as soon as he asked for it. Then Gluck took some
bread in his basket, and the bottle of water, and set off very early
for the mountains.

If the glacier had occasioned a great deal of fatigue in his brothers,
it was twenty times worse for him, who was neither so strong nor so
practiced on the mountains. He had several very bad falls, lost his
basket and bread, and was very much frightened at the strange noises
under the ice. He lay a long time to rest on the grass, after he had
got over, and began to climb the hill just in the hottest part of the
day. When he had climbed for an hour, he got dreadfully thirsty and
was going to drink like his brothers, when he saw an old man coming
down the path above him, looking very feeble and leaning on a staff.
"Why son," said the old man, "I am faint with thirst; give me some of
that water." Then Gluck looked at him, and when he saw that he was
pale and weary, he gave him the water. "Only pray don't drink it all,"
said Gluck. But the old man drank a great deal and gave him back the
bottle two thirds empty. Then he bade him good speed, and Gluck went
on again merrily. And the path became easier to his feet, and two or
three blades of grass appeared upon it, and some grasshoppers began
singing on the bank beside it, and Gluck thought he had never heard
such merry singing.

Then he went on for another hour, and the thirst increased on him so
that he thought he should be forced to drink. But as he raised the
flask he saw a little child lying panting by the roadside, and it cried
out piteously for water. Then Gluck struggled with himself and
determined to bear the thirst a little longer; and he put the bottle to
the child's lips, and it drank it all but a few drops. Then it smiled
on him and got up and ran down the hill; and Gluck looked after it till
it became as small as a little star, and then turned and began climbing
again. And then there were all kinds of sweet flowers growing on the
rocks--bright green moss with pale pink, starry flowers, and soft
belled gentians, more blue than the sky at its deepest, and pure white
transparent lilies. And crimson and purple butterflies darted hither
and thither, and the sky sent down such pure light that Gluck had never
felt so happy in his life.

Yet, when he had climbed for another hour, his thirst became
intolerable again; and when he looked at his bottle, he saw that there
were only five or six drops left in it, and he coul