536 Notes on Sport and Travel 



nymph answered not ; perhaps she was cold, and 

 retained the chapeau for her own private wearing. 

 At all events, M. le Baron never got it again as far 

 as I could learn. 



Our labour was now nearly over. We quickly 

 traversed two or three small snow-fields, and after a 

 little trouble in hauling ourselves and the genise up 

 and down the ridges that separated them, we reached 

 a smooth declivity of snow, down which we shot 

 merrily, getting many a roll, it is true, but merely 

 laughing thereat, as every tumble carried us all the 

 faster homewards, and at last reached safe and 

 sound the region of rocks and gravel we had left 

 so long. 



How deliciously refreshing to the wearied eye 

 was the first patch of green turf! How brightly 

 glowed the alpen-rosen among the rocks ! And — yes ! 

 there is actually a honey-bee droning about that 

 orchis, singing his welcome song of home and fire- 

 sides and kindly greetings, 



Happy as two schoolboys we marched on, carry- 

 ing our quarry alternately, yodling and shouting, and 

 playing all sorts of practical jokes on each other, 

 rejoicing at the success of our expedition, caring 

 nothing now for the frowns of the grim old giants 

 around us, caring nothing for the bitter blasts and 

 swirling snow -squalls that swept past us ; and at 

 last, as night closed in, we found ourselves once 

 more in the little cabin, that seemed quite home-like 

 to us, and which we had fancied more than once in 



