The Crystal Hunters

A Boy's Adventures in the Higher Alps

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Pages: 334

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About this book

Saxe begins his Alpine expedition with more confidence than caution, climbing a steep rock for flowers while Richard Dale warns him about the risks ahead. With the Swiss guide Melchior Staffeln, they set out toward high passes and glaciers to examine rocks and search for crystals and metals. Dale brings experience of the mountains, while Melchior insists that companions must be ready to protect one another.

George Manville Fenn builds this adventure for young readers around the difference between admiring a mountain and learning to move safely across it. Snowfields, immense heights and difficult routes give practical weight to the adults' warnings. A later scene places Saxe beside a deep crevasse, struggling to control his fear after Melchior falls. The appeal lies in the close attention to mountain surroundings and in a boy's effort to act steadily when his companions depend on him.