he sky with
the glittering peaks and summits in which they terminated. Mr. George
and Rollo paused frequently, as they continued their journey, to gaze
around them upon these stupendous scenes.

At length, when the steepest part of the ascent had been accomplished,
Mr. George said that he was tired of climbing, and proposed that Rollo
should dismount and take his turn in walking.

"If you were a lady," said Mr. George, "I would let you ride all the
way. But you are strong and capable, and as well able to walk as I
am--better, I suppose, in fact; so you may as well take your turn."

"Yes," said Rollo; "I should like it. I am tired of riding. I would
rather walk than not."

So Henry assisted Rollo to dismount, and then adjusted the stirrups to
Mr. George's use, and Mr. George mounted into the saddle.

"How glad I am to come to the end of my walking," said Mr. George, "and
to get upon a horse!"

"How glad I am to come to the end of my riding," said Rollo, "and to get
upon my feet!"

Thus both of the travellers seemed pleased with the change. The road now
became far more easy to be travelled than before. The steepest part of
the ascent had been surmounted, and for the remainder of the distance
the path followed a meandering way over undulating land, which, though
not steep, was continually ascending. Here and there herds of cattle
were seen grazing; and there were scattered huts, and sometimes little
hamlets, where the peasants lived in the summer, to tend their cows and
make butter and cheese from their milk. In the fall of the year they
drive the cattle down again to the lower valleys; for these high
pasturages, though green and sunny in the summer and affording an
abundance of sweet and nutritious grass for the sheep and cows that feed
upon them, are buried deep in snows, and are abandoned to the mercy of
the most furious tempests and storms during all the winter portion of
the year. Our travellers passed many scattered forests, some of which
were seen clinging to the mountain sides, at a vast elevation above
them. In others men were at work felling trees or cutting up the wood.
Rollo stopped at one of these places and procured a small billet of the
Alpine wood, as large as he could conveniently carry in his pocket,
intending to have something made from it when he should get home to
America. The woodman, at Henry's request, cut out this billet of wood
for Rollo, making it of the size which Rollo indicated to him