his services, and with as much courage as dexterity, he passed in safety, carrying first one fir and then another. Seven or eight of the labourers had set out before the rest of the party, to begin the work of turning the course of the torrent which falls into the abyss, as the spray from it would render any descent into the icy well both rash and fruitless; and for this purpose they had hollowed in the ice a channel, through which the water flowed. As soon as they reached the aperture, others of the labourers occupied themselves in placing the two fir trees over it, and in fixing to them in a very solid manner a smaller piece of wood, to form a cross-beam. Henri exerted himself to assist with his utmost strength, and every circumstance which seemed to retard operations made him feel irritable and impatient. The rain, which had long been threatening, now fell in torrents, and the whole party, driven from their work and superintendence of it, were obliged to seek shelter at the two or three huts in Serenberg. As soon as it was a little abated, they returned to the glacier, each man carrying a clod of earth, to render the banks of the water-course more compact and secure; and it was decided to attempt the descent. Henri would glady have undertaken it; but with the odious suspicion attached to him, his native delicacy of feeling told him it must be left to others to proclaim his innocence. He could not conceal from himself what many others have experienced in a similar situation, that innocence and guilt often assume the same appearance. His nervous fears, his irritation, and impatience of manner, might have produced the same impression upon the bystanders, whether originating from the fear of detection, or the hope of exculpation. He listened with a beating heart to the proposals which were about to be made. A guide, who the previous day had offered his services to perform the task, refused to venture under such unfavourable circumstances. The landlord of the Bear Inn stepped forward, and declared he was ready to descend. Being provided with a change of clothes, it appeared that his resolution had been previously formed, although he had not communicated it to anyone. He was immediately enveloped in a net made with strong cords firmly united together, to which stronger cords of considerable length were attached. One of them, called the safety cord, was fastened round the arm, others to the shoulders and waist, and a spare one was to be used as occasion might require. His head was covered by a goat’s skin, to protect him in some degree from the dashing of the water, ten or twelve strong men having firm hold of the ropes in such a manner as to pay them out gently. Berguez seated himself on the transverse beam, which was supported by the firs, and then gradually letting go his hold, he began the descent slowly. Soon after a cry was heard, and the labourers began to draw back the ropes. A breathless group awaited the arrival of the enterprising man who had reached the top. As soon as he had recovered himself sufficiently to speak, he told them that he thought he had seen the body, but that from the continual dashing of the water upon his head, he became so giddy that he durst not descend far enough to be assured of the fact. Having, however, restored himself with some kirschen-wasser, he descended a second, and even a third time, equally unsuccessfully.
An expedient now occurred to one of the party: it was to hollow out three small reservoirs, and employ a certain number of men to empty them as fast as they filled. This plan so completely succeeded, that in a very short space of time, no water at all fell into the abyss. All eyes now turned upon Berguez, who declared he was quite recovered and equal to the work, and he descended as before: having reached the bottom, and remained there five or six minutes, the spray evidently no longer distracted and oppressed him. From his account afterwards, it appeared that the well was nearly the same width the whole way, but slightly on the incline; the water, in falling, had dashed with violence against the side, and, forcing itself a passage, had formed a sort of lateral gallery, which in all probability communicated with the source of the Lutschen. The bottom was entirely covered with stones of various dimensions, differently sized boulders. It was at the entrance of this gallery that Berguez discovered the body, lying between two large stones, where no doubt it had been driven by the force of the current. It was frozen, and nearly half under water. After extracting it, and making it quite secure with his spare rope, he gave the signal to be drawn up. As soon as this laborious operation commenced, a painful anxiety filled each heart,—Henri’s beat almost to bursting. He knew his innocence, and only longed to see, and have seen by others, the corpse of the poor young man, in the same condition in which it fell. Still it was possible the body had received blows in falling which might excite suspicion. As it was being slowly drawn up, Henri, with many others, advanced close to the brink, and on hearing some muttered groan from one of the by-standers, and the exclamation, “The body is stripped!” he cast one despairing glance over the edge, and saw, to his unspeakable horror, that the limb which was visible was bare. It seemed as though some evil genius were at work for his destruction; and, trembling and in despair, he rushed to a short distance from the group, and sinking upon the ground, he buried his face in his hands. He was roused by a voice exclaiming, “Come and receive his purse and watch!” and Henri, starting up and breaking through the crowd, saw that the legs of the trowsers had been entirely torn off by the friction, and that the rest of the person was clothed as when he fell. The poor fellow burst into tears, and throwing himself into the arms of one of M. Meuron’s friends, embraced him with an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude. Each one in turn offered their congratulations, and for a few minutes their attention was called from him whom they had come to seek. They released the body from the cord attached to it, and those who had loved him for many years, drew near to contemplate the change which such a sudden death would have caused.
Although the body had remained twelve days at the bottom of the abyss, not a feature of the face had undergone any disfiguring alteration; even the eyes had a look of calmness and serenity,