312 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



resting-place. The peasants stood up, the elder one 

 said a prayer, which the others repeated aloud after 

 him, and then all knelt to say the Lord's Prayer. 

 Wishing me good-night they went up a ladder behind 

 the stove, and disappeared through a trap-door, their 

 beds being above the room where we had been stay- 

 ing. Neuner preferred lying down on a bench in the 

 warmth. Being unacquainted with the locality, the 

 young forester went before me with a lantern, and we 

 thus proceeded to the shed and up the shaky ladder 

 to our dormitory. The loft was nearly filled to the 

 roof with hay. We stepped and tumbled along over 

 the fragrant heaps, and, aided by the dim light, I soon 

 made myself a right cozy nest. I pulled down great 

 masses of hay from the pile beside me, and my com- 

 panion flung whole armfulls over my body. Except 

 my head, which rested on a cloth thrown over the hay- 

 pillow I owed the luxury of the cloth, by the bye, 

 to the thoughtfulness of the neatherd not an inch of 

 me was to be seen. I was as warm as possible. 



"Why, there are the two women!" exclaimed the 

 young forester in surprise, holding up his lantern. 

 They were lying close to us, but like myself so tucked 

 up we had not observed them. 



" No matter," I said, " as long as they do not snore : 

 that is all I care about. Good night !" 



