Biner_Leseprobe

of the things we were saying? He did not speak a word of German, and
my father spoke no other language besides a dialect native to Zermatt.
But let’s get back to the descent. We fetched the knapsacks and then,
with great difficulty, made our way to a snow-free spot below the ridge,
where we spent the night, sitting down. Just before dawn, temperatures
were very low, despite them having been quite moderate in general. As
soon as we had enough daylight, we continued the descent. We did not
encounter any further difficulties; once we were on the move, we regained
our agility, although we only reached Zermatt around 3 o’clock.
Upon arrival, we went to see Father Seiler at the Monte Rosa right away
to tell him about the tragic incident. Measures were immediately taken to
recover the remains of the deceased. It was a Saturday, and because they
were all undoubtedly dead, there was no reason for anyone to set out for
the mission at night. The rescue team waited for the day to dawn before
leaving Zermatt. I was not able to accompany them; I was still very much
in shock. Whymper and my father were not able to go, either.
The search party found our poor friends on the glacier, at the very spot
we had indicated. Only Lord Douglas was missing – and until this day,
his body’s whereabouts remain unknown. They had all been dashed to
pieces, Croz being the worst case of them all. They had lost most of their
clothes. A few days later, the whole community attended their funeral at
the cemetery of the tiny Zermatt church.
I have climbed the Matterhorn over one hundred times ever since, but
never without thinking of my dear comrades who lost their lives in a terrible
accident that day. My father and Whymper have already joined them in
heaven, and soon, the angels of death will call for me, as well.
I have now told you in a simple and wholehearted way, what I had seen
and experienced at the first ascent of the Matterhorn. If you choose to
preserve my story for posterity, I put my good name in the hands of those
who read it. I herewith close my report.
Peter Taugwalder Junior’s mountain guide skills were in high demand and
he climbed the Matterhorn another 120 times after completing the first ascent.
At the age of 50, he had to abruptly end his mountaineering career
after a rock fall at the Matterhorn had shattered his knee. He retreated to
‘zum Biel’, a lonely place between Zermatt and Täsch, where he had built
a house in 1874.
The conquest of the Zermatt Mountains
57