own on their Alpen-stocks. When they had
come closer the children recognized them. It was the shepherd Philip
with his horn, his two sons, the young hunter, and several men of
Gschaid.

"God be blessed," cried Philip, "why here you are. The whole mountain is
full of people. Let one of you run down at once to the Sideralp chalet
and ring the bell, that they down below may hear that we have found
them; and one must climb the Krebsstein and plant the flag there so that
they in the valley may see it and fire off the mortars, so that the
people searching in the Millsdorf forest may hear it and that they may
kindle the smudge-fires in Gschaid, and all those on the mountain may
come down to the Sideralp chalet. This is a Christmas for you!"

"I shall climb down to the chalet," one said.

"And I shall carry the flag to the Krebsstein," said another.

"And we will get the children down to the Sideralp chalet as well as we
can, if God help us;" said Philip.

One of Philip's sons made his way downward, and the other went his way
with the flag.

The hunter took the little girl by her hand, and the shepherd Philip the
boy. The others helped as they could. Thus they started out. They turned
this way and that. Now they followed one direction, now they took the
opposite course, now they climbed up, now down, always through snow, and
the surroundings seemed to remain the same. On very steep inclines they
fastened climbing-irons to their feet and carried the children. Finally,
after a long time, they heard the ringing of a little bell that sounded
up to them soft and thin, which was the first sign the lower regions
sent to them again. They must really have descended quite far; for now
they saw a snowy bluish peak lift up its head to a great height above
them. The bell, however, which they had heard was that of the Sideralp
chalet which was being rung, because there the meeting was to be. As
they proceeded farther they also heard in the still atmosphere the faint
report of the mortars which were fired at the sight of the flag; and
still later they saw thin columns of smoke rising into the still air.

When they, after a little while, descended a gentle slope they caught
sight of the Sideralp chalet. They approached. In the hut a fire was
burning, the mother of the children was there, and with a terrible cry
she sank in the snow as she saw her children coming with the hunter.

Then she ran up, looked them all over, wanted to give th