Prince Jan, St. Bernard | Page 3

licked the hand that rested on his head, then he dashed to his
mother's side, yelping with excitement and panting out the good news.
She looked with pride into his happy eyes and said, "You are going to
be just like your father! He was a descendant of Barry, the bravest dog
of us all. You will be a credit to your ancestors!"
"I will do the very best I can," promised little Prince Jan. Then he lay
down and wrinkled his soft forehead as he tried to remember
everything that Bruno and his mother had taught him, so that he would
be ready for his first lesson.
The next morning he was wide awake before any of the other dogs.
They all slept in a big basement under the Hospice building. Jan could
see the arched corridors that reached along the big room with its floor
of grey stone. The cows of the Hospice were kept in the basement, too,
for there was never any green grass outside for them to graze upon.
Here and there curled dogs that Prince Jan knew. Jupitiére, Junon, Mars,
Vulcan, Pluton, Leon, and Bruno were not far away from him.
At last the door leading to the yard was opened and the dogs raced and
tumbled out, looking like great, tawny lions and cubs rushing from
stone cages. They ate a breakfast of boiled rice that was poured into
troughs for them, then Jan turned impatiently to the door, hoping it
would not be very long before Brother Antoine would come for him.
When the monk appeared on the stone steps Jan trembled nervously,
and went forward quickly, but stopped at a certain point. He

remembered what his mother had told him and Rollo. They must never
step beyond that place, even though visitors called to them. Brother
Antoine smiled as he saw the pup halt.
"Time for your first lesson, Prince Jan," said the monk in his gentle
voice that all the dogs loved. Rollo whined pleadingly, and the monk
laughed, "Yes, you, too, Rollo. Come along, both of you!"
With sharp yelps they followed to the door, through the arched
corridors, up a short flight of steps, past a big room. Rollo and Jan
waited impatiently while Brother Antoine unfastened three doors, one
after the other, and then as the last one opened, the two dogs dashed out
into the snow.
They gave little barks of joy and thrust their noses into the cold white
mass, tossing it high and digging into drifts with broad clumsy paws,
then stopping to rush at each other and tumble almost out of sight in
their play.
It was summer-time at the Hospice, though no one would have guessed
it, for the snow lay in masses on all sides, the little lake was frozen over,
and the peaks of the mountains were sheeted with snow and blue-white
ice that never melted the year around. There was not so much danger
for travellers during the months of July and August, and as the work
was lighter for both the dogs and the monks, the puppies were then
taken out for their first lessons.
A collar was fastened to Prince Jan's neck and from it hung a small bell
that tinkled clearly with each step the proud little fellow took. When he
looked back he saw his brother also had a collar and bell, and then a
casket was tied to each pup's neck. Both dogs watched the monks and
at a sign from Brother Antoine they trotted carefully along the narrow,
slippery way.
There were no trees, grass, or flowers growing for many miles around
the Hospice, for the earth was buried deep under rocks, and these rocks
were covered all the time with a white blanket of snow, which drifted
into the hollow places until it was many feet deep. The narrow trail

twisted between cragged mountains, and often the dogs could look
down so far that it would have made them dizzy, had they not been
Hospice dogs.
They trudged along happily for a long distance, then Brother Antoine
spoke to his companion and commanded Jan and Rollo to lie down.
They obeyed at once, and watched him go on alone until he
disappeared around a bend of the trail. The pups looked at each other
anxiously, and fixed their eyes on the face of the monk who had stayed
with them, but he was staring at the trail. Prince Jan whimpered softly,
and Rollo echoed the sound, but neither of them rose to their feet.
"Wait!" said the monk, and the dogs trembled with eagerness as they
sniffed the cold air.
At last the monk ordered, "Go!" Instantly they leaped to their feet and
raced along the narrow pathway, their noses close against the snow