CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.
SAXE HAS AN ANTIPATHY.
Dale's first act, as soon as he caught sight of Saxe, was to clasp himto his breast in a brotherly hug, while, unable to control his feelings,Saxe responded.
"Oh, my dear boy--my dear lad!" cried Dale; "I was heartbroken aboutyou."
Saxe tried to reply, but no words would come.
"Thank Heaven you are safe!" cried Dale. "Eh? Ah, Melchior, my man, Ihad forgotten you!"
He held out both his hands to the guide, who took a step forward andfolded Dale to his breast.
"I wish to goodness they would not do that," said the Englishman tohimself: "it seems so unmanly." But he smiled the next moment, as herecalled that he had set the example by hugging Saxe; and then he drewback, for fear that the old peasant Andregg and his man Pierre shouldfollow suit.
"Why, Saxe, my lad, I thought you and Melchior were buried beneath thesnow."
"That's what we thought about you, herr," cried Melchior. "We have beensearching for you."
"I searched for you both for over an hour," said Dale, "and then indespair I went off for help."
"But how was it we did not see you?" cried Saxe, who now, in his greatjoy, began to recover voice and strength.
"The snowfield is great," said Melchior gravely. "Several people mightbe on it at once, hidden from each other by the rough piles of ice andsnow; and the young herr forgets that he was buried long beneath, andthat it was, I dare say, nearly an hour before I struggled out and foundhim. How did you, sir, get on?"
"Ah! that I can hardly tell you," said Dale. "It was all one roar andrush and confusion; but I was kept at the top all the way, and neverquite covered by the snow."
"All the way, herr?"
"Yes. I cannot tell how far it was; but I seemed to glissade right downinto the valley, where I was fixed for a few minutes right up to myarmpits. Then I got free, and began to struggle back up the snow insearch of you, till, quite in despair at not finding you, I went forhelp."
"It was no wonder that the herr did not find us," said Melchior. "Hewas borne to the bottom, and we were shut in not so very far from thetop. But, there, our lives are all preserved; and we thank you,neighbours, for coming to our help."
"Glad to help thee, Melchior, my brave man," said old Andregg, in hisrough patois; "and I shall be glad to see thee give up this wildmountain life and become a quiet peasant like myself."
"Well," cried Dale, "what is to be done? Can you walk back toAndregg's?"
This after the boy had briefly given him an account of his adventures.
"Yes, I think so," said Saxe. "I seem to be rested now."
"No!" cried Melchior emphatically. "The young herr cannot walk anotherstep to-night. We must stay here."
"You are right," said Dale. "We have brought up food and blankets. Nowyou talk like this, I begin to feel how exhausted I am."
"Then we will make camp here, herr," said Melchior. And the fire beingreplenished by Pierre, the little party were soon seated around,partaking of the simple fare provided; and Saxe, in his utter freedomfrom care, ate with an appetite which astounded himself, as he thoughtof the despair and misery of a short time before.
Then as they talked, Melchior smiled as he listened to the boy'sremarks; for they were confused, and he was quite in ignorance of howfar he was from the site of the snow slip. To him the perils of thatday had occurred close by, and he did not realise the fact that theguide had carried him for hours upon his back.
"It does not matter," Melchior said to himself. "Why should I tell him?Some day he may find out. If I tell him now, he will think I amseeking for a reward."
The meal, though, was not altogether pleasant to Saxe, who found thatevery time he raised his eyes Pierre was staring at him in the peculiarapathetic way which had irritated him so before. No matter how hechanged his position, no matter what he did, the feeling was strong uponhim that old Andregg's servant was watching him; and the stronger thisidea grew upon him the more he felt compelled to turn and look back,just as if the eyes of the sour-looking fellow had some peculiarfascination which he could not resist.
But even this came to an end; for, refreshed by the food, and aftersubmitting to an examination by Melchior, who wished to make sure thathis feet were not frozen in the least, a peculiar sensation of drowsywarmth came over the boy so strongly, that one minute he was trying topaint his sufferings on the snow when he felt that he had lost Dale, thenext he was lying back wrapped in a blanket, breathing hard and sleepingas soundly in that dwarf pine-wood on the ledge of the huge mountain asif he had been back in London, with policemen regularly parading thestreet outside.
It was a heavy, dreamless sleep, that lasted till long after sunrise,when he opened his eyes to find that he was the last to wake up, thatthe fire was burning merrily, the sun shining, and nature looking morebeautiful than ever. They were evidently waiting for him to wake andjoin them, for the rough meal was spread and the party talking quietly--all but Pierre, who lay on the ground upon his chest, resting his chinin his hands, and staring hard in one direction with his heavy,glowering eyes.
That direction was at Saxe, who turned away angrily as once more hefound himself the object of the man's unpleasant stare.
"I can't make a fuss about it and complain," he said to himself: "itwould seem to be so stupid." For what could he say, save that the manstared at him in a dull, heavy way? Dale would reply that there was noharm in that, and he would look weak. But all the same the man's stareworried him and spoiled his breakfast, making him feel irritable andmorose all the way back, till they reached Andregg's home in the valley,where Dale announced that they would have a few days' rest.