The Crystal Hunters: A Boy's Adventures in the Higher Alps

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

  SAXE SEES A KOBOLD.

  "I don't approve of our hunt for crystals to turn out such a failure,"said Saxe one day, after they had had their rest and spent anotherfortnight in the valley, making short excursions in various directions.

  "It is disappointing," replied Dale; "but we did succeed, though we havelost the fruit of our success."

  "Well, that's the part of it that I don't like," said Saxe. "It seemsso precious hard. But you will not give up yet!"

  "No: I propose staying another month, or till the weather breaks up. Ifwe begin to have rain and snow, we shall soon want to get down to thelower grounds."

  "That is what always puzzles me," said Saxe; "for with the mountainsrising up all round us, we seemed to be on the low grounds here--down inthis valley."

  "You forget that we are between five and six thousand feet abovesea-level here."

  "Between five and six thousand!" said Saxe thoughtfully. "Six thousand;and the cross of Saint Paul's is only four hundred and four. Why, thisvalley here is nearly fifteen times as high, and it does not seem high abit!"

  "But it is my lad, all the same."

  There was a few minutes' silence, and then Saxe began again:

  "You win not give up the crystal hunting?" he said.

  "Yes, I think I shall--at all events, for this year. You see it is sucha matter of accident. You found that partly--well, by accident."

  "No," said Saxe sharply, "not by accident: I was looking for it."

  "Yes; but it was by mere accident that we were in the right spot.There--never mind the crystals. We have had a delightful trip, made anexcellent collection of Alpine plants, and you have had a good earlyapprenticeship to mountaineering. Better still, we have escaped unhurt,in spite of the one or two rather serious accidents."

  "Yes," said Saxe thoughtfully, "that's true. How soon are we going upanother mountain?"

  "What! have you not had enough climbing?"

  "No: I should like to go up a dozen more."

  "Then you will be disappointed for this season, Saxe. Melchior willtell you that it will soon be risky to attempt the high Alps. But asyou want an expedition, what do you say to one up the great glacieragain--this time as far as we can get?"

  "This glacier?"

  "No, no: the one in the high valley. We might camp again in the narrowniche."

  "And go up the Black Ravine, and examine that lower grotto?"

  "Well--yes, if you like. I do not feel very anxious, for the memory ofthat place is too much associated with my disappointment."

  "When shall we go?"

  "Make your hay while the sun shines, my boy. The weather is so settledthat we cannot do better than go to-morrow."

  "I was going with Melk to the Silbern See to-morrow, for trout; but I'drather visit the great glacier."

  "Then go and tell Melchior that we will be off in the morning. I wantto make some notes about the movement of the glacier, and perhaps we maydescend one or two of the crevasses where the ice is not so thick."

  Saxe started off to where Melchior was busy fitting an iron spike to astout ashen alpenstock.

  "Now, Melk!" he cried: "off to-morrow again!"

  "Where to, herr? over into Italy?"

  "No: into the cold country again. Mr Dale wants to visit the greatglacier once more."

  "To search for the crystals?"

  "Oh no. Don't talk about them to him. It only makes him angry. But weare going to stay up there two or three days; so take a good load ofprovisions and blankets, so as to make it warmer in the tent."

  Melchior looked pleased, and rose to speak to Pierre about the mule, andordered him to chop up some pine-wood small, to act as kindling to starta fire when that collected might be wet. Then Andregg and his wife weresummoned, and received their orders about bread, butter, poultry andcheese; after which Saxe had a happy thought.

  "Look here, Melchior!" he said; "I like milk in my coffee."

  "Yes, herr, it is pleasant. I will take a bottleful."

  "Oh, but I want it every day!"

  "We could not take a cow up there."

  "No; but we might take a goat."

  The guide laughed.

  "Yes, we might take a goat," he said; "but it would be rathertroublesome."

  "Oh no, I'll look after her. I've watched Pierre milk time's enough,and I'm sure I can do it."

  "Very well, herr: if you don't mind goat's milk, I'll get one that willrun beside the mule."

  This fresh idea was received with a good deal of laughter by the oldpeasant and his wife; but a goat was selected as suitable for thepurpose, and the preparations were completed by Pierre, of the heavy,stolid face, bringing in the mule, and haltering it in the stablebeneath the chalet.

  Saxe was the first to wake next morning at dawn and rouse Dale and theguide, the little party starting off soon afterward, before the sun wasup, with the mule heavily laden, and the goat trotting, along by itsside contentedly enough. Once or twice it made a bound or two up thesteep rocks by the track, and Saxe was about to start in pursuit.

  "There goes my breakfast milk!" he shouted; but the guide restrainedhim.

  "She has only gone to crop a few mouthfuls," he said; and so it proved,for the active little animal returned to the track again farther on.

  The way to the great glacier--or gros gletscher, as Melchior called it--was now familiar, so that the various points of view had ceased toextort ejaculations of wonderment from Saxe, who trudged on, withgeological hammer in hand, "tasting," as he called it, the differentstones they passed.

  "For who knows?" he said: "I might hit upon gold or silver!"

  "You would have to hit that kind of stone much harder to make it producegold," said Dale, laughing.

  Saxe went on in silence for a time, and then broke out with--

  "Never mind: I did find the crystals, and perhaps I shall hit uponanother grotto yet."

  "Pray do," said Dale merrily. "But at any rate we will have a few ofthe best from the lower grotto in the Black Ravine."

  "Yes; and I would have a good search down there," said Saxe: "we mayfind a fresh place."

  "Well, we shall see, my lad; we shall see."

  The journey to the niche was made leisurely enough, with no furtherexcitement than a false alarm or two raised by Saxe, who felt sure thatthey were being followed; but, as he was only laughed at for his pains,he turned sulky, and went on without looking back. He played with thegoat, which took to him in the most affectionate way, snowing itsappreciation by butting at him when he did not expect the kindlyattention; and he became the best of friends with Gros, who climbed on,uttering low sighs of satisfaction as soon as Saxe had hit upon the ideaof scratching here and there with the point of the geological hammer,and whinnying impatiently for a continuance of the titillation as soonas the boy ceased.

  Then the niche was reached, looking quite familiar with the traces oftheir old fireplace; the tent was set up and secured with blocks ofgranite instead of tethering pegs, and Saxe gave a grunt of pleasure ashe saw the preparations for the evening meal.

  "How about the goat, Melk?" he said: "will she want tethering?"

  "Oh no, herr: she will not leave us and Gros. Those animals are toofond of company to go far. They get tiresome now and then from beingtoo familiar."

  The night passed quietly enough. It was cold; and, at the height theyhad reached, the stars shone out frostily; but the sleep was deliriouslyrefreshing, and Saxe rose the next morning ready for a journey to theBlack Ravine. The mule was taken to carry back any specimens that theymight decide to bring away, and the goat insisted upon following, havingapparently no intention of being left alone, and setting Gros anexcellent example in climbing.

  In the Black Ravine the two grottoes were well searched, and the lowerone found to be fairly extensive; but no specimens were found worthy ofnotice, and they returned to camp.

  The next day was spent in another expedition higher up the glaciervalley, w
hich was followed till the snow became so deep as to belaborious to pass over, and, after exploring two similar ravines to thelast, they returned once more to camp, where Melchior drew Saxe aside toask him if he noticed anything.

  "Eh? No," said the boy.

  "Perhaps I am wrong, then," said the guide. "I thought the tent hadbeen interfered with, as if some one had touched it."

  No more was said; but these words set Saxe thinking till it was bedtime,when Melchior startled him by saying quietly--

  "Don't laugh at me, herr. I do try to be firm, and to set aside all theold stories of demons, dragons and goblins in the mountains. I wish theherr would have a watch kept again, for I am afraid that this gletschervalley is bewitched."

  Saxe looked at him for a moment wonderingly, and then laughed.

  "Don't let Mr Dale hear you talk like that," he said. "It will makehim cross. He says there is no need to keep watch; and that it is sotiring."

  Saxe had forgotten the incident in the conversation which ensued; andafter the discussion of the plans for the ensuing day, he went to hissleeping-place to think about the blue-ice grotto at the bottom of theglacier where the milky stream issued, and lie wondering how far up theywould be able to explore it, and whether it would be possible to get upas far as the crevasse out of which they had rescued the guide.

  "Wouldn't be worth the trouble," he said to himself, in the middle of ayawn. "Plenty of crystals, but the wrong sort--ice crystals--won'tkeep."

  It only seemed to be the next minute that he was sitting up in thedarkness listening and realising that he had been asleep. He had beendreaming, he was sure, but had not the least idea what about; and all heknew now was that he was hot and thirsty.

  He rose and quietly unfastened the little canvas fold which served as adoor, and went out to find the kettle and have a good draught of water;but it was so mawkishly warm, that he turned from it in disgust, andbegan to ascend higher to where the little fall came, down, with itspure, icily cold stream.

  The night was glorious, and as he looked up he felt that he had neverseen so many or such large stars before. So grandly was the arch ofheaven bespangled, that he stopped to gaze upward for a few minutes,till, the sensation of thirst growing more acute, he went on, with thetowering wall of rock to right and left, and the moist odour of thefalling water saluting his nostrils, as he went close up to where onetiny thread of water fell bubbling into a rocky basin, edged with moss--the spot where water was obtained for regular use, its crystal puritytempting the thirsty to drink.

  Saxe placed a hand on the rock on either side, bent down till his lipstouched the surface, and then drank with avidity, every draught beingdelicious.

  "Make any fellow sleep," he said to himself, as he raised his head; andhe was in the act of passing his hand across his wet lips, when hebecame suddenly petrified, and stood there motionless, gazing straightbefore him at a hideous object, apparently not a yard away. It lookedmisty and dim in the semi-darkness, but plain enough for the boy to seeapparently a huge head resting in a pair of hands, which held the chinand pressed up the long loose cheeks on either side, curving up themonstrous mouth into a ghastly grin. The forehead was low, and theeyebrows were shaggy, while from beneath them glared into his a greatpair of glowing eyes, that flashed at times and sparkled in thestarlight, which rained down on and through a bush of dark, tangledhair, a portion of which hung below the head on either side, and stoodout wildly around.

  There was no movement but in the eyes, and these literally held the boy,so that for a time he could do nothing but stare at the horrible-lookingobject, which seemed to come nearer to him--so near that it almosttouched him; then receded, till it was almost invisible, and once morestood quite still.

  But it was not moving, and Saxe still had sufficient command over selfto know that this effect was produced by the mist from the fall beingwafted between them by the soft night wind.

  How long he stood bent forward there gazing at that horrible head Saxedid not know, but by degrees he began to shrink back slowly, gettingfarther and farther away, till he dared to turn and run with all hismight to the tent door, and creep in, fully expecting that the monsterwas about to spring upon him till he was inside, when he fastened thecanvas door with trembling fingers, and crept to his bed again, where helay down quickly, with his breath sobbing and the perspiration standingin great drops upon his face. The sensation was upon him that theterrible being he had seen would begin breaking in through the canvasdirectly, and he lay there with one arm stretched out ready to wake upDale for help at the first sound outside the tent.

  As he now lay trembling there, he recalled Melchior's words about thevalley being bewitched, the falling stones, the disappearance of thecrystals; and he was fast growing into a belief that the old legendsmust be true, and that there really existed a race of horrible littlebeings beneath the earth, whose duty it was to protect the treasures ofthe subterranean lands, and that this was one of them on the watch totake the crystals from their hands. But in the midst of the intensesilence of the night better sense began to prevail.

  "It's all nonsense--all impossible," he muttered. "There are no suchthings, and it was all fancy. I must have seen a block of stone throughthe falling water, and I was half asleep and nearly dreaming at thetime. Why, if I were to wake Mr Dale and tell him, he would laugh atme. It was all a dream."

  But, all the same, he lay shivering there, the aspect of the face havingstartled him in a way that at times enforced belief; and it was gettingrapidly on toward morning when he once more fell asleep, to dream ofthat hideous head and see the terrible eyes gazing right into his own.