opped. At last it seemed
to become aware of its mistake, for, turning at a tangent, it scoured
away over the ice like wind swooping down from the mountain-summits,
bounded over the crevasses like an india-rubber ball, and was quickly
out of sight.

While gazing with profound interest at this graceful creature, the
explorers were not at first aware that a dark mass of inky cloud was
rapidly bearing down on them, and that one of those wild storms which
sweep frequently over the high Alps seemed to be gathering.

"We must make haste, if we would gain the shelter of our cave," said Le
Croix, rising.

As he spoke, a low rumbling sound was heard behind them. They turned
just in time to see a small avalanche of rocks hopping down the cliffs
towards them. It was so far off, and looked such an innocent rolling of
pebbles, that Lewis regarded it as an insignificant phenomenon. His
companion formed a better estimate of its character, but being at least
five hundred yards to one side of the couloir or snow-slope, down which
it rushed, he judged that they were safe. He was mistaken. Some of the
largest stones flew past quite near them, several striking the glacier
as they passed, and sending clouds of ice-dust over them, and one, as
large as a hogshead, bounding, with awful force, straight over their
heads.

They turned instantly to hasten from so dangerous a spot, but were
arrested by another and much louder rumbling sound.

"Quick, fly, Monsieur!" exclaimed Le Croix, setting his young companion
the example.

Truly there was cause for haste. A sub-glacial lake among the heights
above had burst its icy barriers, and, down the same couloir from which
the smaller avalanche had sprung, a very ocean of boulders, mud, ice,
and _debris_ came crashing and roaring with a noise like the loudest
thunder, with this difference, that there was no intermission of the
roar for full quarter of an hour; only, at frequent intervals, a series
of pre-eminent peals were heard, when boulders, from six to ten feet in
diameter, met with obstacles, and dashed them aside, or broke themselves
into atoms.

Our hunters fled for their lives, and barely gained the shelter of a
giant boulder, when the skirts of the hideous torrent roared past leaped
over an ice-cliff, and was swallowed up by the insatiable crevasses of
the glacier below. For several minutes after they had reached, and
stood panting in, a position of safety, they listened to the th