Rollo in Switzerland

Rollo in Switzerland, by Jacob Abbott

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Title: Rollo in Switzerland
Author: Jacob Abbott
Release Date: August 23, 2007 [EBook #22377]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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ROLLO IN SWITZERLAND,
BY
JACOB ABBOTT.
NEW YORK: SHELDON & CO., 667 BROADWAY, and 214 & 216 MERCER ST., Grand Central Hotel. 1873.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by JACOB ABBOTT,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

[Illustration: ROLLO'S IN EUROPE.]
ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE.
ORDER OF THE VOLUMES.
ROLLO ON THE ATLANTIC. ROLLO IN PARIS. ROLLO IN SWITZERLAND. ROLLO IN LONDON. ROLLO ON THE RHINE. ROLLO IN SCOTLAND. ROLLO IN GENEVA. ROLLO IN HOLLAND.

[Illustration: MONT BLANC.]
PRINCIPAL PERSONS OF THE STORY.
ROLLO; twelve years of age.
MR. and MRS. HOLIDAY; Rollo's father and mother, travelling in Europe.
THANNY; Rollo's younger brother.
JANE; Rollo's cousin, adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Holiday.
MR. GEORGE; a young gentleman, Rollo's uncle.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
I.--GETTING A PASSPORT, 11
II.--CROSSING THE FRONTIER, 31
III.--BASLE, 49
IV.--THE DILIGENCE, 60
V.--RIDE TO BERNE, 72
VI.-THE VALLEY OF THE AAR, 85
VII.--INTERLACHEN, 101
VIII.--LAUTERBRUNNEN, 118
IX.--THE WENGERN ALP, 136
X.--GOING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, 168
XI.--GLACIERS, 181
XII.--ROLLO A COURIER, 196
XIII.--CONCLUSION, 220
ENGRAVINGS.
MONT BLANC, (FRONTISPIECE.) PAGE
THE COTTAGE, 10
THE PREFECTURE OF POLICE, 25
IN THE CAB, 40
THE DILIGENCE AT THE OFFICE, 77
THE DILIGENCE ON THE ROAD, 81
THE LAKE SHORE, 97
VICINITY OF INTERLACHEN, 100
THE MOUNTAIN GIRL, 147
THE FALL, 173
THE CREVASSE, 182
THE NARROW PATH, 189
ASCENT OF MONT BLANC, 193
[Illustration: THE COTTAGE. See page 81]

ROLLO IN SWITZERLAND.
CHAPTER I.
GETTING A PASSPORT.
The last day that Rollo spent in Paris, before he set out on his journey into Switzerland, he had an opportunity to acquire, by actual experience, some knowledge of the nature of the passport system.
Before commencing the narrative of the adventures which he met with, it is necessary to premise that no person can travel among the different states and kingdoms on the continent of Europe without what is called a passport. The idea which prevails among all the governments of the continent is, that the people of each country are the subjects of the sovereign reigning there, and in some sense belong to him. They cannot leave their country without the written permission of the government, nor can they enter any other one without showing this permission and having it approved and stamped by the proper officers of the country to which they wish to go. There are, for example, at Paris ministers of all the different governments of Europe, residing in different parts of the city; and whoever wishes to leave France, to go into any other kingdom, must first go with his passport to the ministers of the countries which he intends to visit and get them to put their stamp upon it. This stamp represents the permission of the government whose minister affixes it that the traveller may enter the territory under their jurisdiction. Besides this, it is necessary to get permission from the authorities of Paris to leave the city. Nobody can leave France without this. This permission, too, like the others, is given by a stamp upon the passport. To get this stamp, the traveller must carry or send his passport to the great central police office of Paris, called the prefecture of police. Now, as the legations of the different governments and the prefecture of police are situated at very considerable distances from each other about the city, and as it usually takes some time to transact the business at each office, and especially as the inexperienced traveller often makes mistakes and goes to the wrong place, or gets at the right place at the wrong hour, it usually requires a whole day, and sometimes two days, to get his passport all right so as to allow of his setting out upon his journey. These explanations are necessary to enable the reader to understand what I now proceed to relate in respect to Rollo.
One morning, while Rollo and Jennie were at breakfast with their father and mother, Rollo's uncle George came in and said that he had concluded to go and make a little tour in Switzerland. "I shall have three weeks," said he, "if I can get away to-morrow; and that will give me time to take quite a little run among the mountains. I have come now to see if you will let Rollo go with me."
"Yes, sir," said Rollo, very eagerly, and rising at once from his chair. "Yes, sir. Let me