Just  as  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain,  there  was  snow,
nothing  but  blinding  snow  above,  below,  and  all  around.  The
track  looked  like  a  little  thread  curling  round  the  sides  of  the
hills.  Always  at  full  speed  we  whizzed  along  it,  the  runners
throwing  up  the  pow'dered  snow  like  spray  from  the  cutwater  of
a  steamer.
As  the  sun  rose  and  drew  up  the  mists  from  the  depths
below,  the  scene  became  one  of  almost  indescribable  grandeur.
332  DRIVING,

The  features  of  the  mountains  were  colossal,  and  as  to  distances
they  were  impossible  to  estimate  even  approximately.  At  the
altitude  that  we  were,  and  in  such  clear  pure  atmosphere,  the
eye  must  have  reached  to  an  immense  distance,  but  there  was
nothing  to  judge  it  by.  At  times  a  precipice  of  rock  that  the
snow  could  not  cling  to  showed  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  valley
and  broke  the  monotony  of  the  dazzling  white  :  but  how  far
off  was  it  ?  Was  it  a  mile,  or  two  miles,  or  three  ?  It  was
impossible  to  say,  for  there  was  no  tree,  no  object  of  known
size  to  form  any  standard  of  comparison.
All  this  time  we  were  descending  very  rapidly,  and  it  was
distinctly  advantageous  to  the  nerves  that  we  were  passing
through  scenes  so  nearly  approaching  to  the  sublime,  for  the
study  of  affairs  close  at  hand  was  not  exactly  quieting.
