MIST ON THE MOUNTAIN. 289 



surprised at the pleasure which, under certain circum- 

 stances, the commonest sights are able to afford them. 

 When therefore the traveller recounts, and dwells upon, 

 some trifling incident — a mere sound perhaps — he should 

 not on that account be set down as trivial. It was not 

 a trifle to him. You will perceive this when you have 

 been a whole day among the rocks, and at last chance 

 upon a spot whence you happen to see smoke curling in 

 the air. Your heart bounds at the sight ; and though as 

 yet you have not even a glimpse of the hut whence it 

 proceeds, in thought you are already in the human ha- 

 bitation. From that moment there is an end of your 

 loneliness, — that handful of blue vapour has rilled up 

 the distance which separated you from your kind. 



And when the mists suddenly clear away, and show 

 you a patch of green, and hard and determined outlines 

 — it matters not of what — how beautiful you think them ! 

 and your gladdened eye flies to the place to alight upon 

 it, after having been for hours unable to find one little 

 spot of earth whereon to rest. 



When we reached the hut, the first thing as usual was 

 to look to the rifles j and then taking off the heavy shoes, 

 soaked with rain like all the rest of my things, I went 

 into the kitchen to see after the bread and milk, or " milk 

 soup,"* as the peasants here call it. I found the neat- 

 herd with a large mass of delicious butter in his hands, 

 just made. In a few minutes I had a blazing fire crack- 

 ling on the hearth, and while a pan full of creamy milk 



* There ought to be a lump of butter put into the hot milk to make 

 the genuine " milk soup," and the cow-herd wanted very much to fling 

 in a piece. He was surprised I could think of eating it without a pinch 

 of salt being added, "for," said he, "if you don't put any, the milk will 

 be quite sweet." He looked rather astonished when I told him that was 

 just what I liked, and by his manner I saw he thought my taste a bar- 

 barous one, though he did not say so. 



U 



