goats before them, and now the sound of cow-bells mingled with
the tinkle of the bells on the goats. Another turn in the path
revealed a green pasture where a herd of cows was grazing, and,
just beyond, a rough shelter made of logs with the herdsman,
still holding his horn, standing beside it. He was gazing in
astonishment at the sight of two little children alone on the
mountains at so late an hour. He was an old man, with a shaggy
white beard, and strange kind eyes that seemed always looking for
something that he could not find. Beside him, his ears pointed
forward and his tail pointing back, was his dog. The dog was
growling.
For an instant the children stood still, not quite daring to go
nearer, but Bello, dear friendly old Bello, had no such fears. He
ran forward barking joyfully; the two dogs smelled each other,
and then trotted back down the path together as if they had been
friends since they were puppies.
The man followed at a slower pace. "What in the world are you
doing up here on the mountains with your goats at this time o'
day?" he said to the children.
The Twins told him their story, and he stood for a moment
scratching his head, as if he were much puzzled to know what to
do with them.
"Well," he said at length, "you can't get down the mountain
to-night, that's certain; and you must be hungry enough to eat an
ox roasted whole, that's certain too. And your goats are hungry
into the bargain. Goats aren't allowed in this pasture, but they
mustn't starve either. Nothing is as it should be."
He scratched his head again, and Leneli, fearing he was going to
turn them away, could not keep a large tear from rolling, down
her nose and splashing off her chin.
"There, there," said the old herdsman, comfortingly, "don't you
cry, sissy. Things aren't so bad but that they might be worse.
You can sleep in the hay up yonder," he jerked his thumb toward
the hut, "and I'll give you a bite to eat, and the goats will
help themselves, I've no manner of doubt."
"We can drink goat's milk," said Leneli timidly, "and you may
have all we don't take."
"We'll have to milk them first," said Seppi, "and we've never
done it before. Mother always does the milking."
"I know how," said Leneli proudly. "Don't you remember, Fritz
taught me the day Nanni swallowed my lunch?"
"I'll lend you a milk-pail," said the herdsman. "The cows were
all milked some time ago."
He went back to the but and soon reappeared with two pails, and
as Leneli struggled with one goat he milked another, while Seppi
fed both creatures with tufts of grass to keep them quiet. It was
the first good grass the goats had seen since morning, and
apparently they were determined to eat the pasture clean.
The herdsman looked at them anxiously and scratched his head
again. "They certainly have healthy appetites," he said woefully;
"they don't calculate to leave anything behind 'em but stones and
gravel!"
The milking took some time and after it was done, the old man
placed the sad and tired children on the bench beside his door,
and while they ate the food he gave them and watched the moon
rise over the mountains, he told them about his home in the
village fifteen miles away at the foot of the pass, and about his
wife and two grandchildren who lived there with him.
"The only thing you can do," he said, "is to go down the pass on
this side of the mountain. You can spend the night at my house or
at some farm-house on the way and it is only about ten miles back
to your own village from the foot of the pass."
"But how can we find the way?" quavered poor Leneli.
The old man scratched his head, as he always did when he was
puzzled, and finally said, "Well, I'm blest if I can tell you.
It's a hard pass. I'd go with you, but I'm alone here and I can't
leave the cows even for half a day. I'll start you right, the dog
and the goats have some sense of their own; and the good God will
guide you. Besides, Swiss boys and girls are never afraid."
"I'm a little afraid, I think," confessed Leneli. She looked at the
moon and thought how it must be shining down on the old farm-house;
and of her mother, who at that very moment must be frantic with fears
for their safety; and of the long and perilous journey before they
could see her again, and though she tried hard to swallow them, three
little sobs slipped out.
The old man heard them. "Why, bless me, bless me," he said,
rumpling his hair until it stood on end, "this will never do at
all! Why, bless us, think of William Tell! Think of Peter, who
lived long ago in your own Lucerne, and who saved the whole city!
To take a little herd of goats down a strange pass is child's
play compared with what he did; and he was only a boy like Seppi
here, and I always thought girls were braver than boys."
Leneli sat up and sniffed resolutely. "I think--I'm almost sure--
I'm going to be brave now," she said. "Tell us about Peter."
"Well, it was like this," said the herds-man. "Peter was a
smart, likely lad enough, but nobody thought he was a hero. In
fact, he never suspected it himself. You see, you can't tell
whether you are one or not until something happens that calls for
courage. Then if you do the right thing, whether you are afraid
or not, you'll know you are one. Well, one summer night this
Peter went out to have a swim in the lake, and when he crawled
upon the bank to dress again, he was so tired he fell asleep. By
and by he was wakened by voices and, opening his eyes, he saw
five or six men creeping stealthily along the lake-shore.
"'Aha,' says Peter to himself, 'that's not the walk of honest
men.'
"He got up on his elbow in the long grass and watched them
without being seen. He saw many more men steal silently after the
first group, and among them he recognized the Bailiff of
Rothenburg, whom he knew to be an Austrian and the sworn enemy of
Lucerne. He saw the men talk together and heard enough of what
they said to be sure that danger threatened his beloved town. So
when they moved on, he followed them, slipping along behind rocks
and bushes, until suddenly they disappeared as if the earth had
swallowed them. Peter groped about hunting for them until at last
he saw a faint light shining from out a dark cavern among the
rocks. Then, though he knew how dangerous it was, he followed the
light and found himself in a long, dark tunnel."
"Oh," shuddered Leneli. "I could never be as brave as that. I
don't like dark places."
"Peter knew that a tunnel ran underneath the walls of the town
and that the other end of it opened by a trap-door into a stable
in Lucerne," went on the old man without noticing Leneli's
interruption, "and at once he saw that some traitor must have
told the Austrians of this secret passage. He crept closer and
closer to the group of men, until he was near enough to hear what
they said. You may be sure his blood ran cold in his veins when
he heard the voice of a man he knew, telling the Austrians just
how best they could capture the town! He knew that terrible
things would happen in Lucerne that night if the enemy ever
reached the other end of the tunnel, and at once made up his mind
that he must alarm the town. He dropped on his hands and knees
and was beginning to crawl back toward the entrance, when he
heard some one coming into the tunnel! He sprang to his feet and
tried to run past, but the passage was narrow, and he was caught
at once and dragged into the light."
"Oh! Oh!" gasped the Twins, breathless with excitement. "It
sounds just like a bad dream."
"It was no dream," said the old herdsman, "for when the traitor,
whose name was Jean de Malters, saw Peter, he was terribly angry.
'How did you come here,' he roared, in a voice that made the
earth shake.
"'I was asleep on the bank and you woke me up, so I followed to
see what was going on,' said Peter.
"'I don't believe you. Some one sent you to spy upon us,' said
Jean de Matters, and he shook Peter. 'Who sent you?'
"'No one,' said Peter. 'I have told you the truth.'
"'You lie,' said his captor. 'I give you just two minutes to tell
who sent you, and if you do not tell us then, you shall die!'
"Poor Peter thought of his home and his mother and father, and
there never was a more homesick boy in the world than he was at
that moment, but though he was terribly frightened, he did not
say a single word.
"'He shall die, then,' said Jean de Falters, when the two minutes
were up, and Peter had not spoken.
"One of the Austrians interfered. 'No,' he said. 'It would be bad
luck to begin the night's work by shedding the blood of a child.
Make him swear he will not tell what he has seen to any living
soul, and let him go.'
"In spite of Jean de Matters, who was bound that he should be
killed, that was what they did, and the moment he was free you
may be sure Peter ran like the wind for home.
"Now you see," said the old herdsman, and he shook his finger at
Seppi and Leneli, "I this was a dreadful position for Peter. He
had solemnly promised not to tell a living soul what he had seen
and heard, but if he didn't tell, his parents and friends would
be murdered before morning.
"That evening his father and a number of other men were gathered
together in the town hall of Lucerne to talk over community
affairs, when Peter suddenly burst into the room, his eyes as big
as saucers.
"The men gathered about him, thinking he must have some
tremendous piece of news, but Peter spoke never a word to them.
Instead, he marched up to the great porcelain stove that stood in
the room.
"'O Stove,' said Peter, 'I have just heard terrible things which
I have promised not to tell to a living soul, but you, O Stove,
have no soul, so to you I will say that the Austrians are now in
the tunnel underneath the walls and that at midnight they will
break in and sack the town.'
"At first the men thought Peter had gone crazy, but when he had
finished telling the stove all he had seen and heard, they flew
to alarm the town and get their weapons.
"At midnight, when the Austrians came up through the hole in the
stable floor, they were received by a little army of men of
Lucerne, and in the battle that followed they were completely
whipped and driven from the town forever. And it was Peter who
saved the city.
"You see that was Peter's chance to show what he was made of, and
he didn't miss his chance. He did the right thing, even though he
was afraid. It's a great thing not to miss one's chance."
The old herdsman looked up at the moon as if he hadn't meant any
one in particular when he said that about missing one's chance,
and the children didn't say a word for a minute.
Then Seppi said, "If Peter could save a whole town, I guess we
can get down that pass with a few goats."
"Why, of course," said the herdsman. "It's your chance, you see,
and when you get home very likely you'll find you are both
heroes. You see if there were never any danger, there never could
be any heroes at all! Now climb up into the hay, both of you, and
I'll wake you for an early start in the morning."
V. THE PASS
THE PASS
All night long the children slept soundly in the hayloft, with
the moon peering in at them through the chinks between the logs.
In the morning they were awakened by the music of cow-bells, and
by the voice of the old herdsman, who stuck his head up through
the hole in the floor and called out "Wake up, my young heroes!
The sun is already looking over the crest of Rigi, and it's time
you were on your way."
Seppi and Leneli sat up and rubbed their eyes, and for a moment
could not think where they were or how they came to be there.
Then they remembered, and, springing from their rude beds, ran
out into the glorious morning and washed their faces and hands in
the mountain stream that flowed near the hut. Then there were the
goats to be milked, and breakfast to be eaten, and the shadows
were already shortening when at last they were ready for their
lonely and dangerous journey.
The old herdsman packed some bread and cheese in their lunch-cloth,
Leneli slung the bundle on her alpenstock, and Seppi called Bello to
herd the goats. But the goats were well pleased with the rich green
grass of the alp, and were unwilling to leave the pasture. They
frisked and gamboled and stood on their hind legs butting each other
playfully, and it was some time before Seppi and Bello could get them
fairly started.
The old herdsman had done his milking very early in order to go a
little way with the children, and now, leaving the cows in charge
of his faithful dog, he led the way down the steep mountain path.
The morning air was so clear and sparkling and the sun shone so
bright upon the snow-capped peaks, that the children almost
forgot the dangers of the unknown path. It seemed impossible that
anything could happen to them in such a wonderful and beautiful
world, and they said good-bye quite cheerfully to the good old
herdsman when at last he stopped and told them he must go back to
his cheese-making. From the place where they stood, they could
see the path like a tiny thread, winding through forests, down a
long, narrow valley shut in by high cliffs, past waterfalls fed
by mountain snows, and losing itself at last where a tiny white
steeple marked the little village which was the home of the old
herdsman. The old man pointed to it. "Follow the path and
remember Peter of Lucerne," he said. "This is your chance! Trust
the good God, do not be afraid, and soon your troubles will be
over and you will be once more in your mother's arms." He stood
on a rock and watched the little procession until a bend in the
path hid it from sight, then he went back to his lonely pasture.
For an hour or so, the children trudged quite cheerfully on their
way. "This isn't hard at all," said Seppi. "The pass is easier to
follow than our own. How silly we were to be scared!"
They were so used to climbing about in perilous places that when
a little later the path led them along a shelf-like projection on
the side of steep cliffs, overhanging a mountain stream, they
were not frightened. But when they began to grow tired, and the
trail led them into a dark forest, where the sun came through the
thick boughs and shone only in patches of light upon the slippery
spruce needles, they grew less courageous.
"I don't like the forest," said Leneli, shivering a little and
looking behind her. "It always seems as if things would happen to
you in the woods."
"What kind of things?" said Seppi, who was beginning to feel a
bit shaky himself.
"Why--you know," answered Leneli, "the kind of things that giants
and dragons and dwarfs do! And then there's that story about
Pontius Pilate. You know our old Mount Pilatus was named that
because they say his body was thrown into one of its lakes, and
his spirit haunts the mountain. He only comes out once a year,
but oh, Seppi, suppose this should be the time!"
"Huh!" said Seppi scornfully. "Girls' talk! Of course I don't
believe such things; besides, he only comes out on Good Friday,
anyway!"
"Well," said Leneli, "lots of people do believe them, even
grown-up people."
"Pooh," said Seppi, and just to show that he didn't care at all
about such idle tales he began to whistle; but Leneli noticed
that he too looked behind him now and then.
It grew more and more difficult to find the way, for there were
openings between the trees that looked like paths and the true
path wound in and out, and came near losing itself entirely among
the rocks. The brown needles covered the ground in every
direction, so the pass was no different in color from the rest of
the forest floor. When they looked behind them or peered
fearfully under the spruce boughs for dwarfs or giants, of course
they were not watching the trail carefully, and so, when suddenly
there was a loud whirring noise above the trees and a great bird
flew almost over their heads, they were so startled they just ran
without noticing which way they were going. Bello was startled
too, and began to bark. This started the goats, and before you
could say "Jack Robinson" children, dog, goats, and all were
galloping pell-mell through the woods.
After the loud whirring noise the forest was still again, and the
children stopped their mad race, but they could not stop the
goats. On and on they ran with Bello after them, and there was
nothing for the children to do but follow, for had not their
father told them that the welfare of the whole family depended
upon the goats, and if any should be lost, they alone would be to
blame? Stumbling over roots, dodging trees and rocks, they
plunged wildly along until finally they saw a light spot ahead
and a moment later came out suddenly upon the edge of a
precipice, from which they could look straight down into a deep
valley below. The goats were there before them huddled together
an the brow of the cliff, bleating piteously. Bello sat on his
haunches with his tongue hanging out and looked at the scenery!
Seppi and Leneli looked at each other in dismay.
"Now you've done it!" said Seppi miserably. "We've lost the path,
and it's all your fault! If we had been thinking about Peter of
Lucerne instead of about those silly old giants and dwarfs, this
would not have happened."
"You were just as scared as I was," said Leneli, "and you needn't
try to lay it all on me! You jumped and ran just as soon as I
did, when that bird flew over our heads."
Seppi knew that this was true, so he said nobly: "Very well,
let's not quarrel about it. What we need to do is to get the
goats back to the path."
He took some salt from his pocket, as his big brother had taught
him to do, and walked slowly toward them, holding out his hand.
Nanni stretched her neck forward and had taken just one lick of
the salt when suddenly the loud whirring noise came again, there
was a terrific scream overhead, and from the crags above them a
great golden eagle swooped down towards the frightened group on
the cliff, and, sticking his terrible talons into Nanni's back,
tried to lift her bodily into the air! For an instant she swung
dizzily over the edge of the cliff as the eagle beat his wings
furiously in an effort to rise with his heavy burden. But in that
instant Seppi leaped forward and, seizing the goat by the tail,
pulled back with all his might. Leneli sprang to the rescue of
Seppi, grasping him firmly around the waist, and screaming like a
wildcat as she added her strength to his.
Meanwhile Bello barked furiously, and the rest of the goats fled
bleating into the woods in a mad stampede. It was all over in
less time that it takes to tell it. The goat, wounded and
bleeding, dropped to the ground, the great bird soared away into
the dizzy spaces beyond the cliff, and the children dashed into
the shelter of the woods, dragging Nanni after them. They could
not sink down on the ground and recover from their fright as they
longed to do, for by this time the goats had scattered among the
trees and must be brought together again at once. Bello was
distractedly trying to round them up, but as he had no idea of
the direction in which to drive them, they were all galloping
wildly about, first this way, then that.
It was some time before the children succeeded in getting the
flock together again, but at last they were able to drive them
farther into the woods, and away from the dangers of the cliffs,
and were soon fortunate enough to come upon a little mountain
stream which was singing its way through the forest. Here the
goats stopped willingly to drink, and for the first time the
children were able to give some attention to Nanni. Her back was
torn and bloody, but her injuries were not serious and on the
whole she seemed little the worse for her experience.
"We must let all the goats rest a little," said Seppi. "There
isn't any food for them, but they can have a good drink while we
eat our lunch, and then we just must find that path."
They sat down on a rock and Leneli opened the bundle of food
which the old herdsman had given them. "Isn't it queer?" said
she, as she handed Seppi a piece of cheese, "I'm not as scared as
I was before that dreadful eagle came. Are you?"
Seppi paused with his mouth open for a bite. "Why, I'm not,
either!" he said with surprise.
Leneli's eyes grew big. "Seppi," said she earnestly, "do you
suppose, maybe, we're heroes like Peter of Lucerne, after all,
and never knew it?"
Seppi thought about this so seriously that for a minute he forgot
to eat. Then he said, "Why, of course we are! We were scared but
we did the right thing! My, but I'm glad!" He sighed with relief
and took a big bite and munched away in silence.
At last he said solemnly, "Of course, now that we know we really
are heroes, we won't be scared any more! We'll stop before we
begin!"
Leneli looked doubtful. "I'm afraid I shall be scared again if we
don't find the Pass," she said. "We might die up here in the
mountains just like Moses in sight of the promised land. And some
time maybe a hunter would find our bones lying scattered about on
the ground." She sniffed a little at this pathetic picture, and
her eyes filled with tears.
"Look here," said Seppi, jumping to his feet and gazing down at
her sternly. "Is that any way for a hero to talk? They aren't
going to find any bones of mine, I can tell you! I'm going to get
down this mountain with all the goats, and so are you!"
"Well," said the heroine, doubtfully, "I was only supposing."
"Well, then, don't suppose that way," growled Seppi. "Just
suppose we find the pass and get somewhere in time for supper,
and get home to-morrow!"
At that very minute a bright thought struck him. "What a silly!"
he said. "Why didn't I think of it before? This stream runs down
hill, and if we follow it we shall have to get down to the
valley, too. Come along!"
He was in such a hurry to carry out his idea that he started at
once with his bread and cheese in his hand.
"But maybe it won't be anywhere near the village where the
herdsman's home is, if we do get down," objected Leneli; "we
ought to find the path."
"We'll be more likely to find it by following the stream," said
Seppi, giving a loud blast on his horn, "and if we don't find
that village, we'll find another place just as good. I'll bet
there are some kind people everywhere."
Bello was at that moment barking down a hollow log in the hope of
catching a hare, but he obediently rounded up the goats when
Seppi called him, and the little caravan began to move.
It was not so simple as it sounded. The stream had worn a deep
channel among the rocks. Trees had fallen across it, undermined
by the swift current. Here it roared through a narrow gorge and
there spread into a wide pool, then again plunged through
underbrush and among rocks in its haste to reach the lake far
below. The goats made slow progress and, whenever it was possible
to do so, wandered away into easier paths and had to be driven
back.
At last, to their great relief, the children saw a break in the
trees, and they rushed joyfully forward, only to find that the
stream at this point leaped over a cliff in a waterfall fifty
feet high! The young explorers gazed at this new difficulty
without a word.
Far below in the green valley they could see little white specks
which were farm buildings, and tiny villages nestling among trees
along the banks of a wide stream. They could even see the glacier
which fed this river, lying like some huge white monster along
the valley, its broad nose thrust between the banks on either
side.
"Every time we think we've found the way out, we just get deeper
in than ever," moaned Leneli, at last. "We can't get down this
way, and if we did we'd have to cross the glacier."
"It isn't a very big one," said Seppi, looking down at it.
"You can't tell from here," quavered Leneli.
Seppi looked about him. To the right the forest slopes stretched
upward toward the mountain-top. In front was the plunge, and at
the left the stream gurgled over rocks and stones to its fall.
"We'll just have to cross it," said Seppi firmly. He drove the
goats back a little way to a place where it was possible to ford
the stream, and in, a little while the whole caravan stood
dripping on the farther bank.
"I'm going to follow along the edge of this cliff," said Seppi,
"and you and the goats follow after me. I'm sure we shall find a
place where we can get down. I'll keep calling, so you'll know
which way to go."
He plunged into the forest at the word and was lost to sight, and
Leneli, driving the goats before her, plunged after him. Guided
by the sound of the waterfall, they forced their way through
underbrush, over great piles of rocks and around perilous curves,
seeking always the lower levels, until at last, when she was
almost ready to give up in despair, Leneli heard a joyful shout
from Seppi and, hastening forward, found him at the edge of the
forest, looking out over a wide range of foothills. The forest
was now behind them, and before them lay green slopes spangled
like the stars in the milky way with yellow daffodils and blue
gentians.