Norway and its glaciers, visited in 1851 : followed by journals of excursions in the high Alps of Dauphné, Berne and Savoy . is deeper, yetincapable of bearing the weight of a horse, he plunges tothe girths or deeper, and stands trembling and helplessuntil assisted to extricate himself; and now the traveller,driven to his own resources, advances on foot, plunging firstone leg through, then the other, or both at once, findshimself astride upon the snow with both feet dangling,immersed in running water beneath. The pass of thevalley of the Driva, which has led us into this digression,is not only
Norway and its glaciers, visited in 1851 : followed by journals of excursions in the high Alps of Dauphné, Berne and Savoy . is deeper, yetincapable of bearing the weight of a horse, he plunges tothe girths or deeper, and stands trembling and helplessuntil assisted to extricate himself; and now the traveller,driven to his own resources, advances on foot, plunging firstone leg through, then the other, or both at once, findshimself astride upon the snow with both feet dangling,immersed in running water beneath. The pass of thevalley of the Driva, which has led us into this digression,is not only disagreeable but most dangerous in summer, as we have seen, a safe but most fatiguingroad must be climbed high over the out-jutting rocks. Inwinter the way is easier, for then the sledge may be securelydriven on the snow over the course of the torrent down thehollow of the valley all the way; but in spring the formercourse is not open, and the footing on the latter is notsecure. The buried waters are aroused from their winters * See Von Buchs Travels (in German) i. 149, 193. T : ? . • ? J / Ml. I. Jam* E R rV .,; del. ?,.llv- L;,;i±h_. i v ?? Son uiS r b .; VAARSTICE DOVRE-FlELD DK1VSTUEN—SCENERY. 31 repose; the crust of ice and snow becomes thin and unsafe;the horse plunges into, and must be withdrawn from, athousand perilous chasms before this most formidablepassage is accomplished. No one, then, it may be easilyunderstood, travels in Norway in the end of April andbeginning of May, unless compelled by circumstances todo so. No such difficulties attended our proceedings. Iwalked forward on foot, leaving the carriole to the care ofthe guide, and enjoyed the grandeur of the scenery—thebest we had seen in Norway, and comparable to the finestin the Scottish Highlands, though hardly deserving thename of alpine. The outlines are noble, though the scaleis inferior to that of Swiss scenery. A few of the summitsrise nearly into peaks, whilst the ravine is bounde
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