132 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



" Yes," he said, " that is her name. She is the 

 prettiest girl on all the mountains round. Her sister 

 Lisl is a nice girl too ; such a pair you will not easily 

 match." 



"'Tis a pity they are not here now," I observed. 



" Ay, if they were, what fun we would have ! They 

 should sing and jodeln, and we would make the old 

 hut ring with our merriment." 



But as they were not there, to cheer us with the 

 music of their laughter and their voices, we flung some 

 more wood on the fire, and tried to make the place 

 look bright with the ruddy blaze. 



" If I had but something to boil water in, Solacher, 

 we might have a glass of grog," said I ; " and that 

 would warm us well before going to bed." 



" Grog what is that ? As to boiling some water, 

 that is easy enough ; we shall be sure to find some- 

 thing in the cellar." Taking a firebrand he went 

 below and brought up a couple of pipkins, in one of 

 which we set the water on the embers to boil ; into 

 the other I poured some rum, and having sugar with 

 me we soon had a hot and fragrant beverage. 



"What is it?" asked Maxl, as he sipped at the 

 edge of the pipkin : " what capital stuff ! Why, it 's 

 like wine, but it is too strong." And though it was 

 far from being anything like a nor'wester, I was 

 obliged to add much water before it suited his palate 

 so unvitiated by strong drink was the taste of the 

 hardy and frugal mountaineer. 



We talked about Baierisch Zell, Max Solacher's 



