s go have a talk with Le Croix about his
projected expedition after the chamois."

Up in the mountains now,--above some of the clouds undoubtedly, almost
'mong the stars, as Gillie put it,--Lewis wanders in company with
Baptist Le Croix, half-forgetful of his promise to Lawrence. Below them
lies a world of hills and valleys; above towers a fairy-land of ice,
cliff, and cloud. No human habitation is near. The only indications of
man's existence are so faint, and so far off in the plains below, that
houses are barely visible, and villages look like toys. A sea of cloud
floats beneath them, and it is only through gaps in this sea that the
terrestrial world is seen. Piercing through it are the more prominent
of the Alpine peaks--the dark tremendous obelisk of the Matterhorn
towering in one direction, the not less tremendous and far grander head
of Mont Blanc looming in another. The sun shines brightly over all,
piercing and rendering semi-transparent some of the clouds, gilding the
edges and deepening the shadows of others.

"Do you see anything, Le Croix?" asked Lewis, as he reclined on a narrow
ledge of rock recovering breath after a fatiguing climb, while his
comrade peered intently through a telescope into the recesses of a dark
mountain gorge that lay a little below them.

For some moments the hunter made no reply. Presently he closed the
glass, and, with an air of satisfaction, said, "Chamois!"

"Where?" asked Lewis, rising eagerly and taking the glass.

Le Croix carefully pointed out the spot but no effort on the part of the
inexperienced youth could bring anything resembling the light and
graceful form of a chamois into the field of vision.

"Never mind, Le Croix," he said, quickly returning the glass and picking
up his rifle; "come along, let's have at them."

"Softly," returned the hunter; "we must get well to leeward of them
before we can venture to approach."

"Lead where you will; you'll find me a quiet and unquestioning
follower."

The hunter at once turned, and, descending the mountain by a precipice
which was so steep that they had in some places to drop from ledge to
ledge, at last gained a position where the light air, that floated but
scarce moved the clouds, came direct from the spot where the chamois
lay. He then turned and made straight towards them. As they advanced
the ground became more rugged and precipitous, so that their progress
was unavoidably slow, and rendered more so by th