e 73: The true _Cimetiere des Bourguignons_ is the enclosure
where Rene, the victor of Nancy, buried the Burgundians who fell on the
sad Sunday when Charles the Bold went down before the deaf chatelain
Claude de Bagemont.]

[Footnote 74: Neither of my companions, I fear, would have acted as
Sejanus did, when another emperor was in danger of his life in the cave
on the Gulf of Amyclae. (Tacit. Ann. iv. 59.)]

[Footnote 75: Water reduced to a temperature below 32 deg. without
freezing, begins to freeze as soon as a crystal is dropped into it, the
ice forming first on the faces of the crystal.]

[Footnote 76: Water attains its maximum of specific gravity at 40 deg..
Below 40 deg. it becomes lighter.]

* * * * *

CHAPTER XII.

THE GLACIERES OF THE BREZON, AND THE VALLEY OF REPOSOIR.

The bill _a la Parfaite Union_ was as small as the accommodation at that
_auberge_, and it was an immense relief to get away from the scene of my
sufferings. The path to Bonneville lies for the earlier part of the way
through pleasant scenery; and when the highest ground is reached, there
is a lovely view of the Lake of Geneva, which may be enjoyed under the
cool shade of a high hedge of trees, in the intervals of browsing upon
wild strawberries. But after passing the curious old town of La Roche,
two hours' walk from Thorens, the heat and dust of the dreary high road
became insupportable; and no pedestrian who undertakes that march with
a heavy knapsack, under a blazing noonday sun, will arrive at Bonneville
without infinite thankfulness that he has got through it. The road is of
the same character as that between Bonneville and Geneva, and that will
sufficiently express its unpleasantness in baking times of drought.

The Glaciere of the Brezon lies at no great distance from
Bonneville--perhaps not more than four or five miles to the SE.--but its
elevation is more than 4,000 feet, and the approach is steep. The
Glaciere of the Valley of Reposoir, a valley which falls into the main
road between Bonneville and Chamouni at the village of Scionzier, is
considerably higher, and a good deal of climbing is necessary in
visiting it. When I arrived at Bonneville, the whole mass of mountains
in which these caves lie was enveloped in thick dark clouds, and the
faint roar of thunder reached our ears now and then, so that it seemed
useless to attempt to penetrate into the high valleys. Moreover, I was
due f