several days and nights upon the mountain; and, encountering bad weather, only attained a height of 10,430 feet.
M. Jean Reynaud, of whom mention has been made in the preceding chapter, accompanied the party of Mr. Mathews, and he was of opinion that the attempt had been made too late in the season. He said that the weather was usually good enough for high mountain ascents only during the last few days of July, and the first ones of August,[1] and suggested that we should attempt to ascend the mountain in the following year at that time. The proposition was a tempting one, and Reynaud's cordial and modest manner made it irresistible, although there seemed small chance that we should succeed where a party such as that of Mr. Mathews had been beaten.
At the beginning of July 1861, I despatched to Reynaud from Havre, blankets (which were taxed as "prohibited fabrics"), rope, and other things desirable for the excursion, and set out on the tour of France; but, four weeks later, at Nîmes, found myself completely collapsed by the heat, then 94° Faht. in the shade, so I took a night train at once to Grenoble.
Grenoble is a town upon which a volume might be written. Its situation is probably the finest of any in France, and the views from its high forts are superb. The most noteworthy institution of the town is one which has acquired a deserved celebrity[2]—the Association Alimentaire. This institution, which was started nearly twenty years ago by some of the well-to-do inhabitants, was founded with the express object of giving to the working or needy population better food, better cooked and at a lower price, than could be
- ↑ This is a common saying in Dauphiné. It means that there is usually less snow on the mountains during these days than at any other time of the year. The natives have an almost childish dread of venturing upon snow or glaciers, and hence the period of minimum snow seems to them to be the most favourable time for excursions.
- ↑ "The model institution of the kind in France is admitted to be the 'Association Alimentaire' of Grenoble."—Ten years of Imperialism in France; Blackwood, 1862.
