MIST ON THE MOUNTAIN. 311 



it up there ? And then, to find his way quite alone ! 

 Why, it's almost incredible." 



" But quite true," replied Neuner, " for there was 

 no pole there before ; besides he described everything 

 exactly as it is. The most extraordinary part of the 

 story is that he went up barefoot, the second time 

 at least, and the time before he slept on the moun- 

 tain. That he was not frozen to death is quite a 

 miracle." 



" Did he tell where he got the pole, and how he 

 managed to carry it?" 



" Oh yes," said Neuner, " we know about that. 

 The pole is a young fir : this he felled as far up the 

 mountain as possible, and then dragged after him all 

 the rest of the way. Once he let it slip, and down it 

 rolled a considerable distance ; but he returned, and 

 dragged it up again. And only think ! the poor fellow 

 had nothing to eat all the time, for he merely took 

 a kreutzer-semmel (a penny roll) with him, which 

 dropped on the ice, and rolled away into some crevice 

 or hollow. Since then he has been on the Spitz Berg 

 the only person, I believe, who ever was there ; and 

 he says it is so frightful that he will never go again, 

 but the Zug Spitz he does not mind attempting. He 

 has been on the Wetter Stein too, and on nearly all 

 the peaks you see of that range." 



The gentian-gatherers had been gone some time, 

 the neatherd had been lying asleep on the bench be- 

 side the stove since he had cooked my supper, and I 

 began to think it would be as well to turn into my 



