Rollo in Switzerland | Page 6

around it, and maps and plans of Switzerland and of
Swiss towns upon the wall. The clerk took the passports and asked the
boys to sit down. In a few minutes the proper stamps were affixed to
them both and the proper signatures added. The clerk then said that
there was the sum of six francs to pay. Rollo paid the money, and then
he and Carlos went down stairs.
They now returned to the prefecture of police. They went in as they had
done before, and gave the passports to the man who was seated in the
little enclosure in the foreigner's part of the room. He took them,
examined the new stamps which had been put upon them, and then said,
"Very well. Take a seat a little minute."
Rollo and Carlos sat down upon one of the benches to wait; but the
little minute proved to be nearly half an hour. They were not tired of
waiting, however, there was so much to amuse and interest them going
on in the room.
"I am going to watch and see what the foreigners do to get their
passports," said Rollo, in an undertone, to Carlos; "for we must do the
same."
In thus watching, Rollo observed that from time to time a name was
called by one of the clerks behind the desk, and then some of the
persons waiting on the seats would rise and go to the place. After

stopping there a few minutes, he would take his passport and carry it
into an inner room to another desk, where something was done to it.
Then he would bring it out to another place, where it was stamped once
or twice by a man who seemed to have nothing else to do but to stamp
every body's passport when they came out. By watching this process in
the case of the others, Rollo knew exactly what to do when his name
was called; so that, in about half an hour from the time that he went
into the office, he had the satisfaction of coming out and getting into
his carriage with the passports all in order for the journey to
Switzerland.
When he got home and showed them to Mr. George, his uncle looked
them over carefully; and, when he found that the stamp of the police
was duly affixed to them both,--knowing, as he did, that those would
not be put on till all the others were right,--he said,--
"Well, Rollo, you've done it, I declare. I did not think you were so
much of a man."
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 1: Carlos was a Spanish boy, who was residing at this time at
the same hotel with Mr. George. The manner in which Rollo became
acquainted with him is related in Rollo in Paris. Carlos did not
understand English, nor Rollo Spanish; but when they were together
they usually kept talking all the time, each in his own way.]
[Footnote 2: A courier is a travelling servant and guide.]
CHAPTER II.
CROSSING THE FRONTIER.
On the morning when Mr. George and Rollo were about setting out for
Switzerland, Rollo, having got every thing ready himself half an hour
before the time, took out his map of Europe and asked his uncle George
what route they were going to take. Mr. George was busy at that time
putting the last things into his trunk and making ready to lock it up and

strap it; so he could not come to Rollo to show him the route, but was
obliged to describe it.
"Have you found Paris?" said he.
"Yes," said Rollo; "I have got my finger on it."
"In the first place, then," said Mr. George, "there is a railway that goes
east from Paris a hundred miles across France to Strasbourg on the
Rhine. See if you can find Strasbourg on the Rhine."
"Yes," said Rollo; "here it is."
"Then," said Mr. George, "we take another railway and go south, up the
Rhine, towards Switzerland."
"Down the Rhine," said Rollo, correcting his uncle; "it is down."
"No," rejoined Mr. George. "It is down on the map; that is, it is down
the page; but it is really up the river. The Rhine flows to the north. It
collects the waters of a hundred glaciers in Switzerland and carries
them north into the North Sea."
"Well," said Rollo.
"This railway," continued Mr. George, "will take us up from Strasbourg,
along the bank of the Rhine, to Basle, which is in Switzerland, just
across the frontier. It is there, I suppose, that we shall have to show our
passports; and then we shall know if you got them stamped right."
"I did get them stamped right, I am very sure," said Rollo.
"Boys are generally very sure that what