THE KROTENKOPF AND THE KRAMER. 363 



Covered full an inch thick with grease, rancid from 

 staleness, and incmsted everywhere with dirt and 

 dust, just as it had been left by the last lazy comer. 

 This was indeed disheartening the last drop in our 

 cup of bitterness. However there was nothing to be 

 done but to clean the pan, and try to make it fit for 

 use. It took no little time to accomplish this, but 

 it was fairly done at last. After it had been well 

 scoured, and water repeatedly boiled in it to get rid 

 of its impurities, we set it on the fire with a good 

 lump of butter, while Bauer mixed the batter for the 

 schmarren. Now all is ready, and the fair white 

 meal and water is poured into the pan. But what a 

 sight ! it all turns black at once, looking more like 

 the black broth of Sparta than any Christian food. 

 Grievous as this was, the whole had in it something 

 so comic that we could not but laugh. We let it fry 

 however, and then tasting a bit and finding it not so 

 very bad, cooked and ate a part. Luckily we disco- 

 vered an old iron ladle, and having well cleaned it, 

 boiled some water, and mixed ourselves a ladle-full of 

 grog. This, twice filled, and some bread that I had 

 in my rucksack, furnished us a better supper ; and I 

 still had a crust left, just enough for the morrow's 

 breakfast. How different was this place from the hut 

 near Kreuth, which had been made so clean and tidy, 

 and left in such perfect order by " Catharina Hess !" 

 It was a disgrace to a hunter to leave things in such 

 a state, nothing washed, the room unswept, and 

 whatever had been used, lying about as when last 



