Chap. XXI. 



MORNma AFTER THE STORM. 



419 



were thankfully received, and which tended to 

 raise ns not a little in the estimation of our hostess 

 and her child. 



The air of the mountains, cold and damp as it 

 was, had given us an appetite, and we were all 

 ravenously hungry. We therefore suggested to 

 the old woman the propriety of selling us some 

 heads of her Indian corn. These we roasted at 

 the fire, and enjoyed our simple fare with greater 

 zest than we had ever done a most sumptuous 

 dinner. When our dinner was over, we collected 

 a quantity of dry straw, which the hut afforded, 

 and spread it thickly down before the fire. Tired 

 and weary as we were, it was not necessary that 

 we should seek repose on a bed of down. Dry 

 straw was a luxury in our present circumstances, 

 so we lay down and soon forgot all our cares in 

 the land of sleep and dreams. 



When we awoke on the following morning, 

 broad daylight was streaming in upon us through 

 the sides and roof of our temporary dwelling. 

 The storm of the preceding night had passed 

 away, the sky above head was clear, and every- 

 thing gave promise of a beautiful day. The view 

 from the door of our hut was grand in the ex- 

 treme. We were high up on the side of a moun- 

 tain ; on the opposite side, to the westward, there 

 was another mountain of equal height, while 

 between the two lay a deep and richly cultivated 

 valley, with a small stream gliding smoothly 

 onward down its centre. A misty cloud hung 



2 F 



