text:  He looks far below his stature and seems so _near_ that we would have wagered to get upon his shoulders and pull his ears and return to the little town to dine; the ascent also to the eye seems any thing but steep; nor can you easily be brought to believe that such an expedition is from Giardini a three days' affair except indeed that yonder belt of snow in the midst of this roasting sunshine has its own interpretation and cannot be mistaken