s reflection recalled us to the end of our expedition. We
turned our gaze towards Mont Blanc, and stood stupefied.

"Heavens! how far off it is still!" cried Levesque.

"And how high!" I added.

It was a discouraging sight. The famous wall of the ridge, so
much feared, but which must be crossed, was before us, with its
slope of fifty degrees. But after scaling the wall of the
Corridor, it did not terrify us. We rested for half an hour and
then continued our tramp; but we soon perceived that the
atmospheric conditions were no longer the same. The sun shed his
warm rays upon us; and their reflection on the snow added to our
discomfort. The rarefaction of the air began to be severely felt.
We advanced slowly, making frequent halts, and at last reached
the plateau which overlooks the second escarpment of the Rouges
rocks. We were at the foot of Mont Blanc. It rose, alone and
majestic, at a height of six hundred feet above us. Monte Rosa
itself had lowered its flag!

Levesque and I were completely exhausted. As for M. N----, who
had rejoined us at the summit of the Corridor, it might be said
that he was insensible to the rarefaction of the air, for he no
longer breathed, so to speak.

We began at last to scale the last stage. We made ten steps and
then stopped, finding it absolutely impossible to proceed. A
painful contraction of the throat made our breathing exceedingly
difficult. Our legs refused to carry us; and I then understood
the picturesque expression of Jacques Balmat, when, in narrating
his first ascent, he said that "his legs seemed only to be kept
up by his trousers!" But our mental was superior to our physical
force; and if the body faltered, the heart, responding "Excelsior!"
stifled its desperate complaint, and urged forward our poor worn-out
mechanism, despite itself. We thus passed the Petits-Mulets, and
after two hours of superhuman efforts finally overlooked the entire
chain. Mont Blanc was under our feet!

[Illustration: Summit of Mont Blanc.]

It was fifteen minutes after twelve.

The pride of success soon dissipated our fatigue. We had at last
conquered this formidable crest. We overlooked all the others,
and the thoughts which Mont Blanc alone can inspire affected us
with a deep emotion. It was ambition satisfied; and to me, at
least, a dream realized!

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe. Several mountains
in Asia and America are higher; but of what use would it be to
attempt th