Part 59 (1/2)
”A chamois!” cried Saxe eagerly.
”Chamois don't smoke pipes, my lad,” said Dale laughingly.
”I see now,” cried Saxe, and he burst out into his imitation of a Swiss jodel, which was answered back as Dale thrust his fingers into his ears.
The boy looked at him as he ceased his cry, and a curious smile puckered up his face.
”Don't you like Melchior's jodel, sir?” he said drily.
Dale understood him, and responded with a laugh; but no more was said, for Melchior sprang down from the rock which he had made his observatory as lightly as a goat, and came to meet them.
”Back again, then,” said Dale.
”Yes, herr; and I found your note with the stick through it by the tent door.”
”You mean with the stone lying upon it?”
”No, herr: a piece of sharpened pine-wood, driven through it to hold it down.”
”Ah, well, you found it,” said Dale, with an uneasy glance at Saxe, whose forehead had grown wrinkled.
”Yes, herr, I found it, and followed you till I saw your mark on the ice, and came up here.”
”You felt, then, that we came up this ravine!”
”Oh yes, herr; and I was not surprised. It is one of the places I thought likely for crystals, and I see you have found some.”
”Pound some? How do you know?” cried Saxe.
”Because I see you have been to one cave and left some of your treasure behind. I found this just inside the way leading to it.”
”Then you climbed up?” said Saxe, taking a little crystal of the size of his finger from the guide's hand.
”No, herr; I climbed down,” replied Melchior.
”From where? Did you come over the top?”
”No, herr; from the mouth, by the glacier, I came right along the bottom, and turned down into the chasm below.”
”What chasm below?” said Dale eagerly.
”Is it possible the herr does not know?”
”We have seen no chasm but this one.”
”Then you have not found a cave for crystals?”
”Oh yes!” said Saxe: ”there it is;” and he pointed up at the face of the narrow valley to where the dark opening looked like a black mark on the rock.
”I see,” said Melchior, looking up. ”Yes, that looks a likely place too. I had not seen that.”