there good footing," asked Mr. George, "or are the rocks loose, or
slippery?"

"It is very good footing," said Philippe. "In one sense the rocks are
loose, for the whole side of the mountain where we go up is formed of
slag and scoriae. But then the pieces are wedged together, so as not to
move much, and the foot clings to them, so that you don't slip. On the
whole, it is good footing. The only difficulty is, it is so steep. It is
a thousand feet up rough rocks, as steep as you can go."

"_I_ could not get up, I am sure," said Mrs. Gray.

"Nor I," said Rosie.

"O, you can be carried up," said Mr. George, "in a portantina."

"What kind of a thing is it?" asked Mrs. Gray.

"It is a common arm chair," said Philippe, "with two stout poles lashed
to the sides of it. Two men take hold of the ends of the poles before,
and two others behind, and they lift the poles,--chair, passenger, and
all,--up upon their shoulders. They carry you, in this way, right up the
mountain."

"I should be afraid," said Rosie.

"You would feel a little afraid at first," said Philippe, "when the men
were lifting you up upon their shoulders--but afterwards, you would not
be afraid at all. You ride as easy as if two persons were to take you in
a chair and carry you about the room."

"But I should pity the poor men so much," said Rosie, "in having such a
heavy load to carry!"

"Ah!" said Philippe, "instead of pitying them, you ought to rejoice for
them. They are so glad when they get any body to carry up! They are paid
about three quarters of a dollar apiece, and that is a great deal of
money for them. There will be a great many of them up there to-morrow,
waiting, and hoping that somebody will come for them to carry up."

"Ah, that makes it different," said Rosie.

"Besides," said Josie, "_you_ are nothing to carry, you are so little
and light. Rollo and I could carry you. I suppose that they would carry
Rosie for half price--would not they, Philippe?"

Rosie looked a little troubled to hear her brother speak of her in this
way. She did not like to be called little and light. Philippe saw that
she was troubled.

"No," said he; "they will ask the same for carrying Miss Rosie that they
would for any other lady."

This answer removed in an instant the cloud which had appeared upon
Rosie's face, and replaced it with a smile which had something of the
expression of triumph in it. In fact, Philippe shaped his answer as he
did on purpose to