unning to catch them up.

"I think you will be tired," he said. "You ought to have stayed at
my relation's house down there."

"No, I am not tired," said Alvina. "But I'm hungry."

"Well, we shall eat something when we come to my house."

They plodded in the darkness of the valley high-road. Pancrazio took
the lantern and went to examine the load, hitching the ropes. A
great flat loaf fell out, and rolled away, and smack came a little
valise. Pancrazio broke into a flood of dialect to Giovanni, handing
him the lantern. Ciccio picked up the bread and put it under his
arm.

"Break me a little piece," said Alvina.

And in the darkness they both chewed bread.

After a while, Pancrazio halted with the ass just ahead, and took
the lantern from Giovanni.

"We must leave the road here," he said.

And with the lantern he carefully, courteously showed Alvina a small
track descending in the side of the bank, between bushes. Alvina
ventured down the steep descent, Pancrazio following showing a light.
In the rear was Giovanni, making noises at the ass. They all picked
their way down into the great white-bouldered bed of a mountain river.
It was a wide, strange bed of dry boulders, pallid under the stars.
There was a sound of a rushing river, glacial-sounding. The place
seemed wild and desolate. In the distance was a darkness of bushes,
along the far shore.

Pancrazio swinging the lantern, they threaded their way through the
uneven boulders till they came to the river itself--not very wide,
but rushing fast. A long, slender, drooping plank crossed over.
Alvina crossed rather tremulous, followed by Pancrazio with the
light, and Ciccio with the bread and the valise. They could hear the
click of the ass and the ejaculations of Giovanni.

Pancrazio went back over the stream with the light. Alvina saw the
dim ass come up, wander uneasily to the stream, plant his fore legs,
and sniff the water, his nose right down.

"Er! Err!" cried Pancrazio, striking the beast on the flank.

But it only lifted its nose and turned aside. It would not take the
stream. Pancrazio seized the leading rope angrily and turned
upstream.

"Why were donkeys made! They are beasts without sense," his voice
floated angrily across the chill darkness.

Ciccio laughed. He and Alvina stood in the wide, stony river-bed, in
the strong starlight, watching the dim figures of the ass and the
men crawl upstream with the lantern.

Again the same performance