe reveres. c left the Hospice and aiter leaplnjj in the saddlo, ï-olled away at a teiifíic speed with one foot on the coaster and the other pressed hard on the tire of the front wheel. Again and again, we changed the occupation of our several pedal estremities and long before the foot of the pass ■n a.í reached, we wished for more reet. TVithout the least exaggeration, our feet were nearly blistered and a place was hollow in each shoe so'.e a quart of an inch deep. We shot down long straight inclines, dashed around l'onds, rushed mad'y into lunnels, doshed under cascades and along the edge of precipices until breathless and fiiibhed with éxcitement, we reached Gcmdo, THE LAST SWISS TOWN. where we received our deposit on the wheels. 0 It makes me coniused and dazed as I 1 hink over that wild ride in the wild gorge, amid impassable heaps oí rocks and between walls of s'ate-mica ri-ing 2C00 feet above our heads and over aljspes on thread-like bridges. The sombre moutlis of tunnels Kontrast topressively with the bliuding white spiay irom cascades. Sucli frightful sounds as we heard, too, which wc learned were slipping glacieis, bugu masses of ice íalling into hasms. We passsd Gondo and passed the granlts column which marks the SwissItalian limils, and then reached Ise'.le and the Itaüan custom-house. We paid the duty on our whoels, temporarily, and rode on down the Jarrow -alley which euddenly turned at right anglcir and revealed SÜNNY ITAI.V. in a beautiful, wide val'.ey. We )oth exilalmed involuntarily, in the worde of Byron (ha ving careiully iearned them by heart previously) : "Italia, Ita'ia, thou who liast the fatal gift ei' beauty !" But, seriously, Uünk oi it One hour before, we were nearly ïrozen and only the hardiesb weed coulo grow upon the soil aboub us ; but now the heat was oppressive and about us were growinff ehestnuts, i'.gï. vineyards, mulberiies, maize, in real luxuriance. XiOveHness was everywhere. The bi idges of etone made graceful curves ai-rosB the silvery Doveria. Villas nestled prettily da green, shady nooUs 0:1 the smiling mountainside. Temptircly co'.ored fruit waved invitations fi om out their own verdure. Iortunately. too, our íirst ?ight oí the people was a wealthy ramily riuiug indolently in their carriage. Wo paused then wliile I exaniined tbe patehes on my tire to sea if the mad coüst down the pass liad tora them lcose ■ I AVith a íew repairs and readjustmente, we were able to resume our I rido toward Lake Maggiore, our objective point. Of the ride, the lake ajod more, I shall teil next time.