"I think so too," said Rollo.

So it was concluded to take but one horse with them, on the
understanding that each of the travellers was to walk half the way.

Rollo accordingly, when the horse was brought to the door, climbed up
upon his back with the guide's assistance, and, after adjusting his feet
to the stirrup, prepared to set out on the ascent. His heart was
bounding with excitement and delight.

When all was ready the party moved on, Rollo on the horse and Mr. George
and Henry walking along by his side. They proceeded a short distance
along the road, and then turned into a path which led towards the side
of the valley opposite to the Staubach. They soon reached the foot of
the slope, and then they began to ascend. The path grew more and more
steep as they proceeded, until at length it became very precipitous; and
in some places the horse was obliged to scramble up, as it were, as if
he were going up stairs. Rollo clung to his seat manfully in all these
places; and he would have been sometimes afraid were it not that, in
every case where there could be even any apparent danger, Henry would
come to his side and keep by him, ready to render assistance at a
moment's notice whenever any should be needed. In this way the party
moved slowly on up the face of the mountain, making many short turns and
windings among the rocks and going back and forth in zigzags on the
green declivities. Sometimes for a few minutes they would be lost in a
grove of firs, or pines; then they would come out upon some rounded
promontory of grass land or projecting peak of rocks; and a few minutes
afterwards they would move along smoothly for a time upon a level, with
a steep acclivity, rough with rocks and precipices on one side, and an
abrupt descent on the other down which a stone would have rolled a
thousand feet into the valley below.

Of course the view of the valley became more commanding and more
striking the higher they ascended. Rollo wished at every turn to stop
and look at it. He did stop sometimes, the guide saying that it was
necessary to do so in order to let the horse get his breath a little;
for the toil for such an animal of getting up so steep an ascent was
very severe. Rollo would have stopped oftener; but he did not like to be
left behind by his uncle George, who, being active and agile, mounted
very rapidly. Mr. George would often shorten his road very much by
climbing directly up the rocks from one turn of the road to