The Crystal Hunters: A Boy's Adventures in the Higher Alps

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.

  A GREAT SURPRISE.

  "Hah!" ejaculated Melchior, as he wiped the great drops off his brow andstood panting and waiting for the boy to recover his senses.

  At last Saxe uttered a catching sigh and moved his head uneasily. Then,with his eyes tightly closed, he said feebly--

  "Don't--don't, Melk: you hurt me. It's of no use. Go and try to helpMr Dale. Eh?"

  He started as he opened his eyes widely and looked about. "Why, Melk--you don't mean--"

  "Yes, herr," said the guide quietly. "I dragged you out."

  "Why!--oh, how it hurts! You've left my legs in the hole! No," headded, as he struggled into a sitting position and looked down,--"onlymy boots."

  "I'll bind some cloth round them directly, herr. We can get otherboots."

  "But--I feel--just as if I had no legs at all," said Saxe excitedly."Not broken, are they?"

  "No, herr: only a little numbed with the cold and pressure. There, I ambetter now. I'll chafe them before I bind up your feet."

  "You couldn't get out my boots?"

  "No, herr--not for many hours: we must not wait for that;" and he kneltdown now, and after rapidly chafing the half-dead limbs to bring backthe circulation, he took string from his pocket, cut off both sleeves ofhis jacket, and then cleverly tied the wrists, and drew them on to theboy's legs, where he bound them with the string, forming a pair of bootsand stockings in one.

  "Why, Melk, you've made me look like an Italian brigand," cried Saxepitifully, as he stood up and looked down at his cross-gartered legs."Oh! I can hardly stand. But now we are wasting time: let's find MrDale."

  "Yes," said Melchior, drawing a long deep breath: "let's try and findMr Dale."

  "Which way shall we go?" said Saxe, painfully picking up his axe andlooking hopelessly around over the white waste where the snow lay, nowcompressed into waves of ice, and looking like portions of a glacier.

  There was no answer to his question, and he looked at the guide, whostood leaning upon his ice-axe.

  "Well!" cried Saxe; and Melchior started and faced him. "I was tryingto think, herr," he said. "We were all separated at the first slip ofthe snow. I held on to you for a few moments, but you were snatchedfrom me, and I saw no more, till I found myself far below yonder. I hadbeen buried twice; but the snow as it rolled over thrust me forth again,and I was able to struggle out."

  "Then you have no idea where Mr Dale can be?" Melchior shook his headsadly.

  "It was a mistake, sir," he said. "I ought to have known better than tocross such a treacherous slope. I did know better, but I sufferedmyself to be overruled, and now in the face of all this terriblemisfortune I feel helpless. What can one man do when great Naturefights against him as she does here?"

  Saxe looked wildly round again, to see that before long it would bedusk, for the snow was fast turning grey, and the peaks alone were ruddywith the sinking sun.

  The boy shivered from cold and nervous shock, as he gazed at theweird-looking rocks and the folded snow, and then, grasping atMelchior's arm, he said pitifully: "Don't tell me you think he isburied."

  "No, herr," cried the guide, rousing himself: "I will not say that, forthere is still hope. He may have been carried right away below us bythe loose upper snow, which went on, while the lower part soon stoppedby getting pressed together into ice. But it is impossible to say. Wemust do something; it will soon be dark, and you have no strength leftnow."

  "I have!" cried the boy excitedly; "and I can help you now. Shout:perhaps he may be within hearing."

  The guide shrugged his shoulders and shook his head; but he gave forth along, loud mountaineer's call, which was repeated plainly from far awayabove him.

  Then again, and again, and again; but there were only the echoes torespond.

  "Let's look about," cried Saxe, in a voice which told of his despair;but even as he spoke the guide had started off after a few minutes'consideration, and the boy followed up and up, painfully, slowly,slipping, climbing and drawing himself forward from time to time bydriving the pick of his axe into the ice.

  For there was very little snow to traverse here: by the slip it had beenalmost entirely turned into ice, and the difficulties of the climb soincreased that from time to time Saxe had to stop utterly exhausted.

  "Why are we going up here?" he said on one of these occasions.

  "To get as near as I can guess to where we were when the snow-slidebegan, herr. Shall I go on alone?"

  "No--no! don't leave me!" cried Saxe excitedly.

  "The herr might depend upon my return," said Melchior.

  "Yes: I was not thinking of that, but of my being able to help. Howmuch farther is it?"

  "About five minutes, herr--not more. You can see for yourself that wemust be quite close to the position now. Rested?"

  Saxe nodded, and wishing fervently for the guide's strength, he toiledon again behind him, till at last they stood upon the bare rock sweptclear of the snow, and any doubt of its being where the mishap befelthem was quite removed by their coming suddenly upon quite a wall ofsnow standing many feet above their heads, and running far enough toright and left in a jagged line, as if a flash of lightning had dartedacross and made the division.

  Saxe's lips parted to speak, but the guide held up his hand.

  "Not a word, herr," he whispered. "We might have another fall."

  Saxe looked up and shuddered, for the snow far above them seemed as ifit might come down at any moment; and after looking sharply from left toright, he gladly followed Melchior as he went cautiously toward theupper rocks for a couple of dozen yards.

  "Here is where we must have been," he said; "and from this spot we oughtto start back if we are to find the herr."

  Saxe nodded, for he could not trust himself to speak. It was all tooterrible; and the thought of Dale being imprisoned somewhere near, heldfast as he had been, seemed far worse than anything he had himself gonethrough.

  Melchior started back directly, as if from instinct; and, unable to domore, Saxe followed him till he halted.

  "It is blind work, herr," he whispered. "There is no clue to guide one.He was suddenly swept away from us; and who can say whether we may notbe going from him all this time, instead of following him up?"

  "Oh, Melchior!" cried Saxe piteously.

  "Not so loud, herr--not so loud. It sounds cruel to say so--hard toyou; but I am obliged to be honest with you, and say that I see no hopeof our finding him alive."

  A sob escaped from Saxe's breast, but his face looked cold and hard.

  "You might have said the same about me," he whispered back; "but I amhere."

  "Yes, herr; but then you were able to make some sign of being alive. Wehave shouted and looked about for a long time now, but have heardnothing of poor Mr Dale, and my heart is growing cold about him."

  "Oh, don't say that!" cried Saxe. "It is too horrible. We must--wewill find him. Perhaps he is quite buried under the snow."

  Saxe's last words made the guide turn and look at him curiously; but hesaid no word, only kept on walking down slowly toward the foot of theslope, sweeping his eyes over the way they traversed from side to side,his keen glance taking in the slightest thing, and making him hurry awayto carefully examine places where the snow and ice lay high or moreragged; but they kept on with their difficult descent, and saw nothingthat afforded them a clue to Dale's whereabouts.

  "Oh, we must have help to search the place well!" cried Saxe in agony."It will soon be too dark to see anything, and we are so useless alone."

  "Yes, herr," said the guide sadly; "but it will take six hours to getpeople here at the very least, and I don't like to go away while thereis the least chance of our finding him."

  "You are right," sighed Saxe; "while we were gone for help he might beperishing, and we could have saved him. We must stop and search till wedrop."

  That seemed as if it would not be long first, as far as the boy wasconcerned. He had apparently forgotten
the numbness of his limbs andthe peril through which he had passed, and in spite of the roughness ofthe ice and snow he continued to get over it in his extemporisedsandals, which had the advantage of not slipping. But the day's toilhad been excessive before the accident; and though his spirits had kepthim up so far, the time was fast approaching when exhaustion wouldconquer.

  Melchior knew it, and after glancing at Saxe as he tottered once andnearly fell, he went on for a few minutes before speaking and hurtingthe boy's feelings by telling him that it was because of his weariness,then suddenly drew up, took off and threw down his rope.

  "One can't go on for ever without getting strength, herr," he said."I'm nearly wearied out. Let's sit down on the rope for a few minutes."

  "No, no: let's keep on. He may be anxiously waiting for our help."

  "If we go on as we are, herr, we shall be too weak to help him if wefind him," said Melchior, seating himself; and Saxe sank beside him, andinvoluntarily leaned up against the sturdy fellow, who began to searchhis wallet, and brought out the remains of some bread and cheese, thegreater part of which he offered to his companion.

  "No, no, Melk: I can't eat," he said.

  "You must, herr--for his sake. Try."

  "A fair half, then," said Saxe; and the guide smiled, and made a freshdivision, which was slowly discussed every mouthful seeming to the boyas if it would choke him.

  And as they ate the last faint light died away, and bright points oflight began to twinkle overhead.

  "It will be a bright night, thank Heaven!" said Melchior: "the stormthreats have passed away. Hah! it begins to grow cold."

  "And I have made you worse," said Saxe faintly, as he glanced at thesleeves of his companion's shirt.

  "Oh, that's nothing, herr," said the guide, stretching out his hands tofeel Saxe's feet; and after bidding him sit fast, lifting the boy's feetacross his own. "Keep them there," he said: "they will be warmer whilewe rest; they were getting wet, and we must not have your feet frozen."

  "Does it freeze?" said Saxe drowsily.

  "Yes, herr, sharply up here, as soon as the sun goes down. Now, youmust not think me heartless if I light my pipe. Then we will start onagain."

  "Oh no: light it, Melk, and let us start again," said Saxe in a whisper.

  The guide rapidly filled and lit his pipe, for his long experience toldhim that Saxe must not sit long in the condition he was; and rising andresuming his hold of his trusty axe, he said sharply--

  "Now, herr, forward!"

  Saxe looked up at him in a dazed way, but did not stir.

  "I was afraid so," muttered the guide, as he picked up the boy's ice-axeand stuck it through his belt. Then drawing the rope from beneath him,he threw it over his shoulder and went down on his knees just in frontof his companion.

  "Now, herr," he said imperatively: "put your arms round my neck."

  "What for? what are you going to do?" faltered Saxe helplessly.

  "Only give you a lift, my boy, till you are a bit rested."

  "But--" began Saxe, protesting feebly.

  "Your hands! Quick!" cried Melchior; and seizing one he drew Saxeforward, the other hand followed, and the guide staggered to his feet,shifted and shuffled his load into an easier position, and then gettinghis hands beneath his legs, as Saxe involuntarily clasped his arms aboutthe man's stout neck, he began his perilous descent--perilous, for nowhe had to trust entirely to his feet and balance himself cautiously ashe started off in the gathering darkness downward toward the nearestvale.

  "Are you comfortable?" he asked; but Saxe did not reply.

  "It was quite time, poor lad," muttered Melchior. "The warmth from mybody will keep him alive, and, Heaven helping me, I may get safely downbelow the snow. If I can do that, I must find a place where I can makea fire. Now, lad, you call yourself a guide: make for the nearest bitof forest, and save this poor boy's life. But it's a hard task--a hardtask, and you need all your strength and knowledge now."

  It was indeed a hard task, and again and again he nearly fell headlong;but by the exercise of his wonderful activity and strength, he alwaysrecovered himself, took a fresh breath, and descended steadily over thefrozen snow, which grew more rugged and difficult at every turn.

  "But I must do it--must do it," the man kept on muttering; and he toiledon down till the bottom of the slope was reached, and here the piled-upnew ice proved more difficult than ever; and it was not till an hour hadpassed from his reaching the bottom of the slip, that he thoroughly leftbehind the last trace of the avalanche.

  What had been simple mountaineering work in the bright sunshine, whenfree and able to pick the way, became terrible now in the mountain,where the path was always rugged, but often such that a moment'shesitation or a slip might mean death for both. But Melchior's feetseemed by long habit to have grown accustomed to danger, and to havebeen educated into joining in the protection of him they bore, so that,in spite of the darkness and danger, Melchior got down lower and lower,and by degrees worked himself into the track he had followed in themorning in guiding his companions up the peak.

  Here he was more at home, and able to think out how he could best passround that ledge and creep by this angle before he reached it. Saxe didnot speak, but hung upon his back perfectly inert--a terrible load atsuch a time; but the guide made no mental complaint,--simply toiled onslowly enough for a couple of hours; then, thinking of a certain nook inthe mountain just below the snow-line where there was a good-sized clumpof dwarfed and distorted pines, he decided to stop there for the night,sheltered from the icy wind with a good elastic heap of pine boughs fortheir bed and coverlet, and a roaring fire to add to their warmth.

  "The task will be easy enough to-morrow," he said; and then, thinkingsorrowfully of Dale, he kept on with his slow, careful tramp down themountain side.

  It was as if that clump of pines would never be reached, and there weremoments when he was ready to think that he must have missed them; but aglance to left or right at the rocks towering up into the sky sufficedto convince him that he was still on the right track, for he knew themby heart, and, giving his load a fresh shift, he toiled on again, hot,exhausted, but full of determination.

  Now and then he spoke to Saxe, but there was no reply; and more thanonce he felt disposed to let his burden glide down on to the rock andhave a short rest, but he always shook his head and went on downward,thanking Providence that he was below all the parts which necessitatedclinging; and at last, when so utterly wearied out that his pace was amere crawl, he reached the pines, threaded his way in, and lowered Saxedown. Then, setting rapidly to work, he soon brought together aquantity of dead wood, and started a fire with a few handfuls of pineneedles piled on the small boughs to shed its warmth upon the boy'shalf-frozen feet.

  This done, he cut and broke down bough after bough, making of them asoft, elastic bed near the fire, and dragging Saxe into a betterposition before cutting other pieces with his axe and laying themtogether like the ridge of a roof over his companion's head.

  "He'll soon be warm there," muttered Melchior: "no fear of freezingnow."

  The wood was rapidly piled on the fire, for there was abundance beneaththe pines; and at last, after bending down and satisfying himself as toSaxe's condition, Melchior prepared to creep in and lie down by hisside, but, on second thoughts, seated himself by the fire to enjoy itswarm glow. But he was too uneasy to stay there long; and, creeping backto Saxe, he laid his hand upon the boy's breast.

  "Asleep, herr?" he said gently.

  "Asleep?" said the boy confusedly: "I--I suppose I have been; but I'mgiddy, and my head--Melchior--Melchior! why are we here? Have you foundMr Dale?"

  The guide was silent for a few moments. Then, in a low, hoarse voice,he said sadly--

  "No, herr; and it seems impossible to search farther."

  "Oh, Melchior!"

  "It is true, herr. Your life was in danger, and it was all I could doto bring you down in safety."

  "Bring me down?" faltered Saxe. "I
do not understand."

  "No, herr; we do not understand when we are insensible. You do notremember my carrying you down the mountain on my back?"

  "I? No: of course not! You could not have done so."

  The guide laughed softly, and drew the tough pine boughs more over Saxe.

  "Are you warm?" he asked.

  "Yes, I think so; but we must get up and go in search of Mr Dale."

  "We cannot go to-night, without lanthorns and help. Do you think Ishould stay here without trying, if it were possible to save Mr Dale'slife?"

  "What's that!" moaned Saxe just at that moment; for a shrill cry camefrom a distance, followed by a jodel, which Melchior answered as hestood aside from the fire so as to try and pierce the darkness of theslope below them.

  The jodel was given again, and answered.

  "There is help coming, young herr," cried the guide excitedly, as heshaded his eyes from the fire: "men with lanthorns. Who can they be?"he muttered to himself. "Smugglers? No, for the jodel was Pierre's,and the cry was like that of Andregg. Why are they coming here?"

  He was not long kept in doubt, for the party, whoever they were, came onrapidly now, at the sight of the fire, the dim lanthorns dancing andswinging about in the darkness below, and coming nearer and nearer, astheir bearers ascended the mountain side towards the patch of wood, tillall at once one of them came forward at a run into the light shed by thefire.

  "Melchior!" he panted: "you here! Where is young Saxe?"

  "Mr Dale!" cried the guide wonderingly; and at his cry Saxe camecreeping out from the shelter of boughs, and struggled to his feet toutter a cry of astonishment as he saw the figure of his mountaineeringfriend standing full in the fire's light.