CHAPTER XXII.
OVER THE BRINK.
They started on their walk provided with alpenstocks, for just above them was the snow-line, and they could not go far without encountering ice also. The Hotel du Glacier stood thousands of feet above the sea-level, and was a favorite resort with those who enjoyed the sublimity of mountain scenery.
Though Sharpley was by no means the companion he would have best liked, Frank was in high spirits, as he realized that he was really four thousand miles from home, surrounded by the famous mountains of which he had so often read.
"Have you ever been up this mountain before, Colonel Sharpley?" asked Frank.
"Not up this mountain. I have ascended others, however. I once crossed over Mount Cenis to Italy."
"How? Did you walk?"
"No. I went in a diligence."