Little Lucys Wonderful Globe | Page 8

men from the women, except that the women had much bigger
boots, and used them instead of pockets, and they had their babies in
bags of skin upon their backs.

They seemed to be kind people, for they made room near their lamp for
the little girl, and asked her where she had been wrecked. Then one of
the women cut off a great lump of raw something--was it a walrus, with
that round head and big tusks?--and held it up to her; and when Lucy
shook her head and said, "No, thank you," as civilly as she could, the
woman tore it in two, and handed a lump over her shoulder to her baby,
who began to gnaw it. Then her first friend, the little boy, hoping to
please her better, offered her some drink. Ah! it was oil, just like the oil
that was burning in the lamp!--horrid oil from the whales! She could
not help shaking her head; and so much that she woke herself up!


CHAPTER V
. TYROL.
"Suppose I could see where that dear little black chamois horn came
from! But Mother Bunch can't tell me about that I'm afraid, for she
always went by sea, and here's the Tyrol without one bit of sea near it.
It's just one of the strings to the great knot of mountains that tie Europe
up in the middle. Oh! what is a mountain like?"
Then suddenly came on Lucy's ears a loud blast like a trumpet; another
answered it farther off, another fainter still, and as she started up she
found she was standing on a little shelf of green grass with steep slopes
of stones and rock above, below, and around her; and rising up all
round were huge, tall hills, their smooth slopes green and grassy, but in
the steep places all terrible cliff and precipice; and as they were seen
further away they looked a beautiful purple, like a thunder- cloud.
Close to Lucy grew blue gentians like those in Mamma's garden, and
Alpine roses, and black orchids; but she did not know how to come
down, and was getting rather frightened, when a clear little voice said,
"Little lady, have you lost your way? Wait till the evening hymn is over,
and I'll come and help you;" and then Lucy stood and listened, while
from all the peaks whence the horns had been blown there came the
strong, sweet sound of an evening hymn, all joining together, while
there arose distant echoes of others farther away. When it was over, one
shout of "Jodel" echoed from each point, and then all was still except

for the tinkling of a cow-bell. "That's the way we wish each other good
night," said the little girl, as the shadows mounted high on the tops of
the mountains, leaving them only peaks of rosy light. "Now come to the
chalet, and sister Rose will give you some milk."
"Help me. I'm afraid," said Lucy.
"That is nothing," said the mountain maiden springing up to her like a
kid, in spite of her great heavy shoes; "you should see the places Father
and Seppel climb when they hunt the chamois."
"What is your name?" asked Lucy, who much liked the looks of her
little companion in her broad straw hat, with a bunch of Alpine roses in
it, her thick striped frock, and white body and sleeves, braced with
black ribbon; it was such a pleasant, fresh, open face, with such rosy
cheeks and kindly blue eyes, that Lucy felt quite at home.
"I am little Katherl. This is the first time I have come up with Rose to
the chalet, but I am big enough to milk the cows now. Ah! do you see
Daisy, the black one with a white tuft? She is our leading cow, and she
knows it, the darling. She never lets the others get into dangerous
places; she leads them home at the sound of a horn; and when we go
back to the village she will lead the herd with a flower on the point of
each horn, and a wreath round her neck. The men will come up for us,
Seppel and all; and may be Seppel will bring the prize medal for
shooting with the rifle."
"But what do you do up here?"
"We girls go up for the summer with the cows to the pastures, the grass
is so rich and good on the mountains, and we make butter and cheese.
Wait, and you shall taste. Sit down on the stone."
Lucy was glad to hear that promise, for the fresh mountain air had
made her hungry. Katherl skipped away towards a house with a
projecting wooden balcony, and deep eaves, beautifully carved, and
came back with