And so they tramped on. They spent several days in the lovely village
of Grindelwald. They explored glaciers. They saw waterfalls nearly a
thousand feet high. They played games with the village boys and girls.
They even went almost to the top of the great Jungfrau mountain, over
its wonderful railroad. The highest part of this railroad is built
through a tunnel, for the surface of the mountain is covered always
with snow and ice.
The train carried them nearly twelve thousand feet above the ocean.
They were twice as high up as they were on the top of Mount Rigi. There
were miles and miles of snow and ice all around them, and great banks
of snow-white clouds in the blue sky close above.
[Illustration: _They had glimpses into deep, narrow valleys_]
They could see many high peaks covered with snow fields and glaciers,
and lower mountains covered with green forests and alpine pastures.
They had glimpses into deep, narrow valleys with muddy rivers rushing
through them. Here and there were big, broad valleys dotted with
villages and farms, and beautiful blue lakes, while the busy railroad
trains looked like worms creeping over the hills and down the valleys.
It was a wonderful view.
The Overall Boys learned more about the geography of Switzerland in a
few minutes from this high mountain than they had learned during all
the days of travel lower down. They never will forget what they saw
while there.
But the vacation days were over at last. The boys had visited only a
small part of the wonderful little country, but they had seen enough of
it to make them want to spend another summer vacation in just the same
way. They are sure that Switzerland is the very finest playground in
the whole world, and a great many other people think so, too.
As the train hurried them far away from the high, snow-covered
mountains, the boys stood by the car windows, watching and enjoying
everything.
They passed ripe grain fields, in which wild scarlet poppies and tall
bluebells were growing.
Close by these wild-flower gardens there was often a row of tiny
chalets, where swarms of bees lived and made their delicious honey.
The train passed also through many villages of larger chalets, with
broad red roofs and vine-covered balconies. In front of these pretty
homes sat women and little girls working at their lace and fine
embroidery.
[Illustration: _They saw boys with goatskin book sacks on their backs_]
Now and then they saw groups of small boys carrying goatskin book sacks
on their backs, for the short summer vacation was over, and the Swiss
schools had begun.
In a flower garden, near one of the stations, a mountain dwarf waved
a Swiss flag in farewell to the passing travelers. But the nicest
good-by came from a row of boys and girls sitting on a fence near the
railroad track. They were selling wild flowers to travelers, as the
trains stopped at their station. They shouted the names in German,
French, and English--"Alpine roses, primroses, edelweiss, daisies,
buttercups!"--and they eagerly begged the travelers to buy.
Of course Jack and Joe bought their hands full, for these might be the
last Swiss flowers they would have for a very long time.
As the train moved on, the boys and girls, sitting on the fence, waved
their hands and shouted, "Auf Wiedersehen! Glückliche Reise!"
And the Overall Boys shouted back, "Good-by! Good-by, until we meet
again!"
[Illustration]
[Illustration: A LETTER.]