t as his brother's
until they had uncovered the face and shoulders of Brother Antoine, who
had buried himself under the snow to see if they could find him.

Both puppies leaped about in glee, barking and yelping until the sides
of the narrow pass sent back echoes like many unseen dogs answering
them. Brother Antoine rose to his feet, smiling. He patted the soft,
fuzzy heads while the other monk told how the dogs had acted without any
help at all.

"Jan led the way," he said to Brother Antoine. "He shows wonderful
intelligence."

"It is his father's blood," replied Brother Antoine, then he pointed
toward the Hospice. "Go back!" he ordered. Prince Jan started obediently
toward his home, while Rollo followed closely, but every once in a while
both dogs turned back, or waited a bit, until the monks caught up to
them.

They reached the stone steps leading up to the front door of the
Hospice. The door swung open, and the puppies, with Brother Antoine,
trudged through the long corridor, down to the basement, under the high
archways and once again were in the big, enclosed yard. The other dogs
crowded about them as they stood proud and important, for that day
Prince Jan and Rollo had learned the first lesson on the trail. But they
both knew that this was only play and their real work would come when
the snow piled so deep about the walls of the Hospice that it almost
reached the high, peaked roof.

Chapter II

THE LAND OF SNOW

The lesson of the trail had to be repeated several times, before the two
puppies understood just what they were expected to do. Day after day
their mother told them more about the brave deeds of the St. Bernard
dogs, for the work of the mother-dogs of the Hospice was to teach the
puppies to be kindly, obedient and loyal to the trust placed in them by
the good monks.

July and August, the two months that were called the summer-time at the
Hospice, passed swiftly, and Jan and Rollo knew that very soon it would
be winter. The first big snow storm blew over the mountains early in
September, while Jan and his brother slept, warm and snug, beside their
mother. Next morning no sun could be seen, and when the dogs rushed into
the enclosures, dark clouds, shrieking winds, and sheets of driving snow
told them that winter had begun and soon there would be hard work for
them all.

Jan and Rollo quivered with excitement and envy when they saw the older
dogs pass through the long corridors that da