well, and though the report
was very loud and the echoes were extremely sharp and much
prolonged,--there were no avalanches started by the concussion. Rollo
and Mr. George watched the vast snow banks that overhung the cliffs with
great interest for several minutes; but they all remained immovable.

So Mr. George paid the man a small sum of money, and then they went on.

After going on for an hour or two longer on this vast elevation, the
path began gradually to descend into the valley of Grindelwald. The
village of Grindelwald at length came into view, with the hundreds of
cottages and hamlets that were scattered over the more fertile and
cultivated region that surrounded it. The travellers could look down,
also, upon the great glaciers of Grindelwald--two mighty streams of ice,
half a mile wide and hundreds of feet deep, which come flowing very
slowly down from the higher mountains, and terminate in icy precipices
among the fields and orchards of the valley.[12] They determined to go
and explore one of these glaciers the next day.

As they drew near to the village, the people of the scattered cottages
came out continually, as they saw them coming, with various plans to get
money from them. At one place two pretty little peasant girls, in the
Grindelwald costume, came out with milk for them. One of the girls held
the pitcher and the other a mug; and they gave Mr. George and Rollo good
drinks.[13] At another house a boy came out with filberts to sell; and
at another the merchandise consisted of crystals and other shining
minerals which had been collected in the mountains near.

At one time Rollo saw before him three children standing in a row by the
side of the road. They seemed to have something in their hands. When he
reached the place, he found that they had for sale some very cunning
little Swiss cottages carved in wood. These carvings were extremely
small and very pretty. Each one was put in a small box for safe
transportation. In some cases the children had nothing to sell, and they
simply held out their hands to beg as the travellers went by; and there
were several lame persons, and idiots, and blind persons, and other
objects of misery that occasionally appeared imploring charity. As,
however, these unfortunates were generally satisfied with an exceedingly
small donation, it did not cost much to make them all look very happy.
There is a Swiss coin, of the value of a fifth part of a cent, which was
generally e