Now, Melchior," cried Dale; "I will not be avaricious. We'll have one
good select load of the crystals, and then make them safe. Up with
you!"

Melchior climbed up, fastened the rope to the spike, and then crept
inside the grotto with the lanthorn attached to his waist.

"Looks just like a bear going into his den," said Saxe, laughing, as the
hind quarters of the guide disappeared.

"Yes. Up with you, and play bear too, or monkey," said Dale, laughing;
and with the help of the rope the boy soon reached the opening and
crawled in.

Dale followed, and blocked out the light just as Melchior had crept
farther in, and was busy opening the lanthorn and striking a match.

"One moment, Melchior," said Dale: "here's a piece of blue light,--let's
burn that."

But just as he spoke the match flashed into light, and Melchior dropped
it; they heard him scratching at his box, and directly after he struck
about half a dozen together, and separated them, so that they burned
brightly, holding them high up above his head before taking one to light
the wick of the lanthorn.

At the first flash out of the matches Saxe sprang back in horror, and
Dale uttered a groan of disappointment. Then there was a dead silence,
during which the matches blazed down close to the guide's fingers, and
were allowed to fall, while the lanthorn burned more brightly, showing
the guide's wrinkled countenance, full of disappointment and despair.

"It's horrible!" cried Saxe wildly. "Oh, if I only knew!"

"Yes, boy: if you only knew," said Dale.

"We must find them."

"No, young herr: it would be waste of time to try. Trust to me; perhaps
I can take you to a better grotto yet, and if we do find one, we will
live in it till bit by bit the crystals are removed and placed in
safety."

"We shall not find such another spot," said Dale sadly.

"The mountains are wonderful and vast, herr. There is the Blitzenhorn
yet to try."

"Yes, to try," said Dale sadly. "Oh, but it is maddening just as
success had attended us!" and he relapsed into gloomy silence, as
Melchior went about the grotto holding the lanthorn to its glittering
ceiling, the light flashing from hundreds of crystals; but every one
worth taking as a specimen had been removed, and a great rusty hammer
with which they had been broken off lay before them, forgotten in their
hurry by those who had been there.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

GROWING RESIGNED.

A month had glided by, during w