The Crystal Hunters, by George Manville Fenn. 

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A tense tale, such as we expect of George Manville Fenn. A group ofEnglish people are in the Swiss Alps. But it is not just the beautiesof the scenery they are after, but crystals which may sometimes befound in caves near the top of the glaciers. They manage to find aguide who promises to be discreet about what they do. But someone elseis on the mountain, and he is just as interested in what they are up to, and what they find, as they are themselves. 

Of course, as we expect in a Manville Fenn novel, there are tensemoments when people fall down crevasses, when there are avalanches andice-falls, when icy rocks break off and come tumbling towards them. Butwhat about the unknown person who is making off with their hard-wonspecimens?

There is a surprise ending. It is a good readable book, well worth theeffort of making an audio book and listening to it. 

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THE CRYSTAL HUNTERS, BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. 

CHAPTER ONE. 

TWO MEN AND A BOY. 

"Steady there! Stop! Hold hard!"

"What's the matter, Mr Dale?"

"Matter, Saxe, my boy? Well, this. I undertook to take you back toyour father and mother some day, sound in wind and limb; but if youbegin like that, the trip's over, and we shall have to start back forEngland in less than a week--at least, I shall, with my luggageincreased by a case containing broken boy. "

There was a loud burst of hearty laughter from the manly-looking ladaddressed, as he stood, with his hands clinging and his head twistedround, to look back: for he had spread-eagled himself against a nearlyperpendicular scarp of rock which he had begun to climb, so as to reacha patch of wild rhododendrons. 

There was another personage present, in the shape of a sturdy, muscular-looking man, whose swarthy face was sheltered by a wide-brimmedsoft felt hat, very much turned up at the sides, and in whose broad bandwas stuck a tuft of the pale grey, starry-looking, downy plant known asthe Edelweiss. His jacket was of dark, exceedingly threadbare velvet;breeches of the same; and he wore gaiters and heavily nailed lace-upboots; his whole aspect having evoked the remarks, when he presentedhimself at the door of the chalet:

"I say, Mr Dale, look here! Where is his organ and his monkey? Thischap has been asking for you--for Herr Richard Dale, of London. "

"Yes, I sent for him. It is the man I am anxious to engage for ourguide. "

For Melchior Staffeln certainly did look a good deal like one of the"musicians" who infest London streets with "kists o' whustles, " as theScottish gentleman dubbed them--or much noisier but less penetratinginstruments on wheels. 

He was now standing wearing a kind of baldric across his chest, in theshape of a coil of new soft rope, from which he rarely parted, whateverthe journey he was about to make, and leaning on what, at first sight, seemed to be a stout walking-stick with a crutch handle, but a secondglance revealed as an ice-axe, with, a strong spike at one end, and ahead of sharp-edged and finely pointed steel, which Saxe said made itlook like a young pick-axe. 

This individual had wrinkled his face up so much that his eyes werenearly closed, and his shoulders were shaking as he leaned upon theice-axe, and indulged in a long, hearty, nearly silent laugh. 

"Ah! it's no laughing matter, Melchior, " said the broad-shouldered, bluff, sturdy-looking Englishman. "I don't want to begin with anaccident. "

"No, no, " said the guide, whose English seemed to grow clearer as theybecame more intimate. "No accidents. It is the Swiss mountain airgetting into his young blood. In another week he will bound along thematt, or dash over the green alp like a goat, and in a fortnight beready to climb a spitz like a chamois. "

"Yes, that's all very well, my man; but I prefer a steady walk. Lookhere, Saxe!"

"I'm listening, Mr Dale, " said the lad. 

"Then just get it into your brain, if you can, that we are not out on aschoolboy trip, but upon the borders of new, almost untried ground, andwe shall soon be mounting places that are either dangerous or safe asyou conduct yourself. "

"All right, Mr Dale; I'll be careful, " said the lad. 

"Never fear, herr, " cried the guide; "I will not take you anywheredangerous--only to places where your fellow-countrymen have well markedthe way. "

"Thank you, " was the reply, in so peculiar a tone that the guide lookedat the speaker curiously. 

"Yes, " continued the latter; "I'll have a chat with you presently. "

"I am ready, herr, " said the man, rather distantly now. "You have seenmy book of testimonials, written by many English and German voyagers wholove the mountains!"

"Yes, " said Richard Dale quietly; "and I want this boy to know what hehas to do. "

"All right, Mr Dale, " said the lad; "you may trust me. "

"That's understood, then. You must obey me without question instantly, just as I shall have to obey Melchior Staffeln. I have been out here adozen times before, and know a great deal; but he has been here all hislife, and has inherited the existence of his father and grandfather, both guides. Now, is this understood!"

"Yes, of course, Mr Dale, " said the boy, who had been impatientlythrowing stones into the middle of the little river flowing through thevalley; "but you are not going to take me for a walk every day, and makeus hold one another's hands?"

"I'm going to make you do exactly what Melchior thinks best, " said hiscompanion, firmly. "And let me tell you, young fellow, there will betimes, if you care to go with me, when we shall be very glad to holdeach other's hands: up yonder, for instance, along that shelf, where youcan see the sheep. "

He pointed toward where, high up the side of the narrow valley, a groupof white-woolled sheep could be seen browsing. 

"What, those?" said the lad. "That's nothing. I thought thesemountains and places would be ever so high. "

"Ah! I suppose so, " said Dale dryly. "Why, you young ignoramus--youyoung puppy, with your eyes not yet half opened--do you know how highthose sheep are above where we stand?"

"Those?" said the lad, who had been looking rather contemptuously ateverything he had seen since he had been on the Continent. "Perhaps acouple of hundred feet--say three. "

"Three hundred, Saxe? Why, my lad, they are a thousand feet if they arean inch. "

"Two thousand, " said the guide quietly. 

"What!" cried the boy. "Then how high is that point just peeping overthe hills there, right up the valley?"

He pointed to a dazzling snowy peak which ran up like a roughly shaped, blunted spear head glistening in the morning air. 

"Das Dusselhorn, " said the guide. "Hochte spitze? Nein. "

"What is the height, Melchior?"

"How high, herr?--how tall? Eleven thousand English feet. "

"Why it does not look much higher than Saint Paul's. "

"You must remember that you are amongst the great peaks, " said Dale, "and that it takes time to educate your eyes to the size of everythingabout you. "

"But it looks as if you could get to the top in an hour, " said Saxe. 

"Does it?" said Dale, smiling. "Then what do you say to this?" And hepointed up at the huge mass of rock, streaked with ravines full of snow, which formed one side of the valley in which they stood. 

"Lenstock, " said the guide. 

"How long would it take us to get up to the top, Melchior?"

"Too late to-day, herr. Start at three o'clock with lanthorn while theschnee-snow is hard. Ten hours to go up, seven to come down. "

Richard Dale looked at his young companion, whose forehead was wrinkled, as he stared up at the huge mass of rock from its lower green alps orpastures, up over the grey lichened stone, to where the streakings ofwhite snow began, and then higher and higher to the region ofeverlasting ice. 

"Well, " he said at last, as he lowered his eyes to the guide and thestrong, resolute-looking man beside him, "I--"

A quick change came over him, and with a laughing look he continuedquickly:

"Not travellers' tales, eh?"

"Travellers' tales?" said the guide slowly. 

"He means, are you deceiving him?" said Dale. 

The guide shook his head gravely. 

"The great mountains are too solemn to speak anything but truth in theirshade. "

"Well, " said Saxe slowly, "then it's the mountains that deceive. "

"Wait a bit, boy, and you'll soon learn how great they are. It takestime. Now, understand this: I do not want to interfere with yourenjoyment; but if we are to carry out my plans, it must be work and notplay. "

"Why not both?" said Saxe merrily. 

"Because we must husband our strength, so as to always have a littleleft to use in an emergency. Now, then, we understand each other, do wenot?"

"Yes, Mr Dale. "

"Then forward. "

The guide nodded his head good-humouredly; but he did not stir. 

"Well?" said the Englishman. 

"Let us understand each other, " said the guide quietly. "Those who goup into the mountains must be brothers. Now your life is in danger, andI save you; next my life is in peril, and you save me. A guide issomething more than one who goes to show the way. "

"Of course, " said Richard Dale, eyeing the man curiously: "that is why Ihave chosen you. Friends told me that Melchior Staffeln was a man whomI might trust. "

"I thank them, " said the guide. "And the herr wishes me to be his guidefor days and weeks or months, and show him the way up the greatmountains as I have shown others?"

"No!" said Dale sharply. "I want you to take me right in among theheights, passes and glaciers where the visitors do not go. "

The guide looked at him fixedly. 

"Why? what for?" he said. "You did not tell me this when you came up tothe chalet last night, and sent for me. "

"No. I tell you now. "

"Why do you wish to go? There may be danger. "

"I'll tell you. I want to see the mountains and study them. I wouldsearch for metals and specimens of the stones in the higher rocks. "

"Crystals?"

"Yes. "

"Hah!" said the guide. "To see if there is gold and silver and preciousstones?"

"Yes. "

"If it is known you will be stopped by the magistrate of the commune. "

"Why? I do not want to rob the country. "

"But the gold--the silver. "

"Let's find them first, man; and see what the chief magistrate saysthen. Can you lead me to places where I can find these?"

"Perhaps. "

"Will you?"

The man was silent for a few minutes. Then, --"Will the herr bestraightforward and honest to my country, and if he finds such treasuresin the mountains, will he go to the magistrates and get leave to workthem?"

"Of that you may be sure. Will you come?"

The man was silent and thoughtful again for a minute. 

"If the people know, we shall be watched night and day. "

"They must not know. "

"No, they must not know. "

"Then you will come?"

"Yes, " said the man, "I will come. "

"Then, once more, forward, " said Dale. "Saxe, my lad, our search forNature's treasures has begun. "

CHAPTER TWO. 

AN ALPINE VALLEY. 

The track for some distance up the valley was so rugged and narrow thatthe little party had to go in single file; but after a time they cameupon a more open part, less encumbered with rock, and, with the lad onahead, Richard Dale strode up abreast of the guide, and, taking out hiscase, lit a cigar, and offered one to the Swiss. 

The guide shook his head. 

"No, thank you, herr, " he said; "I seldom smoke anything but my pipe. "

They went on for a while in silence, the only sound falling upon theirears being the continuous roar of the torrent-like river which rusheddown the valley in a narrow chasm far below their feet--one series ofthundering cascades, all foam and milky glacier water. 

Patches of pine forest, with the trees crowded close together, everystem straight as an arrow, ran for some distance up the sides of thevale; but there was no sign or note of bird. All was solemn and still, save that deep-toned roar. 

Saxe stopped suddenly, waited till they came near, and held up his hand. 

"What is it?" said Dale. 

"Isn't it wonderful, Mr Dale? Only two days ago in London, and here weare in this wild place! Why, you can't hear a sound but the water!"

Almost as he spoke he bounded from the spot where he was standing, andran a few yards in alarm. 

For from somewhere unseen and high above, there was a sudden roar, aterrific crash, then a rushing sound, followed by a dead silence of afew seconds, and then the earth seemed to receive a quivering blow, resulting in a boom like that of some monstrous gun, and the noise nowran up the valley, vibrating from side to side, till it died away in alow moan. 

The boy looked wildly from one to the other, to see that his uncle wasquite unmoved and that the guide was smiling at him. 

"Then that was thunder?" he said inquiringly. 

"No; a big piece of rock split off and fell, " replied the guide. 

"Is there no danger?"

"It would have been dangerous if we had been there. "

"But where is `there'?"

"Up yonder, " said the guide, pointing over the pine-wood toward the topof the wall of rock, a perpendicular precipice fully three thousand feetin height. "The rock split off up the mountain somewhere, rushed down, and then fell. "

"Can we see?"

"Oh yes; I could find the place, " said the guide, looking at Dale. 

"No, no: we will go on, " said the latter. "It would take us two orthree hours. That sort of thing is often going on out here, Saxe. "

"But why did it fall? Is any one blasting rock over there?"

"Yes, Nature: blasting with cold and heat. "

Saxe looked at him inquiringly. 

"You'll soon understand all this, my lad, " said Dale. "The rocks highup the mountains are always crumbling down. "

"Crumbling? I don't call that crumbling. "

"Call it what you like; but that was a crumb which fell down here, mylad. You see the snow and ice over yonder?"

"Yes. "

"Well, of course that means that there is constant freezing going onthere, except when the sun is blazing down at midday. "

"Yes, I understand that, " said Saxe. 

"Well, the rock gets its veins charged with water from the melting ofthe snow in the daytime, and at night it freezes again; the waterexpands in freezing, and splits the rock away, but it does not slip, because it is kept in position by the ice. By-and-by, on an extra hotday, that ice melts, and, there being nothing to support it, the mass ofrock falls, and drives more with it, perhaps, and the whole comesthundering down. "

"I should like to see how big the piece was, " said Saxe; "it must havebeen close here. "

"No, " said the guide; "perhaps two miles away. "

Dale made a sign, and they went on again. 

"Wait a bit, Saxe, and you'll see plenty of falling rock. I dare say weshall be cannonaded by stones some day. "

"But shall we see an avalanche!"

"It's a great chance if we see one of the great falls which fill valleysand bury villages; but if you keep your eyes open I dare say we shallsee several small ones to-day. "

The lad glanced quickly up, and the meaning of that look was readdirectly. 

"No, " said Dale quietly, "I am not joking, but speaking frankly to onewhom I have chosen as my companion in this enterprise. Come, Saxe, youand I must now be more like helpmates--I mean, less of man and boy, morelike two men who trust each other. "

"I shall be very glad, " said the boy eagerly. 

"Then we start so from this moment. We'll forget you are only sixteenor seventeen. "

"Nearly seventeen. "

"Yes. For, without being gloomy, we must be serious. As Melchior says, `the mountains are solemn in their greatness. ' Look!"

They had just turned the corner of a huge buttress of rock, and Dalepointed up the valley to the wonderful panorama of mountain and glacierwhich suddenly burst upon their view. Snowy peak rising behind greenalps dotted with cattle, and beyond the glittering peak other pyramidsand spires of ice with cols and hollows full of unsullied snow, likehuge waves suddenly frozen, with their ridges, ripples, and curvespreserved. 

"It is grand!" cried the boy, gazing excitedly before him at the mostwondrous picture that had ever met his eyes. 

"Yes, " said Dale; "and it has the advantage that every step we takebrings us to something grander. That is only your first peep intoNature's wilds, some of which are as awful as they are vast. There goesone of the inhabitants. "

For at that moment, soaring high above the valley, a huge bird floatedbetween them and the intensely blue sky. 

"An eagle!"

"Yes; the lammergeyer--the Alpine eagle. "

"But what a name!" said Saxe. 

"Suitable enough, " said Dale quietly. "We call our little bird of preya sparrow-hawk. Well, this bird--lammergeyer--is the one which preys onlambs. "

The eagle soared higher and higher till it was well above theperpendicular wall of rock on their left, and then glided onward towardthe snow, rapidly passing out of sight; while the trio tramped on, passing a chalet here and another there, with its wooden shingled roofladen with great stones to keep all intact against the terrific windswhich at times sweep down the valley from the ice ahead. Now their waylay down by the foaming torrent, half choked with ragged pine trunks, torn out of their birthplaces by tempests, or swept away by downfalls ofsnow or rock; then they panted up some zigzag, faintly marked, where itwas impossible to follow the bed of the stream; and as they climbedhigher fresh visions of grandeur opened out before them, though the pathwas so rugged that much of the view was lost in the attention that hadto be given to where they placed their feet. But from time to time ahalt was called, a geological hammer produced, and a piece of the rock, that had come bounding down from half a mile above them, was shifted andexamined--pure limestone, now granite of some form, or hornblende, whilethe guide rested upon the head of his axe, and looked on. 

"You English are a wonderful people, " he said at last. 

"Why?" said Saxe. 

"A Frenchman would come up here--no, he would not: this would be toodifficult and rough; he would get hot and tired, and pick his way forfear of hurting his shiny boots. But if he did he would seek two orthree bright flowers to wear in his coat, he would look at themountains, and then sit down idle. "

"And the English?" said Saxe. 

"Ah, yes, you English! Nothing escapes you, nor the Americans. You arealways looking for something to turn into money. "

"Which we are not doing now, " said Dale quietly. "But very few peoplecome up here. "

"Very few, but those who have cows or goats up on the green alps. "

"And you think this is one of the grandest and wildest valleys youknow?"

"It is small, " said the guide, "but it is the most solitary, and leadsinto the wildest parts. See: in a short time we shall reach theglacier, and then always ice, snow, and rock too steep for the snow tostand, and beyond that the eternal silence of the never-ending winter. "

Two hours' climb more than walk, with the sun coming down with scorchingpower; but in spite of the labour, no weariness assailing thetravellers, for the air seemed to give new life and strength at everybreath they drew. But now, in place of the view being more grand, asthey climbed higher the valley grew narrow, the scarped rocks on eitherside towered aloft and shut out the snowy peaks, and at last their pathled them amongst a dense forest of pines, through whose summits the windsighed and the roaring torrent's sound was diminished to a murmur. 

This proved to be a harder climb than any they had yet undertaken, theslope being very steep, and the way encumbered by masses of rock whichhad fallen from above and become wedged in among the pine trunks. 

"Tired, Saxe?" said Dale, after a time. 

"I don't know, sir. That is, my legs are tired, but I'm not so upward. I want to go on. "

"In half an hour we shall be through, " said Melchior; "then there are nomore trees--only a green matt, with a chalet and goats and cows. "

"That means milk, " said Saxe eagerly. 

"Yes, and bread and cheese, " said Melchior, smiling. 

"Then I'm not tired. I'm sure of it now, sir, " said Saxe merrily; andthe next half-hour was passed in a steady tramp, the guide leading assurely as if he had passed all his days in that gloomy patch of forest, never hesitating for a moment, but winding in and out to avoid theinnumerable blocks which must have lain there before the pines hadsprung up and grown for perhaps a hundred years. 

Then there was bright daylight ahead, and in a few more strides the lasttrees were passed, and they came out suddenly in an amphitheatre of barerocks, almost elliptical, but coming together at the head, and bendingaway like a comma turned upside down. 

At the moment they stepped on to the green stunted pasture, dotted withflowers, the roar of the torrent came up from a gash in the rocks farbelow, and to right and left, from at least three hundred feet up, thewaters of no less than five streams glided softly over the rocks, andfell slowly in silvery foam, to form so many tributaries of the torrentfar below. 

The effect of those falls was wonderful, and for the first few minutesit seemed as if the water had just awakened at its various sources, andwas in no hurry to join the mad, impetuous stream below, so slowly itdropped, turning into spray, which grew more and more misty as itdescended, while every now and then a jet as of silver rockets shot overfrom the top, head and tail being exactly defined, but of course inwater instead of sparks. 

"Will this do, Saxe?" said Dale, smiling. 

"Do! Oh, come on. I want to get close up to those falls. "

"Aren't you tired?"

"Tired!" cried Saxe. "What fellow could feel tired in a place likethis!"

CHAPTER THREE. 

FURTHER IDEAS OF MAGNITUDE. 

The guide had already started off, and for the next half-hour he ledthem on and upward, gradually ascending a rocky eminence which stoodlike a vast tower in the middle of the amphitheatre. 

Every now and then he stopped to hold out his ice-axe handle to helpSaxe; but the latter disdained all aid, and contented himself withplanting his feet in the same spots as the guide, till all at once theman stopped. 

It was the top of the eminence; and as Saxe reached Melchior's side hepaused there, breathless with exertion and wonder, gazing now along thecurved part of the comma, which had been hidden for the last hour. 

Right and left were the silvery veil-like cascades: down below them somefive hundred feet the little river roared and boomed, and the junctionof the silvery water of the falls with the grey milky, churned-up foamof the torrent was plainly seen in two cases. But the sight whichenchained Saxe's attention was the head of the valley up which they hadtoiled, filled by what at the first glance seemed to be a huge cascadedescending and flowing along the ravine before him, but which soonresolved itself into the first glacier--a wonderfully beautiful frozenriver, rugged, wild and vast, but singularly free from the fallen stonesand earth which usually rob these wonders of their beauty, and lookingnow in the bright sunshine dazzling in its purity of white, shaded byrift, crack and hollow, where the compressed snow was of the mostdelicate sapphire tint. 

"Is that a glacier?" said Saxe, after gazing at it for a few minutes. 

"Yes, lad, that's a glacier, and a better example than one generallysees, because it is so particularly clean. Glaciers are generallypretty old and dirty-looking in the lower parts. "

The guide rested upon his ice-axe, with his eyes half-closed, apparentlywatching the effect the glacier had upon the visitors; Dale gazed at itcontemplatively, as if it were the wrinkled face of an old friend; andSaxe stared wonderingly, for it was so different to anything he hadpictured in his own mind. 

"Well, what do you think of it?" said Dale, at last. 

"Don't quite know, sir, " said Saxe, sitting down, drawing up his kneesto rest his chin, and throwing his arms about his legs. "It wantslooking at. But I'm beginning to understand now. That's the upper partof the river which runs down the valley, only up here it is alwaysfrozen. Seems rum, though, for the sun's regularly blistering my neck. "

"You have something of the idea, but you are not quite right, Saxe, "replied Dale. "That is the upper part of the river, and yet it is not, because it is a distinct river. You speak of it as if the river up herehad become frozen. Now, it is frozen because it has never beenotherwise. "

"Must have been water once, or else it couldn't have run down thatnarrow valley. "

"It has never been anything but ice, Saxe, " said Dale, smiling; "and yetit has run down the valley like that. "

"Ice can't flow, because it is solid, " said Saxe dogmatically. 

"Ice can flow, because it is elastic as well as solid. "

"Mr Dale!"

"Proof, boy. Haven't you seen it bend when thin, and people have beenon it skating?"

"Oh! ah! I'd forgotten that. "

"Well, this ice is sufficiently elastic to flow very slowly, forced downby its own weight and that of the hundreds of thousands of tons behind. "

"Oh, I say, Mr Dale--gently!" cried Saxe. 

"Well, then, millions of tons, boy. I am not exaggerating. You do notunderstand the vastness of these places. That glacier you are lookingat is only one of the outlets of a huge reservoir of ice and snow, extending up there in the mountains for miles. It is forced down, asyou see, bending into the irregularities of the valley where they arenot too great; but when the depths are extensive the ice cracks rightacross. "

"With a noise like a gun, sometimes, " interpolated the guide, who waslistening intently. 

"And I know, like that, " cried Saxe, pointing to a deep-looking jaggedrift, extending right across the ice-torrent: "that makes a crevasse. "

"Quite correct, " said Dale. 

"But stop a moment, " cried Saxe: "this is all solid-looking blue ice. It's snow that falls on the tops of the mountains. "

"Yes; snow at a certain height, while lower that snow becomes rain. "

"Well, then, this valley we are looking at ought to be snow, not ice. "

"Snow is ice in the form of light flocculent crystals, is it not? Why, at home, if you take up moist snow and press it hard in your hands, youcan almost turn it into ice. If you placed it in a press, and appliedmuch force, it would become perfectly clear ice. Well, there's pressureenough here to turn it into ice; and besides, the snow is always meltingin the hot sun, and then freezing again at night. "

"Yes, I see!" cried Saxe; "but it does seem queer. Why, we've gotsummer here, with flowers and bees and butterflies, and if we go down tothat glacier, I suppose we can step on to winter. "

"Yes, my lad; and if we like to climb a little higher up the ice, we canplace ourselves in such severe winter that we should be frozen todeath. "

"Then we will not go, " said Saxe, laughing. "You told me one day--No, you didn't, it was in a story I read, `man is best as he is. ' But Isay, Mr Dale, how about the river? doesn't it come from the glacier?"

"Yes, of course. These vast glaciers are the sources of the great Swissand Italian rivers. The Rhine and the Rhone both begin up in themountains here, and the Aar and the Reuss start pretty close to them. When we get down here you will see how this stream runs from a littleice-cave. "

"But what makes it so dirty?"

"My good fellow, we have come to climb, and my name is not Barlow. Youmust read and search out these things. You know how that stone or massfell with a roar lower down?"

"Not likely to forget it, sir, " replied Saxe, with a laugh. 

"Well, the stones are always falling from the bare sides of the gorge;they drop on to the glacier, and in course of time are washed by themelting ice into the crevasses and down to the bare rock beneath theglacier. There they glide down, with its weight upon them, right overthe rock, and the surface is worn off from the fallen stone and the bedrock in a thin paste, which is washed away by the glacier. Then, as itdescends, it of course discolours the water. "

"Shall we go down to the toe of the glacier!" said the guide. 

"Yes; come along. "

"Can we trust the young herr to descend?"

Dale leaned forward to gaze down the rugged slope, which was excessivelysteep, but broken up into rift and gully, offering plenty of foot andhand-hold. 

"What do you think, Saxe?" he said. "Can you manage to get down there?"

"Get down there?" said the lad contemptuously; "why, I'd race you to thebottom. "

"No doubt, and be down first, " said Dale quietly; "but I should be readyto go on, and you would want carrying to the nearest chalet to wait fora surgeon. "

"What, after getting down that bit of a place?"

"You stupid fellow, " said Dale testily; "that bit of a place is aprecipice of five hundred feet. How am I to impress upon you thateverything here is far bigger than you think? Look here, " he continued, pointing: "do you see that cow yonder, on that bit of green slope besidethose overhanging rocks?"

"No; I can see a little dog by a heap of stones. "

"That will do for an example, " said Dale. "Here, Melchior, is not thata cow just across the stream there?"

"Wait a moment, " cried Saxe eagerly. "I say it's a little dog. Who'sright?"

"You are both wrong, " said the guide, smiling. "There is a man here hasa chalet behind the pines. He comes up the valley with his cattle forthe summer, when the snow is gone. "

"Is there snow here in winter, then?" said Saxe. 

"The valley is nearly full in winter. No one can come up here. "

"But that isn't a cow, " cried Saxe, pointing. 

"No, " said the guide, smiling; "it is Simon Andregg's big bull. "

"Well!" cried Saxe, shading his eyes and staring down at the animal, which looked small enough to be a dog. 

"You don't believe him?" said Dale, laughing. 

"Oh, I don't know, " said Saxe; "I suppose I do. But I was thinking thathe might have made a mistake. Shall I go first?"

"No, herr; I am the guide, " said Melchior quietly; and he began thedescent pretty rapidly, but stopped at the foot of each more difficultpart to look up and wait for the others. Sometimes he drove the sharpend of his ice-axe into the earth or some crevice, and held it there toact as a step for the others to descend; and at other times he pressedhimself against the rock and offered his shoulders as resting-places fortheir feet, constantly on the watch to lessen the difficulties and guardagainst dangers in a place where a slip of a few feet might haveresulted in the unfortunate person who fell rolling lower withincreasing impetus, and the slip developing into a terrible accident. 

"It is farther than I thought, " said Saxe, as they reached the bottom ofthe steep bluff from which they had viewed the glacier; and he steppedback a few yards to look up. "The places really are so much bigger thanthey look. Why, I say, Mr Dale, the glacier seems quite high up fromhere, and ever so much farther off. "

"And it will look bigger still when we reach the cave where the rivercomes out. "

"So!" said Melchior quietly; and he went on, now down the stony slope ofthe valley, to reach the river bed near its source, with the sides ofthe thal seeming to grow steeper and higher, and one of the waterfallsthey were near infinitely more beautiful, for they had now reached thepoint necessary for seeing the lovely iris which spanned the cascade, turning its seething spray into a segment of an arch of the most vividcolours, at which the lad seemed disposed to gaze for an indefinitetime. 

"Vorwarts, " said the guide quietly; and they obeyed, following his leadtill they reached the spot where the clear waters of the fall glidedinto the dingy stream, and then followed the latter up and up for quitehalf an hour before Saxe stopped short, and took off his straw hat towipe his steaming forehead, as he gazed up at the end of the glacier; hewas now so low down that the surface was invisible, and facing him therewas a curve rising up and up, looking like a blunted set of naturalsteps. 

"Well?" said Dale, inquiringly. 

"I can't make it out, " said Saxe, rather breathlessly. "It seems as ifthat thing were playing games with us, and growing bigger and shrinkingaway farther at every step one takes. "

"Yes, " said Dale, "it is giving you a lesson that you will not easilyforget. "

"But it looked quite small when we were up there, " cried Saxe, noddingtoward the tower-like bluff they had climbed, again at the top of theglacier. 

"Yes, and now it looks quite big, Saxe; and when you have been on it andhave walked a few miles upon its surface here and there--"

"Miles?"

"Yes, my boy, miles. Then you will begin to grasp how big all this is, and what vast deserts of ice and snow there are about us in themountains. But come along; we have not much farther to go to reach thefoot. "

But it took them quite a quarter of an hour over rounded, scratched andpolished masses of rock which were in places cut into grooves, and toall this Dale drew attention. 

"Do you see what it means?" he said. 

"No, " said Saxe, "only that it's very bad walking, now it's so steep. "

"But don't you see that--?"

"Yes, I do, " cried Saxe, interrupting him; "you mean that this has beenall rubbed smooth by the ice and stones grinding over it; but how couldit?--the ice couldn't go up hill. "

"No, it comes down. "

"Then--was it once as far as here?"

"Ever so much farther when I was a boy, " said the guide. "It has beenshrinking for years. Mind, herr; it is very slippery here. Let me helpyou. "

He hooked his ice-axe into a crevice, and held out his hand, by whosehelp Saxe mounted beside him, and here descending close to the waterthey stepped from stone to stone, with the ice towering more and moreabove their heads, till they were close up, and even below it, for theyhad entered a low, flat arch, which just admitted them standing upright, and after a few steps into what Saxe called a blue gloom, they stoodgazing into the azure depths of the cavern, which grew darker till theywere purple and then utterly black. Then they listened to the gurgleand babble of the tiny river, as it came rushing and dashing over therock in many an eddy and swirl, while from far away up in the darknessthere were mysterious whisperings and musical echoes that were strangeto hear. 

"Like to go in any farther, Saxe?" said Dale. 

"Yes, much--very much, " said the lad, in a low voice, "just because Idon't want to. "

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can't exactly explain it, because the place makes me feelnervous and a little shrinking, but I want to try and get over it. "

"Better not stay any longer, herr, " said the guide; "you are hot withwalking, and the place is damp and cold. "

"Yes, it would be wiser to go out in the sunshine again. I should liketo explore this, though, with a lantern and candles. "

"Whenever the herr likes, " said the guide quietly. And they passed outagain, the icy arch above them looking exquisitely beautiful with itsblue tints, some of which were of the delicious brilliancy to be seen insome of our precious stones. 

It was a wonderful change from the cool gloom of the cavern to theglaring sunshine outside, where the heat was reflected from the ice andglistening rocks; and now, striking up to the right, Melchior made forwhere the ice ended and the steep slope-up of the valley side began. 

Here with a little difficulty they mounted--sometimes the rock growingtoo steep and the ice appearing the easier path, then the reverse, tillat last they stood well up on the surface of the frozen river and beganits toilsome ascent. 

"Now you'll find the advantage of your big-nailed boots, Saxe, " said hisleader merrily. "Go cautiously, my lad; we mustn't spoil ourexplorations by getting sprained ankles. "

The warning was necessary, for the ice surface was broken up into ruts, hollows, folds, and crags that required great caution, and proved to belaborious in the extreme to surmount. 

"Is there much more of this rough stuff?" said Saxe, after half anhour's climbing. 

The guide smiled. 

"The ice gets bigger and wilder higher up, " he replied. "There aresmooth patches, but it is broken up into crags and seracs. "

This was another surprise to Saxe, to whom the surface of the glacier, when seen from above on the bluff, had looked fairly smooth--just, infact, one great winding mass of ice flowing down in a curve to the foot. He was not prepared for the chaos of worn, tumbled and crushed-upmasses, among which the guide led the way. Some parts that weresmoother were worn and channelled by the running water, which rushed inall directions, mostly off the roughly curved centre to the sides, whereit made its way to the river beneath. 

It was quite a wonderland to the boy fresh from town, entering the icystrongholds of nature; for, after ascending a little farther, their waywas barred by jagged and pinnacled masses heaped together in the wildestconfusion, many of the fragments being thirty, even forty feet high. 

"Have we got to climb those?" said Saxe, in dismay. 

The guide shook his head. 

"No, herr: it would be madness to try. Some of them would give way atthe least touch. Stand back a little, and I'll show you why it isdangerous to climb among the seracs. "

He stepped aside, and, using his axe, deftly chipped off a piece of icefrom a block--a fragment about as large as an ordinary paving-stone. 

"Hold my axe, sir, " he said; and on Saxe taking it, the man picked upthe block he had chipped off, walked a little way from them, and, afterlooking about a little, signed to them to watch, as he hurled the lumpfrom him, after raising it above his head. As he threw it, he ran backtoward them, and the piece fell with a crash between two spires whichprojected from the icy barrier. 

There was a crash, and then the effect was startling. Both the spires, whose bases must have been worn nearly through by the action of sun andwater, came down with a roar, bringing other fragments with them, andleaving more looking as if they were tottering to their fall. 

Then up rose what seemed to be a cloud of diamond dust, glittering inthe bright sunshine, a faint echo or two came from high up the rockyface of the valley, and then all was silent once more. 

"You see?" said Melchior. "Why, often a touch of a hand, or even ashout, will bring them tumbling down. Always keep away from theseracs. "

He led them now at a safe distance across the glacier to the left, tilla wide opening presented itself, through which they passed on tocomparatively smooth ice; but even this was all piled together, wedgedin blocks, which made the party seem, as Saxe said, like so many antswalking about in a barrel of loaf sugar. 

Then there was a smoother stretch, all longitudinal furrows, up whichthey passed fairly well--that is to say, with only a few falls--tillthey went round a curve; and there they paused, breathless andwondering. 

"Why, that was only a peep down below, " cried Saxe. "Look, Mr Dale!look!"

He had cause to exclaim, for from where they stood they had an openingbefore them right up a side valley running off from the glacier at asharp angle. This, too, was filled by a glacier, a tributary of the onethey were upon, and with the sides of the minor valley covered with snowwherever the slope was sufficient to hold it. Beyond rose peak afterpeak, flashing pure and white--higher and higher; and even the hollowsbetween them filled with soft-looking pillows and cushions of dazzlingsnow. 

"Those are the mountains you told me about, then?" cried Saxe. 

"Some of the outposts, lad. There are others far greater, miles behindthose; and you are now having your first genuine look into wonderland. "

"I never thought it was like this. "

"No one can imagine how wonderful the mountains are, " said the guidesolemnly. "I looked up at them as a little child, and I have been upamongst them from a boy, while I am now thirty-five; and yet they arealways changing and ever new. Sometimes they are all light andsunshine, though full of hidden dangers. Sometimes they are wild andblack and angry, when the wind shrieks and the lightning flashes abouttheir shattered heads, and the thunders roar. Yes, young herr, younever thought it was half so wonderful as this. Shall we go on?"

"I was thinking, " said Dale. "I only meant to come a little way to-day, and let my companion have a glimpse of what is before him; so we willnot go much farther, as it is so far back to the chalet. "

"If the herr does not mind simple fare and a bed of clean hay, we couldsleep at Andregg's to-night, and be ready for a start in the morningearly. "

"The very thing, " said Dale. "How long will it take us to get from hereto Andregg's?"

"An hour, " said the guide; "so we have several good hours before us togo on up the glacier, or to cross over the valley ridge, and come backdown the next. "

"Can we go up the glacier for another mile, " said Dale, "and thencross?"

"Easily. "

"Then we will do that. "

The ascent of the glacier-filled valley was continued, and they toiledon. A mile on level ground would have meant a sharp quarter of anhour's walk; here it meant a slow climb, slipping and floundering overice, splashing through tiny rivulets that veined the more level parts, and the avoidance of transverse cracks extending for a few yards. Sometimes they had to make for the left, sometimes the right bank of thefrozen river; and at last, as they were standing waiting while the guidemade his observations as to the best way of avoiding some obstacle intheir front, there was a sharp, clear crack. 

"What's that?" said Saxe quickly. 

"Stand back!" cried the guide. "No! quick--to me!"

They stepped forward to his side; and as, in obedience to a sign, theyturned, there was a peculiarly harsh, rending noise, a singing as ofescaping air, and to their astonishment, just where they had beenstanding the ice began to open in a curious, wavy, zigzag line, gradually extending to right and left. At first it was a faint crack, not much more than large enough to admit a knife-blade; but as theywatched it slowly opened, till it was an inch--a foot--across, and thenall sound ceased, and they could look down for a short distance beforethe sides came together, the whole forming a long wedge-shaped hollow. 

"The opening of a crevasse, " said the guide gravely. "It will go ongrowing bigger, till it will be dangerous. "

"You are lucky, Saxe, " said Dale. "You have had a fall of rock, seen anice-cave and the birth of a big river, heard seracs fall, and nowwatched the opening of a crevasse. We must have that avalanche beforewe go back. "

"When we get up on the ridge we shall see the Bluthenhorn, " saidMelchior; "the afternoon sun will be full on the high slopes, and weshall hear some of the ice-fall. Hark!"

He held up his hand, and they stood listening to a faintly boomingsound, evidently at a great distance before them. 

"Was that one?"

"Yes; but right over among the mountains, herr. It was a great fall, though, or we should not have heard it here. "

He plodded steadily on, and Saxe noted that he kept his eyes down andseemed to make a business of every step, measuring exactly where heshould plant it, and keeping hold, as it were, with his other foot tillhe was sure that his new step was safe. Not that this took long, but itappeared to be all carefully studied, and the boy learned that suchcaution must be the result of experience and mean safety in his arduousclimbing. 

The glacier wound in serpentine fashion along the valley, growing wilderand grander as they ascended. There were masses of piled-up ice, andcrevasses into whose blue depths they peered as they listened to thehollow echoing sounds of running water. Some of these were stepped overin an ordinary stride, some had to be jumped; and, though the distancewas short, Saxe felt a curious shrinking sensation as he leaped across afour or five feet rift, whose sides were clear blue ice, going rightdown to what would in all probability mean death to one who fell. Thenon again, till it seemed to the lad that they must have journeyed thatone mile upward several times over; and, at last, before them there wassnow filling up all the irregularities, and offering them a soft smoothpath. 

It was not snow, though, such as he had seen in England, for it lookedmore like a thick layer of softened hailstones, which he could scoop upand let fall separately, or scatter at large to glisten in the sun, while upon trying it the particles crackled and crushed under theirfeet, but felt pretty firm. 

"What are you stopping for?" said Dale. 

"I don't quite like the look of the snow on beyond this first old part, "said the guide. "You have no alpenstock or ice-axe either. "

"Shall we give up going any farther to-day?" said Dale. 

"No, herr: because I want to get round that piece of rock which runs outfrom the side. Beyond that there is a couloir running right up to theridge, and it will be the easiest place for us to mount. "

As he spoke he took the coil of rope from across his chest, and began tounfasten the end. 

"Is that necessary?" asked Dale; while Saxe looked wonderingly on. 

"Who knows, herr? It is the duty of a guide to take care his people runno risks. I want to be a good guide to mine. "

"What are we going to do?" asked Saxe. 

"Rope ourselves together in case the snow covers a crevasse. "

"But if one goes through, he'll pull down the others, " cried Saxe. "Isthat wise?"

"He will not pull down the others, " said Dale, "for they will pull himout. "

Melchior said nothing, but slowly unfastened his rope as they stoodthere with their feet in the depth of a rigid winter and their heads inthe height of summer. When he had it ready, hanging in loops on hisleft arm, he held out one end to his companions with a smile. 

"Alpen rope. Good. Best, " he said. "English make, " and he pulled openone end, to show them a red strand running through it. "Now!"

He fastened one end by a peculiar knot round Saxe's waist, arranging itso that it should not slip and tighten, whatever stress was given. Then, bidding the lad walk away till told to stop, he deliberatelycounted over a certain number of rings. 

"Stop! Keep the rope out of the snow. "

Then, with Dale and Saxe holding the rope taut, the middle was attachedby similar knots to Dale's waist, and Melchior walked on, and onreaching his end secured the rope to himself. 

"Keep it nearly tight, " he said, "holding the rope in your right hand. If any one goes wrong in the snow, the others are to stand firm and hangback, so as to hold him firmly. Keep to the steps of the man before youas much as you can. Now, then. Vorwarts!"

He started off now through the snow, with Dale and Saxe following. 

"Been better if you had placed him in the middle, wouldn't it, Melchior?" said Dale. 

"Yes, herr, I was thinking so. Shall I alter it?"

"No: let's go on as we are this time. Forward again!" And they went onover the dazzling untrodden surface. 

CHAPTER FOUR. 

ON THE ROPE. 

"I say, " cried Saxe, after they had gone on crunching through the snow, which was soft and melting fast. 

"Yes: what is it?"

"Don't you feel as if we were horses haltered together for market?"

"I might answer, sir--Don't you feel like a donkey being led?"

"No. Why?"

"Because you ask such an absurd, childish question, and that at aserious time. "

Saxe was silent. 

"Mr Dale needn't be so gruff, " he said to himself, as he tramped on, looking up at the rocky sides of the valley, which grew more and moresnow-clad as they went on, and giving himself greater trouble by missingthe footsteps of his leaders. Once he nearly stumbled and fell, givinga jerk to the rope; but he recovered himself directly, and tramped on insilence, finding the going so arduous that he began to wish for the timewhen they would leave the glacier and take to the rocks. 

But he could not keep silence long. 

"Shall we have to go back along the mountain?" he said. "Or will therebe some other track?"

"I expect we shall cross the ridge into a similar valley to this, and godown another glacier; but--Ah! Hold tight!"

He threw himself backward, tightening the rope, and as soon as he couldget over his surprise at the suddenness of the accident, Saxe followedhis companion's example. For all at once Melchior disappeared, passingthrough the snow, and a hollow, echoing, rushing noise fell upon theirears. 

"Haul away, gentlemen!" cried the guide's voice; and as they dragged atthe rope, they saw his arms appear with the ice-axe, which was struckdown into the snow, and directly after the man climbed out, rose fromhis hands and knees, and shook the snow off his clothes. 

"We wanted the rope, you see, " he said quietly. "I ought to have knownby the snow that this part was dangerous. No harm done, gentlemen. Let's strike off for the side. "

"But you went through, " said Saxe excitedly. "Was it a crevasse?"

"Yes, of course, " said the guide, smiling. 

"Was it deep?"

"Deep? Oh yes! Would you like to look?"

Saxe nodded, and the guide drew back for him to pass, but took hold ofthe rope and held it tightly. 

"Go on, " he said encouragingly. "I have you fast. "

"But how near can I go?" said Saxe, hesitating. 

"Nearly to where I broke through the snow crust. You will see. "

Saxe went on cautiously, still seeing nothing till he was close upon thehole, which was a fairly wide opening, a quantity of half-frozen snowhaving given way as the guide's weight rested upon it, and dropped intothe black-looking rift, which was lightly bridged over on either side bythe snow. 

"Lean over if you like, and hang on by the rope, " said Melchior, "if youwant to look down. "

Saxe could not say he did not want to look down, for there was a strangefascination about the place which seemed to draw him. But he resisted, and after a quick glance at the thick snow which arched over thecrevasse, he drew back; and Melchior led on again, striking the shaft ofhis ice-axe handle down through the crust before him at every step, anddivining, by long practice and the colour of the snow, the direction ofthe crevasse so well, that he only once diverged from the edgesufficiently for the handle to go right down. 

"We can cross here, " he said at last. 

"Are you sure?" said Dale. 

The guide smiled, and stamped heavily right across. 

"We are beyond the end of the crevasse, " he said; and once more theywent on upward. 

"These cracks make the glacier very dangerous, " observed Dale, after afew minutes. 

"Not with a rope and care, " said Melchior, as he trudged on, shoutinghis words and not turning his head. "But what will you? See how mucheasier it is. It would take us hours longer to keep to the rocks. There is a crevasse here: walk lightly--just in my steps. "

They followed him carefully, without realising when they were passingover the opening, the difference in the appearance of the snow beingonly plain to the guide; and then onward again till the place wasopposite to them where they were to leave the ice river and climb to therocks. 

"One moment, " said Dale: "let's take one look round before we leave thispart. Look, Saxe! the view is magnificent. "

"Yes; and you can see better from here, " cried the boy enthusiastically, as he stepped forward a few yards. 

"Ah! not that way!" cried Melchior. 

The warning came too late, for Saxe dropped through suddenly, tighteningthe rope with a jerk which threw Dale forward upon his face, and drewhim a little way on toward the crevasse, whose slight covering of snowhad given way. 

But Melchior threw himself back, and stopped farther progress, as Saxe'svoice came up from below in a smothered way--

"Ahoy! Help! help!"

"Get to your feet, " cried Melchior to Dale; "I'll keep the rope tight. "

"Yes, " cried Dale, scrambling up; "now, quick!--both together, to drawhim out. "

"Draw him out? No, " said the guide quietly. "Now plant your feetfirmly, and hold him till I come to your side. "

Dale obeyed at once, and shouting to Saxe that help was coming, he stoodfast, waiting for the guide. 

Meanwhile, Saxe, who had felt the snow suddenly drop from beneath him, and had been brought up breathlessly with a sudden jerk, was swingingslowly to and fro, clinging with both hands to the rope, and tryingvainly to get a rest for his feet on the smooth wall of ice, over whichhis toes glided whenever he could catch it; but this was not often, forthe ice receded, and in consequence he hung so clear, that the lineturned with him, and he was at times with his back to the side fromwhich the rope was strained, gazing at the dimly-seen opposite wall, some six or seven feet away. Above was the over-arching snow, whichlooked fragile in the extreme. 

Far below him as he fell he heard the snow and ice he had broken away gohissing and whispering down for what seemed long after he had dropped;and this gave him some idea of the terrible depth of the ice crack, anda cold chill, that was not caused by the icy coldness of the place, ranthrough him, as he wondered whether the rope, which now looked thin andworn, would hold. Then he thought that it might possibly cut againstthe sharp edge, and after a sharp glance upward, to see nothing but theblue sky, he could not keep from looking down into the black depths andlistening to the faint musical gurgle of running water. 

He shuddered as he slowly turned, and then strained his ears to try andmake out what his companion and the guide were doing. But he could hearnothing for some minutes. Then there was a vibration of the rope, and aslight jerking sensation, and to his horror he found that he was beinglowered down. 

Saxe was as brave as most boys of his years, but this was too much forhim. It struck him at first that he was being lowered; but the nextmoment it seemed to be so much without reason that he jumped to theconclusion that the rope was slowly unravelling and coming to pieces. 

An absurd notion, but in the supreme moments of great danger peoplesometimes think wild things. 

He was just in the agony of this imagination, when the small patch oflight twenty feet above him was darkened, and he saw the head andshoulders of Melchior, as the man, trusting to the strain upon the ropemaintained by Dale, leaned forward. 

"Can you help yourself at all?" he said quietly. 

"No, no!" cried Saxe hoarsely. 

"Be cool, my lad, " said Melchior. "I shall drive the head of my axeinto the ice, and leave the handle so that you can grasp it when you aredrawn up. "

Saxe made no reply, but he heard a dull sound, and directly after therope began to move, and he knew by the jerks that it was being hauled inhand-over-hand by the guide. 

A minute later, and the lad's head was level with the snow, and he sawthe handle of the ice-axe, which he grasped. But it was almostneedless, for Melchior caught him by the portion of the rope which wasround his chest, and by a quick exercise of his great strength raisedhim right out of the crevasse, to stand trembling there, as Dale now ranup and grasped his hand. 

"Saxe, my boy! What an escape!"

"Oh no, " said the guide quickly. "It was nothing. The rope is good andstrong, and all we had to do was to draw him out. It would have beendangerous for one man--he would have died--but we are three, and we helpeach other; so it is nothing. "

The two travellers exchanged glances, wondering at the man's coolness;but they were given no time to think, for Melchior quickly examined theknots of the rope which secured it about Saxe's chest, and strode onagain, so that they were obliged to follow. 

A few minutes later they had reached the rocky side of the glaciervalley, and a stiff ascent was before them. Here they found more thanever the value of their guide, for his climbing powers seemed almostmarvellous, while almost by instinct he selected the easiest route. 

But the easiest was very hard, and every now and then he threw himselfback against the rock in difficult places, planted his feet firmly wideapart, and steadily hauled upon the rope, making the ascent of theothers much more facile than it would have been. 

This was repeated again and again till they had reached the top of theridge, which had seemed the summit from below on the ice; but here afresh slope met their eyes, and Melchior made straight for a rift whichran up into the mountain, and, being full of snow, looked at a distancelike a waterfall. 

"We will go up this couloir, " he said; "it will be the best, and it willgive the young herr his first lesson in climbing snow. "

"But we have been climbing snow, " said Saxe, whose trepidation had nowpassed off, and who was feeling once more himself. 

"Walking upon it, " said the guide, smiling; "not climbing. "

"Rather a steep bit, isn't it, Melchior?" said Dale, looking upward. 

"Yes, it is steep; but we can do it, and if we slip it will only be aglissade down here again. The rocks are harder to climb, and a slipthere would be bad; besides, the stones fall here sometimes ratherthickly. "

"But they'll be worse down that couloir, " said Dale. 

"As bad--not worse, herr; but I will go which way you like. "

"Go the best way, " said Dale quietly. 

Melchior nodded, and strode on at once for the foot of the narrow rift, which looked like a gully or shoot, down which the snow fell from above. 

"Use my steps, " he said quietly; and, with the rope still attached, hebegan to ascend, kicking his feet into the soft snow as he went on, andsending it flying and rushing down, sparkling in the sunshine, while theothers followed his zigzag track with care. There were times when thefoothold gave way, but there was no element of danger in the ascent, which did not prove to be so steep as it had looked before it wasattacked. But the ascent was long, and the couloir curved round as theyclimbed higher, displaying a fresh length of ascent invisible frombelow. 

As they turned the corner Melchior paused for them to look about them, and upward toward where the gully ended in a large field of snow, aboveand beyond which was steeply scarped mountain, rising higher and highertoward a distant snowy peak. 

"But we are not going right up that mountain, are we?" cried Saxe, panting and breathless. 

"Not to-day, " replied the guide. "No: up to the snow yonder, and alongits edge for a little way, and then we descend on the other side, whereit will be all downward to Andregg's chalet. Hah! Down close! Quick!"

He set the example, flinging himself upon his face and extending hishands above his head, as a whizzing sound was heard; then a dull thud ortwo and directly after there was a crash on the rocky side of thecouloir a few feet above their heads, followed by a shower of slatyfragments which fell upon them, while a great fragment, which had becomedetached far above, glanced off, struck the other side of the gully, andthen went downward, ploughing up the snow. 

"Take care!" again cried the guide. "No, " he said directly after, "itis only a few bits. "

The few consisted of what might easily have been a cartload of snow, which passed them with a rush, fortunately on the opposite side of thegully. 

"I say, Mr Dale, " said Saxe, rather nervously, "if that piece of slatehad hit either of us--"

"Hah!" ejaculated Dale, drawing in his breath with a hiss, "if it hadhit us--"

They neither of them finished their sentence; and just then Melchiorstarted once more, lessening the difficulty of the ascent by zigzaggingthe way. 

Snow was dislodged, and went gliding down the gully, and for a moment agreat patch began to slide, taking Dale with it, but a few rapid leapscarried him beyond it; and tightening the rope as soon as he had reacheda firm place, Saxe was able to pick his way after the snow had gone byhim with a rush, but only to stop a little lower down. 

Another climb of about a quarter of an hour's duration brought them tothe edge of the field of snow, which Melchior examined pretty carefully, and ended by rejecting in favour of a rugged ridge of rocks, which theyhad hardly reached when there was a quick roar like thunder, and theguide cried sharply--

"Look!"

He pointed upward toward the snow peaks, which seemed to be a couple ofmiles away; and as they followed the direction of his pointing hand, toward quite a chaos of rock and ice to their left, and about half-wayto the summit, they looked in vain, till Dale cried--

"There it is!"

"Yes: what?" cried Saxe eagerly. "Oh, I see: that little waterfall!"

For far away there was the semblance of a cascade, pouring over the edgeof a black rock, and falling what seemed to be a hundred feet into ahollow, glittering brilliantly the while in the sun. 

They watched it for about five minutes; and then, to Saxe's surprise, the fall ceased, but the deep rushing noise, as of water, was stillheard, and suddenly the torrent seemed to gush out below, to the left, and go on again fiercer than ever, but once more to disappear andreappear again and again, till it made one bold leap into a hollow, which apparently communicated with the glacier they had left. 

"Hah!" ejaculated Saxe, "it was very beautiful, but--Why, that must havebeen snow! Was that an avalanche?"

"Yes; didn't you understand? That is one of the ice-falls that arealways coming down from above. "

"I didn't take it, " said Saxe. "Well, it was very pretty, but not muchof it. I should like to see a big one. "

Dale looked at Melchior, and smiled. 

"He does not grasp the size of things yet, " he said. "Why, Saxe, mylad, you heard the clap like thunder when the fall first took place?"

"Yes, of course. "

"Then don't you grasp that what looked like a cascade tumbling down washundreds of tons of hard ice and snow in large fragments? Hark! theregoes another. "

There was a deeper-toned roar now, and they stood looking up once more, with Saxe troubled by a feeling of awe, as the noise came rumbling andechoing to where they stood. 

"That must have been a huge mass down, " said Dale at last, after theyhad looked up in vain, expecting some visible token of the avalanche. 

"Yes, herr: away over that ridge. The snow falls at this time of theday. We shall not see any of that one. Shall we go on!"

"No, no!" cried Saxe excitedly, "I want to see another one come down. But did you mean there were hundreds of tons in that first one, thatlooked like water?"

"Oh yes--perhaps much more, " said Dale. "That fall was a couple ofmiles away. "

"Here, let's go on, sir, " said Saxe, who seemed to have changed his mindvery suddenly. "It all puzzles me. I dare say I'm very stupid, but Ican't understand it. Perhaps I shall be better after a time. "

"It is more than any one can understand, Saxe, " said Dale quietly; "andyet, while it is grand beyond imagination, all the scheme of thesemountains, with their ice and snow, is gloriously simple. Yes, " headded, with a nod to Melchior, "go on, " and an arduous climb followedalong the ridge of rocks, while the sun was reflected with a painfulglare from the snowfield on their left, a gloriously soft curve ofperhaps great depth kept from gliding down into the gorge below by theridge of rocks along which they climbed. 

The way was safe enough, save here and there, when Melchior led themalong a ledge from which the slope down was so steep as to be almost aprecipice. But here he always paused and drew in the rope till those inhis charge were close up to him; and on one of these occasions he pattedSaxe on the shoulder, for there had been a narrow piece of about fiftyfeet in length that looked worse at a glance back than in the passing. 

"That was good, " he said. "Some grown men who call themselves climberswould have hung back from coming. "

"That?" said Saxe. "Yes, I suppose it is dangerous, but it didn't seemso then. I didn't think about it, as you and Mr Dale walked so quietlyacross. "

"It's the thinking about it is the danger, " said Dale quietly. "Imagination makes men cowards. But I'm glad you've got such a steadyhead, Saxe. "

"But I haven't, sir, for I was horribly frightened when I hung at theend of that rope down in the crevasse. "

"You will not be again, " said Melchior coolly, for they were now on aslope where the walking was comparatively easy, and they could keeptogether. "The first time I slipped into one I, too, was terriblyfrightened. Now I never think of anything but the rope cutting into mychest and hurting me, and of how soon I can get hold somewhere to easethe strain. "

"What!" cried Saxe, staring at the man's cool, matter-of-fact way oftreating such an accident, "do you mean to say I shall ever get to thinknothing of such a thing as that?"

"Oh yes, " said Melchior quietly. 

"Oh, well, I don't think so, " said Saxe. "Oh no. I shall get not tomind walking along precipices, I dare say, but those crevasses--ugh!"

"The young herr will make a fine mountaineer, I am sure, " said Melchior. "I ought to know. Along here, " he added; and, after a few minutes, hestopped at what was quite a jagged rift in the mountain side. 

"There is an awkward bit here, herr, " he said, "but it will cut off halfan hour's hard walking. "

"Down there?" said Saxe, after a glance. "Oh, I say!"

"It is an ugly bit, certainly, " said Dale, looking at the guide. 

"With a little care it is nothing, " said Melchior. "The herr will godown first. He has only to mind where he plants his feet. When hereaches that ledge he will stop till we join him. "

As Melchior spoke he unfastened the rope from Dale's breast and placedthe end from his own breast there instead; after which he set himself ina good position by the edge. 

"Hadn't we better get the youngster down first?"

"No, herr, you are heavy, and if you slip he can help me to hold you. We can do it easily. Then you will untie yourself, and I can let himdown. "

"And what then?" cried Saxe merrily, to conceal a feeling of uneasinessat the awkward descent before him. "Are we to come up again and let youdown?"

"The young herr speaks like a gentleman Irlandais who was with me lastyear. He made John Bulls, his friend said. "

"Irish bulls, Melchior, " said Dale, smiling. 

"Ah, yes, the herr is right, they were Irish bulls; but I do not quiteknow. Are you ready?"

"Yes, " said Dale, preparing to descend the precipitous piece. 

"Better keep your face to the rock here, herr. Go on. Take hold here, young friend. That's it. The rope just touching, and the hands readyto tighten at the slightest slip. Confidence, herr. But I need notspeak. You can climb. "

Dale reached the ledge below without a slip, unfastened the end of therope, and Melchior began to attach it to Saxe. 

"But, I say, " cried the latter, "how can you get down?"

"There?" said the guide, with a little laugh. "Oh, that is not hardclimbing: I can easily get down there. "

"I wish I could without thinking it was terrible, " said Saxe to himself, as he prepared in turn to descend, for in spite of the confidence givenby the rope about his chest, he found himself fancying that if the knotcame undone by the jerk he should give it if he slipped from one ofthose awkward pieces of stone, he would go on falling and bounding fromrock to rock till he lay bruised and cut, perhaps killed, at the bottomof the mountain. 

"It's no good to stop thinking about it, " he muttered; and loweringhimself down, he began to descend steadily, with the feeling of dreadpassing off directly he had started; for the excitement of the work, andthe energy that he had to bring to bear in lowering himself from ledgeto ledge, kept him too busy to think of anything but the task in hand;so that, in what seemed to be an incredibly short space of time, he wasstanding beside Dale. 

Then came a warning cry from Melchior, who threw down his end of therope, and directly after began to descend with an ease that robbed histask of all aspect of danger. Every movement was so quietly and easilymade, there was such an elasticity of muscle and absence of strain, thatbefore the man was half down, both Dale and Saxe were wondering how theycould have thought so much of the task, and on Melchior joining them, and after descending a little farther, roping them for other steep bits, they went on easily and well. 

And now for about a couple of hours Melchior took them on rapidly downand down and in and out among bluffs and mountain spurs which he seemedto know by heart, though to those with him the place grew moreperplexing at every turn. There was a gloomy look, too, now, in thedepths of the various gorges, which told of the coming of evening, though the various peaks were blazing with orange and gold, and arefulgent hue overspread the western sky. 

"Is it much farther?" said Saxe at last. "I am getting so hungry, I canhardly get one leg before the other. "

"Farther!" said Melchior, smiling. "Do you not see? Up there to theright is the foot of the glacier; there is the hill from which you sawthe top, and yonder is the patch of forest. Andregg's chalet is justbelow. "

"I am glad!" cried Saxe. "I thought I was hungry, but it's tired I am. I shall be too weary to eat. "

"Oh no!" said Melchior. "The young herr will eat, and then he willsleep as we sleep here in these mountains, and wake in the morning readyfor another day. The herr still wants to hunt for crystals?" he added, glancing at Dale. 

"Yes; if you can take me to them, " said the latter eagerly. 

"I will try, herr; but they have to be sought in the highest solitudes, on the edge of the precipices, where it is too steep for the snow tostay, and they say that there are spirits and evil demons guarding thecaverns where they lie. "

"And do you believe them?" said Saxe sturdily. 

"The young herr shall see, " replied the guide. "Ah! there is Andregg. The cows have just been brought home, and here come the goats. I heardthe cry in the mountains. We shall have bread and milk and cheese, ifwe have nothing else. Do I believe that about the demons who guard thecrystal caves?" he continued thoughtfully. "Well, the young herr shallsee. Hoi! hola, Andregg! I bring you friends!" he shouted to agrey-haired man standing in the evening twilight, which was decliningfast, just outside the plain brown pine-wood chalet, with two women anda boy leisurely milking cows and goats. 

"The herrs are welcome, " said the man gravely. "It has been fine amongthe mountains to-day. I was fearing we should have a storm. "

CHAPTER FIVE. 

STRANGE QUARTERS. 

Milk, bread, butter and cheese in the rough pine verandah, seated on ahomely bench, with the soft pleasant smell of cows from beneath, and themelodious chiming tinkle of many sweet-toned bells--not the wretched tinor iron jangling affairs secured to sheep or kine in England, buttuneful, well-made bells, carefully strapped to the necks of the cattle, and evidently appreciated by the wearers, several of which stood about, gently swaying their heads, blinking their great soft eyes, ruminating, and waiting their turn with the brawny milkmaid, who rose from hercrouching position from time to time, taking her one-legged stool withher, fastened on and projecting like a peculiar tail. 

The light was dying out fast on the peaks around, and they ceased toflash and glow, to become pale and grey, and then ghastly, cold andstrange, as the little party sat enjoying the simple meal and the calmand rest of the peaceful scene. Everything around was so still thatthere was hardly a murmur in the pines; only the hushed roar of therestless river, but subdued now, for its waters were shrinking fast fromthe failure of the supply; for the many thousand trickling rivulets ofmelting snow, born of the hot sunshine of the day, were now being frozenup hard. 

The weary feeling that stole over Saxe was very pleasant as he eatthere, with his back against the rough pine boards of the chalet, watching the shadows darkening in the valley, and the falls grow lessand less distinct, while a conversation, which did not trouble him, wenton close by his elbow. 

"I think I have pretty well explained what I want, Melchior, " Dale wassaying. "I have seen a few specimens of the crystals found up in themountains, and I am convinced that far finer pieces are to be obtainedin the higher parts that have not yet been explored. "

The guide was silent for a few minutes as he sat now smoking his pipe. 

"The herr is right, " he said at last. "I have often seen places where, such treasures may be found. But you are a stranger--I am a Swiss. Isit right that I should help you?"

"When I tell you that I am moved by no ideas of greed, but solely as adiscoverer, and that, as I have before said, your country would be thericher for my find, you ought to be satisfied. "

"I should be, herr, only that I do not quite like the secrecy of yourmovements. It is not like anything I have done before, and it troublesme to think that I ought not to tell anybody the object of ourexcursions. "

"Tell any curious people that we are making ascents because I amstudying the mountains. It will be the truth; for, understand me, I amnot going alone for this search. I want to find out more concerning theforming of the glaciers, and the gathering of storms on the mountains. There are endless discoveries to be made, and ascents to be attempted. You will show me mountains that have not yet been climbed. "

"I will show the herr all he wishes, and keep his counsel loyally, " saidMelchior. "No one shall know anything about our search. Look, herr:the Alpen glow!"

A slight rustling sound beneath the verandah had just taken Saxe'sattention, and he was wondering whether any one was in the low stonecowhouse over which the chalet was built--from the economical ideas ofthe people, who make one roof do for both places, and give to theircattle an especially warm winter house--when the guide's words rousedhim from his drowsy state, and he started up to gaze at the rather rarephenomenon before him. 

A short time before the various mountain peaks had stood up, dimly-seen, shadowy grey and strange, the more distant dying out in the gatheringgloom. Now it was as if a sudden return of the golden sunset had thrownthem up again, glowing with light and colour, but with a softness anddelicacy that was beautiful in the extreme. 

"All that's bright must fade, " said Dale, with a sigh. "I wonder whatour English friends would say to that, Saxe!"

"What I do, --that it's lovely. Is it like this every night?"

"No, " replied Melchior, refilling his pipe; "it is only at times. Somesay it means storms in the mountains; some that it is to be fineweather. "

"And what do you say, Melchior?" asked Dale. 

"I say nothing, herr. What can a man who knows the mountains say, butthat this is a place of change? Down here in the valley it has been asoft bright summer day, whilst up yonder in the mountains storm and snowhave raged, and the icy winds have frozen men to death. Another day Ihave left the wind howling and the rain beating and the great blackclouds hanging low; and in an hour or two I have climbed up to sunshine, warmth and peace. "

"But you mountaineers know a great deal about the weather and itschanges. "

"A little, herr, " said the guide, smiling--"not a great deal. It isbeyond us. We know by the clouds and mists high above the mountainswhen it is safe to go and when to stay; for if we see long-drawn andrugged clouds hanging about the points and trailing down the cols andover each icy grat, we know there is a tempest raging and we do not go. There is not much wisdom in that. It is very simple, and--Look! theyoung herr is fast asleep. Poor boy!--it has been a tiring day. Shallwe go to rest?"

"Yes, " said Dale, laying his hand on Saxe's shoulder. "Come, boy, rouseup and let's go to bed. "

"Eh? What? Where? Sliding down and--Did you speak, Mr Dale?" saidSaxe, after starting up and babbling excitedly for a moment or two, justfresh from his dreams. 

"Wake up! I'm going to bed. "

"Wake up, of course, " said Saxe tetchily. "Mustn't a--?"

He stopped short, colouring a little; and at that moment he turnedsharply, for there was a loud sneeze from below, and directly after ayoungish man, with a lowering look and some bits of hay sticking in hishair, came out from the cowhouse and slouched by the front, glancing upwith half-shut eyes towards the occupants of the verandah, on his way toa low stone-built shingle-roofed place, from which sundry bleatings toldthat it was the refuge of the herd of goats. 

Saxe was too sleepy to think then, and their host being summoned, heshowed them through the chalet into a long low room with a sloping roofand boarded floor, in two corners of which lay a quantity of clean hayand twigs of some dry heathery-looking plant. 

"Gute nacht, " he said briefly, and went out, leaving the door open. 

"Do we sleep here?" said Saxe, yawning. "No beds no chests of drawers, no washstands, no carpets. "

"No, boy: nothing but clean hay and a roof over our heads, " repliedDale. "Shall you mind?"

"Mind?" said Saxe, plumping himself down in the hay. "Well, it seems soqueer. I can't undress and lie in this stuff: see how it would tickle. It is pretty soft, though, and--Oh! murder!"

"What's the matter?" cried Dale excitedly: "some insect?"

"No, it's a jolly old stumpy thistle, like the top of a young pineapple. It did prick. --Yes, it is pretty soft, and it smells nice, and heigh hohum! how tired I am!"

"You'll take the other corner, Melchior, " said Dale; "I'll lie here. There is no occasion to fasten the door, I suppose?"

"Fasten the door!" said the guide, with a quiet laugh. "Oh no. Theonly intruder likely to come is the wind, and he might open it and bangit, but he will not be abroad to-night. Look!"

"Look! what at?"

The guide pointed to the corner where Saxe had lain down, making apillow of his arm. 

Dale smiled. 

"Comfortable, Saxe boy?"

There was no reply. The hay made a pleasant, sweetly scented couch. Saxe was fast asleep. 

CHAPTER SIX. 

A TRY FOR GOLD. 

Strange places bring strange dreams, and often some hours of completeoblivion. Saxe began to dream with all his might. Body and Brain hadbeen having the thorough rest which comes to those who have been walkingfar in the glorious mountain air; but toward morning Brain woke up andbegan to act on its own account, while Body lay asleep; and when Braindoes this without the balance given by Body, its workings are ratherwild. 

In this case it began to repeat the adventures of the day before, but ina curiously bizarre manner; and in consequence Saxe found himself beingdisappointed in the heights of the mountains, which were exceedinglysmall--mere anthills covered with snow, up which he began to climb so asto stand on their tops; but as he climbed they began to grow, so thatthere was always a piece more to get up, and so he went on, finding thatthere was no getting right to the top. Then avalanches began to fallrumbling and roaring down, and covering people at the bottom--hundredsof them, so it seemed to him; and he could hear them moaning under thesnow, which by some curious chance of circumstances was just below him. But the odd thing was that they did not seem to mind it much, onlymoaning piteously and impatiently, as if they were in a hurry for a thawto come and set them free. Then one of them began to ring the bell fordinner; and another did the same; and Saxe felt that he ought to bedoing something to take them food to eat--coarse bread, butter, cheeselike Gruyere, full of holes, and a jug of milk, but he did not do it, and the people went on moaning and ringing the bells. 

Then he was high up, watching the waterfalls with the silvery rocketsslowly descending, and trailing after them their sparkling spray, whichkept lighting up with glorious rainbow colours. 

Then he was stepping from stone to stone in the ice-cave below theglacier, listening to the gurgling and whishing of the water as it camerushing down over the grey, dark rock from out the narrow arching tunnelwhich shut up behind him. 

How he got out of that place he did not know; but soon after his eyeswere aching with the glare of the snow around him. A huge eagle, ahundred times bigger than the one he had seen, was soaring round andround, and coming lower and lower, till it was so close to him that hecould feel the wind of its wings wafted pleasantly over his face. Thebird's back was soft and cushiony, and it seemed to be inviting him totake his place upon it for a ride up in the air; and he was thinking ofdoing so, and gliding off over the silver-topped mountains to look outfor caves where they could chip out crystals, and perhaps discovervaluable metals; but just as he was about to throw a leg over thefeathery saddle and take his seat, there was a fearful yell, thatsounded like an accident in a trombone manufactory, where all theinstruments had been blown up by an explosion of steam. He was hurledback upon the snow, and held down by some monstrous creature, whichplanted its feet upon his chest; and the people buried in the snow beganto moan more loudly and ring the bells. 

Then Saxe opened his eyes, and in his half-awake condition he felt thewafting of the great bird's wings, heard the moaning of the peopleburied beneath the avalanche, and listened to them ringing the bells inan impatient way. 

"What nonsense, to dream such stuff!" he said impatiently. "Why, it'sthe cows lowing in the place underneath, waiting to be milked, andshaking their bells. "

But, all the same, he felt a thrill of horror run through him, and triedto pierce the gloom by which he was surrounded, for certainly somethingwas holding him down with its feet upon his chest, and stooping by himso that he could feel its breath. 

The sensation to him was horrible, for it raised its head now, making astrange noise; and he could faintly see by a pencil of light ahideous-looking head, with tall curved horns and a long beard, andthough he could not see them, he seemed to feel that a pair of glowingeyes were fixed upon his not a yard away. 

There was no time to think or reason in such a position. He could seethe head, and feel the pressure of the feet; and he knew that he was notdreaming now. Frightened he was naturally, but he acted at once as alad of manly character might be expected to act: he struck out with hisdoubled fist, giving the object a heavy blow just beneath the horns. 

The effect was instantaneous. The creature gave a bound, there was apattering sound on the floor, and something rushed out through the opendoor, uttering a dismal b-a-a-ah!

"Why, it was a jolly old goat!" said Saxe, half aloud. "I wish I wasn'tsuch a coward. "

The next moment he was lying back laughing silently, fully grasping hisposition now, and listening to a rustling movement away to his left. 

"That you, Melchior?" he said. 

"Ah, herr: awake? Good morning. "

"Not time to get up, is it?"

"Oh yes; it is getting late. Why, it will soon be full day!"

"Oh, will it?" muttered Saxe rather grumpily, for the bed he haddespised overnight now seemed temptingly pleasant for another hour ortwo's snooze. "What nonsense!" he thought. "Soon be day! I hope weare not always going to get up at such ridiculous times. Well, if I'mto get up, he isn't going to be snoozing there. "

He leaned over and stretched out his hand; but that was not sufficient, for their bed was wide, and he had to creep a yard or two before hecould grasp his companion's shoulder. 

"It's to-morrow morning, Mr Dale, " he said. 

"Eh? yes! All right. Where's Melchior?" cried Dale, springing up. 

"Here, herr, " said the guide from the door. "A beautiful morning, and Ithink a fine day. "

"That's right, " said Dale, shaking the hay from his clothes. 

"Shall I ask where the dressing and bath-rooms are?" said Saxe, grinning. 

"No, " said Dale quietly; "I'll show you. "

He led the way out of the chalet, where they met the furtive-looking manthey had seen overnight. He gave them another sidelong look, said Gutenmorgen surlily, and then, as it seemed to Saxe, began to put on histail--that is to say, he strapped on his one-legged milking-stool, andwent to meet one of the cows. 

"This way to the bath-room, Saxe, " said Dale; and he led the way to thefoot of the nearest fall, whose icy water came showering down softly asif it were from a cloud. Here there was a pool of the greatestlimpidity, broad, deep, and ground out of the solid rock by the constantdropping that wears a stone. 

There were no remains of sleep about Saxe's eyes after his ablutions, and they walked back towards the chalet, meeting Melchior. 

"There is some breakfast ready, herr, " he said; "and I should like toknow whether it would be wise to get your things up here and stay for afew days. "

"An excellent proposal; but how are we to get them?"

"Oh, there are men who would fetch them; or Andregg would send Pierrewith his mule. "

"Who is Pierre?--that man we saw milking?"

"Yes, herr. I don't like him, but he is honest, and will do that verywell. Shall I send? After you have done here, I can get them carriedfarther over the mountains, or, if you liked, we could hire Andregg'smule for use at once. "

"But the mountains? Can he climb?"

Melchior laughed. 

"Almost anywhere. I think he could even beat us. He is a wonderfulbeast. "

The proposal was agreed to, and after they had partaken of their homelybreakfast, Andregg was questioned about the mule. 

Oh yes, he was quite willing to lend it, for as many days or weeks asthe herr liked. 

"Then I'll have it to carry our little tent, rugs and provisions. Ipromise you I will feed the animal well. "

"The herr need not trouble himself, " said Andregg; "Gros will feedhimself. "

"Well, then, I will not work him too hard. "

"I am not afraid, herr, " said the sturdy grey-haired old Swiss, smiling;"he always lies down when he is tired. "

"Then I will not beat him. "

"No, herr, " said Andregg; "he will not let you. "

"Here, I want to see that mule!" cried Saxe. 

"Oh yes, the young herr shall see him, " said the old Swiss; and he wentto the door and uttered a peculiar jodel, which was answered directly bya horrible bray which Saxe recognised as the yell he had heard before hewas awake. 

"Nein--nein--nein--nein!" shouted the old Swiss, and the donkey's braydied off into a sobbing moan. As this was ended, the old man jodelledagain, apparently without result; but soon after there was a snort, anda peculiar-looking animal came trotting down from the mountain, whiskingits long tail from side to side and pointing its long ears forward. Butas it came close up, it suddenly stopped, and spun round as if upon apivot. 

"Here, come round and let's look at your head, " cried Saxe. 

"No; he will not turn till he knows you well, " cried the old man; "he'svery bashful, is Gros. You must make friends with him by degrees, andthen he is quite a brother to any one in the mountains. "

"But how am I to make friends with him?" cried Saxe. 

"Get a piece of bread for the young herr, Melchior Staffeln, " said theold man. "When it comes, " he continued, "you may tempt Gros to come toyou; but he is very particular, and may not like you, because you areforeigners. "

The bread was brought. Saxe took it, and held it out to the mule, whichslightly turned its head, gazed at it wistfully, but kept its hindquarters toward the would-be donor, turning as he turned, in spite ofsundry coaxing words. 

"Here, turn round, " cried Saxe: "you can't eat with your tail. "

"Don't go too close, herr, " said the old Swiss; "I don't think he would, but he might kick. "

"And I think it's very probable that he will, " said Dale sharply; "thatright hind leg is all of a quiver. Why, the brute's vicious, Melchior!"he said, in German. 

"No, no--not vicious, " said the old Swiss; "it's only that he'sfrightened and bashful: he isn't used to company, herr. Be patient withhim, and he's a beast that would almost lay down his life for you. "

"Looks more like laying down our lives, " said Saxe, making a sudden dartround, as the mule was watching Dale, and then, as the animal turnedsharply, holding out the bread. 

Perhaps the wind bore the scent of the piece of loaf to the mule'snostrils, and the temptation was too great to resist. At any rate itstretched out its neck and extended its muzzle, so that head and neckwere nearly in a straight line, and uttered a shrill, squealing whinny, which was answered at once by the donkey with a sonorous trumpetingbray, as the lesser animal came cantering up with tail and ears cocked. 

"Ah! child of the evil one!" shouted old Andregg, "go back to yourpasture;" and stooping down, he picked up a piece of freshly cutpine-wood, and threw it at the offending animal, missing him, but makinghim put his head down between his fore legs, and kick out his hind legsin defiance, before cantering off again. 

By this time the mule was sniffing at the bread, and drawing nearer andnearer to Saxe's extended hand, consenting finally to take it and beginto eat. 

"Is it not beautiful?" cried old Andregg, smiling. "Behold, you havemade a friend who will serve you like a dog. "

"I can't see anything very beautiful in it, Mr Dale, " said Saxe, whohad now advanced so far that he was permitted to pat the mule's neck;"and what does he mean by `serve you like a dog'? Bite! He looks as ifhe could. "

"He will be very useful to us, herr, and save us many a long wearytramp, " said the guide, smiling. "I am willing and strong, but I cannotguide and carry much as well, and if you share the load with me, yourclimbing will be too laborious. With the mule to drive before us, wecan take water, food, and blankets, beside a kettle for coffee; andsleep for one, two or three nights in the mountains, if we like. Shallwe take him to-day?"

"I thought he was to be sent down the valley for our portmanteau andthings, " said Dale. 

"Andregg can send the donkey, " replied Melchior. 

"Then by all means let us take the animal. I wish, though, that we hadour ice-axes and rope, that I left at the chalet below. "

"They will be ready for our next journey, " said Melchior. And after dueinstructions had been given to old Andregg and his man Pierre, preparations were made for a fresh start up the mountains. 

These did not take long. A kind of basket was secured firmly on themule's back, and old Andregg, under Melchior's directions, produced acouple of worn ice-picks or axes, blankets, bottles, a kettle forcoffee, and a little ready-chopped wood to supply the first start to thetwigs and branches they would collect before leaving the forest. 

By the time the mule was loaded with everything deemed necessary, Pierrewas ready with the donkey, and the start was made together up and downthe valley. At least, that was intended; but there were objectionsraised by the two four-footed friends, both wanting to go together; andwhen at last, after a volley of angry language from Andregg, the donkeywas dragged by Pierre along the track, it began to bray loudly. 

This was sufficient to attract the mule, which whinnied and tried tofollow the donkey. 

Melchior seized the bridle and checked him, just as they were ascendingthe first of a series of zigzags leading out of the deep valley, withthe result that the donkey brayed again and had to be held by main forceby Pierre's arm round his neck, for he had dragged his head out of thebridle; while Gros began to kick and back and behave so obstreperouslythat Dale gave him a sharp prod with the end of his alpenstock. 

Misplaced prod! It was an unhappy touch, making, as it did, Gros give atremendous plunge off the narrow mule-track, to come down on a slope sosteep that he lost his footing, fell, and rolled over and over in awonderful way, scattering bottles, wood, and tins from the basket, allof which went careering down the side of the valley with the mule, leaping, bounding and rattling and creaking in a way which drove thepoor beast nearly frantic with fear, the catastrophe being in no wisebettered by the shouts of Andregg and the dismal brayings of the donkey, which seemed to be frantic in the endeavour to join his unfortunatefriend. 

The roll down was neither long enough nor dangerous enough to do anyharm to Gros; but the state of the scattered cargo, as it was collectedand carried to where the mule stood shivering, stamping and kicking atthe basket as it hung down now between his legs, was deplorable, andmeant a delay of half an hour before a fresh start could be made. 

"You must be kind to Gros, herr, " said the old Swiss reproachfully. "Healways hated to be pricked by the iron point of an alpenstock. I haveknown him bite boys who used their alpenstocks to him. "

"That's a hint for you, Saxe, " said Dale merrily. "Worse disasters atsea, " he cried. "Now, Melchior, are we all ready once more?"

"Yes, herr, " replied the guide. 

"Then which way do you propose going, after we get up out of thevalley?"

"Over yonder, between those two peaks, herr, " said the man, pointing. 

"With the mule? Is it possible?"

"I think so, herr; and if you like we will try. I don't think therewill be much snow in the pass--no more than the mule can manage. And, once there, I think we can descend into a wild valley below thesnow-line--one where man very seldom treads. "

"Excellent, " said Dale. And they started, leaving old Andregg and hiswife collecting the broken bottles and damaged articles below. 

They had not ascended above half a dozen of the many zigzags of thepath, when the bray of the donkey came faintly from behind, and Gros setup his ears, stopped, whinnied, and looked as if he were about to turnback; but this time kindness was tried, Melchior snatching a piece ofbread from his pocket and walking on, holding it behind him. 

The result was excellent. The bray of Gros's relative was forgotten, and he increased his pace, sniffing at the bread till he could succeedin taking it from the guide's hand, and, steadily journeying on, munchthe sweet, fresh food. 

In spite of the delay it was still early; and, feeling no trace of hislast night's weariness, Saxe tramped on along the zigzag shelf in thevalley side, till the edge of the steep part was reached. Melchiorstrode off to the right, and then to the left, so as to reach the narrowvalley down which the stream came that had supplied them with water fortheir morning's bath. 

This was a mere crack running up into the mountains, but with a littlecare a path was found upon the steep alp which formed one side, and whenthis became too precipitous, they descended into the rocky bed, andslowly made their way on till an opportunity for ascending to higherground presented itself. 

The progress made was very slow, but wonderfully interesting, from thevariety of moisture-loving plants which took Dale's attention, and thebrightly coloured insects, which took that of Saxe, while the mule wasperfectly content to wait while a halt was called to capture insect orsecure plant; the solemn-looking animal standing fetlock-deep in thewater, and browsing on the herbage in the various crannies among thestones. 

One of these halts was in an opening out of the narrow gorge runningnearly east and west, so that it was flooded by the morning sun; andhere, as the limpid water trickled and glided over the sandy bed, Daletook a shallow tin from the mule's pannier and lowered himself down tothe edge of the stream. 

Taking hold of a piece of rock so as to reach out, he bent down andscooped out half a panful of sand, where there was an eddy; and as themule began to munch, and Saxe watched his leader's acts, Melchior pulledout his pipe, struck a match, and began to smoke. 

"The herr is going to try for gold, " he said quietly to Saxe; but Daleheard it. 

"Yes. Is there much here, do you think?"

"It is too much to say, herr, " replied the guide. "There may be, but Ihave never known any to be found on this side of the mountains. "

"Is any found on the other side, then?"

"Oh yes, on the Italian slope, herr, and down in the valleys, they seekfor and find gold--not much, but some. "

"Got any, sir?" said Saxe. 

"I don't know myself, " replied Dale, who was washing the heavier gravelaway, and picking out the stones he brought to the surface by a skilfulmotion of the pan beneath the water. "I must wash out all the sandfirst before I look to see if there is colour, as the Americangold-finders call it. "

"Is there another pan, Melchior?" said Saxe; "I want to try too. "

"No, herr, there is only one. "

"You wait, and let's see what I find, my lad. I expect it will benothing. There's a nice fragment of onyx, " he continued, picking outand pitching up a piece of flinty-looking rock to the lad. "I dare saythere are some good agates here too, if we searched for them. "

Dale spent about a quarter of an hour getting rid of every scrap of thegranite; then held the pan in the bright sunshine, so that the waterdrained off and the rays shone full upon the bottom of the vessel. 

He turned it about at different angles, shook the fine sand, and turnedit over with his fingers; but ended by shaking his head. 

"No luck, sir?"

"Not a speck. Never mind; I'll try again. "

He dug down with the edge of the tin, scooping out a good deal of sand, so as to get a tinful from as deep down as he could. 

"Gold is heavy, and would sink low if it were washed down, " he said; andfor the next quarter of an hour he repeated the washing process, whileMelchior smoked, the mule browsed on the succulent herbage, and Saxedevoted himself to creeping farther along by the stream, and peeringdown into the pools in search of trout. 

"That old fellow at the chalet said the mule would feed himself, MrDale, " said the boy suddenly. 

"Yes, he will not be much trouble to us that way, " replied Dale, stillplying the pan vigorously; when the mule suddenly reared its head, cocked its ears forward, and whinnied. 

CHAPTER SEVEN. 

MELCHIOR GROWS SUSPICIOUS. 

"Hallo! another donkey coming, " cried Saxe, and he looked up, and thenat Melchior, who had thrust his pipe into his wallet and was peering upthe sides of the valley. 

"I don't see one, " he said; "but there must be something to take thething's attention. "

The mule whinnied again. 

"It is not another mule or donkey, " said Melchior, peering upward. "They would have answered his challenge. It must be a man. "

He began to climb up to get to a position where he could look up anddown the gorge; while Dale, being more interested in the contents of hispan, went on till he had washed enough, and began now to search forspecks or tiny scales of gold. 

"Must have been some one Gros knew, " said the guide to himself, as hestill looked about sharply. 

"Anything the matter, Melchior?" cried Saxe. 

"No, sir, no. I was only trying to make out who was coming up thisway. "

"Not a speck, " said Dale, rinsing his pan in the pure water. 

"Will the herr try again?"

"No, not here, " replied Dale. "Let's get on: I'm wasting time. "

"No, " said Melchior; "the herr is making his researches into the wondersof Nature. It cannot be waste of time. "

"Well, no, I suppose not, my man. It is all learning. But what was themule whinnying about!"

"I don't know, " replied the guide in a peculiar tone. "It seemed to methat some one he knew was following us. "

"What for?" said Dale. 

"Ah! that I don't know, sir. From curiosity, perhaps. "

"But there is no one who could come but old Andregg; and he would not, surely?"

"No, sir; he is too simple and honest to follow us, unless it were tomake sure that we were behaving well to his mule. It must have beenthat. The animal heard or smelt him, and challenged. "

"But you would have seen him, Melchior. "

"I might, sir, but perhaps not. There are plenty of places where a manmight hide who did not wish to be seen. "

"I say, young man, " said Dale, "have you a great love for themysterious?"

"I do not understand you, herr. "

"I mean, are you disposed to fancy things, and imagine troubles wherethere are none?"

"No, herr; I think I am rather dull, " said the guide modestly. "Why doyou ask?"

"Because that mule made a noise, and you instantly imagined that we werebeing followed and watched. "

"Oh, that! Yes, herr. Our people are curious. Years ago we used to goon quietly tending our cows and goats in the valleys, and driving themup to the huts on the mountains when the snow melted. There were thegreat stocks and horns and spitzes towering up, covered with eternalsnow, and we gazed at them with awe. Then you Englishmen came, andwanted to go up and up where the foot of man never before stepped; andeven our most daring chamois hunters watched you all with wonder. "

"Yes, I suppose so, " said Dale, smiling, as he looked in the guide'sfrank face. 

"You wanted guides to the mountains, and we showed you the way, whileyou taught us that we could climb too, and could be as cool and daring. We did not know it before, and we had to get over our suspicions. Forwe said, `these strangers must want to find something in the mountains--something that will pay them for the risk they run in climbing up to theplaces where the demons of the storm dwell, and who wait to hurl downstones and dart lightning at the daring people who would venture up intotheir homes. '"

"And very dangerous those bad spirits are--eh, Melchior!" said Dale, smiling. 

"Terribly, herr, " said the guide. "And you laugh. I don't wonder. Butthere are plenty of our simple, uneducated people in the villages whobelieve all that still. I heard it all as a child, and it took a greatdeal of quiet thinking, as I grew up, before I could shake off all thosefollies, and see that there was nothing to fear high up, but the ice andwind and snow, with the dangers of the climbing. Why, fifty years ago, if a man climbed and fell, the people thought he had been thrown down byevil spirits. Many think so now in the out-of-the-way valleys. "

"Then you are not superstitious, Melchior?"

"I hope not, herr, " said the guide reverently; "but there are plenty ofmy people who are, and suspicious as well. I am only an ignorant man, but I believe in wisdom; and I have lived to see that you Englishmenfind pleasure in reading the books of the great God, written with Hisfinger on the mountains and in the valleys; to know how you collect thelowliest flowers, and can show us the wonders of their shape and howthey grow. Then I know, too, how you find wonders in the great rocks, and can show me how they are made of different stone, which is alwaysbeing ground down to come into the valleys to make them rich. I knowall this, herr; and so I do not wonder and doubt when you ask me to showyou some of the wildest places in the mountains, where you may findcrystals and see glaciers and caves scarcely any of us have ventured tosearch. But if I told some of our people that you spend your money andyour time in seeking and examining all this, they would only laugh andcall me a fool. They would say, `we know better. He has blinded you. He is seeking for gold and diamonds. ' And I could not make them believeit is all in the pursuit of--what do you call that!"

"Science?"

"Yes, science; that is the word. And in their ignorance they willfollow and watch us, if we do not take care to avoid them. "

"You think, then, that some one has been following us?"

"Undoubtedly, sir; and if it is so, we shall have trouble. "

"Pooh! They will, you mean. But I'm not going to worry myself aboutthat. There--let's get on. "

Melchior gave a quick glance backward, and Saxe followed his example, his eyes catching directly a glimpse as he thought, of a human face highup, and peering down at them from among some stones which had fallenupon a ledge. 

But the glimpse was only instantaneous, and as he looked he felt that hecould not be sure, and that it might be one of the blocks of lichenedstones that he had taken for a face. 

They went on slowly and more slowly, for the path grew so difficult thatit was easy to imagine that no one had ever been along there before, andSaxe said so. 

"Oh yes, " said Melchior; "I have often been along here. It has been mybusiness these many years to go everywhere and find strange wild placesin the mountains. The men, too, who hunt the chamois and the bear--"

"Eh? what?" cried Saxe, plucking up his ears. "Bears! There are nobears here. "

"Oh yes, " said the guide, smiling. "Not many; but there are bears inthe mountains. I have seen them several times, and the ibex too, moreto the south, on the Italian slope. "

"Shall we see them?"

"You may, herr. Perhaps we shall come across a chamois or two to-day, far up yonder in the distance. "

"Let's get on, then, " said Saxe eagerly. "But hallo! how are we to getthe mule up that pile of rocks?"

"That!" said the guide quietly; "he will climb that better than weshall. "

He was right, for the sure-footed creature breasted the obstacle of ahundred feet of piled-up blocks very coolly, picking his way patiently, and with a certainty that was surprising. 

"Why, the mule is as active as a goat!" cried Dale. 

"Well, not quite, herr, " said Melchior. "But, as I said, you will findthat he will go anywhere that we do, except upon the ice. There heloses his footing at once, and the labour is too great to cut steps foran animal like that. "

The great pile of loose blocks was surmounted, and at the top Saxe stoodand saw that it was evidently the remains of a slip from the mountain upto their right, which had fallen perhaps hundreds of years before, andblocked up the narrow gorge, forming a long, deep, winding lake in themountain solitude. 

"Fish? Oh yes--plenty, " said the guide, "and easily caught; but theyare very small. There is not food enough for them to grow big andheavy, as they do in the large lakes. "

"Well, " said Dale, after a few minutes' study of their surroundings, "this is wild and grand indeed. How far does the lake run up there? Ofcourse it winds round more at the other end!"

"Yes, herr, for miles; and gets narrower, till it is like a river. "

"Grand indeed; but it is like a vast stone wall all round, and as far aswe can see. Must we go back again?"

"Yes, " said Saxe promptly; "there's no means of getting along anyfarther. "

The guide smiled, went a little to the left, and plunged at once into along crack between two masses of rock, so narrow that as the mulefollowed without hesitation, the sides of the basket almost touched therock. 

"We can't say our guide is of no use, Saxe, " cried Dale, laughing. "Come along. Well, do you like this rough climbing, or would you ratherget back to the paths of the beaten track. "

"I love it, " cried Saxe excitedly. "It's all so new and strange. Whydidn't we come here before?"

"You should say, why do not the tourists come into these wild placesinstead of going year after year in the same ruts, where they can havebig hotels and people to wait upon them? Look, there's a view!" hecontinued, pointing along a narrow gorge between the mountains at adistant peak which stood up like the top of a sugar-loaf, only morewhite. 

"I was looking at that view, " said Saxe, pointing downward at the hindquarters of the mule, which was the only part visible, the descent wasso steep, to where they came upon a sheltered grove of pines, whosesombre green stood out in bright contrast to the dull grey rocks. 

Then onward slowly for hours--at times in the valley, where their feetcrushed the beautiful tufts of ferns; then the hoofs of the mule wereclattering over rounded masses of stone, ground and polished, over whichthe patient beast slipped and slid, but never went down. Now and thenthere was a glimpse of a peak here or of another turning or rift there;but for the most part they were completely shut in down between walls ofrock, which echoed their voices, bursting forth into quite an answeringchorus when Melchior gave forth a loud, melodious jodel. 

"But doesn't any one live here?" said Saxe at last. 

"No, herr!"

"No farmers or cottage people? Are there no villages?"

"No, herr. How could man live up here in these solitudes? It is brightand beautiful now, with moss and dwarf firs and ferns; but food wouldnot grow here. Then there is no grass for the cattle; and in the winterit is all deep in snow, and the winds tear down these valleys, so thatit is only in sheltered places that the pines can stand. Am I leadingthe herrs right? Is this the kind of scenery they wish to see?"

"Capital!" cried Saxe. 

"Yes, " said Dale quietly, as his eyes wandered up the wall-like sides ofthe gorge they were in; "but there ought to be rifts and caverns up inthese narrow valleys where I could find what I seek. "

"After awhile, herr, after awhile. When we get to the end of this thalwe shall come upon a larger lake. We shall go along one shore of thatto where it empties itself. There is much water in it, for threeglaciers run down toward it. At the other end, beyond the schlucht, weshall be in the greater valley, between the mountains I pointed to thismorning; and there you will find steeper places than this, wilder andstranger, where we can camp for to-night, and to-morrow you can choose. "

"Very good: I leave it to you; but if we pass anything you think wouldbe interesting, stop. "

They had zigzagged about, and climbed up and up as well as descended, sothat Saxe had quite lost count of the direction. 

"Which way are we going now?" he said at last. 

"Nearly due south. "

"Then that's toward Italy?"

"Yes. As the crow flies we can't be many miles from the border. "

"How rum!" said Saxe to himself. Then, aloud, "Over more mountains, Isuppose?"

"Over those and many others beyond them, " replied Dale; and then, asthey followed each other in single file, Melchior leading and the muleclose at his heels like a dog, weariness and the heat of the narrowsun-bathed gorge put an end to conversation, till Saxe noticed that thewaters foaming along far down in the bottom were running in the samedirection as they were going, whereas earlier in the day they met them. 

"We are in another valley, going toward a different lake, " said Dale, inanswer to a remark; "and look: that must be it. No, no--that way to theleft. "

Saxe looked, and saw a gleam of silver between two nearly perpendicularwalls; and half an hour afterwards they were traversing a narrow ledgerunning some few feet above the dark blue waters of a lake shut inapparently on all sides by similar walls of rock, which it would havebeen impossible to scale. 

"The herr will be careful along here, " said Melchior, pausing for aminute at a slightly wider part of the shelf to let the mule pass him. "Shall we have the rope!"

"What do you say, Saxe?" said Dale. "If it is no narrower than this, Ithink we can keep our heads. "

"Oh, I can manage, " said Saxe. "Besides, if one fell, it is only intothe water. Is it deep, Melchior?"

"Hundreds of feet, I think, " said the guide; "and it would be bad tofall in. I could soon throw you the rope, but the waters are icilycold, and might make you too helpless to swim. Still, it is better togrow accustomed to walking places like this without the rope. "

"Oh yes, " said Saxe, coolly enough; "I don't feel frightened. "

"I hope you would speak out frankly if you were nervous, " said Dale: "itmight save an accident. False shame would be folly here. "

"Oh, I'll speak, " said Saxe, as his eyes wandered over the blue waterthat lay like a mirror reflecting the mountains round. "What a place itlooks for fish! There are plenty here, eh, Melchior?"

"I have seen small ones leap out--that is all. "

"But what's the matter with the mule? He can't get any farther. "

"Oh yes; there is a good path to where the river runs out. He does notlike to go on by himself. I must get by him again, and lead. "

It was easier said than done, for the path was so narrow that Melchiorhad to press the mule close to the perpendicular rock, and hold on bythe pack-saddle and then by the animal's neck, to get by. Once he didslip, his foot gliding over the edge; but by throwing himself forward hesaved himself, clung to the path for a few minutes as he hung over it, his chest and arms resting thereon till he could get one knee up. 

The rest was easy, and he rose once more to his feet. 

"Hah!" ejaculated Saxe, "I thought you were gone, and we had no rope tothrow to you. "

"It was rather awkward, herr, " said the guide coolly. "It is bad, too, to get wet when one is hot with walking. "

CHAPTER EIGHT. 

AN AWKWARD ACCIDENT. 

"I sat!" cried Saxe, as the guide led on again, and the mule followedpatiently enough. 

"Yes, herr. "

"Suppose two goats were to meet here, what would they do!"

"One would lie down and the other jump over him. "

"But suppose it were two mules?"

"I don't know, herr. One of them might make the other back all the way;but mules are stubborn, and I'm afraid that one would push the otheroff. "

"And what then?"

"He would swim for awhile, and then drown. "

"Why, " said Saxe, "I thought this lake was very beautiful; but you seemto be taking all the blue out of it. Ugh! why, it would be like fallinginto a well and trying to get out. I shall be glad to get away fromthis place. "

"That's imagination, Saxe, " said Dale; "and imagination is something allmountaineers should leave behind. "

"Why?" said Saxe argumentatively. 

"Don't go so near to the mule's heels: if he kicks you, nothing couldsave you from a fall into the lake. "

"That's imagination, sir, " said Saxe, laughing; "and imagination issomething all mountaineers should leave behind. "

Dale frowned, but laughed directly after. 

"Pert, but smart, Saxe, " he said. "Seriously, though, a mountainclimber, who must naturally be often walking along risky places, hasenough to think about without indulging in fancies of what might be ifthis happened or that took place. Such thoughts may unnerve him; andyou may depend upon it, some of the bravest things are done by those whothink the least. I remember, one day in London, seeing the men takingdown one of those vast scaffolds formed, not of poles, but of squaretimbers bolted together; and I saw one man, about a hundred and fiftyfeet from the ground, standing on one of these pieces of timber, whichwas fastened to an upright at each end. He was looking on while anotherworkman unscrewed one of the bolts which held it. "

"How wide was it?" said Saxe, looking down at the narrow shelf of rockupon which he was walking. 

"About ten inches, I suppose. There was nothing near him, for he was onthe very top of the scaffolding, which swayed a little with the weightof the wood; but he seemed perfectly cool and comfortable up there, andafter a few minutes he turned and walked along it to the other end, while I, who have often gone along dangerous ledges of ice, felt myhands turn wet inside. "

"With fright?"

"Call it nervousness, " said Dale. "No: call it fear or fright. Ofcourse I imagined that at any moment the poor fellow might turn giddyand fall. But if that beam had been lying on the pavement, any onewould have walked or run along it without hesitation, for there is noquestion of balancing on a piece of flat wood ten inches wide. Theimagination is the danger. "

"Then sailors can't have any imagination, " said Saxe thoughtfully. 

"It is to be hoped not, of that kind. If they ever thought of falling, they would never be able to run along the yards of a big ship as theydo. "

"Well, I'll try and not have any imagination, " said Saxe. "I shouldn'tlike you to say you wished that you had not brought me, for you couldnot go anywhere you wanted because I was such a coward. "

"I trust to you to be neither cowardly nor rash, " said Dale, "and youmay trust to me not to take you into more dangerous places than I canhelp. But it really is a matter of habit. Why, people never think ofthe danger, but every time they run up or downstairs they risk a severefall; and I once knew of a sailor lad, accustomed to go aloft and climbover the bulwarks into the main chains or the rigging under thebowsprit, who would pull all the clothes off his bed of a night and makethem up on the floor, because he was afraid of tumbling out of bed inthe night. Hah! we are getting near the end of the lake. Why, Saxe, itdoes look black and deep!"

"But I don't see any place where it runs out, " said Saxe. "There oughtto be a river or a waterfall here, oughtn't there!"

"Wait a few minutes, and we shall see. Ah! to be sure--there it is; thesides are so close together that they hardly show, but you can see nowwhere the ledge runs, right to that corner. "

A hundred yards farther along the narrow ledge--a fault in the stratawhich formed that side of the lake--and all doubt of their being at theexit of the waters was at rest, for Melchior stopped short where theledge widened into a little platform at the angle of the rock formingone of the sides of a mere crack in the titanic wall of perpendicularmountain, which in places actually overhung them, and ran up fully athousand feet. 

The opening where they stood was some twenty feet wide, and through itthe waters of the lake poured with a low rushing sound, which seemed todeepen farther in to a roar. 

Saxe was pressing forward to look in at the opening; but Melchior metthem and pointed back over the lake, at the head of which rose a hugemountain mass, snow-clad and glistening, on either side of whichglaciers could be seen running sharply down, while away on the leftanother winding, frozen river descended. 

"Grand!" exclaimed Dale; but the next moment he turned to the opening bywhich they stood, the rushing waters having a weird fascination for themboth. 

"The schlucht, " said Melchior quietly. 

"I say, " said Saxe: "you don't mean to say we've got to go throughthere?"

"Yes, " said the guide calmly. "I have never taken a mule through, but Ithink we can manage it. "

"But is it all like this?" said Saxe, looking aghast. 

"Oh no, herr; it runs together a few yards farther in, and is so narrowthat in one place you can stretch your arms and touch both sides atonce. "

"Then it is open right through?"

"Yes, herr. The mountain must have split open at some time or other, tolet the water of the lake run out. "

"Yes; and how far is it through?" said Dale. 

"About a mile: less than half an hour. "

"And this ledge goes right along?"

"Just as it has run by the side of the lake, herr. A little narrowersometimes. "

"But you say the gorge--the crack--gets narrower directly. "

"Oh yes--much, herr. It is never so wide as this. "

"But the water: is there room for it?"

"The crack or split in the rocks must be very deep down, for all thewater from the lake runs through here, and it's quite a big river on theother side. "

"And what other way is there, Melchior?" asked Saxe. 

"The way we came. "

"No other?"

The guide shook his head. 

"What do you think of it, Saxe? Will you venture?"

The lad drew a long breath, and said, through his teeth--

"Yes. I'm not going to be beaten by a mule!"

"Go on, then, " said Dale quietly, "and as soon as we are through we musthave a halt for a meal. "

"Not as soon as we are through, herr, " said Melchior, smiling; and hebegan to unfasten the mule's girths. 

"What are you doing?" cried Saxe. 

"Taking off the pannier, " replied the guide. "The ledge is narrowfarther in, and it would be awkward if the basket caught against therock. It might cause him to make a false step, and it would be a badplace to fall in. "

"Bad place? Horrible!" said Dale, frowning. 

"But, I say, you can't leave the basket behind with all the victuals, "cried Saxe. 

"No, herr; as soon as the mule is through, I shall come back and fetchit. "

"We two must carry it between us, slung on the alpenstocks, " said Dale. 

"No, herr, I will manage it all, " said Melchior quietly. "I can soonfetch the basket, and it will be better. The young herr will want allhis activity to get along without a load. I have been here four timesbefore. I should have been five times; but one May the snow had meltedafter a great rain, and the lake was so full that the waters were feetabove the pathway, and they rushed through, so that the great walls ofrock shook as if they would fall in. There, " he said, removing themule's load and carrying it two or three yards back, to place it againstthe natural wall. "It will be quite safe there, " he continued, with asmile; "nobody will come. Ah, Gros, my friend, is that cool andrestful?"

The mule whinnied, arched up its back, and shook itself, swung back itshead, first one side then on the other, to bite at the hot place wherethe basket had been, but apparently without allaying the hot irritationwhich troubled it. 

"Ah! come along Gros, " cried Melchior, twining the rope bridle about hisarm; "that will soon be better. Follow pretty close, gentlemen: it israther dark, but cool and pleasant after the hot sunshine. "

"Well done, Saxe!" said Dale, with a smile; "that's brave. "

"What is, sir? I did not say or do anything. "

"Yes, you did, boy, " whispered Dale; and the lad flushed a little. "Youbit your lips and then set your teeth, and you said to yourself, `hesha'n't see that I am afraid!' Didn't you?"

Saxe looked at him inquiringly, and took off his cap and wiped his brow, while his alpenstock rested in the hollow of his arm. 

"Something like it, sir, " said Saxe, rather dolefully. "I couldn't helpit. "

"Of course not. "

"Ach! Dummkopf! What do you do?" cried the guide angrily; for just atthat moment the mule uttered a loud squeal, arched its back, and leapedoff the rock; came down on all fours, and then threw itself upon itsflanks, in spite of a jerk at the bridle; squealed again, and threw upits legs, which fell back against the rocky wall; threw them up again, and for a moment they were perpendicular, so well was the balance kept, as the animal wriggled its spine so as to get a good rub on the rock. Then, while the two travellers realised the danger of this taking placeon the narrow platform, not a dozen feet above the rushing water, andMelchior still jerked at the bridle, over went the animal's legs towardthe edge, and it tried to gather them up for another roll. 

It had another roll, but it was a roll off the edge, and almost beforeDale and his companion could fully grasp the extent of the accident, themule fell with a tremendous splash into the stream, jerking Melchiorafter it by the wrist. Then they both disappeared. But only for a fewmoments. 

"Look! look!" yelled Saxe, as the mule's head shot up in the shadowthirty or forty feet farther in, so swift was the current. Then up cameits forelegs, and it began to paw the water like a drowning dog, just asMelchior rose to the surface, but only in time to receive the hoofs ofthe struggling mule on his chest, and he disappeared again, while thewater rolled the mule over and down out of sight. 

The next moment both were swept right into the gloomy cavernous place, to what was evidently certain death. 

CHAPTER NINE. 

THE HORRORS OF A SCHLUCHT. 

Saxe stood now paralysed with horror, and it was not until Dale hadshaken him twice that his fixed, wild manner began to pass off. 

"Stop here, " cried Dale: "you are too much unnerved to come. "

"Where--where are you going?" cried the lad; and before an answer couldbe given, he cried: "Yes; yes, go on: I'm ready. "

"I tell you that you are too much unnerved to venture!" cried Daleangrily. "Am I to lose you both?"

He turned and hurried out of sight; but he had not gone fifty yardsalong the narrow ledge into the gloomy crack before he heard a hoarsesound, and turning sharply back, there was Saxe close behind. 

"Don't send me back, " cried the lad: "I can't stand here doing nothing. I must come and help. "

"Come, then!" shouted Dale, his voice sounding smothered and weak in theechoing rush of the waters, which glided in at the funnel-like openingsmooth and glassy, now leaped forward and roared as they careered madlyalong, leaping up and licking at the rugged but smoothly polished walls, charging into cracks and crevices, and falling back broken up into foam, and ever forced onward at a tremendous rate by the mass of water behind. 

The place itself would in bright sunshine have made the stoutest-heartedpause and draw breath before adventuring its passage; but seen in theweird subdued light which came down filtered through the trees whichoverhung the chasm a thousand feet above, it seemed terrible. For onlyat intervals could a glimpse of the sky be seen, while as theypenetrated farther, the walls, which almost exactly matched in curve, angle and depression, came nearer together, and the place darkened. 

"Take care--take care!" Dale cried from time to time, as he foundportions of the ledge narrower and more difficult; but Saxe did notspeak, only crept on, with his left hand grasping every inequality ofthe rock, and, like his leader, glancing down into the mad race offoaming water, in the hope of catching sight of Melchior's upturned faceand outstretched hands. 

It never occurred to him that they could render no help, even if theydid catch sight of their unfortunate companion; for they were never lessthan twenty feet above the narrow hissing and roaring stream, and therewas not a spot where a rock could be grasped: everything was worn toosmooth by the constant passage of the water, which doubtless carriedwith it stones from the lake as well as those ever loosened by frost andcrumbling down from above, to aid in grinding the walls quite smooth. 

But there was the possibility of the unfortunate man being thrown intoone of the vast pot-holes or cauldrons formed cavern-like in bends ofthe chasm, where as it rushed along past the zigzag of the broken rockthe water glanced from one side, and shot almost at right angles acrossto the other, to whirl round and round, ever enlarging a great well-likehole, the centre of which looked like a funnel-like whirlpool, with thewater screwing its way apparently into the bowels of the earth, and downwhose watery throat great balls of foam were constantly being sucked. 

From time to time, as Dale rested for a few moments to peer into one ofthese, he raised his eyes to look back hopelessly at Saxe, who couldonly shake his head in his utter despair, knowing only too well that itwas hopeless. 

Then on and on again, with the horror of the terrible place seeming tocrush them down, while to Saxe it was as if the waters were trying toleap at him to wash him from the narrow ledge and bear him away. Andthe farther they went on the more fearful the place seemed to grow. Thewalls dripped with moisture, as a result of the spray which rose fromthe hurrying race, and shut them in back and front with a gloomy mist, which struck cold and dank as it moistened their faces and seemedchoking to breathe. 

Again Dale paused, to peer down at one of the great whirling poolsbeneath the rock, which was being undermined in this place more thanever; and as Saxe clung by him and gazed down too, there was theperfectly round pool of water, with its central pipe, which, by theoptical illusion caused by the gloom and mist, looked reversed--that is, as if the concavity were convex, and he were gazing at the eye of somesubterranean monster, the effect being made more realistic by the rockoverhanging it like a huge brow. 

"Come on, " cried Dale. But Saxe was fascinated, and did not hear hisvoice in the hollow, echoing, pipe-like roar. 

"Come on, boy--quick!" he shouted again. But Saxe still bent down overthe racing waters, to stare at that awful similitude of an eye, whichmoved strangely and bemused and fascinated him so that he looked as ifhe would be drawn down into it and be a victim to the awful place. 

"Saxe! Saxe!" shouted Dale, seizing him by the arm; and the boy startedand gazed at him wildly. "Can you see him!"

"No, no, " cried the boy. 

"What were you looking at!"

"That! that!" gasped Saxe. 

"Ah! yes. Like some terrible eye. Come along. I can't think thatanything would stay here. It would be swept along at a tremendous rate. That water is going almost at the rate of a great fall. They must havebeen borne right through long ago. "

"Think so?" Saxe tried to say. Certainly his lips moved; and rousednow from the strange fascination, he crept on after his leader, theirprogress being very slow in spite of their anxiety, for all was new andstrange, and the next step, for aught they knew, might plunge them downto a fall like their guide's. 

Then the way was dangerously narrow at times, one dripping place forcingthem to stoop--so heavily overhung the rock above. 

At last, just in front of them, the gorge seemed to end, for the placewas blocked by a wall that ran across the narrow rift at right angles, and against this the whole body of water was propelled, to strikestraight upon it, and rise up like a billow of the sea and fall backwith a furious roar. Here the foam formed so dense a mist that Dale hadcrept right into it before he realised that, as the water fell back, itshot away through the gloom to his left, forming a fresh billow againsta perpendicular wall before it again darted onward. 

"Has this awful place no end!" he said, as he grasped the meaning ofthis fresh disturbance of its course; and he peered forward again forthe path, it being absolute madness to think of seeing anything in thewatery chaos below. Then, looking back, it was as if some icy hand hadclutched his heart, for he was alone. 

For the moment he felt that Saxe must have slipped and fallen, and inthe agony he suffered he fancied himself back again in England facingthe boy's father and trying to plead some excuse for the want of care. Saxe was entrusted to him for a few months' visit to the Alps--a visitto combine pleasure and instruction, as well as to gain more robusthealth. 

As he thought this he was already on his way back to the sharp angle hehad passed round, and as he reached it his horror and despair becamealmost unbearable. 

But this part of his suffering had its termination; and he fully graspedthat, like as in a dream, all this had occupied but a few moments oftime, for a hand was thrust round the stony angle and searched for aprojection, and as Dale eagerly grasped the humid palm, Saxe glidedround and then followed him into the corner, beneath which the waterroared and churned itself into foam, passed this in safety, and oncemore they crept on, thinking now only of getting out into the daylightand following the stream in the hope of finding poor Melchior's remains. 

The same thoughts occurred to both of them: suppose the poor fellow wasbeyond their reach, swept right away into the depths of some lake milesaway--what were they to do? Retrace their steps to the mouth of thegorge, where their provision was left, or try to find their way somehowover the mountains? It would be a fearful task, ignorant of their way, faint from want of food, weak from exhaustion. It was now for the firsttime that Saxe realised how terrible the mountains were, and how easilya person might be lost, or meet with a mishap that would mean laming, perhaps death. 

Then their thoughts of self gave place again to those relating to theirpoor guide. 

"We must find him!" Saxe cried involuntarily, and so loudly that Daleturned and looked back at him wildly, for the thoughts had been exactlyhis own. 

"Yes, " he said, his voice muffled by the roar of the waters; "we mustfind him. The place is not so very large, after all. Wait till we getout: I can't talk here. "

For the roar had seemed to increase and the darkness to grow deeper forthe next few yards. The water, too, was nearer, the path having a steepincline downward, with the natural result that the ledge was drippingwith moisture, and from time to time some wave would strike the oppositewall with a heavy slap, and the spray fly in quite a gust, as of rain, full in their faces. 

"It can't be much farther, " thought Saxe, as he went cautiously down theincline, to see that the rock on his right now bent right over, and hadcaused the darkness. Then the path bent to the left, struck off to theright again, and was now down within three or four feet of the water, after which there was a fresh corner to be turned, where the wave thatrose up seemed somehow illuminated; but they were quite close up, withthe water almost running over the path, before they fully grasped thatthe light came from the side, bringing with it some hope, even if itwere little; and at the same time Saxe felt the possibility of goingback the same way now that the full extent of the danger could begrasped. 

"Poor Melchior!" he muttered--"it must have been impossible for him tohave led the mule through here;" and as he thought, this, the full lightof day came streaming in, making Dale, a few yards before him, stand outlike a silhouette clearly cut in black, while for a hundred yards thewater now ran, rapidly widening and growing less like a torrent, tillright away he could see it flowing smoothly between the towering rocksthat were piled-up on either side of its bed. 

CHAPTER TEN. 

BEING USED TO IT. 

Dale hurried on, with Saxe close behind him, till they were out of thegloomy schlucht, and scrambling over the rocks by the rapidly wideningstream, whose waters had now grown turbid, and were bearing greatpatches of grey froth upon their surface. 

They could see for a couple of hundred yards down the narrow way alongwhich the stream ran; then it bore off to the right and was hidden; andto command a better view, as they eagerly searched the surface for sometrace of Melchior, they mounted the tumbled-together rocks, and saw thatthey were at the head of a widening valley, surrounded by nearly levelmountains, forming an oval, which looked like the bed of an ancient lakesimilar to the one they had lately left. But, in place of deep water, there was a plain of thinly scattered grass growing amongst fragments ofrock that looked as if they had been swept down from the mountainsround, and serpentining through the level was the swift river, whosecourse they could trace till it passed through a narrow gap at the farend. 

Saxe climbed the higher, and balanced himself on the top of a roughblock, which rocked slightly, like a Cornish logan, as he stood shadinghis eyes and following the course of the stream amongst the hugeboulders which often hid it from view; while from his lower positionDale searched the windings nearer to them, hoping to see that which theysought stranded somewhere among the stones. 

But they looked in vain. 

"Can you see anything, Saxe?"

"No, " replied the boy in a despondent tone: "can you, sir!"

"Nothing. We must follow the stream down. I dare say we shall findsome shallows lower down. Come along quickly. "

He began to descend. 

"We must find him, Saxe, and then make the best of our way back forhelp. Poor fellow! I'd freely give all I possess to see him safe andsound. "

"Then hurrah! Come up here, sir. Look! look!"

"What! you don't mean? Saxe, boy--speak!" cried Dale excitedly, tryingto mount beside him. 

"Hi! don't! You'll have me overboard!" shouted the boy, as the greatblock of stone rocked to such an extent that he nearly came downheadlong. "Now, steady! Give me your hand. "

The rock was kept in position now by the pressure on one side, but asDale sprang up to Saxe's side, it began to rise again, and they had hardwork to preserve their balance, as they stood straining their eyes towhere they could see a man mounted upon some animal riding slowly acrossthe green level lying in a loop of the stream. 

"No, no, " said Dale sadly, "that cannot be Melchior. It is someherdsman; but we'll go and meet him and get his help. "

"It is Melchior, " said Saxe decidedly. 

"I would to Heaven it were, Saxe! Impossible! That man is a mile away. Distances are deceptive. "

"I don't care if he's a hundred miles away, " cried Saxe; "it's old Melk, and he's safe. "

"You are deceiving yourself, boy. "

"I'm not, sir. I'm sure of it; and he's all right. You see!"

He snatched off his hat, and began to wave it, bursting out at the sametime into the most awful parody of a Swiss jodel that ever startled themountains, and made them echo back the wild, weird sounds. 

"There! Look!" cried Saxe excitedly, as the mounted man took off hishat, waved it in the air, and there floated toward them, faintly heardbut beautifully musical, the familiar jodel they had heard before. Then, as it ceased, it was repeated from the rocks to the right, farlouder, and made more musical by the reaction nearer at hand. 

"There!" cried Saxe, "what did I tell you?" and he capered about on themoving rock, waving his hat and shouting again, "I--o--a--a--de--ah--diah--diah--Oh! Murder!"

Dale was in the act of saying, "Take care!" when the mass of stonecareened over, and Saxe was compelled to take a flying leap downward onto another piece, off which he staggered ten feet lower, to come downwith a crash. 

"Hurt yourself!" cried Dale anxiously. 

"Hurt myself, sir!" said Saxe reproachfully, as he scrambled up slowly:"just you try it and see. Oh my!" he continued rubbing himself, "ain'tthese stones hard!"

"Here, --give me your hand. "

"Thankye. It's all right, only a bruise or two. I don't mind, now oldMelk's safe. "

"Don't deceive yourself, Saxe, " said Dale sadly. 

"What! Didn't you hear him jodel?"

"Yes, and you may hear every Swiss mountaineer we meet do that. Youhailed him, and the man answered, and he is coming toward us, " continuedDale, straining his eyes again to watch the slowly approaching figure. "Bah! How absurd! I'm as bad as the sailor who put his cutlass intohis left hand, so that he could have his right free to knock an enemydown with his fist. "

As he spoke, he dragged at the strap across his breast, took a littlefield-glass from the case, adjusted the focus, and levelled it at thedistant figure. 

"Hurrah, Saxe, you're right!" he cried, lowering the glass, seizing theboy's hand and wringing it vigorously. 

"Hurrah! it is, " cried Saxe; "I knew it. I could tell by the twist ofthat jolly old mule's head. I say, you owe me all you've got, Mr Dale. When are you going to pay?"

"When you ask me as if you meant it, boy. "

"Ah, then! I can't ask!" cried Saxe. "Let's have a look at Melk. "

He took the glass extended to him, rested his back against a block ofstone, and carefully examined the figure. 

"I say, isn't he wet! You can see his clothes sticking to him. But, Mr Dale, what a swim he must have had. Ah--ae--e--oh--diah--di--ah--diah--"

"Don't, boy, for goodness' sake!" cried Dale, clapping his hand overSaxe's lips. "If Gros hears that, he'll take fright and bolt. "

"What, at my cry? That's jodelling I'm learning. "

"Then practise your next lesson in a cornfield, when we get home. Anyfarmer would give you an engagement to keep off the crows. "

"Oh, I say, Mr Dale!" cried Saxe, "you are too bad. Just you trywhether you can do it any better. "

"No, thanks, " said Dale, laughing: "I am full of desire to learn all Ican, but I think I shall make an exception with regard to the jodel. Come along down, and let's meet him. "

They descended the rock so as to get on to the rugged plain; and tenminutes after Melchior rode up on his bare-backed mule, soaking wet, andwith the mule steaming; but otherwise, as far as they could see, neitherwas any the worse for the late adventure. 

"Melk, old chap!" cried Saxe, seizing one hand. 

"Melchior, my good fellow!" cried Dale, seizing the other; "I thoughtwe'd lost you. "

The guide's sombre face lit up, and his eyes looked moist as he returnedthe friendly grasp. 

"Thank you, herrs, " he said warmly, "thank you. "

"But you are hurt, " cried Dale. 

"I thank you, no, herr; not much. "

"But tell us, " cried Saxe, who had been scanning him all the time, "where are you hurt?"

"Hurt? I am not hurt, " said the guide quietly. "A few bruises and alump on my head--that is all. "

"But the mule, --he struck you down with his hoofs. "

"It was more of a push, herr. "

"But tell us--we thought you were drowned in that awful place. "

"Yes, it was bad, " said Melchior, quite calmly. "It is so swift and thewater so full of air that you cannot swim, and one was turned about soand rolled over, but I held on to Gros here, and it did not take longbefore we were through. "

"But your breath? Did you keep on the surface?" said Dale. 

"I don't know, herr. It was all darkness and confusion; but we wererolled up against the rock sometimes, and I managed to get my breath. Then we were driven on and on very fast. You see the rock is worn sosmooth, there is nothing against which you can catch. The stones sweptdown by the water have worn that all away, and one goes quite quick, holding one's breath, till one is shot out as if from a gun, and thewater gets smoother. Then we got our breath easily, and Gros here beganto swim while I held on by his mane; but we had to go a long way downbefore there was a place for the mule to land. "

"But do you mean to tell me, " cried Dale, "that you both came throughthat horrible place and are none the worse for it?"

The guide smiled. 

"Well, herr, " he said, "I am very wet, and there were moments when Ithought I could not hold my breath any longer, but there are no bonesbroken and no cuts or grazes. "

"Then there is nothing else the matter with you?" cried Saxe. 

"Well, yes, herr; I am very hungry. "

"Hungry!" cried Saxe excitedly. "Yes, of course: I'd forgotten; so amI. Here, Mr Dale, let you and me go and get the basket whilst he drieshimself in the sun. "

"No, no, " cried Melchior firmly, "neither of you could carry thatpannier through the schlucht. I am wet, and it will do me good to getwarm carrying the load. "

"No, Melchior, it would not be right, " said Dale. "I will go. "

"No, herr, " said Melchior firmly; "as your guide I should be disgracingmyself by letting you run the risk. I have been used from a child tocarry loads upon my back along ledges and places where an Englishmanwould shrink from going. I am not hurt or tired: it is my duty; so withall respect to you I will go. "

"But--"

"Answer me, herr, as a gentleman, " cried Melchior warmly: "do you feelthat you could safely carry that pannier through the schlucht?"

"I should try to, " said Dale. 

"Ah! that shows weakness: you cannot say that you would. "

They went back to a spot where there was a rich patch of grass, and herethe guide alighted and took off the mule's bridle to turn it loose, whenit immediately proved that nothing was the matter in its direction byhaving a good roll in the grass and then proceeding to crop it with thebest of appetites. 

"Light your pipe, herr, " said Melchior, smiling: "I dare say I shall beback before you have got through it twice;" and springing from rock torock, he soon reached the ledge nearly flush with the water, and theywatched him enter the low narrow long chasm till his figure grew dim inthe gloom; and a minute later had disappeared. 

"I don't feel comfortable at letting him go, Saxe, " said Dale. 

"I do, sir, " began Saxe. 

"Stop!" cried Dale. 

"What's the matter, sir?" cried Saxe, wondering. 

"This, my boy! Never mind the sir while we are out here as companions. We are friends and helpmates--brothers if you like. Now what were yougoing to say?"

"Oh! only that I don't feel uneasy about him. A man who could tumbleinto the water at the other end and be shot through like a pellet from apopgun, can't come to any harm. I say, how long do you think he'll be?"

"Nearly an hour, " replied Dale. 

"Nearly an hour, " cried Saxe dolefully--"an hour to wait before we canget anything to eat. Ah! you lucky beggar, " he continued, apostrophising the mule, "you've got plenty, and are enjoying it, whileI've got none. But I mean to--"

"Here! what are you going to do?" cried Dale. 

"Climb down to the water's edge and have a good drink. I'm as thirstyas a fish. "

"Then we must look out for a spring. You can't drink that water. "

"Can't drink it?" cried Saxe; "why, I'm so thirsty, I could drinkanything. "

"Not that. Why, it's full of stone and snow. Bad as bad can be. Comealong, and let's see what we can find. It will be better than doingnothing; and I'm thirsty too. Let's try that little rift in themountain. It looks the sort of place for a rivulet to come sparklingdown amongst moss and ferns. Let's try. "

He led the way toward the rift, which looked like the beginning of asimilar chasm to that through which they had so lately come, Saxefollowing closely behind, while the mule went on crop, crop at the thinfine grass, with his coat rapidly drying in the hot afternoon sun. 

CHAPTER ELEVEN. 

A GLISSADE IS NOT ALL BLISS. 

It took a long time to find that bubbling spring; but they discovered itat last, coming down from hundreds of feet above their heads, over vividgreen moss and under fern fronds, to form into tiny pools in thecrevices of the rocks; and from one of these they drank with aviditylong cooling draughts of the sparkling water dipped out in the flaskcup, and then they turned to go. 

As they walked back, it was to find that Melchior had just returned withthe pannier, and had been spreading part of his clothes in the sun todry. 

"We have been after water, " said Dale. 

"Ah! you found it all right, then?" said the guide eagerly. 

"Yes; but it is a good way off, and I only had my flask with me. "

"Good way off!" said Melchior. "Why, it is close here. "

"But we could not drink that, " cried Saxe. 

"Why? It is beautiful water. I will show you. "

He took a tin from the basket as he spoke. 

"Well, you can drink it if you like, " said Saxe. "I wouldn't haveminded it out of the lake; but this thick stuff--why, it's horrid. "

"From the lake? No, not good, " said the guide. "Bad for the throat. See here!"

He took a dozen steps toward the schlucht, and passed round a huge massof rock, behind which a pure fount of water gushed out from a rift, atwhose foot Gros was drinking where the water ran down to join the river. 

"Some people say that they like to travel without a guide, " said Dalequietly. 

"Yes, herr; there are plenty who come here, and think they know in a dayall that it has taken me more than twenty years to learn. "

He led the way back to the basket, and busily spread their homely dinneron a smooth block of stone, Saxe vowing that he had never eaten suchbread and cheese before. 

When the meal was ended, and the basket once more placed on the mule'sback, Dale looked inquiringly at the guide. 

"Over yonder, herr, " he said, pointing at the wall of rock away to theirleft. 

"But we can't get up there with the mule, " cried Saxe: "we're notflies. "

"Wait and see, herr, " replied Melchior. "We shall mount yonder, andthen go right over the col between those two peaks. There is the valleyon the other side that we are seeking, and there we must rest for thenight. "

"Then the sooner we start the better, " said Dale, "for the day isgetting on. "

"Yes, herr; and the mists come down into the col where the snow lies. Are you ready?"

The answer was in the affirmative, and the guide started straight forthe wall of rock, which still looked quite impassable as they drew near, till Melchior turned sharply round into a cleft, which looked as if ahuge piece had been cut down from the mountain, and left guile separateand still standing. 

Up this cleft they mounted steadily, till, to Saxe's surprise, he foundhimself high above the mighty wall which shut in the valley, and onlynow, as it were, at the foot of the mountains, which rose up fold beyondfold, apparently endless, and for the most part snow-capped, with snowlying deeply in the hollows, and filling up the narrow col or depressionbetween the peaks where they were to pass. 

Saxe looked up at the snow, and then at Dale, who also seemed to havehis doubts. 

"Can we pass that before dark?" he said. 

"Yes, herr. Trust me: I know. "

"But how far have we to go on the other side? If it is very far, had wenot better camp here for the night?"

"When we reach the summit of the col, herr, our task is done. There isa deep hollow, well sheltered, and where the snow never falls. "

"I leave myself in your hands, Melchior, " said Dale. "Go on. "

The climb over the rugged ground was very laborious, but there was abrisk freshness in the air which kept fatigue at a distance, and theytoiled on up and up, with the sloping rays of the sun making the snowabove them indescribably beautiful. 

"Yes, " said Saxe, "but I'm getting too tired and out of breath to enjoyit now. I'll do that to-morrow. "

"The young herr shall come and see the sun rise on the snow passes, "said Melchior. "I will call him. "

"No, don't, please, " said Saxe. "I shall want two days' sleep afterthis. "

The guide laughed, patted Gros, who trudged on as fresh apparently asever, till they reached the rough culm of a ridge, to look down at onceon the snow slope to which they had to descend for a couple of hundredfeet, the ridge they were on acting as a buttress to keep the snow fromgliding down into the valley. 

"Is that the last?" asked Saxe. 

"Yes, herr. One hour's quiet, steady work. Half an hour after, thefire will be burning and the kettle boiling for our tea. "

"What! up there in that snow!"

"No, herr: we shall have descended into the warm shelter of which Ispoke. "

They soon reached the foot of the snow, which rose up in one broadsmooth sheet, pure and white beyond anything existing lower down, andas, now thoroughly tired, Saxe gazed up at the beautiful curvedescending from the mountains on either side, it seemed to be atremendous way up. 

"The snow is pretty hard, " said Melchior. "Use my steps. "

He clapped the mule on the haunch, and the sturdy beast set off at onceup the laborious ascent, with its hoofs sinking in deeply, asinstinctively it sloped off to the right instead of breasting the ascentat once. 

"But what about the rope, Melchior?" said Dale sharply. 

"There is no need for a rope here, herr. This snow lies on the solidrock, and every crevice and hollow is full, with the snow harder andmore strong the deeper we go. "

"Of course: I had forgotten. This is not a glacier. Come, Saxe!Tired?"

"Wait till I get to the top, " was the reply; and they climbed on, withthe snow gradually changing colour as it was bathed in the eveningsunshine, till they seemed to be tramping up and up over grains of gold, which went rushing back as Gros plunged his way upward, turning fromtime to time, and retracing his steps at an angle, thus forming a zigzagas regular as if it had been marked out for him at starting. 

"Seems to grow as one climbs, " grumbled Saxe at last, as he grew tootired to admire the glorious prospect of gilded peaks which kept onopening out at every turn. 

"But it does not, " replied Dale. "Come: do your best! It's splendidpractice for your muscles and wind. You are out of breath now, but aweek or two hence you will think nothing of a slope like this; andto-morrow I am thinking of ascending that peak, if you like to come. "

"Which?" cried Saxe. 

"That to the right, where the rock is clear on one side and it is allsnow on the other. "

"Yes, I see. "

"It is not one of the high peaks, but the rocks look attractive, and itwill be practice before I try something big. But you'll be too muchdone up with to-day's work. "

Saxe frowned, and they went on in silence for a time, till, at one ofthe turns made by the mule, Dale paused. 

"Like a rest?" he said. 

"No, " replied Saxe; "we may as well get to the top first. "

Dale smiled to himself. 

"He has plenty of spirit, " he muttered; and he watched Saxe toiling on, with his feet sinking in the snow at every step, and how he never onceglanced up at the top of the col for which they were making; but he gavea start and his face lit up as Melchior suddenly uttered his peculiarjodel. 

"The top of the col, " he cried; and, as the others joined him where hestood, with his arm over the mule's neck, he said, "Would the herrs likeme to tell them the names of the different peaks?"

"Yes, after tea, " said Saxe, laughing. "But, I say, I thought this wasa sharp ridge, like the roof of a church, and that we should go downdirectly off the snow. "

"Patience, herr, " said Melchior. "Come along, then. It is colder uphere. See how low the sun is, and feel how hard the snow becomes. "

Saxe glanced at the great ruddy glow in the west, and saw how thedifferent peaks had flashed up into brilliant light; he noted, too, thatif he trod lightly, his feet hardly went through the crust on the snow. 

"Why, it's beginning to freeze!" he cried suddenly. 

"Yes, herr; on this side it is freezing hard. On the other side it willbe soft yet. That is the south. "

They went on for three or four hundred yards, over what seemed to be alevel plain of snow, but which they knew from what they had seen below, hung in a curve from the dazzling snow peaks on either hand, and to begracefully rounded south and north. 

So gradual was the descent that nothing was visible of the valley forwhich they were making; and Saxe was just about to attack the guideabout his declaration respecting the short time after reaching the topof the col before they would be at tea, when Melchior suddenly stopped, and as Saxe joined him where he stood, the snow ran down suddenly, steeply, and with a beautiful curve into a tiny valley, whose floor wasgreen, with a silver rivulet winding through it, and several clumps ofdwarfed pines turning it into quite a park. 

"There is our resting-place, herr, " he said, "with a perfect bit of snowfor a glissade. "

"What, slide down the snow!" cried Saxe. "To be sure! Shall I be ableto stop myself! I don't want to go rolling down into that water like aball. "

"Come behind me, " said Dale quietly; "I'll show you how. Stand up as Ido, and hold your alpenstock behind you like this. Some people say itis wrong, but I always get on so. "

He pressed his alpenstock into the snow behind him, holding it under hisleft arm with both hands; and leaning back upon it, he waited till Saxehad imitated him exactly. 

"If you find you are going down too fast, lean back more, so as to driveyour pike down into the snow. Try and keep your balance. If you goover, hold on to your alpenstock and try to stop yourself the best wayyou can. Ready?"

"Yes. "

"Then off! Steady, slowly, as you can. There's no hurry. "

"Well, I don't want to hurry, " muttered Saxe, as he began to glide downthe beautiful sloping curve, with the crisp large-grained snow hissingand flying down before him. It was glorious. He felt as if he wereflying; then as if he were having a splendid skate without the slightestexertion. The bottom of the valley began to fly up to meet him, and hehad some slight consciousness of Dale being close before or behind him, he could not tell which, for his mind was concentrated upon his descent, which grew more and more rapid and delightful. Every sense of wearinesswas gone, and he was just thinking of lammergeyers in their flight, whenhe heard his companions shouting to him, just as he lost his balance andcame down on his side. Then, he lost his alpenstock and directly afterhis temper, as he found he was rolling down head first till he gavehimself a tremendous wrench, and contrived to get his feet foremost, with his heels down in the snow, and by degrees rose into a sittingposition, finishing his descent more deliberately, for fortunately theslope grew less and less, till he was brought up by the stones at thefoot, and able to look up. 

"Hurt?" cried Dale, who came down to him directly after. 

"Haven't had time to see yet, " said Saxe gruffly. "Here are my trousersgot right up my legs. "

"No skin off your knuckles?"

"I think not, " said Saxe. "Are you all right? But what did it?"

"You. "

"No. There must have been something sticking up out of the enow toupset me: a piece of rock, I think. "

"You'll think differently after a few more tries, " said Dale, laughing;and returned to see how Melchior was getting down with the mule. 

They were coming far more gently, the mule having tucked its hind legsclose beneath it, and slid steadily down, while by means of his ice-axeMelchior regulated his pace to that of the quadruped, till they, too, were at the bottom. 

"Saxe thinks there was a piece of rock sticking out of the snow ready toupset him, " cried Dale. 

"Hush! Don't make him laugh at a fellow, " said the boy hurriedly. 

Melchior smiled. 

"It was his first lesson, " he said quietly. "Now, there is a clump ofrocks between those two patches of pines, and water and wood inabundance. Will you have the fire there?"

Half an hour after they were all seated round a crackling fire, wellsheltered on all sides, and with the rock projecting far over theirheads in case of rain. The kettle was singing, the coffee ready, therest of the provisions spread, and the mule cropping the grass close by, never once trying to leave the vicinity of his human companions. 

An hour after the fire was out the stars shone brilliantly, and thelittle party slept beneath their rugs on a couch of pine boughs assoundly as in the most luxurious couch that had fallen to their lot. 

CHAPTER TWELVE. 

FIRST MOUNTAIN CLIMB. 

The loud crack of something breaking awoke Saxe to the knowledge that agrey light was peering through the pines, and that, though he wascomfortably warm, there was a crisp coldness in the air he breathed. 

Then there was another sharp crack, and another, as of sticks beingbroken; and he raised himself up to begin looking cautiously round. ForMelchior had said that there were bears about still in the mountains, and the first idea that occurred to him was that a savage beast wasbreaking his way through the thick pine-wood with inimical intent. 

Another crack and another, very close at hand, and then a faint sighingsound--evidently the expiration of some living creature's breath. 

Saxe felt a catching sensation at the breast, a tingling in the templesand cheeks, as if his veins were startled and his blood running wild;and he stole his hand softly out from under the rug, to try and reachhis companions and rouse them to a sense of the impending danger--tryingto recollect at the same moment where the ice-axes had been placed whenthey lay down overnight. 

But at that moment there was a sharper crack than ever, and a faintodour of burning, followed by the quick crackling so familiar when agreen pine bough is thrown upon the flames. 

"Oh, what a coward I am!" thought Saxe, sinking back and placing hisenlaced fingers beneath his head, as he gazed straight up at the darkbranches above. "Just as if a bear would come and attack us, even ifthere was one anywhere near! He'd scuffle off as soon as he smelt man. "

"Perhaps not if he was very hungry, " he thought, after a few minutes. "But I do wish I could feel brave, like men do, and not turn shaky andqueer at the least thing. Here was I imagining all that rubbish justbecause I heard a stick broken by old Melchior to make the fire. Yesterday all I had to do was to walk along a shelf of rock, with somewater running down below me. If it had been out in the open sunshine Ishouldn't have minded a bit; but because it was a little dark I fanciedall sorts of stuff. Of course it was a bit startling to see a fellow gohead over heels into a torrent along with a moke and be swept away; butI don't believe old Melk was half so much frightened as I was. "

"It's very silly lying here, " he said to himself again, as the scent ofthe burning pine-wood increased. "Bit cold outside the rug; but we leftthe door and the windows open last night, and that's healthy all thesame. I do wish, though, I could get on without being scared so soon. Perhaps it's all through being ill last year and feeling so weak. But Ididn't seem weak yesterday. I was precious tired, but so was Mr Dale. I'm afraid I'm a coward, and I suppose all I can do is to hide it andnot let people see. "

"They sha'n't see!" he muttered, after a few minutes; and then he laystill, thinking of home, his mother and father, and of their readyconsent when Mr Dale offered to take him as his companion in anexperimental trip to the high Alps. 

"I wonder what they are all doing now?" he thought. "Asleep, of course. I don't believe my mother would sleep comfortably, though, if she knewI was lying out here like this, with no bed-curtains and the snow justover us. It is rum, though--summer and winter all muddled up togetherso closely that you stand with your right leg in July, picking flowersand catching butterflies, and the left leg in January, so that you canturn over and make a snowball or pick icicles off the rocks. "

A pleasant, drowsy sensation began to steal over him, and he was aboutto give way to it, when the idea came like a flash that it would be idleand cowardly; and this thought made him spring up, and fold the rug inwhich he had been rolled; and after a glance at where Mr Dale stillslept, he went softly out of the clump of trees in the direction wherehe could hear the crackling, to find Melchior in the act of placing thetin kettle they had brought upon the fire. 

"Good morning, herr. A fine day. "

"Not much day about it, " said Saxe, with a slight shiver. "What time isit?"

"I don't know, herr; but the sun will soon be up. Look!"

He pointed overhead to where, grim-looking and grey, one of themountains towered up: and right away, at a great height, there was whatlooked like a broad streak of pale--very pale--red, apparently a pieceof cloud just over the mountain top. 

"What's that?"

"Snow, herr, beginning to be lit up by the sun. That is where we aregoing by-and-by--the mountain with the enow on one side but bare rock onthe other. "

Saxe stood gazing upward with a feeling of awe creeping over him. Therewas no mistake about height here. The line of snow, which ended asquickly as if it had been cut square at one end, seemed terribly faraway; and Saxe was thinking that it seemed almost madness to try andreach such a spot, when Melchior drew his attention to first one andthen another flake of ruddy light in the distance. 

"Clouds?" asked Saxe; though he felt what the answer would be. 

"No, " replied the guide--"mountain peaks. Will you awaken Mr Dale, orshall I?"

"I am awake, " said that personage. "Is there any water near here? Ohyes, I remember. Well, Saxe, had your bath?"

Saxe looked confused, and said nothing. 

"I asked you if you had had your bath, my lad, " said Mr Dale, lookingat him wonderingly. 

"Well, the fact is, " stammered the boy, "there was no jug or basin, andI--"

"Forgot it?" said Dale. 

"Yes, I forgot it, " replied the boy, with an effort; and as he spoke hefelt to himself that this was a touch of moral, though it was notphysical, cowardice, for he ought to have spoken out frankly. 

"Well, I'm going to have mine. How long will the coffee be, Melchior?"

"Not a quarter of an hour, herr. "

"Right. We'll soon be back, " cried Dale; and a few minutes after he andSaxe were having a good scrub about the neck and shoulders, and glowingas if from an electric shock, so brisk and sharp was the water that cametumbling down over the rocks in the middle of one of the clumps of pineswhose tops were freshened by the little cascade. 

Back to the alfresco breakfast, which Dale ate with his back restingagainst a block of stone nestling in a mass of whortleberry, and gazingup at the mountain, while he and Melchior discussed the plan of theirascent. 

"Yes, " said Dale, "you are right. We ought to take to the snow there, cross to that arete, and--"

"What's an arete?" said Saxe, who was listening eagerly. 

"That ridge along the summit of yonder spur or buttress, " said Dale. "That will bring us back to the main part of the mountain, and we oughtto reach the shoulder from there. "

"No, herr, " said the guide quietly; "the climbing would be too steep, and there is a slope there which later on will be swept by loose stones. Better take to the snow again, then work up it. "

"But suppose it is in bad condition?"

"It will be shaded from the sun till the afternoon, and quite hard. From there, you see, we can easily get to the shoulder, and then chooseour way up the last part by the rocks or the snow. You see that eithercan be reached: that is plain enough from here. "

"Yes, it looks easy, " said Dale thoughtfully. "The rock for preference, for I want to see the structure, and we may find specimens of what I amseeking. "

"Yonder will be most likely, " said Melchior, pointing to a huge mass ofdark mountain a few miles away, part of which was now glowing in themorning sun, whose bright rays made the ice and snow glitter on a scoreof peaks. 

"We'll, try that later on, " said Dale. "Have you never been up it?"

"No, herr; but I have been on others, where little crystals have beenfound in cracks; and they were mountains like that--very steep-sided, and having little snow. "

"There's plenty of time, " said Dale, raising his glass to examine thefarther mountain attentively. "We'll try that by-and-by. Has it anyname?"

"The Black Nun, herr. That is the White Nun, on beyond it, to theright. "

"Yes, I'll keep to my original plan, " said Dale, looking up once more tothe mountain at whose foot they sat, "and in half an hour we'll be off. How many hours will it take us?"

"Eight or nine, herr. It depends on--"

He paused and looked at Saxe. 

"To be sure, yes, " said Dale thoughtfully. "I think, " he continued, toSaxe's great relief, "that, as this one is rather difficult anddangerous--"

"It ought not to be dangerous, herr, if we are careful. "

"Well, then, difficult, " continued Dale--"you had better contentyourself, Saxe, by staying here in camp and watching us with the glass. "

Saxe changed his position viciously. 

"I wish you would not think me such a coward, sir, " he said, with adisplay of temper. "I am to learn to climb: why not let me begin now?"

As soon as he had spoken he repented; for he felt nervous about so steepa climb, and he told himself that, by his hasty words and assumption ofeagerness, he had made his feelings clear to those who listened. 

Dale looked at him searchingly, and Saxe coloured beneath his gaze. 

"If it would be more satisfaction to you to come with us, do so by allmeans. It will be hard and toilsome, but Melchior and I will take, careof you. "

"Oh, if they would not think me such a cowardly child!" thought Saxe. Then, aloud--

"I should like to come, and I'll do the best I can to keep up with you. "

"And if there is a bit of extra difficult climbing, why, you--you mustwait till we come back. "

"Yes, I could do that, " replied Saxe; and as soon as the breakfast wasended a wallet was filled with food, a couple of bottles with water, andMelchior took the rope, passed his head and right arm through it, andlooked at Dale as much as to say, "I am ready. "

"Will these things be all right?" said the latter, taking an ice-axefrom where it hung up on a tree; and he pointed to the basket. 

"There is no one here to touch them, herr. "

"And the mule?"

"He will not wander far from the basket, herr. We shall find him closeat hand. "

"Then, forward!" said Dale; and the little party began the ascent almostdirectly, their way being back up the snow slope down which, on theprevious day, Saxe had made so rapid a descent; and it was only now thatthe boy realised how far he had come. 

"It will be easy coming back, herr, " said Melchior, as they stopped fora few minutes to rest, "and you must not lose your balance this time. "

"Only a little out of breath, " replied Saxe; but as he spoke he couldnot help giving a glance up at the huge pile of granite, ice and snowtowering high above his head. 

Dale laughed. 

"Well, Saxe, " he said, "are you beginning to find out how high themountains are?"

Saxe nodded. 

"Yes, " he said; "they deceive you at a distance. Is this the highest?"

Dale laughed again. 

"Well, " he replied, "it is not quite the smallest. Say the medium. Onagain, Melchior!"

"Yes, herr: let's get as high as we can while the morning is young andthe snow hard. We can take our time on the rock. "

The guide was following the custom that seems to have come natural toman and beast--that of zigzagging up a steep place; but instead ofmaking for the centre of the col, where it was lowest, he kept bearingto the left--that is, he made the track three times the length of thatto the right, and he drew on toward where the slope grew steeper andsteeper. 

The snow was far better to walk upon now, for the surface was wellfrozen, and they had only to plant their feet in the deep steps theguide made by driving the soles of his heavily nailed boots well intothe crust. 

"Take care! take care!" he kept on saying to Saxe, who was in themiddle. "There is no danger, but a slip would send you down, and youcould not stop till you were at the bottom. "

"I'll mind, " said Saxe, as he stole a glance now and then up at thesteep white slope above him, or at that beneath, beyond which the pinesamong which they had slept the past night now looked like heather. 

"Yes, it is all very big, Mr Dale, " he said suddenly. 

"Wait a bit. You don't half know yet. Say it's bigger than youthought. Getting harder, isn't it, Melchior?"

"Yes, herr. If it gets much harder, I shall have to cut steps; but onlyhere and there, where it's steepest. "

"Isn't it steepest now?" said Saxe, who felt as if he could touch thesurface by extending his right hand. 

"Oh no, herr. You don't mind?"

"Not a bit, " cried the lad: "I like it. "

"What's the matter?" said Dale, as they still mounted the dazzling slopeof snow, far now above the dip of the col over which they had come. 

"Bad piece here, sir. We'll have the rope. I'll fasten my end and handthe rest to you, to secure yourselves while I begin cutting. "

"Right!" replied Dale; and a minute later he caught the rings of hempthrown to him, and rapidly knotted the middle round Saxe, the end to hisown waist; and as he knotted, _click, click! chip, chip_! went theice-axe, deftly wielded by the guide, who with two or three blows brokethrough enough of the crust to make a secure footing while the ice flewsplintering down the slope in miniature avalanches, with a peculiarmetallic tinkling sound. 

"Will there be much to cut?" said Dale. 

"No, herr; only a step here and there to make us quite safe, "--and hechipped away again after a few steps, and broke in others with the toesof his boots. 

"I say, " whispered Saxe, "suppose he slipped while he's swinging thataxe round, he'd drag us both down too. "

"And by the same argument, if you or I slipped, we should snatch himfrom his place. "

"Yes; that's what I thought. 

"That would only be in a very extreme case; and you may as well learnyour mountaineer's lesson at once. When we are roped together, and oneslips, he generally saves himself by rapidly sticking the sharp pick ofhis axe into the snow. He gives the others ample warning by this thatsomething is wrong before the jerk and strain come upon the rope. "

"And what do they do?"

"Drive their ice-picks right into the snow, hang back against the slope, and tighten the rope from one to the other. So that generally, insteadof a fall, there is only a short slip. Do you understand!"

"Yes, I think so. "

"So it is that three or four who understand mountaineering, and worktogether and trust each other, go up and down places that would beimpassable to the unskilful. Hah! we are getting to the top of thisslope. Tut, tut! cutting again. Look out!"

The last two words were roared out; and chip, chip, there came closeupon one another the sound of two ice-picks being driven into the snow, the guide's like an echo of Dale's, for his axe was raised to cut afresh step, but he changed the direction like lightning, drove it inhigh up the slope, and held on forward, Dale backward. 

For, in the most unexpected manner, one of Saxe's feet had slipped as hestepped short, and down he went to lie helplessly a dozen feet fromwhere he had stood, hanging suspended from the two ends of the rope--fortunately for him tight round the waists of his companions. 

"Herr, herr!" shouted the guide reproachfully, as he looked back overhis shoulder, "where's your ice-axe?"

"Here, " said Saxe dolefully, raising it a little, and vainly trying todrive his toes through the hard crust, newly frozen in the night. 

"`Here, ' sir!" cried Melchior: "but it has no business to be `here. 'Strike! strike hard! and drive it into the snow. "

Saxe raised it in both hands, and struck. 

"No, no!" cried the guide; "take hold right at the end, and drive it inas high up as you can reach. Hah! that's better. Now hand over hand. It will hold. Pull yourself up as high as you can. "

"That do?" said Saxe, panting, after obeying the orders and contrivingto get a couple of feet. 

"Yes, " said the guide, tightening the rope in company with Dale. "Nowthen, again! A better one this time. "

The boy struck the pick in again as hard as he could, and was moresuccessful. The rope was tightened to support him after he had climbedhigher; and after three or four minutes he stood once more in his oldplace panting. 

"Wait till he gets his breath, Melchior, " said Dale. "There, boy, ithas been a splendid lesson for you, in a place where the worst thatcould have happened to you was a sharp glissade and some skin off yourhands and face. That ice-axe ought to have been driven like lightninginto the snow, or the pick held towards it downward. It would haveploughed in and anchored you. "

"I'll try better next time, " said Saxe. "I'm sorry I'm so stupid. "

"The young herr did well, " cried Melchior warmly. "Why, I have knownmen hang from the rope helpless and afraid to stir at such a time. Ready? Vorwarts!"

He started again, cutting a step here and there, but very few now; and aquarter of an hour later a long path took them to where the smooth slopegave place to piled-up masses of rock, which looked as if they had beenhurled down from above. 

Then came a couple of hours' toilsome climb over broken stones, and upmasses that were mastered by sheer scrambling. Now and then an easyrock slope presented itself, or a gully between two buttresses of themountain, as they won their way higher and higher. Only once was therea really dangerous place--a mere ledge, such as they had passed along onthe previous day, but instead of a raging torrent beneath them there wasa wall of nearly perpendicular rock running down for about a thousandfeet to a great bed of snow. 

But the distance was short, and Saxe stepped out bravely, perfectlyaware, though, that his companions were keeping the rope pretty tightand watching his every step. 

"Well done!" cried Melchior. 

"Bravo, Saxe!" said Dale, as soon as they were safely across: "I seeyour head is screwed on right. Forward!"

"But he don't know what a weak screw it is, " thought Saxe. "Why, theymust have seen how white I was! I shall never dare to get back thatway. "

Three or four awkward bits were circumvented; a couloir or gully full ofsnow mounted; and then there was a long climb up a moderate slope towardwhere a ridge of rocks stood out sharply, with snow sloping down oneither side, the ridge running up far into the mountain; but before theycould get to this a deep bed of old snow--"firn" Melchior called it--agreat sheet, like some large white field, had to be passed. 

But this was mastered, and the climb began up towards the ridge. 

"The herr remembers this?" Melchior said. 

"No, " said Saxe. 

"Oh yes, you remember: that is the arete, " said Dale. 

"That? What! right up there?"

"Yes. Are you surprised?"

"Yes: I thought we had passed that, down below somewhere, hours ago. "

"More faith in the size of the mountains, " said Dale merrily. "Well, Saxe, how do you feel now? Will you sit down and wait!"

"No, " said the boy, through his set teeth, "I'm going right to the top. "

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. 

SAXE GOES TO THE TOP. 

"Ten minutes' rest, herr, " said the guide. 

"And lunch?"

"No, herr--only for a pipe;" and Melchior drew out his big tobaccoholder and filled up, while Dale took out a cigar. "Here's a shelteredplace to get a light, " continued the guide, leading the way to a nichein the rocks and striking a match. 

"Well, " said Dale, "what do you think? Will he do it?"

"Shall I speak the truth, herr?" said the guide, puffing quietly away. 

"Of course. "

"He's horribly frightened, herr; but he would sooner die than show it. "

"Exactly: you are right. Will he hold out?"

"That he will, if he is a long time doing it. "

"Will you stand by me, Melchior?"

"Of course, herr. I am your servant, and I am more: we are all brothersin the mountains, ready to stand by each other to the end. "

"Then, if he has the pluck that every English boy should have--the pluckthat English boys always have had--he shall go right to the top, even ifwe have to sleep somewhere half-way down. "

"If we can get him to the top, herr, " said Melchior, laughing in hisquiet, grave way, "never mind about the coming down. Bless him! I'llcarry him down what you English call pig-a-back, if he's worn out. "

"Then we'll take him. Is it a very stiff climb higher--dangerous?"

The guide shrugged his shoulders. 

"The herr is a mountaineer, and sees as much as I do. I have never beenup here, but the mountains are much alike on the whole. I think we cando it. "

"Yes, alone: but with that lad?"

"Well, herr, if we come to a very dangerous bit I should say give it upfor his sake. But we shall see. "

They stood smoking and looking about at the different parts above them, marking out the way they would go when they had mastered the arete, andthen returned to Saxe, who was lying down in the sunshine resting. 

"Well. Saxe: ten minutes nearly up. Will you stop or go on?"

Saxe looked rather pale, but he laughed. 

"Wait here, getting cold?"

"No! there will be plenty of sunshine. "

"Yes, but--wait here hours while you two go up to the top and sit down, see the view and eat all the lunch. No; I'm coming with you. "

"Right: you shall. Ready, Melchior!"

"Yes, herr. I think we'll have the rope again: I can give you both abit of a haul sometimes. "

"He means me only, " thought Saxe, "and I won't let him. "

"Now, gentlemen!" the guide went on, as he stood shading his eyes, "thatsnow's pretty firm, I think, and will not slip. We ought to master thearete in an hour. "

"An hour to do that little bit!" thought Saxe, as he looked up; but hedid not utter his thoughts; he was really beginning to understand thatdots meant big rocks, and snow patches that seemed the size of the handgreat beds. 

"Vorwarts!" cried Melchior; and he began to climb with the activity of amonkey, getting up to the extent of the rope, and then seating himselfand drawing it in as Saxe followed him and fully grasped now that it waslike getting up the sloping ridge of some mighty roof all in vast ruins. For the rocks rose out of the snow which fell away steeply on eitherside--how far the curve prevented him from seeing; but once, when hetook hold of a great projecting piece of rock about double the size ofhis head, it came away and went rolling down the slope to his right, carrying more and more snow with it, till all disappeared with a curioushissing rush, which was followed many seconds later by a lowreverberating roar. 

"I ought to have tried that stone, " said the guide quietly. "That'sright, herr: steady. Shall I pull?"

"No, no!" pleaded Saxe. 

"Good! That block--now this. Well done! Get behind me and sit downand rest. "

Saxe felt disposed to refuse; but he took his place, and in a minute ortwo Dale was up by them, and the guide went on again, repeating the slowcautious process. 

It was necessary, for the way up grew steeper and some of the rockslooser and far larger than that which Saxe had started, gave way at thefirst touch of the guide, and had to be turned off sideways to preventmischief to those who followed. 

As they rose higher the slope down on either hand seemed more appalling;and once, as Saxe climbed to him, Melchior said, with a smile--

"Never mind the two snow slopes, herr. "

"I don't--much, " panted Saxe. 

"Don't look at them, and don't think of them at all. Think of what youare doing. There is plenty of room for us, good foothold, and nothingto mind. That's the way: hook on firmly with your ice-axe. It isbetter than a hand. "

Over and over was this slow process repeated up and up that arete--thelittle serrated blocks they had seen from below proving mighty massesworn by frost and sunshine till in places they were quite sharp. But, as Melchior said, they gave excellent foothold; and at last the snowabove them, a great bed surrounded by rock, was gained, and they all satdown to rest while Dale drew out his watch. 

"An hour and five minutes, Melchior, " he said. "And good work, sir. That was a very stiff climb. What are you thinking, young herr?"

"Of how terribly steep the mountain seems from up here, " replied Saxe, who was holding by a piece of granite and gazing down. 

"No more steep than it was coming up, lad, " cried Dale. "Now, Melchior!what next?"

"Right across this snow, sir. It is perfectly safe; and then we cantake the slope above there, and we are on the shoulder. Then, as wearranged, we'll take to the rock or the snow again, whichever seemsbest. "

"Ready, Saxe?"

"Yes, " said the boy shortly; and for the next hour they tramped oversnow like hailstones, and then zigzagged up a slope beyond it, where inthe steepest places a little cutting became necessary; but this was allmastered in time, and the shoulder was reached, from which half a mileaway the final peak arose--a blunt hillock with perfectly smooth snow onone side, bare rock, broken and rugged, on the other, while the snow atthe top seemed to have been cut clean off perpendicularly. 

Half an hour's rugged walk brought them to a point where they had todecide whether to turn north and climb the snow, or south and take tothe bare steep rock. 

"What do you say, Melchior?" said Dale, giving the guide a meaning lookat the same time. 

"The snow is too steep, and it looks dangerous there. It is now well onin the afternoon, and our weight might start it; and if it did--youknow. "

"What!" said Saxe excitedly. Dale was silent for a few moments. 

"I do not want to scare you, lad, but you have to learn these things. If we started the snow at that angle, it would all go down with a rushinto the nearest valley. "

"And what would become of us!"

Neither of the men answered; but Saxe knew. 

"That is going to be a stiff climb, Melchior, " said Dale, after a fewminutes' searching the place with his eyes. 

"I dare say it will be, sir, " replied the guide. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. "

They started again, taking to the rocky face where the steepness keptthe snow from hanging. The sun was now shining full upon them, addingits heat to that produced by the exertion. The advance was slow andtentative for some time, resulting in several failures; and so painfullysteep had the place become that Dale twice, to Saxe's great relief, suggested that it would be better to give it up, and the guide seemed tobe unwillingly about to agree, when all at once a narrow rift opened outbefore them. 

"We're at the top, herr, " he cried joyfully; and, stepping out, hestopped in the furrow carved in the mountain's side, and prepared toclimb. 

"Can you get up there?" said Saxe, wiping his streaming face and gazingskyward. 

"Yes, herr, and you can too. Once up there, the rest will be easy. "

Dale looked doubtful, but he said nothing--only stood watching whileMelchior crept right into the narrowest part and began to ascend, takingadvantage of every crack and prominence, rising higher and higherwithout a moment's hesitation, though so narrow was theirstanding-place, that unless Dale and Saxe could stop him in case of aslip, the unfortunate man would glance off and shoot into space. 

Melchior was still climbing on when this idea struck Dale, who turnedsharply to his young companion. 

"Why are you staring down there!" he said, as he noticed that Saxe hadturned from watching the guide and was looking down the tremendousseries of precipices stretching step-like from where he stood to thevalley southward. 

"I was thinking how deep it is. "

"Think of how far it is to the top, and let the rest take care ofitself. Here, " he whispered, "stand close in with me. If he slips wemust stop him somehow. Well, " he cried aloud, "can you manage it?"

"Oh yes, herr; and so will you, " cried Melchior. "It is not so veryhard. This rift seems as if made on purpose. "

The task looked very laborious all the same. But the man's climbingskill was wonderful; nothing seemed to daunt him, and at the end of afew minutes there came a triumphant jodel from the invisible spot towhich he had made his way. 

Directly after the rope fell in rings from above. 

"Let the young herr fasten it round him before he begins to climb, "cried Melchior; and he was obeyed. 

"You will never climb that, Saxe, " said Dale. "It was a hard task forhim. "

"But I must try, " said the boy huskily; and he started at once, desperately and in haste. 

"Bravo! one does not know what one can do till one tries, " cried Dale. For with the rope always kept taut to help him and give him confidence, Saxe climbed on, his nerves in such a state of exaltation that he forgothow dizzy it had made him feel to see Melchior mount, but at the sametime remembered almost exactly how he had planted his feet in thecritical places. 

This went on till he was three parts of the way up, where a projectingrock overhead had to be passed; and the boy now felt, as he rested for afew moments, that if he slipped there or failed to cling sufficientlytightly, he must fall to the broad shelf where Dale was standing, andrebound into the awful depths below. 

In fancy he saw himself bounding from place to place, always gatheringspeed, till he lay a shapeless mass among the stones of the valley; and, in spite of himself, he turned his head and looked down. 

The view was so appalling, as he clung there, that a low hoarse sighescaped him; his nerves tingled; a curious sensation ran up his spine, and as he wrenched his head away from the sight which fascinated him, heclosed his eyes. 

A tug at the rope roused him, and brought him back to himself, just asDale was pressing forward into the gash in the rock, ready to seize himas he fell. 

"Come, herr, " Melchior shouted, from his invisible resting-place. "Areyou at that bit of sticking-out rock? Come along: it's very easy. "

Saxe raised his arms, which had felt nerveless the moment before, took afresh hold, and began to climb desperately. The first movements werehorrible, and he felt the creeping sensation of horror once more, andstopped, clinging hard, thinking that he could do no more; but the ropewas against his face, and as it vibrated he knew that even if he slippedit would hold him, and the cold, dank sensation passed away again as hegot a good foothold and was helped by the strain on the rope; and justwhile he was saying to himself, "I shall never do it--I shall never doit!" a great hand seized the rope round his chest, and he was drawnright on to a rocky platform, where Melchior was seated with his legswidely apart, and his heels against two projecting corners. 

"Well done, herr!" cried the guide, laughing, as he proceeded to untiethe rope: "you and I will do some of the big peaks yet. "

Saxe said nothing, but seated himself twenty feet farther up the rock, with his heels planted in the same way as the guide's, and letting therope pass through his hands as it was gathered into rings. 

"Ready, herr!" shouted Melchior. 

"Yes, " came from below; and the rope was thrown over the edge. 

"Make it fast round your waist, herr, " cried Melchior; and then, turningto Saxe, he said, with a smile meant to inspire confidence, "We can pullhim up if he likes. "

"Now!" came from below. 

"Ready, " shouted the guide; and then to Saxe--"Pull as I pull, herr, steady and strong, always keeping a tight grip, in case of a slip. Itgives him confidence. "

Saxe nodded; the rope was kept tight, and drawn in foot by foot, till, just as the lad was thinking of what a tremendous jerk it would be ifDale slipped, the latter's head appeared above the rock, with hisice-axe projecting over his shoulder, it having worked up in theclimbing till it threatened to escape from the belt and fall. 

"Take a good grip of the rope with one hand, herr, " said Melchiorquietly: "we have you. Now get hold of your ice-axe and push it onbefore you. "

Dale obeyed without a word, as mountaineers do follow out theinstructions one gives to another without question; and this done, hefinished the climb and stood up. 

"Rather a bad bit, " he said; "that projecting rock was awkward. "

"Yes, herr, it teased me a little, " replied Melchior quietly, "but Ifound good hold for my feet. What do you think of it now?"

"Why, there's no more to do but walk quietly up this slope. "

"And in ten minutes we shall stand on the snow at the very top. "

Saxe drew a long breath full of relief as he looked behind him; and, gathering up the rope, Melchior trudged on ahead, picking the best pathamong the weathered and splintered rocks, till in a short time heclimbed up over the last slope, dug his ice-axe in the thick stratum ofsnow, which began suddenly and sloped down toward the north, and uttereda loud jodel. 

The others joined him directly, a peculiar sensation of nervousnessstill affecting Saxe, though the place was perfectly safe, and he couldhave run some distance in any direction without risk of a fall. 

"Grand!" cried Dale, as he looked round. "What a view! and how strangethat we should be able to stand here on the dividing line one foot onsnow, one on rock. Well, Saxe, I congratulate you on your first ascent. You have done wonders. "

"Have I?" said the boy nervously. 

"Yes, wonders, herr. Bravo! Bravo!"

"Have I?" said Saxe faintly, as to himself he thought, "Oh, if they onlyknew!"

"Yes, my boy; but what's the matter?"

"I--I don't know, " he panted; "I--I feel as if I had overdone it, andbroken something. "

"Eh? What? Where?" cried Dale, anxiously catching him by the arm. 

"Here, " said Saxe, striking his chest: "I can't breathe enough; it comesshort, like that. "

The others burst out laughing; and Saxe stared at them angrily: itseemed so unfeeling. 

"Sit down, boy. Come, Melchior, lunch or dinner. We've got to descend. Why, Saxe lad, where's your school teaching?"

"My teaching?"

"Yes. Don't you know you are about eleven or twelve thousand feet abovesea-level?"

"I know we are terribly high. "

"Yes, and the air is so thin and rarefied that breathing is hard work. That's nothing. Now for a good rest and refresh. We must not stay uphere very long. "

"No, herr, " said the guide, spreading the contents of the wallet on therocks in the sunshine. "The weather changes quickly up these mountains. Look! yonder the mists are gathering already. "

He pointed to the clouds hanging round the nearest peak, as they satdown and ate with mountaineers' appetites, till, just as they wereending, Melchior rose--rather excitedly for him. 

"Look!" he said, pointing: "you do not often see that. "

He pointed to where the landscape, with its peaks and vales, was blottedout by a peculiar-looking sunlit haze, in which were curious, misty, luminous bodies; and as they looked, there, each moment growing moredistinct, were three gigantic human figures, whose aspect, in his highlystrained state, seemed awful to one of the lookers-on. 

"Change of weather, Melchior, " said Dale. 

"Perhaps, herr; but I think we shall have plenty of time to get downfirst. "

"What is it?" said Saxe, whose eyes were fixed upon the strangeapparition. 

"Only our reflections on the face of that mist, " said Dale. "Lift upyour alpenstock and wave it. "

Saxe did so, and the central giant did the same. 

"Both hands. "

This was imitated, and every other movement, in a weird fashion that wasimpressive as it was startling. 

"It is only one of Nature's own looking-glasses, " said Dale laughingly. 

"But there are some of our people who look upon it as a warning, " saidthe guide gravely. "They say it signifies that those who see it willsoon die in the mountains. "

Saxe turned pale. He was in such an exalted condition, mentally as wellas bodily, that the slightest thing threatened to upset him; and at theguide's words a profound sensation of horror attacked him, making himfeel utterly unnerved:

"They had all those dreadful places to descend. "

CHAPTER FOURTEEN. 

A MOUNTAIN MIST. 

"Hah!" ejaculated Dale, as he watched the strange phenomenon; "peoplewill talk superstitious nonsense and believe in ghost stories, portentsand other old women's tales. But don't you take any notice of them, Saxe. They will not do for Englishmen. Why, you have no faith in suchthings, Melchior?"

"Not much, herr, " said the guide, smiling: "I have seen the `spectre ofthe Brocken, ' as people call it, twenty times at least. But I do fearmists. "

"Yes; those are real dangers. And you think we shall have them here!"

"Yes, herr. I should like us to descend at once. We can do nothing ina fog. "

"Come along, Saxe: we'll go down. "

"Can't--can't we stop a little longer?" said the lad hesitatingly. 

"No. You will have plenty more chances of seeing views like this, orfiner. What is it, Melchior?"

"We were forgetting all about the rocks, herr. There are some curiousbits here. "

He picked up two or three fragments and handled them, but Dale threwthem aside after a glance. 

"Only very fine, hard granite, with scarcely a grain of felspar, " hesaid. "What about this?"

As he spoke he stooped down over a narrow crevice running up a portionof the summit. 

"Yes. There may be something here, but it would require blasting toolsand power to open it out. Look here, Saxe!"

He pointed to the narrow split, in which it was just possible to get theend of his ice-axe handle; and as Saxe bent down he saw that the sideswere lined with tiny quartz crystals, which grew bigger lower down. 

"I want to find a rift in the mountains leading into a cavern where wemay find crystals worth saving. Yes, Melchior, I will not waste time. These are of no value. Lead on. "

The guide had been giving an anxious look round, for there was a faintsighing of the wind, and clouds were floating around them now and then, shutting off the sun. 

"I should like to get well down, herr, before the weather changes. Theyoung herr would find it terribly cold. "

"Hadn't we better wait till it gets clearer, " said Saxe, "and go downthen?"

"If we did we might not be able to get down at all, " said Dale quietly. 

"Why?"

"We might be frozen to death. Come, Saxe, you must not be greedy. You've had a splendid ascent on a lovely day, and you will have others. Always pay respect to your guide's opinion about the weather. Comealong. "

Saxe could hang back no longer, though the sensation of dread hesuffered from was terrible. Try how he would, there was the horror ofthat first bit of the descent before him; and, shuddering and feelingcold, he followed to the edge of the rock where he had found the guidesitting, and a fresh access of horror came over him as Dale said coolly:

"Now, Melchior, it is your turn to go first and have the use of therope. I'll come last. "

"We can all use it, herr, " said the guide. "It will be quite longenough if I pass it round this block and let both ends hang down. I candraw it after us when we are down. "

He threw the rope over a great block of granite, and proceeded to drawit along till the ends were equal, when he lightly twisted the rope andthrew it over the precipice. 

"Then I'll go first, " said Dale; and, seizing the twisted rope, helowered himself over the edge, hung in sight for a few moments, andthen, as soon as his hands were clear of the edge, allowed himself toslide down, while Saxe's palms felt cold and wet. 

He watched the rope intently and strained his ears, and then started, for Melchior gently laid his hand upon his shoulder. 

"What is it?" cried Saxe excitedly. "Has he fallen?"

"No, herr; and nobody is going to fall. You are fancying troubles. Iknow. I have not led strangers up the mountains for twenty yearswithout studying their faces as well as the face of Nature. I can readyours. You are scarcely yourself, and feeling fear where there is noneed. Come now, take a long breath. Make an effort, and be calm. I'lldraw up the rope and fasten one end round you, and lower you down. "

"No, " cried Saxe excitedly; "I can get down without. Is he safe yet?"

"Safe? He is down: look at the rope shaking. Shall I draw it up?"

For answer Saxe stooped down, and rose again to get his ice-axe wellbehind him in his belt. Then he stooped again, seized the lightlytwisted rope, lay down upon his chest, thrust his legs over the edge ofthe precipice, worked himself back till he was clear, and began to glideslowly down. 

He shuddered, for the rope began to twist; and directly after, insteadof gazing at the rough granite rock, he was facing outward, and gazingwildly down at the step-like series of precipices below. 

"Not too fast, " came from Dale; and this brought him back to hisposition, and, twisting his legs about the double rope, he slipped downmore slowly, wondering the while why the rope had ceased to turn andswing, till he saw that it was being held tightly now. 

"Well done!" cried Dale: "you are getting quite at home at it. Right!"he shouted to Melchior, whose two legs appeared directly after, then hisbody, and he slid down rapidly, as if it were one of the most simplethings in the world--as it really was, save that, instead of being closeto the level, it was twelve thousand feet above. 

As Melchior joined them, he rapidly untwisted the rope, held the twoends apart, and, as he drew with his left, he sent a wave along from hisright, and threw the end up, with the result that the rope came awayeasily, and was rapidly coiled up. 

The mists were collecting on the summit as they reached the snow bed, but they followed their old track easily enough; and when at last, inwhat seemed to be a surprisingly short space of time, they came to thehead of the arete, the white, spectral looking fog was creeping down inlong-drawn wreaths, toward which Melchior kept turning his eyes. 

"Look as if they will catch us soon, " said Dale quietly. 

"Pray Heaven they may not till we are clear of this ridge, herr!" saidthe guide piously. "Now, quick--the rope! You will go first. "

The rope was rapidly attached, and, as Dale started to descend, itseemed to Saxe that he was disappearing over the edge of a precipice;and as this was repeated again and again while they reversed the way bywhich they had ascended, the guide sitting fast and holding on till theywere down, the place seemed far more terrible, and the snow slopes oneither side almost perpendicular. 

They made good way, however, Melchior keeping on inciting them to freshexertion. 

"Go on, gentlemen--go on!" he said. "I have you safe. The rope isgood. Go on, herrs--go on!"

But the descent over those rugged knife-edged ridges was so perilous, that Dale went slowly and cautiously; and when he reached eachstopping-place he held on till Saxe had passed down to him. Once theboy seemed to totter as he was passing from one of the rocks to theother, over a patch of snow between them; but the firm strain upon therope gave him support, and he reached the rock and began to lowerhimself. 

In spite of their hastening, that which Melchior had apprehendedhappened: a cloud of mist suddenly started in advance of the rest, whichhad formed upward, and now completely veiled the summit. Thismist-cloud rolled rapidly down when the party were about two-thirds ofthe way down the ridge, and just as Saxe was being lowered down. 

An ejaculation from the guide made the lad look up; and he saw thestern, earnest face for a moment, then the fog rolled over it, and theguide's voice sounded strange as he shouted:

"Go on, young herr; and directly you reach Mr Dale sit fast. Don'tmove. "

Five minutes later Melchior was with them, and they crouched together, partly on rock, partly in snow. 

"We must not move, herr, " said Melchior. "It is unfortunate, but I wasrather afraid. If it had held off for another quarter of an hour, Ishould not have cared. "

"Will it last long?" asked Saxe. 

"Who can say, herr! Perhaps for days. In the mountains, when theweather is bad, we can only wait and hope. "

"Had we not better try to get down off this edge?"

"As a last resource, if the mist does not lift, herr. But not yet. "

Dale uttered an impatient ejaculation; but the guide filled and lit hispipe, settling himself down quite in the snow. 

"Wind may come later on, " he said, "and then perhaps we can get down. It is a pity, for this is the worst place in the whole descent. Butthere: the mountains are mountains, and anything is better than an icywind, that numbs you so that you cannot stir. "

He was scarcely visible, close as he was; but he had hardly finishedspeaking when Saxe saw his head, at first faintly, then clearly--for thecloud of mist had been still descending, and literally rolled down pastthem, Saxe himself standing out clear, then Dale, and the rocks belowthem one by one as far as the curve permitted them to see. 

It was bright sunshine now once more, and as the rays from the west shotby, it was between two strata of clouds, glorifying that which was belowand lighting up that above. 

"Quick, herr!" said Melchior, in an authoritative tone. "We have thisbad piece to finish, if we can, before another cloud rolls down. "

The descent was continued, seeming to Saxe almost interminable. Thenthey were hurrying along over the snow, after passing the morning'sresting-place, and on and on till the shelf was reached with theprecipice running down so steeply, just as mist came rolling down fromabove and also up from the depths below, meeting just where the partystood roping themselves together. 

But, to the surprise of Saxe, the guide took no heed--he merely went onfastening the rope till he had done. 

"You will not venture along that shelf while it is so thick, Melchior?"said Dale. 

"Oh yes, herr. We must not wait here. "

"But the danger!"

"There is scarcely any, herr, " replied the guide. "The great danger isof going astray. We cannot go wrong here. We have only to go along theshelf to the end. "

"But it is like going along the edge of a precipice in the dark. "

"It is like darkness, and more confusing, herr; but we have the wall onour left to steady us, and where we are is terribly exposed. Trust me, sir. "

"Forward!" said Dale quietly. "Keep the rope fairly tight. "

Melchior stepped at once on to the ledge, and the others followed, allthree going cautiously and very slowly through the opaque mist, whichlooked so solid at Saxe's feet that more than once he was ready to makea false step, while he wondered in himself that he did not feel morealarm, but attributed the cause rightly to the fact that he could notsee the danger yawning below. To make the passage along this ledge themore perilous and strange, each was invisible to the other, and theirvoices in the awful solitude sounded muffled and strange. 

As Saxe stepped cautiously along, feeling his way by the wall andbeating the edge of the precipice with the handle of his ice-axe, hefelt over again the sensations he had had in passing along there thatmorning. But the dread was not so keen--only lest there should be asudden strain on the rope caused by one of them slipping; and he judgedrightly that, had one of them gone over the precipice here, nothingcould have saved the others, for there was no good hold that they couldseize, to bear up against the sudden jerk. 

"Over!" shouted Melchior at last. "Steady, herr--steady! Don't hurry!That's it: give me your hand. "

"I can't see you. "

"No? Come along, then, another yard or two: you are not quite off theledge. That's it. Safe!"

"And thank goodness!" said Dale, with a sigh of relief, a few minuteslater. "That was worse than ever. Saxe, my lad, you are having amonth's mountaineering crowded into one day. "

"Yes, herr, " said Melchior; "he is having a very great lesson, and he'llfeel a different person when he lies down to sleep. "

"He will if we have anywhere to sleep to-night. It seems to me as if wemust sit under a block of stone and wait until this mist is gone. "

"Oh no, herr, " said the guide; "we will keep to the rope, and you twowill save me if I get into a bad place. I seem to know this mountainpretty well now; and, if you recollect, there was nothing very bad. Ithink we'll go on, if you please, and try and reach the camp. "

"You asked me to trust you, " said Dale. "I will. Go on. "

"Forward, then; and if I do not hit the snow col I shall find thevalley, and we can journey back. "

For the first time Saxe began to feel how utterly exhausted he hadgrown. Till now the excitement and heat of the journey had monopolisedall his thoughts; but, as they stumbled on down slope after slope strewnwith debris, or over patches of deep snow, his legs dragged heavily, andhe struck himself awkwardly against blocks of granite that he might haveavoided. 

The work was comparatively simple, though. It was downward, and thatmust be right unless Melchior led them to the edge of some terribleprecipice right or left of the track they had taken in the morning. 

But matters began to go easier and easier, for at the end of anotherhour's tramp they suddenly emerged from the mist, coming out below it, and after a few more dozen steps seeing it like a roof high above theirheads. 

Here the guide stopped, mounted a stone, and stood looking about him inthe evening light. 

"I see, " he cried: "we are not half an hour out of our way. Off to theright we shall reach the snow, and then our task is done. "

Melchior was right: in less than the time he had named they reached theplace where they had left the great snow slope, up which they had had tozigzag; and after descending it diagonally for some distance, the guideproposed a glissade. 

"The young herr shall come down behind me this time, " he said; and aftera few preliminary words of advice they started, and rapidly descendedsafely to the debris at the foot of the snow, from which the walk to thecamp was not long. 

Melchior soon had a good fire burning, with Gros standing nearcontemplating it solemnly, while Dale placed their provisions ready. 

"Now, Saxe, my lad, " he said, "I congratulate you on your display ofhonest English pluck to-day. I don't see that any boy of your age couldhave behaved better. Come along: coffee's ready. You must be halfstarved. "

There was a pause. 

"Ready, Melchior?"

"Yes, herr: the coffee smells heavenly, and I have an appetite forthree. "

"You shall satisfy it, then. To-morrow we'll go back and fetch all ourtraps, and then come over here again; for I do not think we can get abetter part for our search. Come, Saxe, wake up. "

But there was no reply: Saxe was sleeping with all his might after thetremendous exertions of the day. 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN. 

CAUGHT IN A TRAP. 

The mist on the mountain had not been without its meaning, and a heavypersistent rain kept them all the next day close in under the shelter ofthe rock, where the fire had to be lighted too, and after a great dealof difficulty this was accomplished by Melchior getting a few stout deadbranches and bringing them under cover. 

These he whittled into shavings, and these shavings served to start thegreen pine boughs which had formed their beds; and once a pretty goodglow was obtained, with plenty of embers, the wetness of the branchesbrought under cover mattered very little, especially as the guide rangedthem close to the fire to dry, ready against they were required; and hadcontrived that the blinding smoke should sweep right out at once, a fewbroad branched boughs stuck in the ground or propped upright helping toestablish a draught. 

The feeling of restfulness and the hot coffee were sufficient to makethe first hour tolerable, in spite of the constant dripping of the treesand the rush of water down from the natural eaves of their shelter; butafter a time it began to grow monotonous. 

The outlook was not extensive either, for beyond the thick driving rainthe hollows were filled with dense mist, and the mountains around werequite invisible; and Saxe turned from gazing out between two littleshoots of water to look rather appealingly at Dale. 

"What's the matter, Saxe?" said the latter. 

"It's so horribly wet. "

"Well, it's wet everywhere sometimes. Sit down near the fire and rest. You'll be all the better for it when the rain is over. "

"But it looks as if it never would be over. "

"But it will be. There: help keep up the fire, and be patient. Wecan't always be climbing. "

"I say, look at that, " cried Saxe, laughing; for just then the mule, which had been grazing a short distance away, troubling itself not inthe slightest degree about the rain, came slowly towards them, with itsshaggy coat looking as if it had been oiled, and the water tricklingfrom it in streams, as if it were a walking reservoir filled a littletoo full. 

It was evident that it considered the rain a little too heavy now, forit thrust its head under cover, and blinked for a few moments at thefire before giving itself a tremendous shake, sending the water flyingfrom its ears, and then drooped them low down, as if holding them out tothe fire to dry. 

In this position its head was in shelter, but the rain streamed downupon its back and hind quarters, while a perfect deluge, like that froma waterspout, ran down a long gully in the overhanging rock right on tothe spine just between the shoulders, and there divided to trickle oneither side down the fore legs, and then run down through the pineneedles, which formed too thick a bed for any of the water to make apool. 

To the surprise of all, the mule was perfectly satisfied so long as itcould keep its head and ears in the warmth and shelter, and never onceattempted to creep in nearer; and so another hour passed, only broken bythe low murmur of Dale's voice as he talked to the guide, and the plashand rush of water. For the dripping was drowned now by the enormousamount which fell, and this went on increasing till there was quite aheavy roar, as of many falls. 

"Is that anything?" said Saxe at last, as a low booming noise fell upontheir ears--a sound which gradually increased. 

"A waterfall, " said Melchior. "The waters on the mountains aregathering together and plunging into the valley. Listen, and you canhear others, " he continued, as he held up his hand. 

From apparently close at hand what sounded like the echo of the firstfall could be heard, and beyond that, farther away, another, and againanother, and so on, fainter and fainter, till the whole valley seemed tobe filled with the noise of rushing waters. 

It was somewhat awe-inspiring, and suggested the possibility of a greatflood coming down upon them to sweep everything away; but at the hint ofsuch a catastrophe Melchior shook his head. 

"Oh no, " he said. "If we were on the bank of a big stream that mightbe, and we should have to climb up to a place of safety; but here thewaters divide a hundred ways, and will never reach us. Hah!--snow. "

He held up his hand as a rushing noise was heard somewhere high up amongthe dense mists. This rapidly increased to a terrific roar, followed bya deep booming crash; and so tremendous was the sound, that the noise ofthe falling waters seemed for the moment to be hushed. Then thethunderous crash rolled right away among the mountains, dying in faintechoes, and the rush of the waterfalls filled the air once more. 

"A heavy avalanche, Melchior, " said Dale. 

"Yes, herr; there is a great deal of snow up in the mountains, and thiswill make more. "

"What, this rain?" said Saxe. 

"It is snow a thousand feet up, herr. When the clouds pass away youwill see. "

Melchior's words were correct, for toward evening the rain ceased quitesuddenly, and the sun broke through the mists, which rolled their way upthe mountain sides as if to reach the snow peaks. And all the lowerslopes were now powdered with newly fallen snow, where they had beengreen on the previous day. 

Every tiny-looking cascade had been turned into a furious torrent, whosewaters came leaping and bounding down from far on high, one running intoanother, till the last was vastly swollen and plunged into the valley, to turn its stream into quite a large river for a few hours. 

"Well?" said Dale, inquiringly, as he returned with Saxe from watchingthe rush of waters and the beauty of the fresh snow. 

"Well, herr?" said the guide quietly. 

"What do you think? Could we start back now and get to Andregg's chaletto-night?"

"It is not impossible, herr; but the walking would be slippery and bad, every stream so swollen that they would be dangerous to wade, and thedistance is so great that--"

"Well, go on. Why do you stop?"

"I had forgotten the schlucht, herr. We could not get through there. It would be terribly swollen. The water is close up to or over thepath, and--No, I should not like to be answerable for your safety. No, herr, we must wait till to-morrow. "

"But we shall not have enough to eat, " said Saxe. 

"Plenty, though only simple, " said Dale, smiling. "Come, Saxe, that'snot like talking like a mountaineer. To-morrow morning, then: will thatdo, Melchior?"

"I think so, herr. I am sure about our way to the mouth of theschlucht. Then we can see. "

The morning dawned with the different falls wonderfully reduced; andafter a breakfast that was exactly what Dale had said overnight, anearly start was made, so that they were well on their way by the timethat the sun began to tinge the tops of the mountains, which, seen nowfrom a different point of view, seemed more beautiful than before. 

Then by degrees the various familiar parts came into sight, till theyneared and descended into the open valley along which the river ran, andat last came to a halt close to the mouth of the gorge, where the fountgushed down and joined the water at their feet. 

The horror and dread they had felt came back to their memories as theygazed down at the murky stream, rushing furiously along, now evidentlymany feet deeper than when they had passed that way; and Melchior drewtheir attention to the fact that it must have been much higher up therocks on the previous day. 

"What do you think of it?" asked Dale. 

"There is a great deal of water, herr; but I think the path will be allclear. Now it is so full, the water will flow more quietly. "

"But the mule: do you think you can get it through?"

"Oh yes, herr. "

"But suppose it falls from one of these narrow places?" said Saxeexcitedly. 

"Oh, then we should have to go back and get it ashore, and try again, herr. Gros knows the way by water. "

"But surely that animal will never get through, Melchior?"

"Oh yes, herr. Certainly he has no hands, but his feet are as true, ortruer, than a man's. You will see he will get through. And I shallcarry the basket; it is light now. You see I can shift it as I like, --he cannot. "

"Well, you know best, " said Dale. "How do you feel for the journey, Saxe?"

"Don't like it, " said the lad bluntly, "but I'm ready. It isn't so badas what we did up the mountain. "

"No: you are getting your head, my boy, fast. Ready, Melchior?"

"Yes, unless the herr likes to sit down and rest for half an hourfirst. "

"By no means, " cried Dale. "We should be thinking of the ugly bit ofwork we have to do--eh, Saxe?"

"Yes, let's go on at once, please. I don't like waiting. "

"How shall you go--leading the mule or driving it?" asked Dale. 

"Neither, herr. I shall tell him to go on, and he will lead us. "

The guide shouldered the basket, which was somewhat lightened by Daleand Saxe each taking out some of their belongings and slinging them onby straps. Then Melchior led the mule down to the ledge at the opening, said a few encouraging words, and waited. 

The mule hesitated. The water was right over the track here, and theanimal bent down, sniffed and pawed at it as if uneasy; but a few morewords from Melchior made it go on a few steps very slowly, andcontinually trying its way, so as to get a good foothold before goingon, and acting in a wonderfully human way by pressing itself very closeto the rock. 

"I hardly think we ought to venture, Melchior, " said Dale. 

"Oh yes, herr. We know the extent of the danger. Gros swims like adog, and you know he was none the worse for the last fall. "

"Go on, then. "

The mule was already going on. Finding the water more shallow on theledge, it progressed with a little confidence, for the ledge elopedupward, and it could see the damp stone clear of the water a shortdistance on. 

"There, herr, you see, " said the guide, after they had waded with thewater just over their boots to the clear stone ledge along which themule went on steadily now, "there is nothing to mind here. "

"I am glad you think so, " said Dale, shouting loudly, to make his voiceheard beyond Saxe, who was between, and they were getting now withinreach of the reverberating roar of the torrent. 

Saxe glanced down as they passed the angles and gradually entered thesemi-darkness, and saw that the surface of the water was smoother, andthat, as they passed the waves formed by the water being hurled againstthe opposing faces of the rock, there was less foam and turmoil; butthese places looked, if anything, more terrible than before, and thewater, as it surged up so much nearer his feet, looked to his excitedvision as if stealthily writhing towards him to lap round his legs likesome huge serpent, and snatch him down into the depths. 

Conversation was impossible, but the guide shouted a few words ofencouragement to the mule, and from time to time waited for Saxe to comeclose up, when he shouted an inquiry or two in his ear. 

"Yes, all right, " cried Saxe, who gained encouragement from the calmmatter-of-fact way in which the guide went on; while, just dimly-seen asthe gorge curved and wound, the mule trudged on, twitching its ears andevidently caring nothing for the turmoil and rush just below. 

"I half wish he had proposed the rope, though, " thought Saxe, as theywent on, with the various familiar parts seeming terrible enough, butvery different to when he came through with the horrible feeling thatMelchior was lost, and that at any moment they might see his bodywhirling round in one of the pools. 

These were not so striking now, for in most of the places, as he peereddown through the gloom and mist, the water was above the overhanging, cavernous holes, and the peculiar eye-like aspect of the one particularspot which had fascinated him so deeply was entirely hidden. 

"It wasn't such a very great thing, after all, for Melchior to do, " hethought, as they went on. "He has had plenty of practice, and had beenbefore. I believe I could go through by myself. "

"But I shouldn't like to, " he added, after a few moments' thought; forhe had to go along more carefully, in obedience to a sign from Melchior, the rock being slippery as they descended lower in the part they had nowreached, and it suddenly dawned upon him that the water must have beenover where he stood not perhaps many hours before. 

It had the effect of coming up higher, and he was startled for themoment, fancying that the flood was rising; but he grew confident as hesaw the mule clearly now, where the gorge wound off to the left and thenturned again to the right, so that as the mule passed the corner anddisappeared the water was only a few inches below its hoofs. 

Then Melchior passed round and out of sight, and Saxe's own turn came, and he followed into one of the gloomiest parts of the rift. And herethe ledge still descended slowly till the water began to wash over thepath; then, as he looked anxiously forward, he could dimly see that atevery step the water splashed beneath the animal's hoofs, and the nextminute it was standing still, with the guide close up behind. 

Saxe stopped short, after feeling his way for a step or two with thehandle of his ice-axe, while he leaned a little against the steep wall;and Dale came up and touched his shoulder, bending down to shout in hisear. 

"I can't see from here. Is the path more covered where they are?"

"I don't know, --I think so, " Saxe shouted back, his voice seeming to beswept away by the rushing noise that appeared to accompany the water asit hurried along. 

The guide's figure was indistinct in the mist of spray, and the mule'sseemed lost in the rock, so similar were they in tone; but thespectators could just make out that Melchior was doing all he couldshort of blows to urge the mule on, and that it was stubbornly refusingto stir. 

"You must go on, or let me pass you, Saxe, " shouted Dale: "I want tospeak to the guide. "

"It gets deeper here, " cried Saxe: "it's over my ankles, and the waterfeels like ice. "

"Never mind, --go on; keep as close to the wall as you can. Shall I getby you?"

"No, " said Saxe stoutly; "I'll try. "

He waded along the shelf, with the water getting deeper still; and nowhe could feel the curious sensation of the rushing stream bearingagainst his legs, which were immersed half-way to his knees; and atevery step he cautiously sounded, to make sure where he should plant hisfeet. 

Before he had gone many paces, Melchior had returned to meet him; and asDale closed up the guide shouted:

"I can't get him along, sir, and I dare not make him restive by a blow. "

"No, no--of course not. But the water?"

"It is deeper farther on, herr--I think about a foot--and he will notmove. "

"It is impossible to back him, of course?"

"Oh yes, herr; and he cannot turn. "

"Then we must get by him and go on and leave him to follow. "

"Impossible, herr, " yelled Melchior. "If we tried he might kick. "

"Go and coax him. "

"It is no use, herr. The poor beast is right. He says in his way thatit is not safe to go on, and that we must wait. "

"Wait in a place like this!" cried Dale. "The water is icy, and thenoise deafening. Can you recollect how much the path goes down beyondthe mule?"

"I don't think it goes down at all, herr. "

"Then the water must be rising, " cried Dale excitedly; and the guidenodded. 

"We must not be caught in this terrible trap. I thought the water wassinking. "

"It was, herr; but there must have been a fresh fall of rain at theother end of the lake, and it is rising now fast. "

CHAPTER SIXTEEN. 

A GRAVE PERIL. 

"Then we must get back at once. But the mule?"

"We cannot move him, herr. It is impossible to do anything, and he muststay. The water may not rise high enough to take him off his legs. Ifit does he must go down with the stream and get out himself belowyonder. I would say stay, but if the water rises to our waists, weshould not be able to stand against the stream. "

"Try the mule once more, " said Dale. "We may get through. "

The guide waded carefully back along the ledge-like path, and they coulddimly see him patting and coaxing the beast, but with no effectwhatever; and they stood there impatiently waiting till he returned tothem, but not before both Dale and Saxe were painfully aware that thewater was slowly creeping up toward their knees and the position growingperilous. 

"It is useless, herr, " cried Melchior, as he rejoined them. "You willlead back, sir; but wait a minute, --we will have the rope. "

He took it from his shoulder and rapidly passed one end to Dale, whoknotted it about his waist, while the middle was once more tied roundSaxe, and finally the other end to the guide, who then made a sign, andDale began to retrace his steps toward the lower mouth of the gorge. 

Even in that little time the difference in the level of the water wasvery evident; and as Saxe waded along, with the stream rushing by himand seeming to give him quite a series of pushes, he could not help anexcited feeling of dread filling his breast, and he wondered whether heshould get out of the place alive if some sudden rush of water came downin a wave and swept them off the ledge. 

It was slow work for a few minutes, till the path rose once more, andthen they progressed pretty quickly till the shelf ran down again; andas Saxe went on through the gloom, feeling that the rope was kept fairlytaut, another sharp bend was turned, and they came in view of the facingwall of rock, against which the stream rushed and rose up now in such abody that Melchior raised his voice loudly:

"Stop, herr!" he cried: "don't try to pass. "

"No, " said Dale, as Saxe and the guide closed up, "the water hasincreased there terribly. We should be swept away. "

"Then we're shut in!" cried Saxe. 

"Yes, herr; but only for a time. The waters rise quickly and fall asquickly in the schluchts. Let's get back to the highest part, where wecan be dry. If we could only have reached farther on!"

He said no more, for it was hard work to make the voice heard in themidst of this terrific reverberating war of the fierce waters, but heturned and led the way back round the corner they had so lately passed, to where the ledge was fully four feet above the stream. 

Here he calmly seated himself on the damp stone, with his legs hangingdown toward the dark rushing water, took out and filled his great pipe, and then looked up at his companions, as if inviting them to be seatedtoo. 

There was but little temptation to follow his example, and sit down onthe humid rock; but it offered rest, poor as it was, and Saxe and Daleboth followed the example set them, while Melchior calmly lit his pipeand began to smoke and wait patiently for the water to go down. 

But Saxe's nature was too impatient for this, and before he had beenseated there many minutes he began to strain his neck in looking up toright and left. 

Melchior leaned over to him and shouted in his ear, he having divinedthe boy's thoughts from his actions. 

"No, herr, no--not here. There is one place where, with a hammer andplenty of iron spikes to drive in the cracks of the rock, we mightperhaps get to the top; but it would be impossible without. We shouldwant ten times as much rope too. "

"Is the water going down now?" shouted back Saxe, after a pause. 

Melchior looked down and shook his head. 

"Will it come with a sudden rush, like a river?"

"Oh no. It may rise very quickly, but not all at once. Of course itall comes from the lake, and the waters of the lake swell from hundredsof streams and falls. No, herr, it will not come down with a rush. "

"But it is rising very fast, " said Dale, who had caught part of theirconversation. "Are we on the highest part that we can reach!"

"Yes, herr; and I am sorry I have brought you in. I try to be a perfectguide, but there is no such thing. I ought to have been prepared foranother rise after the storm we had. Forgive me. "

"You think, then, that the water will come up above where we aresitting. "

The guide nodded, and pointed to a dimly-seen mark upon the wall, quitelevel with their heads. 

"Then we must find some other ledge upon which we can stand, " criedDale, rising to his feet. 

Melchior shook his head. "There is none, " he said. 

"You have not looked. "

"Herr, I searched the wall with my eyes as we went and returned. Aguide studies the places he passes, and learns them by heart, so thatthey may be useful at some time, should he want them. Look above you:the wall hangs over all the way. Nothing but a fly could stand anywherealong here. "

It was undeniable, as Dale could see; and he leaned back against therock and folded his arms, gazing down sternly at the rising water, tillthe guide spoke again, as he finished his pipe, knocked out the ashes, and replaced it in his breast. 

"It would be wise to take off the rope, " he said quietly. 

"Why?" cried Saxe excitedly. 

"Because, if we are swept down with the stream, it would be in our way--perhaps catch in some rock below, or tangle round our legs and arms. "

"You feel, then, " cried Dale, "that there is no hope of the waters goingdown, and that we shall soon have a chance to get through?"

Saxe, whose brain had been full of horrors suggested by the guide's lastwords--words which had called up visions of unfortunate people vainlystruggling to reach the surface beyond the reach of the stranglingwater, but held down by that terrible rope--now sat listening eagerlyfor Melchior's next utterance, as the man began deliberately unfasteningthe rope. 

"I can say nothing for certain, herr, " he replied. "We are in the handsof the great God, whose children we are, and we must be patient andwait. I hope we shall get out safely, --perhaps I think we shall--but itis our duty to be ready. The young herr swims, I know, and so do you, herr; but if we have to make for the lower end of the schlucht, try andremember this: Don't struggle to get to the surface, for it is waste ofstrength. You cannot swim properly in this water, for all torrents arefull of bubbles of air, and these do not bear one up like still water. What you must do is, to get a fresh breath now and then, and let thestream carry you along. "

Saxe looked horrified, and the guide interpreted his thoughts. 

"You will easily do it. The stream is swifter now than when I wentthrough, and I had all the distance to journey. You will only havehalf. It looks very horrible, but after the first plunge you do notmind. Now, herr, let me untie you. "

He turned to Saxe, who submitted to the operation without a word, andthen watched the guide as he carefully laid up the rope in rings uponhis left arm. Meanwhile, Dale had unfastened his end, and stood waitingto hand it to the guide, who secured it round the coil before hanging itacross his breast. 

He then carefully examined the level of the water by bending downwardand noting where it now ran against a crack in the rock. 

"Sinking?" cried Saxe eagerly. 

"Rising, " replied the guide laconically. 

Then there was a long silence, during which Saxe, as if doubting thatthe guide was right, carefully examined the walls of the chasm, butalways with the same result: he could see rifts and places in plentywhere he could have climbed high enough to be beyond reach of the watereven if it rose thirty or forty feet; but they were all on the otherside, which was slightly convex, while their side, as the guide hadpointed out, was concave, and would have matched exactly if the sideshad been driven together. 

"No, herr, " said Melchior quietly, "I should not have stopped so stillif there had been a chance to get away. I should like to say one thingmore about the water rising: if we are swept down, try both of you notto cling to each other or me for help. One is quite useless at such atime, and we should only exhaust each other. "

Dale nodded, and Saxe felt as if one prop which held him to existencehad been suddenly struck away. 

There was another dreary pause, during which they listened to thewaters' roar; and Melchior bent down again, and rose to his feet oncemore, with his brow rugged. 

"Rising, " he said hoarsely; and then he leaned back against the rockwith his arms crossed and his eyes half-closed, silent as hiscompanions, for talking was painfully laborious at such a time. 

An hour must have passed, and every time Melchior bent down he rose withthe same stern look upon his countenance, the darkness making itheavier-looking and more weird. Both Saxe and Dale could see thedifference plainly now, for it must have been a foot higher at least, and they knew it was only a matter of time before it would reach theirfeet. 

And as Saxe stood there, miserably dejected, he began thinking andpicturing to himself the snow melting and trickling down thousands oftiny cracks which netted the tops of the mountains, and then joinedtogether in greater veins, and these again in greater, till they formedrushing streams, and lastly rivers, which thundered into the lake. 

Then he began thinking of his school-days, and then of his life at home, and the intense delight he had felt at the prospect of coming out to theAlps with Dale, the pleasures he had anticipated, and how lightly he hadtreated all allusions to danger. 

"I'll be careful, " he had said: "I can take care of myself. " And as herecalled all this, he dolefully asked himself how he could be careful ata time like this. 

He was in the midst of these musings when Melchior bent down again, androse once more so quickly, that Dale shouted to him. 

"Rising? Shall we jump in and swim for it at once. "

"No, herr; we must wait. "

"Ah! look--look!" cried Saxe, pointing downward. 

"Yes, yes: what?" cried the others in a breath. 

"The poor mule--the poor mule!"

"What?"

"I saw it roll over. Its leg came out, and then I saw its back for amoment, and it was gone. "

"Poor old Gros!" cried Melchior; and he hurried along the shelf as faras he could go, and knelt down. 

He soon returned, looking very sad. 

"I just caught a glint of its back in the water, and it was gone. Poorbeast!" he said; "he did not seem to be struggling. I'm afraid he isgone. "

This was a bad omen, and Dale looked very hard, and then Melchior oncemore went down on his knees and peered into the stream, to measure itwith his eyes. 

"Hah!" he exclaimed, as he got up and began to fumble for his pipe andmatches. 

"Risen much?" Dale's eyes said, as he turned them upon the guide. 

"No, herr. Heaven be praised! The water is down a hand's breadth sinceI looked last. It is falling fast. "

Dale turned sharply round and caught Saxe's hand, wringing it so hardthat he gave him pain. Then, extending his hand to Melchior, the guidetook it and held it for a few moments in silence. 

"Yes, herr, " he said cheerily; then, "I dare say we shall be through inan hour. The waters flow swiftly, and once the flood is passed the lakesoon gets down again. But I'm sorry poor old Gros is gone. "

"I will pay Andregg handsomely for his loss, " said Dale quickly; but theguide shook his head. 

"No money will pay for the loss of old friends, herr. Gros has beenlooked upon as a companion by Andregg for these many years. It will bea bitter thing to go and say he is dead. "

He was silent for a few minutes. Then, raising his voice, he saidloudly:

"It seems strange to you English gentlemen; but you come from greatcities where people are many, and you can hardly count your friends. Out here in the deep thals, where men are shut up by the snow for weekstogether, with only their cows and mules and goats, they grow to lookupon the animals about them as friends, just as the poor animalsthemselves look to their masters for their care, and run to them forhelp and shelter when the great storms come down. Why, herr, you haveseen they live in part of the house. The chalet is built up with a warmshelter beneath for the little flock or herd. Poor Gros! Andregg willnearly break his heart; and, " added the guide simply, "he will not evenhave the consolation of saving the skin. "

This last notion, in the reaction he felt, sounded so droll to Saxe thathe turned away his head for fear the guide should see him smile. 

But Melchior saw nothing; and stooping down again, he rose. 

"Going down very fast, herr. In another hour I think we may venture tostart again. "

The torrent tore along so furiously that in the time specified thelittle party made a start, and then paused again as they reached theplace where the ledge descended into the water. For the stream rushedalong heavily as Melchior began to wade; and he once more uncoiled andpassed the rope. 

"It is heavy going, " he shouted; "but every minute it will be better, for after a little while the path rises quite high. "

They started again, and Saxe felt his heart beat heavily as the waterrose to his knees and he could feel its soft strong push against him;but he forgot all this the next moment, on hearing Melchior give vent tohis feelings in a long, loud jodel, which sounded strange enough in theawful rift, with an accompaniment of the noise of rushing waters, butnot half so strange as the curious whinnying half-squeal, half-neigh, that came back from a little way ahead. 

For there, dimly-seen, was the mule, standing just as they had left him;and as they approached he signified his joy by a very near approach to abray. 

"And you said you saw him swept by!" cried Dale. 

"I saw a leg and a bit of back, " said Melchior; "but it might havebelonged to any poor drowned beast swept out of the lake. Why, Gros!old Gros!" he cried, wading up to the mule, "this is the grandest sightI've had these many days!" while the mule literally squealed andstamped, sending the water flying in its delight at hearing human voicesagain. 

But a good hour passed before the cautious animal--as if assured by itsown instinct that the way was safe--began to advance, and in a shorttime was upon the clear ledge, trudging steadily along, Melchiorfollowing with his load, till the bright daylight was seen ahead, andthey came to a halt on the platform whence Gros had fallen and draggedin his leader. 

The rest of the journey was easily performed, Gros bearing his lightenedload on along the edge of the lake, and past the place where Dale hadsearched for gold, till the vale at the foot of the great glacier wasneared, when the mule set up a loud squealing, which was answered by thedonkey's bray and a lowing from the cows. 

Then Melchior jodelled, and it was responded to from the chalet, whereAndregg, his wife, and Pierre were standing watching, and ready toprepare a comfortable meal and usher Gros into the shelter in the lowerpart of the place. 

In another hour Saxe was lying upon his bed of sweet-scented hay halfasleep, thinking of all he had gone through since he last lay there, andready to ask himself whether it was not all a dream. Then suddenlyconsciousness failed, and he was really in the land of dreams. 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. 

SAXE TAKES A SHOWER-BATH. 

The musical tinkling of bells roused Saxe at daybreak; and, as helistened to the pleasant sound produced by quite a large herd of goats, their leader's horn was heard from time to time collecting stragglerswho were disposed to stop at intervals to begin breakfasting on the way. 

"We haven't done much in finding crystals yet, " thought Saxe, as he lay. "I wonder what he means to do this morning. I feel as if I should likea day or two's rest; but I don't know--I'm not so very tired. "

He lay very still for a few minutes, listening to the tinkling chime ofthe goat-bells, gradually growing more distant as their wearers madetheir way up the side of the valley; and as he listened he could tell aswell as if he were watching when one of the goats broke away from theherd and leaped and bounded among the rocks to some tempting patch ofyoung green grass, --for there was a sudden splash, so to speak, in thestream of sound; and again when two or three young kids rose on theirhind legs and butted and danced at each other. 

The picture Saxe painted in his mind made him restless, and the morninglove of another half-hour being chased away, he determined to rise andget out in the clear, fresh air. 

"Time they woke up, " thought Saxe at last, as the pale dawn stole inthrough the chinks. "Tired, I suppose. "

He lay listening now to the low murmuring sound of the cowbells, whosechime was silvery and pleasant, and trembled and vibrated in the air;and again he pictured the soft-eyed, meek, lowing creatures, slowlypicking their way among the great mossy stones which had been tumbleddown from the mountain. 

"Oh, I sha'n't lie here any longer, " said Saxe to himself. "I say!" hecried: "Mr Dale! Ahoy! It's to-morrow morning. Oh, what a noddle Iam!" he muttered. "It's broad daylight, Mr Dale. Are you coming for adip?"

No answer. 

"I say, Mr Dale! Time to get up. "

All was silent, and Saxe raised himself on his elbow and peered throughthe darkness at the heap of hay beside him. 

"He must have been tired last night, " he muttered, "and old Melk too. Isay, Mr Dale! do you know what you say to me sometimes?"

"No: that he doesn't, " thought Saxe. "He is sleeping fast, and if Iwake him he'll turn rusty. I don't care. Here--hi! Mr Dale. Breakfast!"

Still no reply. 

"Oh, I must rouse him, " cried Saxe, and, springing up, he went to wherehis companion slept, and then gave the hay an angry kick. 

"What a shame!" he cried. "I do call that shabby. They've been up everso long, and gone somewhere without me. It's too bad!"

He hurried out of the great loft-like place, and encountered thesour-looking man Pierre. 

"Here!" he cried, in atrociously bad German, bolstered up and patchedwith English: "where's the herr, and where's Melchior?"

Pierre, whose hair was full of scraps of hay, took off his cap andscratched his head. 

"Where is the herr and where is the guide?" said Saxe, a little louderand with a worse pronunciation. 

Pierre opened his mouth, let his head hang forward, and stared at thelad in a heavy, stupid way. 

"I say, William Tell, " cried Saxe--in plain English now--"can't youunderstand your own language?"

The man stared more heavily than before. 

"Regardez donc: parlez-vous Francais?"

The stare continued. 

"Well, you are a lively one, " muttered Saxe. "Here, I'll have anothertry at you. `Wollen Sie mir. ' Let's see: `wollen Sie mir'--what's`have the goodness to tell me which way the guide and Mr Dale went?'--You don't understand? No more do I how you can stand there like an uglybit of rustic carving. I say, stupid! Can you understand that? Oh, I'm as stupid as he is. Get out of the way, old wooden wisdom, andlet's find your master. "

Just at that moment voices fell upon the lad's ear, evidently comingfrom a rough building formed of pine logs built up log-hut fashion. 

He hurried towards it, and found old Andregg standing at the doorlooking in, but ready to turn and salute him with a pleasant smile andthe friendly "good morning" of the Swiss people. 

"Ah, Saxe! that you?" said Dale, who was busy with Melchior repackingsome of the things which had been brought up the valley by Pierre duringtheir absence. "Had a good night's rest?"

"Yes. But why didn't you call me when you got up?"

"I did, and so did Melchior; but you were so sound that I thought I'dlet you sleep. Well, all the traps are right, and I've been packing upwhat we want to take. "

"Where?"

"Into the heart of the mountains. "

"And when do you start?"

"As soon as ever we have done breakfast and put together a good supplyof food. Had your bath?"

"No. I meant to go with you. "

"Go and have it, and by that time we shall be ready for breakfast. "

Saxe went off rather dissatisfied, towel in hand, to pass theirlandlord's wife and receive a nod and smile. Then he went on towardsthe place which he had visited before; and now, one by one, thecold-looking peaks began to turn rosy and brighten, the scene changingso rapidly to orange and gold that Saxe forgot his dissatisfiedfeelings, and at last stopped to look round in admiration, then indismay, and at last in something approaching rage; for not a dozen yardsbehind him was the heavy, stolid face of Pierre, his mouth looking as ifit had not been shut since he spoke to him. 

The man had stopped when Saxe stopped, and he continued his heavy stare. 

"Oh! I do wish I had paid more attention to my jolly old French andGerman at school, " muttered Saxe, as the man's stare quite worried him. "I wonder what `be off' is? Allez-vous en he would not understand. `Gehen!' That's `to go. ' But you can't say `to go' to a fellow, whenyou want him to be off. And you can't say `go to, ' because gehen's onlyone word. I know: `Gehen sie Jericho!' I'll let that off at him if hefollows me any farther. "

Saxe nodded at the man, said "Morgen, " and went on. 

"`Morgen!' Well, that's `good morning. ' He must understand that; but Idon't believe he understands it as we do when one says `good morning' toa fellow and means he's to go. Oh! I say, what are you following mefor? I know. He is a dirty-looking beggar. He's coming for a wash. But after me, please, mein herr. I'll have first go. Ugh! I'd ratherhave a bath after a pig. "

Saxe went on rapidly; but the man still followed, walking when he did, and timing his pace to keep up; stopping when he did, and provoking sucha feeling of irritation in the English lad, that he suddenly faced roundand fired the speech he had prepared, but with lingual additions whichornamented and certainly obscured the meaning. 

"Here, I say! you, sir!" he cried: "old what's-your-name--Pierre? `gehenJericho!'"

The man still stared. 

"I say, `gehen Jericho!' and if you will, `danke schon, ' and good luckto you. Oh, I say, do shut that ugly mouth of yours. What's the goodof keeping it open if you're not going to speak! There's no breakfasthere. "

Pierre still stared, and Saxe swung round again and went on. 

"It's too bad to be bothered by a foreigner like him, " he muttered. "Imeant to have a regular natural shower-bath, "--he glanced up at thebeautiful spray fall beyond him as he said this to himself--"but now Ican't have it, with this fellow watching me, and it'll only mean a scruband rub. "

He stopped and turned round again, to find Pierre in his old positionjust the same distance behind. 

"I tell you what it is, old chap: if you don't shut up that mouth, Ishall be tempted to pitch a round stone into it; and if it wasn't forfear of getting up war between England and Switzerland, I'd come andpunch your head. Here, I say! Do you hear? Be off!"

Pierre stared. 

"Oh! I know what you are, " grumbled Saxe: "you're a cretin--an idiot. I suppose there are lots of you in the valleys. Here--hi! Catch!"

Saxe took a twenty-cent nickel coin from his pocket, and took aim. 

"I'll pitch it right into his mouth, " he said to himself. "There youare, old chap! Don't swallow it!"

He threw the coin so truly, that if Pierre had stood still it would, inall probability, have gone where it was aimed. But the man's action wasas quick as that of a monkey. With one sharp dash of the hand he caughtthe piece, scowled as he found that it was not half a florin, and thenthrust it into his pocket and stared. 

"Oh my!" muttered Saxe as he went on; "he's worse than that lost dog, who came and said to me that I was his master, and that he'd never leaveme as long as I lived. I hope this chap isn't going to follow me allthe time we're here. "

He stopped once more. 

"I say, old chap, do you want anything?"

No answer but the stolid stare. 

"Don't you know that it's very rude? Bah! I might as well discussEuclid with old Gros. Just you wait till I've had my tub and got backto breakfast, and if I don't set old Melchior at you I'm a Dutchman. "

Fully determined to take no more notice of the man, Saxe went on to thepool, had a comfortable wash in the sparkling water, which wasinvigorating to a degree, scrubbed himself dry, and all the time battledhard with an intense desire to throw stones at Pierre, who stoodwatching every act some ten yards away. 

"Thank you, " said Saxe at last, as he opened a pocket-comb, and began touse it to his wet hair: "I've quite done, thank you; but if I might giveyou a bit of advice, I wouldn't wash much this morning. Do it bydegrees. If you made yourself quite clean, you might catch cold; andbesides, the cows and goats wouldn't know you. `Morgen' once more. "

Saxe started to return, leaving his stolid companion behind and fullyexpecting to hear him splashing in the pool; but two minutes later heexclaimed:

"No fear of his catching cold or frightening the cows. I don't believehe has had a wash for a month. Why, if he isn't following me again!Well, he shall run. "

It was not a very satisfactory place for running, encumbered as it waswith stones; but Saxe was as active as most lads of his age, and hestarted off dodging in and out among huge blocks of granite, leapingfrom smooth glacier ground rock to rock, making good speed over thepatches of level grass and whin, and sending the blood coursing throughhis veins in the bright morning air; but to his intense annoyance hefound that his activity was nothing to that of the heavy, dirty-lookingbeing who kept up easily close to his heels, for every now and then theman leaped from rock to rock as surely as a goat. But growing a littleout of breath, and thinking at last that it was of no use to tirehimself so soon in the morning, the boy slowly settled down into a walkjust as a loud jodel came echoing from the sheltered hollow where thechalet stood. 

"Hallo!" said Saxe, whose good humour came back at the thoughtsconnected with that cry. "There's old Melk ringing the breakfast bell;"and once more he stopped, placed his hand to the side of his mouth, andjodelled. 

"There, old chap, what do you think of that?" he said, looking back atPierre, who stood rooted there with quite a different expression uponhis countenance. The heavy, vacant look had given way to one of utterastonishment, wonder flashed from his eyes, and as Saxe grasped thereason he swung himself round in dudgeon. 

"Oh, you ignorant donkey!" he muttered: "it was as good a jodel as oldMelk's. I said you were an idiot, and this proves it: never heard anEnglishman jodel before?"

Five minutes after he was enjoying the steaming hot coffee and deliciousmilk, butter, eggs and bread, discussing--often with his mouth toofall--the plans of the coming day's work. 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. 

SAXE HAS SUSPICIONS. 

"Do we go the same way?" said Saxe, as they started up the track out ofthe valley, Gros far more heavily laden this time--having, beside foodenough for some days, a handy tent just large enough to shelter three;waterproof sheet, rugs, ice-axes, and a coil of new English rope whichmade the guide's eyes glisten. 

"No, herr, " Melchior answered--"only for a short distance. Then weshall strike up to the east and go over the Carvas Pass into the UrsThal. "

"Urseren?" said Dale quickly. 

"Oh no, herr! not a bleak green hollow like that, but a wild ravine inthe heart of the mountain. It lies next but one to the valley beyondthe peak you climbed. "

"Ah! that sounds better. Is it much visited?"

"Never, herr, except by the chamois hunters, and very seldom by them. "

"And you think we shall find what I want there?"

"I cannot say, herr. Such crystals as you seek are not oftendiscovered. They are very rare. But we shall see. Steady, Gros, steady! Don't hurry, boy. Slow and sure: these stones are slippery. "

"Slippery! Yes, " cried Dale, stepping forward quickly, and then givinga glance up to right and left at the walls of rock rising on eitherside. "Look at this, Saxe: we must not pass things like these withoutnotice. Wait a minute, Melchior. "

"Yes, herr; but there are bigger and smoother pieces farther up thevalley. "

"Do they extend far?"

"Right up to the top of the pass, herr, and down the other side. "

Saxe looked over at the huge mass of smoothly polished stone acrosswhich the mule had been picking its way, taking longer steps to get itshoofs on the narrow cracks and places where veins of a softer kind ofrock had in the course of ages corroded away. 

"Why, I thought you said that very few people came along here?" saidSaxe suddenly, as Dale bent down here and there to examine the stone. 

"I did, herr. Nobody uses this pass. There is no need. It is verydifficult, and leads away up to the everlasting snow. "

"Then, Melchior, how is it that the stones are worn so much?"

The guide shook his head. 

"It is as if a river had run along here, " he said. "I suppose it is therain that has slowly worn it so. "

"No, " said Dale, with the voice of authority, "it is the ice. "

"No, herr; there is no ice here. A great deal of snow comes down fromthe great stock up yonder, and from the valley between Piz Accio and PizNero, here on the right--avalanches of snow. We could not walk alonghere in March; it would be madness. But it soon wastes, and is washedaway. "

"No, Melchior, it is not snow or water that has smoothed all this, butice. There must have been a huge glacier all along here. "

The guide shook his head. 

"Look, man, " cried Dale, "it is written on the stones;" and he pointedto those beneath them, and then to others high up, which presented thesame appearance. 

"The stones and rocks are worn smooth, herr; but I never heard my fatheror grandfather speak of ice in this valley. "

"No, " said Dale quietly, "and your grandfather never heard his ancestorsspeak of it, nor they in turn, right back to the most remote times ofhistory; but, all the same, a huge glacier must have filled the whole ofthis valley, sixty or seventy feet above where we stand. "

"A very long time ago, then, herr. "

"Who can say how many ages? Glaciers shrink and melt away in time. Theone in the other valley has retired a good deal. "

"Ah, yes, herr--hundreds of yards. Old people say it once came nearlyto Andregg's chalet. "

"To be sure; and how do the rocks look where it has retired?"

"Rubbed smooth, like this, herr. "

"Of course; and there is no denying this fact. It must have been amighty glacier indeed. "

They went after the mule up the valley, content to follow the animal'sguidance; and invariably, as Melchior pointed out, Gros picked out thebest path. As they went right on the valley contracted, and the sides, which towered up more and more perpendicularly, displayed the peculiar, smooth, polished look, just as if masses of stone had constantly groundagainst their sides. 

"Now, Saxe, look here, " cried Dale, suddenly pausing by a great mass ofgrey stone. "Here is a proof that I am right. "

"Is it? I don't see. "

"Do you, Melchior?"

"No, herr. The stone is very big. "

"Yes. How did it come here?"

"Oh, it must have rolled down from the rock up yonder. "

"If it had rolled down from the rock up yonder, it would have been apiece of that rock!"

"Of course, herr. Here are plenty of pieces, " and he touched them withthe handle of his ice-axe. 

"Yes, you are right, " said Dale, picking up a great fragment; "and youcan see this is the same kind of stone as that which towers up here overour heads. "

"Yes, herr. "

"But this great block is a different kind of stone, is it not!"

Melchior looked at the vast mass, and said at once:

"Yes, herr, of course. It is the grey hard stone that they use forbuilding bridges. "

"Well, where did it come from! There is none up here to right or left. "

"No, herr--none. "

"It could not have been brought here by man. "

Melchior laughed. 

"No; a hundred horses could not have dragged it along a hard road. "

"But it has been brought here, you see, all the same. Now, where is thenearest place where we could find stone like that!"

"Oh, on the Domberg, herr, at the head of the pass. We shall go beneathit six hours from here. "

"Exactly, Melchior, " cried Dale. "That proves what I say. This hugemass of granite must have fallen from the Domberg on to the glacierwhich once filled this limestone valley, and have been gradually carrieddown and left here. Such a glacier as the one which polished all theserocks could easily have brought down that block; and when in bygone agesthe ice melted, this block was left here. I dare say we shall find morelike it. "

"Oh yes, herr, there are many, " said Melchior, thoughtfully examiningthe stone and then picking up other pieces to compare with it. "Theherr's words seem like truth, but I should never have thought of that. "

"It took, too, long thought and study of some of our greatest men tofind it out, " said Dale, "and I am glad to have come to a valley whichshows all we have read so plainly. "

"Stop! take care!" shouted Melchior, as a strange rushing sound washeard high up on their right; and directly after a large stone camebounding down the slope, fell on the smooth rocks before them, andsmashed to atoms. 

Melchior stood looking up, shading his eyes. 

"That is curious, " he said thoughtfully. "I do not know why that stoneshould have fallen. "

"Loosened by the frost, man. "

"No, herr. It could not have come from high enough. There is no ice upthere. You have to pass another valley first. The high mountain isbeyond it, and the stones would fall into the next valley. "

"It must have been loosened, then, by the rain. "

"Perhaps, herr; but it is more likely that a goat--No, there are nogoats pastured so far up as this, and no man could be travelling upthere. Herr, would you like to shoot a chamois?"

"Indeed I should; but we have no gun. "

"No, herr, I forgot: we have no gun. But that must have been a chamois. We are getting into the wild region where they live, though this is lowdown for them. "

"But surely, " said Dale, "they would get no pasture higher up?"

"Only in patches, herr. They have been so persecuted by the huntersthat they live constantly amongst the ice and snow and in the mostsolitary spots. But I cannot understand about that stone falling. "

"Well, it doesn't matter, " said Saxe. "It did not hit either of us, andyou said they often fell in the mountains. "

"Yes herr, but not like that. "

They went on for the next two hours in silence, while the pass they werefollowing grew more and more wild, but it opened out a little during thenext hour, but only to contract again. And here, in a secluded placebeneath one of the vast walls of rock which shut them in, and beside atiny rivulet which came bubbling and foaming down, the guide suggested ashort halt and refreshment. 

Dale agreed, and Saxe doubly agreed, helping to lift the pannier fromthe mule's back, when the patient animal indulged in a roll, drank alittle water, and then began to browse on such tender shoots and herbageas it could find. 

The bread and cheese were produced, and all were seated enjoying theiralfresco meal, when once more from up to their right a stone as big as aman's head came crashing down, to fall not far away. So near was itthat it startled the mule, who trotted a little on out of danger beforebeginning again to graze. 

Melchior had sprung to his feet at once, leaped away for a shortdistance, and stood shading his eyes again, and scanning the rocky faceof the precipice on their right--that is, just above their heads. 

"Well, what do you make of it?" cried Dale, --"a landslip?"

"No, herr; there is no landslip. "

"Is it the advance-guard of an avalanche?"

"Without snow, herr? No. "

"Come and eat your bread and cheese, Melk, " cried Saxe; "it is only aloose stone tumbled down, and no one was hit. "

"But I cannot eat, herr, with the knowledge that some one is hurlingdown stones upon our heads. Do you know that either of those fallingstones would have killed us?"

"Yes, but they did not hit us, " said Saxe. 

"But surely there is no one up there to hurl down stones?" said Dale. 

"I don't know, herr, " said the guide, shaking his head. 

"But you said you thought it was a chamois, " cried Saxe. 

"I did, herr, but I'm afraid I was wrong. I am not a believer in suchthings; but some of our people would say that the spirits of themountains are displeased with us for coming here, and are throwingstones to drive us back. "

"They're pretty strong, then, to throw such stones as that, " said Saxe, with his mouth full of Swiss cheese. 

"Yes, " said Dale, looking at the stone which had fallen; "and they takevery bad aim--eh, Saxe?"

"Awfully: I could do better than that. Why, if I were up there Ibelieve I could hit either of you. "

"But it might be only to frighten us, " said Melchior seriously. 

"Why, Melchior, my man, surely you do not believe in such childishnonsense as that?"

"No, herr, not when I have English gentlemen with me; but there aretimes on the mountains, when I am quite alone and I hear noises that Icannot understand, that I do get fancying strange things, and all theold stories I have heard as a boy come back to me. "

"And then you say to yourself, `I am a man who puts his trust in reason, and shall not let myself be scared by silly tales. '"

"Well, yes, herr, something of the kind, " replied the guide, smiling. 

"There goes another stone!" cried Saxe, as a smaller one fell aboutfifty yards farther on. 

"Yes, " said the guide; "and it is as if somebody were climbing alongthere, near the edge of the rocks, and sent them down. "

"Ah! that's more like an explanation, " cried Dale, laughing. "Somebody. Yes, you must be right. Somebody with feet and hands, like ourselves. Can you see who it is?"

"No, herr, " said Melchior, after a long examination; "and it puzzles me, for who could be climbing along up there?"

Dale shrugged his shoulders. "Impossible to say. "

"Yes, herr, it is impossible to say, " said Melchior, who was stillwatching the precipice; and he was now joined by Saxe. "You see, anybody who wished to get along the pass would come down here. "

"But there may be a path up yonder. "

"No, herr, there is none, or I should have known of it years ago. Ihave been up there, and it is so perilous that no one but a bold climbercould get along. Well, it is one of the many things I have seen andheard in the mountains that I could not understand. Shall we go on, herr?"

"Yes, and we'll keep a sharp look-out, " said Saxe. 

"You may, " cried Dale; "but you will find it is something perfectlysimple--a stray foot, if the stone is not loosened by the weather. "

Ten minutes later they were trudging on over the rough ground, with thevalley growing wilder and more strange; presenting, too, plenty ofclefts and openings to ravines which Dale felt disposed to stop andexplore; but Melchior was always ready with the same form of speech. 

"Wait, herr, " he said. "It would only be labour in vain. We'll go ontill I get you into the parts where none but the most venturesome guideshave been. If crystals are to be found, it will be there. "

"What's that?" said Saxe suddenly, pointing upwards. 

His companions looked at once in the direction indicated, and sawnothing particular. 

"Does the young herr mean that strangely shaped thing!"

"No, no. Something ran across there hundreds of feet up, where that bitof a ledge is in front of the pale brown patch of stones. "

"A marmot, perhaps, " said Melchior; "there are many of the little thingsabout here. "

"But this was not a little thing, " cried Saxe impatiently. "It wassomething big as a goat. I thought it was a man. "

"Up yonder, herr?" said Melchior. "No man could run along up there. Itwould be slow, careful climbing, and a slip would send the climberheadlong down into the valley here. From where you say, is quite athousand feet. "

"It must have been a goat, then, or a chamois, " said Saxe. 

"I cannot say, herr, " replied the guide rather solemnly, and as if hehad faith in the possibility of something "no canny" being at the bottomof the mystery. 

But the rest of their day's journey, as mapped out for them by Melchior, was achieved without further adventure, and some ten hours after theirstart in the morning he halted them high up among the mountains, in alittle rock amphitheatre, surrounded by peaks, which looked gigantic inthe solemn evening light. 

But the need of the ordinary animal comforts of life took all romanticthought out of Saxe's brain, and he busily set to work helping to lighta fire with the wood the guide had brought. Then, while the kettle wasgetting hot, all three busied themselves in setting up the tiny tent, anchoring it by means of its lines to stones, as soft a spot as could befound having been selected, for they were far above the pines, and theprospect of getting anything suitable for a bed was very small--evenmoss proving scarce. However, a rug spread beneath them saved them fromsome of the asperities of the rocky ground, and after they had partakenof their evening meal and taken a short peep round the huge hollow, which promised admirably for exploration next day, "good nights" weresaid, and Saxe lay down for his first test of what it would be like tosleep under the shelter of a thin tent eight thousand feet above thelevel of the sea. 

"Is there any need to keep watch up here?" asked Dale. 

"Oh no, herr; not the slightest. "

"Then welcome sleep to my weary bones, " said Dale, as he stretchedhimself out; and soon after, as the stars came out, they were allsleeping peacefully, but only to be aroused just after midnight by amost unearthly scream--a cry loud enough to make every one spring atonce to his feet and nearly upset the tiny tent. 

CHAPTER NINETEEN. 

A STRANGE INCIDENT. 

It was very dark and cold, the stars gleamed frostily overhead, and thenearest mountain peak stood out weird-looking and strange against thepurple sky, as the little party stood together listening, and thenquestioning each other in an awe-stricken whisper. 

"You heard it, Saxe?" said Dale. 

"Heard it? Yes, it was horrible. What was it, Melchior?"

The guide shook his head, and then took up his ice-axe for a protectionagainst whatever the object might be that had alarmed them, as he beganto peer cautiously in all directions. 

"It woke me up with a start, " whispered Saxe. 

"Yes; the most unearthly cry I ever heard. It must have been some kindof owl, and its shriek sounded the more terrible from being up in thisland of echoes. "

"Then if it was a bird there is nothing to be afraid of, " said Saxe. "It gave me the shivers. "

"It was startling. Found anything, Melchior?"

"No, herr; and I'm puzzled. "

"We think it was a bird. "

"No, herr; that was no bird. "

"Could it have been an animal?"

"There are no animals up at this height, but chamois and marmots. Theycould not have made such a cry. "

"No, " said Dale thoughtfully. 

"Stop!" said the guide, as if he had caught at an idea; "could it havebeen a bear?"

"No-o-o!" cried Saxe. "It was a shriek, not a growl. "

"You are right, herr, " said the guide. "Bears are very scarce now, andI do not think one of them could make such a noise unless he were beingkilled. This is another mystery of the mountains that I cannot explain. Some guides would say it was the mountain spirit. "

"But you do not, Melchior?"

"No, herr; I believe now that all these old stories ate fables. Shallwe lie down again to rest?"

"I want to rest, " said Dale; "but it seems impossible to lie downexpecting to be roused up by such an unearthly cry. "

"Then the English herr thinks it was unearthly?"

"Oh, I don't mean that, " said Dale hastily. "The mountains are full ofawful things, but not of that kind. Well, Saxe, shall we lie down?"

"What's the good?" replied the boy: "we couldn't go to sleep if we did. I say, isn't it cold?"

"Get one of the rugs to put round you. "

"Shall we have a good look round, first, herr?"

"No, don't, " said Saxe. "It is so dark, and there are so many stonesabout. Yes, let's go, " he added suddenly, as the thought flashed acrosshis brain that if he declined his companions would think him cowardly. 

Just at that moment, from out of the darkness, about fifty yards away, the cry rose again, but short and sudden, like a bit of the fag end ofthe shriek which had roused them from their sleep. 

"There!" cried Saxe. 

"Yes, herr--there!" said the guide, and he began to laugh silently. "Why, it quite startled me. I ought to have known. "

"What was it?" cried Dale, as the curious wild cry seemed still to beringing in his ears. 

"What was it, herr? Don't you know?"

"Of course not. "

"It was Gros. "

"The old mule?" cried Saxe. "Oh, I wish I was close by him with astick. "

"I suppose he feels the cold. No, stop: it can't be that, " added theguide, as if suddenly struck by an idea. "There must be a reason forhis crying out. "

He walked away hurriedly into the darkness, and they followed, to hearhim talking directly after to the mule, which responded with a lowwhinnying sound. 

"Perhaps the poor brute has slipped into a hole or a crack in the rock, "suggested Dale; but as they drew nigh they could see the mule standingout dimly in the darkness, and the guide close by his neck. 

"Have we overdriven him?" said Saxe. "Is he ill?"

"You couldn't overdrive Gros, herr, " said Melchior quietly. 

"Why not?"

"You heard what old Andregg said to us, Gros would not be overdriven, herr; he would lie down when he had done as much work as he felt wasenough. "

"What's the matter, then? Is he ill?"

"No, herr; his coat is smooth and dry. "

"I know, " cried Saxe. 

"You know, herr?"

"Yes; of course, he has been trying to find enough to eat amongst thesestones, and there is scarcely anything. He is hungry, and crying outfor supper. "

"Oh no, herr. I showed him where he could find plenty of green shoots, and I gave him half a loaf of black bread as well before we had ourmeal. "

"Then he wants kicking for waking us up like this. "

"No, herr, " said the guide drily; "and it is bad work to kick Gros. Heis a very clever animal, and can kick much harder than a man. Iremember Pierre kicking him once, and he kicked back and nearly brokethe man's leg. "

"Then don't kick him. But what is the matter with him?"

"I cannot tell you, herr, unless some one has been here since we laydown to sleep. "

"But, surely, Melchior, if any one came he would have seen the tent andspoken. "

"Yes, herr, one would think so, for out in the mountains here we are allfriends. We should have given him to eat and drink just as we shouldhave expected it if we came upon a camp. "

"Well, " said Dale, "it was a false alarm, and I'm going to lie downagain. Come, Saxe. "

"But suppose--"

"No, no; we have so much hard work to do to-morrow that we want all therest we can get. There is nothing to suppose, is there, Melchior?"

"Oh no, herr; and besides, if the herr likes, I will sit up and watch. "

"There is no need. Come: sleep. "

"I can't sleep, " thought Saxe, as he lay down once more in the shelterof the tent. "I shall be listening, and expecting to hear that cryagain. "

But his head had hardly touched the rug before he was breathing heavily;and he slept without moving till a hand was laid upon his shoulder; andas he opened his eyes he saw that it was daybreak and that the darkfigure bending over him was the guide. 

"Time to get up?"

"Yes, herr--quick!" was the reply. "Will you wake up the herr?"

"Eh? Yes: all right, Melchior, " cried Dale. "Hah! what a splendidsleep! It does not seem five minutes since I lay down. "

"Will you come out, sir?" said the guide, in rather a peculiar manner. 

"Yes, of course. Eh? Is anything the matter?"

"I don't quite know, herr, " replied the guide, as they stood together;"but it is clear some one has been here in the night. "

"Then that is what frightened the mule?"

"Yes, herr; that is what made him cry out. Look!"

"What at?" said Dale quietly, as they now stood beside the ashes of thelast night's fire. 

"Cannot the herr see?"

Dale looked sharply round, and Saxe followed his example. 

"I see nothing, " said the former. 

"Nor I, " said Saxe; "only that the bits of burnt wood seem to have beenkicked about. "

"That's it, herr, " cried Melchior; "and look there!"

He bent down, and pointed. 

"Ah! look, Saxe!" cried Dale: "some one's footmark in the pine ash!"

"'Tisn't mine, " said Saxe: "it's too big. "

"Nor mine, " said Dale. "An English boot does not leave a print likethat. It's yours, Melchior. A false alarm. "

"No, herr--no false alarm, " said the guide; and he raised one foot so asto expose the sole. "Look at the open way in which I nail my boots--with big nails, so that they shall not slip on the rock or ice. Thatfootprint is not mine. "

"No: you are right. Then whose could it be?"

Melchior shook his head. 

"Some one must have been prowling round the tent in the night. "

"It must have been one of Melk's spirits--the one who threw stones at usyesterday. I say, Melk, they wear very big boots. "

The guide smiled. 

"Yes, herr, it was some one with big boots; and I do not understand it. "

Dale's first idea--a natural one under the circumstances--was thatplunder was the object; and he said so. 

"No, herr; I do not think there is anybody about here who would steal. "

"I'm very glad to hear it, " said Dale: "but let's see if anything hasgone. "

The guide said nothing--only looked on while an examination was made. 

"No, " said Dale; "I do not miss anything. Yes: my little binocular ismissing!"

"No, herr; you put it inside the big basket last night. "

"Yes, here it is, " cried Saxe. 

"Then you are right, Melchior: it could not have been robbery. "

"No, herr, it is strange; but I will light the fire and get breakfast. "

As he spoke he began kindling some dry stuff he had collected, andshortly after the coffee-pot was promising to boil. Then some bacon wassliced and frizzled, and the appetising odour soon made the memories ofthe night alarm pass away in the thoughts of the excellent breakfast, which was finished while the pass in which they were seated was stillgrey, though the mountain peaks looked red-hot in the coming sunshine. 

"Well, I'm not going to let an incident like that interfere with ourprogress, Melchior. Where do you propose going next?"

"Up whichever thal the herr chooses, and then up the mountain. "

"And not quite over the pass?"

"No, herr. We are in the highest part here, and we may come uponcrystals in any of these solitary peaks. "

"Very well; then we'll make a start at any time you like. Do we comeback here?"

"No, herr. I propose that we take the mule on to the foot of the GreatOberweiss glacier, an hour from here. There is good camping ground, andthen we will go up the mountain by the side of the ice meer. "

"And to shake off our stone-throwing friend, " said Dale. "Good. Wewill, and will keep a better look-out for the crevasses this time--eh, Saxe?"

"Yes, and we can try the new rope. "

A few minutes sufficed for saddling up the mule with his load, and thenthey started once more farther into the wilds, in all the gloriousbeauty of the early summer morning, Melchior leading them in and outthrough such a labyrinth of cracks and rifts that after some hours'walking, Saxe glanced at his leader. 

"Yes?"

"I was wondering how we could find our way back. "

Melchior laughed. 

"Oh, easily enough, herr. "

"But I couldn't, " cried Saxe. 

"No, herr. That shows the use of a guide. But I could have come aneasier way, only I am taking a short cut. We are a thousand feet higherthan when we started. Look, herr: go on by that shelf of rock: it isperfectly safe. Then come back and tell me what you see. "

Saxe started forward, from the ragged slope they were ascending; and aminute or two after passing quite a mossy niche, which ran some forty orfifty yards right into the mountain, to where a silvery-veil-likecascade fell, he stopped short, threw up his hands, and then turned andsignalled to Dale. 

"What is it?" cried the latter, as he hurried to the boy's side. "Hah!"

He wanted no explanation, for they were standing at the edge of aprecipice, gazing down at another huge glacier, which glittered in therays of the morning sun--a vast chaos of ice whose cracks and shadowswere of a vivid blue; and as they gazed up towards the point where itsuddenly curved round an immense buttress, there beyond, peak afterpeak, as far as eye could reach, stood out in the clear air, and allseeming to rise out of the fields and beds of snow which clung aroundthem and filled every ravine and chasm running up from their feet. 

"Oh!" cried Saxe--"did you ever see anything so beautiful? Why, theplace is all crystals!"

"Grand!" said Dale slowly, as he stood rapt in a reverie of wonder andadmiration at the scene before him. "Why, Saxe, we couldn't have had abetter guide! We must make a halt here, and begin to explore. "

"But you'll go up another mountain?"

"Didn't you have enough of the last?"

"No!" cried the boy excitedly. "I know I was very stupid and clumsy, and wasn't half so brave as I should have liked to be; but I long tobegin again. "

"Then you shall. "

"When? Now?"

"Too late in the day. We'll explore about here first, and if theweather is right we'll make a start to-morrow. "

"Oh!" said Saxe in a disappointed tone. 

"There--you'll have plenty of work to-day, for we must go down on thiswonderful glacier and examine the sides. Look! there's what they call amill there. "

"A mill? I don't see it. "

"Moulin. No, no--not a building. That fall, where the water rushesinto the crevasse you can see. There--up yonder, a quarter of a mileaway. "

At that moment there was a tremendous crash on their left; and, as theyturned sharply, it was to see from far below them what appeared to be acloud of smoke rising and wreathing round, full of tiny specks ofsilver, and over which an iris glimmered for a few moments, and fadedaway with the ice dust caused by the toppling over of a huge serac, which had crushed half a dozen others in its fall. 

"Come along. Let's arrange about our camp; and then we'll take hammersand a chisel, and begin to examine the side of this glacier at once. "

They turned back. Saxe quitting the glorious view of the crystal silverland, as he mentally dubbed it, very unwillingly. 

To his surprise, as they descended they found Gros on his back, in agully full of sand and stones, snorting, flapping his ears and throwingup his legs, as he fell over first on one side, then on the other, inthe full enjoyment of a good roll; while as they advanced it was to findMelchior in the sheltered nook setting up the tent, after rolling somehuge pieces of rock to the four corners ready to secure the ropes; forthere was no spot in that stony ravine where a peg of iron, let aloneone of wood, could be driven in. 

"Hah! a capital spot, Melchior. "

"Yes, herr, well sheltered from three winds, and there is plenty of goodwater; but we shall have to be sparing with the wood. To-morrow I'lltake Gros, and go down to the nearest pine forest and bring up a load. "

"Then you mean to stay here?"

"For a few days, herr. You have peaks all round which you can climb. There is the glacier, and there are bare mountain precipices andcrevices where you may find that of which you are in search. "

"Yes, " said Dale, as he looked back out of the narrow opening of thegash in the mountain which the guide had chosen for their shelter; "Ithink this place will do. "

"Then the herr is satisfied?"

"Well, yes, for the present. Now, then, leave what you are doing, andwe'll descend to the glacier at once. "

"Yes, herr. One moment. I'll hang up the lanthorn and the new Englishrope here. The glass may be kicked against and broken. "

He suspended the English-made stout glass lanthorn to the littleridge-pole; and then, resuming his jacket, he threw the coil of ropeover his shoulder, took his ice-axe, Dale and Saxe taking theirs, allnew and bright, almost as they had left the manufacturer's, and startedat once for the shelf from which the grand view of the snow-cladmountains had met their gaze. After proceeding along this a shortdistance, Melchior stopped, climbed out upon a projecting point, andexamined the side of the precipice. 

"We can get down here, herr, " he said; and, setting the example, hedescended nimbly from ledge to ledge, pausing at any difficult place tolend a hand or point out foothold, till they were half-way down, whenthe ledges and crevices by which they had descended suddenly ceased, andthey stood upon a shelf from which there seemed to be no furtherprogression, till, as if guided by the formation, Melchior crept to thevery end, peered round an angle of the rock, and then came back. 

"No, " he said--"not that way: the other end. "

He passed his two companions, and, going to the farther part, climbed upa few feet, and then passed out of their sight. 

"This way, gentlemen!" he shouted; and upon joining him they found thathe had hit upon quite an easy descent to the ice. 

This proved to be very different to the glacier they had first examined. It was far more precipitous in its descent, with the consequence thatit was greatly broken up into blocks, needles and overhanging seracs. These were so eaten away beneath that it seemed as if a breath wouldsend them thundering down. 

"Not very safe--eh, Melchior?" said Dale. 

"No, herr; we must not venture far from the edge. "

This vast glacier had also shrunk, leaving from ten to twenty feet ofsmoothly polished rock at the side--that is, at the foot of theprecipitous gorge down which it ran--and thus forming a comparativelyeasy path for the travellers, who climbed upwards over the roundedmasses, stopping from time to time where the ice curved over, leavingspaces between it and its rocky bed, down which Saxe gazed into a deepblue dimness, and listened to the murmuring roar of many waters coursingalong beneath. 

Suddenly Dale uttered an ejaculation, and, taking a hammer from hisbelt, began to climb up the rocky side of the valley. 

Melchior saw the place for which he was making, and uttered a gruntindicative of satisfaction. 

The spot beneath which Dale stopped was only a dark-looking crack; butas Saxe went nearer he could see that it was edged with dark-colouredcrystals set closely together, and resembling in size and shape theteeth of a small saw. 

Dale began to probe the crack directly with the handle of his ice-axe, to find that the crevice gradually widened; and on applying his mouththere and shouting, he could feel that it was a great opening. 

"There ought to be big crystals in there, Melchior, " cried Daleexcitedly. 

"Yes, herr; but without you brought powder and blasting tools you couldnot get at them, and if you did blast you would break them up. "

Dale said nothing, but laying down his ice-axe he took hammer and chiseland began to chip energetically at the hard rock, while the otherslooked on till he ceased hammering, with a gesture full of impatience. 

"You are right, Melchior, " he said; "I shall never widen it like this. "

"Why try, herr? I can show you holes already large enough for us to getin. "

"You know for certain of such places?"

"I cannot tell you exactly where they are now, but I have seen them inthe mountains!"

"In the mountains?"

"Well, then, right in these mountains, I feel sure. Let us go on andtry. If we do not find a better place we know where this is, and cantry it another time. "

"Go on, then, " said Dale, rather reluctantly; and they continuedclimbing, with the rock towering up on one side, the ice curving over onthe other, and rising in the middle of the glacier to a series of cragsand waves and smooth patches full of cracks, in which lay blocks ofgranite or limestone that had been tumbled down from the sides or far uptoward the head of the valley ages before. 

They had not progressed far before the guide pointed out another crackin the rock fringed with gem-like crystals, and then another andanother, but all out of reach without chipping steps in the stone--ofcourse a most arduous task. 

"All signs that we are in the right formation, Saxe, " said Dale morehopefully, after they had toiled on up the side of the glacier for abouta couple of hours; and they stood watching Melchior, who had mounted onto the ice to see if he could find better travelling for them. 

"Yes, " he shouted--"better here;" and the others climbed up and joinedhim, to find that the surface was much smoother, and that the broken-upmasses of ice were far less frequent. 

"Plenty of crevasses, herr, " said Melchior; "but they are all to beseen. There is no snow to bridge them over. "

He stood looking down one of the blue cracks zigzagged across theglacier, and Saxe could not help a shudder as he gazed down into itsblue depths and listened to the roar of water which came up from below. 

But it was not more than a yard in width, and in turn they leaped acrossand continued their way. 

Then they had to pass another, half the width, and others that were merefissures, which Dale said were slowly splitting; but soon after steppingacross the last of these, further progress over the ice was barred by agreat chasm four or five yards from edge to edge, along which they hadto skirt till its end could be turned and their journey continued. 

"Can we take to the rocks again?" said Dale, looking anxiously towardthe almost perpendicular sides of the valley up which they slowly madetheir way. 

"Not yet, herr: I have been watching, and we are still only passing merecrevices in the rock. Hah! now we are coming to the enow, and shallhave to take care. "

He pointed with his ice-axe to where, a hundred yards or so farther on, the surface of the ice suddenly changed; but they did not pass at onceon to the snow, for as they neared it they found that they were partedfrom it by another crevasse of about four feet wide. 

"We need not go round this, I suppose, " said Dale, as he stood peeringdown into its depths--Saxe following his example, and listening to apeculiar hissing rush of water far below. 

"No, herr, the leap is so short. Shall I go first?"

"Oh no, " said Dale, stepping back and then jumping lightly across, toalight on the snow; "beautiful landing, Saxe. Take a bit of a run. "

"Yes, " said the boy; and he stepped back also for a few yards, sprangand cleared the gap with a yard or so to spare. "What a place it wouldbe to fall down, though!" said Saxe, as he began to tramp on over thesnow by Dale's side. "I couldn't help thinking so as I flew over it. "

"And very stupid of you too! There's no danger in leaping over a dryditch four feet wide, so why should you make a fuss about the samedistance because it is deep?"

Boom!

"Hallo!" said Dale. "That sounded like snow somewhere up in themountains; and by the way, we're on snow now: Melchior ought to rope us. How do we know there are not crevasses close at hand?" He turned tospeak to the guide, and found Saxe standing there staring back. "Hallo!" he cried, "where's Melchior?"

"I don't know, " faltered Saxe. 

"Didn't you see him jump over the crack?"

"No. Didn't you?"

"It was such a trifle, I did not think of it. Good heavens! he has notmet with an accident? Ah, that noise!"

They turned back together for about a hundred yards over the smoothsnow, following their own steps clearly marked in the white surface; andthen stopped short aghast, for the deeply indented place in the snowwhere they had landed in their jump was gone, and in its stead they sawa great triangular-shaped opening widening the crevasse to more thandouble its original dimensions, while just at its edge close to theirfeet there was a peculiar mark, such as would have been made by anice-axe suddenly struck down through the snow to plough its way till itdisappeared over the edge. 

CHAPTER TWENTY. 

A FEARFUL WATCH. 

It was all plain enough now. The weight of the two who had first leapedmust have cracked a portion of the edge of the crevasse--a part rottenfrom long exposure to the sun, rain and frost. Then Melchior must havesprung over, the great triangular piece had given way, he had made adesperate attempt to save himself with his axe, but that had not struckhome, and he had gone down with the mass of ice and snow, the echoingcrash and boom having drowned any cry he might have uttered, even if hehad time to call for help. 

Saxe gave one horrified look at his companion, and then, stepping asideto the unbroken part of the crevasse, he went down on his hands andknees in the snow, then upon his breast, and drew himself close to theedge till his head and chest were over and he could peer down. 

"Take care! take care!" cried Dale hoarsely, though he was doingprecisely the same. "Can you see anything?"

Saxe's negative sounded like a groan, for he could see nothing but thepale blue sides of the ice going down perpendicularly to where, growingfrom pale to dark blue, they became black as the darkness out of whichcame the deep, loud, hissing, rushing sound of waters which he had heardbefore. 

"He must be lying down there stunned by his fall!" cried Dale; and thento himself, in a whisper full of despair--"if he is not killed. "

"Melk! Melk!" yelled Saxe just then. But there was nothing but thestrange echo of his own voice, mingled with the curious hissing rush ofwater, which sounded to the listeners like the hurried whisperings andtalk of beings far down below. 

"Ahoy, Melchior!" cried Dale, now shouting with all his might. 

No answer; and he shouted again. 

"Do--do you feel sure he did fall down here?" said Saxe with difficulty, for his voice seemed to come from a throat that was all dry, and over atongue that was parched. 

"There can be no doubt about it, " said Dale sadly. "Oh, poor fellow!poor fellow! I feel as if I am to blame for his death. "

"Melk--Mel-chi-or!" shouted Saxe, with his hands to his mouth, as he laythere upon his chest, and he tried to send his voice down into the darkdepths below. 

There was a curious echo, that was all; and he lay listening to therushing water and trying to pierce the darkness which looked like amist. 

At another time he would have thought of the solemn beauty of the place, with its wonderful gradations of blue growing deeper as they descended. Now there was nothing but chilly horror, for the chasm was to him thetomb of the faithful companion and friend of many days. 

Dale shouted again with all his might, but there were only theawe-inspiring, whispering echoes, as his voice reverberated from thesmoothly fractured ice, and he rose to his feet, but stood gazing downinto the crevasse. 

"Yes, he is lying there, stunned and helpless--perhaps dead, " he addedto himself. "Saxe, one of us must go down and help him. "

"Of course, " cried Saxe, speaking out firmly, though a curious sensationof shrinking came over him as he spoke. "I'll go. "

"I would go myself, boy, " said Dale huskily; "but it is impossible. Youcould not draw me out, and I'm afraid that I could not climb back;whereas I could lower you down and pull you up again. "

"Yes, I'll go!" cried Saxe excitedly. 

"One moment, my lad. You must recollect what the task means. "

"To go down and help Melchior. "

"Yes; and taking the rope from round your waist to tie it round his forme to draw him up first. Have you the courage to do that!"

Saxe was silent. 

"You see, it means staying down there alone in that place till I cansend you back the rope. There must be no shrinking, no losing your headfrom scare. Do you think you have the courage to do this coolly!"

Saxe did not speak for a few moments, and Dale could see that his facelooked sallow and drawn till he had taken a long, deep breath, and thenhe said quickly. 

"No, I haven't enough courage to do it properly; but I'm going down todo it as well as I can. "

"God bless you, my boy!" cried Dale earnestly, as he grasped Saxe'shand. "There, lay down your axe while I fasten on the rope, and thenI'll drive mine down into this crack and let the rope pass round it. Ican lower you down more easily then. Ah!"

He ejaculated this last in a tone full of disappointment, for as hesuddenly raised his hands to his breast, he realised the absence of thatwhich he had before taken for granted--the new rope hanging in a ringover his shoulder. 

"The ropes!" cried Saxe excitedly. "Melk has one; the other is hangingin the tent. Here, I'll run back. "

"No, " said Dale; "I am stronger and more used to the work: I'll go. Youshout every now and then. Even if he does not answer you he may hear, and it will encourage him to know that we are near. "

"But hadn't we better go back for help?"

"Before we could get it the poor fellow might perish from cold andexhaustion. Keep up your courage; I will not be a minute longer than Ican help. "

He was hurrying along the upper side of the crevasse almost as he spoke, and then Saxe felt his blood turn cold as he saw his companion step backand leap over from the snow on to the ice at the other side, and beginto descend the glacier as rapidly as the rugged nature of the placewould allow. 

Saxe stood watching Dale for some time, and saw him turn twice to wavehis hand, while he became more than ever impressed by the tiny size ofthe descending figure, showing as it did how vast were the precipicesand blocks of ice, and how enormous the ice river on which he stood, must be. 

Then, as he gazed, it seemed that another accident must have happened, for Dale suddenly disappeared as if swallowed up in another crevasse. But, as Saxe strained his eyes downward into the distance, he caught afurther glimpse of his companion as he passed out from among somepyramids of ice, but only to disappear again. Then Saxe saw his headand shoulders lower down, and after an interval the top of his cap, andhe was gone. 

To keep from dwelling upon the horror of his position, alone there inthat icy solitude, Saxe lay down again, with his face over the chasm, and hailed and shouted with all his might. But still there was noreply, and he rose up from the deep snow once more, and tried to catchsight of Dale; but he had gone. And now, in spite of his efforts to bestrong and keep his head cool, the horror began to close him in like amist. Melchior had fallen down that crevasse, and was killed. Dale hadgone down to their camp to fetch the rope, but he was alone. He had noguide, and he might lose his way, or meet with an accident too, and fallas Melchior had fallen. Even if he only had a slip, it would beterrible, for he might lie somewhere helpless, and never be found. 

In imagination, as he stood here, Saxe saw himself waiting for hours, perhaps for days, and no help coming. And as to returning, it seemedimpossible to find his way farther than their camp; for below theglacier Melchior had led them through a perfect labyrinth of narrowchasms, which he had felt at the time it would be impossible to threadalone. 

It required a powerful mental drag to tear his thoughts away from thesewild wanderings to the present; and, determining to forget self, hetried hard to concentrate his mind, not upon his own position, but uponthat of the poor fellow who lay somewhere below. 

He lay down once more in the snow, shrinkingly, for in spite of hisefforts, the thought would come, "Suppose a great piece of the sideshould give way beneath me, and carry me down to a similar fate toMelchior's. " These fancies made him move carefully in his efforts topeer down farther than before, so as to force his eyes to pierce thegloom and make out where Melchior lay. 

But it was all in vain. He could see a long way, and sometimes italmost seemed as if he saw farther than at others; but lower down therewas always that purply transparent blackness into which his eyesightplunged, but could not quite plumb. 

"I wonder how deep it is?" said Saxe aloud, after shouting till he grewhoarse, and speaking out now for the sake of hearing a voice in thatawful silence. "I wonder how deep it is?" he said again, feelingstartled at the peculiar whisper which had followed his words. "It mustgo right down to the rocks which form the bottom of the valley, and ofcourse this ice fills it up. It may be fifty, a hundred, or fivehundred feet. Who can say?"

The thought was very terrible as he gazed down there, and once moreimagination was busy, and he mentally saw poor Melchior falling withlightning speed down, down through that purply-blackness, to lie at lastat a tremendous depth, jammed in a cleft where the crevasse grewnarrower, ending wedge-shape in a mere crack. 

He rose from the snow, beginning to feel chilled now; and he shook offthe glittering crystals and tramped heavily up and down in the warmsunshine, glad of the reflection from the white surface as well, thoughit was painful to his eyes. 

But after forming a narrow beat a short distance away from the crevasse, he ceased as suddenly as he had begun, feeling that he might even therebe doing something which would cause the ice to crack; and he had hardlycome to the conclusion that he would go gently in future, when apeculiar rending, splitting sound fell upon his ears, and he knew thatit was the ice giving way and beginning to form a new crevasse. 

For the first few moments he fancied that it was beneath his feet; but, as it grew louder and developed into a heavy sudden report, he knew thatit must be some distance away. 

He crept back to the crevasse, and listened and shouted again, to beginwondering once more how deep the chasm would be; and at last, with thehorror of being alone there in that awful solitude creeping over him, hefelt that he must do something, and, catching up his ice-axe from whereit lay, he tramped away fifty yards to where a cluster of raggedpinnacles of ice hung together, and with a few blows from the pick-endof the axe he broke off a couple of fragments as big as his head, andthen bounded back. 

None too soon, for the towering piece which he had hacked at suddenlyturned over towards him, and fell forward with a crash that raised theechoes around, as it broke up into fragments of worn and honeycombedice. 

As soon as he had satisfied himself that no other crag would fall, hestepped back, and, as he picked up two more pieces about the same sizeas he had selected before, he saw why the serac had fallen. 

Heaped around as it had been with snow, it had seemed to have quite apyramidal base, but the solid ice of its lower parts had in the courseof time been eaten away till it was as fragile as the waxen comb it insome places resembled, and had crumbled down as soon as it received ashock. 

Carrying his two pieces back, Saxe set them down at the edge of thecrevasse, about a dozen yards from where Melchior had fallen; and, thengoing back along the side to that spot, he shouted again--a dismal, depressing cry, which made his spirits lower than before; and at last, after waiting some time for a reply, knowing all the while that it wouldnot come, he crept back to where he had laid the two pieces of ice, andstood looking down at them, hesitating as to whether he should carry outhis plan. 

"I must be doing something, " he cried piteously. "If I stand still inthe snow, thinking, I shall go mad. It will be hours before Mr Dalegets back, and it is so dreadful to do nothing but think--think--think. "

He gazed about him, to see a peak here and a peak there, standing updazzling in its beauty, as it seemed to peer over the edge of thevalley; but the glory had departed, and the wondrous river of ice, withits frozen waves and tumbling waters and solid foam, all looked cold andterrible and forbidding. 

"I must do something, " said Saxe at last, as if answering some one whohad told him it would be dangerous to throw pieces of ice into thecrevasse. "It is so far away from where he fell that it cannot hurthim. It will not go near him, and I want to know how far down he hasfallen. "

He laid down his ice-axe, picked up one of the lumps, balanced it for amoment or two, and then pitched it into the narrow chasm, to go down onhis hands and knees the next instant and peer forward and listen. 

He was so quick that he saw the white block falling, and as it wentlower it turned first of a delicate pale blue, then deeper in colour, and deeper still, and then grew suddenly dark purple and disappeared, while, as Saxe strained eyes and ears, there came directly after a heavycrash, which echoed with a curious metallic rumble far below. 

"Not so very deep, " cried Saxe, as he prepared to throw down the otherpiece; and, moving a few yards farther along towards the centre of theglacier, he had poised the lump of ice in his hands, when there came apeculiar hissing, whishing sound from far below and he shrank backwondering, till it came to him by degrees that the piece he had throwndown must have struck upon some ledge, shattered to fragments, and thatthese pieces had gone on falling, till the hissing noise he had heardwas caused by their disappearing into water at some awful depth below. 

Saxe stood there with the shrinking sensation increasing, and it wassome time before he could rouse himself sufficiently to carry out hisfirst intention and throw the second piece of ice into the gulf. As itfell his heart beat heavily, and he once more dropped upon his hands andknees to follow its downward course and watch the comparatively slow andbeautiful changes through which it passed before it disappeared in thepurply-black darkness, while he listened for the crash as it broke uponthe ledge preparatory to waiting in silence for the fall of thefragments lower down. 

But there was no crash--no hissing, spattering of small fragmentsdropping into water--nothing but the terrible silence, which seemed asif it would never end; and at last a heavy dull splash, the hissing ofwater, and a curious lapping sound repeated by the smooth water, tillall died away, and there was silence once again. "Awful!" mutteredSaxe, as he wiped his damp brow. "Poor Melchior!--no wonder he didn'tanswer to my cries. "

A feeling of weary despondency came over the boy now, and he shrank awayfrom the edge and threw himself down on the snow. 

For it was hopeless, he knew. And when Mr Dale returned he should haveto tell him of his terrible discovery; when he, too, would own that nohuman being could fall down that terrible gulf and live. 

The snow was cold beneath him, and the sun poured down upon his backwith blistering power, but the boy felt nothing save the despairingagony of mind; and as he lay there one desire, one wish came to hismind, and that was full of longing for forgetfulness--the power to putall this terrible trouble behind him--a miserable feeling of cowardice:in short, of desire to evade his share of the cares of life, which cometo all: for he had yet to learn what is the whole duty of a man. 

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. 

"YOU THINK HE IS DEAD?"

Saxe never knew how long it was before he was roused from his miserablelethargic state by a faint hail, which acted upon him like magic, makinghim spring to his feet and answer before going back to the edge of thecrevasse, and uttering a cry that was doleful in the extreme. 

Then he shaded his eyes and gazed downward beneath the labyrinth of iceblocks among which the smoother ice which had formed their path woundits way; but for a long time he could see nothing of Dale, and he wasbeginning to ask himself whether it was fancy, when there was anotherhail, and soon after he caught sight of Dale's head and shoulders as heclimbed up the icy slope, and saw that the new rope was across hisbreast. 

But this sent no thrill of joy through Saxe, for he seemed instinctivelyto know that it would be useless, and he shook his head. 

In another ten minutes Dale came panting up, and, without hesitation, leaped the chasm. 

"Well, " he said, "you have heard him?"

"No. "

"Has he not answered once?"

"No. "

Dale stood frowning and in silence for some seconds, before sayingsternly, "well, we have our duty to do, Saxe. We must get him out. "

"Yes, I'm ready, " replied the boy; and he stood watching as Dale tookthe coil of rope from his shoulder, a ball of thin string from his coatpocket, and the lanthorn from his ice-axe, to whose head he had slung itas he came. 

"Ah!" cried Saxe, "you have brought the lamp and string. You are goingto let down a light for us to see where he lies?"

"I was going to, my boy; but I think better of it now. You shall godown without. It looks dark there, but it will not be so very black. The long light across will strike down. "

Saxe told him about the pieces of ice he had thrown down, and Dalelooked terribly serious. 

"So deep as that?" he muttered. Then quickly: "But one piece struck onsome ledge. He must have fallen there. Now, lay down your axe, but youmust take it with you. "

Saxe obeyed, and set his teeth hard, as Dale scraped away the snow andfound almost directly a narrow crack which ran parallel with thecrevasse, but so slight that there was just room to force down the stoutashen staff which formed the handle of the ice-axe, the top of it andabout a foot of the staff standing above the ice. 

"That's firm as rock, " said Dale, after trying it. "I could trustmyself to it, and the rope will run round it easily. "

"You think the rope is strong enough?" said Saxe. 

"I had it thoroughly tested before we left England. I could venture tohang a bull from it, or two or three men. But, ones for all, I have noright to send you down there. Tell me you dare not go, and I will giveup, and we must go in search of help, for this is a terrible task. Youwould rather not go?"

Saxe was silent. 

"Speak!"

"I won't, " cried Saxe passionately; and then to himself, "I'd diefirst. "

He held up his arms for Dale to knot the rope about him, watching theprocess with knitted brow. 

"There: that is safe, " said Dale. "Now pick up your ice-axe and hold bythe rope with your left hand, so as to ease the strain upon your chest. Use the ice-axe cautiously, to keep yourself from turning round and fromstriking against the side. When you get down to the ledge, which mustbe, from what you say, only just out of sight, you will chip a secureplace for your feet if the ice slopes, and, proceeding quite slowly andcalmly, make yourself first quite safe. When this is done, unfasten therope from about you, and make it fast about poor Melchior. Be veryparticular about the knot, mind. Don't forget what I have taught you. That knot must not slip in any way, either in tightening round his chestor coming undone. "

"I'll remember, " panted Saxe. 

"That's right. Now then, I think that is all, except a final word. There is no danger for you to dread. The rope is new and strong, and Iam at one end. "

"You will not let it slip through your hands?"

Dale smiled at him sadly, and shook his head. 

"Ready?" he said. 

"Yes. "

"Take off your hat. "

Saxe obeyed, and Dale removed his and knelt down in the snow, Saxeslowly sinking upon his knees. 

There was a minute's silence as a brief, heartfelt prayer was offered upfor help: and then Dale sprang to his feet with an eager, bright, cheerful look upon his face, and, clapping a hand on either side ofSaxe's waist, he lifted him by his belt and set him down again. 

"Why, I could draw up half a dozen of you, " he said. "Now, steady!Down with you, and slide over. Saxe, you are going to the rescue of afellow-man. "

The boy set his teeth, his brow furrowed, and there were marks about hiseyes, as he saw Dale throw the rope round the handle of the ice-axe, andthen over the coil, so that the rings of rope should come off freely. Then he grasped the hemp firmly with one hand, his ice-axe with theother, and threw back his legs over the edge of the crevasse close towhere the great piece had broken away. As he did this a piece of snowslipped from under his chest, and went down before him and he was overthe side, swinging gently to and fro, as he heard a spattering noisecome from below. 

"Don't be afraid to talk, Saxe, " said Dale loudly; and every word camedistinctly to the boy's ears as the sides of the crevasse slowly roseabove him, and, in spite of himself, he turned his eyes up with a wildlonging toward the deep blue sky. 

"I--I can't talk, " he gasped forth. 

"All right--steady! Take it coolly, lad. "

"Yes; only don't ask me to talk till I've something to say. "

"No!" shouted Dale, as the sides of the crevasses grew more distant andrepresented two jagged lines against the sky. "Splendid rope, Saxe!"came down to him; "runs as easily as if it were made of silk. Cut yourchest?"

"Not much, " shouted the boy, who for an instant felt a sensation ofdanger as the rope turned him round; but, remembering his instructions, he touched the wall of clear ice with the point at the end of the axehandle, checked himself, and tried to look downward into the bluetransparent light which rose up to meet him, as it seemed. 

"Half the rope out, Saxe!" came from above. "See anything!"

"No. "

"Bit lower down, I suppose. Don't let it turn. "

The two edges of the crevasse now began to approach, each other, as itseemed to Saxe; and he could see that, except where the piece was brokenaway, they exactly matched, every angle on the one side having itsdepression on the other, the curves following each other with marvellousexactness, just as if the fracture were one of only a few weeks old. 

"See the ledge, Saxe?" came down. 

"No;" and the lad felt an intense longing now to be able to see Dale'sface watching him, for it would have seemed like companionship, insteadof his having nothing to gaze at but the strip of blue sky, and theglistening blue-ice walls on either side going off to right and lefttill they seemed to come together in the blue gloom. 

And still the rope glided over the ice above, and the slip of sky grewnarrow; but though Saxe peered down into the depths, there was no signof any ledge, and the boy who now felt less nervous, was wondering howmuch longer the rope was, when Dale's voice was heard. 

"No more rope!" he cried. "Now, can you see the ledge?"

Saxe gazed down in silence for a few moments, and Dale's voice cameagain--short, sharp and impatient:

"I say, can you see the ledge?"

"No. "

"Are you quite sure?"

"Yes. "

There was a pause, and then Dale's voice was heard again:

"Does the rope hurt you much?"

"No. "

"Can you bear it five minutes longer!"

"Yes--a quarter of an hour. "

"Bravo! Wait. "

There was a strange silence then, during which Saxe gazed down belowhim; but he could see no more than when he had been at the top, onlythat everything looked blacker and more profound, and that the noise ofwaters was more plain as it reverberated from the slippery walls. 

"What is he doing?" thought Saxe. "I hope he will soon draw me up;" anda momentary feeling of panic came over him, and the rope felt painfullycutting. But just then he caught sight of a dark object against thesky. The dark object seemed to be descending, and the next moment hesaw that it was light, and he knew that the lanthorn was being sent downat the end of the string. 

"Call to me if the rope hurts you too much, " cried Dale; and to hishorror and astonishment Saxe, as he looked up, saw that his companion'shead and shoulders were over the side, and it was as if a black facewere looking down at his. 

"The rope doesn't hurt; but--but--is it safe!"

"Perfectly; and I am letting down the light so that you may see wherethe ledge is. "

"I understand. "

The lanthorn glided down very rapidly, and in a few moments was levelwith Saxe's face. Then it descended still, and Dale called to him tosay when it should be stopped; but it was some time before the boysharply uttered the word, "Now!"

"See the ledge?"

"Yes--with some broken ice upon it. "

"Does he seem much hurt?"

Saxe was silent for a few moments, and then said huskily--

"He is not there!"

"He must be. Look again. "

"Swing the lanthorn backwards and forwards. "

Dale responded by gradually making the lanthorn describe a considerablearc. 

"No--no! No--no!" cried Saxe, as he swept the ledge with his eyes fromend to end. 

Dale was silent for a time. Then he said huskily--

"Can you hold out while I lower the lanthorn as far as the string willgo?"

"Yes. "

The light descended like a star going down into another firmament of asdeep and dark a blue as that above; and as Saxe watched he saw itreflected from the dark walls. Then lower, lower, and down and down, till suddenly it stopped. 

"That is all the string--a hundred yards. Can you see him now!"

"No!" said Saxe hoarsely. 

"You can see nothing!"

"Only the lamp swinging and the ice shining. "

"Hold fast!" cried Dale, and the rope began to quiver in a peculiar way, as if it were receiving a series of jerks; but Saxe guessed that thismust mean that it was being hauled up handover-hand. There was no onegazing down at him now, and he had a full view of the blue strip of sky, which now grew broader and broader, till, after what seemed to have beena very long ascent, the top of the crevasse was reached. 

"Now, " said Dale, "reach over as far as you can, and drive in the pickof your axe. "

Saxe obeyed. 

"Now try and draw yourself up. That's right. I've got hold of therope. Now--together! That's right. "

There was a heavy tug, and as some more snow rattled down into the gulfSaxe was drawn over the edge on to the surface, where the first thing henoticed was the fact that the other end of the rope had been fastenedround Dale's waist and passed round the ashen handle, so that when Dalehad lain down he had been able to support Saxe, and yet leave his handsfree. 

"Untie yourself, " said Dale gravely. "I am going to draw up thelanthorn. "

"And what are you going to do then?" asked Saxe, who lay on the snowpanting, as if he had just gone through some very great exertion. 

"Go back and give notice. Get together two or three guides, and consultwith them as to what is best to be done. "

"Then you give him up?" said Saxe mournfully. 

Dale looked at him in silence, for there seemed to be no answer neededto such a question, as he slowly wound in the string which held thelanthorn. 

"Now, back to the valley as fast as we can, " said Dale, as he draggedhis ice-axe out of the crack and threw the rope over his shoulder, andglanced round at the sky. "Got the lanthorn and string?"

"Yes, " replied Saxe; "but we cannot get there before night. "

"We cannot get any farther than the camp before dark, my boy, " said Dalesadly. "It is impossible to go on then. We must wait there tilldaybreak, and then go for help. "

"One minute, sir, " said Saxe; but it was three or four before he couldgo on. 

"Yes, " said Dale. 

"I only wanted to ask whether you think he is dead!"

"I'd give five years of my life, boy, to be able to say no; but Icannot!"

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO. 

FROM OUT OF THE DEPTHS. 

They began to descend the great ice-torrent in solemn silence; butbefore they had gone fifty yards Saxe stopped short, darted a wild, apologetic look at Dale, and began to run back toward the crevasse. 

Dale followed him more slowly, and reached the boy as he was lying downwith his head and shoulders over the brink. 

"Mel--chi--or!" shouted Saxe, with his hands on either side of hismouth--a long-drawn, piteous cry, in which he formed the name into threesyllables; and as Dale leaned over and listened to the strange hollowreverberations down below, it was as if a voice repeated the lastsyllable in a faint, appealing whisper. 

"There!" cried Saxe excitedly; "I couldn't go without trying once more. I knew it: he isn't dead! You heard that?"

"Yes, " said Dale, with a pitying look at his companion, "I heard that. "

"Well? He's not dead. I'll stay here, and keep shouting to him now andthen, while you go for help. Run at once. Stop a minute. Give me yourflask; I'll lower it down to him with the string. "

"Saxe, my lad, " said Dale sadly, "you are buoying yourself up with falsehopes. "

"No, no! I heard him answer distinctly, " cried Saxe wildly. "Hark!I'll call again. Melchior, Mel--chi--or!"

He gave forth the last cry with all his might, emphasising the "chi--or!" and, probably from his being on the opposite side of the crevasse, and more favourably placed for the acoustic phenomenon, the syllableswere repeated, after a pause, faintly but distinctly--an effect that hadnot been produced by any of the lad's cries on the other side of thecrevasse. 

"There!" cried Saxe. 

Dale laid his hand upon the boy's shoulder, and shook his head sadly. Then, bending down, he too shouted--

"A-hoy-oy-oy!"

And, after a pause, there came up distinctly the latter part of theword. 

"Ahoy!" shouted Dale again, sharply. 

"Hoy!" came up. 

"You hear, " said Dale. "It is only an echo. A man down there in perilwould not repeat words. In nine cases out of ten he would cry `help!'"

Saxe turned away from the crevasse with a groan that told how forciblyhis companion's words had gone home; but he turned back again. 

"It seems so cruel to come away even if he is dead, " he whispered. "Shall I stop while you go!"

"No, Saxe. If we could hear him answer, I should at any cost say Stay, or I would myself stop, for I believe that a word or two from time totime would have encouraged him to struggle on for his life. But to staythere by that crevasse through the night, without proper protection, might mean your death. The cold up here must be terrible. Come. "

Saxe followed him slowly, with his head bent to hide the tears standingin his eyes, and then Dale took his arm. 

"We have done our duty so far, " he said; "and we are doing it now ingoing for help to try and rescue the poor fellow's remains from yon icytomb. Believe me, my lad, I would not come away if there was anythingmore that we could do. "

Saxe was silent for a few minutes, as they tramped on over the ice, which was now beginning to take a warm tint in the afternoon's sunlight. Then, making an effort, he spoke: "You will of course get men andropes?"

"Yes; and bring back a crowbar or tamping iron, and a heavy hammer todrive it into the ice. "

Saxe sighed, and, forgetting his weariness, stepped out quickly over therugged way, as they kept as nearly as they could to the invisible trackthey had followed during the ascent. 

The sun was now getting so low down that the great ragged pyramids andcrags of ice cast fantastic shadows eastward. There was a deep orangeglow in the sky, and at another time they would have stopped enchantedby the dazzling beauty of the effects before them; but now Saxe couldsee nothing but the pale face of their guide, as he lay far below withhis staring eyes fixed upon the narrow rift beyond which was the eveningsky; and at such times as the boy conjured up this ghastly picture inhis brain, his eyes grew misty, and he stumbled and slipped upon therugged ice which formed their way. 

"We must press on, " said Dale; "we have not come down above a mile, andit is a long way yet. We must not be amongst these seracs and crevassesafter dark. "

"I can walk faster, " said Saxe heavily, and he increased his pace. 

But it was in many places a task requiring careful descent, and everytime they came upon a crevasse Saxe felt a curious shrinking, whichcalled for a strong effort of will to enable him to make the necessaryspring to leap across, while several of the wider ones which had beenleaped in coming up were now avoided by a detour to the left. 

All these incidents made their descent slower; and as Dale thought ofthe long distance yet to go, he grew more and more anxious. 

"Saxe, " he said at last, as they were now slowly passing along the rocksby the side of the glacier, which they had now left to avoid somepatches of rugged ice, "I'm afraid we shall have to rest here in someniche as soon as darkness comes on. I can't trust to my memory to findthe way farther when the light has gone. "

"What's that?" said Saxe, catching his arm. 

Dale stopped and listened; but the place was utterly still for a fewminutes, and then there was a sharp crack and a rattling noise. 

"Piece of ice broken off and fallen. "

"No, no; I did not mean that, " cried Saxe, as his eyes wandered upwardamong the broken ice now beginning to look cold and grey. "There!--there!"

A faint chipping sound was heard as the lad spoke; but as they stood inquite a trough between the steep rock of the valley side and the jaggedmasses of ice, it was impossible to say exactly from whence it came. 

"Yes, I heard it, " said Dale, as the sound ceased. "There must be someone on the ice: it sounded just like cutting steps. Listen again. "

They stood motionless, but all was perfectly still. 

"Come along, " cried Dale; "we cannot waste time. It must have been theice giving way somewhere. Perhaps it was the splitting sound of acrevasse opening. "

"There it is again!" cried Saxe. 

"Yes; it must be some one cutting steps: but it is evidently a long wayoff. We can't see from here, but some one must be on the mountain aboveus, and the sound comes through the clear air, and strikes against thevalley wall over yonder. Yes: hark! It seems to come from there; but, depend upon it, the cause is high up overhead. "

They started again, for everything was growing greyer, and in spite ofthe hard work they both began to feel cold. But they had not gone adozen steps before the sound began again, and Saxe cried excitedly--

"It's from out on the glacier somewhere. There are people there, and weshall get help. "

There was so much, decision in the boy's utterance that Dale wasimpressed, and he stopped short close up to the ice, listening to thechipping sound, which was distinctly heard now, though very faint. 

All at once Saxe went forward a step or two, and then dropped upon hisknees on the stone where the ice stood a few inches away from the rock, melted and worn by the water that evidently tore down at times. 

"Well?" said Dale, as Saxe listened. 

"Yes, you can hear it more plainly here, " said the boy. 

"No!"

"Come and listen. "

Dale laid his head against the ice, and for a few moments nothing washeard. 

"No, " said Dale; "it is what I told you--an echo from above. Peopledon't cut steps on glaciers, the slope is not enough. Ah! yes. It doescertainly seem to come from the ice. "

Saxe looked at him wildly. His head was in a whirl, full of thoughts, which seemed to jostle each other, while Dale stood listening to thesteady chip, chip, chip. 

"I cannot quite make it out. "

"There's some one cutting down there, " cried Saxe. 

"No. The sound is carried a long way; but some one must be cuttingsteps in the ice not far from here. "

"Then it is not an echo?"

"No, I think not; but I am not sure. "

"Let's see!" cried Saxe excitedly. 

"It is like wasting time, my boy; but it may mean the help we want. Yes, we will see. "

Dale began to climb on the ice once more, but Saxe hung back. 

"The sound comes from down here, " he said. 

"Possibly. But come up here, and we may hear it more plainly. Give meyour hand. "

"I can manage, " cried Saxe, and he seemed to have forgotten hisexhaustion as he sprang up the rugged blocks, and wound in and out tillthey came to a smooth part, where Dale halted. 

"Yes, " he said, as the chipping went on; "the ice conducts the sound. It comes more from the centre of the glacier. "

"It doesn't, " said Saxe to himself. "I'm sure it comes from below. "

But he said nothing aloud, only followed his companion as he led him on, and in and out, with the sound playing with their ears as thewill-o'-the-wisp is said to play with the eyes. 

For sometimes it was heard plainly. Then, as they wandered on amidstquite a labyrinth of piled-up ice that at another time they would haveshunned in dread of danger, and through which they were now impelled bya strange feeling of excitement, the noise died quite away. 

At such times they were in despair; but as they pressed on they couldhear the chipping again. 

Finally Dale stopped short, beneath a tall spire of ice, and held up hishand. 

"I'm afraid we have wasted a valuable half-hour, Saxe, " he said. "Therecan be nothing here. "

They shouted as they had shouted a dozen times before, but there was noresponse, and Dale turned wearily in the direction from which they hadcome, the perpendicular rocks of the valley indicating the course theyhad to take, when suddenly the sound began again, apparently from closebeneath their feet. 

"It must be out here, " cried Saxe; and he went off to his right, and atthe end of a minute reached a comparatively level space that they hadnot seen before. 

"Take care!" cried Dale. "A crevasse over yonder. "

Chip, chip, chip. There was the sound again, and as Saxe laid his earagainst the ice he heard it more distinctly. 

"We're getting nearer, " he cried. "It sounds underneath, but is fartheraway. I know! I'm sure! I've felt it ever so long now. There's someone down below. "

Dale said nothing, but he thought the same, and stepping forward side byside with the boy, they strode on together, with the chipping growingplainer; and as their further progress was stopped by a wide crevasseall doubt was at an end. 

The sounds came up from the vast rift, which seemed in the failing lightto run in a peculiar waving zigzag right across the glacier for nearlyhalf a mile. 

Saxe uttered a curious hoarse sound, as he dropped upon his knees closeto the edge of the crevasse. 

"Take care, boy; the ice is slippery. "

Saxe made no reply, but peered shuddering down into the black darkness, and tried to shout; but his throat was dry, and not a sound would come. 

It was Dale who shouted, as he now bent over the crevasse. 

"Ahoy! Any one there?"

His voice went reverberating down through the caverns of the ice, and asthe sound died away there came an answer--

"Au secours! Help!"

"Melchior!" yelled Saxe wildly; and the voice came again from out of theblack darkness--

"Help!"

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE. 

A RESCUE. 

For a few moments Dale and Saxe knelt together there, with their heartsthrobbing wildly at their discovery. There was a bewildering train ofthoughts, too, running through their minds, as to how the poor fellowcould have got there; and Saxe could only find bottom in one idea--thatthey had been confusedly wandering about, returning another way, tillthey had accidentally hit upon a further development of the greatcrevasse into which the guide had fallen. 

All this was momentary, and then Dale was speaking. 

"He must be a long way off to the right here, cutting his way up, andthe ice conducted the sound. Come, --carefully. It would be terrible ifyou slipped. "

"I sha'n't slip!" cried Saxe firmly, and he followed on. 

"Ahoy!" shouted Dale. "Where are you?"

"Here!" came from the right still, but apparently from the other side, the voice sounding hollow and strange. 

Dale caught Saxe's arm. 

"Are we on the wrong side of the crevasse!" he muttered. But he went onfor another twenty yards and called. 

The answer still came from the right, but not from the opposite side, the former effect being simply reverberation. Another thirty yards orso brought them to where the hollow-sounding voice seemed to come upfrom straight below them; and they lay down to speak. 

"Don't ask questions about how he came there. Let me speak only, "whispered Dale. "Where are you?" he shouted. 

"Nearly below you, herr, " came up feebly. "So cold and faint. "

"Hold on, " shouted Dale. "Now, Saxe, the ball of string and thelanthorn. Light it quickly. "

The boy's hands trembled so that he could hardly obey, and two matcheswere spoiled by the touch of his wet fingers before the lamp burnedbright and clear. 

Meanwhile Dale had been securing the lanthorn to the end of the string. 

"Melchior, " he shouted, "I'm sending you down the light. "

His words were short and sharp, and now he lay down and began to lowerthe lanthorn rapidly, its clear flame reflected from the ice wall, andrevealing bit by bit the horrors of the terrible gulf, with itsperpendicular walls. 

Down, down, down went the lamp, till Saxe's heart sank with it, and witha look of despair he watched it and that which it revealed, --for hecould see that it would be impossible for anyone to climb the ice wall, and the lamp had gone down so far that it was beyond the reach of theirrope. 

"Terribly deep down, " said Dale, half aloud, as he watched thedescending lanthorn. 

"Ah! I see him!" cried Saxe. "He is just below the light, on thatledge. Yes, and the ice slopes down from there. "

"Can you get it?" cried Dale loudly. "Not yet, herr, " came up feebly. "Lower. "

"There is not much more string, Saxe, " whispered Dale: "get the ropeready. "

But before this could be done the feeble voice from below cried, "Hold!"and they could see, at a terrible depth, the lanthorn swinging, and thenthere was the clink of metal against metal, and a horrible cry and ajarring blow. 

"He has fallen!" cried Saxe. "No: he has got hold, and is climbingback. "

Faintly as it was seen, it was plain enough to those who watched withthrobbing pulses. The lanthorn had been beyond Melchior's reach, and ashe lay there on a kind of shelf or fault in the ice, he had tried tohook the string toward him with his ice-axe, slipped, and would havegone headlong down lower, but for the mountaineer's instinctive effortto save himself by striking his axe-pick into the ice. 

No one spoke, but every pulse was throbbing painfully as the man'sactions were watched, down far beneath them, he seeming to be in thecentre of a little halo of light, while everything around was pitchyblack. 

"He has got it, " muttered Saxe, after a painful pause; and then theyheard the clink of the ice against the lanthorn, and saw the lattermove, while directly after, from out of the silence below, there camethe sound of a deeply drawn breath. "Can you hold on there?" said Dalethen, sharply. "A little while, herr. I am cold, but hope will putlife in me. " Dale waited a few minutes, and Saxe touched himimploringly. "What shall we do?" he whispered. "Shall I go for help?"

"No. Get your axe, and begin cutting some foothold for us: three orfour good deep, long notches, about a yard apart. Begin six or eightfeet away from the edge. We want purchase to pull him out. "

"But the rope--the rope!" cried Saxe. "Do as I tell you. "

Saxe obeyed without a word, driving the pick-end into the ice, andmaking the chips fly in the grey light of evening, for the shadows werenow falling fast; and as the lad worked and cut the deep groove, Dalebent over the crevasse and spoke. 

"Better!" he said. 

"Yes, herr: more life in me now. "

"Have you your rope?"

Saxe stopped to listen for the answer, and, though it was only a matterof moments, he suffered agonies of expectation before he heard theanswer. 

"Yes. "

"Take off the lanthorn and stand it by you, or fasten it to your belt. "

"Yes, herr. "

"Make fast your rope to the string, and let me draw it up. "

"It will not reach, herr. "

"I know. I have mine. "

There was a pause only broken by the chipping of the ice-axe, and thenthe voice came up again in a hollow whisper--

"Ready!"

"If it will only bear it, " muttered Dale, as he steadily drew upon thestring, hand over hand, expecting moment by moment that it would part. But it bore the weight of the rope well, and in a few minutes he wasable to lift the coil over the edge on to the glacier. 

Saxe heard him give a sigh of relief as he bent down and drew it away;but he turned back to the crack directly, and shouted down in slow, solemn words--

"Keep a good heart man, and if it is to be done we'll save you. "

"With God's help, herr, " came up; and the voice sounded to Saxe, as hetoiled away, less despairing. 

"Now!" cried Dale, speaking quickly and excitedly: "pray with me, lad, that these two ropes together may be long enough. Quick! Out with yourknife. "

Saxe obeyed, and stood ready while Dale rapidly joined the two ropestogether; but, not content with his knot, he cut off a couple of piecesof string, and rapidly bound down the loose ends so that they should byno possibility slip through the loops. 

This done, and Saxe once more cutting the grooves he was making moredeeply, Dale rapidly ran Melchior's rope through his hands, and made aknot and slip-noose. 

"Keep on cutting, " he said to Saxe. "No: a better idea. Pick a hole--there!" He stamped his foot in the place he meant. "Small and deep, soas to turn your axe into an anchor if we want its help. Work--hard!"

Saxe drove his axe down on to the ice with vigour, blow after blowsending the tiny crystals flying, while he had to fight down the intensedesire to leave off and watch the rescue, as Dale began to lower thenoose he had made. 

"Is it long enough?--is it long enough?" he muttered, as he rapidlypassed the rope through his hands, Saxe giving a side glance from timeto time as he picked away. 

Down went the whole length of the guide's line, and the knot passedDale's hands, after which the weight was sufficient to draw down the newrope, whose rings uncoiled rapidly, and, as their number grew fewer, Saxe breathed hard, and he echoed Dale's words, "Will it be longenough?"

The last coil but three--the last coil but two--the last coil but one--the last coil; and Dale's nervous right hand closed upon the very end, and he went close to the brink and looked down at the light. 

"Can you reach it?" he shouted. 

There was a pause, and then the voice came up--

"No! Lower a little more. "

Dale groaned. Then, lying down, he held his hands close to the edge, giving quite another three feet to the length. 

"Can you reach it now?"

"No. "

"How far off is it above you?"

There was a pause, and then--

"I can just touch it with the end of my finger. I am lying down, andholding on with one hand and my ice-axe. If I could use my axe, I couldpull it down. "

"No, no!" shouted Dale. "The rope is all out. Stop: if I give youanother two feet, can you get your arm well through the noose I havemade, and hang on?"

"I will try. "

"Come here, Saxe. I am going to lean over the edge and hold the ropedown as far as I can reach. Drive the head of your axe into the holeyou have made, and hold on with one hand; take hold of my ankle with theother. There will be no strain upon you, but it will give me strengthby holding me in my place. "

The axe was driven in to hold like an anchor, and Saxe shuddered as heheld by the handle and took a good grip of Dale by thrusting his fingersin at the top of his heavy mountaineering boot. 

Then Dale shuffled himself as far over the brink as he dared, andstretched his arms down to their full extent. 

"Now: can you do it?"

Another terrible pause. 

"No, herr. "

Dale groaned, and was wondering whether he could achieve his aim bydrawing up the rope, re-knotting it, and making the noose smaller, butjust then Melchior spoke. 

"If I could free my ice-axe, I could hook on to it, herr. I can see theloop quite plainly, but I dare not stir--I can only move one hand. "

"Wait!" cried Dale. "Ice-axe!"

He drew back, hauled up some of the rope, knelt upon it to keep it fast, and picked up his ice-axe, while Saxe watched him with dilated eyes, ashe made a knot and passed the axe handle through to where the steel headstopped it like a cross. Then, cutting off more string, he bound theend of the rope to the handle of his axe, doubly and triply, so thatslipping was impossible. 

This took up nearly a foot for the knot; but the handle was nearly fourfeet long, so that by this scheme he gained another yard as an additionto the rope. 

"I am at the end of my wits now, Saxe, " he said softly; and then, withgrim irony, "There is no need to wet my hands, boy. "

"Now, Melchior!" he shouted; "try again!"

He was on his chest as he spoke, with his arms outstretched, holdingtightly by the axe handle. 

"Can you reach it?"

Saxe panted, and felt the insides of his hands grow wet and cold as heheld on to his companion and listened for the answer that was terriblylong in coming. The sensation was almost suffocating; he held hisbreath, and every nerve and muscle was on the strain for the words whichseemed as if they would never reach his ears. 

"Well?" shouted Dale, in a harsh, angry voice, his word sounding like asnarl. 

"Can't quite--can't. Hah! I have it!"

"Hurrah!" burst out Saxe, giving vent in his homely, boyish way to hisexcitement. 

Then, feeling ashamed of himself, he was silent and listened for everyword. 

"Get your arm right through, above the elbow. "

"Yes, herr. Right. "

"Pull, to tighten it. "

"Yes, herr, " came back. 

"Ready? Sure it cannot slip?"

"It cuts right into my arm: never slip. "

"Now, Saxe, I have him, boy; but Heaven knows whether I can get him up, lying like this. No: it is impossible; I have no strength, and the woodhandle is not like rope. "

"Oh!" groaned Saxe. 

"If I could get to the rope, you might help me. It is impossible: Icannot lift him so. "

"Can you hold on as you are?" said Saxe huskily. 

"Yes; but I could not lift--I have no power. "

"I must come too, and get hold of the handle. Will the head come off?"

"Hush! No. It is too new and strong. But you could not get hold to doany good. There--come and try. "

Saxe unhooked his axe from the ice, for an idea had struck him; and, lying down close to Dale, who uttered a sigh of satisfaction as hegrasped the boy's idea, he lowered down his axe, and hooked the ropewith it just beneath Dale's. 

"Good, " whispered the latter, --"good. Ready?"

"Yes. "

"Draw steadily hand over hand, till we can get the rope over the edge. Then throw your axe back, and take hold of the rope. "

"Yes, I understand. "

"Now, Melchior, we are going to haul. "

There was no reply beyond what sounded like a groan; and the pair at theedge of the crevasse began to tighten the rope gently as they drew uptheir axes, with the weight gradually increasing; they saw by the lightof the lanthorn that they first dragged the poor fellow up into asitting position; and not having the full burden to deal with yet, Dalegot a shorter hold of the axe handle, Saxe doing the same. 

"Steady, steady: don't hurry, boy. It is these first moments thatpossess the danger. Once we have the rope I don't mind. "

They hauled again hand over hand literally: for in their cribbedposition they could do no more than just pass one hand over the other;but they were gaining ground, and even yet they had not the full weight, for fortunately as they hauled they could see the body swing roundagainst the ice wall, and that Melchior's feet were on the dimly visibleledge. 

"Now, Saxe, we have his whole weight coming; so as the strain falls, quick with him, one, two, three, and we shall have the rope. Once I canget that between us on to the edge, we shall have a lot of the drag offour arms. Now--one, two, three!"

How it was done they could neither of them afterwards have fullyexplained; but Saxe had some recollection of tugging at his ice handlein answer to those words of command till he touched the head with onehand, passed his other under it, and had hold of the rope. 

"Now your axe!" shouted Dale; and Saxe unhooked it, and flung it behindhim with a clang, as at the same time it felt to him as if his chestwere being drawn slowly over the slippery ice, and that he was movingsurely on into the gulf. 

The perspiration stood out in great drops upon his face, his grasp ofthe rope grew more feeble, and the feeling of self-preservation wasthrilling him, when suddenly there was a tremendous reaction; he drew along breath, and was hauling with renewed strength. 

It was all nearly momentary, and the reaction came as the boy felt histoes glide into one of the great notches he had cut in the ice. 

"Steady, steady, " panted Dale. "Oh, if I only had some purchase! Pull, and never mind the skin; get the rope over the edge. Hurrah!"

The rope was over the edge, and just between them, and but for the factthat Dale was able to get the head of his axe beneath his chest, andpress it down on the ice, it would have glided back once more. 

"Now, Saxe, " he cried, "I can hold him like this for a few moments: theedge helps. Step back and take a grip of the axe handle. "

Saxe obeyed, drawing the handle tight, and getting his boot toes inanother of the notches. 

"Now, " cried Dale, "hold on with all your might while I shuffle back. "

"Are you going to leave go?" growled Saxe. 

"No. "

That negative came like the roar of a wild beast. 

"Got him tight, " cried Saxe; and he set his teeth and shut his eyes, while, holding on with one hand, Dale shuffled himself back as far as hecould--that is, to the full extent of his arms and the foot of rope hehad dragged over the edge of the ice. 

Then he paused for a moment or two. 

"Now I want to get rope enough in for you to take hold. "

"Will the ice edge cut?"

"No: the rope will cut down a smooth channel in the ice. Ready?--Together. "

There was a brief interval of hauling, and several feet were drawn over, so that Saxe was able to get hold of the rope too; and they restedagain, for in that position everything depended on their arms. 

"Now I have him, " cried Dale. "Hold on with one hand while you reachyour axe, and anchor it in the hole you made. "

"Done, " cried Saxe. 

"Haul again. "

They hauled, and another foot or so was gained. 

"Now hitch the rope well round the axe handle, " cried Dale, "and get ittight. "

This was done; the rope being twisted above the band of leather placedto keep the hand from slipping; and with this to take off the stress, Dale was able, while well holding on, to get to his knees, and then tohis feet, when, planting his heels in one of the grooves cut in the ice, he took a fresh grip of the rope. 

"Now, Saxe, " he cried; "up with you! Behind me!"

The lad grasped the position, and leaped up and seized the rope behindDale. 

"Now, then!--a steady haul together!"

The battle seemed to be nearly won, for the rope glided on steadily overthe ice, cutting pretty deeply the while, but after the first fewseconds apparently without friction. 

Foot by foot, a steady pull, till there was a sudden check. 

"Hah!" ejaculated Dale. "I see. We are at the end of the new rope, andthe knot has caught in the groove we've made. I can hold him, Saxe. Take your axe, and pick the ice away on one side. Mind! you must nottouch the rope. "

Saxe took his axe, and a few strokes with the pointed end broke off agood-sized piece. The knot glided over, and the next minute, with thesame idea inspiring both, they began to haul up Melchior's rope. 

Will this last out, and not be broken by the friction?

Foot by foot--foot by foot--till at any moment they felt they would seethe man's hand appear; and all seemed to depend now upon the state inwhich the poor fellow would be in when he reached the surface. If hewere perfectly helpless, the worst part, perhaps, of their task wouldcome. If he could aid, it would be comparatively easy. 

At last there was a faint glow of light behind the edge, which grewplainer in the gloom in which they had been working, and directly afterMelchior's hand reached the edge. 

Dale was a man of resource, and he was about to call upon Saxe to hitchthe rope round the axe handle once more--that which acted as an anchor--when he saw in the faint glow that the fingers clutched at the edge. 

"Haul! haul!" he cried; and as they pulled the whole arm appeared abovethe edge, and was stretched flat on the ice. And the next moment, witha dash, the guide's axe was swung over the edge, and the sharp point dugdown into the glistening surface, giving the poor fellow a slight hold, which, little as it was, proved some help. 

It has been said that Dale was a man of resource, and he proved it morethan ever now. 

"I can hold him, " he cried. "Take the rope, and lower down a big loopright over his head. That's right: lower away. " Then, as Saxeresponded quickly, he cried to the guide, "Try if you can get one orboth your legs through the loop. "

There was a little scraping and movement before the poor fellow said, hoarsely--

"Through. "

"Now, Saxe, twist the rope as quickly as you can, so as to get hold. "

Saxe twisted the double rope till the loop closed upon the guide's leg;and then there was a momentary pause. 

"Now, ready! When I say haul, try to help us all you can. Haul!"

Saxe had his heel in a groove, and he struggled with all his might, Melchior aiding him so effectually that, as Dale drew the poor fellow'sarm farther, Saxe was able to raise the leg he held to the level; andthe next moment the guide lay prone on the ice with the lanthorn stillburning, and attached to the waist. 

"Both together again!" cried Dale hoarsely; and they dragged him a fewyards along the ice perfectly helpless, for he had exhausted himself inthat last effort to reach the surface. 

"Take--off--that--that light!" said Dale, in a strange tone of voice;and then, before Saxe could run to his assistance, he staggered towardthe crevasse and fell heavily. 

The boy's heart was in his mouth. For the moment it had seemed as ifDale were going headlong down, but he lay a good two feet from the edge, a distance which Saxe increased by drawing him over the ice; and then, himself utterly exhausted, he sank upon his knees helpless as a child, the ice glimmering in a peculiarly weird and ghastly way, the dark skyoverhead--far from all aid--faint and famished from long fasting--andwith two insensible men dumbly appealing to him for his assistance. 

It was not at all a matter of wonder that Saxe should say piteously--

"What can I do? Was ever poor fellow so miserable before?"

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR. 

A GREAT CALL ON A BOY. 

Saxe's depression was only very temporary. As his breath, short fromexertion, began to come more regularly, his thoughts dropped back fromthe tangle of weak helplessness into their proper common-sense groove. 

Going to Dale, he turned him over on to his back, and then went toMelchior, who lay motionless; but he was quite sensible, and spoke. 

Saxe drew out the flask, and poured a few drops between Dale's lips. Then, returning to the guide, he treated him in the same manner beforeclasping the poor fellow's hand between both his own, and crying in achoking voice--

"Oh, Melchior! Thank God--thank God!"

"Ja, herr, " said the poor fellow in a whisper, as he reverted to hisnative tongue: "Gott sei dank!"

Just then Dale began to recover, and uttered a low groan; butconsciousness came with one stride, and he sat up, looked sharply round, and said sharply--

"Surely I did not swoon? Ah! I was utterly exhausted. Well, Melchior, lad, " he continued, with a forced laugh, "you are no light weight; butwe tested the two ropes well. However did you get down to this place?"

"Don't ask me now, herr, " said the guide. "I am weak, and want rest. Will you let me grasp your hand?"

"My dear fellow!" cried Dale eagerly, and he seized and held the poorfellow's hand in both of his. "Now, how are you? Can you get up andwalk?"

"Oh, yes, herr; and the sooner the better, for I am wet, and it is socold: I am nearly benumbed. "

"Here, let's help you, " cried Dale, and he and Saxe passed their armsunder the poor fellow's shoulders and raised him up. 

"Thank you--thank you!" he said. "It is the cold that makes me sohelpless. Let me sit on that block for a few minutes while you coil upthe ropes. "

This was done; and then the question arose--whereabouts on the glacierwere they?

"I think I know, " said the guide, rather feebly. 

"Yes: but you are not fit to move, " said Saxe. 

"I must move, young herr, " replied the man sadly. "To stay as I ammeans a terrible illness, perhaps death. But I shall fight it down. The movement will send life into me. Now, have you the axes? Please togive me mine, and I shall creep along. We must get to the tent and afire somehow. "

"But you cannot lead, Melchior. "

"I will lead, herr, " he replied, as he rested on Saxe's shoulder. "Herein the mountains man must exert himself if he wishes to live. Thisway. "

To the astonishment of both he used his ice-axe as a walking-stick, holding it by the steel head, striking the spike at the end of thehandle into the slippery floor, and walking slowly but steadily on alongthe edge of the crevasse. 

Saxe felt a strong inclination to go back and peer down into the blackdepths again, but he had to resist it, and, carrying the lanthorn, hefollowed close behind Melchior, with one hand raised, ready to snatch athim if he seemed disposed to fall. 

It was very dark now, and the light from the lanthorn was reflected in afaint, sickly way from the ghostly-looking masses of ice as theythreaded their way onward, the guide whispering to them to be silent andcareful, as many of the huge pinnacles were unsteady. 

But, in spite of their cautious procedure, one mass tottered over andcame down with an awful crash just as Dale had passed; and the fallingof this meant the destruction of a couple of others, the noise of theirsplintering raising an echo in the narrow gorge which ran upwardreverberating like thunder. 

Melchior did not speak, but hurried on, and, turning the end of thecrevasse, led them diagonally off the ice and down into the narrow stonyway between it and the walls of the valley. 

Here he let himself sink down on a smooth slope of rock, to remainseated for a moment or two and then lie right down upon his back. 

"It is nothing, herr, " he said quietly, --"only weariness. May I beg forsomething?"

"Yes: what can we do!" cried Dale. 

"Fill your pipe for me, herr, and light it. My tobacco is so wet itwill not burn. "

"Of course, " cried Dale. 

"Hadn't we better give him some more water?" whispered Saxe. 

"No, herr, " said the guide; "no more. That which you gave me broughtlife back to me: it would do no more good now. Let me rest and smokeawhile--not many minutes. Then I can go on. "

The pipe was filled and handed to the poor fellow, who held it withtrembling fingers to the opened lanthorn; and as soon as he had lit itand begun to smoke, he said feebly--

"Have you matches, herr!"

"Yes, plenty. "

He blew out the light. 

"We do not want that now, " he said, handing it back to Saxe, and lyingback again, to go on smoking rapidly. "The warmth is coming back to mylimbs, " he continued. "I shall be able to walk better, herrs, and itwill be best for me. "

"Then you think you can reach the tent to-night?" said Dale. 

"Oh yes: we will reach it, herr. It is not so very far now. There willbe a fire, and hot coffee, and rugs to cover us from the cold. Oh yes:we are all faint and hungry. "

"But look here, Melk, " said Saxe, "suppose I go down and fetch up somewood and the coffee?"

"No, herr: it is life to me to get down to camp. There!" he cried, making an effort and rising, "I am getting stronger now. It is hardwork to walk, but it is best for me after what I have gone through. "

Saxe looked at the dark figure before him with a feeling almost of awe, and his desire was intense to begin questioning; but he restrainedhimself, waiting till Melchior himself should begin, and following downover the rugged and slippery stones for what seemed to be a wearyinterminable time. A dozen times over the boy felt as if, regardless ofthe cold, and the knowledge that it was freezing sharply, he must throwhimself down and sleep. But there was the dark figure of the patientguide before him, struggling slowly along, and fighting against the painand exhaustion that nearly overcame him, and he took heart and stumbledon till he felt as if all the trouble through which he had passed thatevening were a dream, of which this was the nightmare-like following, and at last he followed the guide nearly asleep. 

How long they had been walking Saxe could not tell, but he roused upsuddenly as a peculiar cry rang out somewhere close at hand. 

"What's that?" he cried excitedly. 

"The mule trumpeting a welcome back, " cried Dale. "We are close therenow;" and, in effect, five minutes after they were in the shelterednook, where Melchior stumbled to the tent and dropped down under itsshelter. 

"Quick, Saxe! The fire and hot coffee for the poor fellow!"

Saxe was wakeful enough now, and in a very short time the coffee kettlewas steaming, while the fire threw strange shadows on the rocky wall. 

Dale had not been idle. His first proceeding had been to throw a coupleof rugs over their companion, who in due time sat up to drink the hotcoffee with avidity. He could only eat a few morsels of bread, but hepartook of the coffee again, and then sank back to drop into a heavysleep, and Saxe and Dale sat watching him for some time, forgettingtheir own mental and bodily weariness in their anxiety respecting thepoor fellow's state. But after bending over him several times, andalways with the same satisfactory discovery that the sufferer wassleeping easily and well, both Dale and Saxe yielded to their own desireto lie down, carrying on a conversation one minute and the next to besleeping as heavily as the guide. 

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. 

MELCHIOR'S ADVENTURE. 

Saxe woke the next morning with a start, and, as full recollection came, he looked round at where Melchior lay; but he was not there. Dale was, however, sleeping soundly; and creeping silently out, so as not toawaken him, Saxe found, to his surprise, that the guide was seated bythe fire, feeding it carefully and sparingly with sticks, so as to getall the flame to bear upon the coffee kettle; and, to Saxe's greatdelight, he seemed to be much as usual. 

"Why, Melk, " he said, "I was afraid you would be very bad. "

"I? Oh no, herr. I was very bad last night, and it was hard work toget back here; but the sleep did me good. You see, we mountain peopleget used to being knocked about, and I am not much hurt. "

"But--"

"Yes, I'll tell you presently, when the master is awake: it is notpleasant to talk about twice. Here he is. "

"Why, Melchior, man, you surprise me!" cried Dale, shaking hands warmly. "Here have I been dreaming all night about a long journey to fetch a_chaise a porteurs_ to carry you down, and here you are just as usual. "

"Yes, herr; and the coffee will be ready by the time you have had yourbath. "

"But I want to know--"

"Yes, herr, I'll tell you soon;" and a very, very short time after, asthey sat round their meal, Melchior went on sipping his coffee andeating his bacon, as if he had never been in peril in his life; whilethe others, in spite of the hunger produced by the keen mountain air, could hardly partake of a morsel from the excitement they felt as theguide told of his mishap. 

"I always feel, herrs, when I have had to do with an accident, that Ihave been in fault, and that I have to examine myself as to what I hadleft undone; but here I cannot see that I neglected anything. Thecrevasse was not wide. I had seen you both leap in safety, and Ifollowed. It was one of the misfortunes that happen to people, whetherthey are mountaineers or quiet dwellers in the valley. "

"Yes; a terrible accident, Melchior. "

"Yes, herr. Sometimes we go to mishaps, sometimes they come to us. Well, Heaven be thanked, my life was spared. Ah! herr, I am very proudof you two, for I seem to have taught you a little. Very few of our menwould have worked more bravely, or done so well. "

"Oh, nonsense! We acted as any one else would under the circumstances, "said Dale hastily. "Tell us about your accident. "

"My fall, herr? There is very little to tell. "

"Little!" echoed Saxe. "Oh, go on: tell us!"

"Very well, herr, " said Melchior simply; but he remained silent. 

"We thought you were killed, " said Dale, to bring the guide's thoughtsback. 

"Yes, herr; you would. It was a bad fall; very deep, but not like goingdown from a mountain. I am not broken anywhere; hardly scratched, except my hands and arms in climbing. "

"But you jumped across the crevasse, Melk!" cried Saxe, "and then agreat piece broke out. "

"Yes, herr: so suddenly that I had not time to use my axe, and before Icould utter a cry I was falling fast down into the dark depths. Ibelieve I did cry out for help, but the noise of ice and snow fallingand breaking on a ledge some way down drowned my voice; and as I turnedover in the air, I felt that I had made my last climb, and that the endhad come, as I had known it come to better guides. "

"There are no better guides, " said Saxe warmly. 

"No!" echoed Dale, and they saw the man's face flush a little throughhis swarthy skin, and his eyes brighten. 

"Oh yes, herrs, " he said; "but we all try to do our best. What was Isaying? I remember: that I was falling down and down, and set my teethand held my axe with both hands to try and strike if I should reach aslope, so as to stop myself; but there was nothing but the black wallsof ice on either side and the roar of waters below. I thought of thisas I prepared myself for being broken on the cruel rocks beneath: agreat deal to think, herrs, in so short a time, but thoughts comequickly when one is falling. Then I was plunged suddenly into deep, roaring water, and felt myself swept round and then onward as if I hadbeen once more in the schlucht; for I had fallen into one of the greatwater holes in the river below the gletscher, and then was carriedalong. "

"How horrible!" ejaculated Saxe. "Was it very dark?"

"So black that a man might do without eyes, herr, " said Melchior, smiling sadly. 

"You could not swim in water like that!"

"No, herr; and it was so cold that it deadened a man's strength. But Iknew I must fight for my life, for I said to myself I had my two Englishherrs above there on the gletscher, and how could they find their wayback from the wilderness of ice? Then I thought of how the little rivermust run, and I could tell--for I knew it must be very much like theplaces where I have looked up from the end of gletschers (glaciers youcall them)--that there would be deep holes worn in the rock where greatstones are always whirling round and grinding the hollows deeper. Thesewould be hard to pass; but I hoped by clinging to the side to get bythem without being drowned. They were not what I feared. "

"Then what did you fear!" cried Saxe excitedly; for the guide hadpaused. 

"The narrow pieces, where the water touched the roof, herr. I knew itwas far down to the foot of the glacier, and that there must be manylong hollows where the water rushed through as in a great pipe; and ifthey were too long, I felt that I could never get my breath again, butthat I should be thrown out at the bottom dead. "

Dale drew a long, deep breath, and asked himself whether he wasjustified in exposing a man to such risks for the sake of making his owndiscoveries. 

"Well, herrs, I knew that if I stopped I should get benumbed and unableto struggle on, so I began feeling my way along the narrow shore of thelittle river, now touching stone, now ice, till the shore seemed to end. As I felt about I found the ice arch lower, and that I must begin towade. "

"But why didn't you try and wade back to the bottom of the crevassewhere you fell?" cried Saxe. 

"I did, herr; but it was impossible to face the water. It rushed downso fiercely that, as it grew deeper and from wading knee deep I wasgoing along with the water at my waist, I had to cling sometimes to theice above my head to keep from being swept away. "

Saxe drew a long breath. 

"I went on, herr, cheered by the knowledge that every step I took wasone nearer to liberty; and now, though the water was all melted ice, Idid not feel so cold, till suddenly my feet slipped away from under me, and I felt as if something had given me a heavy push in the back. ThenI was under the water, and found that I was gliding round and round. Idon't know how many times, for it was like being in a dream, till I wasonce more where the water swept me down under the ice arch. 

"There, I can tell you little more, except that it was all wildconfusion, that the roar of the water seemed to crash against my earstill I was once more in a shallow place; and as I struggled to get mybreath, I came to what seemed to be a bar, panting heavily till I couldturn a little, and I found that the bar to which I clung was the handleof my ice-axe lying across two masses of stone, between which the watersroared. 

"I felt that I could go no farther, and that if I attempted to passthrough that narrow gateway of stone it would be to my death, so Iforced myself sidewise till I found myself free from so much pressure, and, stretching out my ice-axe, I felt about till I could hook it on toice or stone; and as I drew myself along by the handle the water grewless deep, then shallower still; and as I made my way it was over stonesamong which water ran, and I felt about with my axe, puzzled, for it wasso strange. There was the water running over my feet, but gently, andthe rushing river a little way behind. What did it mean? why was it so?Those were the questions I asked myself till the light came. "

"Ah! it began to get light?" cried Saxe. 

"In my brain, herr, " said Melchior, smiling; "and I knew that this was alittle side stream coming down some crack beneath the ice, one of themany that help to make the other big. 

"As soon as I understood this I stopped, for I knew that the opening tothese rivers would grow smaller and smaller, and that it would be of nouse to go up there if I wanted to escape. So, wading along, I tried toreach the wall, to lean against it and rest before going back to thetorrent, knowing as I did that this must be the only way. 

"I must have taken a dozen steps before my ice-axe checked against theice, and I threw myself against it, trying to calm my burning head byresting it against what I took to be the arch of the large ice-cave intowhich I had found my way; but, instead of the wall leaning over towardme, as it would in a rugged arch, it sloped away. I did not notice thismuch as I leaned forward, for the ice felt delightfully cool against myburning head; and as the coldness went in farther and farther, I seemedto be able to think better and clearer, and this set me trying aboutwith the axe, till I found that I was at the bottom of a great iceslope, as it seemed to me; and as I raised my head and gazed upward myheart gave a great throb, for there, high up, far away, was a gleam oflight, and at the sight of that strength came to me, and I grasped myaxe tightly, for that meant escape from that terrible place, and life. 

"I was quite cool then, and I knew that I must be at the bottom of somecrevasse. I knew, too, that the ice sloped away from me, therefore itwould most likely do so all the way up; so I had only to climb to thesurface of the gletscher and walk away. "

"I'm beginning to understand now, " said Saxe. "An ice slope is not avery serious thing to a guide who has worked upon the mountains eversince he was a boy, herrs. Feeling satisfied now that I had but to cutmy way up step by step, I grew more easy in my mind, glanced up, andthen, after a little feeling about in the darkness, I chipped my firststep, just enough for my toe to hold in, rose up and cut another. "

"In the dark? How did you know where to hit?" cried Saxe. "I could cutsteps in the ice blindfold, herr, " said Melchior sharply. "When thehands and arms have grown used to doing a thing, they can do it even ifthe eyes are not watching them. Of course I do not say I always struckexactly in the right place, but I could get sufficiently near to make anotch in the smooth ice; and I kept on, with my heart growing lighter asI chipped away, listening to the echoing of the blows and the hissingsound of the bits of ice as they slipped down the smooth face--for itwas perfectly smooth, and as if polished. 

"Step by step I cut my way. It was slow, tiring work; but every notchmade was a step nearer to liberty, and I worked on. As I climbed higherI had to cut my notches deeper, for the slope was not quite so easy, andthe slightest slip would have sent me to the bottom; and from the heightto which I had at last climbed this might have meant a broken arm orleg, for there was no water to fall into but a few inches tricklingamong the stones. 

"And so I cut on and on, herrs, till, as I looked up far above me, Icould see the gleam of the sun, and hope grew stronger and sent strengthinto my arms as I swung my axe. 

"Higher and higher, always getting up by making a notch for each foot, till my arms began to grow heavy as lead. But still I worked on, everystep cut bringing me nearer to the surface, though at the end of eachhour's hard labour I seemed very little advanced; and at last, as I grewmore weary, my spirits began to sink again, for the slope grew more andmore steep, though I would not own to it myself. Still it was steeperand steeper, and I cut desperately, and made deep notches into which Iforced my feet, while I cut again till the last part was nearlyperpendicular; and after cutting my last step I felt that my task wasdone, for I had reached a ledge over which I was able to climb, till Icould lie half upon it, knowing that I had come to where the wall wentstraight up, and that it would be impossible to hold on to that slipperyice and cut my way higher. 

"Still, I would not give up, herrs; but reached up and cut till I feltthat I was gliding off the narrow ledge, and then I had to rest, and usemy axe to cut notches for my feet to hold and others for my hands, forthe least slip would have sent me down like a stone in a couloir, and Iwanted rest before I had to get down again. I asked myself if I could;and a cold feeling came over me, as I thought that all this work hadbeen for nothing, and that the end had now really come. 

"And then I took my axe again as it lay beside me, and began cutting ina madly foolish kind of way. There was no use in it. I could not helpmyself by cutting; but I could hear the lumps of ice hissing down, andit made me think, so that the work did me good. More, it did othergood, for, as I have thought over it since, it has made me try to prayas a man should pray who has been delivered from a terrible fall. Forthose last blows of my axe must have been the ones which you heard, HerrSaxe--the blows which brought you to my help just when my arms wereready to sink to my side, and I had fully determined in my own mind thatI could never get down from the ledge to the little river alive. "

"How deep was it, Melk?" cried Saxe excitedly. 

The guide shook his head. 

"You know the rest, gentlemen. You came and saved my life just when Ihad not sufficient strength left to have tied the rope safely about mywaist. It was the noose which saved me, and I could not believe in thatsafety till you dragged me over the side of the crevasse. Herr Dale--Herr Saxe, how am I to say words to show you how thankful I am?"

"Do not try, " said Dale quietly. "Come, Saxe boy, you have let yourcoffee grow cold. "

"Yes, " said Saxe; "but it has made my head hot. I don't feel as if Iwant any breakfast now. "

"Nonsense: you must eat, for we have a long journey back to the chalet. "

"To the chalet, herr? You do not want to go round by the chalet?"

"Indeed, but I do. You will want a fortnight's rest after thisadventure. "

The guide stared at him in astonishment. 

"A fortnight's rest!" he echoed; "and with weather like this! Oh, herr, it would be madness: I want no rest. "

"Why, you do not mean to say that you feel equal to going on?"

"Oh yes, herr. I am a little stiff and tired this morning, but thatwill be all gone by to-morrow; and I meant to take you up to a crystalcave to-day. "

Saxe looked at Dale's wondering face, and then burst into a heartylaugh. 

"It is of no use to dwell upon troubles gone by, herr, " said Melchior. "I shall get well quicker here than down at the chalet. How soon willyou be ready to start?"

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX. 

AN EXPEDITION. 

There was no doubt about Melchior's willingness to make a fresh startthat day; but none was made, Dale being of the opinion that a quiet restin the neighbourhood of the camp would be of advantage to all concerned. 

"Rest our bodies and our nerves too, Saxe, " he said. "I am prettystrong in mind and muscle, but yesterday's business shook me in both. Ican see it all constantly; and as for my arms, the strain upon them wasterrific. "

"The herr is stopping about the tent to-day, " said Melchior to Saxe thefirst time he could get him alone, "because he thinks I am too weak togo forward, and because he does not trust me as he did before. It iscruel of him, and he is mistaken. I had an accident, of course; but sodo the best guides upon the mountains have accidents. "

"You are quite wrong, " replied Saxe, and he repeated all that Dale hadsaid; but the guide did not seem to be satisfied, for he shook his headsolemnly, and went about smoking his big pipe, looking despondent in theextreme; while the others spent the morning chipping the stones insearch of minerals that might prove interesting, and of the variousAlpine plants that luxuriated in the sheltered corners and ravinesfacing the south. 

They had been collecting for some little time, when Saxe suddenlyexclaimed--

"Well, I am disappointed!"

"What, at not going on some wild expedition to-day?"

"No: with these stones and flowers. "

"Why?" said Dale. 

"Because there's nothing fresh. I've seen plants like that in Cornwall, and limestone like that in Yorkshire. "

"Not exactly like it, boy; say similar. "

"Well, granite and limestone, then. "

"So you would, my lad, all over the world--Asia, Africa or America. "

"But I expected something so different; and I thought we were going toget magnificent great crystals, and I haven't seen any yet. "

"Did you expect to see them tumbling about anywhere on the mountainside, sir?"

"I thought they would be plentiful. "

"I did not. I fully expected that we should have a good deal ofdifficulty in finding them. If they were easily found, they would becommon and of no value. Wait a bit, and I dare say we shall discover acrystal cavern yet. "

"Well, then, the flowers and moss: I expected to find all kinds of freshthings. "

"Did you?"

"Yes, of course--all foreign. Why, look at those! I've seen lots ofthem at home in gardens. "

"Gentians? Oh yes. "

"And that patch of old monkshood, " Saxe continued, pointing to a slopedotted with the dark blue flowers of the aconite. "Why, you can seethat in nearly every cottage garden at home. Here's another plant, too--I don't know its name. "

"Centaurea. "

"You can see that everywhere; and these bluebell-harebell-campanulathings, and the dandelion blossoms, and the whortleberry and hogweed andwild parsley stuff: you see them all at home. "

"Anything else?"

"Oh yes: the fir trees down below, and the ash and birch and oak andwillow, and all the rest of it. I thought all the trees and flowerswould be foreign; and there's nothing strange about them anywhere, onlythat they grow close to the ice. "

"Humph!" ejaculated Dale, as he pressed an orange hawkweed between twopieces of paper; "has it never occurred to your wise young head thatthese things are common at home because they have been brought fromplaces like this?"

"Eh?"

"Have you not heard about Alpine plants?"

"Oh yes. Aunt Ellen has lots in her garden, I know, because they are solike my name--Saxe something. "

"Saxifrages. There are any number of them about here, from some so tinyyou can hardly see them to others with great bell flowers and broadleaves. I'm afraid if you went to the tropics Saxe, you would findfault with the plants there, because you had seen so many of them athome in England. Now, let's sit down and rest here, and look at themountains! I never tire of watching their snow peaks, ridges andhollows, with their dazzling snow. "

"Yes, it's very beautiful; but I want to climb up some more of them. "

"In spite of the risks?"

"Oh, we must be more careful, and pick fine days. "

Dale smiled. 

"You must have a chat with Melchior about that. Do you know that isalmost impossible to pick what you call a fine day?"

"No, " said Saxe. "I should not have thought it was. Why can't youchoose one?"

"Because the higher you are up the more risk there is of change. Now, look here: what sort of a day would you call this?"

"Surely just the day for ascending a peak. "

"Yes, I knew you would say that; but look up yonder, " and he pointedtoward the summit of the highest mountain near. 

"Yes, I can see. What a lovely slope of snow, with a few cloudsfloating by!"

"To us, Saxe; but if we were up there, we should be in a mist, with theweather intensely cold and a wind blowing so hard that it would beunsafe to climb. "

"What, up there?--now?" cried Saxe wonderingly. 

"Yes, up there now. I have often known men ascend mountains on whatseemed to be glorious days, and there was only a fine filmy veil to beseen floating round the higher parts--just enough to hide them perhapsfor an hour together; but when they came down to the little hotel in thevalley, they had a long tale to tell us of having been frostbitten whileclinging to the snow slopes and ice-covered rocks, not daring to ventureup or down on account of the tremendous, tempestuous wind blowing. "

"I say, look here!" cried Saxe, pointing to another peak from whichlovely, silvery streamers of cloud spread out: "you don't mean to saythat there's bad weather up there now?"

"Indeed, but I do; and if you asked Melchior he would--"

"Hi! Melk!" cried Saxe, as the man came slowly up after them, "whatsort of weather is it up there now?"

"Terrible, herr, " replied the man, shading his eyes. "The snow must befalling heavily, and a wind raging fierce enough to tear any man fromhis hold. "

"Well!" ejaculated Saxe, "I am puzzled. Why, the weather looksglorious--like summer!"

"But you forget that if you only go high enough up it is eternal winter. The tops of those mountains are in the midst of never-failing snow, which is gradually compressed into ice and--"

"Would the herr like to go to the foot of the glacier and examine theice grotto?"

"We did do that in the other valley. "

"But this is a larger cave, herr; and besides, it is the entrance to theone where I journeyed down. "

"Can't you settle yourself for a quiet day, Melchior?" said Dale, smiling. 

"No, herr; I do not seem to be earning my money. It will be a very easywalk, and we can take the lanthorn and another candle; besides, it isquite fresh. I do not think any one has ever been in it but me. "

"What do you say, Saxe?"

"That I should like to go, " cried the lad eagerly; for half a day ofcomparative inaction had been sufficient to weary him, surrounded as hewas by such a region of enchantment, where, turn which way he would, there was some temptation to explore. 

"I am in the minority, " said Dale, smiling; "but I mean to have my ownway. No: I shall keep to my previous arrangements. To-day we willrest. To-morrow, if the weather is good, I'm going up to the bare faceof that mountain on the other side of the glacier. "

"The Bergstock, " said Melchior. "Yes, it is one of the places I mean totake you to, herr; for the gletscher winds round behind it, and I hopeyou will find what you want there. "

"I'm not half so eager to find crystals now, Melk, " said Saxe thatevening, as he sat beside the guide, glad that the day of inaction wasat an end. 

"Why so?" asked Melchior. 

"Because we don't find any, I suppose. "

"But when we do the young herr will be as eager as ever. "

"Oh!"

"Is the young herr in pain?"

"No: only when I move. My arms are so stiff. I say, don't you feel abit sore from your work yesterday?"

"Oh yes, herr, " said the guide, smiling; "but the best way to ease painslike those is not to think about them. "

"I dare say it is, " grumbled Saxe; "but it seems to me that it would beeasier to bear the pain. I couldn't forget a thing that's alwaysreminding you that you are sore. But there, I am glad it's to-night. Ishall go to roost in good time, so as to get a fine long sleep. "

Saxe kept his word, and he slept soundly, only waking once when the muleuttered one of its peculiar squeals. But no one was sufficientlyalarmed to get up, and the incident was forgotten next morning, when oneof many days of an uneventful nature commenced, during which the partymade excursions in different directions: into the ice grotto; across theglacier to the Bergstock; up to first one and then another snowfield, and among magnificent views in all directions, and under endlessatmospheric changes such as gave constant variety to the surroundings. And every night Saxe confided to Melchior that he was tired of it all, and every morning was refreshed and ready for fresh action. 

The perils of the crevasse adventure were almost forgotten; but itseemed to the boy that Dale shrank from going into any fresh danger, andthis troubled him. 

"I suppose Mr Dale thinks I behaved badly, and was too young, " he said. "But only let me have a chance, and I'll show him I am not such acoward as he thinks. "

Then came the evening when Melchior announced that the food supply mustbe renewed by a long journey to Andregg's chalet, for bread and coffeeand butter could not be easily obtained, like wood. 

"Will the herr come back with me, or shall I go alone?"

"Go alone, Melchior, and be as quick back as you can. "

The next morning when they woke the guide and the mule were gone, probably having started at the first faint dawn. 

"Are you going to wait about the tent till he comes back, sir?" saidSaxe, as they sat over the breakfast they had prepared. 

"No: we will have two or three little excursions of our own, just up toand along the edge of the snow-line; but to-day I should like to visitthe glacier again, and see those two crevasses coolly. "

An hour after they were well on their way, knowledge having made thetask comparatively easy. But it was rather a risky journey, before theyhad arrived at the spot which was pretty deeply impressed upon theirminds: for every now and then some mass of worn ice fell crashing down, and raised the echoes of the narrow valley, while a cool wind seemed tohave been set free by the fall, and went sighing down the gorge. 

They were prepared to find the lower crevasse, from which they hadrecovered Melchior, much less terrible by daylight. To their surprise, it was far more vast and grand, and as they advanced cautiously to theedge and peered down into the blue depths, they both drew breath andgazed at each other with a peculiarly inquiring look. 

There were the notches Saxe had cut, but partly melted down by theaction of the sun; there, too, were the holes chipped out and used toanchor the ice-axe; and then, as if fascinated by the place, Saxeadvanced again to the edge. 

"Take care!" said Dale warningly. 

"Yes. I only want to see if I can make out the slope up which heclimbed. "

The boy lay down upon his chest and peered over, but gave quite a startdirectly, as he felt himself touched. 

"I was only hooking you by the belt, my lad, " said Dale, who had pushedthe head of his axe through the boy's belt. "You can do the same for meanother time. "

Saxe flushed a little, and looked down again, feeling that Dale wastreating him as if he were a child. 

"Well, " said his companion, "can you see the slope?"

"No: nothing but the blue darkness--nothing. "

He drew himself away. 

"It's a horrible place, " he said. 

"What are you going to do?"

"Only send a big lump of ice down. "

"I suppose that comes natural to all of us, " said Dale, smiling, andhelping the lad turn over a huge block broken from one of the shatteredseracs. "I never knew any one yet who did not want to send somethingdown every hole he saw, even if it was a well. "

The block they turned over was roughly cylindrical, and turned overpretty readily upon their using their axe handles as levers, and at lastthey had it close to the brink of the awful chasm, and paused for a fewmoments. 

"No fear of its hurting any one--eh, Saxe?" said Dale; but he spokeseriously, for the terrible nature of the place impressed him, andbefore going farther the two again peered down into the awful gulf. 

The effect was the same on each--a peculiar shrinking, as the thoughtcame--"Suppose I were to fall?"

"Well, Saxe, " said Dale, "shall we push the piece down?"

Saxe nodded, and placed the handle of his axe under the block. Dale didthe same. They raised their hands together, and the great block wentover and dropped out of sight, while they stood listening and waitingfor the heavy bellowing crash, which seemed as if it would never come, and then far exceeded in violence anything they had imagined. 

"It isn't stupid is it, to feel a bit frightened of such a place?" saidSaxe, with his face all in wrinkles. 

"I should say the person must be very dense and stupid who is notfrightened of such an awful place. Here, let's get on: it seems ratherwaste of time to spend it going to these crevasses again; but it isinteresting all the same. "

They started upward now, and went nearly exactly over the same ground asbefore, till the upper crevasse was reached; and after going through thesame performance of sending down a block of ice, Dale suggested that asit would be unwise to go farther up the glacier, here covered with snow, without the help of the guide, they should make for the side of thegorge, and at the first opening climb up and make their way over thelower slopes of the mountain, and so back to camp. 

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN. 

THE BLACK RAVINE. 

Perfectly simple to arrange, but very difficult to practise. Forinstance, they had to toil on quite a mile before the narrow crack, which formed the bed of a streamlet, offered itself as a way out of theglacier valley. 

"I'm afraid this will be an awkward climb, Saxe, " said Dale. "What doyou say? Will you face the hard work?"

"Oh yes!" he cried. "It's better than going the same way back. "

"Up you go, then. "

Saxe went on, now on one side of the tiny stream, now on the other, thesides rising right and left almost perpendicularly at times. But therewas plenty of good foot and hand-hold, so that Saxe made his way onwardand upward at a fair rate for mountaineering, and in a very short timethey had taken a last look of the glacier; the narrow rift, turnedalmost at right angles, growing blacker and more forbidding in aspect atevery step. 

"I don't believe there is any way out here!" cried Saxe at last. "Itgets deeper and darker, as if it were a cut right into the mountain. "

He had paused to rest as he spoke, and the gurgling of the little streamdown a crack far below mingled with his words. 

"Well, let's go a little farther first, " said Dale. "I am beginning tothink it is going to be a cul de sac. "

He looked up to right and left at the walls of black rock growing higherthe farther they went, and now quite made up his mind that there wouldbe no exit from the gorge; but all the same, it had a peculiarfascination for both, from its seeming to be a place where the foot ofman had never before trod, and the possibility of their making somediscovery deep in among the black rocks of the weird chasm. 

"Tired? Shall we turn back?" said Dale from time to time. 

"Oh no! let's go a little farther. This ought to be the sort of placeto find crystals, oughtn't it?"

"I can't give you any information, my lad, about that; only that I haveseen no sign of any. Say when you want to turn back. "

"All right. Oh! look here!"

The chasm had made another turn, and as Saxe spoke he climbed on alittle farther, so as to make room for his companion to join him amongthe fragments of broken rock upon which he stood. And there, rightbefore them, the walls seemed to run together in the side of a blackmass of rock, which formed the base of a snowy peak, one which theyrecognised as having often seen, and now looking the more brilliant incontrast with the black rock from which it rose. 

"We could get there in another quarter of an hour, " said Saxe. 

"Yes; but what good shall we do when we get there?" replied Dale. "Yousee that the rocks to right and left are not to be scaled, or that thisplace ends in a mere gash or split. "

"But you never know till you get close up, " said Saxe. "The rocks foldover one another; so that we may after all find a way out and over themountain. "

"Well, if you are not too tired we'll try. This stream must come fromsomewhere. Hear it?"

"Yes, I can hear, " said Saxe, as he listened to the strange musicalgurgle of running waters somewhere far down below the blocks which hadfallen from the sides of the chasm. 

He started on climbing from stone to stone--some planted solidly, othersso nearly poised that they rocked beneath his feet. 

"One good thing, " he cried breathlessly: "you can't fall any lower. Hownarrow the place is!"

It grew narrower still before they reached the spot where the placeended in the cleft in the face of the black rock; but, just as the boyhad said, there was a fold of the chasm, quite a knife-edge of stoneround, and beyond which the stream came gurgling down, and apparentlygoing directly upward to the right. 

"There!" cried Saxe. "What did I tell you? This is the way up. ShallI go on?"

"Yes, a little way; but I did not reckon on these difficulties. We willonly explore a little to-day. To-morrow we can come straight hereearlier, and take our time. "

The place was narrower than ever now, and the rocks roseperpendicularly, so high that the place was almost in twilight. It wasnearly a repetition of the chasm up which they had come, save that oneside was the mountain itself, the other a portion split off. 

The mountain side proving the easier, as the stones in the bottom grewmore massive and difficult to climb, the boy took to the slope, and madesuch rapid progress that Dale was left behind; and he was about to shoutto Saxe not to hurry, when he saw that the boy was waiting some eightyor ninety yards in advance, and high up above the bottom of the gorgealong which Dale had proceeded in a slower and surer way. 

Dale went on till he was right below the boy, and then stopped to wipehis forehead. 

"Let's get back, Saxe, " he said: "there may be traces of this narrowcrack going right round the mountain. Ready?"

There was no answer. 

"Saxe!"

"Yes, " rather hoarsely. 

"Come down now, and let's go back. "

There was again no answer. 

"Why don't you come down?" said Dale. 

"I--I'll come down directly. "

"Curious place--very curious place!" said Dale, looking about him at thesolid walls of rock. "I shouldn't wonder if we came upon crevicessimilar to those which we found lower down in the sides of the glacier:perhaps we may hit upon a cavern that we can explore. I must bringMelchior up here: he has a nose like a dog for holes of that kind. "

He stood peering here and there with his back to Saxe, and did not turnfor a few minutes. When at last he did, he saw that the boy was inprecisely the same position. 

"Why, Saxe, my lad, " he said, "what are you doing? Why don't you comedown?"

The lad turned his head very slowly till he could look down, and fixedhis eyes upon his companion in a peculiar, wild way. 

"What's the matter?--Giddy?"

"No. "

"Come down, then. "

"I--can't, " said the boy slowly. 

"Then climb on a little farther, and come down there. "

"No: I can't move. "

"Nonsense. This isn't a loadstone mountain, and you're not iron. Comedown. "

"I--I did try, " said Saxe; "but I had to make a jump to get here, and Ican't jump back: there's nothing to take hold of. "

Dale scanned the position anxiously, seeing now for the first time thatthe rough angles and ridge-like pieces of rock along which the boy hadmade his way ceased about five feet from where he stood, and that hemust have jumped on to a narrow piece of stone not a foot long andsomewhere about a third of that width; and though, in the vast chasm inwhich they both were, the height above him, where Saxe wasspread-eagled, as it were, against the perpendicular rock, lookedperfectly insignificant, he was close upon a hundred feet up, and a fallwould have been very serious, if not fatal. 

"You foolish fellow!" Dale said cheerfully, so as not to alarm him at atime when he seemed to have quite lost his nerve: "pretty mess to getyourself in! Fortunately I have the rope. "

As Dale spoke he looked about wildly for some means of utilising thatrope; but he could see none. 

"Why did you go up there instead of keeping down here?"

"I thought I saw an opening here, " said Saxe; "and there is one bigenough to creep in. I am holding by the side of it now, or I should godown. "

"Then go on holding by the side, " said Dale cheerily, though his facewas working; and then, to take the boy's attention from his perilousposition, "Not a crystal cave, is it?"

"Yes. I felt big crystals inside: I am holding on by one. "

"Bravo! Well done, boy; but you are making yourself a front door. "

"Don't--don't laugh at me, Mr Dale, " said Saxe piteously. "It is veryhard work to hold on. "

"I'm not laughing at you, Saxe, my boy: only saying a word to cheer youup. You haven't got a crevasse under you, and if the worst came Ishould have to catch you. Now, let's see: here's a ledge away to yourright; but it's too far for you to leap, and there is nothing to catchhold of. If I got the rope up to you, you could fasten it somewhere andslide down. "

"Fasten it? To what?"

"Ay?--to what?" said Dale to himself. Then aloud: "You haven't a verygood hold there, have you?"

"No--dreadful, " came faintly. 

"I say, boy; don't take that tone. Mountaineers are people full ofresources. You say you have an opening behind you?"

"Yes. "

"Then can you hold on with one hand?"

"I--I think so. "

"Think! Say yes!" shouted Dale angrily. "Now, hold on with one hand. "

"Yes. "

"Where's your ice-axe?"

"I--I had forgotten that. "

"I can see that, sir. Now put your hand behind you and pull itcarefully out of your belt. Steady! there is no hurry. Don't drop it. "

Saxe passed his hand behind him, and gradually hitched the axe out fromwhere he had been carrying it like a sword while he climbed to the hole. 

"That's better. Mind! Now push it into the hole and turn it across. Can you?"

Saxe obeyed his instructor, and Dale saw that the opening was about thelevel of the lad's waist, and evidently roomy--at least, amply largeinside for the axe to be crossed. 

"Now you've got something better to hold on by, and can hook your armover it to rest your hand. "

"Yes, " cried Saxe, who was already doing this. "My hand was so horriblycramped, and it seemed as if you would never come. "

"Time always seems long when we are in trouble. Now then, do you feelsafer?"

"Oh yes, " cried Saxe; and there was a complete change in his tone. "Ican hold on now. "

"Of course you can. Pretty sort of an Alpine hand you are, to give upwithout thinking of your tools!"

"Yes, I had forgotten my axe. "

"You'll forget your head next, sir. Now, tell me: how am I to get therope up to you?"

"Can you throw it?"

"No, I can't; nor you neither. Now, if you had been carrying it insteadof me, how easy it would be! Of course you have not got that ball ofstring with you?"

"No, " said Saxe sadly. 

"No one should travel without a knife and a bit of string in his pocket;and yet, if you had a bit of string, it would not be long enough. Now, what's to be done?"

"I don't know, " cried Saxe. 

"That shows you are only an apprentice at mountaineering yet. I doknow. "

"You can see a way to get me down, sir?" said Saxe joyously. 

"Yes: two ways. One is quick, short and dangerous. "

"More dangerous than being as I am?"

"Yes, much; but for me, not you. The other will take longer, but it issafe. "

"Then try that way, " said Saxe eagerly; for he had quite recovered hisnerve now, and would have been ready to jump to right or left had hebeen told. 

"No, my lad; you are tired, and in an awkward place. My second waymight fail too. It was to tear up my handkerchief and make it into astring to throw up to you, so that you could afterwards draw up therope. No: my string might break. But I am as foolish as you are, andas wanting in resource. There, " he continued, after a few moments'pause, "what a boaster I am! I did not even think of cutting a pieceoff the rope, unravelling it, and making it into a string. "

"Yes, you could easily make that into a string, " said Saxe anxiously. 

"No, that would be a pity, " said Dale; "and a practised climber oughtnot to think of such a thing. I ought, " he said, scanning the rockcarefully, "to be able to get up there above you, fasten the rope tosome block, and then let it down to you. "

"No, don't do that!" cried Saxe excitedly: "it is so easy to get up, andso hard to get down. "

"Not with a rope, " said Dale cheerily. "Let's see. Suppose I join youthe way you came, and jump to you? Is there room for both?"

"No, no!" cried Saxe excitedly. 

"Well, if I climb out to where you jumped, I can hand you the rope, youcan pass it round the ice-axe, and slip down with it double and thendraw it off. No: it is not long enough, and we should have to leave theaxe behind. I must climb above you, boy; so here goes. "

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT. 

THE CRYSTAL GROTTO. 

Dale threw down the rope from his shoulder, took off hat and jacket, replaced the rope like a scarf, and then stood looking upwards. 

"Oh, pray be careful!" cried Saxe, rather faintly. 

"Yes, miss, " said Dale mockingly. "Why don't you come and take hold ofmy hand! There, boy, I have climbed before now, and I'll be as carefulas I can. Hah! that's the better way. `Take it coolly, ' Saxe, as JacobFaithful used to say. I'll soon have you down. "

He went along the chasm a few yards, and then began to climb up thenearly perpendicular face of the rock, taking advantage of every nicheand projection, and gradually getting higher and higher, but alwaysfarther away from where Saxe hung watching him with lips apart, and inconstant dread lest there should be a sudden slip and a fall. 

"And that would make it horrible, " thought the lad. "What should I dothen?"

Dale climbed on talking the while when he did not give vent to agood-humoured grunt over some extra difficult bit. 

Saxe said nothing, for he felt hurt. It seemed to him that hiscompanion was treating him like a child, and saying all kinds of moralthings in a light way, so as to keep up his spirits; and, as Dale sawthe effect his words produced, he said less. 

"Rather a tough bit of climbing, " he cried, after a few minutes'silence; "but I've had worse to do: for I've gone over pieces like thiswhen there has been a fall of a thousand feet or so beneath me, and thatmakes one mind one's p's and q's, Saxe--precipices and queer spots--eh?But I shall soon do this. All it wants is a little, coolness anddetermination. "

"Why are you going so far along that way!" cried Saxe, who liked thistone better. 

"Because the line of the stratum runs this way, and higher up there isanother goes off at an angle right above where you are; and there is aprojection, if I can reach it, which will do for the rope: I could seeit all from down below. "

Saxe watched him breathlessly till he was on a level with the opening bywhich he clung, but fully forty yards away. There he turned and beganto climb back, and always rising higher till he was some thirty feethigher than the opening, but still considerably to Saxe's right. 

"Now, " he said quietly, as he stood with his face close to the rock:"here is the spot, if I can get the rope over that projection. "

"But then I could not reach it, " said Saxe. 

"I'll see about that, " said Dale, carefully holding on with one handwhile he drew the coil of rope over his head, --no easy task, with hisfeet resting upon a very narrow projection, and the rock against whichhe pressed himself nearly straight up and down. 

"That's right, " he said, as he let the coil rest upon one arm, and setthe end free. "Now, Saxe, what's to be done next? There's a block upthere if I could get a loop thrown over it; but lassoing rocks was notincluded in my education, and I'm afraid it will be rather difficultwith the left hand. "

To Saxe it seemed to be impossible, and he watched intently as he sawhis companion double a portion of the rope so as to make a large loop, and to tie this he had to hold the twisted hemp right above his head, pressing his chest against the rock the while so as to preserve hisbalance, and more than once Saxe gave a gasp as it seemed to him thatthe venturous man was about to fall backward. 

But he succeeded, and then let the loop and his arms drop down. 

"Hard work, " he said. "Five minutes' rest. Curious how wearying it isto hold your limbs in a fresh position. Now then, " he continued, "I'vegot to throw that loop over the block up there left-handed. How manytries will it take?"

Saxe remained silent, for he was by no means hopeful; and he watchedintently as Dale loosened the rings upon his arm and gathered two orthree in his left hand, which he dropped again, while with his right hetried to get a good grip of the rock where there was scarcely any holdat all. 

"Now, " he said, as calmly as if he were about to perform some feat witha quoit on level ground, instead of being balanced up in a perilousposition, where the slightest loss of equilibrium meant a fall on torugged stones of over a hundred feet. 

As he spoke he threw up the braced loop so truly that it went exactlyover the projection, and several rings ran off from his arm and hungdown. 

"Not a bad throw, " he said quietly. "I didn't know I was so clever, Saxe. The question is, will it hold?"

The test was soon applied, for he drew the rope in slowly, till theslack was all gathered in, tightened it more and more, and the loopglided off the projection and fell. 

"If at first you don't succeed--eh, Saxe? You know the rest?" criedDale, as he drew up the loop and coiled the rope on his arm again. "Imust get it farther on. "

He threw again, and once more lassoed the projection; but the loopdropped off this time with the weight of the rope, and he had to beginagain making all his preparations as carefully as a man does in someperilous position. 

Another throw, which proved a complete miss. Then another and another, each proving to be less accurate than the one which had gone before. 

"Five minutes' rest, " said Dale quietly. "My arm is getting tired. "

A dead silence reigned then for a few minutes, during which time a darkshadow glided across the deep gully, and they heard the faint whizzingsound of the wings of an eagle, whose keen, cruel eyes looked down atthem as if seeing prey. 

"Now, " cried Dale, "I must do this, Saxe. Don't be impatient with me, boy; and if it's any comfort to you, I may tell you that I am in a farworse position than you. "

"Yes; I know, " said Saxe hoarsely. "I wish I could help. "

"Do so another time by not getting yourself into such a scrape. Hush!don't speak: I'm going to throw. "

The loop went flying up; but at the same moment Saxe saw Dale slip alittle, and it was only by a violent effort that he saved himself fromfalling, while, as a consequence, the loop missed again, and fell to thefull length of the rings off the thrower's arm. 

Saxe drew a deep breath, and watched now with a growing sensation ofhopelessness as he saw each effort made, and every one after deliberateand careful gathering up of the rope and hanging it in rings upon theleft arm. But no matter how he tried Dale's casts grew more and moreerring, till, quite in despair, he stood fast, resting his weary arm, and said with an apologetic air--

"I wish I were not so clumsy, Saxe. I'm afraid I must try some freshplan. "

There was a long pause now, and Dale seemed to be thinking. 

"Are you quite safe?" he said at last. 

"I--that is, I can hold on, " said Saxe sadly. 

"That's right. I'm going to have one more try, lad, and if I fail Imust climb again and see if I can get higher, so as to drop the loopover the rock; but I don't want to do that if I can help it, for, as yousay, the getting down is bad. "

He made a very long and careful preparation this time, and threw with somuch vigour and want of accuracy that the loop missed; but a coil of therope went right over the projection where the loop should have been, andthe latter hung down nearly level with the thrower, and swinging to andfro some eight or ten feet away. 

This was an unexpected complication, but Dale saw success in it; andafter pausing for a few minutes to think, he began to climb sidewisetoward it inch by inch over a part that was perilous in the extreme, till he was within four feet of the swinging loop. Then, glancingupward to make sure that the rope was well over the projection, hetightened the part he held, and, rising a little, let himself fallsidewise toward the loop, catching it easily, and swinging to and fro bythe two ends of the rope as he vainly sought to find a hold for hisfeet. 

"All right, Saxe, " he said, as he rested one foot on a tiny boss; "Ishall do it now. " Then, helping himself by the double rope for hold, heclimbed up the few feet between him and the projection, making use ofevery little crevice or angle for his feet, till he was able to get onearm right over the little block and hold on while he drew up the loop, cast off the piece of rope, and carefully arranged the loop in itsplace. 

"Hurrah! That will not slip, " he said. 

"Pray--pray be careful, " cried Saxe. 

"Trust me: I will, " said Dale, seizing the rope now with strong grip andlowering himself till he was hanging from it with both hands; thengliding down lower and lower, while Saxe felt puzzled, but dared notspeak for fear of upsetting his companion at some special moment. 

Dale lowered himself till he was level with the place he had quitted, and then began to swing himself to and fro across the face of the rock, evidently meaning to land upon the projection he had occupied so long. But after several trials he found that he had not sufficient length ofrope for this, and he had to lower himself a little more, showing thewhile the most implicit confidence in the rope as he began to swingagain, describing a larger and a larger arc, till he checked himselfwhen farthest distant from Saxe, upon a projection which just gave himroom enough to stand on a level with Saxe. 

It was ticklish work, but by the help of the rope he maintained hisbalance till he could find hand-hold and stand perfectly upright. 

"There, Saxe, " he said, rather breathlessly, "the game is won. "

"I don't see it, " said Saxe mournfully. 

"Well, I do. I shall throw the rope across to you. Catch it, and takeyour ice-axe and descend. "

"But you must not be left in that dangerous position. "

"Not long, I hope, " said Dale quietly. "You can swing the rope to me assoon as you are down, and by its help I can swing myself to your ledgeand examine your discovery. Now then: look out! Ready!"

"Yes. "

"Then off!"

The rope was thrown and caught dexterously by Saxe, who swung loose inthe act and slipped a little way down. 

"Never mind the ice-axe, " cried Dale, as he saw the lad begin to climbup again. "I'll bring that down with me. "

Saxe ceased his efforts to regain his former level, and let himselfglide down to the bottom of the gully, where he could climb forward tillhe was beyond where Dale was clinging and draw the rope right into hisreach. 

"Let go!" cried Dale, seizing the welcome rope; and as Saxe obeyed heswung himself to and fro again, till this time he was able to landhimself on the ledge the boy had just quitted, and maintained hisposition by thrusting his arm into the opening and grasping the handleof the axe. 

"Well, " cried Saxe, "is it a crystal cave?" For once more on terrafirma, the peril of his late position was pretty well forgotten. 

"Without a doubt, " was the reply, after a pause. "I was beginning tobully you horribly, but after this I suppose I must hold my tongue. "

Saxe's spirits, which had been down to zero, rose now to the highestpoint. 

"Can you break a piece off with the axe?" he said, as he saw that Dalehad twisted the rope round his arm for safety, and was reaching into thehole as far as his hand would go. 

"That is what I have just done, " replied Dale; "and now I have lost it. No: I have it. I can hook it out now. Here it comes. " And as Saxestood on one side and watched, he saw his companion's arm drawn out, then by degrees the handle of the axe, and in imagination he saw a tinypiece of crystal drawn along by the steel head. 

"I have it now, " cried Dale. "Ah!"

He uttered a loud ejaculation, for his feet had slipped from the narrowledge, and he was hanging by one arm, turning slowly round and round. 

A sharp struggle enabled him to regain his position, and once back therehe drew out the axe completely, thrust it behind him, through his belt, and then pushed his hand into the orifice again. 

"Throw me a bit of crystal down, and I'll catch it, " said Saxe. 

Dale laughed, and held out a bluntly pointed, angular piece of dartstone that looked almost black as he thrust it into his breast. Then, grasping the rope with hands and feet, he slid slowly down and stood byhis companion's side. 

"A nice adventure this, " he said, "when I had come out for a quiet day!"

He drew the crystal from his breast, and held it up for Saxe to see. 

"But it's so black-looking, " cried the latter, as he took hold of thegreat dark crystal, pure-looking and clear as its name suggested, whileevery angle was sharp and perfect as if it were the production of thatvery day. 

"Black?" said Dale. "So much the better. It is a very valuable kind, and there are plenty more. As far as I could make out, some are verylarge. Saxe, my lad, we must not think of the trouble and danger, forwe both have been in great peril, and I talked lightly just to keep upyour spirits, --I say we must not think of the troubles, for you havemade a marvellous find, and I congratulate you. "

"Then you are satisfied?" said Saxe eagerly. 

"More than satisfied. You could not have done better. Now to secureour find. We must not leave the rope there, because that would betraythe place. "

"But nobody ever comes here. "

"We hope nobody has been here, my boy; but, according to my experience, somebody will be sure to come now and find it. "

"But how are we to get the rope up again if we take it down?"

"We shall have to scheme it somehow, my lad. What man has done I haveno doubt he can do again. "

"But we must leave it, " said Saxe, with a laugh, for he was in thehighest spirits now. "We can't get it down. "

"Indeed!" said Dale. "I think I provided for that;" and taking hold ofthe bottom, he gave the rope a sharp shake, sending a wave along itwhich snatched the loop from the projection, and the strong hempen linedropped at their feet. 

"I hardly expected that, " cried Saxe, proceeding to coil it up; "but itwill be a terrible job to get it there again. "

"We shall see, " said Dale, as the loop was unfastened, the end twistedabout the coil, and he once more threw it over his shoulder, afterresuming his coat. "Now for camp. I little expected to make such adiscovery when we started. Saxe, we shall have to pitch our tent uphere when Melchior comes back. "

"In this gloomy crack? Why, there will be no food for Gros!"

"Nor for us unless we bring it. I dare say we shall manage; butMelchior will be disappointed when he finds that we have made thediscovery without his help. "

As he spoke Dale looked up the gorge toward the sky, scanning the jaggededges of the summit. 

"I hope no one has been watching us, " he said. "It would not be verypleasant to find that any one has been spying all our actions, ready totake advantage of our find. There, come along! We cannot stop to watchthe place, even if we felt this had been the case, for we've a longjourney back out of this place, and then down the glacier home. "

They began their arduous descent of the rugged place, Saxe walkingbehind, till Dale stopped by where the water, which had been gurglingalong out of sight, rose now to the surface, so that they could obtain arefreshing draught. 

As Saxe rose from his knees and wiped the drops from his mouth, helooked at Dale curiously. 

"Well, what is it, boy?"

"What made you say about it being awkward if some one were watching us?"

"Oh, I don't know. The idea occurred to me. Why do you ask?"

"Because--perhaps it's fancy--it always seems to me that some one iswatching us. "

"What?"

"Those stones tumbling about our ears, and that glimpse I got ofsomething going along the mountain; and then that night when some onecame and made Gros cry out!"

"Oh, fancy, my lad--fancy, " cried Dale; but there was a quick nervoustone in his utterance, and he walked on now toward the mouth of theravine in a hurried manner, which suggested that he was thinking deeplyabout Saxe's words; and he was very silent all the way back to camp. 

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE. 

AN UNSEEN DANGER. 

"I shall be glad when Melchior comes back, " said Dale, as they satresting that night, with the dark shadows gathering in the valley, andthe various peaks burning still in the sinking sunlight like glowingfire. 

"I suppose he may be here any time now?" replied Saxe. 

"Yes--no: he will be sure to have a heavy load, and he will not try tohurry the poor beast. "

They had had the crystal out to examine again, and the more it wasjudged the higher Dale's opinion of it grew. 

"No, " he said suddenly: "that would not do at all. "

Saxe stared at him, for this remark had no bearing upon what had passedbefore. 

"I said that would not do at all, Saxe, to have some one watching ourmovements, and taking advantage of our being away to profit by them. Still, I feel pretty safe so far, and to-morrow we will climb to themouth of that gully and stop about it, even if we do not go up. "

"But suppose anybody came and took them after we had discovered them:wouldn't that be stealing!"

Dale shook his head. 

"Oh no. These people who make discoveries of curiosities in themountains consider they have a perfect right to them, as sons of theirfatherland; and, as foreigners, I'm afraid we should get a great deal oflaw and no profit if we raised the question. The best way is to keepour discoveries as secret as we can. Now, then! what do you say todrawing the curtains and going to sleep?"

"I'm ready, " said Saxe; "but my! what a lot of adventures we are havingin so short a time!"

"All lessons for you in mountaineering, my lad. Good night. "

"Good night, " said Saxe drowsily, as he lay down inside the tent, and atan hour when he would have thought it absurd to think of going to sleepat home. But nature was quite ready, and as he watched Dale fasteningdown the door of the tent with a peg, he dropped right off to sleep, butonly to start awake again, to sit up, and stare wonderingly. 

"I said we have our crystal to take care of now, boy, " said Dale, laughing at the comical figure Saxe cut; "and we must not invite a visitfrom burglars by leaving the front door open. There, good night oncemore, and don't have a nightmare, and get dreaming about being fixed ona mountain shelf, like an English ornament, for strangers to see!"

"That's too bad, " said Saxe drowsily. "I did find the crystal cave. "

"So you did, Saxe, and it is too bad. Never mind, my lad. You've donewell. Once more--good night. "

Was it the next minute after saying that?

Saxe was not sure, but it seemed to be directly, though it could nothave been, for instead of being twilight it was now quite dark. 

"What is he doing?" thought Saxe, as he heard the faint sound of movingabout. The canvas door of the little tent was open, for he could feelthe cool night air blowing in upon his face, with the crisp, bracingsensation of wind off the snow-capped mountains. 

Saxe lay still listening. He was very sleepy, and now, as he came tothe conclusion that it must be close upon daybreak, and Dale had risento light the fire and make coffee so that they might start for theravine as early as possible, he determined to lie perfectly still andfeign sleep till the last minute, and a sharp summons bade him rise. 

It is that last bit of snooze which is so enjoyable. One goes to bedbecause it is time, and after a good deal of waiting sometimes one goesto sleep; but it is not the delicious, easy-going sleep of the lasthalf-hour in the morning--a sleep so enticing to most people: at allevents, boys feel as if they would barter all the rest of the night forthat half-hour--the last before rising. 

The rustling went on, and Dale went out, only to come in again. 

"How stupid it is getting up so soon!" said Saxe to himself. "It's allvery well when you've to cross a pass before the snow melts; but to bealways getting up when it is cold and dark, and sitting down shiveringto your breakfast, when you might be quite warm in the sunshine if youstarted at decent time, is so absurd. "

He lay thinking. 

"He doesn't seem to have lit the fire yet, for I can't hear itcrackling, " he said to himself after a time. "Perhaps he'll rouse me updirectly to light it. Bother the old fire! I hate lighting fires. Oh, it does make me feel so cross to be roused up when one hasn't hadenough. I haven't half done. I could go on sleeping for hours, andenjoy it, and get up all the better for it, and be stronger and moreready to climb afterwards. No wonder I feel a bit tired sometimes!"

Saxe had no difficulty about lying still, for every limb seemed to befast asleep. It was only his head that felt as if he was awake, andthat only half. 

The moving went on; but no fire crackled, and he was not roused up. 

"What can he be doing?" thought Saxe sleepily. "I don't know. It mustbe packing up for our start. Let's see, when will Melchior be back?This morning, I suppose. Wish he was here now to light the fire. He'sso used to it--he does it so well; and then, he always makes suchdelicious coffee, that I enjoy my breakfast far better than when we makeit ourselves, or Mr Dale makes it, and--Yes, all right!"

"'Wake, Saxe? Sure?"

"Yes, quite awake. "

"I'll get you to light the fire this morning, my lad: one of my armsfeels a little strained. "

Dale drew the canvas door aside and stepped out, while Saxe laywondering how it was that it was quite dark one moment, when Dale wasmoving about, and broad daylight the next. 

"I must have been asleep, " he exclaimed. "But what was he doing that hehasn't lit the fire? How strange!"

Saxe sat up and rubbed his eyes and yawned; then leisurely slipped onthe jacket and handkerchief he had taken off before lying down; and themore wakeful he grew the more puzzled he became, till a happy thoughtoccurred to him. 

"I know, " he said: "It wasn't getting-up time. His arm hurt him in thenight, and he was walking about on account of the pain. I wish I hadspoken to him. Too late now. Never mind; I'll make haste, and get hima cup of coffee. "

Saxe bustled about, and soon had the fire crackling and the coffeekettle full of fresh cold water over the bright flame. 

It was daylight, but some time yet to sunrise, and the air was verycool, but Saxe hardly felt it in his busy preparations; and he waseagerly watching the kettle when Dale came back. 

"Ah! that's right, my boy, " he cried. "I shall be glad of a cup ofcoffee. "

"Is your arm better, sir?" said Saxe. 

"My arm is better, comrade, " replied Dale, smiling. "I thought we haddecided that there was to be no `sir' out here, but only a brotherlysalute, as befits mountaineers. "

"I had forgotten, " said Saxe; "and the other seems so natural. I amglad it is better. "

"Thanks, lad. I've been to the little cascade, and held it under theicy cold water as it fell. The numb chill seems to have done it no endof good. "

"You should have spoken to me when it was so bad in the night. "

"I could not, " said Dale, looking at him wonderingly. 

"Was it so very bad, then?"

"No; it was not bad at all. I did not feel it till I got up. "

"That's when I mean--while it was dark. "

"You've been dreaming, Saxe. I did not get up when it was dark; and, bythe way, when did you get up and open the tent door?"

"I didn't, " cried Saxe: "it was open. I felt the cold when you woke mewith getting up and going in and out. "

"Why, Saxe, " cried Dale, seizing the boy by the shoulder, "do you meanto say you heard me moving about in the night?"

"Some time when it was dark; and I thought you were dressing. "

"This is very strange, " cried Dale, who looked puzzled. 

"Hah!" cried Saxe excitedly; "where did you put the crystal?"

"In the leather bag that I used for a pillow. "

"Then it couldn't have been that, " said Saxe, in a disappointed way. "Ithought--"

"I don't know so much about that, " cried Dale excitedly; and he ran intothe tent, dropped upon his knees by the leather bag, and tore it open. 

"Gone!" he said. 

"That's what I thought, " cried Saxe excitedly. "Then there is some onekeeps on watching us, and he stole that crystal in the night. "

Dale closed the bag with a snap, and stood gazing up at his companionfor some minutes in silence. 

"This is very ugly, Saxe, " he said; "and I don't like it. "

"But that's it, isn't it?" cried the boy. 

"I am afraid so. I can only think you must be right, unless one of ustook it. "

"Took it!" cried Saxe. "Oh, Mr Dale, you don't think I would take it?"

"No, my lad, of course not, " cried Dale, bringing his hand down on theboy's shoulder with a hearty slap; "but I think it's quite likely thatafter the excitement of yesterday, and the remarks you made just beforelying down, that you may have dreamed that the crystal was not safe, andtaken it and hid it somewhere. "

"Oh, impossible!" cried the boy. 

"No, quite possible; and if you have not done this, I think it is quitelikely that I may. Why, Saxe, our brains were regularly crystallisedlast night. "

"Oh! I don't think it's anything to laugh at, " said the boy seriously. "It could not have been, for I was awakened by hearing some one movingabout. "

"Yes; and you thought it was I. "

"Yes. "

"Then it must have been, and sooner or later we shall find where I havehidden it. Come: you are sure it was I? You saw me?"

"No; it was too dark for that. I only thought it was you. "

"Then it must have been, for you would have felt the difference in someway if it had been any one strange. Well, I'm glad of it, Saxe; for itwould have been ugly and unpleasant coming to rob us wherever we rested. Why, of course, I remember!"

"What--taking it?" cried Saxe. 

"No. What did I say about fastening the door, so as not to temptburglars?"

"I remember you said something of the kind, but I was terribly sleepy. "

"You were. Well, I said that; and of course I went and dreamed aboutburglars, and got up, I suppose, in my sleep to take care of thecrystal. There, don't worry about it any more, and let's havebreakfast. "

"But the stones, the figure I saw, and the night alarm?"

"Oh, fancy, I dare say, boy, " cried Dale, pouring out his mug of coffee, while the boy followed suit, but with his brow wrinkled up with trouble. "Pity we have no milk. That's the worst of being too high up in themountains. Come, eat away! the bacon's cooked better than Melchior's, and he's almost the prince of bacon chefs. "

"I--I don't feel as if I can eat any breakfast this morning, " said Saxedrearily. 

"Nonsense, boy! Why, even if it were as you have imagined, what wouldit matter? We should only have to take extra precautions: set a watch, perhaps, as the sailors do. We shall have Melchior back soon, and weshall hear what he has to say. There, go on--eat. You can't workwithout. We've found one crystal cave, and that encourages us to findmore. You can't help me if you starve yourself; and I want to get youup to the top of one of the highest mountains about here yet. "

The result was that Saxe made a very hearty breakfast; for after thefirst mouthful or two, he forgot his mental troubles, and obeyed hiscompanion with all his might. 

The meal ended, the wallet was stored with all they would require forthe day; and as Saxe arranged the contents, he looked up at hiscompanion. 

"What is it?--something else gone?"

"No, " replied Saxe: "I mean yes--gone. There will be scarcely anythingleft to eat for tea when we come back, unless Melchior is here. "

"Ah, yes, Melchior, " said Dale, taking out his pocketbook and writingdown in German--

"Gone up the right side of the glacier. Look out for cross chipped inthe ice opposite a black ravine. "

"There, " he said, tearing out the leaf, "I'll put this on the big stoneby the tent door, and another stone upon it to keep it down. "

He suited the action to the word; and soon after, fully equipped fortheir little journey, the pair started, descended in due time to theglacier, where the tiny streams were trickling fast in the hot sun, andthen toiled on and on through the never-wearying scenery, past the endsof the two great, now very familiar, crevasses, and sat down at last toa light lunch off the entrance to the black ravine. 

Here, as soon as they had finished their meal, Dale lightly chipped across in a piece of smooth ice, just off the entrance; while Saxeclimbed up the steep valley side a little way, threw himself down upon aflat ledge of rock, and began to look cautiously round, scanning theopposite side of the valley, and then up and down and up again. 

"Hist!" he whispered suddenly; "don't look up. Some one watching us. "

"Whereabouts?"

"Across the valley, high up to the right of some tall, rugged seracs. "

Dale slowly sank down on the ice behind a great block of granite, whichmust have fallen from the mountain side and been borne down upon theglacier. The next minute he was peering carefully round from one side. 

"Yes, I can see him, lad, " he said; "but I don't believe that fellowwould touch a crystal if there were thousands. "

"You always think these people are so honest!" cried Saxe. "Well, whatcould he do with it? I never knew one of them yet who cared forcrystals. Ah! there he goes, right up over the snow. Look! look!Saxe. Isn't it wonderful how an animal can dash at such a speed overthose dangerous places!"

"Why, it must be a chamois!" cried Saxe, in disgust at his mistake. 

"Yes; and I dare say there is a little herd of them somewhere up yonderin the mountain. Now are you ready to own that you are a littleaccustomed to give rein to your imagination?"

"I suppose so, " said Saxe, rather dolefully. "It seems so easy to makemistakes. "

"Yes, we all find that, " said Dale merrily. "Now take another lookround, and see if you can see squalls. "

"Now you are laughing at me, " said Saxe resentfully. "No: I am inearnest. Take a look round, boy, and then we'll go up the ravine andsatisfy ourselves that it is all safe, and come back after a quietinvestigation, so as to see whether there are other ways of fixing ourrope. I should like to go up higher, too, and try whether we cannot getout on to the mountain, as I at first proposed. "

Saxe swept their surroundings as well as he could, and paused to gaze atan ice-fall on the opposite mountain, a dull, heavy peal like thunderhaving announced that there had been a slip. 

It was very beautiful in the bright sunshine, and looked wonderfullylike water as it plunged down into a dark-looking crack, which Daledeclared must be a huge bergschrund, between the snow and rock. 

But there was no human being in sight, as far as Saxe could see; and assoon as he had descended, they began to climb the little lateral valleyas on the previous day. 

Hardly, however, had they passed out of sight, before high up on themountain slope, what at first sight seemed to be a bear came into sight, creeping cautiously in and out among the stones, till it reached one ofthe many ledges of a precipice, and trotted along toward the edge of thelateral valley, over which it peered cautiously, and then drew back andwent higher, repeating the action several times, and in the distancelooking more and more bearlike in its movements, only that there wasthis difference, that instead of the travellers stalking the bear, theanimal seemed to be bent on stalking them. 

CHAPTER THIRTY. 

WITHIN A HAIR'S BREADTH. 

A long and tiresome climb over and amongst the shattered blocks whichfilled the lower part of the chasm; but with the help of previousknowledge they got along pretty quickly, till they reached the rocksbeneath the narrow opening--a place which looked so insignificant thatthe wonder was that it had not escaped Saxe's eyes. 

"Now, " said Dale, gazing up, "what we have to do is to puzzle out someeasy way of getting up and down. What do you say, Saxe?"

"I think we ought to have a strong iron bolt or bar driven into a crackjust above the cave; then tie a rope to it, and it will be easy enoughto go up and down. "

"First catch your hare, " cried Dale merrily. "How is the bar or bolt tobe driven in, my lad?"

"Oh, something after the fashion of our getting up there yesterday. "

"Oh yes; something after the fashion of yesterday's attempt. Do youknow, Saxe, I think we both had enough of that job yesterday; and butfor the discovery of the crystals we should have been sadly out ofheart. "

"Let's leave it till Melchior comes back, " said Saxe, as a way out ofthe difficulty. 

Dale nodded, and after another long look at the crack in the solid rockand its surroundings, they turned their attention to a farther climb upthe ravine to try whether it would be possible to get out there and maketheir way across. 

Another long and tedious climb ensued, during which, without declaringthe way to be impassable, they both averred that it was so extremelydifficult that they thought it would be of no utility, and after somefour hours' hard work assisting each other up by means of ice-axe andrope, they were glad to begin the descent. 

But the toil was not altogether barren, for two niches were found wherethere seemed to be every likelihood of crystals existing within thecaves, whose mouths they seemed to be, and after a certain time devotedto refreshing they turned to go back. 

"I doubt very much whether any one could get along this way, Saxe, " saidDale, as he held the rope for his young companion to slide down, afterwards doubling it for his own use, so as to have a great loop rounda block to enable him to loosen one end and draw upon the other. 

"I hope they'd enjoy the hard work if they could, " said Saxebreathlessly. "Oh, what a lot of bits of skin one does knock off uphere!"

"Good for the sticking-plaster makers, Saxe, " said Dale. "Come along, my lad: the sun beats down very hot here. "

"But what are we going to do to-day?" asked Saxe. 

"Nothing. This has only been a reconnoitring trip. To-morrow we shallhave Melchior back, and we can get to work in earnest. "

"But are we going to do nothing else but get crystals? Aren't we goingto climb any more mountains?"

"Oh yes: we must do another or two, and perhaps combine pleasure withprofit. Let's see: we must be getting near the cave. "

"Round that next corner, " said Saxe decisively. 

"How do you know?"

"Because I can see the piece of black overhanging rock which I feltcompelled to stare at all the time I was stuck fast on that shelf. But, I say, Mr Dale, do you feel pretty sure that Melchior will be back atthe tent when we get there?"

"I cannot be certain; but--no--yes--I can be certain, " said Dalequickly. "I am sure he will not be waiting for us at the tent. "

His manner puzzled the lad, who looked at him curiously. 

"Well?"

"What made you change so suddenly, sir? One minute you thought one way, the next minute you thought differently. "

"Because I had good reasons, " replied Dale. "Look!"

Saxe looked here and there, and in every direction but the one indicatedby Dale's nod. 

"I don't see anything, sir. "

"Try again, boy. There, on that stone, with his back to us. "

"A chamois!" cried Saxe eagerly. 

"Chamois don't smoke pipes, my lad, " said Dale laughingly. 

"I see now, " cried Saxe, and he burst out into his imitation of a Swissjodel, which was answered back as Dale thrust his fingers into his ears. 

The boy looked at him as he ceased his cry, and a curious smile puckeredup his face. 

"Don't you like Melchior's jodel, sir?" he said drily. 

Dale understood him, and responded with a laugh; but no more was said, for Melchior sprang down from the rock which he had made his observatoryas lightly as a goat, and came to meet them. 

"Back again, then, " said Dale. 

"Yes, herr; and I found your note with the stick through it by the tentdoor. "

"You mean with the stone lying upon it?"

"No, herr: a piece of sharpened pine-wood, driven through it to hold itdown. "

"Ah, well, you found it, " said Dale, with an uneasy glance at Saxe, whose forehead had grown wrinkled. 

"Yes, herr, I found it, and followed you till I saw your mark on theice, and came up here. "

"You felt, then, that we came up this ravine!"

"Oh yes, herr; and I was not surprised. It is one of the places Ithought likely for crystals, and I see you have found some. "

"Pound some? How do you know?" cried Saxe. 

"Because I see you have been to one cave and left some of your treasurebehind. I found this just inside the way leading to it. "

"Then you climbed up?" said Saxe, taking a little crystal of the size ofhis finger from the guide's hand. 

"No, herr; I climbed down, " replied Melchior. 

"From where? Did you come over the top?"

"No, herr; from the mouth, by the glacier, I came right along thebottom, and turned down into the chasm below. "

"What chasm below?" said Dale eagerly. 

"Is it possible the herr does not know?"

"We have seen no chasm but this one. "

"Then you have not found a cave for crystals?"

"Oh yes!" said Saxe: "there it is;" and he pointed up at the face of thenarrow valley to where the dark opening looked like a black mark on therock. 

"I see, " said Melchior, looking up. "Yes, that looks a likely placetoo. I had not seen that. "

"It has quite large crystals in it, " said Dale. 

"Then the herr has been up to see?"

"Yes, Saxe found it; but it is very difficult to get to. How are we toclimb up and fasten a rope!"

"It is quite easy, " said the guide; and, going back, he made for theledge, along which he made his way coolly enough till he came to thegap, across which he leaped, thrust his hand into the orifice, and then, to Saxe's horror, leaped back again with wonderful activity, came downand joined them. 

"These things have been so little asked for that they have not half beenhunted out. I could have got hundredweights if I had known that theywere of value to make it worth while. "

"But that is a good cavern up there, " cried Saxe, who now breathed morefreely, as he saw the guide safely down without breaking his neck. 

"Oh yes, herr, I dare say; but the one I have found is, I think, better. "

"Show us it, " said Dale. And after going back about a hundred yards, Melchior suddenly disappeared as if by magic. 

"Hi! Melchior! where are you!"

"Here, herr, " he replied, showing himself again from behind one of thegreat jagged masses of stone which strewed the ravine. "There is agreat crack here. "

They climbed over some awkward rocks and joined him, to find that adismal chasm of great depth went off here at a sharp angle; and somelittle distance down one of its rugged walls he pointed out a darkopening which seemed unapproachable at first, though a little furtherexamination showed that it was quite possible for a cool-headed man toget down--one who would not think of the dark depths below. 

"How came you to find this place?" said Saxe. "We have come by herethree times now without seeing it. "

"I told you, herr. I found that crystal just there at the entrance tothe narrow split--by the stone where you saw me standing. "

"And that made you think there must be a crystal cavern near?"

"Yes, herr; and there it is. I wonder it has never been found before. And yet I do not, for no one but an Englishman would think of coming ina place like this. "

"Have you been down to it?"

"Oh yes, herr. It is easy enough to get to; but we will have the rope, to make it easier. Will you come down?"

"Yes; let's see it, " said Dale eagerly, while Saxe felt a curioussensation of shrinking as he saw the guide secure one end of his rope tothe nearest block of stone that stood up clear. 

"Is that strong enough?" said Dale. 

"Oh yes, herr; it is not a loose stone, but a solid piece of the rock, and would bear a dozen of us. I will go down first. "

He took hold of the rope, slipped over the edge of the shelf upon whichthey stood, and lowered himself down from buttress to ledge andprojecting block, and stood the next minute inside the narrow crack. 

"Will you go next, Saxe?"

The boy did not reply, but, imitating Melchior's actions as nearly as hecould, he lowered himself down, only hesitating once, when he washanging over the dark hollow up from which came the noise of fallingwater. 

"Come along, herr, " said Melchior encouragingly, as he leaned out of thehole and looked up. "Down another foot, and you can find a place torest upon. The remainder is as easy as can be. "

Saxe found it so, for it only wanted confidence, and the next minute hewas standing beside the guide and looking up from the opening as Dalenow began to descend. 

Saxe had to back into the black rift to make room for Dale to come, andhe held on tightly by a projection from the rocky side of the cavern tostand listening to the trickling of water, evidently a great way below;and as the weird whispering sound came up, he could not repress ashudder. 

But there was no time left him for reflections about the danger, for thenext minute Dale was blocking out the light of the entrance. 

"Ah!" he exclaimed, "this looks a likely place. Here, let's have amatch before we move. There may be all kinds of horrible pitfalls closeat hand. " He let go of the rope, which swung to and fro in front of theopening, and took out a box of wax matches. 

"I quite thought you had been down here, herr, " said Melchior. Then, asa match was struck and held up, he continued: "Yes, we must have thelanthorn here, herr, for it is dangerous. See how the floor is split upinto great holes. "

Feeble as the light of the match proved, it was bright enough to showthat; and, when nearly burned out, Dale threw it from him, and it fell, still burning, down and down till it was a tiny spark and it wasimpossible to say at last whether it went out or disappeared stillburning in the great depth below. 

"Why, Saxe, we have hit at last upon a veritable crystal mine, " saidDale, as he held up a fresh match above his head, whose light wasreflected from the facets of hundreds upon hundreds of crystalsdepending from the roof and sides, and, as far as they could see for thetiny glow, encircling the whole place; while Saxe now found that theprojection by which he held was a hexagonal piece as clear as glass. 

"Yes, herr, " said the guide triumphantly: "this is what you wished for. "

"No, " said Dale, throwing away the end of the match again. "Veryinteresting, Melchior; but not what I meant. "

"Then I have not understood the herr, " said the guide, in a disappointedtone. 

"Oh yes; and brought us to the part of the mountains where these wondersof Nature are to be found. These are beautiful, but, as far as I cansee, all very small. "

"But there may be big ones, herr, " cried Melchior. 

"May be; but it is doubtful here. There, it does not matter, for in theother cave--that to which you climbed--there are splendid specimens. "

"Is the herr quite sure?"

"Yes, for we brought one away, and Saxe hid it somewhere, and hasforgotten the place. "

"Mr Dale!" cried Saxe indignantly. 

"Well, then, I did, " said Dale, laughing. "There, both of you, I amquite content. I should not have murmured about these, but we have atour command some that are incomparably better; and to-morrow we willcome properly prepared with lights, chisels and hammer, and see what wecan do. "

"I am very glad, herr; and I have one peak I can take you up--theBlitzenhorn--where I am nearly sure we can find the finest yet. "

"Good: we will try it. Now let's get back and dine. "

"Yes, that will be wise, " said the guide, as Saxe pricked up his ears atthe suggestion. "I journeyed nearly all last night, herr, so as to getback soon; and I hurried on as soon as I found your letter with the pineskewer through it. "

"Under the stone, Melchior. "

"No, herr: stuck down into the crack between two pieces of rock. "

Dale said no more; and Saxe thought it strange, for he remembered theincident of securing the message perfectly. 

"But Melk was tired and sleepy: he fancied it was secured like that, "Saxe said to himself. 

He had no time to think more, for Dale spoke to him. "Now, my lad, " hesaid, "up with you; or shall one of us go first?"

"Oh, I'll go, " said Saxe, turning to the gloomy opening, and reachingout his hand for the dull grey rope, which showed clearly against theblack face of rock on the opposite side, not twenty feet away. 

"Get a good hold, herr; next turn face inward, and swing yourself alittle sidewise; then you will be on good climbing rock, and can easilyget up. "

Saxe nodded, took hold of the rope, turned round, reached up as high ashe could, and then was about to throw his whole weight upon it, when itgave way, and came down upon him. This, with the surprise, threw himoff his balance, and he would have gone down backward, headlong to thebottom of the narrow cleft, but for the action of the guide, who dartedout one hand and caught him. 

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. 

MISUNDERSTANDINGS. 

Saxe dropped, but no farther than the sill of the entrance, whereMelchior was able to hold him, while Dale reached over and gripped theboy by the belt and hauled him in. 

"Oh, Melchior!" cried Dale indignantly; "I thought I could have trustedyou to secure a rope. "

"But I did--I did, herr!" cried the man passionately. "I could havestaked my life upon that rope being secure. "

"I spoke to you at the time about it not seeming safe. "

"The herr said the rock did not look secure, not the rope. The rock hasnot come down. "

"It is enough for me that the rope came down. Another instant, and thatpoor lad would have lost his life. "

"Yes, herr; but we saved him. I cannot understand it. "

"Has the rope broken?" said Dale, as it was hauled in. 

"No, herr, " said Melchior, as he examined the rope in the darkness;"and, see, the loop is here and the knots still fast!"

"It is very strange, " said Dale. 

"Yes, herr. Ever since I have grown up I have laughed at all the oldstories about the dragons in the mountains, and the strange elves, gnomes, and kobolds said to live down in the deep mines; but what canone say to this? Is there an evil spirit to this crystal mine who isangry because we have come, and who seeks to punish us for intruding?"

"No, there is not!" cried Dale, with genuine English unbelief in suchlegends: "nothing of the kind. The loop slipped off the stone; so nowclimb up and fasten it safely, if you can. "

There was such a sneer in this that Melchior looked at him reproachfullybefore reaching round the side of the grotto and then stepping out ofsight. 

"Rather an upset for you, my lad, " said Dale kindly, as he took Saxe'shand, while they could hear the rustling and scratching made by Melchioras he climbed up, dragging the rope after him; for he had not stopped tocoil it up, but merely threw the loop over his head and put one armthrough it. 

"Yes, I thought I was gone, " replied the boy. 

"It has made your hand feel wet, and set it trembling. "

"Has it?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry; for I want you to get plenty of nerve out here. "

"I'm sorry too, for I hate to feel afraid. "

"That was enough to make any man feel afraid. I'm trembling too, mylad; and my heart felt quite in my throat for a few moments. "

Just then the rope was shaken vigorously, and became still once more. 

"It is quite safe now, herr!" cried the guide; "and I am holding it downtoo. "

"Right!" shouted back Dale. "I'll go first this time, Saxe. "

"No, sir! please let me go: I would rather. "

"Do you feel cool enough?"

"That will make me cooler. "

"Then go on. Stop! you had better have the rope midway fastened to yourwaist, and I can hold the other end; then you cannot fall. "

"No, no!" cried Saxe, rather hoarsely. "Let me climb without. "

Dale gave way rather unwillingly, and the boy seized the rope, gave it atremendous tug, and then swung himself out sidewise and began to climb;while Dale leaned out and watched him, uttering a low sigh ofsatisfaction as he saw him reach the top, and then following withoutmaking use of the rope. 

"Now, " he said, as he reached the others, "how was it that ropeslipped?"

"I cannot say, herr, " cried Melchior. "Look, here: the loop is bigenough for it to come off easily if some one took hold of it with bothhands and drew it up quite two feet, but it could not slip off byitself. "

"But it did. "

Melchior shook his head. 

"Oh, man, man, how can you be so absurd!" cried Dale impatiently. "Youdon't mean to say you believe any mischievous imp could have thrown itoff?"

"What am I to believe, when the rope falls on us like that? There is noone here in this desolate, awful place--not even a wild beast. "

"Stop!" cried Saxe: "are you sure? Would a bear do that?"

"Surely not, herr. "

"I'll believe in the bear before I believe in the gnome or kobold!"cried Dale. "Oh, Melchior! now I have so far had so much respect foryou as a frank, manly Switzer, don't spoil it by trying to cloak anerror with a paltry excuse. You did not properly secure the rope; itcame off; and it was an accident. You know it was an accident, so letit rest. "

"I have tried hard to win the herr's confidence, and to deserve it, "said the man coldly. "I secured that rope as I believe any guide uponthe mountains would have fastened it. The rope gave way not by breakingor coming untied, and I cannot tell how. I told the herr the beliefs ofmy people, and that I had ceased to think that they were true; but weare seeking to penetrate the mysteries of the mines, and this accidenthas befallen us. I can say no more. "

"Better not to say more, " said Dale coldly. "Will you lead on?"

Saxe glanced in the guide's face, and gave him a look of sympathy as hesaw how it was wrinkled and drawn with trouble; but nothing more wassaid, and he went on coiling up the rope as they passed along the darkchasm, only stopping to untie the knot as they reached the main rift andbegan the descent toward the glacier. 

It was no place for conversation, even if Saxe had been so disposed; forevery one's energies were taken up by the task of mastering the waybetween or over the rugged blocks which filled the bottom of the place. But at last, at a sudden turn, a gleam of the white ice was seen, andsoon after Dale was busily obliterating the mark he had made thatmorning for Melchior's guidance. 

Then began the slow descent, sometimes beside, sometimes over theglacier--wherever Melchior could indicate a short cut; the crevasseswere passed, each bringing up its recollections of their adventures, andat last a more even part of their journey fell to their lot along thepolished rock. 

But Dale went on in silence, answering Saxe so shortly several timesthat he dropped back from walking abreast, and went on down for somedistance half-way between his companions. 

"I can't help it, " he said to himself at last: "he must be offended ifhe likes. I don't believe poor old Melk could help the accident. Ishall walk with him. "

He waited for the guide to come up, and he was soon abreast, lookinginquiringly at him, as if asking what he meant to say. The man's facewas dark and heavy of aspect, and he was evidently deeply hurt by Dale'sanger; and, in consequence, he looked up with a bright smile as Saxeasked him if he was tired. 

"Oh no, herr, " he said; "my legs are a little heavy, but not so heavy asmy heart. "

"Don't take any notice of that, " said Saxe, in a low voice; "he did notmean anything much. He was angry because I was so nearly killed. "

"Yes; and it was just, " said the guide: "for I am answerable for yourlives. It would have been most horrible if you had gone down there. "

"Yes, of course it would, " said Saxe lightly. 

"And I have been thinking it over and over, herr, till I can think nomore; for the thoughts always come to the same point. I cannotunderstand it. "

"Why, the rope got worked up, Melk; that's all. "

"No, herr--impossible: that loop could not have worked up unless handstouched it. "

"Gnomes or kobolds?" said Saxe, smiling as he had not been able to smilein the gloomy ravine. 

"Ah, herr! you laugh at the old fancy; but there the matter lies; and Iam beginning to think that a great deal of our misfortune is due to thesame cause. "

"What! the stone-throwing from the mountain?"

"Yes, herr. "

"Well, don't let us talk any more about it, or you'll be making me fancyall sorts of things after it is dark. How much farther have we to go?"

"A good piece yet, herr; but we know the way. There is no doubt aboutit. In a little while I shall hurry on before, and get the fire lit, soas to have the tea ready for Herr Dale. I am sorry I have angered himso. "

"Don't say any more about it, and he will soon forget it all. "

"Yes, herr--I hope so, " replied Melchior; "but I cannot. "

Half an hour after he stepped out, and went silently by Dale, touchinghis hat as he passed, and went on so quickly that he was soon out ofsight; and then Dale slackened his pace a little, to allow Saxe to comeup. 

"Tired and hungry, my lad?" he said. 

"Yes, both, " replied the boy. "I hope Melchior has brought a chicken tobroil for tea. "

Dale laughed. 

"Well, now you speak of it, I hope so too, for I suppose I am hungry;but all that business put eating out of my head. By the way, Saxe, I amsorry I spoke so sharply to Melchior. The man is very sensitive, and ofcourse he cannot help having a lingering belief in the old superstitionsof the people among whom he was raised. "

"I suppose not, " said Saxe thoughtfully. 

"Why, in one of their old books the author has given copperplateengravings of the terrible fiery and other dragons which dwelt in themountains. Superstitions die hard. But there--I dare say he willforget it by to-morrow. "

"But don't you think that some one must have lifted off the rope?"

"No: I believe it was his careless tying. "

"But I don't think he could be careless, " said Saxe quickly. "Then, about that crystal being found. Somebody must have been down to thatgrotto, and dropped it as he came away. I think we are being tracked bypeople who wish us to fail. "

"Then whoever it is must wish, for we are not going to fail, my boy. Wemust and will succeed, in spite of everybody. By the way, did you breakoff that crystal by which you held when you were in the grotto?"

"No, I tried, " said Saxe; "but it was too firm, and I had not room touse my ice-axe, we were so close together. "

"Never mind; to-morrow will do. We must get a grand collection ofchoice specimens, Saxe; and I hope that, as the Swiss Government will bethe gainers by my discoveries, they will not raise any objections to mytaking a goodly assortment away. "

They relapsed into silence again, and it was growing so dusk when theybegan to climb up out of the glacier valley, that the reflection of afire could be seen upon the side of the rocky niche in which they hadformed their camp; and later on, as they came in sight of the littlefall at the end of the rift in the mountain, the foaming waters were litup so brilliantly that they looked like gold. 

But the beauties of the place were forgotten by Saxe in the sight of akettle on the fire, and something which looked wonderfully like cut-upchicken waiting to be frizzled over the glowing embers, beside whichMelchior's sturdy figure stood up plainly, with his dark shadow castupon the side of the white tent. 

"Tea nearly ready?" cried Saxe, as they approached. 

"Very nearly, herr, " was the reply. Then to Dale, as a piece ofsharpened pine was held out: "This is the wood used to pin down yourletter, herr. "

"That?"

"Yes, herr; and it was stuck in that crevice between those pieces ofrock. "

Dale took the piece with a curiously intent look in his countenance. Then, half aloud: "I could have taken an oath that I laid the paper onthat--"

He looked hastily round, for nothing was visible. 

"I was going to say on that stone, Saxe, " he said, in a low voice. 

"I know, " replied the boy; "but the stone isn't there, nor the one youlaid upon it. "

"There!" cried Dale; "I was sure of it, and you are too. It is verystrange. "

"Yes, " said Saxe: "somebody's having a game with us, unless Melchior'sright, and there are--"

"Boys who ought to be kicked for being so ridiculously superstitious. There, let's have a wash in the spring, and then get to our meal. Backdirectly, Melchior, " he said aloud, quite in his usual voice, as hepassed close by the guide, who was now busy cooking. 

Melchior bowed slowly, and went on with his work, patiently preparingthe tea-dinner, and drawing back after the return of the others as if toleave them to partake of their meal alone. 

It was a picturesque sight, and wonderfully attractive to a hungryboy, --the steaming kettle, the glowing fire lighting up the whole niche;and, to make the sight more enjoyable, there was the savoury smell, onewhich seemed to have had a peculiar effect upon Gros, the mule, for hehad left the patch where he was picking up a good succulent meal, todraw near and stand blinking his eyes, flapping his long ears, andstaring, till Saxe drove him off as he came to take his place. 

"I say, " he whispered, "poor old Melk is so upset by what you said thathe is not going to have tea with us. "

"Yes, he is, " said Dale quietly; and then aloud: "Melchior, I am afraidI said hastily some words which have wounded your feelings: I beg youwill let me apologise?"

"I accept your apology, herr, " said the guide quietly. 

"Then we will say no more about it; so come and sit down and join us. "

"The herr wishes it?"

"Yes, of course. "

Melchior sat down quietly and gravely, and the meal went on withoutfurther reference to the unpleasant incident; but Dale grew eager abouttheir work on the next day, chatting about the size of the crystals hehad felt, and the difficulties of enlarging the hole so that they couldcreep in. 

"That can soon be done, herr, if we have fine weather, but there islightning over the Blitzenhorn, and that may mean a storm. "

"Let's hope not, for though this place is lovely now, it would be verydreary and cold if it were wet. Now then, let's clear away and get tosleep, for we have a long day's work before us to-morrow. "

The clearance was made, and the fire raked together and made up so thatit might possibly last till morning, and then came the preparation forsleep. 

"We shall divide the night into three watches to-night, Melchior, " saidDale suddenly. 

"The herr will keep watch?"

"Yes; for whoever it is that is watching and trifling with us--"

"Then the herr thinks--"

"That we have an enemy hanging about our camp and following us. "

"Ah!"

"And that it was he who threw off the rope. "

"Then the herr thinks that?"

"Yes, I feel sure now, for I have been thinking it over, and I know thatMelchior Staffeln, the tried old guide, could not possibly have fastenedthat rope so that an accident would result. "

"The herr gives me hope and life again, " said the guide warmly. 

"Yes, Melchior, I was all wrong. There--shake hands, man, like weEnglish do. "

"Yes: it is good, " said the guide, eagerly doing as he was told. 

"Now lie down both of you, and sleep. In three hours I shall call you, Melchior, and in three more you will come up, Saxe. We may see nothing, but henceforth we will be on guard. "

Ten minutes later the fire was subsiding into a glow. Saxe and theguide slept, and Dale was keenly awake watching for the kobold whodisturbed their peace. 

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. 

THE TREASURE. 

No kobold, gnome, or any other goblin of the mine disturbed the watchersthrough that night. Dale roused Melchior at the end of his spell, andsomewhere about daybreak the guide roused Saxe, in obedience to hisorders, and asked him whether he felt fit to take his turn. 

"Eh?--Fit?" said Saxe, sitting up: "of course. Why shouldn't I be?"

"I thought you seemed a little upset by the shock yesterday. "

"Nonsense: I'm only sleepy. I'm getting used to that sort of thing. There; lie down, and finish your rest. I'm as fresh as a daisy! I say, though: have you seen anything in the night?"

"The stars slowly going down behind the mountains, and the peaksbeginning to glow. "

"Didn't Mr Dale see anything?"

"No. "

"Well, I'm disappointed. I hoped one of you would catch the gentlemanwho comes after us. I'm sure there is something. "

"So am I, herr. The fire is burning. Keep it up, and call me when itis breakfast time. "

He lay down directly, and Saxe ran to the spring for a good sluice, tocome back glowing and scrubbing his scarlet face with a towel. 

"I say, Melk!"

There was no answer. 

"Melky!"

Still silent. 

Saxe bent over the Swiss, and then turned away. 

"Well, he can sleep, " he muttered: "seems only to have to shut his eyes, and he is off. "

It did not occur to him that he was as great an adept at sleeping as theguide, and he turned away, half ill-humouredly, to finish his roughtoilet, and then he busied himself in making preparations for breakfast, which entailed a severe fight with self, for a sensation of hunger soondeveloped itself. But he won by a vigorous effort, and, after all wasready, forced himself away from the fire and the kettle, walking rightout of the niche, to stand watching the glorious changes on the mountainpeaks, and the lines of light slowly creeping, downward and driving outthe shadows where it was still night while high up amongst theglittering ice fields it was glorious day. 

"Oh, how different it all looks in the sunshine!" thought Saxe. "Whichdid he say was the Blitzenhorn? I forget. "

Then he began to think about the day's work before them--the tramp upbeside the glacier, the climb along the black ravine, right in among themountains, and the exploration of the caves. 

"Well, we shall have found some crystals to take back, " he thought. "Wish it was breakfast time, though. What am I to do to amuse myselftill Mr Dale wakes?"

At that moment a peculiar whinnying noise fell upon his ears, and hestarted off down the mountain side in the direction from which the soundhad come. 

"Better company than none, " he said, laughing. "Here: where are you, old chap?"

There was of course no answer, and he was some little time before hecould make out the mule, whose colour assimilated wonderfully with thebrowny-grey rocks. But at last he saw it, end on, standing gazing up anarrow valley, and climbed down to find that it was in the midst of afair spread of short whortleberry growth, whose shoots had evidentlybeen his fare. 

As Saxe drew nearer he could see that, in spite of the animal's warmth, the longer hairs about the mule were covered with hoar-frost, and atevery breath a couple of jets of white vapour were sent forth from themule's nostrils. 

The mule took no heed of his approach, but gave vent to another long, loud, complaining whinny, and kept its head stretched out and its earspointed in the direction of the top of the valley high above them. 

"Hullo, Gros!" cried Saxe, as he approached; and the mule turned alittle more away as the boy approached. 

"Do you hear?" cried Saxe, stepping aside so as to get up to the mule'shead; but that head was averted a little in the other direction, and theanimal's hind quarters were presented. 

"Now, stupid--I mean Dumkoff--I was going to pat your head. I can'tshake hands with your tail!"

He darted sharply a few paces to the other side, but the mule carefullyturned, to balance the movement, and still presented his tail. 

"Ah, you obstinate old ruffian!" cried Saxe: "how can you expect peopleto be friendly with you! Well, I'm not going to be beaten by an oldmule, anyhow!"

It was a rash declaration, for as Saxe made a rush right by the animalit spun round, and the positions were once more the same. 

This evolution was repeated again and again, till Saxe stopped short, panting. 

"Here!" he exclaimed. "I thought it was cold this morning, and I'mgetting hot. For two pins I'd throw a chump of rock at you, youobstinate old four-legged hit of ill-temper. "

He stooped and picked up a stone as big as his fists, and suddenlybecame aware of the fact that, though the mule's head was turned awayfrom him, the cunning animal turned its eyes back and was watching himcarefully. For as he raised the stone Gros shook his head so that hislong ears rattled, squealed, and a peculiar quivering motion, like thebeginning of a dance, was visible in his hind quarters. 

"Ah! would you kick!" cried Saxe. "You ruffian, you'd better not. There are plenty of stones, and I'll give you one for every hoist ofthose nice little heels. "

He made an "offer, " as boys call it, with the stone, and there was aloud squeal. Gros's head went down between his fore legs till he hadnearly touched the ground, and he was turning himself into a tripod soas to set his hind legs at liberty. 

Certainly they seemed at liberty, for he threw them out so vigorouslythat, as Saxe gazed at the hoofs playing about in the air, they seemedto be sparring and fencing at him, while the tail between whipped andwhisked about, and ended by tucking itself in tightly, till Saxe satdown on a rock roaring with laughter, when the mule suddenly ceased itsefforts, stood still, and turned its head round to watch him. 

"Now it's coming!" cried Saxe, leaping up and raising the stone again. 

The mule squealed defiance, and out flew its heels once more, and thiswas repeated till, half choked with laughing, Saxe threw down the stone. 

"There!" he said: "I wouldn't throw at you. Poor old chap, then!"

He approached the animal now on the side to which its head was thrust towatch him, and, to his great surprise, Gros did not stir, but moved hishead a little, and let him approach, pat his neck, and pull his ears. 

"Only your fun, was it, old chap--eh! There! It was only my fun too. It's all right. Go on, old fellow. But, I say, how long have we beencarrying on this game? Suppose my fire's out!"

He gave the mule a final pat, and then hurried back to the tent, wherethe fire was burning steadily, but wanted replenishing. This done, helooked at the sleepers, who were both like the Irishman in the oldstory, paying attention to it; then Saxe told himself that he wouldcontinue his watch. 

This idea seemed so droll that he could not refrain from smiling. 

"Rather a queer way of keeping watch, " he said, "going off like that. Never mind: there's nothing much to steal, and no one to steal it. ButI suppose I ought to stop; only the worst of it is, if I stop here Ibegin feeling hungry. "

The temptation came over him to examine the stores which Melchior hadbrought on the previous day, but he resisted it; and by dint of walkingabout using Dale's glass to examine the different peaks and snowfieldsin the distance, the time passed till Dale woke with a start and sprangup. 

"Ah, Saxe, my lad, have I overslept myself?--No? Well, it's time I wasup. All right? That's well. Now, this ought to be an important dayfor us, " he continued, as he rapidly prepared himself for the journey. "We must creep into that grotto somehow, and with plenty of light. Iexpect we shall find it quite a treasure-house. But, " he said at last, "I think you may wake up Melchior now. "

"I am awake, herr, " said the guide, rising. "It is just the time I hadsettled to sleep. "

In a few minutes they were ready for breakfast, and as they beganMelchior drew from the pannier a portion of the provision he hadbrought, smiling as he placed it upon the slab of rock which served themas a table. 

"What are you laughing at?" said Saxe. 

"Oh, only about being a boy like you once, herr, and thinking that whenI was your age I too could eat one breakfast and feel ready for anotherin an hour. "

"I felt ready for one an hour ago, but I didn't have one, " said Saxe. "No, it was two hours ago. "

"But the herr did have a breakfast one or two hours ago. "

"I?" said Saxe sharply. "No, I didn't have anything. "

The guide looked at him wonderingly, then at the provisions he wassetting down, and ended by shrugging his shoulders. 

"I beg the young herr's pardon. I thought he did, " said Melchiorquietly; and for the time the incident was forgotten. 

Half an hour later Gros was brought up, provisions packed, thegeological hammer and a cold chisel put inside with the food, and theystarted after leaving wood and water ready for a fire when theyreturned. 

The ravine was duly reached, Gros having proved himself an admirableclimber on the ice, and he made no objection to ascending the blackravine for some distance; but at last it grew too bad for him, and hewas tethered to a block of stone and left to meditate and lick themoisture which trickled down, for there was no pasture--not so much as apatch of moss. 

Then the climb went on, Dale asking the guide if he thought the mulecould get back with a load of crystals in the pannier. 

"That depends on the weight, herr. If it is too much for him, we musthelp, or we must all go twice. "

In due time they reached the rock beyond which was the way down to thelower grotto; but though it would have been tempting to have exploredthis with lights, it was decided to leave it for the present, and to goon and break into the cave discovered by Saxe. 

"Well, " said Dale, as they stood beneath it and gazed upon the blackcrevice, "do you think you can get at it so as to use a hammer and thechisel?"

"Oh yes, herr, " said Melchior quietly; and thrusting the hammer handleand the chisel through his belt, he went up and along the ledge withwonderful agility, sprang across on to the projecting block, and thenSaxe watched him eagerly as he saw him drive in the point of thegeological hammer as high up as he could reach, and use it to hold bywhile he climbed higher and got his feet on the lower edge of theopening, where he stood with his hand inside to steady himself while hewriggled out the hammer. Then, holding this in his breast, they saw himtake a steel spike from his pocket, and after a little examinationthrust the point in a crevice which looked like an upward continuationof the opening into the grotto. This done, a sharp stroke or two fromthe hammer enabled him to fix the spike sufficiently firmly to enablehim to hold on by it with his left hand while he drove it in firmly withthe hammer before passing the double rope over it, and making a sling inwhich he could sit opposite the opening and work. 

"There, Saxe, neither you nor I could have done that, " said Dale, as theguide settled himself in the loop swinging before the mouth of thegrotto. 

"It makes my hands feel wet, " whispered Saxe. "Look!"

For Melchior was already hard at work with hammer and chisel, cuttingoff great angles that obstructed the way in and sending the fragmentsshowering down. 

They watched him intently, seeing that he used the hammer as he used hisice-axe, so as not to deliver an unnecessary blow. 

"Think you will make a way in?" cried Dale, as the guide paused for afew moments to wipe his brow. 

"Oh yes, herr; I should have done by now, only my blows fall weaklysitting swinging here. "

"Is the spike safe? Take care. "

"I shall not fall, herr, " he replied. "If the spike gave way I shouldhave time to save myself. "

He began hammering again, this time without the chisel, and using thehammer with so much effect that they could hear the pieces of rock hechipped off rattling down inside, till at the end of about half an hourhe ceased striking, and began raking out the bits he had broken off. 

"I can get through here now, herr, " he said. "I'll come down, and youshall go first. "

"No: that is your right, Saxe, as the discoverer; only be careful not topenetrate far. There may be danger. "

As they were speaking Melchior stood once more upon the edge of theentrance, sending a shovelful or two of the broken stone clattering downas he untied the knots in the loop, and, taking one end of the rope, threw it over the spike, made a slip-knot, drew it tight, and thenglided down to where Dale and Saxe were standing. 

"There, herr, " he said; "you can hold the rope, creep along the ledge, swing yourself across, and mount easily now. "

"Shall I go first?" said the boy, looking at Dale. 

"Yes, of course; but we shall be close behind you. "

Saxe seized the rope, and, profiting by old experience, went up, swunghimself over on to the projection, and then easily climbed in at theopening; saw that there was ample room for him to pass, and then hecrept forward cautiously on hands and knees, finding that the floorsloped downward rapidly toward where all was black darkness. 

He stopped short, not caring to go farther, and waited till theagitation of the rope, which he had let go, told him that Dale wasnearly up. The next minute the figure of the latter darkened theopening, and he too crept in. 

"Well, Saxe: what has Aladdin's cave to show us?"

"Darkness, " replied the boy. 

"Ah, well; we shall soon dissipitate that, " said Dale, as he loosed hishold of the rope and began to prepare the lanthorn he had brought up. "Seen any gnomes?"

"Can't see anything, " replied Saxe shortly; for it seemed to him thatDale was smiling at him. 

"No kobolds or goblins? Well, let's strike a match and light up: thenperhaps we may. That's one good thing about these hollows, --there is noexplosive gas, like there is in a coal mine. There, take this and holdit out before you, " he continued, as he closed and passed the lanthorn. "Lift it up! Now what can you see?"

"Something glittering--yes, crystals!--beauties!--what a size!"

"Hah! Yes. These are worth all the trouble we have taken!" cried Dale, as he dimly saw pendant from the roof, projecting from the rock at allangles, and even lying upon the floor of the grotto, dozens upon dozensof magnificent crystals, which seemed to be clear as glass, of a dullbrown, like smoky quartz, and some even of a hue that was almost apurply-black. 

At that moment Melchior's head appeared. 

"Is there room for me to come in, herr?" he said; and before an answercould be given, "Ah! those are large. "

"Large, my good fellow! they are the finest I have ever seen. Come in. Well, Saxe, how far does the grotto go in? Can you stand up? Mind yourhead!"

"Just stand up here, " he replied; "but it is higher farther in. "

"Let me go on first, herr, " said Melchior: "it may be dangerous. Thereis no telling where these cracks in the rocks extend. "

He took the lanthorn and crept forward cautiously, while Dale and Saxewatched the play of the light on the wonderful prisms and hexagons whichhung in all directions. But there was no penetrating above thirty feet;for the grotto, after rising six or seven feet in height, dropped downagain, and closed together till there was a mere slit. 

"There may be more of it beyond here, sir, " said the guide, "if we couldbreak through. "

"There is more than enough here, Melchior, " cried Dale. "I am satisfiedif we can get these away. "

"Yes, herr, " said the guide, holding up the lanthorn, and making itslight play in all directions, its rays flashing off the various facetsin a way that displayed in some the beauty of their forms, and in othersthe limpid transparency of the stone, --"yes, herr: there are many mules'burdens here. What will you do first?"

"Try to get off that one, " cried Saxe, pointing. "It is the best here. "

"They all seem best, Saxe, " said Dale. "Yes, we will have that one, ifit can be broken off without injury. "

"There is a fine one here, herr, " said the guide. "It must have fallenfrom the roof. "

As he spoke he turned over a huge piece, after setting down thelanthorn, the light from which shot beneath it, and showed a richpurply-black stain, as the guide set the great hexagon up on end. 

"Why, that is the finest I have seen, " said Dale, growing quite excitedover his discovery. "This and two or three more will be a load for themule. "

"Yes, herr, as many as we can get over the rocks with; but we can makemany journeys backwards and forwards now we have found the place. Butthe herr will not take all away without sending word to Lucerne orGeneva?"

"You may trust me, " said Dale. "I shall behave quite honourably to theGovernment, who will, I have no doubt, consent to my keeping some ofthem. Now, then: we shall have a long, slow journey back, with such aload. Try and strike off that small white piece. "

The "small white piece" proved to be ten inches long and very heavy, when it had been dexterously struck off, without damaging any of itsclearly-cut angles. 

Two more very beautifully clear pieces were then selected, and then Dalelooked questioningly at Melchior. 

"If the mule carries the two largest pieces, herr, " he said, smiling, "and we take one each, I think it will be all we can do. When we getlower down, on to the better way, the mule can carry all. "

"Yes, we must not be too grasping, " said Dale, with a sigh. "I wish, Saxe, I had all these over in England safe. "

"I should like to have the whole grotto over there safe, " replied Saxe. 

"Better say the mountain while you are about it, " cried Dale, with alaugh. "There, Melchior, try if you can get down that heavy piece. "

"Yes, herr, easily done, " said the guide; and, drawing up the rope, hemade it fast to the largest crystal and carefully lowered it down. 

"You must go down now and unfasten, " said Dale. "I can lower the rest. But what about the rope when we have done?"

For answer Melchior climbed up and loosened the rope, leaving only aloop over the spike. Then sliding down, he soon set the crystal free, and the others were lowered down. Dale and Saxe followed, and the ropewas jerked off the spike and coiled up. 

"The only way of locking up the door, " said Saxe, laughing. "But, Isay, these will be very heavy to carry back. What's the matter?" hecontinued, as he saw Dale looking at the fragments of broken rock sentdown by Melchior. 

"I was thinking that those pieces will tell tales, " he said. "If anyone comes up here, they will see we have been at work. "

"Yes, herr, if any one comes by; but nobody is likely to come here. "

"I suppose not, " said Dale thoughtfully, after a look round. 

"The herr forgets that we are now in the wildest part of this the mostdesolate of our cantons. "

"Yes, I had forgotten, " said Dale lightly. "No one is likely to come, unless it be one of your kobolds, Melchior. "

"They will not come, herr, or they would have been here to protect theirtreasures, " replied the guide, laughing, as he stooped and lifted thebig crystal on to his shoulder; then took it off, and asked Saxe toplace the coil of rope under it. "The stone is heavy, " he saidcheerfully. "Yes, that's it: now it will ride easily. I think, herr, if you take my ice-axe and give me another under this arm to balance it, I can get on well. "

"But you are too heavily laden now, Melchior. "

"Oh no, herr: I am a strong man. Give me the other. "

It was handed to him. 

"Now, can you carry the other three?"

"Oh yes--easily, " cried Saxe, who took one of the largest. "'Tis heavy, though, " he added to himself, as he felt the weight of the solid stone. 

"Then these two are my load, " said Dale, placing one under each arm assoon as he had thrust the ice-axe handles through his belt. "Ready?"

"Yes. "

"Then off!"

They started, and but for the knowledge of the value of the load Saxewould gladly have freed himself of the burden by letting it fall on thestones. But these were the crystals of which Dale was in search, and ashe saw that his companion was patiently plodding on and making his wayover the sharp, rough masses of stone with which the ravine was floored, he bent to his task patiently, though it seemed as though they wouldnever reach the spot where the mule was tethered. 

There he was though, at last, ready to whinny in welcome of theircoming; but this glad greeting closed when Melchior's load was carefullybalanced across his back, and the journey downward was very slowly andsolemnly performed. 

With the heaviest crystals safe on the mule's back, a redistributiontook place, Melchior relieving Dale of his heaviest piece, and Daleexchanging his lighter one for Saxe's; and in this order the side of theglacier was descended, and they reached the camp hot, tired and hungry. 

"Why, Saxe, we shall not want many loads like this, " said Dale. 

"No, herr, " said Melchior, as the boy stood shaking his head. "Youcannot take many away, unless we have a train of mules. Where will youhave these placed?"

"Oh, just inside the tent for to-night. In the morning we must contrivesome hiding-place for them, to which we can bring the rest; and when Ihave all I want we must bring mules here and remove them. "

A good long look was taken at the various magnificent specimens beforethey were laid together. Then Melchior busied himself helping toprepare the meal; and very shortly after this was ended, watching beingdeemed unnecessary, the whole party were sleeping soundly, not one ofthem, after the heavy toil of the day, being startled by the loudsquealing whinny given by the mule toward the middle of the night. 

Saxe's sleep was almost dreamless till toward morning, when he became alittle restless consequent upon imagining that he was engaged in adesperate encounter with a small round goblin, who was about the size ofa baby, but seemed to have the strength of an elephant. He walked in atthe tent door, and informed Saxe that he had come to fetch the crystalsstolen from his storehouse that day; and upon Saxe refusing to give themup, a desperate encounter took place--a fight which had no beginning andno end, finishing off, as it were, in a mist, out of which he started tohear the sound of wood crackling, and to find that it was day. 

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE. 

IN DESPERATION. 

The faint grey dawn lit up the canvas of the tent and faintly showed thefigure of Dale fast asleep, with his head close to the place where thecrystals had been laid and covered over with a rug. 

Melchior had crept out of the tent without making sound loud enough toawaken them; and it was apparent now that he was busy preparing themorning meal. 

Saxe did not want to get up for a few minutes, and he lay thinking aboutthe beautiful crystals, and of how he would break off a few of thesmaller ones to bring away in his pockets to keep as curiosities forhome. Then he recalled the weight of the one he had carried overnight, and thought how strong Melchior must be, or else how patient andenduring. Finally, he determined to get up and go and talk to the guideabout their work for the coming day--a task which had lost its zest nowthat some of the crystals had been found. 

But his moving roused Dale, who started up. 

"Throw open the tent door, my boy, and let's have some fresh air. Iwant to have a look, too, " he cried, "at our treasures. "

Saxe obeyed; and he was in the act of looping back the canvas, when Daleuttered an angry cry. 

"Gone!--stolen!" he cried. "That man must have gone off with them onthe mule. "

"Did the herr call?" said Melchior, hurrying up. 

"You here, Melchior?" stammered Dale in his surprise. "But yes. Look!The crystals! We laid them there. Do you know where they are gone?"

"No, herr. But are you sure?"

"Sure, man! Yes, and--ah! Look at that!" he continued, pointing at thetent wall. "A slit has been cut in it with a knife. "

Melchior rushed outside and examined the slit. 

"Yes, " he said, shaking his head; "cut with a sharp knife. It must havebeen whilst we slept. "

"And by some one who must have been watching our movements. "

"There!" cried Saxe excitedly. "I knew it. I felt sure that we werebeing watched. "

"Whoever it is cannot have gone far, " said Dale sternly. "It is thesame party that stole the crystal before. Now, Melchior, which way arethey likely to have gone?--of course back toward the valley!"

Melchior shook his head. 

"But they must. There is no other road, you say. "

"Oh yes, herr: there are ways for good climbers. "

"But a good climber cannot get up and down dangerous places with half ahundredweight of stones on his back, man. "

"No, herr. They would not carry the stones very far: they would hidethem. "

"And go back without them!"

"No, herr. If the object of watching us is to get the crystals, theywill still be hiding to see if we find more. "

"Yes, you may be right, " said Dale, after a few moments' thought. "Here, let's have a good look round in different directions. "

Melchior looked at him half pityingly. 

"Which!" he said at last. "Has the herr thought how impossible it wouldbe to hunt good climbers down in these wilds! Look!" he continued, waving his hand round; "the great wilderness is everywhere, and thereare thousands of places where men could hide. "

"Yes, I know all that, " cried Dale impatiently; "but I am not going tosit down quietly and be robbed like this of the specimens I have workedso hard to get. What do you say, Saxe!"

"Get 'em back at any cost. I think they are Italian brigands from theother side who have done it. "

"No, herr, " said Melchior. "It is the work of some of our people, whoare greedy and jealous. There are some who would sooner work hard for amonth to find an opportunity to steal a few francs than work honestlyfor a week to earn double. Fortunately they are very few. "

"Then you would give up and not search for them!" said Dale angrily. 

"I would search for them, herr; but it would end in failure. This mustbe done by men who know these high mountains as well as I do. Why, if Iwished to hide here, there are places I could get to where I shouldnever be found. "

"But the hiding people want food!"

"Yes, herr, " said the guide drily; "and they have got it. A great dealof what I brought up with Gros has gone. I thought the young herr herehad taken some of it; but I see now. "

"Then, what would you do?"

"I would not waste time in hunting for what we shall never discover, herr. It may be hidden in the mountains, or down some crevasse in thegreat glacier. Those crystals were very fine, but we left others behindin the grotto as beautiful. Why not go and get these, and take what wefind at once to a place of safety?"

"At once? You forget how long a journey it is back. "

"No, herr. It is far; but once we have them we must watch, and not berobbed again like this. "

Dale stood thinking for a minute or two, Saxe watching him eagerly. 

"Very good advice, " he said; "and I will follow it, but not to-day. Saxe, you must be guardian over the camp. No: we shall want your help, my lad. Put some food in your wallet, Melchior; and we will try andtrace these people, for there must be more than one. "

"Yes, herr; there must be more than one, " said Melchior; and hastilymaking the provision required, he said that he was ready. 

"Now, then, " cried Dale; "which way first?"

"One way is as good as another, herr, " replied the guide. "It is allchance. We may go upon their track; we may go right away. Shall Ilead?"

"Yes, " said Dale, frowning; and the search began and lasted tilldarkness forced them to give up and seek their couches, tired out. For, taking the camp as a centre, they went off from it and returned, fromevery possible direction: not that there were many, for the vastprecipices and hollows around compelled them to be select in theirroutes. 

But it was all in vain, and from starting there was nothing that guidedthem in the slightest degree: for they were in a wilderness wherefootprints only showed upon the snow; and wherever they approached anice field it was to find the pure white mantle unstained, and not evenshowing the track of a bird. 

"Will the herr continue the search to-morrow, or go to the grotto?" saidMelchior, as they lay down to sleep. 

"Continue the search, " said Dale sternly; and the next day and the nextthey toiled on, going farther and farther into the mountains, but therewas no other result than weariness. 

"It's enough to make one believe in Melchior's goblins, " said Dalepetulantly, "all those beautiful crystals to have been spirited awaylike that. But never mind: we shall find them to-morrow, I feel sure. "

But when to-morrow came Dale did not feel so sure; and, altering hismind, to Saxe's great delight, they took the mule and started for thegrotto once again. 

Dale went first, and the mule followed, Saxe walking behind withMelchior, until they reached the black ravine. 

"I am glad, " the boy said, as they trudged along over the rock and ice. "It was all waste of time trying to catch those fellows. "

"Yes, herr--quite. "

"Have you no idea as to whom it could be, Melk?"

"No, herr, not the least. Mr Dale must have talked about his journeyto some one as you came, and clever people have been let to watch you. "

"Well, it's no use crying over spilt milk, even if it is Swiss milk, "said Saxe, laughing. 

The guide looked at him wonderingly. He was very proficient in English, but proverbs puzzled him, and he shook his head. 

"Well, then, " said Saxe, laughing, "it's of no use to throw away timewhen we can use it to advantage. Do you understand that!"

"Quite, " said Melchior. "We must get a very great load of the crystalsto-day, and make sure of them. It will be a splendid find, if we pickthe best--grander than has ever been made here before. "

"And I discovered them, " said Saxe proudly. "Yes, herr; you discoveredthem, " said the guide, smiling. Saxe coloured. 

"He's laughing at me, " he said to himself, as he hurried on to overtakeDale. "I do wish I was not so conceited. "

They had a brief halt at the mouth of the black ravine, toiled up ittill they reached Gros's tethering place, and then went on. 

"I have been thinking, " said Dale, as Saxe climbed on beside him, "thatwe ought to have swept away all those chips of stone after we opened theplace. "

"You both thought no one likely to climb up here, " replied Saxe. 

"Yes: we thought so, Saxe, " said Dale rather shortly; and then the toilof the climbing among and over the sharp crags put an end to theirconversation, and they kept on till they were beneath the narrow crevicewith the fragments of stone chipped out by Melchior lying just as theyhad been left. 

"Now, Melchior, " cried Dale; "I will not be avaricious. We'll have onegood select load of the crystals, and then make them safe. Up withyou!"

Melchior climbed up, fastened the rope to the spike, and then creptinside the grotto with the lanthorn attached to his waist. 

"Looks just like a bear going into his den, " said Saxe, laughing, as thehind quarters of the guide disappeared. 

"Yes. Up with you, and play bear too, or monkey, " said Dale, laughing;and with the help of the rope the boy soon reached the opening andcrawled in. 

Dale followed, and blocked out the light just as Melchior had creptfarther in, and was busy opening the lanthorn and striking a match. 

"One moment, Melchior, " said Dale: "here's a piece of blue light, --let'sburn that. "

But just as he spoke the match flashed into light, and Melchior droppedit; they heard him scratching at his box, and directly after he struckabout half a dozen together, and separated them, so that they burnedbrightly, holding them high up above his head before taking one to lightthe wick of the lanthorn. 

At the first flash out of the matches Saxe sprang back in horror, andDale uttered a groan of disappointment. Then there was a dead silence, during which the matches blazed down close to the guide's fingers, andwere allowed to fall, while the lanthorn burned more brightly, showingthe guide's wrinkled countenance, full of disappointment and despair. 

"It's horrible!" cried Saxe wildly. "Oh, if I only knew!"

"Yes, boy: if you only knew, " said Dale. 

"We must find them. "

"No, young herr: it would be waste of time to try. Trust to me; perhapsI can take you to a better grotto yet, and if we do find one, we willlive in it till bit by bit the crystals are removed and placed insafety. "

"We shall not find such another spot, " said Dale sadly. 

"The mountains are wonderful and vast, herr. There is the Blitzenhornyet to try. "

"Yes, to try, " said Dale sadly. "Oh, but it is maddening just assuccess had attended us!" and he relapsed into gloomy silence, asMelchior went about the grotto holding the lanthorn to its glitteringceiling, the light flashing from hundreds of crystals; but every oneworth taking as a specimen had been removed, and a great rusty hammerwith which they had been broken off lay before them, forgotten in theirhurry by those who had been there. 

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR. 

GROWING RESIGNED. 

A month had glided by, during which Dale and Saxe had explored valleys, traced glaciers to their sources, and made plenty of mountain ascents;but though they penetrated into the wildest regions of the higher alps, and encountered storm and wind sufficient to tear them from the giddycrags to which they climbed, no more crystals rewarded their efforts, nocuriously half-hidden rift fringed with sparkling points invited them tobreak a way in. 

"Why not try the Blitzenhorn, herr?" Melchior would say: "the youngherr is getting to be a clever, sure-footed mountaineer now, and I havehopes of our being successful there. "

Dale would gaze up at the mighty peak whose icy crown stood up beforethem, beyond the mountains which surrounded Andregg's hut, and shake hishead. 

"No, " he said: "the climb is too difficult for Saxe. "

"Oh no!" cried the boy; "I feel sure I could do it. "

"And I feel sure you could not, " replied Dale. "Look at it. The snowslopes you could manage; but those black, forbidding, almostperpendicular crags would be too much for you, and that is the part weshould have to explore. "

"Yes, " said Melchior; "certainly that is the part we should have toexplore. "

"Well, why not let me try!" cried Saxe. 

"Wait, my lad--wait. "

So their days passed on, amidst fine weather and foul; partly-passed atAndregg's chalet, partly in the mountains with their tent. They hadbeen again and again to the black ravine, and examined other grottoes, bringing away a good assortment of crystals, but, as Dale said, therewas nothing particular among them; and though they divided their timebetween trying to make fresh discoveries and tracing the old treasures, the crystals had disappeared as completely as if the legendary spiritsof the grots and mines had snatched them back, and hidden them wherethey would be safe from mortal eyes. 

But it was a glorious time, in spite of the disappointment, and Saxerevelled in the wondrous scenery, growing more sure-footed and firm ofnerve day by day when in the mountains, and happy and full of fun whenback in Andregg's valley, leaving the donkey or his companion Gros, andaccompanying heavy, surly, stupid, strong Pierre up the green alps tofetch home the goats and cows, becoming a perfect adept with a greatwooden Alpine horn, whose notes evoked wonderful echoes among themountains which shut them in. 

The natural history collection increased--butterflies, pressed plantsand minerals were stored up; the falls were used for shower-baths; troutcaught in the streams and lakes; and time was passing, when one evening, as the glorious sky foretold a bright day on the morrow, Dale, who wasseated outside Andregg's chalet with Melchior, returned that day fromfar below with a fresh load of provisions, called Saxe to bring him hisfield-glass. 

This was brought, and the lad watched him, and saw that he was scanningthe Blitzenhorn carefully. 

"He means to try it, after all, " thought the boy, whose heart began tobeat heavily. 

"Fine day to-morrow, Melchior, " said Dale at last, as he closed theglass. 

"Yes, herr, I think so; though one never knows what changes may come. "

"But it is pretty sure to be a good day!"

"Yes, herr. "

"Then we'll start at three to ascend the Blitzenhorn, and I hope yourprophecies will prove right. "

"I hope so, herr. Everything shall be ready. We'll take the mule andtent?"

"No: we'll go in light marching order, and chance it. Let's get to bedat once, and start at two. "

"Good, herr. Coffee shall be ready at half-past one. "

"One moment. What about the moon!"

"We shall have it with us at starting, herr. "

"And which way do you propose?"

The guide raised the ice-axe, which never seemed to leave his side, andpointed out the route he meant to take, with the difficulties likely tobe encountered among the great snowfields which clothed the giant'ssides. 

An hour later the preparations had been made, and they were allsleeping, when, just as he had apparently closed his eyes, Melchiorstood over Saxe and roused him up once more. 

"One o'clock, herr; and the coffee is nearly ready. "

It had now become such a matter of course to rise at these nocturnalhours for long expeditions, that Saxe turned out at once, with nothingmore than a growl or two and a vicious snatch at his clothes. The coldwater and the coffee, however, soon set him right, and at two punctuallythe trio were on their way along the valley, with the last quarter ofthe moon to light them as they struck up close by the end of the lowerglacier, and then went on and on at a steady rate toward the great giantwhose pyramidal peak could be faintly discerned in the distance, lookingto Saxe terribly far off, and as if it would be impossible to reach thetop that day. But their guide had cunning ways for shortening thedistance, leading them round this outer buttress, up that ravine, and inand out and along shelves, so that, by the time the sun rose, they hadwell mastered the outworks, and were ready to attack the peak itself. 

For the next two hours it was now steady climb over rock and snow. Thenthe difficulties began, but were surmounted one by one, --a greatsnowfield or two were skirted, an arete mounted, which led them to thefoot of a slope of hard ice, where they halted for a rest. 

"Must we take that, Melchior?"

"Yes, herr: there is no other way, and with the rope it is not sodifficult. "

"But you will have to cut steps all the way!"

"Yes, herr. "

"And the precipice?"

"You will not mind that, herr; and I am sure he will not shrink from itnow. "

Saxe declared that he was ready, and for the next hour they werecrossing the ice, where a slip might have sent all flying down two orthree thousand feet. But it was passed at last, and the great blackcrags were now within easy reach. 

"Do you mean to go right to the top, herr?" said the guide; "because, ifso, it would be better to do it now, before the snow grows softer, anddescend to the black crags afterwards. Then, if we do not findcrystals, I can take you round by the cornice, and over or round one ofthe snowfields home. "

"What do you say, Saxe? Shall we venture?"

"Yes, we must be able to say we have climbed the Blitzenhorn. "

"Go on, then, Melchior, and we'll do it. Is there anything very bad?"

"No, herr, I think not. A few crevasses, perhaps, that one can getover, are the worst. Nothing more difficult than we have often done. "

They climbed on, but the difficulties increased, and there proved to bean awkward ice ledge to pass along, with a terrific gulf beneath; and agap or two, with snow bridges, which were apparently waiting a touch togo down at once. These were all safely overcome. And at last a longslope of loose snow was all that remained to toil up before they reachedthe top, where Saxe threw himself down to enjoy the wondrous prospect ofglittering ice peaks, and, a few minutes after, the food Melchiorbrought from his wallet. 

"It doesn't seem so difficult as you thought, " said Saxe, with his mouthfull. 

"Don't holloa till you are out of the wood, " replied Dale. "Shall we goback the same way?" he said to the guide. 

"No, herr; I shall take you back right to the black rock, where it istoo steep for the snow to lie. "

"And for us to get down?"

"I shall skirt the edge of those steep bits, herr. You will see. "

In half an hour they were once more afoot, with the sun beginning toblaze down upon them and the snow dazzling their eyes; but the descentto the first bare rocks was steadily made, and the exploration began, with the result during the next two hours of four crevices beingdiscovered, each lined with crystals that, at the first sight, lookedlike ice, but a close investigation satisfied Dale that they were notworthy of his notice, and that the minor grotto in the black ravine wasfar superior. 

"No good, herr, " said the guide sadly. "Sehr schlecht. I hoped weshould have done better. "

"Never mind. We have done the best we could, and this has been amagnificent ascent. "

"The herr is satisfied with that?"

"Yes. "

"Splendid!" added Saxe. 

Then a difficult descent began, among the jagged masses of rock, whosehollows were full of snow. After some stiff work a great couloir wasreached, one which led well down in the direction the guide was nowtaking, and along this gully they managed to glide in safety, thoughtwice over great stones came bounding down from the black cragsoverhead. 

Then a ledge of ice had to be cautiously approached and passed, oneangle where there was barely foothold calling for all Saxe's fortitude;but he passed it bravely and fought very hard not to show that he hadfelt a slight attack of nerves. There had been a curious catchingsensation in his throat, and his breath had come as he glanced once downinto the blue haze in an ice gulf; but he breathed more freely as firmsnow and then solid rock was reached; and the descent continued, noallusion being made to the perilous bit, though on glancing at the guideonce he received a nod which evidently meant:

"Bravo! well done! You could not have faced that when you first cameamong the Alps. "

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE. 

A CATASTROPHE. 

"When are you going to give us a glissade, Melk?" cried Saxe, as theyreached a piece of smooth snow descending at a moderate angle. 

"The first time there is a suitable place, herr, " replied the guidequietly. 

"Why not here?"

"I will show you when we get to the bottom. "

Saxe looked disappointed, and grew more so as the descent was madeslowly and toilsomely, with every precaution taken and warning wordsuttered from time to time respecting keeping the rope taut. 

"But there were no crevasses here?" said Saxe, as they reached to wherethe slope seemed to curve over suddenly and then descend more sharply, for the continuation was out of sight. 

"No, there are no crevasses, " replied Melchior; "but a slip here wouldhave been bad. "

"This is a cornice, then, Melchior?" said Dale. 

"Yes, herr, and if you two will hold me, I will step out a little wayand break a hole for you to see. "

In obedience to his instructions, Saxe and Dale stepped back to the fullextent of the cord, and then eased it out as the guide stepped forward, till he suddenly held up his hand. 

"Now, " he said, "let me bear out against the rope;" and, raising theice-axe in both hands, he began to use it vigorously, cutting hard atthe frozen snow, till there was a sharp crack, and he threw himself backwhile a huge piece of the cornice broke away and dropped down out ofsight. Then all waited breathlessly till a faint hissing sound toldthat it had touched rock or ground somewhere below, but how far downSaxe did not realise, till Melchior made way for him to creep to theextreme edge and look. 

"We have the rope tightly, " said Dale, "so you need not hesitate. "

But the boy did hesitate, and, after peering over, he shrank backappalled. 

Melchior smiled. 

"Well, herr, " he said, "what do you think of the glissade, if you hadtaken one?"

"It's horrible, " said Saxe, in a subdued tone; and he turned and lookeddown again where the guide had broken away the cornice, which curved outover a tremendous precipice, and saw that had he followed hisinclination and slid down the snow slope, he would have gone over thecornice, and then plunged headlong, to fall nearly sheer down whatseemed to be three or four thousand feet, to where a glacier wound alongpast the foot of the precipice. 

Just then Dale joined him. 

"Ah!" he said; "this is grand. Look at the course of that river till itdisappears in the haze. You can count several villages, too, on themountain slope and plain. "

But Saxe had no eye for river or villages. The object that took hisattention was the river of ice below, upon which whoever dropped fromwhere he stood must fall; and as Dale spoke to him again, he turned awaywith quite a start and a shudder. 

"Hallo!" cried Dale; "that will not do. Too imaginative, Saxe. There'splenty all round to encounter, without your calling up the imaginary. Well, Melchior, which way next?"

"Up above that snow slope, herr, and round the shoulder of the mountainthat you can see yonder. "

"Yes; but that's going up again. "

"Yes, herr; I do not like to be so near this place without letting yousee the Silber Grat and the wonderful view. Very few people come to seethis place, but it is very grand. "

"Yes, grand in the extreme, " said Dale. "Here, Saxe, " he continued, giving the rope a jerk, "come away now. "

The boy started again, and then frowned, as he felt as if he were beingtreated like a mule or a donkey, held by a halter. 

"Ready, herrs?" said the guide. "We must get on, please. "

"Which way?" said Dale. 

"Straight up, herr, along by these rocks, till we are above that snowslope; then along the top across the shoulder, where we shall find aneasy slope on the other side, and perhaps be able to have a glissadewithout going down a precipice at the bottom. "

"Oh, come!" cried Saxe; "that's meant for me. How was I to know thatthe mountain ended suddenly like a wall?"

"Never mind that, " said Dale impatiently; "it's growing late, and wewant to get back to camp. Why, Melchior, we are going to have a storm!"

"Yes, herr; I'm afraid so. "

"Then why go up there and along the top? Surely we can go diagonally upthe snowfield from here to the corner below the shoulder, and we shallsave half a mile, at least!"

"Yes, herr; nearer a mile, " said the guide, gazing up thoughtfully atthe smooth snowfield; "but there is a great slope there. "

"Yes, but away from this horrible precipice. I suppose that goes downinto an inner valley?"

"Yes, herr; and extends right to the bottom--all snow. "

"Then a slip and a roll would not matter?"

"No, herr. "

"Then why do you hesitate, man?" cried Dale peevishly, as the guidestood with his brow shaded, gazing up at the dazzling slope which rosefrom them at a little distance and then curved over and disappeared. 

"I was looking, herr, because I mistrusted that snow. It does not lookhealthy. "

"What, likely to give way? Absurd! There are no crevasses there. "

"Oh no, herr. It is all rock below. "

"Of course: it must be. Well, we will take the cut right across thatsnow to the opposite corner. "

"The herr desires it?" said Melchior gravely. 

"Yes, certainly. It is folly to go so far round. "

"The snow is not always good, herr; and the longest way round issometimes the nearest. "

"Yes, but with a storm coming on, perhaps!" said Dale sharply. 

"It may be hours yet, herr. "

"The better for us. Let's get back down into shelter. "

Melchior said no more, but unfastened the rope, and after coiling it up, led them along for some distance, till the great cornice was leftbehind, and they descended into a little valley over snow, ice and rock, till they reached the stream hurrying down the hollow, crossed it, madea similar ascent, and just as Saxe had it in his mind to say, "I thoughtwe were going over that snowfield, " they climbed up through a littlewilderness of blocks, and they were upon the edge of the unsulliedslope, which ran up to left and down to their right apparently for amile. 

"Ah!" cried Dale, springing upon the snow, which allowed his feet tosink in a little; "capital condition! Now, Melchior, forward!"

"Yes, herr, " said the guide, testing the snow with his foot; "there willbe no steps to cut here. "

He then started off to cross the great snowfield diagonally, so as toreach the rocks at the far top corner, his feet sinking more deeply intothe soft crystals than was conducive to good progress, and Saxe first, and then Dale, keeping pretty well to his footprints. 

"Disappointing, this, " said Dale, when they were about a third of theway across. "I thought we were to have nothing but downward progressnow. "

"It is puffing work, too!" cried Saxe. 

"Herr! herr!" said the guide, stopping short in his tracks, and speakingin a reproachful whisper. 

"What's the matter?" said Saxe. 

"There is a great deal of loose snow high up on our left, and if you setany of it in motion it would be bad. "

"I forgot, " said Saxe apologetically. "I will be more careful. "

"That's right, " said Dale. "Not much danger, though, here. No fear ofbeing bombarded by stones--eh, Melchior?"

"No, herr, " said the guide, looking about him anxiously. "Shall we geton?"

Dale nodded, and they tramped on through the soft snow for some distancefarther; when, just as Saxe was asking himself whether he was growingtired or the snow much more soft, Melchior paused once more and lookedupward. 

"Yes--what is it?" said Dale quickly. 

"A minute's rest for the young herr, sir. As soon as he has his breathwell go on. The snow is loose, but better than I expected. I was alittle afraid at starting. "

"Afraid? Of what?"

"The snow is often a little treacherous in a place like this, herr; andas it is so loose we shall have to be careful about glissading when weget beyond the rocks yonder. "

"But surely there is nothing treacherous here?" said Dale: "a littlesoft, perhaps, but that is all. Go on: we ought to be up there inanother quarter of an hour. "

"Yes, herr, " said the guide, after another glance up at the wreaths andfolds of pure white snow which draped the mountain high above theirheads; and then, after giving Saxe an encouraging smile, he went onagain, with his boots crunching down the snow, forming a series ofimpressions which were deepened by those who followed. 

Half the distance--two-thirds--was passed; and as he struggled on, feeling hot now and as if the exertion were telling upon him, Saxeglanced back, wondering at the length of the track they had made, andhow the snowfield had seemed to extend as they trudged along. 

"Yes, " said Dale, from close behind him, as he divined the boy'sthoughts, "it is a long way; but we shall soon reach the rocks now, andthen the worst part of our journey is done. "

Crack!

A long dull report, as of something breaking; and Melchior stopped shortand uttered a groan. 

"What is it?" cried Dale excitedly. 

"The snow, herr--the snow!" cried Melchior. "See!"

He spoke calmly and solemnly, but made no effort to dash on; though, ashe realised their danger, Dale's first impulse was to call upon Saxe totry and reach the rocks. 

Melchior knew that it would be impossible, and he stood firm, ready tomeet his fate. 

For far above them a dark jagged line had opened across the snowfield, with the dull report they had heard. That crack had begun to widenrapidly, with a curious hissing noise, and the next moment Saxe saw thatthe vast snow slope was in motion, and that they were being carried byit downward toward the valley, a couple of thousand yards below. 

Everything happened so quickly that the boy had no time to feel alarm. One quick thought darted through his brain, --that they would be carriedso far down that they would have to make a long detour. Then his armwas seized by Melchior, and a sound above him made him gaze upward, tosee that the snow was forming in long folds, like waves, upon the slope, and threatening to curve over and bury them. Then their speedincreased, the rolling sound rose into a terrific roar, and the boyfully grasped the fact that they had started an avalanche, and werebeing hurried downward to destruction. 

"Can't we--we--"

Saxe said no more, for at that moment a rush of snow swept by them as ifborne upon the wings of some terrible tempest, and in the midst of thesuffocating sensation he felt himself sinking lower and lower. The snowwas at his waist; then, as he was borne swiftly down, at his breast; andthe next instant at his lips; and all the while he was gliding downwardat railway speed. 

"Melk! Help!" he cried hoarsely, as he was twisted violently round andborne down backward; and then the snow seemed to leap right over him, and all was dark. 

What followed was blind confusion, in which Saxe struggled to fight backthe snow, so that he could breathe, for the sense of suffocation wasterrible. Then all at once the rapid gliding motion ceased, and in thedarkness he felt as if he were being held tightly in some terribleembrace, which closed round him slowly and surely, till only his armswere at liberty, and with these he fought. 

And now he found that he still held the ice-axe that had been hiscompanion all day. It was stretched right out above him as far as hecould reach, and, as he moved it, to his intense joy he could see a paleray of light, one which increased as he moved the axe again, telling himthat, though he was buried, the head of the axe was above the level ofthe snow. 

His first efforts were to enlarge the hole that ran right up, verylittle larger than the handle of the axe, though the beating with hishand had formed quite a little hollow about his head. 

"The snow has stopped, and I am only buried so deep, " he thought tohimself, as the horrible feeling of panic began to subside. "If I canmake that hole bigger, so as to be able to breathe, I ought soon to beable to creep out. "

He worked away, enlarging the hole a little; but he had to observe thegreatest caution, for fear of filling the little perpendicular tunnelwith the loose snow. It was but little, still it enabled him to breathemore freely; and as soon as he reached this pitch he began to strive toraise himself, first one leg and then the other, to force himself out tothe surface. 

And now the feeling of horror, which had passed away for the moment, returned, as he grasped the fact that the loose snow, in which he hadbeen swept down, had been pressed together by the weight above it, tillto his waist he felt as if he were enclosed in solid ice. 

In spite of his position the perspiration broke out upon his forehead, and the wild horror which seized him nearly robbed him of his sensestill the reaction came. 

"Melchior and Mr Dale will seek for me and dig me out, " he thought. "Imust listen till I hear them, and then shout. "

He grew calmer now, and listened; but all was perfectly still, and achill struck through him as he asked himself a terrible question--

"Where were his companions!"

He had been plodding on, he remembered, with Mr Dale behind him; but hehad not seen a sign of his companion since, though he had seen Melchior, who had caught him by the wrist, and then--

"Yes: what then?"

He could remember no more, only that horrible confusion as they werecarried down, till he was fighting for breath, buried at the bottom ofthe drift. 

Saxe listened again, straining his ears for the faintest sound, buthearing nothing. 

"They must have been carried farther, " he tried to think; "and as soonas they can climb up they will begin to seek for me;" and he repeatedthis cheering thought to fight back another, which was vague, strangeand terrible--a thought which suggested the impossibility of two peoplediscovering the tiny hole made by the head of an ice-axe in the midst ofthe snow of that tremendous avalanche. 

"I don't care; I will not give up hoping, " he said to himself, as hemoved the ice-axe gently, and saw a ray or two more light. Then hebegan to wonder whether the heat of his body would melt enough of thesnow-ice about him to enable him to work his way out; and in this hopehe waited and rested for a few minutes, for the exertion even of movingthe axe seemed to set his heart beating fast. 

Then once more the feeling of horror grew more terrible than he couldbear; and he was fast succumbing to it and losing his senses, when hefancied that he heard a cry. 

It ceased directly; and then, as he listened with every nerve on thestrain, there it was again--faint, apparently very distant, but plainlyenough--the jodel of some Swiss, if it were not that of the guide. 

Throwing his head back as far as he could, and keeping the axe handletight against the side of the narrow hole, Saxe sent up a despairing cryfor help. 

As he ceased he made a desperate struggle to free himself, but it wasuseless; and he listened again and to his great joy the jodel cameagain, and he answered it. 

Then there was a terrible period of suspense; and, as no sound washeard, he yelled with all his might, and this time there was undoubtedlyan answering call. 

Once more he shouted, and a hail came from nearer; and then, to hisdespair, it was repeated from farther away, making the unfortunateprisoner utter a despairing cry of rage, which had the effect ofbringing the sound once more nearer and nearer still, and at last soclose that he knew it was Melchior's voice which cried--

"Now, once more shout. Where are you?"

Saxe's lips parted, and he drew in his breath in the excitement andrelief of feeling that help was so close at hand; but no sound wouldcome save a low, hoarse gasp, and then a giddy sensation came over him, and once more all was darkness. 

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX. 

FROM THE SNOW GRAVE. 

Saxe seemed to have awakened from sleep with a terrible throbbingheadache, to listen to a curious digging sound which was going on overhis head. He could hear a loud rumbling too, and, as he was stillwandering and confused at being suddenly awakened, as it appeared tohim, the truth came with a leap, just as the axe handle, which he stillheld, was sharply agitated to keep the hole open, and Melchior's voicecame down to him. 

"Try--try and speak, young herr!" But for a few moments no word wouldcome from his lips. He wanted to speak; he strove hard, wondering thewhile at his silence; but not a sound came, till there was a deep groanfrom above him, and then with a sudden rush the words came from his pentup breast--

"Melk! Help--help!"

"Hah! That's right. Yes, boy!" was shouted down to him loudly. "That's right. Keep a good heart, and I'll soon have you out. Can youbreathe well?"

The axe handle was agitated while these words were spoken; and as Saxereplied, the efforts of the guide were renewed, and he cut and choppedaway at the compressed snow, sending the sparkling crystals flying, andtoiling hard; while a word or two were exchanged from time to time, theguide's being so full of encouragement and promise that the boy grewmore and more hopeful. 

At last the fragments of snow began to crumble down more rapidly; and, in spite of Melchior's efforts to keep the way clear, the snow roseabout Saxe's face, so that very little more of it would have meantsuffocation. The boy fought hard with his left hand to keep the snowclear, but there was no space sufficient for him to sweep it right away;and the moments grew more and more anxious as Melchior's axe cut andchipped, and he tore out great pieces from the hole he was making andhurled them down the slope. 

And all the while the prisoner gazed up through his pinched-togethereyes, for the fragments and ice dust fell fast, till at last the pointof Melchior's axe appeared suddenly, and was as quickly withdrawn. 

"How far was that from your face, boy?" whispered Melchior. 

"Nearly a foot. "

"Hah! that's well, " cried the man; and the blows of the axe fell merrilynow, till a great piece of the impending snow was suddenly lifted out, and the prisoner breathed freely as he gazed wildly up past the guide'sbody at the glowing evening sky. 

This piece removed, the guide's next effort was to clear the loose enowcrystals and chips of ice away from the prisoner's face, and to chip offother pieces of the snow which had roofed him in. Then, getting himselfinto a better position, he bent down and grasped the boy's hands. 

"I just saw the head of your axe, " he said. "There, keep heart of goldin you, lad: you will soon be out now. I think if I place your axeacross for you to drag at, and I try too, we shall be able to draw youright out. A minute's rest first, though. Now you can breathe. I ambreathless too. "

"Where is Mr Dale?" panted Saxe; but there was no reply, and Saxe readthe worst in the barely seen face bent over him in the rough well-likehole that had been cut so energetically. 

A few minutes only were allowed to elapse, and then the guide took theice-axe to which Saxe still clung from the boy's hand to lay it aside. 

"Now, " he said, "close your eyes while I cut a couple of holes. "

The boy obeyed, and tried hard not to wince as the hard chips flew andstruck him again and again in the face; while making the implement flashas he struck with it energetically, Melchior cut deeply into the sidesof the hole, and just at a suitable distance for the object he had inview. 

This of course was to place Saxe's ice-axe across, with head and buttresting in the two holes, and he had judged so accurately that the headwent in with not half an inch to spare after he had thrust in the buttspike at the opposite side. 

"Now, " cried the guide, "take well hold of that, while I stoop down andget my hands under your arms and locked across your breast. Then, as Igive the word, we must heave together. "

He got himself into position as he spoke, but had to use the spike atthe end of his axe handle to form a place for his feet on either side. Then, throwing down the axe, he planted his feet firmly, bent downnearly double, clasped his hands round the boy, and after seeing that hehad a good grip of the ashen handle above his head, called upon him toheave. 

Then began a slow, patient struggle, with Saxe tugging at the cross-barformed by his ice-axe, till it bent more and more into a bow, whileMelchior brought his powerful muscles to bear in a steady strain, tillSaxe gasped forth--

"No, no! Stop!"

"Did I hurt you?" said Melchior. 

"Only seemed as if you were pulling me right in two, " groaned the boy. "It's of no use; you can't get me out. "

"I can, and I will, " said the guide firmly. 

"I would go on cutting you out, only it would take so many hours, and Iam afraid--"

"Of what?" said Saxe faintly, and speaking more for the sake of gainingtime than anything else, so terrible had the strain been for him. 

"I am afraid of loosening the snow and starting it again by my blows, "replied Melchior. "It takes so little sometimes to begin an avalanche, and we know how the snow hangs lightly on this side of the mountain. "

"Yes, " said Saxe, with his eyes half-closed. 

"And he would be dead long before I could get him out, " said Melchior tohimself. "Poor boy! He could not last for hours frozen in like that. "

Saxe opened his eyes again, and looked up at the guide wildly. 

"Never mind me now, " he said: "go and find Mr Dale. "

Melchior shook his head. 

"No: my duty is here, herr, and I must get you out. As soon as you canbear it I must try again. "

"But I can't bear it. You can never get me out. "

"We shall see, " cried the guide cheerily. "Come: you are upset. Whereis your what you English call pluck?"

This was said in a tone in which there seemed to be so much contempt, that Saxe gazed at the man resentfully, and seizing the cross-bar againhe cried--

"Try again!"

The guide smiled as soon as he was not noticed, and then bending downonce more the strain began again, and was carried on till Melchiorhimself gave in. 

"We must rest once more, herr, " he said, as he removed his arms; andthen, as Saxe made no sign, he looked down excitedly in the boy's face, to see that his eyes were closed and that he was quite inanimate. 

"Poor boy!" he said tenderly: "that sneer at his courage made him fighttill he could do no more. "

The guide stood upright now, breathing hard as if to inhale freshstrength; and then gathering himself together, he bent down again. 

"Better now, while he is insensible, " he muttered. 

This time he got himself down lower, and his arms so far round Saxe thathe was able to hook his hands about his elbows. Then, slowly bringinghis great strength to bear, he began to heave, the veins standing outlike network about his temples, and his face turning purple as he stroveto draw the prisoner out of the icy fetters in which he was fast. Butfor some moments every effort seemed to be vain, and a horrible feelingof despair came over the guide as he relaxed his efforts once more. 

But only while one might have counted twenty before he tightened hisclasp once more, and heaved with so good an effect that he drew Saxeright out of the icy mould, which had pretty well shaped itself to thelower part of his figure, and then carried him out of the excavation andlaid him down barefooted upon the snow. 

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN. 

A GREAT SURPRISE. 

"Hah!" ejaculated Melchior, as he wiped the great drops off his brow andstood panting and waiting for the boy to recover his senses. 

At last Saxe uttered a catching sigh and moved his head uneasily. Then, with his eyes tightly closed, he said feebly--

"Don't--don't, Melk: you hurt me. It's of no use. Go and try to helpMr Dale. Eh?"

He started as he opened his eyes widely and looked about. "Why, Melk--you don't mean--"

"Yes, herr, " said the guide quietly. "I dragged you out. "

"Why!--oh, how it hurts! You've left my legs in the hole! No, " headded, as he struggled into a sitting position and looked down, --"onlymy boots. "

"I'll bind some cloth round them directly, herr. We can get otherboots. "

"But--I feel--just as if I had no legs at all, " said Saxe excitedly. "Not broken, are they?"

"No, herr: only a little numbed with the cold and pressure. There, I ambetter now. I'll chafe them before I bind up your feet. "

"You couldn't get out my boots?"

"No, herr--not for many hours: we must not wait for that;" and he kneltdown now, and after rapidly chafing the half-dead limbs to bring backthe circulation, he took string from his pocket, cut off both sleeves ofhis jacket, and then cleverly tied the wrists, and drew them on to theboy's legs, where he bound them with the string, forming a pair of bootsand stockings in one. 

"Why, Melk, you've made me look like an Italian brigand, " cried Saxepitifully, as he stood up and looked down at his cross-gartered legs. "Oh! I can hardly stand. But now we are wasting time: let's find MrDale. "

"Yes, " said Melchior, drawing a long deep breath: "let's try and findMr Dale. "

"Which way shall we go?" said Saxe, painfully picking up his axe andlooking hopelessly around over the white waste where the snow lay, nowcompressed into waves of ice, and looking like portions of a glacier. 

There was no answer to his question, and he looked at the guide, whostood leaning upon his ice-axe. 

"Well!" cried Saxe; and Melchior started and faced him. "I was tryingto think, herr, " he said. "We were all separated at the first slip ofthe snow. I held on to you for a few moments, but you were snatchedfrom me, and I saw no more, till I found myself far below yonder. I hadbeen buried twice; but the snow as it rolled over thrust me forth again, and I was able to struggle out. "

"Then you have no idea where Mr Dale can be?" Melchior shook his headsadly. 

"It was a mistake, sir, " he said. "I ought to have known better than tocross such a treacherous slope. I did know better, but I sufferedmyself to be overruled, and now in the face of all this terriblemisfortune I feel helpless. What can one man do when great Naturefights against him as she does here?"

Saxe looked wildly round again, to see that before long it would bedusk, for the snow was fast turning grey, and the peaks alone were ruddywith the sinking sun. 

The boy shivered from cold and nervous shock, as he gazed at theweird-looking rocks and the folded snow, and then, grasping atMelchior's arm, he said pitifully: "Don't tell me you think he isburied. "

"No, herr, " cried the guide, rousing himself: "I will not say that, forthere is still hope. He may have been carried right away below us bythe loose upper snow, which went on, while the lower part soon stoppedby getting pressed together into ice. But it is impossible to say. Wemust do something; it will soon be dark, and you have no strength leftnow. "

"I have!" cried the boy excitedly; "and I can help you now. Shout:perhaps he may be within hearing. "

The guide shrugged his shoulders and shook his head; but he gave forth along, loud mountaineer's call, which was repeated plainly from far awayabove him. 

Then again, and again, and again; but there were only the echoes torespond. 

"Let's look about, " cried Saxe, in a voice which told of his despair;but even as he spoke the guide had started off after a few minutes'consideration, and the boy followed up and up, painfully, slowly, slipping, climbing and drawing himself forward from time to time bydriving the pick of his axe into the ice. 

For there was very little snow to traverse here: by the slip it had beenalmost entirely turned into ice, and the difficulties of the climb soincreased that from time to time Saxe had to stop utterly exhausted. 

"Why are we going up here?" he said on one of these occasions. 

"To get as near as I can guess to where we were when the snow-slidebegan, herr. Shall I go on alone?"

"No--no! don't leave me!" cried Saxe excitedly. 

"The herr might depend upon my return, " said Melchior. 

"Yes: I was not thinking of that, but of my being able to help. Howmuch farther is it?"

"About five minutes, herr--not more. You can see for yourself that wemust be quite close to the position now. Rested?"

Saxe nodded, and wishing fervently for the guide's strength, he toiledon again behind him, till at last they stood upon the bare rock sweptclear of the snow, and any doubt of its being where the mishap befelthem was quite removed by their coming suddenly upon quite a wall ofsnow standing many feet above their heads, and running far enough toright and left in a jagged line, as if a flash of lightning had dartedacross and made the division. 

Saxe's lips parted to speak, but the guide held up his hand. 

"Not a word, herr, " he whispered. "We might have another fall. "

Saxe looked up and shuddered, for the snow far above them seemed as ifit might come down at any moment; and after looking sharply from left toright, he gladly followed Melchior as he went cautiously toward theupper rocks for a couple of dozen yards. 

"Here is where we must have been, " he said; "and from this spot we oughtto start back if we are to find the herr. "

Saxe nodded, for he could not trust himself to speak. It was all tooterrible; and the thought of Dale being imprisoned somewhere near, heldfast as he had been, seemed far worse than anything he had himself gonethrough. 

Melchior started back directly, as if from instinct; and, unable to domore, Saxe followed him till he halted. 

"It is blind work, herr, " he whispered. "There is no clue to guide one. He was suddenly swept away from us; and who can say whether we may notbe going from him all this time, instead of following him up?"

"Oh, Melchior!" cried Saxe piteously. 

"Not so loud, herr--not so loud. It sounds cruel to say so--hard toyou; but I am obliged to be honest with you, and say that I see no hopeof our finding him alive. "

A sob escaped from Saxe's breast, but his face looked cold and hard. 

"You might have said the same about me, " he whispered back; "but I amhere. "

"Yes, herr; but then you were able to make some sign of being alive. Wehave shouted and looked about for a long time now, but have heardnothing of poor Mr Dale, and my heart is growing cold about him. "

"Oh, don't say that!" cried Saxe. "It is too horrible. We must--wewill find him. Perhaps he is quite buried under the snow. "

Saxe's last words made the guide turn and look at him curiously; but hesaid no word, only kept on walking down slowly toward the foot of theslope, sweeping his eyes over the way they traversed from side to side, his keen glance taking in the slightest thing, and making him hurry awayto carefully examine places where the snow and ice lay high or moreragged; but they kept on with their difficult descent, and saw nothingthat afforded them a clue to Dale's whereabouts. 

"Oh, we must have help to search the place well!" cried Saxe in agony. "It will soon be too dark to see anything, and we are so useless alone. "

"Yes, herr, " said the guide sadly; "but it will take six hours to getpeople here at the very least, and I don't like to go away while thereis the least chance of our finding him. "

"You are right, " sighed Saxe; "while we were gone for help he might beperishing, and we could have saved him. We must stop and search till wedrop. "

That seemed as if it would not be long first, as far as the boy wasconcerned. He had apparently forgotten the numbness of his limbs andthe peril through which he had passed, and in spite of the roughness ofthe ice and snow he continued to get over it in his extemporisedsandals, which had the advantage of not slipping. But the day's toilhad been excessive before the accident; and though his spirits had kepthim up so far, the time was fast approaching when exhaustion wouldconquer. 

Melchior knew it, and after glancing at Saxe as he tottered once andnearly fell, he went on for a few minutes before speaking and hurtingthe boy's feelings by telling him that it was because of his weariness, then suddenly drew up, took off and threw down his rope. 

"One can't go on for ever without getting strength, herr, " he said. "I'm nearly wearied out. Let's sit down on the rope for a few minutes. "

"No, no: let's keep on. He may be anxiously waiting for our help. "

"If we go on as we are, herr, we shall be too weak to help him if wefind him, " said Melchior, seating himself; and Saxe sank beside him, andinvoluntarily leaned up against the sturdy fellow, who began to searchhis wallet, and brought out the remains of some bread and cheese, thegreater part of which he offered to his companion. 

"No, no, Melk: I can't eat, " he said. 

"You must, herr--for his sake. Try. "

"A fair half, then, " said Saxe; and the guide smiled, and made a freshdivision, which was slowly discussed every mouthful seeming to the boyas if it would choke him. 

And as they ate the last faint light died away, and bright points oflight began to twinkle overhead. 

"It will be a bright night, thank Heaven!" said Melchior: "the stormthreats have passed away. Hah! it begins to grow cold. "

"And I have made you worse, " said Saxe faintly, as he glanced at thesleeves of his companion's shirt. 

"Oh, that's nothing, herr, " said the guide, stretching out his hands tofeel Saxe's feet; and after bidding him sit fast, lifting the boy's feetacross his own. "Keep them there, " he said: "they will be warmer whilewe rest; they were getting wet, and we must not have your feet frozen. "

"Does it freeze?" said Saxe drowsily. 

"Yes, herr, sharply up here, as soon as the sun goes down. Now, youmust not think me heartless if I light my pipe. Then we will start onagain. "

"Oh no: light it, Melk, and let us start again, " said Saxe in a whisper. 

The guide rapidly filled and lit his pipe, for his long experience toldhim that Saxe must not sit long in the condition he was; and rising andresuming his hold of his trusty axe, he said sharply--

"Now, herr, forward!"

Saxe looked up at him in a dazed way, but did not stir. 

"I was afraid so, " muttered the guide, as he picked up the boy's ice-axeand stuck it through his belt. Then drawing the rope from beneath him, he threw it over his shoulder and went down on his knees just in frontof his companion. 

"Now, herr, " he said imperatively: "put your arms round my neck. "

"What for? what are you going to do?" faltered Saxe helplessly. 

"Only give you a lift, my boy, till you are a bit rested. "

"But--" began Saxe, protesting feebly. 

"Your hands! Quick!" cried Melchior; and seizing one he drew Saxeforward, the other hand followed, and the guide staggered to his feet, shifted and shuffled his load into an easier position, and then gettinghis hands beneath his legs, as Saxe involuntarily clasped his arms aboutthe man's stout neck, he began his perilous descent--perilous, for nowhe had to trust entirely to his feet and balance himself cautiously ashe started off in the gathering darkness downward toward the nearestvale. 

"Are you comfortable?" he asked; but Saxe did not reply. 

"It was quite time, poor lad, " muttered Melchior. "The warmth from mybody will keep him alive, and, Heaven helping me, I may get safely downbelow the snow. If I can do that, I must find a place where I can makea fire. Now, lad, you call yourself a guide: make for the nearest bitof forest, and save this poor boy's life. But it's a hard task--a hardtask, and you need all your strength and knowledge now. "

It was indeed a hard task, and again and again he nearly fell headlong;but by the exercise of his wonderful activity and strength, he alwaysrecovered himself, took a fresh breath, and descended steadily over thefrozen snow, which grew more rugged and difficult at every turn. 

"But I must do it--must do it, " the man kept on muttering; and he toiledon down till the bottom of the slope was reached, and here the piled-upnew ice proved more difficult than ever; and it was not till an hour hadpassed from his reaching the bottom of the slip, that he thoroughly leftbehind the last trace of the avalanche. 

What had been simple mountaineering work in the bright sunshine, whenfree and able to pick the way, became terrible now in the mountain, where the path was always rugged, but often such that a moment'shesitation or a slip might mean death for both. But Melchior's feetseemed by long habit to have grown accustomed to danger, and to havebeen educated into joining in the protection of him they bore, so that, in spite of the darkness and danger, Melchior got down lower and lower, and by degrees worked himself into the track he had followed in themorning in guiding his companions up the peak. 

Here he was more at home, and able to think out how he could best passround that ledge and creep by this angle before he reached it. Saxe didnot speak, but hung upon his back perfectly inert--a terrible load atsuch a time; but the guide made no mental complaint, --simply toiled onslowly enough for a couple of hours; then, thinking of a certain nook inthe mountain just below the snow-line where there was a good-sized clumpof dwarfed and distorted pines, he decided to stop there for the night, sheltered from the icy wind with a good elastic heap of pine boughs fortheir bed and coverlet, and a roaring fire to add to their warmth. 

"The task will be easy enough to-morrow, " he said; and then, thinkingsorrowfully of Dale, he kept on with his slow, careful tramp down themountain side. 

It was as if that clump of pines would never be reached, and there weremoments when he was ready to think that he must have missed them; but aglance to left or right at the rocks towering up into the sky sufficedto convince him that he was still on the right track, for he knew themby heart, and, giving his load a fresh shift, he toiled on again, hot, exhausted, but full of determination. 

Now and then he spoke to Saxe, but there was no reply; and more thanonce he felt disposed to let his burden glide down on to the rock andhave a short rest, but he always shook his head and went on downward, thanking Providence that he was below all the parts which necessitatedclinging; and at last, when so utterly wearied out that his pace was amere crawl, he reached the pines, threaded his way in, and lowered Saxedown. Then, setting rapidly to work, he soon brought together aquantity of dead wood, and started a fire with a few handfuls of pineneedles piled on the small boughs to shed its warmth upon the boy'shalf-frozen feet. 

This done, he cut and broke down bough after bough, making of them asoft, elastic bed near the fire, and dragging Saxe into a betterposition before cutting other pieces with his axe and laying themtogether like the ridge of a roof over his companion's head. 

"He'll soon be warm there, " muttered Melchior: "no fear of freezingnow. "

The wood was rapidly piled on the fire, for there was abundance beneaththe pines; and at last, after bending down and satisfying himself as toSaxe's condition, Melchior prepared to creep in and lie down by hisside, but, on second thoughts, seated himself by the fire to enjoy itswarm glow. But he was too uneasy to stay there long; and, creeping backto Saxe, he laid his hand upon the boy's breast. 

"Asleep, herr?" he said gently. 

"Asleep?" said the boy confusedly: "I--I suppose I have been; but I'mgiddy, and my head--Melchior--Melchior! why are we here? Have you foundMr Dale?"

The guide was silent for a few moments. Then, in a low, hoarse voice, he said sadly--

"No, herr; and it seems impossible to search farther. "

"Oh, Melchior!"

"It is true, herr. Your life was in danger, and it was all I could doto bring you down in safety. "

"Bring me down?" faltered Saxe. "I do not understand. "

"No, herr; we do not understand when we are insensible. You do notremember my carrying you down the mountain on my back?"

"I? No: of course not! You could not have done so. "

The guide laughed softly, and drew the tough pine boughs more over Saxe. 

"Are you warm?" he asked. 

"Yes, I think so; but we must get up and go in search of Mr Dale. "

"We cannot go to-night, without lanthorns and help. Do you think Ishould stay here without trying, if it were possible to save Mr Dale'slife?"

"What's that!" moaned Saxe just at that moment; for a shrill cry camefrom a distance, followed by a jodel, which Melchior answered as hestood aside from the fire so as to try and pierce the darkness of theslope below them. 

The jodel was given again, and answered. 

"There is help coming, young herr, " cried the guide excitedly, as heshaded his eyes from the fire: "men with lanthorns. Who can they be?"he muttered to himself. "Smugglers? No, for the jodel was Pierre's, and the cry was like that of Andregg. Why are they coming here?"

He was not long kept in doubt, for the party, whoever they were, came onrapidly now, at the sight of the fire, the dim lanthorns dancing andswinging about in the darkness below, and coming nearer and nearer, astheir bearers ascended the mountain side towards the patch of wood, tillall at once one of them came forward at a run into the light shed by thefire. 

"Melchior!" he panted: "you here! Where is young Saxe?"

"Mr Dale!" cried the guide wonderingly; and at his cry Saxe camecreeping out from the shelter of boughs, and struggled to his feet toutter a cry of astonishment as he saw the figure of his mountaineeringfriend standing full in the fire's light. 

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT. 

SAXE HAS AN ANTIPATHY. 

Dale's first act, as soon as he caught sight of Saxe, was to clasp himto his breast in a brotherly hug, while, unable to control his feelings, Saxe responded. 

"Oh, my dear boy--my dear lad!" cried Dale; "I was heartbroken aboutyou. "

Saxe tried to reply, but no words would come. 

"Thank Heaven you are safe!" cried Dale. "Eh? Ah, Melchior, my man, Ihad forgotten you!"

He held out both his hands to the guide, who took a step forward andfolded Dale to his breast. 

"I wish to goodness they would not do that, " said the Englishman tohimself: "it seems so unmanly. " But he smiled the next moment, as herecalled that he had set the example by hugging Saxe; and then he drewback, for fear that the old peasant Andregg and his man Pierre shouldfollow suit. 

"Why, Saxe, my lad, I thought you and Melchior were buried beneath thesnow. "

"That's what we thought about you, herr, " cried Melchior. "We have beensearching for you. "

"I searched for you both for over an hour, " said Dale, "and then indespair I went off for help. "

"But how was it we did not see you?" cried Saxe, who now, in his greatjoy, began to recover voice and strength. 

"The snowfield is great, " said Melchior gravely. "Several people mightbe on it at once, hidden from each other by the rough piles of ice andsnow; and the young herr forgets that he was buried long beneath, andthat it was, I dare say, nearly an hour before I struggled out and foundhim. How did you, sir, get on?"

"Ah! that I can hardly tell you, " said Dale. "It was all one roar andrush and confusion; but I was kept at the top all the way, and neverquite covered by the snow. "

"All the way, herr?"

"Yes. I cannot tell how far it was; but I seemed to glissade right downinto the valley, where I was fixed for a few minutes right up to myarmpits. Then I got free, and began to struggle back up the snow insearch of you, till, quite in despair at not finding you, I went forhelp. "

"It was no wonder that the herr did not find us, " said Melchior. "Hewas borne to the bottom, and we were shut in not so very far from thetop. But, there, our lives are all preserved; and we thank you, neighbours, for coming to our help. "

"Glad to help thee, Melchior, my brave man, " said old Andregg, in hisrough patois; "and I shall be glad to see thee give up this wildmountain life and become a quiet peasant like myself. "

"Well, " cried Dale, "what is to be done? Can you walk back toAndregg's?"

This after the boy had briefly given him an account of his adventures. 

"Yes, I think so, " said Saxe. "I seem to be rested now. "

"No!" cried Melchior emphatically. "The young herr cannot walk anotherstep to-night. We must stay here. "

"You are right, " said Dale. "We have brought up food and blankets. Nowyou talk like this, I begin to feel how exhausted I am. "

"Then we will make camp here, herr, " said Melchior. And the fire beingreplenished by Pierre, the little party were soon seated around, partaking of the simple fare provided; and Saxe, in his utter freedomfrom care, ate with an appetite which astounded himself, as he thoughtof the despair and misery of a short time before. 

Then as they talked, Melchior smiled as he listened to the boy'sremarks; for they were confused, and he was quite in ignorance of howfar he was from the site of the snow slip. To him the perils of thatday had occurred close by, and he did not realise the fact that theguide had carried him for hours upon his back. 

"It does not matter, " Melchior said to himself. "Why should I tell him?Some day he may find out. If I tell him now, he will think I amseeking for a reward. "

The meal, though, was not altogether pleasant to Saxe, who found thatevery time he raised his eyes Pierre was staring at him in the peculiarapathetic way which had irritated him so before. No matter how hechanged his position, no matter what he did, the feeling was strong uponhim that old Andregg's servant was watching him; and the stronger thisidea grew upon him the more he felt compelled to turn and look back, just as if the eyes of the sour-looking fellow had some peculiarfascination which he could not resist. 

But even this came to an end; for, refreshed by the food, and aftersubmitting to an examination by Melchior, who wished to make sure thathis feet were not frozen in the least, a peculiar sensation of drowsywarmth came over the boy so strongly, that one minute he was trying topaint his sufferings on the snow when he felt that he had lost Dale, thenext he was lying back wrapped in a blanket, breathing hard and sleepingas soundly in that dwarf pine-wood on the ledge of the huge mountain asif he had been back in London, with policemen regularly parading thestreet outside. 

It was a heavy, dreamless sleep, that lasted till long after sunrise, when he opened his eyes to find that he was the last to wake up, thatthe fire was burning merrily, the sun shining, and nature looking morebeautiful than ever. They were evidently waiting for him to wake andjoin them, for the rough meal was spread and the party talking quietly--all but Pierre, who lay on the ground upon his chest, resting his chinin his hands, and staring hard in one direction with his heavy, glowering eyes. 

That direction was at Saxe, who turned away angrily as once more hefound himself the object of the man's unpleasant stare. 

"I can't make a fuss about it and complain, " he said to himself: "itwould seem to be so stupid. " For what could he say, save that the manstared at him in a dull, heavy way? Dale would reply that there was noharm in that, and he would look weak. But all the same the man's stareworried him and spoiled his breakfast, making him feel irritable andmorose all the way back, till they reached Andregg's home in the valley, where Dale announced that they would have a few days' rest. 

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE. 

SAXE SEES A KOBOLD. 

"I don't approve of our hunt for crystals to turn out such a failure, "said Saxe one day, after they had had their rest and spent anotherfortnight in the valley, making short excursions in various directions. 

"It is disappointing, " replied Dale; "but we did succeed, though we havelost the fruit of our success. "

"Well, that's the part of it that I don't like, " said Saxe. "It seemsso precious hard. But you will not give up yet!"

"No: I propose staying another month, or till the weather breaks up. Ifwe begin to have rain and snow, we shall soon want to get down to thelower grounds. "

"That is what always puzzles me, " said Saxe; "for with the mountainsrising up all round us, we seemed to be on the low grounds here--down inthis valley. "

"You forget that we are between five and six thousand feet abovesea-level here. "

"Between five and six thousand!" said Saxe thoughtfully. "Six thousand;and the cross of Saint Paul's is only four hundred and four. Why, thisvalley here is nearly fifteen times as high, and it does not seem high abit!"

"But it is my lad, all the same. "

There was a few minutes' silence, and then Saxe began again:

"You win not give up the crystal hunting?" he said. 

"Yes, I think I shall--at all events, for this year. You see it is sucha matter of accident. You found that partly--well, by accident. "

"No, " said Saxe sharply, "not by accident: I was looking for it. "

"Yes; but it was by mere accident that we were in the right spot. There--never mind the crystals. We have had a delightful trip, made anexcellent collection of Alpine plants, and you have had a good earlyapprenticeship to mountaineering. Better still, we have escaped unhurt, in spite of the one or two rather serious accidents. "

"Yes, " said Saxe thoughtfully, "that's true. How soon are we going upanother mountain?"

"What! have you not had enough climbing?"

"No: I should like to go up a dozen more. "

"Then you will be disappointed for this season, Saxe. Melchior willtell you that it will soon be risky to attempt the high Alps. But asyou want an expedition, what do you say to one up the great glacieragain--this time as far as we can get?"

"This glacier?"

"No, no: the one in the high valley. We might camp again in the narrowniche. "

"And go up the Black Ravine, and examine that lower grotto?"

"Well--yes, if you like. I do not feel very anxious, for the memory ofthat place is too much associated with my disappointment. "

"When shall we go?"

"Make your hay while the sun shines, my boy. The weather is so settledthat we cannot do better than go to-morrow. "

"I was going with Melk to the Silbern See to-morrow, for trout; but I'drather visit the great glacier. "

"Then go and tell Melchior that we will be off in the morning. I wantto make some notes about the movement of the glacier, and perhaps we maydescend one or two of the crevasses where the ice is not so thick. "

Saxe started off to where Melchior was busy fitting an iron spike to astout ashen alpenstock. 

"Now, Melk!" he cried: "off to-morrow again!"

"Where to, herr? over into Italy?"

"No: into the cold country again. Mr Dale wants to visit the greatglacier once more. "

"To search for the crystals?"

"Oh no. Don't talk about them to him. It only makes him angry. But weare going to stay up there two or three days; so take a good load ofprovisions and blankets, so as to make it warmer in the tent. "

Melchior looked pleased, and rose to speak to Pierre about the mule, andordered him to chop up some pine-wood small, to act as kindling to starta fire when that collected might be wet. Then Andregg and his wife weresummoned, and received their orders about bread, butter, poultry andcheese; after which Saxe had a happy thought. 

"Look here, Melchior!" he said; "I like milk in my coffee. "

"Yes, herr, it is pleasant. I will take a bottleful. "

"Oh, but I want it every day!"

"We could not take a cow up there. "

"No; but we might take a goat. "

The guide laughed. 

"Yes, we might take a goat, " he said; "but it would be rathertroublesome. "

"Oh no, I'll look after her. I've watched Pierre milk time's enough, and I'm sure I can do it. "

"Very well, herr: if you don't mind goat's milk, I'll get one that willrun beside the mule. "

This fresh idea was received with a good deal of laughter by the oldpeasant and his wife; but a goat was selected as suitable for thepurpose, and the preparations were completed by Pierre, of the heavy, stolid face, bringing in the mule, and haltering it in the stablebeneath the chalet. 

Saxe was the first to wake next morning at dawn and rouse Dale and theguide, the little party starting off soon afterward, before the sun wasup, with the mule heavily laden, and the goat trotting, along by itsside contentedly enough. Once or twice it made a bound or two up thesteep rocks by the track, and Saxe was about to start in pursuit. 

"There goes my breakfast milk!" he shouted; but the guide restrainedhim. 

"She has only gone to crop a few mouthfuls, " he said; and so it proved, for the active little animal returned to the track again farther on. 

The way to the great glacier--or gros gletscher, as Melchior called it--was now familiar, so that the various points of view had ceased toextort ejaculations of wonderment from Saxe, who trudged on, withgeological hammer in hand, "tasting, " as he called it, the differentstones they passed. 

"For who knows?" he said: "I might hit upon gold or silver!"

"You would have to hit that kind of stone much harder to make it producegold, " said Dale, laughing. 

Saxe went on in silence for a time, and then broke out with--

"Never mind: I did find the crystals, and perhaps I shall hit uponanother grotto yet. "

"Pray do, " said Dale merrily. "But at any rate we will have a few ofthe best from the lower grotto in the Black Ravine. "

"Yes; and I would have a good search down there, " said Saxe: "we mayfind a fresh place. "

"Well, we shall see, my lad; we shall see. "

The journey to the niche was made leisurely enough, with no furtherexcitement than a false alarm or two raised by Saxe, who felt sure thatthey were being followed; but, as he was only laughed at for his pains, he turned sulky, and went on without looking back. He played with thegoat, which took to him in the most affectionate way, snowing itsappreciation by butting at him when he did not expect the kindlyattention; and he became the best of friends with Gros, who climbed on, uttering low sighs of satisfaction as soon as Saxe had hit upon the ideaof scratching here and there with the point of the geological hammer, and whinnying impatiently for a continuance of the titillation as soonas the boy ceased. 

Then the niche was reached, looking quite familiar with the traces oftheir old fireplace; the tent was set up and secured with blocks ofgranite instead of tethering pegs, and Saxe gave a grunt of pleasure ashe saw the preparations for the evening meal. 

"How about the goat, Melk?" he said: "will she want tethering?"

"Oh no, herr: she will not leave us and Gros. Those animals are toofond of company to go far. They get tiresome now and then from beingtoo familiar. "

The night passed quietly enough. It was cold; and, at the height theyhad reached, the stars shone out frostily; but the sleep was deliriouslyrefreshing, and Saxe rose the next morning ready for a journey to theBlack Ravine. The mule was taken to carry back any specimens that theymight decide to bring away, and the goat insisted upon following, havingapparently no intention of being left alone, and setting Gros anexcellent example in climbing. 

In the Black Ravine the two grottoes were well searched, and the lowerone found to be fairly extensive; but no specimens were found worthy ofnotice, and they returned to camp. 

The next day was spent in another expedition higher up the glaciervalley, which was followed till the snow became so deep as to belaborious to pass over, and, after exploring two similar ravines to thelast, they returned once more to camp, where Melchior drew Saxe aside toask him if he noticed anything. 

"Eh? No, " said the boy. 

"Perhaps I am wrong, then, " said the guide. "I thought the tent hadbeen interfered with, as if some one had touched it. "

No more was said; but these words set Saxe thinking till it was bedtime, when Melchior startled him by saying quietly--

"Don't laugh at me, herr. I do try to be firm, and to set aside all theold stories of demons, dragons and goblins in the mountains. I wish theherr would have a watch kept again, for I am afraid that this gletschervalley is bewitched. "

Saxe looked at him for a moment wonderingly, and then laughed. 

"Don't let Mr Dale hear you talk like that, " he said. "It will makehim cross. He says there is no need to keep watch; and that it is sotiring. "

Saxe had forgotten the incident in the conversation which ensued; andafter the discussion of the plans for the ensuing day, he went to hissleeping-place to think about the blue-ice grotto at the bottom of theglacier where the milky stream issued, and lie wondering how far up theywould be able to explore it, and whether it would be possible to get upas far as the crevasse out of which they had rescued the guide. 

"Wouldn't be worth the trouble, " he said to himself, in the middle of ayawn. "Plenty of crystals, but the wrong sort--ice crystals--won'tkeep. "

It only seemed to be the next minute that he was sitting up in thedarkness listening and realising that he had been asleep. He had beendreaming, he was sure, but had not the least idea what about; and all heknew now was that he was hot and thirsty. 

He rose and quietly unfastened the little canvas fold which served as adoor, and went out to find the kettle and have a good draught of water;but it was so mawkishly warm, that he turned from it in disgust, andbegan to ascend higher to where the little fall came, down, with itspure, icily cold stream. 

The night was glorious, and as he looked up he felt that he had neverseen so many or such large stars before. So grandly was the arch ofheaven bespangled, that he stopped to gaze upward for a few minutes, till, the sensation of thirst growing more acute, he went on, with thetowering wall of rock to right and left, and the moist odour of thefalling water saluting his nostrils, as he went close up to where onetiny thread of water fell bubbling into a rocky basin, edged with moss--the spot where water was obtained for regular use, its crystal puritytempting the thirsty to drink. 

Saxe placed a hand on the rock on either side, bent down till his lipstouched the surface, and then drank with avidity, every draught beingdelicious. 

"Make any fellow sleep, " he said to himself, as he raised his head; andhe was in the act of passing his hand across his wet lips, when hebecame suddenly petrified, and stood there motionless, gazing straightbefore him at a hideous object, apparently not a yard away. It lookedmisty and dim in the semi-darkness, but plain enough for the boy to seeapparently a huge head resting in a pair of hands, which held the chinand pressed up the long loose cheeks on either side, curving up themonstrous mouth into a ghastly grin. The forehead was low, and theeyebrows were shaggy, while from beneath them glared into his a greatpair of glowing eyes, that flashed at times and sparkled in thestarlight, which rained down on and through a bush of dark, tangledhair, a portion of which hung below the head on either side, and stoodout wildly around. 

There was no movement but in the eyes, and these literally held the boy, so that for a time he could do nothing but stare at the horrible-lookingobject, which seemed to come nearer to him--so near that it almosttouched him; then receded, till it was almost invisible, and once morestood quite still. 

But it was not moving, and Saxe still had sufficient command over selfto know that this effect was produced by the mist from the fall beingwafted between them by the soft night wind. 

How long he stood bent forward there gazing at that horrible head Saxedid not know, but by degrees he began to shrink back slowly, gettingfarther and farther away, till he dared to turn and run with all hismight to the tent door, and creep in, fully expecting that the monsterwas about to spring upon him till he was inside, when he fastened thecanvas door with trembling fingers, and crept to his bed again, where helay down quickly, with his breath sobbing and the perspiration standingin great drops upon his face. The sensation was upon him that theterrible being he had seen would begin breaking in through the canvasdirectly, and he lay there with one arm stretched out ready to wake upDale for help at the first sound outside the tent. 

As he now lay trembling there, he recalled Melchior's words about thevalley being bewitched, the falling stones, the disappearance of thecrystals; and he was fast growing into a belief that the old legendsmust be true, and that there really existed a race of horrible littlebeings beneath the earth, whose duty it was to protect the treasures ofthe subterranean lands, and that this was one of them on the watch totake the crystals from their hands. But in the midst of the intensesilence of the night better sense began to prevail. 

"It's all nonsense--all impossible, " he muttered. "There are no suchthings, and it was all fancy. I must have seen a block of stone throughthe falling water, and I was half asleep and nearly dreaming at thetime. Why, if I were to wake Mr Dale and tell him, he would laugh atme. It was all a dream. "

But, all the same, he lay shivering there, the aspect of the face havingstartled him in a way that at times enforced belief; and it was gettingrapidly on toward morning when he once more fell asleep, to dream ofthat hideous head and see the terrible eyes gazing right into his own. 

CHAPTER FORTY. 

IN THE ICE-CAVE. 

The sun was shining brightly on as lovely a morning as had fallen totheir lot since they had been in the Alps; and upon Saxe springing up, his first act was to go up to the spring for his morning wash, and alsoto look at the stone which had so strongly resembled a head. 

There was the clear basin from which he had drunk, and there were theplaces where he had rested his hands; but there was no stone that couldby any possibility have looked like a head even in the darkness, and hereturned at last to the tent feeling strangely uncomfortable, and in nogood condition for his breakfast. 

"Come, Saxe, " cried Dale, as he sat eating his bread and fried bacon. "Didn't you sleep well? Not unwell, are you?"

"I? No--oh no! Why?"

"Because you are making a very poor meal, and it will be many hoursbefore we eat again. "

Saxe went on with his breakfast; but somehow he did not enjoy it, andhis thoughts were either occupied with the terrible face which stood outclear before him as he had seen it the previous night, or he was askinghimself whether he should not take Melchior into his confidence, and askhim his opinion about what he had seen. 

"I shall not want to stop here to-night, " he said to himself. "It istoo horrible to feel that a hideous creature like that is always closeat hand. "

"Now, then, " cried Dale, breaking in upon his meditations; "pack up, andlet's start for the bottom of the glacier. How long will it take us?"

"Nearly two hours, herr. "

"We'll have some provisions for lunch, and take the big hammer andchisel: I shall want the rock marked, so that I can examine it when Icome next year, or the year after. "

The orders were obeyed, the tent closed up, water and fuel placed readyfor their return, and Melchior led off with the mule to cut across acorner before descending to the edge of the ice. 

Before they had gone a dozen yards there was a loud b-a-ah! fromoverhead, and the goat came bounding down from rock to rock in the mostbreakneck fashion; but it ended by leaping into their track, and ran upand butted its head against Saxe. 

"How friendly that animal has become!" said Saxe, as they walked on, with the goat munching away and trotting beside them; till Dale saidsuddenly, "Here--we do not want it with us: send it back. "

Saxe drove the goat away, but it took his movements as meaning play, anddanced and skipped, and dodged him and then dashed by, and on ahead, thesame gambols taking place at every attempt to send the animal back. 

"There--let it be, " cried Dale at last: "you'll tire yourself out beforewe fairly start. Why, it follows us like a dog! Perhaps it will gettired soon, and go back. "

But the goat seemed to have no such intention, and it would have been adifficult task to tire out the active creature, which was now ticklingthe mule's ribs with one of its horns, now scrambling up some steeppiece of rock, now making tremendous leaps, and trotting on again ascalmly as if it were thoroughly one of the party. 

In due time the foot of the great glacier was reached, after a difficultscramble down the steep, smoothly polished rocks which shut it in oneither side. 

Here the mule was unloaded by a shabby amount of pasture, ice-axes andhammers seized, and the trio started over the level bed of the glacierstreams, the main rivulet dividing into several tiny veins, which spreadover the soft clayey earth brought down by the water. But this soongave place to rock as they neared the piled-up ice, which looked to Saxelike huge masses of dull white chalk, veined in every direction withblue. 

As they advanced the rock became more and more smooth, looking as if theice had only lately shrunk from its surface, but, on Melchior beingreferred to, he shook his head. 

"Not in my time, herr. The ice is creeping farther down the valleyevery year. "

"Well, " said Dale; "we'll try and find out the rate of its progress byscoring the rock. "

This was done in several places as they advanced toward the low arch ofice from which the stream poured forth; and Saxe rather shrank from thistask, as it seemed to promise a long wade in chilling water. 

But as they came close up, it was to find ample room beneath the glacierto pick their way in over the rock, with the stream on their right, where it had worn itself a channel in the course of ages. 

Dale became immediately deeply interested in the structure of the iceand the state of the rock beneath the arch, at whose entrance he paused, while the guide under his instruction chipped marks at the edge of thestream by which he could test the rate of progress of the glacier. 

This was very interesting from a scientific point of view; but it soongrew tedious to Saxe, who began to penetrate a little farther into thelovely blue grotto, whose roof was a succession of the most delicateazure tints. 

"Don't go in too far alone, " said Dale, looking up. 

"No: I shall not go too far, " replied Saxe; "and, besides, I am notalone. "

He nodded laughingly toward the goat, which had followed him in withouthesitation, sniffing at the running water, and then throwing up itshorned head to gaze onward into the blue haze from which came thegurglings and strange whisperings of the water. 

"Well, I may as well go on a little bit, " thought Saxe; and cautiouslyadvancing, so as not to step down some horrible rock split, he wentforward rapt in wonder at the beauty of the scene, as at the end of afew yards the passage curved round so that the opening became invisible, and he was gazing at the glorious rays of light which shot right by him, all tinted with celestial blue. 

"It is glorious, " he thought; and then he gave quite a start, for thegoat beside him suddenly set up a loud bleat and began to advancefarther beneath the glacier, its pattering hoofs on the stone soundingloudly above the water. 

"Here, you: stop! Come back, " cried Saxe: "you'll be tumbling down somehole. Do you hear?"

If the goat did hear, it paid no heed, but went on; and as the wayseemed to be safe in the dim blue light, Saxe followed, till fromtwilight it began to grow purply-black before he had nearly overtakenthe goat, which uttered a mournful baa, and stopped short, as agood-sized lump of ice flew by its head, and smashed upon the rock; andas the goat still advanced, another and another came flying. 

Saxe retreated horrified and startled, to reach the spot where theothers were, breathless and pale. 

"Hullo! What's the matter?"

"The ice is falling in. Come out. "

"Nonsense!" cried Dale. 

"It is; or else lumps are flying out from inside; and the goat and Iwere nearly hit. "

Dale looked at the guide, who shook his head. 

"Some ice might fall farther in, " he said; "but pieces could not comeflying out. "

"Of course not, " said Dale, returning to his observations. "Go in andsee. "

It was on Saxe's lips to say, "Never again!" for his thoughts flew backto his last night's experience; but just then the goat bleated, lookedinquiringly along the blue winding cavern, with its amethystine roof, and began to advance. 

"There you are, Saxe, " cried Dale: "go after that goat and turn herback, or she'll lose herself, and there'll be no milk for tea. "

Saxe felt obliged to go now; and, calling himself a coward to be afraidto enter that long cellar-like place, he walked boldly in after thegoat, turned the corner where the arch of light was left behind, withthe two fingers busy chipping and measuring, and went on. 

The goat looked very indistinct now, then it disappeared in the purplegloom; and it was only by listening to the pat-pat of its hoofs on thestone that Saxe could satisfy himself that it was going forward, andthat there was no dangerous fall awaiting him. 

Then the goat bleated again, and _crick_, _crack_, _crash_, came thesound of pieces of ice striking the walls and floor. The goat camebounding back, followed by another piece of ice, which broke close toSaxe's feet, as he turned and took flight once more. 

"Hullo!--back! Why, you look scared, boy!"

"There is ice falling or flying out. "

Dale laughed; and this put the boy upon his mettle, as he now arguedwith himself that help was very near. 

"I want the lanthorn, " he said aloud. 

"What for?"

"To go and see what it is. "

"That's right. Give him the lanthorn, Melchior. We'll follow himdirectly. "

The guide swung the lanthorn round from where it hung at his belt, detached it, lit it; and, with the confidence afforded by the light, Saxe grasped his ice-axe firmly, and walked right in, preceded once moreby the goat. 

The mingling of the light with the amethystine gloom had a verybeautiful effect, as the former flashed from the surface of the wallsand made the ice glitter; but Saxe had no eyes then for naturalbeauties. He could think of nothing but the flying lumps of ice, and, oddly enough, the remembrance of the horrible head which he had seen inthe night now came strongly back. 

But he went on, and, if not boldly, at any rate with a fixeddetermination to see the adventure to the end. 

Saxe was able to penetrate farther this time, with the goat pattering onbefore him; and to show that there was no fancy in the matter, the lightflashed from some broken fragments of ice lying close beside the rushingstream. But though he held the lanthorn high above his head, he couldsee nothing, only the dim arch, the line of shining water, and the palestony floor. 

Just ahead, though, the stream took a sudden bend round to the left, andthe dry portion of the stone taking the same direction, Saxe went on, involuntarily raising his axe as if there might be danger round beyondthat bend where the ice projected like a buttress. 

He was close upon it now, and, holding the light well up with his lefthand, he was in the act of turning the corner, when something moved outof the darkness on the other side, and Saxe stood once more petrifiedwith horror as the light fell upon the huge face he had seen in thenight, but hideously distorted, and with the glowing bloodshot eyeswithin six inches of his own. 

CHAPTER FORTY ONE. 

MELCHIOR WAKES UP. 

The boy's lips parted, but no words came; his arm was raised with itsweapon, but he could not strike--only stand shivering; until, by atremendous effort, he flung himself round and dashed back. 

"Why, hallo, lad! what is it? Have you seen a ghost?"

Saxe tried to speak, but no words would come for a few moments. 

"Yes--no, " he panted at last. "Something dreadful--in there. "

Dale caught up the ice-axe which he had laid down while he wasmeasuring, and turned to the guide. 

"What is it likely to be, Melchior--a bear?"

"I cannot say, herr, " said the guide, whose countenance changed a littleas he, too, caught up his ice-axe. "But I should think not--in there. "

"No--not a bear, " panted Saxe. "I saw it--last night. Horrible--horrible. "

"Don't rave like a hysterical girl, my lad, " cried Dale, grasping Saxe'sarm. "Now, then: speak out--like a man. Is it the body of some poorcreature dead?"

"No--no, " said Saxe, struggling to master himself, and now speakingcalmly: "I went to the fall to drink in the middle of the night, and Isaw it there. It cast lumps of ice at me, and I saw it close to thelanthorn. "

"A wild beast?"

"No, " said Saxe, with a shudder. 

"Come; you must not be scared like that, my lad. What was it?"

"I don't know; unless it is true that there are gnomes and kobolds, andthis is one. "

"Well, then, boy--it is not true, and this is not one. "

"No--no: of course not, " said Saxe, who was now strung up. "It must bea man. "

"Of course. What do you say, Melchior?"

"That it must be a man trying to frighten him, herr. We will go andsee. "

"Yes, " said Dale calmly, taking the lanthorn: "we must go and see. Weshall be back directly, Saxe. "

"I am coming with you, " said the boy firmly. "I am ashamed to have beenso frightened, but it was very horrible. "

Dale gripped his arm firmly. 

"Well done, brother mountaineer, " he whispered. "Come along. "

He strode into the ice-cave, closely followed by Saxe, and Melchior wentin after him. 

"These English: they are very brave, " he muttered. "I must go, too. "

Dale went on, holding the lanthorn on high, and his ice-axe so that itcould be used as a cudgel in case of attack; and as soon as the firstbend was passed there were clear evidences of pieces of ice having beenthrown, while a minute later a good-sized piece grazed the lanthorn, andanother struck Saxe on the arm. 

"Hurt?" said Dale. 

"Not much. "

"Come on, then, and turn your axe. Don't be afraid to strike with thehandle. It is a trick being played upon us. "

"Take care, herr--take care!" said Melchior, in an excited whisper, as acouple more pieces were thrown, to shiver against the stones. 

"Yes, I'll take care, " said Dale angrily, as he pressed on. "Hold youraxe handle in front of your face, Saxe. "

At that moment there was a rushing sound, and the goat darted by them, startling all for the moment; but Dale went on, and now reached thesecond angle. 

He was in the act of passing round, when the same great hideous facecame into view, with the eyes rolling and the great mouth opened, showing crooked blackened teeth. It was so hideous that Dale stoppedshort, with his blood seeming to curdle; and when he recovered himselfand looked again, the face was gone. 

"You saw!" whispered Saxe. 

"Yes, I saw. What is it?--a gorilla?"

At that moment a hideous, bellowing roar came echoing down the icegrotto, sounding so low and inhuman that it needed all Saxe'sdetermination to stand fast. 

"What are you going to do?" whispered the boy. 

"Act like a man, sir, " said Dale firmly. "Here, Melchior, can youexplain this--a hideous face, like that of some deformity--a dwarf?"

"Ah!" exclaimed Melchior: "you saw that? I thought so, from that cry. "

"Well, what is it? Do you know?"

"Yes, I know!" cried the guide angrily: "who could be so weak? Come on, herr. Give Herr Saxe the light, and be ready to help me. He is asstrong as a lion if he attacks us, but he will not dare. Throw attravellers, will he? Come on. "

Melchior was already striding forward, with his axe handle ready; and, angry at getting no farther explanation, Dale followed, with Saxe closeup, now taking and holding the lanthorn on high so that it nearlytouched the icy roof. 

They were not kept long in suspense, for there was another hideous cry, which seemed to send all the blood back to the boy's heart, and thenthere was a rush made from the dark part of the grotto; a loud, excitedejaculation or two; the sound of a heavy blow delivered with a staff;and in the dim light cast by the lanthorn Saxe saw that both Dale andMelchior were engaged in a desperate struggle. 

The boy's position was exciting in the extreme, and thought afterthought flashed through his brain as to what he should do, the resultbeing that he did nothing, only held the lanthorn, so that those whostruggled and wrestled, before him could see. 

In spite of the hoarse, inhuman howling he could hear close to him, allsuperstitious notions were now gone. Dale and Melchior were tooevidently engaged with human beings like themselves; and the nextinstant there was a heavy blow, a cry and a fall. 

"Rightly served, " cried Melchior, "whoever you are. Now, herr, you holdhim, and I'll use my rope. "

"Quick, then!" panted Dale hoarsely: "he's too strong for me. Hah!"

Dale was heavily thrown, and Saxe could dimly see a short, squat figureupon his breast. Then he saw Melchior appear out of the gloom, andquick as lightning twist a loop of the rope tightly round the arms ofthe figure, binding them to its side. 

"Now, herr, up with you, " cried Melchior, "and help me. Show the light, Herr Saxe. Ah! that's right: down on his face. Good. Your foot on theback of his neck. Now I have him. Good English rope: he will not breakthat. "

As the guide spoke he wound his rope round the figure's hands, which hehad dragged behind its back, and tied them fast, serving the legs in thesame way, in spite of the fierce howlings and horrible yellings made. 

"That will do, " cried the guide at last, and he stooped down over hisprisoner. "Not hurt, are you, herr?"

"Well--yes, I am. It was like wrestling with a bull, and he has bittenmy arm. "

"Not through your clothes, herr?" cried the guide excitedly. 

"No: I suppose it is only like a pinch; but it was as if it were nippedin a vice. "

"Show the light here, young herr, " continued Melchior, as he turned thecaptive over. "He is beautiful, is he not?"

"Horrible!" ejaculated Dale, with a shudder. "Good heavens! who andwhat is he?"

"The most hideous cretin in Switzerland, herr. Poor wretch! he had nobrains, but his strength is terrible. He is from the valley next toAndregg's. I don't know what he can be doing here. "

"I know, " cried Saxe excitedly: "watching us. "

"No, " said Melchior: "he has not the sense, unless--Here, I must havehit some one else in the dark. There were two. Give me the light!"

He snatched the lanthorn and stepped farther in, to bend down overanother prostrate figure. 

"It is!" he cried. "Pierre! I don't quite understand as yet. It mustbe--yes, I see. The wretch!--it is his doing. He must have beenwatching us, and set this creature--this animal--to do his work--do whathe wanted. But no: Herr Dale, Herr Saxe, I am puzzled. "

"Hooray!" shouted Saxe. "I have it!"

"What!" cried Dale, who was stanching the blood which flowed from hisnose. 

"The crystals!" cried Saxe. "They must have hidden them here. "

Melchior took a dozen steps farther into the ice-cave, having to stoopnow, and then he uttered a triumphant jodel. 

"Come here, herrs!" he cried, holding down the lanthorn. "Look! Allare here. "

Saxe darted forward, to be followed more cautiously by Dale, and theparty stood gazing down at the glittering heap of magnificent crystalshidden there as the least likely place to be searched. 

For, as Pierre afterwards confessed, he had heard the plans made as hestood, on their first coming, in the stable, and then and theredetermined to possess himself of the valuable specimens the Englishparty and their guide might find. In spite of his vacant look, he waspossessed of plenty of low cunning, and he at once secured the dog-likeservices of the cretin, who had been his companion in the mountains foryears, and obeyed him with the dumb fidelity of a slave. 

The task was comparatively easy, for their knowledge of the mountains inthat wild neighbourhood was far greater than Melchior's. The cretin'sstrength and activity were prodigious, and he readily learned his lessonfrom his master, with the result that has been seen. 

CHAPTER FORTY TWO. 

CLEAR AS CRYSTAL. 

Pierre had received so severe a blow from Melchior's axe handle that hewas stunned, and when he came to he was so cowed and beaten that he wentdown on his knees, owned to everything, and begged for mercy, with theresult that the miserable inhuman deformity grasped the position, and, uttering piteous whines and howls, seemed to be imploring mercy, too. 

"Look here, Pierre, " said Melchior: "I have but to send down to thevillage to get a messenger to take a letter to the town, and the policewill fetch you to prison. "

"No, no, " pleaded the culprit, and he implored for mercy again in themost abject terms. 

"A year in prison would do him good, herr, " said Melchior. "He is noSwitzer, but a disgrace to his country. We Swiss are honest, honourablemen, and he is a thief. "

Pierre fell on his knees, and began to ask for pity again. "Get up, dog!" cried Melchior; and turning from him he began to untie the hideousdeformity whose wild eyes were watching them in a frightened way. 

"What are you going to do?" cried Dale. "You forget how strong he is. "

"No, herr, I remember; and I am going to make use of it; he is tamednow. Look here, Pierre, you and Mad Fritz will carry those crystals alldown to Andregg's. "

"Yes, Herr Melchior--yes, " cried Pierre abjectly. 

"Stop! You can have the mule to help you, and for the next journey youcan bring the donkey too. "

"Yes, Herr Melchior; but you will not let the English nobleman send meto prison, " he cried. 

"We shall see. Get to work, both of you, and bring out the best. Theherr will choose which. "

"Yes, " cried the man eagerly; and Melchior turned to Dale. "You willhave a fair mule-load taken down to the chalet at once, herr, will younot?"

"Yes, of course. "

"Good; and we can leave the others here, and send these two to fetchthem. "

"But you can't trust them, " whispered Saxe. "Oh yes, I can, herr, now, "said Melchior proudly. "The law is very strong here in this canton; andbeing so strong, it is seldom put in force. People are honest here, inspite of what this man has done. My life on it now, herr, Pierre willbring every crystal down to the chalet. "

"But the cretin?"

"Will do exactly as he is told. Here, Pierre, take Gros and go to ourcamp. Bring the tent and everything back here while we get out thecrystals. Take Fritz with you. "

"Yes, Herr Melchior, " said the man humbly; and then, turning to thecretin, he said something in a curious harsh guttural way, and the poorcreature sprang after him and out into the day. 

"Then you feel that you can trust them?" said Dale. 

"Yes, herr, you may be sure of that. Everything will be taken down toAndregg's--never fear. Ah! how plain everything seems now! The stonesthrown at us--eh?"

"Never mind about them, " cried Saxe excitedly. "You've sent those twooff with the mule, and they'll take away our lunch, and I'm gettinghungry now. "

"Sure, I had forgotten, " cried the guide, and he ran out. They heardhim jodel and check Pierre and his hideous companion, so that the foodwas left behind. 

This seen to, Melchior resumed what he was about to say in the ice-cave. 

"You will communicate with the authorities, herr, about your greatfind?"

"Of course, " said Dale. 

"That will frighten Pierre, when they come to take charge of thecrystals. You cannot punish that poor Heaven-smitten creature Fritz. "

"No, certainly not. "

"Then I would ask you, herr, if the man Pierre is patient and obedient, not to punish him more. He is a poor half-witted creature, and thetemptation was too much for him. "

"I shall not punish him. "

"Thank you, herr. "

"But, " said Saxe, "you said that the authorities would take possessionof the crystals!"

"Yes, herr, in the name of the canton. But they will not be ungenerous. They will like good specimens for our museums; but they will let HerrDale choose and take what he wishes to his own country. It is forscience, and we Swiss are as proud to welcome all scientific men toexplore our country as we are to serve those who merely come to admireand return again and again, to see the mountains, glaciers and lakes ofour dear fatherland. "

All fell out as Melchior had foretold. Pierre and his follower soonreturned with the tent, and humbly accepted some food before loading themule, and then themselves, with some of the choicest crystals, whichwere deposited safely in Andregg's chalet. The next day they made ajourney with the two animals alone, and brought back more; and again onthe following day they set off and brought the rest, Andregg gazing withastonishment at the magnificent collection. 

In due time people from the principal city of the canton arrived, andthe whole of the crystals were taken on mules to the Rathhaus, wheresoon after Dale was invited to attend with his companion and theirguide. 

They went, and were warmly complimented by the chief magistrate and thefathers of the city upon their great discovery, following which theywere invited to choose what specimens they liked. 

They chose so very modestly that the selection was more than doubled, and in due time reached Old England's shores, to add lustre to severalcollections and museums. 

Dale kept his word about Pierre, and quietly incited Saxe to make him apresent when they went away. 

"Because he doesn't deserve it, " said Saxe, who also made a point ofgiving the unfortunate cretin an object which set his eyes rolling withdelight every time it was taken out. This was a large knife with acollection of odds and ends stored in the handle: toothpick, lancetblade, tweezers, screwdriver, horse-hoof picker, and corkscrew, thelatter being, as Saxe said, so likely to prove useful. 

A month later, after a warm parting from old Andregg and his wife, whomade her apron quite wet with tears, and insisted upon presenting Saxewith a very nasty-smelling cheese of her own make, the little partyjourneyed back through the various valleys, and on to the lovely lake ofdeep waters, where the mountains rose up like walls on either side, andthen on and on to Waldberg, whence they were to start next day for home. 

And then came the parting from the guide--the brave, faithful companionof many months. 

"And now, Melchior!" said Dale, "I want you to accept this, not aspayment, but as a gift from one friend to another--a present to the manwhose hand was always ready to save us in perilous times. "

"That, herr!" said Melchior. "No, no: you have paid me nobly, and ithas not been work, but a pleasure journey with two friends. "

"Nonsense, man: take it. "

"But, herr!" cried Melchior. "That watch for a poor Swiss guide!--it isgold!"

"Well, man, yours is a golden heart! Take it, and some day you may tellyour son that it came from an English boy and man who looked upon you asfriends. The watch was mine; the chain is from Saxe here: they areyours. "

The tears stood in Melchior's eyes as the watch was handed to Saxe, whothrust it into the guide's pocket. Then he grasped their hands. 

"Good-bye, " he said, in perfect English--"Leben Sie wohl. Ah!" he criedexcitedly: "I know French but badly; but there is a farewell they have, herrs, which fits so well. The mountains are here, and everlasting. Itis nearly winter now, but the summer will come again, when the snows aremelting, and the valleys will be green and beautiful once more; and whenthose bright days are here I shall see that the peaks are waiting to beclimbed and that there are perils to be bravely met by those who loveour land; and then I shall pray. Herr Dale, that you will come again, and that you, Herr Saxe, will come, and, taking me by the hand, say, asyou have so often said, `where to to-day?' Make me happy, gentlemen--me, the man you called more than guide, your friend--tell me you willcome again. "

"We will, please God--we will!" cried Saxe. 

"The words I would have said, " said Dale. 

"Then, now for those words of French, dear herr: Au revoir!"

THE END.