14 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



world lies extended. With the sun they rise, and are on 

 the mountain-tops watching the brightness as it gradually 

 diffuses itself over earth and sky. There, with the dawn, 

 while the day is bursting forth in magnificent array, 

 stands the peasant-girl all radiant and effulgent on some 

 peak, the sun's rays glowing around her. Above her, in 

 the distance, the snowy summits are growing rosy with 

 the light; while the lesser mountains and the valleys 

 below her have not yet seen the sun. And soon the 

 whole face of the stupendous wall of grey rock is flushing 

 in gratulation ; all is teeming with sunbeams and bril- 

 liancy ; the haze over the lake and river divides and 

 evaporates; and shore and village, upland and hamlet 

 lie before her eyes clear and distinct in the dewy 

 freshness of an early summer morning. All is still on 

 the mountain. She gazes on the coming glory, and is 

 silent ; she watches the gradual development in mute de- 

 light; but when the sun himself has at length come 

 forth the spell is broken, and as she turns to look after 

 her herd, proclaims her sense of freedom by a loud burst 

 of song ; and if ever content, joy, and light-heartedness 

 were expressed in sounds, they are to be found in the 

 simple melody of such mountain carol. What a jubilant 

 outcry ! I know nothing like it. How loud, how high, 

 some of the notes ! how rapidly they change ! what glad- 

 ness is in that jodler, and how boundingly the song re- 

 turns from the high shrill tone, descending note by note 

 to the more sober ones, as though the heart were gra- 

 dually recovering from its sudden fit of ecstasy. But it 

 is only for a moment ; and again it is heard mounting 

 higher, heard louder than before, and faintly echoed back 

 from the opposite mountain. No, that was not an echo, 

 — it was a Sennerinn from those distant huts yonder an- 

 swering the other. 



