so another hour passed, only broken by
the low murmur of Dale's voice as he talked to the guide, and the plash
and rush of water. For the dripping was drowned now by the enormous
amount which fell, and this went on increasing till there was quite a
heavy roar, as of many falls.

"Is that anything?" said Saxe at last, as a low booming noise fell upon
their ears--a sound which gradually increased.

"A waterfall," said Melchior. "The waters on the mountains are
gathering together and plunging into the valley. Listen, and you can
hear others," he continued, as he held up his hand.

From apparently close at hand what sounded like the echo of the first
fall could be heard, and beyond that, farther away, another, and again
another, and so on, fainter and fainter, till the whole valley seemed to
be filled with the noise of rushing waters.

It was somewhat awe-inspiring, and suggested the possibility of a great
flood coming down upon them to sweep everything away; but at the hint of
such a catastrophe Melchior shook his head.

"Oh no," he said. "If we were on the bank of a big stream that might
be, and we should have to climb up to a place of safety; but here the
waters divide a hundred ways, and will never reach us. Hah!--snow."

He held up his hand as a rushing noise was heard somewhere high up among
the dense mists. This rapidly increased to a terrific roar, followed by
a deep booming crash; and so tremendous was the sound, that the noise of
the falling waters seemed for the moment to be hushed. Then the
thunderous crash rolled right away among the mountains, dying in faint
echoes, and the rush of the waterfalls filled the air once more.

"A heavy avalanche, Melchior," said Dale.

"Yes, herr; there is a great deal of snow up in the mountains, and this
will make more."

"What, this rain?" said Saxe.

"It is snow a thousand feet up, herr. When the clouds pass away you
will see."

Melchior's words were correct, for toward evening the rain ceased quite
suddenly, and the sun broke through the mists, which rolled their way up
the mountain sides as if to reach the snow peaks. And all the lower
slopes were now powdered with newly fallen snow, where they had been
green on the previous day.

Every tiny-looking cascade had been turned into a furious torrent, whose
waters came leaping and bounding down from far on high, one running into
another, till the last was vastly swollen and plunged into the valley,
to tur