morning, came to find me sitting in the sun in the verandah, and to
inform me that at last he had perfected a conveyance which would
combine speed with safety. Undaunted by previous mishaps, I sallied
forth, and in company with Mr. U--- and F---, climbed painfully up
the high hill I have mentioned, by some steps which they had cut in
the frozen snow. Without some such help we could not have kept our
footing for a moment, and as long as I live I shall never forget the
sensation of leaving my friendly Alpenstock planted in the snow, and
of seating myself on that frail sledge. Perhaps I ought to describe
it here. A board, about six feet long by one foot broad, with
sheet-iron nailed beneath it, and curved upwards in front; on its
upper surface a couple of battens were fixed, one quite at the
foremost end, and one half-way. That was F---'s new patent sledge,
warranted to go faster down an incline than any other conveyance on
the surface of the earth. I was the wretched "passenger," as he
called me, on more than one occasion, and I will briefly describe my
experiences. "Why did you go?" is a very natural question to arise
in my reader's mind; and sitting here at my writing-table, I feel as
if I must have been a lunatic to venture. But in those delicious
wild days, no enterprise seemed too rash or dangerous to engage in,
from mounting a horse which had never seen or felt the fluttering of
a habit, to embarking on the conveyance I have described above, and
starting down a mountain-side at the risk of a broken neck.

Well, to return to that terrible moment. I see the whole scene now.
The frail, rude sledge, with its breaks made out of a couple of
standards from a wire fence, connected by a strong iron chain; F---
seated at the back of the precious contrivance, firmly grasping a
standard in each hand; Mr. U--- clinging desperately to his
Alpen-stock with one hand, whilst with the other he helps me on to