path must have sloped
upwards very gradually. It was long, and certainly difficult. As the
innkeeper, with a desire for explanation that unconsciously attained a
fine height in the realms of irony, confessed to my father afterwards,
it had been used in bygone days by smugglers, who were in the habit of
bringing their booty across the border by the self-same track we were to
follow that night. Having reached the western slope of the mountains,
they carried it down by the passage to the cave below, whence it was
despatched to its destination by different hands. It is possible that
our guide had himself participated in this amusement; if he had,
however, he did not commit himself. Once on the road my father gave him
a home thrust:

"You seem to know the road extremely well, my friend," he said.
"Doubtless you have carried many a valuable cargo over it with your
friends. I fancy, however, this must be the first time you have convoyed
a king."

The man looked sheepish.

"Well, well," continued my father, noticing his confusion, "if you have
defrauded the king, you have at least made up for it by giving him his
life. Since the bargain would strike you as a fair one, we will cry
quits."

It was noticeable, as we approached the end of the passage, that the
incline was not so steep. Indeed, at the mouth it was almost level
walking. A moment later the guide put out his torch by knocking it
against the wall, and as he did so, the daylight poured in upon us. We
had reached the end of our underground journey. Outside, the world was
covered with snow, and the air that blew in through the passage was
bitterly cold.

"Would your Majesties care to rest awhile, or shall we push on?"
inquired the innkeeper, after he had inspected the sky.

"Let us go on by all means," my mother replied. "How far shall we have
to travel to reach the Border?"

"Fully thirty miles," the man answered. "It is about twenty from here as
the crow flies. There is a hut half-way in which we can spend the night.
If we are to reach it before dark, however, we must step out."

We accordingly rose and prepared for our long tramp. It was a terrible
undertaking for most of our party. My mother and her maid were by no
means strong; my father had lived a recluse's life for so many years
that he was ill-fitted for so much exertion; Max and I were children,
while Gabriel was a man who had led a decidedly easy life, and was by no
means accustomed to outdoor exerci