In Standing Still
I Began To Feel The Cold Bitterly; So In Spite Of The Snow Storm, We Pushed
On And Arrived At The Inn At Mont-Cenis At Five In The Morning.
We rubbed
our hands and faces well with snow and took care not to approach the fire
for several minutes, fortifying ourselves in the interim with a glass of
brandy.
We then had some coffee made and laid ourselves down to sleep by
the side of an enormous fire until the diligence arrived, which made its
appearance at eight o'clock. The passengers stopped to breakfast and the
Scotchman proposed to me to make the descent of Lans-le-Bourg also on foot;
but I was quite satisfied with the prowess I had already exhibited and
declined the challenge. He however set off alone and thus performed the
entire passage of Mont Cenis on foot. As for the rest of us we were carried
down on a traineau; that is to say the diligence was unloaded and its
wheels taken off; the baggage and wheels were put on one traineau and the
diligence with the passengers in it on another, and in this manner we
descended to Lans-le-Bourg. Nothing remarkable occurred on this journey and
we arrived at Chambery in good case. I hired a caleche to go to Geneva,
remained there three days and arrived at Lausanne on the 18th December.
[100] Horace, Sat., II, 6, 65. - ED.
[101] Dante, Inferno, I, 33,29. - ED.
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