drilling on August 22d, his
stay there this summer would be greatly curtailed. The Olm was very
extensive, lying on a mountain-platform which was only bare of snow
for about three months in the year. When, however, the snow was off,
the flowers came up by thousands, the grass sprang up by magic,
all the mountains were filled with the rushing and roaring sound
of waters, which came down in foaming cascades, often of wonderful
beauty, amongst the rocks and the pine woods which clothed the steeper
mountain-sides. Nor was the life at all solitary, for various farmers
were sending up their cattle to other Olms about the same time,
so that no one was without neighbors, although they might be at a
considerable distance apart.

Jakob spoke on until we became wild to go up to the Olm too. "Could we
go thither," we asked, "and pay him a visit?"

"That we could," he replied, "if we did not mind sleeping in the hay.
Only we had better wait for settled weather in August."

There was now no talk of our leaving the Hof at St. Jakobi. The
Hofbauer had declared that the house was at our disposal until
Martinmas--longer if we wanted it. He also fell into the scheme of
our visiting his Olm, where he intimated his desire to be host, saying
that all the dairy produce would be at our service.

In the night, exactly at one o'clock, Jakob and Jodokus started: we
heard them go, the cattle-bells ringing and the "Leben Sie wohl!"
"Behuet Euch Gott!" shouted lovingly after them from the open door and
the lower windows of the silent old mansion. Six and twenty head of
cattle: the goats, pigs and sheep were to follow later. It was a calm
and beautiful night, the three-quarters moon just dropping behind the
mountains, and the stars shining out brightly from the dark cloudless
sky.

CHAPTER IV.

The Alpine caravansary was hardly settled at the Olm when the air
became intensely hot and oppressive. Day by day black thunder-clouds
gathered on the horizon. They crested the mountains in three
directions, at times appearing to repel each other, at others marching
fiercely on to conflict, when, the zenith becoming pitch-dark, they
flung out long spears of lightning and exploded in overwhelming
thunder. Very terrible were these perpetual storms. With the first
peal the church-bells along the valley began solemnly to toll. It
mattered not whether by night or day, the faithful bellringer was
at his post, and with rain pouring down outside and fi