anvas, when Dale
uttered an angry cry.

"Gone!--stolen!" he cried. "That man must have gone off with them on
the mule."

"Did the herr call?" said Melchior, hurrying up.

"You here, Melchior?" stammered Dale in his surprise. "But yes. Look!
The crystals! We laid them there. Do you know where they are gone?"

"No, herr. But are you sure?"

"Sure, man! Yes, and--ah! Look at that!" he continued, pointing at the
tent wall. "A slit has been cut in it with a knife."

Melchior rushed outside and examined the slit.

"Yes," he said, shaking his head; "cut with a sharp knife. It must have
been whilst we slept."

"And by some one who must have been watching our movements."

"There!" cried Saxe excitedly. "I knew it. I felt sure that we were
being watched."

"Whoever it is cannot have gone far," said Dale sternly. "It is the
same party that stole the crystal before. Now, Melchior, which way are
they likely to have gone?--of course back toward the valley!"

Melchior shook his head.

"But they must. There is no other road, you say."

"Oh yes, herr: there are ways for good climbers."

"But a good climber cannot get up and down dangerous places with half a
hundredweight of stones on his back, man."

"No, herr. They would not carry the stones very far: they would hide
them."

"And go back without them!"

"No, herr. If the object of watching us is to get the crystals, they
will still be hiding to see if we find more."

"Yes, you may be right," said Dale, after a few moments' thought.
"Here, let's have a good look round in different directions."

Melchior looked at him half pityingly.

"Which!" he said at last. "Has the herr thought how impossible it would
be to hunt good climbers down in these wilds! Look!" he continued,
waving his hand round; "the great wilderness is everywhere, and there
are thousands of places where men could hide."

"Yes, I know all that," cried Dale impatiently; "but I am not going to
sit down quietly and be robbed like this of the specimens I have worked
so hard to get. What do you say, Saxe!"

"Get 'em back at any cost. I think they are Italian brigands from the
other side who have done it."

"No, herr," said Melchior. "It is the work of some of our people, who
are greedy and jealous. There are some who would sooner work hard for a
month to find an opportunity to steal a few francs than work honestly
for a week to earn double. Fortunately they are very few."