Year: 1875

making their way, Tor the SnoW-storm
seemed to be decreasing, and the wind
was certainly going down.


But all of a sudden something vdfy as
tonishing happened.


A violent gust of wind seemed to leap
from around the corner of tall mass OF
rocks and crags, and in its arms it car
ried vast cloud of snow, which it raised
in the air and hurled down upon our
travellers, who were instantly buried
from sight.


This was one of the terrible whirlwinds
which often occur in the Alps, when
great volumes of newly-fallen snow are
carried through the air and thrown here
or there in masses many feet IN depth.


1t was as sudden as flash of lightning
one moment Paolo was walking cheer
fully along the road, and in the next he
was buried deep under an immense heap
of snow!


For moment he did not know what
had happened-it seemed as if he had
been struck blind. He was not hurt, but
the world had suddenly disappeared
from his sight.


1t was not long, however, before he
knew what had happened. There was
snow above and below him-snow in his
eyes, snow in his ears and nose and
mouth.


He could not get up because there was
snow on top of him, and when he tried
to get his legs under him he could find
no support for his feet, for there was
nothing but soft snow beneath him.


He could breathe, but that was about
all he could do.


Paolo soon felt himself sinking lower
and lower in the soft snow. He tried
again to get his feet straight down I'M
der him and this time they touched
something hard. He knew then that he
stood on the ground.


He had no idea how much snow was
piled up over him, nor did he think
much about it, Now that he could
get his feet on something firm, all
that he thought of was to push or scratch
himself out of that bed of snow just as
fast as he could He thrust his feet
against the ground; he leaned forward
and scratched and dug with his hands
and arms like little terrier after a rat.
| He kicked and rolled and pushed and
| dug and sputtered snow out of his
mouth, and SO scratched his way along
for several yards. Then he suddenly
stumbled out into the open air and went
plump down a precipice.
| He did not know far he fell, but he
knew that he went backfOremost into
bed of snow with crust on it, through
| which he broke with gentle crunch as
! when you throw stone through pane
of glass.


The snow under the crust was not very
hard and his fall only Jared him little.
| And yet the snow was packed hard
enough to give him chance to crawl
out of the hole he had made and to look
around him. He found that he was ON
an old bed of snow that lay on ledge
some twenty feet below the road and
| from which the fresh snow had been
blown. The mass of snow which had
overwhelmed him and his companions
he could see piled up on the road above
him. If another gust Of wind should
come around that corner it might be
blown down upon him and cover him
again.


So he hurriedly scrambled to his feet
and tried to get away from under that
steep precipice with its great cap of
snow. But he could not go very far.
The crust broke beneath him very often;
there were hollow places filled with new
snow, through which he could scarcely
push his way; it was showing faster and
faster and he was very cold He could
not climb up to the road, and # he could
have done so there was that great mass
| of snow out of which he had been so
glad to get.


He did not know what to do; SO he sat
down.


Then he drew up his knees and tried
to get warm and to think. He could not
get warm, but he could think very easily.
He thought about his parents, and what
wretch he was to come away from
l luCIl DIS ut udu OOuC. W udt W dc q SOdt,
after all, that he should risk his life for
it? And yet he didn't know, when he
started, that he was risking his life,
though that was no matter now, for he
had done it and there was no going back.


Here he was, alone in the midst of the
great Alps. 1t was dreadful solemn and
cold The air was full of the smell of
snow. Snow beneath him and all around
him. Above him, too; for it was falling
on him until he looked like little snow
boy as he sat there drawn up in bunch


He did not expect any help now. He
knew the Alps too well to suppose, even
if his companions had succeeded in get
ting out of that snow-drift, that they
could find him where he now was. He
could not shout. His lips and tongue
seemed frozen stiff He could not see
very far.


He began to feel little warmer now,
and drowsy. He knew that if he went
to sleep he would never wake again.
But he didn't care; he might as well be
comfortable. And there was nobody on
earth who could save him. If anybody
came to him there, they would die too.
The best thing he could do would be to
go to sleep.


In all the whole world there was no
one who could save this poor boy-that
is if you did not count in Caspar; the
snow-king.


He could do it. And he did do it.


Right through the snow-storm came
that great beast! Rushing over the
frozen crust, plunging through the deep
places; bounding, leaping, caring not for
drift or storm, like snow-king, as he
was, came Caspar!


He made one dash at Paolo and rolled
him over in the snow. Then he barked
ct him, as much as to say:
/ "Wake up! you foolish boy! Don't
you know I'm here? It's all right now" "


He pushed Paolo first on one side and
then on the other. and when he had made
him open his eyes and stare about him
the great Caspar barked again. in his
loudest, freest tones. A snow-storm
didn't interfere With he voice.