^ W. H, SMITH & SON'S SUBSCRIPTION LIBRARY, ,186, STRAND, LONDON, AND AT THE RAILWAY BOOKSTALLS. 3n NOVELS are issued to and received from Subscribers in SETS only. TERMS. FOR SUBSCRIBERS OBTAINING THEIR BOOKS FROM A COUNTRY BOOKSTALL : 6 Months. 12 Months. For ONE Volume at a time - - £0 12 O - 1 1 O (Novels in more than One Volume are not available for this class of Subscription. ) For TWO Volumes „ - - - O 17 6 - 1 11 6 (Novels in more than Two Volumes are not available for this class of Subscription. ) For THREE „ „ - - - 130-220 For FOUR „ ~ . -' - - 1 8 O - 2 lO O - 3 O IS For TVy W**%.<*> *>m LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. || UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. \ s o m no TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. V H. BADEN PRITCHARD, AUTHOR OF A PEEP AT THE PYRENEES," " BEAUTY SPOTS OP THE CONTINENT." 4- LONDON : T1NSLRY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND. 1874. c/ TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. BY S H. BADEN PRITCHARD, AUTHOR OP A PEKP AT THE PYRENEES ," " BEAUTY SPOTS OF THE CONTINENT. \\ WITH FRONTISPIECE AND VIGNETTE BY JOHN PROCTOR. LONDON : TINSLEY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND. 1874. [All rights of Translation and Reproduction are reserved.'] nd Kef CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. 1>AGB BASLE — LAKE OF CONSTANCE— LINDAC— THE ORIGINATOR OF THE TOUR — 1MMENSTADT— PLEASURES OF PEDESTRIANS— BEER-FEVER — AN OBSTREPEROUS KNAPSACK .... 1 CHAPTER II. HINTERLANGEN— A BENEVOLENT PURPOSE — OBERDORF — THE AUSTRIAN FRONTIER — A SPECIFIC AGAINST THE EFFECTS OF BEER — RECTTE — STORIES ABOUT ENGLISHMEN ... 23 CHAPTER III. LERMOS — POLITE SOCIETY— PRIMITIVE LODGINGS— THE MA- RIENBURG — A CLUB MEETING — AN ACCIDENT — RULES OF PEDESTRIANISM— POSTING — INNSBRUCK 41 CHAPTER IV. TITLED PERSONAGES — A RAILWAY PICNIC — TYROLESE INNS — ZELL 1M ZlLLER — ZITHER PLAYING — " AMONG THE TYROL MOUNTAINS" 68 CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. PAGB THE GARLSSTEG — SKITTLE PLAYING — ADIEU TO ZELL — A CAL- VARY MOUNTAIN — A VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER— A SENNER HUTTE — THE KRIMML FALLS — NICE LODGERS — MITTER- SILL — IN MEMORIAM 88 CHAPTER VI. A PRIMITIVE CONVEYANCE — ZELL-AM-SEE — THE TYROLESE KELLNERIN — TO PERK UP — ST. WOLFGANG — GREEN'S RO- MANTIC ATTACHMENT 115 CHAPTER VII. FERLEITEN— TYROLESE UIDES— THE PASS OF THE PFANDL- SCHARTE — A PICNIC ON THE SNOWFIELDS — THE PASTER- ZEN GLACIER — CHAPEL OF ST. BRICCIUS— HEILIGENBLUT — DINING IN STATE . . . . 139 CHAPTER VIII. HEILIGENBLUT — THE STORY OF ST. BRICCIUS — HOW TO PRE- SERVE A SHRINE — THE CAT'S WALK — THE GLOCKNER GROUP— KALS — MAKING FRIENDS WITH A COUNTESS — HOW TO IDENTIFY A GUIDE 165 I CHAPTER IX. WINDISCH MATREI — COMFORTABLE QUARTERS — THE GROSS- VENEDIGER— A MUTINY — GRUBEN — BLUE TROUT AND BROWN — THE CRUCIFIX AT VIRGIN — LETTERS HOME . .188 CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. PAGE A PRIMITIVE DISTRICT — A SCANDALOUS PROCEEDING — LIENZ — RAILWAYS — OFFICERS OF THE LINE — NIEDERDORF — VISITORS' BOOKS — QUAINT ADVERTISEMENTS — THE AM- PEZZO VALLEY 214 CHAPTEE XL VETERAN PEDESTRIANS — AMONG THE DOLOMITES — CORTINA — THE BUMMELZUG — AN OLD FRIEND— FRANZENSFESTE — VERONA — LAKE COMO — LUGANO — A CIRCUS SCENE RE- HEARSED— MAGGIORE— THE SIMPLON— GENEVA . . .238 INTEODUCTION. A FEW words regarding the compilation of this volume are perhaps necessary. Where all have contributed so equally, it is invidious to refer to individuals. Still, in all fairness, it must be stated that if any passages of sentiment are found to grace the pages, if any poetic feeling or pathos should be discovered, the same are solely and entirely due to Green's quill, and, it may be added, are copyright. The daring ad- ventures and hairbreadth escapes were all undertaken by White, whose only privilege it was to encounter them ; * while Black's * These being strictly personal and somewhat unin- teresting, have been omitted. INTRODUCTION. quarto diary and Brown's note-book have furnished details of the route and other matters. It may be argued by critics that there is a certain uneven and irregular style to be found throughout the work; but this, it must be pointed out, is just the feature of the book — the gist of the whole thing, in fact. Several minds cannot be engaged upon a task without- some impress of them remaining behind; and this naturally ac- counts for the variation, or, as some might call it, limping style, of composition which the reader may take, perhaps, for bad writing. The Tittlebat Club, Water Lane, E.O. TEAMPS IN THE TYROL. CHAPTER I. BASLE— LAKE OF CONSTANCE — LINDAU— THE ORIGINATOR OF THE TOUR — IMMENSTADT — PLEASURES OF PEDESTRIANS- BEER- FEVER — AN OBSTREPEROUS KNAPSACK. JDEISEN sieab?" " Mais prenez vos billets!" " Vere you go to?" It was the Basle railway station, and Brown had hurried off for a moment to purchase tickets for Lindau, leaving his three companions at the mercy of half a dozen excited porters. That there was some reason for this bustle and hubbub, it must be admitted. The pedestrians, knap- sack on back, had performed a hasty march through the town from one terminus to the TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. other ; they arrived late ; they managed to come in by a side entrance, and at the station, the authorities, besides speaking three languages, to suit further all sorts of travellers, accommodatingly keep three kinds of time — French, German, and Swiss. Frantic officials surrounded the Englishmen on all sides, and Brown only effected his escape after some difficulty. The clerk who sold the tickets, or rather his legs, were quickly found, but the way to get into the office, short of diving under a partition that screened the man's body, was the exas- perating problem. From one door to an- other did Brown rush, only to find room after room filled with gruff silver-laced officials, and things were coming to a pass, when chance suddenly brought the pay place into view. But in the meanwhile Green, anxious to aid his leader, had dived under the vexatious partition, so that when A BUSTLE AT BASLE. Brown, in a perspiration, was seeking to purchase tickets in front, the man's nether limbs were being excitedly attacked by Green in the rear. The main party the while, being weakened by loss of numbers, were in a fair way of being worried to death by contending nationalities, and poor Black and White were not rescued by their friends a moment too soon. A rush was made for the carriages, the Britons suc- ceeded in the assault, and then the station was formally closed to the public — a cere- mony performed by a tall, bearded official, who solemnly shut the middle of three big open doors. After the storm came a calm. To the wild scene of excitement succeeded a quiet journey of a dozen hours, and the leisurely motion of the train came as a welcome relief. The frequent stoppages at the rustic stations allowed plenty of time for soothing 1— % TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. the feelings, as well as studying the man- ners and customs of Helvetia, the train making its way in a most deliberate, easy- going manner. The line of railway, too, seemed to be under no restraint, for it meandered about just where its own sweet will pleased. It left Switzerland for a time and passed into the Duchy of Baden, and presently came back again among the moun- tains. Anon it followed the Ehine, when there was anything of interest to be seen, like the grand Falls of Schaffhausen, and then again it lost itself among fir-clad hills, until it turned up once more at the Lake of Constance, where passengers to Lindau and Germany take boat and exchange the plea- sant railway for the still more pleasant steamer, lying close by with its steam up ready to start. The day is very hot, and the placid water invitingly suggests coolness and repose. LAKE OF CONSTANCE. There is not a ripple nor a breath of air ; the lake is one glassy expanse, and as the prow cuts its way sharply through the limpid blue water, it scatters liquid gems along its path. The passengers sit list- lessly under the awning, or recline at full length in the sun upon the packages strewn about the deck. The scene is one of dreamy inactivity. Scarcely a sound is heard beyond the noise of the engines, for no one cares to exert himself so far as to open his lips, save, perhaps, when something of particular interest calls for attention. The crew move lazily to and fro; the captain from the bridge contem- plates vacantly the soft hazy banks on either side, and the look-out is fast asleep at the prow. The cook prepares dinner with the air of a martyr, and passes through a fiery ordeal in the galley to very little purpose. A more fitting place or season for TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. a noonday's siesta it would be difficult to suggest ; even the paddles seem to take up the idea, for after a time they too beat lazily and with greater deliberation. In due time the steamer makes the pretty harbour of Lindau, where, after a brief rest, railway travelling is resumed for a couple of hours. This is the Fatherland at last,, and the lofty blue outlines in front are tho outposts of the Tyrol. Pine-clad hills and undulating pastures, fresh and green, succeed the views of lake and mountain as the pedestrians approach their destination. And here it should be distinctly stated that it was Brown who was mainly instru- mental in originating the journey about to be described. This much must be clearly understood at the outset, so that when the historical value of these records comes to be fully appreciated hereafter, and their merit universally acknowledged, there shall be na COCKSUREDOM." question at all as to the master mind in whose brain the idea germinated. This pre- liminary announcement is of the utmost importance, as all who have any knowledge of pedestrian tours will at once admit, for when marching in company, too much stress cannot be laid upon the matter of priority, and each individual traveller is bound to assert his claim stoutly and defiantly to any discovery or idea he thinks he has made. For instance, if Green discovers a distant glacier or an old church spire some two minutes before the rest, it would be a nice thing indeed were friend Black or White after- wards to lay claim to having seen them first ; or where a short cut has been found to be more than usually out of the way, surely the first to find out its roundaboutedness has a right to say that from the very outset he was confident the path taken was wrong. "Without the development of this element TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. of positiveness, or more correctly speaking " cocksuredom," no party of pedestrian tourists could hang together for a single day, for the principal cause of bickerings and disputes would be wanting ; and in the present case it may be safely affirmed that it was only by reason of such constant interchange of personal opinion, that the companions felt an interest in sticking together at all, and journeying in compan}^. It was Brown then who, after urgent solicitations from several members, suggested one evening at the Tittlebat Club the making up of a party to walk round the Gross Glockner. " The Gross what ?" had Green asked eagerly, being the only one not above showing his ignorance. " The Gross Glockner," Brown returned. "Oh, that?" said Green. "Oh yes, of course ; I thought you said somewhere else." THE GROSS GLOCKNER. And in this way it was settled off-hand to go into the Gross Glockner district, but where the Gross Glockner was, or of what the Gross Glockner consisted, none but the proposer had the faintest idea. " I suppose," ventured White, carefully angling for information, "you'll go by Newhaven and Dieppe ?" " And stop a night at Eouen ; that's what we did when we went to the Pyrenees, you know," added Black. " Certainly not," replied Brown ; " why, that would be losing no end of time." White merely said, " Ah ! yes, so it would ;" and no more suggestions were made. Green, however, distinguished him- self once more. " Could the thins: with the strange name be up somewhere in Norway ?" he thought. So he ventured in an off-hand manner, " I should say it would be best to go there direct by boat." jo TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. ' r-^t : Brown was in amazement. " By boat I Why, man, what on earth do you mean?'" And White and Black could contain their merriment no longer, but laughed to tears at the idea of Green wanting to go all the way to the Gross Glockner by steamer. " Why, the Gross Glockner is one of the highest peaks in the Tyrol, in the midst of mountains and glaciers,'' was Brown's re- mark. "Why, it's hundreds of miles inland," said White. » u The idea of going there by sea is what I like !" gasped Black. And it was some time before these two were able to cease laughing at Green's mishap — the joke was really such a good one. * * * * * At last the railway journey is brought to an end, and Immenstadt is reached, the point at which the knapsacks are to be DONNING THE KNAPSACK donned and walking to commence. Tbe train is quitted with a sense of relief, and all feel that the time has come for beginning the march in real earnest. That strappiug on of the knapsacks . and assumption of blouses is a serious affair, by no means to be regarded with levity, while the adjusting of buckles, the slinging round of flasks, and the looking to belts and other paraphernalia are matters of immense consideration : and very important and determined doth the Tittlebat Club appear in their walking equipment : if only their friends at home could have beheld them, the triumph would be complete, for the few lookers-on at the station fail perhaps to be impressed with the proper amount of admiration, and wonder, no doubt, what it all means. " All ready, now ?" calls Brown, in a sten- torian voice. Just another tightening of a strap, and 12 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. . the taking-in of another hole in a belt, and the tying-up of a bootlace, and the screw- ing-up of a flask-stopper (with all dne care, caution, and solemnity of course), and the travellers stand ready for the road. " All ready, now ?" demands Brown, for a second time; and then, with shoulders squared and heads erect, the party march off abreast through the little town. The start can scarcely be called a fair one though, for at the very outset White leads the line by mistake right down a bye-lane that leads nowhere : and the en- trance being at once barred by wondering natives, who followed, curious to find out what the travellers wanted to go down there for, there is no alternative but to scramble ignominiously in single file past a row of pigsties, and so into the main road again. Barring this little mishap, however A FALSE START. 13. (which Brown, by the way, was quite cer- tain would happen, when he saw White lead off), there is nothing to stop the martial progress, or check the advance of the explorers towards the Tyrol. "Was there ever such a glorious sight as these stalwart Britons on their way to do battle with the mountains ? Did the simple folk of Immen- stadt ever witness before so bold and deter- mined an undertaking ? Did they ever see such sturdy pedestrians led by so stalwart a mountaineer? So thinks White, as he strides on valiantly half a pace in ad- vance, and with a swing too that seems untiring. Head thrown proudly back, nos- trils dilated, and lips pursed up, there can be no doubt about his prowess and staying qualities, even if these were not confirmed by an occasional shake or toss of the head very knowing and solemn to behold. He certainly has a jaunty, devil- i 4 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. ■ may-care sort of air about him, lias "White, quite awe-inspiring to see. And as he glances with dignity to each side of the road, his looks seem to say benignantly, " Ye good people of Immenstadt" (apostro- phizing two little girls dabbling in the town fountain), "Ye good people of Immen- stadt, who are bred and born here, you may, of course, see and admire the mountains as much as you will, but it is left to brave and energetic Britons — Tittlebatonians and the like — to scale and put them under their feet. Fear not for us, good people of Immenstadt, we shall come to no harm, although we are going to do wonderful and dangerous things ; even those hazy moun- tains you see in the distance yonder will not confine us ; no, we are going on right past them — on, on, on, until we come to the regions of snow and ice. Good-bye, good people, and God bless you. We have PLEASURES OF PEDESTRIANISM. 15 no objection to your cheering and throwing np your caps, for we really are wonderful fellows ; and, although we don't actually tell you so, still you can see it by our look, and the manner in which we sway about as we march along." Hurrah for the knapsack ! Who so cheery and so light-hearted as the pedes- trian as he steps along a pretty lane between green hedgerows, or climbs a bit of mountain road, and watches the village pictures in the valley below ? who so independent and happy, when needing a quiet rest he throws off his burden, and reclines upon some soft slope, or in the deep shadow of the walnut- trees that border the path ? Who so care- less and free in his actions ? the light weight he carries is surely no burden ; and stories and anecdotes and songs enliven the way, when there are no natural beauties to ad- mire. Who so fresh, so joyous, and so 1 6 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. chatty — especially at the start ? It is sin- gular though, that after a few miles there is scarcely so much talking and singing as. at first ; and the marching, perhaps, is a little less like a pendulum movement. A weak point here, or a slight pain there, develops itself, but you are not tired for all that. Not at all : on you go, mile after mile, rather silent, and puffing and blowing a little, it is true, but footsore and weary I — why, who ever heard of such a thing ? There is nothing to fear and nothing to care for, to speak of, saving — in warm weather, mind you — one particular ailment ; a failing, in fact, which is as prevalent among pedestrians as it is among German students. It is a singular sickness, known under the name of Bier -durst, or beer-fever ; and a word respecting it will not be out of place here. The disease is peculiar to the Fatherland. In no other country do you BEER FEVER. 17 experience it. A burning thirst gradually dries up all the available bodily moisture. This thirst will not be cured with water. It cries out distinctly for beer ! beer ! and one of its worst symptoms is that the patient passes into a state of great irritation if the beer is drawn with too much head. The first mug is swallowed without any effect, and the second is ordered with the injunction to the doctor — that is, the beer maiden — " Liebes Mddchen, nur nicht zu viel Schaum." Should the second dose fail to give instant relief, a third will be found an unfailing remedy, so that the ailment is not after all a very serious one, if only promptly and properly treated. " Nine miles done, and here we are in sight of Hinterlangen ; very good marching, capital !" exclaims Brown. White is no longer half a pace ahead of the line ; he evidently has thought better of 2 18 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. it, and come to the conclusion that it looks bad for any one to be so far in advance of the others, and so, for modesty's sake, he has dropped back ; nay, his absence of pride is such that he prefers to be rather behind than in advance of his comrades. " A most singular feeling," he presently remarks, pulling up short after two or three ineffectual spurts to get up. " A most sin- gular feeling, do you know, under my arm, as if one of the straps were giving way ! I should just like to see if it really is the case." Green, dear good fellow that he is, volun- teers to look. With the greatest alacrity he throws off his own dusty knapsack and stretches his arms leisurely, as a prelimi- nary to the inspection. "A great nuisance, having to pull up," says Brown, but nevertheless he too is a good fellow, and don't object to wait a few mo- ments, lying down meanwhile at full length OBSTREPEROUS STRAPS. 19 011 the cool grass with the best grace pos- sible. A great deal of pulling and stretching and contriving is necessary before White's knapsack is all right again — Green, in order to assist the better, being obliged to lie on his back the while. There is nothing really important the matter, but you see White's shoulders are rather ill-suited to the knap- sack, and somehow — one hardly knows how to express it — it pulls, or pushes, or does something or other which it ought not to do, in a most unaccountable manner. Very singular; not that the weight is in any way cumbersome or tiring, you know, but the straps are not exactly what they should be. White is a splendid walker, and of course not in the least fatigued, and it is so annoying, therefore, that the wretched leather should cut into his shoulders in this absurd fashion. Green's knapsack is 2—2 20 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. in capital order, luckily, not a fault to be found with it, and lie could go on, he inti- mates, for ages without stopping. He never was in better training too than at present, and therefore, he explains, could sustain any amount of fatigue. The idea, indeed, of any one being tired, after a mere nine -mile walk, is naturally quite ridiculous, and all agree, as they stretch themselves out comfortably upon the grass, that they were never fresher or more lively. " I'll tell you what, though/' said Green, getting up into a sitting posture, " and this too is rather singular. My elbow-joint, don't you know, that I hurt last year when rowing ; I just feel the pain again slightly. It is not at all serious, but it is rather strange that the pain should come on just now." This statement, Green volunteers merely SAL UTAR Y PRECA UTIONS. 2 1 as a casual remark, and not of course in any way as a matter bearing upon present cir- cumstances. He bares his elbow and shows it to White, who examines it with a doubtful shake of the head. Presently Brown starts a proposition, which somehow comes quite unexpectedly upon everybody. " It would be well, per- haps, to stop the night at Hinterlangen and go no further till next morning." Nothing was so bad, he argued, as over-exertion at the first start off. Black's experience in the Pyrenees con- firmed this view of affairs, but White and Green rather demurred to the proposal ; they were both so exquisitely fresh, and so eager for a good stiff march, that it would be a serious disappointment not to go any further. However, on second thoughts, it would probably be best, after all, they agreed, provided they started ever so early next 22 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. morning for a right down good walk and no nonsense about it. And so in quite a jovial mood all get briskly on their legs again, and step along the short distance of road that separates them from the village. CHAPTEE II. HINTERLANGEN— A BENEVOLENT PURPOSE — OBERDORF — THE AUSTRIAN FRONTIER— A SPECIFIC AGAINST THE EFFECTS OF BEER — REUTTE— STORIES ABOUT ENGLISHMEN. SPHERE may be finer country elsewhere than that about Hinterlangen, but a more smiling and prosperous district it would be difficult to find. Not only are the cottages and homesteads large and well-built, but there pervades an air of cleanliness and comfort rarely met with in mountain villages. Carefully- tended flower- gardens gladden the eye at every turn, and over the trimly -kept cottages are trained all kinds of creepers and shrubs suggestive of sweet odours and cool shade. Gaily- painted frescoes are seen upon the shining white walls, and clinging around the 24 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. porches are roses and jasmine bines in full blossom. The highly cultivated land pro- claims the presence of well-to-do farmers ; and the numerous inns in the valley seem to tell of their jollity and good living. It was at the sign of the Eagle that the Tittlebatonians established themselves, and very well merited was the patronage bestowed. The last Englishman who had signed the visitors' book had been gone nearly a year ; and judging from his descrip- tion in that volume — he was put down as a " privateer " by some student of the English language — the host was well rid of him. Green hazarded an opinion that this might account for the lack of spoons in the salt-cellars ; but the fallacy of such a conclusion was at once pointed out by Brown, who explained that salt-spoons on the Continent, like top-coats among the Ashantees, are articles not in general use. A BENEVOLENT PURPOSE. 25- Of course so benighted a state of things could not fail to be thoroughly discussed, and White philanthropically suggested that on the return of the party to the centre of civilization, meaning London, measures should be taken to establish a salt-spoon missionary society to lecture upon the pur- poses of this domestic instrument through- out the land. It is true, as a set-off, big egg-cups were invariably used for drinking coffee out of in this part of the world ; but as Green most cogently remarked, it is diffi- cult to see what this has to do with the spoon question. From Hinterlangen the road steeply in- clines through a dark pine forest, and the view back at the pretty pastoral valley is one that will linger long in the traveller's memory. The crucifixes and little white chapels so frequently met with harmonize well with the landscape, and seem, for the 26 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. most part, to have been planted with a great deal of forethought. An eminence which affords a good look-out, a turn in the road when a new scene bursts into view, the top of a steep ascent when one is in need of rest, are the spots chosen for the erection of these emblems of religion. Cru- cifixes, or niches in the rock, containing some religious picture, are the most fre- quent ; but occasionally, at every mile or two there are little wayside chapels, affording room for a dozen or more worshippers ; and these are sometimes fitted-up with much rustic taste. Such a one is passed on the way to Oberdorf, offering the traveller friendly shelter from the weather. And it is with feelings of disgust that one sees the tiny walls covered with the names of brag- gart busybodies (thank goodness, none were English), who, not content with scrawling their dirty autographs over the A COMPREHENSIVE SIGNPOST. 27 altar, had finished up by forcing the poor- box. It is difficult to say why the sign-post at Oberdorf reminds one, all at once, of " Little Billee ;" but probably because the informa- tion it gives is so very general. "To the Tyrol," it says, comprehensively pointing up a bye-lane to a country twice as big as Switzerland. Then which is the way to " North and South Amerikee," and to "Jeru- salem and Madagascar ?" and whereabouts is Japan and Timbuctoo ? one wants to know. If you once begin with generalities, there seems to be no stopping. However, if you have made up your mind to go to the Tyrol, you must take care to follow straight along the turning pointed out; where the other path, that leads over a gate and across a small turnip field, goes to — goodness only knows ! But, by the way, it is scarcely just, fter all, to cjauarrel with the sign-post 28 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. ' for there are very few of them to be found,, and as in the present case it tells all one- wants to know, what more N can be desired ? So on past Oberdorf, and past the last Bava- rian turnpike, differing from other turnpikes in the fact that the keeper can lift up or pull down the bar without getting out of his warm bed — an arrangement deserving the notice of all easy-going toll-keepers. To go all the way to Austria thirty-six times running, within five minutes, is cer- tainly quick travelling, but White, for tho sole benefit of Mrs. White, who was to be acquainted with the fact in the first letter, accomplished the journeys well within that time ; and any well-meaning friend who may inadvertently ask the distinguished traveller on his return whether he has ever been within the Austrian dominions, is to be pitied. If he manages to stem the flood of indignation with which he will be en- PASSING THE CUSTOMS. 29 countered, he will be a sensible man, as much so perhaps as the Austrian customs' officer who wished to examine the knapsacks of the party on the frontier. This worthy •official insisted that all the little packages should be opened one by one, and their contents minutely examined before proceed- ing further ; and simply because his wishes were attended to in every particular, he chose to believe that a joke was being played upon him. Nothing must do but that every packet should be opened and a formal inspection made ; and so it was unanimously decided that the officer should have his own way, although not exactly his own way of having it. As if Britons were going to let him rummage about in their knapsacks just as he pleased! this would never do, so his advances were firmly re- pelled, until the kits were all of them properly ordered for general inspection, and every 30 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. article had been emptied out and systemati- cally arranged upon the grassy slope in military order. There was not very much to look at, it must be confessed, all said and done, and, besides, the linen and wearing apparel exhibited were scarcely of a nature to be proud of. Nevertheless, the service- able old stockings and tumbled night- shirts were folded with due care and precision \ slippers placed properly right and left, and the extra pair of inexpressibles laid at full length to show there was no deception. Soap, razor, and brush were shown, as were also two little fronts and roll of collars. Unfortunately, before the complete arrange- ment of the articles could be effected to the entire satisfaction of the party, the repre- sentative of the Austrian empire got tired of such elaborate preparations, and retired within his stronghold in great dudgeon ; and he could, under no circumstances, be pre- A DEEP SCHEME. 31 vailed upon to come out again to make the in- spection in the proper official manner. The time and trouble incurred in these prelimi- nary measures were therefore thrown away, and after waiting a considerable time upon the railings opposite for the gentleman in uniform, the club formally resolved that it was useless to delay any longer, and so pro- ceeded carefully to repack their property and to continue their journey. The pancakes and salad, which composed the dinner at Nesselwangen, would have been passed over without comment, only a deep-set scheme on the part of Green and White deserves mention, a dodge noteworthy on the score of its ingenuity alone. To prevent too heavy payment being demanded, from the host supposing his guests to be English, the proposition was whispered, "Why not pretend to be Dutch?" and in support of this idea, the gentlemen above 32 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. named conceived the clever notion of singing snatches of "Meynheer Van Dunck" through- out the banquet, to impress the waitress, who had never probably been beyond her native village, with a belief of their Low Land nationality. And here just another word on the subject of beer drinking, for this beverage is so good hereabouts that one may feel tempted to indulge too much therein. "You should never," said the host, in measured terms and with the air of one who spoke from dearly-bought experience, xc you should never drink off a glass of beer after a walk, without taking a little Schnapps first of all." This was a mistake which many people committed, so a medical man had told him, and he had never forgotten the warning. Always take a little drop of some- thing short before drinking beer, or, if yon can't do that — well, cough deliberately three times, and the effect will be just the same. THE GA CH T PASS. 33 And so through the pretty Gacht Pass, with its sombre green slopes and broad meadow land, where the wild blossoms in the fields are so bright and plentiful that at times one is walking almost breast-high in a gay parterre of flowers ; down steep winding terraces that afford charming prospects at every turn, and along mountain paths with frowning black ravines below, so wild and precipitous as to impart a fearful fascination to the giddy and nervous, and then on by smiling white villages, homely and pic- turesque. The valley gradually broadens, and the rapid torrent changes to a brawling river as you come in sight of Eeutte, a little market town at the junction of several valleys. From Eeutte to Lermos, a dozen miles or so, the diligence, or Eilwagen, is taken for the double purpose of affording a rest and accelerating the journey, for Innsbruck and 3 34 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. the Grlockner district still lies many miles in front. Places are booked at the post- office, and the way-bill, or rather receipt, made out with due deliberation and serious- ness by the spectacled postmaster. The big lumbering vehicle only carries three passengers, and as the interior is already occupied by its complement of two, there is but one place left in the coupe beside the conductor. This Brown volunteered to take, while the other three were carefully wedged into a supplementary coach by the guard, who was very solicitous indeed that they should be firmly fixed therein, lest any accident occur from the severe jolting and shaking experienced over the moun- tain roads. The guard enjoyed Brown's company immensely, as also his cigars and the con- tents of his flask. He had no idea that the party behind had any connexion with his A CHATTY GUARD. 35 companion in the coupe, and on one of the frequent halts, during which the carriage in rear had been carefully inspected, he came back laughing so immoderately that Brown demanded to be a sharer of the merriment. But it was only after great difficulty that the cause of it could be made clear, and the guard literally choked with laughter as he endeavoured to explain, in short gasps, what it was all about. " They are a comical folk truly, those English — ein komiscJics Volk, wa&rhaftiff, ein komisches Vbl/c — they tell me they are on a pleasure excursion, and they spend all day in trudging up and down the mountains." Brown agreed that it was a funny thing certainly, but then an Englishman's eccen- tricity was proverbial. " I'll tell you such a good story," said the guard, when with his eyes full of tears he had coughed himself quiet into a corner of 3—2. 36 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. the coupe. "An Englishman came down here last year, komischer Kerl he was truly, and wanted to go fishing in the lake at Hesterang. So away he went to the fish- master who rents the water about here, and asked how much must be paid for permis- sion. Well," continued the guard, his voice commencing to shake again with an- other fit of laughter that was coming on ; " well, the fish-master, of course, thinking the Englishman was only joking, told him that for a florin a day he might do as he liked. Would you believe it; every day, for more than a month actually, the English- man worked hard from morn till night catching fish, and, as I live" — here the guard fairly broke out again — "as I live, instead of keeping the fish that he caught for himself, he used to come regularly and give them up ; so the end of it was, that the fish-master lay in bed the whole day, BRITISH ECCENTRICITY. while the Englishman not only went out fishing for him, but actually paid a lot of florins for being allowed to do the work. Ah ! they are komisches Volk truly, those Englishmen." Brown laughed as much over the joke as ever his informant did, and this so encou- raged the guard that he launched forth into another story, which he prefaced, however, with the remark, that he could not actually vouch for its accuracy, as he only knew of it by hearsay. The story was something as follows : — An Englishman, it appears, went to an hotel in Innsbruck. It is well to note, by the way, that most comic stories told by the natives of Switzerland and its neighbourhood begin with the words "an Englishman/' and this of itself is so invariably considered the sure sign of a good story that listeners at once make ready to hear something .38 ' TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. funny. An, Englishman went to an hotel in Innsbruck, and on leaving was presented with a bill amounting to thirty-six kreuzers (nothing is said about the florins), and this he refused to pay on the ground that it was excessive. " But you must pay it," said the host; "the train for Munich starts in half an hour, and your luggage shan't leave my house." "Don't care, alles nichts, alles nichts /" said the Englishman, in a temper, sweep- ing his arm from right to left in good bold Briton style ; "I wont pay thirty-six kreuzers; I'll go to the magistrate." " The train will leave without you, if you do," said the host. "Don't care — alles nichts!" replied the Englishman, repeating the sweeping action ; "alles nichts, I wont pay the thirty-six kreuzers." And away he went to the ma- gistrate, who decided in the Briton's favour, BRITISH OBSTINACY. 39 and decreed that twenty-four kreuzers was a sufficient sum to pay. " Ah ! but you have lost your train/' said the host, as he received the reduced amount with a grin. " Alles nichts" said the determined man, more determined than ever ; " send my luggage to the railway." But when he got to the station he was informed that there was no train till the morning. " Don't care, alles niclds /" still pursued the obstinate Briton ; " put on a special train directly, here's gold, here's money enough," and with that he took out a handful of Napoleons, and threw them upon the counter. The guard would no doubt have con- tinued the recital of stories still more won- derful, in illustration of the well-known obstinacy and wealth of Britons, had not one of the party behind walked up — the 40 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. vehicles were going slowly up hill — and, conversing with Brown, unfortunately put an end to the fun ; for the guard had little to say until they arrived at Lermos, when, on parting, he gave Brown his address, in case the latter, or any of his dear friends in England, might desire to purchase a tame chamois which the guard had for sale, and which he was willing to part with for a mere song — say a few Napoleons. CHAPTEE III. LERMOS — POLITE SOCIETY — PEIM1TIYE LODGINGS — THE MA- RIENBUEG A CLUB MEETING — AN ACCIDENT — RULES OP PEDESTRIANISM — POSTING INNSBRUCK. "OUT if the guard departed, lie left behind him at the inn, where the Eilwagen stopped, one of the occupants of the in- terior, a Prussian lady of mature age, who was good enough to be very kind and gracious, because, so it afterwards turned out, she had mistaken Anglo-Saxon for French; believing the party to be some of her fallen foes to whom it was but generous to show clemency and forgiveness. The seductive and engaging nature of this lady's conver- sation, directed from the head of the table whence she superintended theTittlebatonians with winning politeness, was as unceasing 42 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. as it was rapid, the most charming super- latives being thrown off in quick succession. The iDimdersclion and reizend scenery of the Tyrol was only equalled by the allerliehsl character of the inhabitants, to say nothing of the prachtrolles weather just then. • The Tyrol could not, of course, be compared to Switzerland for some things, for there was no Giessbach, no Lake of Geneva, and no Jungfrau ; the Black Forest was not, of course, in Switzerland, but that was also most charming, as likewise the Danube, and the Elbe above Dresden; they called it Saxon Switzerland, but she, for L her part,, much preferred the district around Thuringia, although, it was true, they spoke such out- rageous German about there that one always longed to get back to Hanover and Ham- burg, where, by the way, the Prussian garrison was making itself very agree- able, it was said, and several really nice POLITE SOCIETY. 43 matches had already been made between the young military noblemen and the best Hamburg families ; and it was whispered too that some of the young lieutenants there were more closely connected with the Imperial Family at Berlin than one chose to say, &c. &c. During a pause in the conversation, Brown came back again to more practical matters, and discussing travelling in the Tyrol, complained of the difficulty there was occasionally of getting meat for dinner at the little roadside inns. " Oh, it is really too fiircJderlich" said the lady with a shudder, unwinding another skein of conversation ; "it is really too fearful. I am travelling for the very purpose of re-establishing my health, and the food sometimes set before you. it is impossible to eat. When the Eilwagen stopped for dinner to-day there was a sort of sweet 44 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. syrupy mixture for soup that I could not to ucli, then some fat veal fried in I don't know what, a dish one could scarcely look at; then a MeJdspeise, or pancake of some kind, which the waitress regarded as something quite superior, but which I could not eat a mouthful of, while the conductor sat near me all the time at the same table and devoured everything with the greatest avidity. As I told the waitress, really they should leave off having such messes and substitute some nice wholesome food, or some of the dishes one gets at railway stations, or the German beer gardens, or at the restaurants in Hanover and Hamburg," where every- thing, the fair traveller averred, was vorne/wi, elegant, and delicat. Supper was got through in a very short time that night, on account of the early retirement of Brown and Black, who were taken off by their friends in a state of giddy PRIMITIVE LODGINGS. 45 excitement. While, on the one hand, these two gallants had been endeavouring to withstand the German fire and pay some attention to the speaker, they had, at the same time been badgered all through by Green, who, not being sufficiently acquainted with the Saxon tongue, importuned the two linguists to translate some ardent love passages made up by White and himself for the benefit of the German Fair. The good people at the Post inn in Ler- mos have primitive ideas as to the entertain- ment of travellers. Like the guards on most Continental railways, who seem to have a pride in crowding their carriages, and for this reason completely fill some of the compartments, while others are locked up and kept empty, so the host or hostess here managed the sleeping accommodation. When bedtime came, and the party was ushered upstairs, the waitress, leading the 46 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. way, opened a door, and finding two beds therein, out of four, disengaged, at once detached two of the travellers to occupy them, while the remaining two were put into a treble-bedded room, having as yet but one occupant. All this was done in a straightforward, business-like manner, and as there seemed to be no appeal, it only re- mained for the pedestrians to take matters as they found them. A pedestrian has the choice of two ways in going to Miemingen on the road to Inns- bruck, one by the post road, a most beautiful route, and one by the Marienburg, which goes over a pass some five thousand feet high, and leads direct into the village of Obersteig. Naturally enough, with such mountaineers as White and Green, the road was not to be thought of for a moment, but the way over the Marienburg chosen by reason of its greater difficulty. Were the THE FIRST CLIMB. 47 hardy climbers, at the first opportunity, to show the white feather, and forego the glory of shouting "Excelsior?" Perish the thought ! awa}^ up the giddy height, to conquer or to die. It was somewhat in this mood that they turned out of the high-road up a steep ascent clothed in pines, clambering the stony path with a freshness and vigour that lasted for fully ten minutes. In fact, the whole two hours' ascent would have been performed in the same spirit throughout had not that treacherous knapsack of White's again got out of order; the tire- some straps became tightened from some unaccountable cause every five minutes, and the only way of pressing them back into shape was for the wearer to lean the pack firmly against a tree every now and then, and to wait patiently until the contrivance left off hurting. It is needless to say that 43 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. under such trying circumstances the others, to a man, sympathized sincerely with poor White, and were indeed so cut up about the dear fellow, that they could never look on at his suffering except in a sitting posture. And in this way they waited, without an impatient word on their lips, until the victim felt disposed to proceed, although Brown, it must be admitted, grumbled a little at the " demoralizing" effect of such delays ; and Black bore witness that such things never occurred when he was in the Pyrenees. Green took the matter in very good part, and was even so kind as to propose taking a rest, if White thought such a proceeding would relieve him at all. But to this the suffering athlete, as he leaned against a big pine trunk quietly smoking " half a pipe," would not for a moment consent to ; for, as he said very truly, to make a creditable affair of it, they ought to proceed as they were doing, ON THE HEIGHTS. 49 and march straight away to the summit without resting at all. And the feat was performed, too, under the regulation time, deducting, of course, the hour and a half taken up by White's refractory straps. The village of Lermos, in the valley below, might have been co- vered with a wide-awake, so small did it appear, and the little lake by the side of the road was a tiny bit of looking-glass, let into a cavity among the black fir-trees. Hill tops seemed to spring up from everywhere, and there was not a flat stretch of ground to be seen on any side. Eed Alpine roses and blue-eyed forget-me-nots decked the grassy mountain-sides, and formed a pretty fore- ground to the rugged peaks beyond. This being the first grand ascent, a club meeting was at once called to celebrate the event, and to hear a proposition from the valiant White. " We must constitute our- 4 50 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. selves a reporting staff, and write a book of travels for our friends," he suggested. The idea was received with tremendous acclama- tion, and carried nem. con. But a knotty argument cropped up as to the nature of this report. What should be its character ? what kind of report was it to be? what would the friends like best ? was the book to be a grand account of the whole journey, or merely a skeleton outline of the tour ? was it to be a work of first-class order, or only of mediocre quality ; or, as Green somewhat vulgarly put it, was the thing to be "duffin or good?" Green was of the idea that it would turn out "dufnn" after all, but this notion was scouted at once, and bv a majority it was declared that the ac- count of the tour should be a decidedly clever production. Under these circum- stances, of course, it is merely necessary to warn the reader to look out for good things,, A CLUB MEETING. 51 for the resolution, having once been passed, it cannot now be rescinded. And here, to enliven the next page, there shall be given, by way of example, one of Green's jokes — the name is mentioned on "cocksuredom" principles — to convey some idea of what may be anticipated hereafter. It was at first decided that the funny part should be left out altogether, because, as it was explained to Green, other portions of the book will read, dull in consequence. As, however, Green makes it a point of honour that it be inserted, the witticism is here set down; only the reader must be pleased to remember that if he indulges in a hearty good laugh over it, and has, so to speak, a large share of merriment on account, he must not mind a paragraph or two being a little insipid here- after. But here it is, without more ado : — ■ Along the road marched the Tittlebato- nians on their way to Eeutte. They were 4-2 52 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. pressed for time, so they walked on apace with firm and steady tread. Green's erratic legs, however, despite their owner's constant exertions, never could manage to keep the step, and although constantly taken to task by the others, the gallant gentleman was con- tinually out of beat. Now to explain the joke about to follow, it is necessary to go into the matter somewhat circumstantially, and remind the reader that the German, or rather French, for road is chaussee (this must be borne well in mind, as the point of the witticism hangs upon it). The party then were marching along the chaussee in their accustomed light-hearted manner, singing and chatting as humour moved them. They were getting perhaps a little tired, for the walk was a heavy one, and the pace along the chaussee (don't forget chaussee, please, or the fun of the thing will be lost) was a little less regular than usual. VERY FUNNY." 53 Said Brown to Greeri presently, "Why don't you keep step ?" Said White, " I really wish to goodness you would try to march properly." Said Black, "Why don't you chassez (be good enough to mark the word), " Why don't you chassez, and get on to the other foot?" Then Green, after a few minutes' pause (please to bear in mind the two words, for the whole of the witticism depends upon them) thus replied, "It seems to me that I'm always on the chassez {cliaussee) /" * * # * The mountain air was so fresh, and there was so much of it too, that the halt at the top was only a short one, and a retreat down hill began without delay. Away go the hardy mountaineers helter-skelter down the incline, and bump, bump go their knap- sacks, so that it is a difficult matter to pull 54 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. up suddenly. The straps, singularly enough, do not hurt going down hill, so the descent goes on swiftly over the soft springy turf. Down a steep ravine, and past a clump of trees, and towards a drinking - trough, which Green and White reach after a dead heat. " A nice place for a rest," says Green ; " and here's treasure-trove." And Green waves over his head a blackened frying-pan of the latest town make. "Halves! I book halves !" calls out White. Green, elated at his discovery, hands the frying-pan to White, and both examine it with delight, for who would have thought of finding an article of this kind so far re- moved from the world and from civilization? Then White waves it over his head exult- ingly, to show the others what luck is in store for them. A LUCKY FIND.. 55 And then, for the first time, the fortunate couple perceive behind them a low wooden hut, at the door of which are standing two sturdy shepherds contemplating the scene with a serious air. White quietly hands hack the frying-pan to Green, as a disin- terested clown gives back his half of the stolen goods to the pantaloon when a police- man appears on the scene, and Green, on his part, drops it as if it were a red-hot poker ; and the two> having lost all interest in the matter, and having meanwhile no- thing particular to do, fall to and admire the scenery with extraordinary perseverance. However, the herdsmen proved to have been as much startled as the gallant tourists were at the little rencontre, and friendship was soon established between the parties. Large tubs of milk were, brought to refresh the thirsty travellers, and the stalwart natives having been pro- 56 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. vided with cigars and brandy in return, a happy party was soon made over a log fire in the cabin. Not very communica- tive, however, were the hosts, requiring evidently a long time to recover their astonishment. To Brown's remark that he supposed the pass was not much frequented, the answer was that, on the contrary, lots of people came over the mountains — indeed, some one passed nearly every day. And as to its being dull and lonely up there, why, besides those two, there was a boy in the company, just then gone to milk the cows ; so that really there could be no complaint on the score of isolation. It was an exceed- ingly jolly life, indeed, from all accounts, because when work was done and you didn't care about smoking or talking, you could always go to bed, no matter what the time of day, and it was difficult to see what more was wanted; there was heaps of firewood AN ACCIDENT. 57 and lots of food, and so from June to Michaelmas — the period of their sojourn up there — the time passed merrily enough. A dead halt was imminent at Obersteig, for although there were but three miles more to Miemingen, Green and his um- brella came down so heavily in jumping the last brook, that he was put altogether hors de combat with a bruised knee, while severe internal injury to the ribs at the same time befel the umbrella. As no conveyance or horse could be obtained to the next village, the chances of getting on that afternoon seemed very small ; as luck would have it, however, while deliberating by the way- side, there came up a waggon going to Innsbruck, and a little cart or Rumpel- karrn attached behind being empty, the driver was easily persuaded to allow the wounded pedestrians to be deposited therein. This was quite an unexpected stroke of 58 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. fortune, and changed the aspect of affairs in a very favourable manner, for now it would be possible to reach Innsbruck * the same night, and get on to the Ziller Valley with- out delay. So forward started the proces- sion, the driver in advance of the horses and waggon ; then the cart with Green resting under his umbrella, like a contented Indian nabob, and in rear the line of hardy moun- taineers. There is a great difference between jour- neying scientifically and simply walking along au naturel. In the latter case you do exactly what you like; while, in the other, this is precisely what you don't do. Don't let any unsophisticated youth ima- gine that he can join a party of thorough- going pedestrians without suffering no end of hardships; for the endurance of these, he should understand, is just the gist of the whole matter ; for even if difficulties SCIENTIFIC PEDESTRIANISM. 59 do not exist at the outset, they are speedily created by the more strong-minded of the party. Poor White, for example, simple- hearted fellow that he was, fondly believed, when he started, that he need do nothing but follow his own sweet will on all occa- sions ; that he would rest when tired, drink when thirsty, throw off his burden when oppressed, resort to his flask when faint, and journey on just as fast, or as slow, as pleased him. The dear fellow did not know Brown; he was not aware that that strict Spartan would not only presume to dictate measures, but would see that they were strictly obeyed. Very early in the journey poor White was relieved of his brandy flask, which, without more ado, was en- trusted to Black, who, from his Pyrenean experiences, was supposed to be imbued with more strength of mind, and could be entrusted with unmeasured cordials ; while 60 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. the second bottle was carried by Brown him- self. This was merely preliminary to other decrees ; thus it was declared law that — - (1.) The first five miles should be per- formed every morning without a pause being made, whether boot-laces came un- done, or straps proved obstreperous. (2 .) It was enjoined that during the march no one, on pain of being exposed to loud and general execration, was on any account to imbibe water from any mountain stream, whether under the pretence of moistening the lips, taking a nasty taste out of the mouth, feeling if the water was really cold, or trying if it was of the same kind as that met with a short time previously ; excepting always when a general halt was made for repose or refreshment. (3.) No one, on any excuse whatever, was to receive a drop of brandy from the flask except in the case of urgent necessity ; and RULES AND REGULATIONS. 61 to prevent abuse, the nastiest and most unsavoury spirit, or Schnapps, obtainable, was always to be carried. (4.) Finally, whenever a rest was pro- claimed in the middle of the day, its dura- tion was to be timed. Perhaps Brown was not very far wrong when he dictated these rules ; for, if framed for no other purpose than to disobey, to do this surreptitiously was exquisite enjoy- ment. And probably no one was happier in evading the law, now and then, when unobserved, than the great leader himself, whose long, lean figure, could sometimes be seen stooping down in the distance, to ascertain what it was that made a fountain sparkle so in the sunshine. To discover and carefully examine — in the cause of science, of course- — some natural curiosity by the roadside, or to pick a botanical spe- cimen, which required no end of circum- 62 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. spect handling, often caused the lawgiver to pause awhile during the forbidden por- tion of the journey ; but who could possibly cavil at an infraction of a rule under such plausible and exceptional circumstances? From Miemingen to Innsbruck the way is pursued en grand seigneur, by extra post, with a pair of horses and postilion in bril- liant uniform. There is a train, so Brown says, from Innsbruck to the Ziller Valley at eight o'clock, and if this were caught a whole day would be gained. "How long do you allow for doing the stage to Telfs ?" asks Brown, of the postilion. " An hour and a quarter," is the reply. Three silver coins, amounting in all to upwards of fivepence, are hereupon thrust into the postilion's hand mysteriously, with a request not to take longer than the spe- cified time if he loves his passengers. Now the tipping of a postboy with a GRAND DOINGS. 63 guinea is of very common occurrence in English story-books, and the effect pro- duced is said to be of a very pronounced character ; but it is doubtful whether the response made in this instance to largess bestowed was ever exceeded in energy. The shuffling steeds were actually made to gal- lop in really quick time, although this end was only attained by frightening the ani- mals out of their wits, shouting, halloaing, and horn-blowing, the postilion not being content until the horses had regularly settled down into a wild running-away sort of pace. The steeds doing all they were able, the driver then did what he could upon the horn, and very cleverly indeed did he handle the simple instrument. The performance consisted in playing short pas- sages in a loud key, which were imme- diately re-echoed in a softer one, an octave higher ; the two strains of music while run- 64 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. ning one into the other appearing to come from different instruments. A charming echo-effect was produced, quite startling in its effect, and it was very puzzling at first to know how the thing was managed. An examination of the horn, however, showed that in one of the coils, for it was a kind of French horn, there was a small hole, and the explanation was, that the player kept moving his finger on and off this aperture, blowing, at the same time, loud or soft, as the case might be, and thus pro- ducing the near and distant tones. At Telfs horses and postilions were changed. "Shall we renew our extravagance?" asked Brown. " Wont it be rather expensive work, if we go on like this ?" said Black, timidly. " You know in the Pyrenees we never did this sort of thing." "POST HASTE? 65 "Well, never mind if it is," put in White, with the air of a millionaire, full of excitement and careless of the consequences. "No, never mind, let us get on, hurrah!" cried Green. " This is the best fun we've had yet. Make him get on — tempt him with riches, bribe him with gold, so that he gets us there in time. Bestow unbounded largess, I say, and dash the consequences." So "the result was that another fivepence was bestowed in this case also, with an effect much the same as before. Four post- boys one after another were bribed in this way, and on went the party, like true Englishmen abroad, rattling through the quiet villages; past Zirl, where a stirrup- cup of capital white wine was swallowed and a further supply of stirrup-cups taken into the carriage; past the Calvary moun- tain, with its church and fourteen chapels-; past the Martinswand of legendary fame, a 5 66 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. sheer precipice some thousands of feet high overhanging the road ; and into Innshriick in capital style, rattling through the unevenly paved streets and into the station at a glorious trot, with fully half an hour to spare — that is to say, there would have been half an hour to spare had everything coincided with Brown's ideas. It was true enough so it turned out that there was a train at eight o'clock, only it went in the morning instead of in the evening. That's alL — nothing more than that. So there re- mained under the circumstances simply to congratulate Brown, and this was done without delay. " What's the good of rattling up in this insane manner, I should like to know ?" said Green, who had quieted down all of a sudden. "Just as I said," remarked White, incisively ; "I knew from the first we shouldn't get the train ; I was sure of it." INNSBRUCK. 67 " Makes us look such fools ; and all the money to the postilions thrown away," said Black. "Yes, eighteenpence gone at one fell swoop, out of the common purse," continued Green. Innsbruck is the capital of the Tyrol. As you admire its beautiful position, with the lofty mountain walls on either side almost overshadowing the wide streets, it is a true city of the mountains. The town lies on the banks of the Sill, at an elevation of 1884 feet above the sea, and in a situation of beauty such as few cities in Europe can boast of. It is placed . . . . .* * This description occupies four sides of one of White's letters to his wife, and was afterwards contributed by that gentleman for these pages. The document has since been found to be from first to last a crib from Murray. 5—2 CHAPTEE IV. TITLED PERSONAGES — A RAILWAY PICNIC — TYROLESE INNS — ZELL IM ZILLER — ZITHER PLAYING — " AMONG THE TYROL MOUNTAINS." TF the French nation have a reputation for politeness, the great Yaterland is second to none in obsequiousness. People may complain that the Germans are somewhat harsh and abrupt in their language; that they have no equivalent for the word <; sir," or " monsieur," and that they cannot round-off brief replies or queries, or what is still more unpleasant cannot soften the monosyllables " no" and " yes ;" for while a Frenchman would protest "Mais, monsieur," or an Englishman might remark " Much obliged, sir," the German is powerless to employ Herr or Mein Herr in this way. But TITLED PERSONAGES. 69 if apparently a little uncouth in this matter, how very much more grandiose is your Saxon when circumstantially addressing any great or little personage. It is not only your counts and barons, and military men and savants, who come in for titles and are alluded to sonorously as der Herr Baron von Koeldwethout, or der Herr Major von Blitzenstern, or der Herr Professor Doctor Krebs, but burghers, tradesmen, and servitors, have also their full share of the honours. Smith, the butcher, is termed Herr Metzgermeister Schmidt, while a deputy tax collector is styled Herr Untersteuerein- nehmer, and as a matter of course the ladies take up the titles, this official's wife rejoices in the name of Frau (Inter steuereinnehmerin. So the guard of the train — and hence, by the way, this digression — is der HerrOberschaffner (Mr. Upperguard), and to him it is not unpleasant either to be called by his full 70 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. title ; indeed, if you want anything at any time from the inspectors and porters, it is a good method to adopt White's plan of calling everybody Herr Oherschaffner. If you thus acknowledge their superiority and exalted standing, they are as a rule quite affable, and will unbend so far as to accept a cigar or glass of beer when proffered them. Only it is well to remember not to address the title indiscriminately to any official on the platform, as he may be a still bigger personage and take the salute as anything but a compliment. The same rule holds good in hotels. Here the head waiter is not unfrequently termed der Herr O'berkellner by native guests, and this digni- tary again, albeit a personage of tremendous distinction, and requiring due respect from all common Kellners, acknowledges with cheerfulness the superiority of the landlord or Herr Patron. Not that these grand THE HERR OBERKELLNER, 71 titles always secure immunity, for one poor little half-fledged waiter was remarked in a big house at Basle who could never disport himself under the portals of the hotel near the market-place, without being- disrespect- fully alluded to by the boys of the place as der Herr Oberkellner von der untern-Stabe (the head waiter downstairs). Whether the wives of the Herrn Oberhellners and Herrn Oberschaffners take up their husbands' title is a moot point, but one thing is very certain, that too much stress cannot be laid upon the fact of a man being Ober or TJnter (upper or under), for so long as they hear their full titles unctuously pronounced, the good people seem to care very little what they are called, if only it is by a good sonorous title. It would be scarcely fair for Englishmen to find fault with the railway restaurants in Germany, seeing that they are much in ad- 72 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. vance of such, institutions in this country . But we might all take a lesson from the Trench in this respect, for the way of purveying breakfasts and dinners, for in- stance, at Yesoul, on the line from Paris, cannot be too highly extolled. Prosperity to this great innovation, and long life to its founder. How comes it that it has not been imitated, after being in existence so long? Surely there is no lack of pa- tronage on the part of travellers, who thus secure one comfortable meal, at any rate, between Paris and Basle, with plenty of time to eat it in. Three dishes, with des- sert and wine, for half-a-crown, is reasonable enough, in all conscience ; and the way it is served up is simply perfect. The guard of the train officiates as head- waiter, and takes orders an hour before reaching Vesoul ; he telegraphs instructions, and the meals are found hot and ready for the traveller on his VESOUL DINNERS. 73 arrival, each dinner being packed in a long cylindrical basket, which makes a capital table in the carriage. The wicker cylinder opens like a rabbit-hutch, and discloses to view tier upon tier of tempting dishes, which are discussed by the traveller one after the other as the train speeds on its journey, the empty baskets being subse- quently deposited at some convenient station for return to Vesoul. The mere circum- stance of having some active employment in a railway carriage is pleasant enough ; but when the employment consists in lei- surely eating a good dinner in novel pic-nic fashion, the time passes very delightfully indeed. What is a dinner at Greenwich or at Eichmond compared to this ? How can the views, glorious as they are, com- pare to the panoramas that here move past in rapid succession? At Eichmond, it is true, masses of clustering foliage refresh 74 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. the eye on every side, sweeping down to a silver river, with the tiniest of boats moving upon its glittering surface ; while at Green- wich, again, there are the big Indiamen moving into dock, huge screw-colliers and paddle-steamers for ever going up and down the stream, and loud- puffing steam-launches darting in and out between the sailing craft. But here, in this cosy little dining-room, the scenery is for ever changing, and the eye is quite as much charmed as the palate ; for, as you lazily munch a savoury pate, or sip a glass of cool claret, there pass before you in succession, ever changing peeps of some of the prettiest country that lies around beautiful Alsace. Some little practice, however, is neces- sary in eating your dinner in this fashion. Perhaps the best plan to pursue is that of holding the basket firmly between the knees; for besides keeping the table steady, it pre- FEASTING AND FORAGING. 75 vents the occurrence of any accident which might arise from your companion mistaking your basket for his own when passing under some of the tunnels or bridges ; drinking from the wrong wine-bottle by reason of the excessive vibration of the train, or abstracting the liver- wing of a fowl through absence of mind, are also possible contingen- cies in a merry table d'h6te of this sort. Of course it is understood that such little foraging experiments are made in quite a friendly spirit ; but, at the same time, if you are hungry it is just as well to repel the kindly advances with a little firmness ; and the mere expression of an irresistible inclination to insert a small fork into the forager's waistcoat is usually sufficient to persuade him to relinquish his funny in- tentions. ****** From Innsbruck to Jenbach, at the en- 76 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. trance of the Ziller Thai, is but an hour's journey by rail, and thence to Zell, at the head of the valley, is an easy day's walk. A quaint old monastery, enclosing a big grass- grown quadrangle, stands at the outlet of the valley and constitutes an important land- mark, while the slender village steeples, with their green spires rising here and there above the grey cottage roofs and clumps of trees, are pretty characteristics of the scene. The features of the valley are soft and pastoral, rather than grand and wild, and afford therefore a pleasing contrast to much of the Tyrolese scenery. The wooden architecture of the cottages is wrought in a most elaborate style, and the balconies, under the over-hanging roofs, are often masterpieces of wood-carving. Crowning each farmhouse is a quaint belfry, some- times fashioned in a most ornamental style, and enhancing the general appearance of TYROLESE INNS. 77 the structure. The genuine sugarloaf hat and knee-breeches of the Tyrolese, and the broad leather belts embroidered all over most elaborately are seen here among the peasantry, the men, instead of the women, seeming to possess all the finery. It would be difficult to find a more ro- mantic situation than that presented by Zell im Ziller, or a more comfortable hostelry for a few days' sojourn than the Post inn. The Tyrol, it must be confessed, does not contain many first-class hotels, but what is far more to the purpose, there are capital houses of entertainment of an unpretentious nature. Thus at Zell in the Ziller valley, at Zell am See, at Fuschbad or St. Wolf- gang, at Windisch Matrei, and at Nieder- bronn, one need not fear for comfortable quarters where the host takes a personal interest in his guests in good old-fashioned style. From the Post inn, there is a won- '78 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. derful picture of the village across the rapidly- flowing Zill; and from the balcony, made pleasant sometimes by strains from the gui- tar and zither, there are seen the snow-peaks of the Gross Venediger group, which adjoin the (Hockner and bar the head of the Ziller valley. To say that you may spend time pleasantly at the Post is to say very little; after dinner, or rather supper, the guests' room is considered common territory, and the grandees of the village help the host — beg pardon, der Herr Postmeister — and his family to make up a convivial party and spend a jolly evening. Then comes the time for showing off one's vocal and instru- mental accomplishments. The busy little waitress, who has been running about all day, having attended to your bodily comforts, proceeds to do something for your amuse- ZITHER PLA Y1NG. 79 ment. And very nicely and modestly does Julie sing the Tyrolese ballads, accompany- ing herself with rare skill, sometimes upon the zither and sometimes upon the guitar, for she is mistress of both instruments. And then the kindly landlady—that is, die Frau Postmeisterin — joins in a duet, sung with taste and feeling enough to satisfy the most critical drawing-room audience. Both vocalists have indeed excellent voices, and they sing moreover with much expression. The jodeling is exceedingly clever, and the way in which the voice is thrown up into the falsetto, which is the peculiar feature of Tyrolese singing, and brought down again into the natural register, is quite artistic. The performers had not learned from notes, neither could they read music. The songs are mostly handed down one to 8o TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. another viva voce, children learning them from infancy. In marching along the valley in the morning, hard by a wayside cottage were four little children sitting in a waggon by the road, singing away with all their might. Upon seeing strangers they sud- denly stopped, and it required much en- couragement before they would go on again. "Singt, singt doch, wenn ihr singt, so be- kommt ihr Kreuzer," was Brown's exhorta- tion, and at last, by dint of a good deal of ur- ging on the part of Green, who used his alpen- stock as a baton and imitated a jodel as far as he could manage it, the little quartette was prevailed upon to go on. They sang like thrushes, with an extraordinary amount of energy ; their tiny voices, having no break, would only give an incipient jodel, but the performance was most spirited and satisfac- tory. And so they were all made happy, and their mother into the bargain, with a "AMONG THE TYROL MOUNTAINS:' 81 Kreuzer apiece (about a penny altogether), and sent home rejoicing. But to return to the Post inn. One pretty air that was sung, "Die Berge von Tirol" — DIE BERGE VON TIROL. Voice. Piano- FOBTE. iHte: YEy- :p=p: & Schaut der Jii - ger in das Thai, sieht der Senn' - rinn treibt die Kuh-Ian aus sucht dem Koramt der Ja - ger im voll'n Lauf drucktdem *-? » p c i r r f g^ Son - ne gold'-nen Strahl denkt er an die Sen - ne Ja - ger an schon Strauss, steigt glei auf die Al - ma Diandl a Bus - serl auf sagt schon's Diandl sei so l^ipiaip^i a^ ■&=*=*. ^PFTiTTTli 82 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. ritard. « T¥^ y- 1 - rinn singt mit fro - hem Herz und Sinn denkt er rauf sucht den Ja - gers - bua glei auf steigt glei gut steck den Strauss mir auf'n Hut sagt schon's BE £"3- v=t 3--l==l: _1 — ml. m- :*£=£ fe a |c=ps -P- +3 h an _ die Senne - rinn singt mit fro - hem Herz und auf die Alma nauf sucht den Ja - gers bua glei Diandl sei so gut, steck den Strauss mir aufn i=ES HB r «!• * fe t=r ££*•=* *=*=* 3^^* > X V— ■ — y^-* Sinn Diandl wie auf piandl wie Hut Diandl wie ist mir so wohl ist mir so wohl ist mir so wohl Auf den Auf den Auf den -m- -•--•- • • • 11 AMONG THE TYROL MOUNTAINS." 83 -/-•- ip=~= Ber - gen in Ti - rol Ber - gen in Ti - rol Ber - gen in Ti - rol Diandl Diandl Diandl wie ist mir so wie ist rr.ir so wie ist mir so -4- -•--•- -•- -#- -•- -•- -•- -•- aE2: w %i 1 r t-f^ U z*^ wohl wohl wohl auf den Ber - gen in Ti - rol tra la la auf den Ber - gen in Ti - rol tra la la auf den Ber - gen in Ti - rol tra la la m*Fmtfm m I =ai=f -FH 5 - ^E^^|^E=^=^E=^Egg di dri a o di dri a o di dri a o f~r Rr T r ~B -J^nr * ^ ^~i 5 r 6—2 8 4 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. fe \ :pzg # — p: *?_t I 1 !_ . Bi ri i ro i tra la la Ii li ti tri a ro i ri ri i ro i tra la la li li ti tri a ro i ri ri i ro i tra la la li li ti tri a ro i ri m^^mBM^m^ m QE :*=£ tri a ro i tri la tri a ro i tri la tri a ro i tri la £EfEEEEE £z£ 1^* Bi=3 &=* 3t£z£ -=r ~r was evidently a great favourite, for the audience listened with wrapt attention, and encored it more than once during the even- ing. One song succeeded another, so that the performance became quite a concert. WINE AND SONG. 85 And meanwhile some capital Voslauer, both white and red, afforded a solace to thirsty souls, and accompanied the zither-playing exceedingly well. Not, be it understood, that all Tyrolese ballads are sentimental and lachrymose, like most mountain ditties • on the contrary, there are some of a very humorous turn, while others again are com- posed apparently for the only purpose of frightening people out of their wits. But whatever the nature of the song, the Voslauer forms a right suitable accom- paniment. After the singing and playing, hunting stories came next in importance, and these were told with much circumstance and de- scription, for the Zillerthaler, he would have you know, is a great sportsman. The roebuck and the chamois are the principal game, and, as in England, poaching seems 86 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. to be carried on with a good deal of success, keeping up a real excitement among the gamekeepers. One would hardly think that it would pay a hunter to go an arduous mountain excursion for two or three days, over crags, rocks, and glaciers, to hunt stealthily for chamois ; but so it is, and the traps and snares laid for these wily crea- tures are said to be most successful in their purpose. Some of the snares are so con- structed as to put up a signal when a chamois is taken, and the poacher has simply to look out every morning to see whether his trap has acted, while other con- trivances again are so fashioned as to catch the animal alive without harming him in any way. These latter are generally laid between walls of rock well known to be the constant thoroughfare of the chamois, or through which a herd runs when discovered HUNTING STORIES. 87 and driven. But it is, of course, only the skilful huntsman and practised mountaineer who have a chance of taking chamois in this way, and, as might be expected, the occupa- tion of the poacher is a most risky and dangerous one. CHAPTER V. THE CAELSSTEG — SKITTLE PLAYING — ADIEU TO ZELL — A CALVARY MOUNTAIN — A VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER — A SENNER-HUTTE — THE KRIMML FALLS — NICE LODGERS — MITTERSILL — IN MEMORIAM. TT is a two hours' walk to the Carlssteg, a rough covered bridge (the third from Mayerhof), thrown across the foaming Zembach as it rushes through a rocky mountain gorge. The scenery has been compared to that of the Yia Mala ; but this will hardly convey a good idea of its character. True, there are precipitous mountain walls on either side, and a foam- ing white torrent, as in the famous pass of the Vorder Ehein Valley; but here the luxuriant vegetation, and the tremendous masses of detached rock through which the path leads, are the most remarkable features A MOUNTAIN GORGE. 89 of the route. There is no road up the valley, but only a narrow tortuous foot- track, which winds in and out among gi- gantic boulders, now passing under threaten- ing masses of overhanging rock shaped like monster grottoes, and now leading through shady recesses, the most beautiful fern gardens that can be imagined. The sheer precipices on either side constitute the upper part of the valley a magnificent defile, and the snowy peaks beyond are a fitting background to the scene. At every turn some new point calls for attention ; and one is never tired of admiring the grey cliffs opposite, so steep and perpendicular in places that no foliage can attach itself. Up the valley and down the valley the view is equally fine; and the varied tints of foliage on the bold prominences impart an ever-changing charm to the picture. It is worthy of remark that at Mayer- 90 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. hof there is good accommodation for tra- vellers who may like to remain within easy reach of this fine scenery; and, although the club preferred to return to their excellent quarters at Zell, it was not before the capa- bilities of the local inn and dry skittle- ground had been sufficiently tested. Skittles, by the way, would seem as favourite a game with the Tyrolese as it is with those fortu- nate gentry in London who describe them- selves as rich legatees, willing to bestow their wealth on any countryman who will join them in a game. One sees skittle- grounds contrived in the most impossible and out-of-the-way places; on a country road far from a village, or even a hamlet ; by the side of a river with nothing but a shed or two in its immediate neighbour- hood ; and again on the brink of a pre- cipice where passers-by are scarce enough, let alone skittle-players. The skittles are PRIMITIVE SKITTLES. 91 readily made by sawing up a slender fir- tree into lengths of about twelve or fifteen inches, and roughly pointing one end of the log to represent the top ; while the balls employed are generally of wood, fashioned more or less in the shape of a sphere, although not unfrequently large round stones are used instead. Naturally enough these wayside skittle-grounds are of a most primitive description, but those attached to the inns are often very well constructed. It appears to be a prevalent custom in the Tyrol to present travellers, who have sojourned some two or three days at an inn, with a bouquet on their departure, the flowers being offered by the Kellnerin, or waitress, just before leaving. The custom is not only pleasant in itself, but has be- sides the effect of entirely removing, for the instant, the business relations between host and guest. It is a kindly token of 92 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. farewell towards the visitor, and seems to place him, for the time being, in the posi- tion of a private friend : a position, by the way, in which he has all along been re- garded by the host and his assistants. To speak of the parting between Julie and the susceptible Green, and to tell what subse- quently became of the faded flowers, would be laying bare more than it is desirable to make public; neither would it be fair to state why that youth, whose knowledge of German is very limited, should have been so emphatically pronounced, again and again, " sehr schlimm" by the fair Kell- nerin. Suffice it to say, that an incipient scheme on that gentleman's part charitably to give his leg another day's rest was promptly frustrated by the postmaster, who provided a horse for the next day's journey with more alacrity than Green bargained for. With Brown the leave-taking at Zell LOST IN THE WASH. 93 was likewise a serious matter, although for reasons very different to those entertained by Green. It has been said, or rather inferred, that Brown was inclined to be careful in regard to his personal attire, and in the hope of shining with increased lustre, he had intrusted into the hands of the chambermaid his whole stock of linen to be got up with superfine care. His feelings may be imagined, therefore, when it was found that a front and four collars had been mislaid — nearly his whole wardrobe, in fact, lost in the wash. It was very little to the point to be told by Green that an English monarch — King John, to wit — had once been placed in the same awkward predicament. Brown was not to be comforted, and even Julie's flowers failed to chase away his gloomy thoughts. He was never seen to smile again until the company, like good fellows that they were, made up between them a 94 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. - fresh trousseau, and presented it with due ceremony to the bereaved Adonis. - From Zell to Grerlos^and thence over the Plattenkogl to Krimml makes a pleasant day's walk of about eight hours. The first three to Gerlos — a small village with a couple of simple inns — is through pine forests almost all the way, the path affording at times a lovely view of the Ziller Valley, stretching as far as the eye can reach. The steep ascent at the commencement is marked at every short interval with a picture of sacred interest, constituting it a Calvary mountain. Of these there are many to be found in this neighbourhood, and one near Mayerhof is well worthy of a visit. A chapel is situated on a solitary mound standing in the middle of a plain, and up this little hill leads a zigzag path. At every bend of the road a shrine has been built, each containing a well-executed fresco A CALVARY MOUNTAIN. 95 of the various stages of the sufferings of Christ antecedent to the crucifixion. The chapel itself is dedicated to the sufferings and death of the Saviour, and the paintings are executed with a degree of art far more hefitting the subject than marks most embodiments of the superstitious ideas of the people hereabouts. Several really good (speaking, as before, comparativeIy)paintings covered the walls of the little sacred edifice. Over the door was an inscription giving the date at which the various portions of the work were completed (the whole occupied some three years and was finished in 1846), and underneath the following modest request was written : — " Those who have contributed to the erection of this memorial of the sufferings and death of the Lord, beg for themselves from reverent ' visitors a Pater Noster and an Ave Maria." While on the subject of religious inscrip- 96 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. tions, by-the-bye, a curious erection may be mentioned which was met with in one of the villages near Lermos. It was the figure of a saint apparently pouring water out of a jug upon a burning house. It was indeed an image of St. Florian, who is supposed to guard his votaries from the dangers of conflagrations ; and the saying or prayer used by the people runs thus : — O holiest Saint Florian, Spare thou my house ; Let others burn. The weather was a little misty on starting in the early morning, but nevertheless it turned out a fine day. The walk along the side of the Heinzenberg, with the Gerlos stream rushing rapidly along far below, was simply delightfuh A village schoolmaster was getting his flock together. He paced slowly along, pipe in mouth, and in cap and shirt sleeves, while the children A VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER. 97 scampered about around him. A little while afterwards there came along another little group. " Where are you off to ? — to school ?" they were asked by Brown. " Yes/' they replied. " The master is there, and you will be late." Probably the pronunciation of this last sentence did not approve itself to the village intellect, so the warning was repeated with rather broader vocalization. " The master is there. " One little girl suddenly caught the meaning. " Is' er scho' da," she said, with an expression of juvenile terror in her face ; and without more ado they ran off scamper- ing down the steep path to the village like frightened goats. Evidently the virtue of punctuality is enforced by the dominie with 7 98 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. the cap and pipe, in the mountain village of Heinzenberg. From Gerlos to the Plattenkogl, the country is of a wild, inhospitable character, and the path being badly marked, a guide is necessary to point out the way. The last climb to the crest of the mountain is tough work, over ground that might, without exaggeration, be called rough and lumpy. But those who love snow mountains will not regret the trouble of ascending, for the frosted peaks and glaciers closing round one at every step are wonderful to behold. The Dreiherrnspitz, the Gross Yenediger, are both visible, and far away in the valley are the three gigantic cascades of Krimml. Green's horse was on the whole a very good charger, although, as it turned out, the owner was a far better one, for he de- manded and received ten florins for taking the gallant equestrian to the top of the A DOUGHTY KNIGHT. 99 Platte. However, the affair was cheap to Green, who, as he rode proudly through the villages with spear replaced by alpenstock, looked a right-trusty knight, barring a little untidiness about the bluchers and stockings. With the guide's black frieze coat buttoned closely around him, for it was very cold, and his dark felt hat, he might have been taken — at a distance, of course — for one of the Black Brunswickers, despite what his com- panions, envious of his elevation, said to the contrary. A remark about somebody resembling " an undertaker with a smack of the costermonger," caught Green's ear once, though of course they may not have been alluding to him. But, truth to tell, the pedestrians were rather hard upon poor Green, who, riding in front, came in for a great share of attention. Even his frequent attempts to warm himself, his endeavours to chase away the cold by repeated applications 7—2 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. of the brandy-flask, did not escape their criticism, for it led White to remark that if matters went on like this, the cavalier must shortly exchange his horse for a shutter. This occasioned a smart interchange of love passages, and but for a sudden downpour of rain which effectually put out the brilliant flashes of wit, the language might have gone far beyond parliamentary limits. Fortunately for the travellers there were several huts upon the Platte, and in one of them a fire was soon set a-blazing by its solitary inhabitant, who employed a wooden blowpipe some three feet long in lieu of bellows. Sitting round the embers, one's clothing soon dried, for the current of air, already quite perceptible through the rafters at ordinary times, became, in the presence of a roaring fire, a perfect ventilating shaft. Luckily there were half a dozen chimneys, so to speak, instead of only one, so that there A SENNER-HUTTE, 101 was no decided direction for the blast to take ; otherwise it would have gone hard with the stools and tables, let alone the live stock, on the mud floor of the cabin, which must inevitably have been swept up the flue. But even this atmosphere was not fresh enough for the Senner, or cowherd, for he kept his stock of milk in an icy cellar underground ; and the shivering pedestrians were regaled to their hearts' content on cream ices. In return for his hospitality, the man had a taste of whisky proffered him, a short harangue upon its superlative qualities being first made to convince him that it was no common Schnapps, but some- thing far beyond that ; indeed such an idea was produced upon his mind by Brown's long prefatory remarks regarding its strength and flavour, that the poor fellow became quite nervous over the business, and en- treated that as little as possible might be 102 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. poured out for him lest something wrong should happen. After taking the dose, his countenance beamed with intense satisfac- tion, and it was then disclosed to him that the spirit he had been drinking had come all the way from Britain. He insisted upon parading his whole store of cheese and but- ter, and pressed White warmly to take a dozen pounds or so of them ; an offer that gentleman was compelled to refuse on ac- count of the weakness of his straps. To walk up the Krimml valley in the same way as to the head of the Ziller Thai, beyond Mayerhof, makes a capital excur- sion ; and in any case the traveller should go as far as the cascades, which are but half an hour's walk from the village. The second fall can be seen in its entirety, and consequently shows to the best advantage ; but the spray drenches one to the skin before it is possible to get very close, while THE KRIMML FALLS. 103 the roaring and thundering of the falling water is positively deafening, and scares one by its force and power. The Krimml falls are probably the finest in Germany. The torrent makes three successive and gigantic leaps : to reach the first and second is a comparatively easy job ; but to the third, or highest, a good climb has to be made, and it is impossible then to approach very near, on account of the mass of blinding spray. You may, however, get right opposite to the cascade by sheltering your body under the lee of a large rock, from over the ledge of which you venture to peep now and then, encoun- tering a driving wind that threatens to shave the hair off one's head, and takes one's breath away, the force with which the cold spray is dashed against the face being really inconceivable. White and Green, for reasons of their 104 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. own, went off to explore the falls by them- selves, in company of a shepherd's lad, not to take care of them, but merely to show them the way; and White's account of their adventures when he got back was something awful to listen to. Unfortu- nately he did not transfer the narrative to paper, and thus the reader will lose a most graphic story; although, considering its horrible nature, calculated to make one's teeth chatter and blood run cold, he is perhaps more to be envied than pitied. As far as can be remembered of the ac- count, there was somewhere a terrific pre- cipice of ugly black rock, at the bottom of which could be discerned, if you were not too giddy to look down, a seething caldron, into which the thundering mass of foam and water tumbled ; this was sur- rounded, so it appeared, by a scene of ter- rible desolation, slimy boulders, dank and AN A WFUL AD VENTURE. 105 wet, affording a sorry foothold to any one venturing near the brink of the awful gulf. It was not clear how the valiant White was enabled to look over into the yawning abyss, for no definite details could be ex- tracted from the wily adventurer. As far as could be made out, however, Green must have laid upon his stomach in the " cautious crocodile" fashion, and wriggled to the face of the cliff, where he held firmly in his mouth the toes of White's boots, and the latter was thus enabled to project himself over the rock, and examine, with compa- rative ease, the scene before him. A great deal cannot be said for the ac- commodation at Krimml. The inn is an antique old farmhouse, with a wonderfully wrought balcony, albeit at present in a very tumbledown condition. But if the fare is simple, the charges are not very high, and you are well taken care of. The 106 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. only thing to be borne in mind in places of this kind is not to come home too early in the day, for time hangs heavy indoors. You can retire within an hour of dinner; and truly bed is the only warm place after sundown, and sleep the only rational amuse- ment to be indulged in, the resources at one's disposal being very limited. Besides, Krimml is essentially a village without villagers, and, except on Sundays, the po- pulation is confined to a small and select company, for whose sole benefit there is a big church, a spacious inn, and of course a dry skittle-ground. This latter affords some amusement of an evening, but just before sunset there comes over even the most excited players a peculiar feeling, causing them to lose all inclination for the game ; and it is not long before this falling-off of interest is found to be due to excessive cold, which persuades one to leave off out-door amuse- NICE LODGERS. 107 merits somewhat brusquely, and to seek a more congenial temperature under the coverlet. If the loving four had a weakness, it was certainly that of having a row over the beds. Four people naturally enough make more noise than one; but even admitting this, the matter was scarcely excusable. Brown imagined always he had a right to choice of quarters ; Black, it appeared, could only sleep in the vicinity of a window ; Green wouldn't have his back to the light on any consideration; and White, bold as brass in reality, would not sleep — on prin- ciple of course — nearest the door. The con- sequence was, that these individual idiosyn- crasies frequently necessitated an entire rearrangement of the bed furniture ; and the host must often have thought, when he heard his property being shifted about over head, that his temporary lodgers were 108 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. in the act of moving with their things ; while the astonishment of the chambermaid on entering with hoots or hot water, and contemplating the eccentric changes that had been made, was offctimes quite funny to behold. It was rarely that the party were separated, for at most inns there were rooms spacious enough to contain beds for all. No sooner, however, were the sleeping arrangements completed by the good people of the house, and the travellers left to themselves, than a general demenagement, amid continual wrangling, took place. One wanted the window open, another couldn't see with the candle so far off, the third monopolized all the chairs for his things, and the fourth would surreptitiously drink up all the fresh water, and put out the light before the others were half undressed. In Krimml, and other places at a high ele- vation, another source of discord arose. It A NIGHT A TTA CK. 109 was excessively cold of a night ; and, conse- quently, peculation of bed-covering became rife, such depredations leading to skirmishes and reprisals in the dark. On one occa- sion, when a zither and guitar in the guests' room had attracted the attention of three of the travellers, White was found dozing on his back, with no less than three cover- lets stowed away in his bed ; at the foot of the couch was his cap and feather, mounted upon a tall alpenstock, convenient to look upon with pride and satisfaction during his waking moments ; while ready to hand was the big umbrella of the party in case of sudden attack. Such a flagrant case could not, of course, be permitted for an instant ; and, without more ado, a battle royal was at once declared, in the course of which the Tittlebat night apparel suffered con- siderably. It is only the upper part of the Krimml no TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. valley that repays walking, for after eight or nine miles the road becomes flat and swampy. As far as Neukirchen or Bram- berg, whence one can usually get a trap to Mittersill, the route is exceedingly beautiful, and all along there are peeps of the Gross Venediger and other snow-hooded peaks. Neither is there any lack of entertainment on the road, and it is quite surprising how many important houses — half farms, half inns — there are in the valley. At Wald, at Neukirchen, at Bramberg, and other ham- lets there is good, if simple, accommodation to be had, and if the traveller loves rambling over old-fashioned hostelries, let him tarry an hour at Bramberg to study the feudal courtyard and ruins, and enjoy the magnifi- cent group of snow peaks presented to his gaze. Mine host is a cheery old fellow, and a great personage in the neighbourhood, with which he is well acquainted. MARKS OF CIVILIZA T10N. 1 1 1 At Mittersill, the principal village in the valley, you come once more into the every- day world j and there is an omnibus, or Stett- wagen, twice a day to Zell am See. More than this, there is a state prison — an unmis- takeable mark of civilization — and a garrison consisting of three men (one Viennese and two Tyrolese, they tell you), so that naturally enough Mittersill regards itself with no little pride. Once, too, the Emperor visited the little unhealthy place, and promised to do great things for the inhabitants, and a stone even now marks the spot where he was generous enough to give vent to his good intentions. Whether they were carried out or not is scarcely to the purpose, for the people are so loyal hereabouts that they are quite ready to take the will for the deed. The "Votivbild," or "Maeterle," as it is termed by the peasantry, is a striking feature of the Tyrolese districts. Wherever a fatal TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. accident occurs — and these are in winter not rare, unfortunately— the friends of the de- ceased set up a little picture on the spot, about a foot square, showing, in a graphic manner, how the casualty happened ; and generally there is appended a request to the passer-by to say an "Ave Maria," or " Vater Unser," on behalf of the departed. These paintings sometimes last fifty or sixty years, and their number soon accumulate by the wayside, for obviously during this period an accident may well happen in every village. The pictures are, of course, very crude, but they all possess that strange fascination which the description of anything horrible always excites. Now it is a man being drowned in a rapid stream; now, a waggoner being crushed by his horses; now, a woman found perished in the snow, &c. The ambition of the village artist to show every detail of the accident is very apparent, and the way in IN MEMORIAM. 1 1 3 which the work is performed in different parts of the country affords much scope for study. At a point where the road crosses the stream near Mittersill, there are no less than five of these monumental paintings of people drowning, all the sketches bearing a different date. The unfortunate victim is usually depicted, not merely with a serene countenance, but with one betokening per- fect indifference to his perilous position, and there is painted over his head a little black cross to show that his doom is sealed. If there are any lookers-on, they are presented in holiday attire, regarding the affair quite as a matter of course, rather with satisfac- tion than otherwise. At Zell am See, there is a representation of a boat accident, with a number of bodies lying upon the shore, the dead being distinguishable from the quick by the circumstance that these latter have no crosses near them. Sometimes too, in a 8 ii 4 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. corner of the painting, is a sketch, of futurity, and figures of the Virgin Mary and other holy saints receiving the departed souls. Thus, at the edge of a deep ravine at Win- disch Matrei is the sketch of a boy falling headlong down a precipice into the stream below, while on the opposite side of the bank (in the picture) is shown an angel, holding the same little boy by the hand and leading him off — none the worse for his fall evidently — to heaven, impressing one very forcibly with the idea that the land of pro- mise is always situated on the other side to that on which the spectator stands. CHAPTER VI. A PRIMITIVE CONVEYANCE — ZELL-AM-SEE — THE TYROLESE KELLNEEIN — TO PEEK UP — ST. WOLFGANG — GREEN'S ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT. rriHE Stellwagen from Mittersill to Zell am See is quite a grand affair, although it cannot be denied it is a long time en route ; but of this it would be un- just to complain, seeing that the number of passengers it carries is unlimited. The amiable brotherhood alone went a good way to occupy the vehicle, and the interstices were then filled in by divers peasants picked up on the road. As it happened to be Sun- day, every one was in gala attire, and the picturesque and really handsome character of some of the costumes was worthy of note. The good people one and all acknowledged 8—2 n6 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. the aristocratic quality of their foreign com- panions, and put on such strict manners in consequence that they must have suffered a little thereby. Some of them, it is true, were under the impression that they had been drinking, in which assumption they proved to be quite correct, and were occasionally in some danger of falling out during a sound sleep ; but on the whole they were an affec- tionate lot, and the gentlemen who hap- pened to be on each side of Brown slumbered away peacefully on his shoulders, and could not have behaved with more affection if he had been their mother. Brown scarcely sympathized to the extent he might have done, for he sat bolt upright, gazing sternly through his eyeglass all the time, and re- garded the mountaineers with anything but a benevolent countenance. There is no hurrying along in these Stell- wagens, and that is a great consideration. A PRIMITIVE CONVEYANCE. 117 What is the good of rushing through a country like a whirlwind, and tearing up the road at a breakneck pace, as if one's very existence depended on swiftness alone ? What on earth is the use of doing so many miles an hour, and cruelly over-driving your cattle? Why put your life in danger by spanking along at full gallop? There is nothing of this in the Stellwagen; no risk of smash or collision. You always drive along gently and leisurely, and when the slightest excuse for a halt arises, if it is only for a short tete-a-tete with a passing villager, there a pull-up at once occurs, and matters are gone fully into. A few houses or a hamlet necessitates the getting down of the whole party for refresh- ment ; and when a change of horses is made, three quarters of an hour is quietly passed in the pursuit of any pastime the passengers choose. There is a simplicity and originality u8 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. about this mode of travelling that is quite unique, and if regarded only as a change you are bound to enjoy it. The driver is looked up to with great respect as a very big man in these parts. To the casual ob- server, however, there was nothing remark- able in his character apparently, save that once or twice during the journey he ex- emplified very correctly the proverb, " Call a dog a bad name," by apostrophizing one of the horses a blank Frenchman, and then proceeding to flog the animal to his entire satisfaction. The situation of Zell am See is exceed- ingly pretty. As you approach, the road runs close down to the shore of the lake, and the white church and cottages of Zell are seen standing out as it were upon a promontory jutting far into the water. On each side are dark rugged hills rising from the shores, and beyond is a rare background of silver- " ZELL-B Y- THE-LAKE." i 19 grey mountains witli the most fantastic out- lines. At eventide the charm of these mag- nificent crags behind is further heightened as the violet haze of sundown envelopes them, and then the dainty little town appears set in a casket of unrivalled splendour. From Zell there is constant communica- tion with Salzburg in the north, so that the town forms a capital entrance or exit to the Glockner district. Situated as it is near Bad Gastein, the Krimml Falls, and the Fusch valley, it makes too a suitable centre for excursionists, and the Post inn, if modest in its capacity, is very good quarters. And while on the subject of inns, something deserves to be said on behalf of the neat buxom Kelhierinnen, or waitresses, one meets everywhere. The Kclhierin is essentially a Tyrolese institution ; she may be found north of Munich, and as far east as Vienna, i2o TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. but there she is simply a damsel a la mode, and possesses none of the bright characte- ristics of her mountain sister. In the AIu- nich and Viennese cafes she is a perfect subordinate, and has no more to do than execute the orders 'of her employers and flirt with the guests ; but here it is quite a different matter. Everything is placed entirely in her hands and she is in supreme command; she receives you and apportions the bedrooms, she takes all orders, she sees you are properly attended to outside the Gast- Stube as inside, she makes out the bills and she receives all moneys. She is responsibility itself, and the host and even hostess sink into insignificance by her side. A neat well- fitting skirt, short enough to show her trim ankles, is her usual dress, the bodice varying in fashion and colour with the district in which she lives ; her hair is plaited and gathered up in a small knot behind, quite in classic DED PHYLLIS. 121 le, and round the wa isi is _:tached her badge of office — a leather courier-bag : receive the money. The small >ide inn, where an occasional glass of beer i> called for, and where the daily takings may be calculated in kreuzers, po fieri n with cash- bag complete, and often the only intelligent person on the premises. Pleasant, cheerful, and business- like bodies are the he most part, and edingly well-informed. Bills are as yet rarities in the _ kbourhoods, and the account is usually chalked upon a black tablet that is brought to the traveller for :iun. The sum to be paid by a party of four, who were rather lavish on the sub- ject of dinner and wine (these two items together often making a total of four florins), bo large as to dismay the poor Kellntrin altogether, and conseque: the difficult task of adding up had someti: 122 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. to be done by the visitors themselves, who were the cause of all the trouble. On one oc- casion — it was at Zell am See — there being a scarcity of Austrian money in the coffers, tender was made of an English sovereign, as one might do in a big Swiss hotel, and this coin the waitress not only recognised at once, but valued at its true market price by a ready reference to the last Bourse state- ment in a Viennese paper. A quaint secluded little spot is Zell, evidently living on in the same manner as it has done for the last couple of centuries, a perfect Eip Van Winkle of a place. They have simple notions, the honest folk about here, and the outward signs prove them of a most simple-hearted nature. The arrival of the Stellwagen brings everybody into the street, and the traveller has then a capital opportunity of looking at the RUSTIC SIMPLICITY. 123 pretty costumes, which are plentiful on' Sundays or fete da} r s. The blue stockings, leather breeches, embroidered belly-bands, and sugar-loaf hats decorated with feathers and flowers make a smart dress for the men, and the girls with their short variegated petticoats and neatly braided hair, are not less attractive. And you need not so much mind about looking at them closely, for on their part they take a full share of the mutual admiration arrangement, laughing good humouredly at the foreigners' strange appearance, and pointing out, in loud merry voices, to one another any points worthy of especial interest in their attire. Under such circumstances a tourist cannot but hold himself a true philanthropist, giving universal pleasure to all around him. And the quaint signs and inscriptions in the streets — these are worthy of careful 124 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. study. Here is a hatter's shop with the announcement : — Wir lieben Gott und lassen Selben walten, Wir machen neue Hilt' and farben auch die alten ; which done into English doggrel runs — We love the Lord, and ever let Him reign, We make new bats and dye old ones again. Then upon the wooden planks of the houses one sees written up inscriptions, sometimes covering the whole front of the buildiug — sentences in memoriam of deceased inmates. To tell the truth this custom has a somewhat depressing effect at first, for it is not a cheerful idea to make a dwelling house do duty for a tombstone. Here is a specimen : — Jricfcen gntt MAR IE SCHMIDT, Died on the lUh May, 1872. PRAY FOB, HER. A SHORT CUT 125 The swamp at the southern end of the Zell Lake is probably as good a breeding ground for adders as there is to be found anywhere, and as no necessity exists for crossing it to get into the main valley, it is very well left alone. As bad luck would have it, however, there- were several foot paths leading off into it, and this was too good an opportunity to be lost by a party of pedestrians. One of the most promising was at once selected, and within a quarter of an hour the Tittle batonians were helplessly struggling in a wilderness of tall reeds up to their very necks, and in imminent danger of being bitten by such stray vipers as failed to get out of the way of their blundering footsteps. Time and patience, however, help wonderfully in matters of this kind, and after an hour or two the gallant fellows were out again on the high road, not such a very great distance from 126 TRAMPS' IN THE TYROL. the spot they left it. A good-looking maiden, balancing on her head a curiously shaped vessel of water, pointed out the path, and after a few recriminatory words of a " cocksuredom" character they formed line and marched in good style up the Fusch valley, one of the prettiest and least known districts of the Tyrol. That your pedestrian is at times a bit of a humbug cannot be denied. When you pass him in a carriage, or watch him from a window or balcony, as he swings along with surprising freshness and energy, you even then get an idea somehow that his jaunty air and elastic gait are not altogether bond-fide ; but it is only on joining the craft and getting, as it were, into the secrets of freemasonry, that you begin to find out all about it. The start is generally effected in goo$ order, and the first half dozen miles or so are got through in BEHIND THE SCENES. 127 tolerable style, but after that there is a looseness, not to say untidiness, about the walking. One man will pound away some paces ahead, for he knows very well that if he dosn't keep in front, he will be hopelessly in rear in a very little time, while another takes a path by the roadside, looking about for fruit or flowers, and marching forward in anything but a soldierly manner. The third eases his knapsack from one shoulder to the other when the straps begin to cut a little, and the fourth puts his hat at the back of his head and whistles or sings any tune he knows, or thinks he does. "What is vulgarly termed " all over the shop" very well applies to a pedestrian party after a dozen miles or so of uphill walking, and to tell the truth it looks for the time being anything but enjoyment. But don't imagine, pray, that it is the lot of the spectator to see them in this condition ; do 128 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. not think for an instant that they are to be caught out in this happy-go-lucky state. Bless you, a herd of chamois might as soon be found dozing on a hill slope as a party of pedestrians discovered sprawling in this way over the road. No sooner is the sound of wheels heard in front or behind, or a dwelling-house spied in the distance, than a hint to "perk up" is passed from mouth to mouth, and the whole appearance of the party changes. In an instant the pilgrims are at attention, marching blithely in step and in careful swing. The carriage comes up so suddenly that the gay hearted fellows are quite inno- cent of its approach, and are, in fact, nearly run over, the dear boys, before they have time to look up and perceive their danger. Maybe, one is chanting a song with a merry chorus, to which the others keep time, and a second, in all probability — a S WEE T SIMPLICITY. 1 29 simple, guileless youth, this one — is studying map and guide book so deeply that he has hardly time to look up and return your greeting. Always speak in a brisk, hearty tone, and wish a pleasant good morning to people you meet, is one of the first wrinkles to be acquired by a pedestrian, for there is nothing like a fresh voice to imply freshness of spirit and absence of fatigue. So, as you pass, one and all give a spontaneous, cheery greeting, leading you to suppose that they have walked no distance at all, and as you lean back out of window to get a last peep at them, they disappear out of sight with the lightest hearts and heels in the world. St. Wolfgang, or Fusch-bad, is probably as out-of-the-way a spa as any yet discovered. As a rule you can get to watering-places easily enough in a carriage with but little trouble and fatigue, and to most of them 9 130 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. the journey can be undertaken by a sick man ; but to get to St. Wolfgang it requires sound lungs and a good constitution. An invalid who would make the journey must necessarily be in robust health, II f aid avoir heaucoup de sante pour y guerir, as M. Taine would say ; for even if he comes up the Fusch valley in a carriage, he cannot get a conveyance to the Bad at the top of the hill above. Not that it follows, in any way, that he must walk up the odd two or three thousand feet ; not at all, for as the authorities at the Bad will tell you, there are abundant facilities of transport. There are mules, for instance — the plural is used advisedly, because there really are two of these animals — one stationed at Fusch-bad, and the other to be heard of up at Ferleiten, ten miles further up the Fusch valley. Carriages, indeed, would be of little use here, for there is no proper road com- A THLE TIC INVALIDS. 1 3 1 municating with the valley, and at the spa itself above there is scarcely a quarter of a mile of level ground where a vehicle could ply. With all these difficulties, however, bath- ing guests do go to St. Wolfgang, and in appreciable numbers too; and all one can do therefore under the circumstances, is to wonder how they get there. The wild ravine, at the head of which the spa is built, seems, of all places in the world, the least likely to harbour town-bred fashion- ables ; and coming suddenly upon paniers and flounces of the latest fashion in this primitive district, works an impression on the mind such as an African traveller might feel on finding the notorious water- sheds by the source of the Nile strewn with empty ginger-beer bottles and sandwich papers. There are, it is said, as many as ninety visitors at a time in summer in this little swallow's nest between the cliffs, the 9—2 132 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. whole place consisting of four houses and one little shop. A series of whitewashed partitions in a wooden shanty are the baths ; each apartment is fitted up in a most primitive manner, with a huge wash- ing-tub standing in the middle of the floor, which slopes down towards a gutter run- ning up the centre of the room. The springs are cold, and have to be heated before use ; and are, it is unnecessary to state, warranted to heal as many maladies as were ever set down for cure by Hoi- loway's Pills. Paths cut along the mountain-side afford grand promenades for the guests, for whose benefit seats are provided where there are any natural beauties or extensive views to admire. The valley of the Fusch is sur- passingly beautiful throughout its whole length, and nowhere is it seen to such advantage as from these walks. Looking FOLLOW-MY-LEADER. 133 towards Salzburg there are still seen the craggy outlines behind Zell am See, moun- tains in the neighbourhood of the Watz- mann and Steinerne Meer; while up the valley are the snowy outposts of the Gross Glockner and the pass of the Pfandls- charte. Withal a pleasant spot to tarry at is Fusch-bad, and the accommodation at the little inn — for native modesty prevented an incursion into the Establishment — is good enough for anybody. On arrival White proudly led the way — somehow White al- ways managed to be ahead at the right time — in single file straight into the baths, to the silent astonishment of the bathing guests assembled ; whose surprise was indeed only natural, seeing a group of strange beings come straight up the hill and march without ceremony, one after another, into the sacred precincts of the tubbing booth. i 3 4 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. Interesting occurrences are rare at St. Wolf- gang, no doubt, and the arrival of such out- of-the-way -looking objects was obviously a cause for excitement. The guests, in amaze- ment, watched the procession with bated breath, and for a time conversation ceased among them, and when the new arri- vals entered the washhouse in follow-my- leader style, curiosity was strained to the utmost. What on earth they wanted in there, those good people, the guests could not for the life of them divine. However, the} r were left to themselves, the eccentric beings, and allowed quietly to discover their mistake; and presently they reap- peared at the door, and, nothing baffled, came out in exactly the same order in which they had entered. The building opposite was next tried, everybody around follow- ing closely with their eyes; and here the Englishmen were more successful, although, A DINNER PARTY. 135 at the worst, it would not have taken long to have made a house-to-house visitation. The dinner party at the inn included half a dozen rather prim ladies and gentle- men, with whom an acquaintance was soon struck up. To one young lady in par- ticular — in a tightly-fitting dress of maroon, with very neat collars and cuffs — Green became immensely polite, the few words of German that he knew being eked out with much skill and cunning. The dishes in his neighbourhood were at once monopo- lized by him and handed to the fair one, who, at first a little coy at the advances of the amiable Englishman, soon took matters with perfect equanimity. There was, of course, no great harm in paying attention to so eligible a stranger, only Green was so demonstrative in his compliments whenever he began, that he always became the centre of attraction under such circumstances. 136 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. Talking in a loud key the whole time, and floundering all over the table with his bad German and worse French, he monopolized everything and everybody, so that one was not sorry when dinner ended, and he and his charmer went off to continue their tete- a-tete under the porch. The girl was cer- tainly very intelligent, for she understood at once all Green said with a readiness and vivacity that was quite astounding. As Green remarked at the outset, if he only had the benefit of her aid for a few days he would be able to speak German with any amount cf confidence ; and although the reply he received was complimentary in every way to the knowledge he already possessed, Green was far too modest to believe the damsel's flattery. This, by the way, was Greens great idea : to ingratiate himself with some of the native ladies, and in their interesting conversation to pick up A ROMANTIC AFFAIR. 137 as much of the language as he could. As he had affirmed all along, there's nothing like a woman to help one in a difficulty; they are so quick and ready with a sugges- tion, and are never at a loss to supply a sentence when one is at fault. They seem to have the right word always ready to put into one's mouth, for they guess before- hand what reply will be made to their question. It was quite different to speak- ing to the blockhead peasantry, who never could understand even the most simple matter that Green asked them, and who usually regarded him first in stolid silence and then with idiotic laughter; you had no patience with them, they were so down- right stupid. On the other hand, Green's fair lady possessed an intelligence and wit that was simply surprising ; and there is no knowing how long the gallant fellow would have 138 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. kept up the conversation, or how far mat- ters would have gone, if there had not appeared from the doors of the Establish- ment a tall, bony gentleman, with a straw hat and goatee beard, on whose arm leaned a dashing, middle-aged lady. At the sight of these Green's fair companion rose sud- denly, with the remark, in very good English, " I must go now," and fairly ran away. She was an American lady's maid. CHAPTER VII. FERLEITEN — TYROLESE GUIDES — THE PASS OF THE PFANDL- SCHARTE — A PICNIC ON THE SNOWFIELDS — THE PASTER- ZEN GLACIER — CHAPEL OF ST. BRICCIUS — HEILIGENBLUT — DINING IN STATE. A LONG- the valley to Ferleiten is a delightful stroll of a couple of hours, with a broad panorama of snow mountains in front, benches being placed at intervals to mark the more eligible points of view. On the last wooden seat as you turn the corner of the valley there is an inscription to the effect that it is the first and last peep you will get of the Fusch — a warning which every traveller will take to heart before proceeding further. Then the way becomes a little more rugged and difficult, for this is the limit of the promenade made for the guests, and a little further on the path crosses the Ho TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. stream and joins the main thoroughfare up the valley. It will be difficult to give the reader a true idea of Ferleiten, especially when seen under the influence of bad weather, for a more depressing, God-forsaken scene it is hardly possible to conceive. Three or four barn buildings, not actually in a tumbledown condition, but, at any rate, in a dilapidated .state and fast rotting away, must be imagined, standing among dirty puddles and noisome dunghills. With the excep- tion of one, the half-dozen hovels are built with their backs to the pathway (it is very vquestionable whether they have any fronts), and this one, the inn, has a lop-sided and worm-eaten old balcony, whence the bleak, dreary scene may be viewed in its entirety. There is not a sound to be heard, not an inhabitant to be seen, and the desolate character of the spot gives rise to a sense of DOWN IN THE DUMPS. 141 general depression. What would happen if one were detained for more than a night in this dull hole, it is im possible to say, for the Salle-a-manger is crowded with four people in it, while the loft, which is planked off into partitions to serve for sleeping apartments, possesses but one solitary virtue, that of inducing the occupant to rise by times in the morning. With all this, how- ever, the hostess is a willing, goodnatured body, and, in fact, as far as kitchen and attendance are concerned, there is no need to grumble. Only you are very glad: to be off out of the place in the morning, and willing to start away at any untimely hour that the guide may suggest. To tell the truth, Ferleiten is never seen to such advan- tage as when, after an hour's climb, you look back and see far below you the little buildings like toy models set up upon a strip of grass-green carpet. 142 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. In a mountainous country, the pedestrian's efforts seem to be confined to running valleys to earth, if one may use the expres- sion. First of all it was the Ziller valley that was treated in this manner, then the Gerlos and Krimml valleys, and now a dead set is to be made upon the Fusch Thai. Let them be ever so long and ever so tortuous, they are soon made an end of with time and perseverance. The Fusch Thai ends in a sharp comb between two peaks, termed the Pfandlscharte (some 9000 feet English), and over this a way leads to Heiligenblut by the side of the famed Pasterzen glacier. If you take the Johannis Hiitte, or hut, on the way at some elevation above the glacier whence its whole length and full splendour can be seen with advan- tage, ten hours' walking is necessary, so that the journey may be considered a very good day's walk. A second and more easy GOVERNMENT GUIDES. 143 route to Heiligenblut is over the pass of the Hochthor. The guides in the Gross Glockner district are appointed by Government and controlled by printed "regulations. The book they carry contains the most minute details re- garding their duties and obligations, and a complete description of the man's appearance is entered for the satisfaction of the traveller, so that it is a matter of certainty that the bearer of the book and licence is their proper owner. The particulars were copied out accu- rately into Green's note-book, who made it his duty to compare them very conscientiously with the original, for there was no knowing (as he timidly intimated) what might become of them among the lonely mountains if they trusted to any one whose character did not bear the strictest investigation. So to the poor guide's dismay, each particular was confirmed by Green as far as possible before 144 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. proceeding, the details given in the book, being as under : — Name . . . A. B. Year of birth 1840. • Eeligion . Catholic. Height . . middle. Face . . . long. Eyes . . . grey. Eyebrows brown. Nose . . . pointed. Mouth . proportionate Hair. . . . blonde. Teeth . . . good. Beard . . . none. Particular sign none. There is something about the goodhearted Tyrolese — their simplicity of manner and delight in chatting and supplying you with information — that contrasts very favourably with the manners of the Swiss peasantry. THE TYROLESE AT HOME. . 145 Travelling has become such an institution in Helvetia that tourists are simply regarded as so much currency in trade, as much as possible being obtained out of the animate goods, as they pass from hand to hand, as if they were bales of cotton or sacks of coffee. In the Tyrol, simply perhaps because the country is more untravelled, matters are widely different. Your Tyrolese host has always a friendly interest in your doings, ,and there are not so many travellers but that he can have a personal chat, and give you his opinion on the politics of European powers. In any Senner-Jtiltte, or shepherd's hut, that you enter, you are always welcome, and the occupants are in a general way most simple and obliging in their relations to strangers. A basin, or rather a tub of milk, you are always heartily welcome to, and often to an unlimited supply of butter and cheese besides, any modest gratuity being 10 L46 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. accepted with thankfulness. And if yon will but condescend to sit down for an hour,, the good folks are truly pleased, and while sucking quietly at their big pipes, will listen with extreme satisfaction and atten- tion to any news you may give them. Their modest bearing and hospitable character prove how glad they are to see you, and makes one quite regret when it comes to parting again. It is the same if you go into a cottage to inquire the way, or ask it of some villager ; you are regarded somehow as honouring the household or individual in the highest degree, and it is with no little delight that they give the information asked for. Of beggars and cretins the Tyrol is singularly free, and this fact alone contributes in no little way to the enjoyment of a pedes- trian tour. A climb of about four hours brings you to the snow, and the top of the comb is OVER THE PFANDLSCHARTE. 147 reached in an hour more. There are no difficulties to be overcome, and no danger to be feared from crevasses. There is one broad uninterrupted field of snow before you, with undulations as smooth as those in any bit of country in England ; it is nothing but snow, snow, as far as the eye can reach, except where rocky crags, black and grim, pierce through and rise above the level of the spotless coverlid. As you ar- rive at the top, and make your way further into this frigid world, the charm becomes even greater. The wide expanse of snow- fields afford a scene such as one only meets with on the higher Alps, and the sharp pre- cipitous rocks which rise from the smooth white surface, enhancing the purity of the snow and ice, enable one to form some sort of estimate of distance. In the plains up here, you seem at times to be cut off altoge- ther from the ordinary world, of which there 10—2 148 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. is not a vestige to be seen, for look in what- ever direction you will there is nothing but one smooth sheet of white, covering every- thing but the rocky crags close at hand. Until you came up here you had no idea that there were so many peaks and promi- nences in the whole world, but now the earth appears to contain little else ; and as for plains and plateaus, their existence cannot be believed in for an instant. Mountains, big and little, have grown up suddenly on all sides during the few hours of your ascent, and as if by magic the whole aspect of the earth is transformed. And this is not the only change that is wrought, when, after an arduous climb of five hours, you come tired and hungry to the top of the Pfandlscharte. The magi- cian's wand has done some very practical con- juring besides, for it has converted the coarse victuals carried by the guide into a repast A PICNIC ON THE SNOWFIELDS. 149 of the most recherche description. What on starting had been bat cold flabby veal, turned out at lunch to be a sort of galantine de veau, while the brown bread, tainted with aniseed and fennel, had become equal to the best cottage loaf ever baked in an English farmhouse. And as to the red wine, old Assmannshauser of the finest vintage could not have compared with it, and curiously enough it was found too to be already iced, particularly cool and welcome to a fevered palate. Never was there a gayer picnic, never a banquet more enjoyable. Some granite slabs free from snow, which doubtless had served the purpose many times before, made capital seats around the dinner table, this being covered with a cloth literally as white as snow. In such a delightful situation, and under such circumstances, it was not difficult to raise one's spirits ; and if only, as Green suggested, a hot-air apparatus ISO TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. could be devised to create a warmer atmo- sphere, there would be nothing left to wish for. To get to the Johannis Hiitte it is neces- sary to descend some thousands of feet, and mount again, for a deep, precipitous valley divides the Pfandlscharte from the Paster- zen Glacier. But the labour of making this detour is well repaid, for more charming ice fields than those which sweep down the side and front of the Gross Glockner it is impos- sible to imagine. From top to toe you see opposite you this peerless mountain of the Tyrol, a gigantic cone of pure ice and snow, and not alone, but in company of other giants. Above the Hiitte, the Pasterzen is of a pure virgin white, but below it breaks up into huge crystalline masses of translu- cent emerald. Big black rocks on either side, and patches of blue sky above, contrast with the cold lustre of the glistening ice THE GLITTERING LAND OF CRYSTALS, iji crystals, and enhance their transcendant purity; while rays of sunshine, striking aslant through a gap in the mountains, cast a, band of dazzling brightness across the sea of ice. The glacier encircles the rocks at one's feet like frozen billows, and one feels tempted to descend, as it were, to the beach and toy with the glacial water. The pano- rama of snow landscape is unbounded, and when thus partially illumined by the sun it presents a scene of surpassing loveliness. Near this spot, and overlooking the snowy region he loved so well to explore, is a monument to the memory of Karl Hof- mann, an enthusiastic mountaineer and student of Natural History. For three consecutive seasons he devoted himself to the exploration of the Grlockner group; and a volume has recently been published containing an account of his travels and that of his companion Stiidl ; the work 152 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. forming, indeed, the best authority on these mountains. Although quite a youth in years, he followed out his scheme of inves- tigation with singular zeal and ability, and set at rest many moot points regarding this group of peaks, of which little definite was known until recently. Karl Hofmann died in 1870, fighting in the ranks at Sedan. What a favourable site the foot of this glacier would be for a Zermatfc or a Cha- mouix ! It is very strange that no canny speculator has taken the matter in hand already, for the locality is not such an out- of-the-way place after all. A couple of hours' descent along a good bridle path leads one to Heiligenblut, and thence there- is a road to Lienz, some twenty miles off, where the new Puster Thai railway has a station. There are stone quarries in the neighbourhood to supply building mate- rials ; there is good pasture land for flocks* PASTERZEN BAD. 153. and the spot is on the thoroughfare of peasantry going over the mountains. Con- sidered as an eligible situation for tourists, it is almost unique. An hotel here would shorten the distance to the Fusch and Gastein valleys, and render these routes within the capacity of moderate travellers ; while as a spot to sojourn in for a few days, it would be in its way unrivalled. The view of the grand Pasterzen of itself is worth a journey to see, let alone the glo- rious peaks beyond; and the excursions that could be undertaken hence within a couple of hours or so would satisfy the most ardent lovers of ice-scenery. Then there are magnificent waterfalls to be seen hereabouts, and numberless pretty views looking towards Heiligenblut, the torrent in the valley appearing like a bright thread of silver in the distance, passing over the dark green turf, while the hill-tops around 154 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. are decked with the gayest of wild flowers of every form and tint. And if these are not attractions enough to secure a full attendance of visitors, no doubt a clever doctor would very soon be able to find out a medical spring of some kind somewhere, which would prove efficacious, at any rate, for minor ailments, if only, for example, to slake a violent thirst. And, judging from experience, that the more difficult a spa is to get at, the more highly it is prized, there would be every prospect of Pasterzen Bad becoming at once a favourite watering-place. On the way down to Heiligenblut (Holy Blood) there is passed the far-famed Bric- cius chapel, now a modern white edifice, but five years ago an erection almost unique of its kind. Situated in a sombre forest of pines, the walls so old and crumbling that the building had no definite shape, wind and weather making way through a rude CHAPEL OF ST. BRICCIUS. 155 thatching of fir-branches, and running riot in every corner, the chapel built in memory of Saint Briccius was certainly as primitive a sacred edifice as any to be found in a civilized Christian country. Upon an upright board that did duty as an altar- piece, was painted a series of rough sketches, telling the story of Briccius, and how he brought the phial of Holy Blood into that remote corner of the world; while a bat- tered doll of large dimensions laid aslant the paintings represented our Saviour. One or two pigmy figures of saints dressed in dirty tatters, that showed signs of having been tawdry raiment ages ago, found place on a worm-eaten plank, or table ; and the whole aspect was at once so ancient and forlorn, that it seemed to tell of primeval times. Far removed from human habitations, the spot was rarely visited except by peasants making the tedious ascent from the village. 156 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. Heiligenblut looks very pretty in the bright sunshine. The snow-capped, ma- jestic Gross Glockner in the background stands out vividly against the blue sky; while the river Moll dashes along past the village at a furious rate, doing its daily work of turning numberless little mills erected upon its banks, and on every tiny tributary of it capable of moving a wheel of any dimensions. The pastures are fresh and green from recent rains, and the dark firs, clothing the rocks to their summits, and the universal solitude around, give to the scene a sleepy air of repose, contrasting, by its quietude, with the restless motion of the stream, as it hurries on noisily and unceasingly. Heiligenblut boasts neither post office nor telegraph office. Happy spot ! Where seemingly you may have everything done for you by machinery without having to HEILIGENBLUT. 157 pay for motive power; for one begins to think, from the number of mill-wheels driven by the thwirling water, that the denizens of this peaceful valley must eat, drink, dress, and sleep by machinery ; for such a whizzing and whirling and twisting and turning never was seen within so limited an area. How the butterflies were flitting about to be sure in the bright sunlight; quite another race of them seemed to live on this side of the mountains. Nothing worldly here, everything as nature made it ; and, in the absence of all authorities, letters for home have to be entrusted to the fat and good-natured cure of the village, who stops in the pastoral work of feeding his brood of chickens to receive the missives, promising faithfully to carry them down the valley to the nearest post station the next time his spiritual duties lead him that way. You may know Heiligenblut by its big 158 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. church, which is, however, seen to the best advantage from below, with the white Glockner peak as a background. The inn at Heiligenblut is scarcely an establish- ment to be extolled ; but then it may be argued that the host is not a proud man, as every one must admit who has made his acquaintance. He is only happy when in a crowded room filled with smokers ; and from his appearance appears to be a firm believer in the purifying qualities of tobacco fumes as compared with soap and water. But one must not be too hard upon the hostelry, for the sleeping accommodation is clean and good, and of the food there is little to complain. But there is one important matter to which, by some unaccountable oversight, no allusion has yet been made. It is the ele- gant and fashionable appearance of the Tittlebat Club when they really desired to IN SILK A TTIRE. 159 come out strong. It was not often they evinced a desire to eclipse their fellow- creatures, but vanity is pardonable under some circumstances. It is all very well to do the bold Briton occasionally, and to show off in hob-nail boots and rough- and-ready attire, but a time comes now and again when you get a sneaking desire to take your share in the general parade which takes place, at dinner time generally, among tourists and visitors. Be it known then that each man carried at his back, made fast by a belt around his waist, a diminutive sort of pillow-case, made of thin waterproof, which served to keep from damp and damage the tourist's best coat, a garment of trim cut and costly texture, destined at well-chosen times to provoke envy in the eyes of the male, and to soften the heart and awaken the sym- pathies of the fairer sex. "When this coat 160 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. was worn in the railway, or whilst travel- ling, it was scrupulously covered, by Brown's orders, with the blouse or dust-coat that served for walking in, so that its appear- ance should not suffer from rough usage. Besides this, there was a second pair of nether garments to be found rolled up in each knapsack, and thus a complete ward- robe was at hand. When a halt was made for the night at a more important inn than usual, or where there was a sufficiently large audience of visitors as to make it worth while, word was quietly passed to assume " Staats-anzug " (state attire), which meant that instead of appearing in their shabby marching dress, the Tittlebats were to bloom forth in their grander suit of raiment, decked with every ornament they possessed, and accoutred to the very utmost of their power. But the reader does not yet know all. A PEDESTRIAN'S WARDROBE. 161 By cunning pre-arrangement it was deter- mined that in each knapsack should be con- tained two white linen fronts, and it was these latter that put the last finishing touch to the already very perfect costume. The fronts were not, it must be conceded, very extensive, for altogether it is questionable whether the whole party exhibited between them at any time a full square foot of linen ; but then if waistcoats are made to button a little high, and the wearer keeps moving briskly about, the effect produced is not so bad after all. Brown and Black, the two exquisites of the party, went so far as to bring cuffs as well — big stiffly- starched ones too — and on this account precedence of entree into the guests'-room was accorded them, for by sauntering in some five minutes beforehand, they proved quite sufficient to take the edge off any curiosity that those assembled might feel, and the later arrivals 11 1 62 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. escaped less observed. Indeed the effect of Brown's broad wristbands, when with a jerk of the arm straight from the shoulder they were pulled out and shown to their full advantage, and aided by a sweeping glance through his eyeglass — was simply invincible ; and many a Teuton maid and Italian signora bowed before the leader's omnipotent sway. And, be it borne in mind, the conquest on Brown's part was all the more creditable from the fact of his resources having been seriously crippled, for as already related, a large portion of his kit had parted company early in the tour ; and, accordingly, the straits to which the Adonis was put occasionally were very severe. The remainder of his effects he was naturally enough very loth to trust in the hands of an hotel laundress, and consequently much of his spare time during the midday halt was devoted to the "getting up" of his " THE FLA G THA T BRA VED." 163 linen. After doing the washing in some convenient brook, a stone placed in the sun was constituted a flat-iron, a mangle being ingeniously contrived by rolling the article round a smooth bit of wood and thumping it in the manner of local washer- women. But of all the devices originated by Brown, that carried out with his hand- kerchief was the best. Only one beautiful soft white cambric did he possess, that re- mained doubled up in its pristine folds as it had come from the laundress at home ; and to this last emblem of purity friend Brown stuck with all the tenacity of a wounded man to a flag of truce. It was his last hope ^the only tie that bound him to fashion and gentility. On entering the Guest- room of an evening in his well-known grand and lofty style, this remnant of magnificence was taken from the pocket and shaken out, so to speak, in the faces 11—2 1 64 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. of the company, and it was only after the effect had been sufficiently and fully appre- ciated by all present that the ornament was clandestinely refolded, precisely as before, and returned to the owner's pocket, to be again employed in the same exulting man- ner on the next occasion. It was astonish- ing how well that handkerchief kept, con- sidering the duty it did every night ; and really, without you watched the same very narrowly — and Brown took good care } r ou shouldn't, by waving the symbol of gentility only from afar — the effect as a whole was most finished and natural. CHAPTER VIII. HEILIGENBLUT — THE STORY OF ST. BRICCIUS — HOW TO PRE- SERVE A SHRINE — THE CAT'S-WALK — THE GLOCKNER GROUP — KALS — MAKING FRIENDS WITH A COUNTESS — HOW TO IDENTIFY A GUIDE. rFHE church at Heiligenblut is well worth a visit, and from the churchyard a mag- nificent view is seen up and down the valley, with the river Moll speeding on its way as fast as it can. One should not omit to go inio the church and examine it tho- roughly, for the building is one of the most ancient piles to be seen in the Tyrol. It has a history of its own too about St. Briccius, the worthy knight who lies buried within its walls. The story goes something as follows : — Once upon a time in the reign of the mighty Emperor Leo, there sojourned at 1 66 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. Constantinople a goodly Christian knight called Briccius. He had come from Den- mark to join the Crusades, and he was bold and brave, and served the Emperor faith- fully. But a time came when Briccius felt called upon to return to his own country, and with reluctance he told his august master of his intention to depart. As a reward for past services he was directed to choose among all the Emperors possessions anything he might wish to have. Now Briccius knew that there existed among the holy relics stored up in the palace a certain phial of holy blood prized beyond measure, and this he had often desired to possess. The Emperor knew nothing of Briccius* great object, however, and in directing the knight to make selection from the treasures, was ignorant that the existence of the relic was known to him. So when that worthy soldier waited upon his master one day and THE STORY OF ST BRICCIUS. 167 said he had made up his mind and wanted the phial the monarch was sadly tempted to break his word. Still Briccius was allowed to have the relic, and he journeyed day and night to get back to his native land, and place the precious gift in safe keeping. And here it is well to state — although this takes off much of the interest in the story — that the holy blood contained in the bottle was not that of Christ, as one might naturally suppose, but had been obtained in a most extraordinary manner from a crucifix that was speared through and through by an unbelieving Jew, and from which blood had spirted on the infliction of such insult. The Jew, it is affirmed, by the way, was converted at once by this sign, and became ever after a good Christian. The knight with his trust journeyed on, his way beset with innumerable difficulties until he neared the Gross Glockner. He TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. was not, however, destined to end his travels in peace, for some of the Emperor's subjects, maddened by the loss of the holy relic, pursued the poor knight without ceasing, and to prevent the prize being taken from him, he resolved to secret it in his body. Had he hidden the phial in his wallet or among his garments, it would, of course, have been easily discovered, so, martyr-like, he cut a hole in the calf of his leg and hid away the bottle in the cavity. But he had not gone far before his strength failed him, and, unable longer to bear the pain of his wound and the severe fatigue, he sank down and died on the roadside. It was here that some peasants discovered him, and finding he was beyond hope of recovery, they buried the corpse deep under the sod near the spot where the Briccius chapel now stands. But before very long there appeared above ground, much to the THE STORY OF ST. BRICCIUS. 169 astonishment of the good-natured sextons, the leg of the poor restless pilgrim, whose body knew no peace in its resting-place. Again was the body buried properly, and soon afterwards there came up through the snow that covered the turf, three ears of corn borne upon three slender stems, once more calling attention to the godly knight that lay buried beneath. The grandees of the district were here- upon consulted, and they repaired to the spot to witness the wonderful miracle. With the aid of a waggon and a pair of oxen the body was brought down into the valley, and behold, when they came to the little hamlet, which is now called Heiligen- blut, the beasts stopped and refused to move a step further. So all that remained of poor Briccius was taken into the chapel, and the holy relic was then found secreted in the leg. A church was founded to commemorate the 170 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. event, and within its precincts the Christian knight was laid to rest, while the holy phial and the ears of corn were preserved in proof of the circumstances. Subsequently a more lofty and extensive edifice was reared, containing a most highly wrought altar- piece, so elaborate in design and execution that a long period of years must have been necessary for its preparation; around the handsome interior, which, considering the insignificance of the village, is really of magnificent proportions, are paintings de- scriptive of the journey of Briccius, and two organs, both good instruments in their wajr, are placed opposite the altar. And underneath, forming the crypt, is to be seen the original little church containing the tomb of Briccius, while in a glass case one may see treasured up the three ears of corn, curiously enough as bright and golden as if they had been gathered yesterday. HOW TO PRESERVE A SHRINE. 171 One circumstance in connexion with the grave of Briccius is worth noting, if only to supply guardians of similar shrines with a hint how to keep their precious charges intact. The wooden casing over the tomb is said to ( be the third already, the two former having been chipped up and carried away piecemeal by curiosity collectors. Now the present guardians of the tomb happen to be sensible men ; and being perfectly aware that, do what they will it is impos- sible to prevent depredations on the part of visitors, and being at the same time loth that the tomb should suffer, they have placed, in a corner convenient to hand, a log of wood, of the same kind as that used for making the monument ; and from this bit of timber relic hunters are invited to cut a slice for taking home with them. There it stands in a corner near the saint's grave, in quite a tempting position, so that 172 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. •all who feel an itching sensation coming over them to whittle at something with a pocket-knife, may embrace the opportunity on the spot. " A sad story/' said Green, when at last ■every ramification of the history had been explained by an old peasant who acted as showman. " He could not have been much of a pedestrian," was White's opinion, "what- ever else he might have been. If he had a long journey before him, he might have known that cutting a big hole in his leg would interfere with his walking, especially over such country as this." " But what business he had to come all this distance out of the way for, is what I should like to know; as if Heiligenblut were on the highway between Constan- tinople and Copenhagen," said Brown, se- verely. BRICCIUS AS A PEDESTRIAN. 173- "He might just as well have crossed over the Pyrenees," added Black. " If he had only chosen the way across the Hochthor, and not come round by the Pfandlscharte, he would probably have been all right/' said White. "It was there he made the mistake, I think." "Ah, and he got stopping on the way continually, I shouldn't wonder ! " added Green. " It was that, and drinking at every stream he came across, that knocked him up." So poor Briccius obtained little sympathy from the Tittlebatonians, who one and all were disgusted at his efforts as a pedes- trian. To get from Heiligenblut to Kals and Windisch Matrei, a guide is again neces- sary, for in some places the path is lost altogether ; and besides, if you go by the very shortest way, it is quite enough walking 174 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. for one day. It is a famous tour, this journey to Matrei, for Nature on such a grand scale as hereabouts will impress itself on any mind. At one point you are almost under the shadow of the Gross Grlockner, whose snowy slopes are within half an hour's walk, for the Berger Thorl, oyer which the way lies, is in reality a shoulder of the big mountain. You come straight upon the cluster of frosted peaks quite unexpectedly, a gap in the mountain all at once exhibiting them to you, seemingly within stone's throw. It is as if you have been searching everywhere for them, as in a game of hide-and-seek, looking high and low, round this moun- tain and down that valley, until at last you have hemmed them in from further escape, and find the big white giants all huddled together in a corner. One feels impelled to call out, " So here you are, are you? you're found at last anyhow;" and THE CATS-WALK. 175 tempted to urge one's companions to come on quick to look at them, for fear lest they should run away again. The route from Heiligenblut leads up the valley and to the left across the Moll, the steep pathway where it bends round the side of the mountain being termed the Katzensteig, or " Cat's- walk." It is a nasty bit of climbing along this cat's- walk, for in some places the slippery rock, scarcely affording foothold, slope persistently the wrong way towards a precipitous ravine, whence comes the roaring of a torrent from whom no mercy need be expected by an unfortunate traveller. The Letter Hutte, a couple of hours' walk from the village, is used as a halting-place by mountaineers desirous of scaling the Gross Glockner ; and here a goodly supply of milk, if nothing else, can be obtained. Thence to the top of the pass, over loose rocks and soft snow, 176 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. is about two hours more ; and here it is that the finest views are obtained. Let the traveller be in no hurry to descend, for it will be a long time before he has such a fine sight so near him again. The Berger Thorl is just what a pass should be — a perceptible niche in a big mountain wall cut seemingly by an engineer, if one could only imagine so gigantic an undertaking ; and it is, as you pass through this portal, that the magnificent peeps of the Grlockner group, and of the charming pastoral valley of Kals in front, burst upon yon. Thence it goes steeply down hill into Kals, whose church spire is just visible over a black ridge of fir trees. There are two inns at Kals, but neither of them is pleasant enough to invite one to tarry long, except in the case of those desirous of ascending the mountains of the Glockner group. Brown, on entering one A KINDL Y RE CEP TION. 1 77 of these inns, was met on the threshold by a dignified lady in a round hat, whom he asked — after the usual salutation, and with some misgivings as to whether she was the landlady — if the valiant Tittlebats could rest there and get something to eat. To Brown's surprise, she forthwith claimed ac- quaintance, and at once put herself upon friendly terms with the whole of the party. To this proceeding there was, of course, no objection, only truth necessitated the asser- tion — which Green, as an authority on the subject of the fair sex, confirmed — that her face was unfamiliar to the members of the club. "Whatever the dear creature means, I can't make out," said Green, watching his leader and the round hat in conversation. The good lady was not to be shaken off. "Dear, dear, how heated you all are with your exertions ; had we not better shut the 12 178 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. window lest you take cold ; and no umbrella, too." For Green had delegated his instru- ment to the guide. There was another tourist present, an Austrian, in knickerbockers and stockings, and grey jacket turned up with the conven- tional green facings, and a sugar-loaf hat decorated with Tyrol ese flowers ; and to him the lady referred as to whether it was not a long way for the pedestrians to have come from Heiligenblut. But this gentle- man thought the feat to be anything but noteworthy, and in fact expressed himself to that effect, poohpoohing the Englishmen's deeds in measured and pompous tones. The reason of this presently appeared, for it turned out that the great man was bent upon the ascent of the Gross Glockner itself, and anything less hazardous was therefore, naturally enough in his present state of mind, not worth mentioning. Indeed, he A LITTLE COLD WATER. 179 took no further heed of the new arrivals, but turned to the window to converse with his guide and to superintend the harnessing of a small boy who was to supply the motive power for the transport of provisions; and it was not until he had seen this victim securely strapped, Mazeppa-like, to an enor- mous basket, and weighted to within an inch of his life, that he turned round again to see what effect such important arrange- ments had worked upon the Englishmen. White was by no means disposed to take matters quietly, and when conversation was resumed affairs began to wax warm between the contending parties ; the German moun- taineer taking an early opportunity to leave the room to consult further with his guides, and to ascertain for a fact whether the boy was still alive. It was then explained, for the enlightenment of the lady, that although a very good half- day's marcli had been ac- 12—2 180 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. complished, the appearance of profuse per- spiration, which bedewed the heads of all, was not the result of superhuman efforts as she might suppose, but simply to their having been ducked just then in a stream of cold water outside. The lady was shocked. She knew a gen- tleman — he was a count — who had once, only once, put his valuable headpiece into cold water, and he had immediately turned mad. She did not, of course, desire to give cause for anxiety, but what she had stated was a fact. As the result was different on this occasion, the only way to accept the in- telligence was to suppose that with some Grerman heads this might be the case ; but, so Green endeavoured to tell the good lady with all the assurance of an enthusiastic physician, that if she would only try the experiment frequently herself, get well trained to the use of cold water, and take particular A COUNTESS. 181 care to let the stream fall just nicely on the top of the spine, she would find her senses quickened amazingly. "Who is that lady?" Brown asked of the host, when she had gone. " The Countess of ," was the reply. Good heavens ! poor Green was dumb- foundered ; and White only wished that he talked German so as to have bounced when he got home of having conversed with a countess. Green was not let off easily for having talked iu that free-and-easy manner to so aristocratic a personage. " You might have guessed/' said Brown, " she was somebody particular ; why, I could see it from the first." Green did not recover his equanimity for some time ; he could never forgive himself for tendering advice to a gnadige Frau, and shocking her sensitive nature with sugges- tions about raw cold water to be poured J 82 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. -over the nape of her noble neck. Well might he remain silent under the circum- stances. There is a game in great vogue at Kals which must be referred to, for it helps very materially to pass the dull long evenings in winter time. It is a very simple amuse- ment, and requires but little paraphernalia. A couple of iron rings an inch in diameter are attached to the end of a long string suspended from the ceiling, and the game consists in standing on one side of the room and swinging this pendulum as it were, so that one or both rings catch upon a hook fixed in the wall opposite. A good deal of skill is required to do the trick successfully, and many are the mugs of beer won and lost over the game among the peasants. "No- body/' said the host, " could throw the ring like the worthy pastor of Kals, who, whether A QUIET GAME. 183 he used the right hand or the left, invariably- placed the rings upon the hook." In two hours you may reach the narrow mountain comb that separates Kals from Matrei — the Matrei Kaiser Thorl, as it is called — the top of which is marked by a wooden cross ; and probably at no other point hereabouts could you find such an extensive panorama. There are, be it known, two distinct groups, or clusters of peaks and glaciers, the one being termed the Gross Glockner group, and the other the Gross Venediger group. The Kaiser Thorl upon which you stand divides these two clusters, and, consequently, whether you look in front or behind, the sight that meets the eye is equally grand and imposing. A few cloud-patches about heighten the effect amazingly, for there the snowy pyramids reach up right into the heavens, giving TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. rise to all sorts of fancy forms and shapes ; it is difficult, of course, to distinguish the peaks from one another without a reliable map, but this is a matter of lesser conse- quence. The green meadows and black pine forests in the plains at their base enhance the beauty of the snowy spires beyond, and the tiny farms and houses grouped about in the valleys, so near, appa- rently, as to be within pistol shot, induce the belief that you must have discovered fairy- land, and that these miniature habitations and microscopic buildings are the veritable dwellings of the elves and fays so much talked about. Would you have a peep at Lilliput, here it is just below you, everything uniformly small and pretty. No big rivers or broad torrents are there, but only slender threads of silver, and the little village church, perfect as to modelling, could be shut up in a pill-box. The atmosphere is L1LLIPUT. 18s so bright and clear that distance goes for nothing. Green's accomplishments in the musical line came in very useful sometimes, and on one occasion it was a means of identifying a guide, by proving him, in Irish fashion, not to be the man he was supposed to be.. In coming from Ferleiten, the young fellow who acted as guide, and who had been so minutely scrutinized by Green before start- ing, gave cry on several occasions to a jodel or Swiss chant, which, being rather melodious, the musician of the party at a convenient moment noted in his book. This same man having proved efficient, wa& further engaged to go on to Matrei, and when in the grey of the morning he came- and led off the party, nothing occurred to arrest attention ; once or twice the question arose whether it really was the same guide, to which query some one made answer, " Oh i86 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. yes ! he is the man, but he hasn't his snow clothing on, and, besides, he has taken off his green spectacles." But towards the end of the day's work the guide began to jodel. "Hallo," said Green to Brown, "that isn't his jodel." " That isn't your jodel," repeated Brown to the man, as if he had appropriated some- thing not his own. " This is his jodel, you know," and Green turned to his pocket-book and hummed from his notes — HP— *~ fL±+. S=£ ;s=p^ ESE^PE^ a i a 1 p^PB^ H^ SP a i a i i a i a i a i .5 ~ .:c£±P=j ~t »=E=f P3 p ifjEQ §^§ a l aiaiai a. The guide hereupon pulled up. " That isn't IDENTIFIED IN A SONG. 187 the same jodel you sang yesterday," repeated Brown ; "just do it over again, will you?" And then the guide repeated his jodel, Green noting it down the while, and lo, on close examination, it turned out to be another man, as well as another jodel. " Why, you are not the man that came over the Pfandlscharte with us," remarked Brown. " Certainly not," said the guide, asto- nished ; " that man obtained an engagement to go back home, and therefore sent me." This was a little amusing, after Green being so careful too, especially as during the course of the journey all had been very liberal to him with wine and food as a reward for his civility on the day of passing the Pfandlscharte, the good man taking everything under the idea, no doubt, that Englishmen were universally generous and considerate. CHAPTER IX. WINDISCH MATREI — COMFORTABLE QUARTERS — THE GROSS VENEDIGER — A MUTINY — GRUBEN — TROUT, BLUE ANI> BROWN — THE CRUCIFIX AT VIRGIN — LETTEBS HOME. INE host at Batterer's hotel in "Win- disch Matrei is a right merry fellow, and his inn is one of the best in the Tyrol. Coming immediately' after the houses of entertainment at Ferleiten, Heiligenblut, and Kals, one is perhaps scarcely so par- ticular as usual ; but, in any case, the prin- cipal inn at Matrei is a most comfortable hostelry. It is just what an inn should be ; well furnished and cleanly ordered, with a good kitchen and active attendance ; it is everything the most fastidious would desire, for there is a homeliness and cheer- fulness about the place unknown in first- COMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 189 class hotels. Every stranger becomes a personal guest, and the host sits down at the same table, to see he is properly at- tended to. And the reason for all this courtesy is simply because the good maitre d'hotel does not profess to be any other than he really is. He is delighted with his visitors, not only because he makes profit out of them, but because they have done him the honour to enliven him with their company. Every little matter that can interest the traveller is discussed and brought to your notice. As you stand under the simple portico and look up the picturesque little street, overshadowed by a big black mountain that threatens its de- struction, the kindly host explains what there is to be seen in the neighbourhood, and apologizes for anything he deems obtrusive, even if it be nature's fault, and not his own. That patch of white, for 190 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. instance, which, you see in a cleft of the peak just referred to, he tells you ought not to be there at all ; it is not a glacier or even permanent snow, and he really cannot account for its presence, because, by rights, it should disappear in early summer. From some unaccountable reason, however, it has remained this year ; but, so his deprecating manner seems to say, it shall not happen again, or he will know the reason why. The road is out of repair just now in front of the inn, and this is really too bad, because the workmen ought to have finished the job long ago — last week at the latest \ but he will go and talk with them, and get an explanation of the delay. If he had his way, such disturbances would never occur ; and then finding his visitors still dilly- dallying about the premises, he thinks it high time they were off sight-seeing. Now, where are you going to? What is to be A BUSY HOST. 191 the first excursion ? It will never do to be dawdling about the inn all day; that, evi- dently, he would never permit for an in- stant, for everybody has their work to do, and tourists must not be idle. What do you propose to do ? You can either go to Gruben, and so to the base of the Gross Venediger, or there is the Pregarten valley to explore. About an hour's walk hence, just by a crucifix, there is a delightful glimpse of glaciers and snowy peaks. Only you, must decide quickly, or he will order matters for you, and then there will be no choice. But with all his good qualities, there is one weakness mine host possesses ; it is that of sending people up the Gross Vene- diger. That is, to him, the be all and end all of one's existence. A man who has lived through life and not been to the Venediger Spitz may be a good man in his way, but 192 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. he is by no means perfect. The ascent of his big neighbour is the only thing worth living for, and when accomplished you can die with dignity. It is all very well to say that you have not the courage, nor the means wherewith to attempt such an ex- ploit; all this avails nothing; if the weather is favourable you are bound to go. It is your bounden duty, and why on earth did you come to Matrei if you did not mean business ? You may plead ignorance, and say you were not aware of the respon- sibility until you arrived, but these are mere excuses. But has the host been up the Gross Vene- diger? you ask. Well, you may put the question, but to what end ? Of course he has been; twice* indeed; once about ten years since, and once only last year. That is to say, he has been up, but not quite to the top, you know, but very nearly, very THE GROSS VENEDIGER. 193 nearly indeed. So close to the summit was he, that had it not been for the unfa- vourable state of the weather the renowned Spitz would have been very heavily sat upon for once in its existence by the daring host ; but fortune favoured the big mountain, and it was let off for the nonce. But only for a very short time ; and even now one may consider going twice half-way up a mountain is just as good, any day, as reach- ing the top only once. But in what direction is the first ex- cursion to be made, that is the question ? " To Gruben and to the base of the big mountain, to see what it looks like/' suggests Brown; and without more ado the host takes the party into custody, and guides them up the valley to be sure that the walk is no make-belief on their part. There is no escape now, and although the Tittlebatonians had decided upon a quiet 13 194 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. off day, no alternative remains but to go quietly whither they are led. Up the valley under the picturesque old castle on the hill, past some old farmhouses and fields full of haymakers, the good man leads the way, for about a mile, to the en- trance of a deep ravine, out of which tum- bles a big cascade. "Now then/' says the host, stopping short and puffing audibly, " take the left of the ravine, when past the waterfall, and that will lead to Gruben and to the head of the valley. And in returning, you can choose the other side of the defile, and thus make a variation of the tour. You understand now ?" turning to Brown. That gentleman is quite confident of the matter, and tenders his thanks; he thinks now the way will easily be found. "But remember," adds the careful host, "remember to keep to the left in the first A MUTINY. 195 instance, because the waterfall is seen so much better. Brown promises that this shall be done. " It is impossible to miss the path if you go behind that barn and cross the stream at once, but be very particular to ascend by those houses;" and then the good fellow departs, looking back now and again to see that all is right. The day is very warm and the sun quite oppressive, the heat bearing down weightily upon one's head. To go any distance on such a day is impossible. "Look here," says Green, suddenly be- coming mutinous, " I thought we were to have a day's rest; it's too bad to make a fellow go on walking day after day in this manner. I was sure how it would be; Brown is always talking of having an easy day, but somehow we never get it. Poor Black even broke silence and mut- 13—2 196 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. tered something about their having taken it more quietly in the Pyrenees. " But it isn't my fault/' returns Brown, waxing wrath ; " why didn't you tell the old fellow at once that you wanted to stop at home ? Why, White here wanted to go up the Gross Venediger this morning when he heard of it." White puffs himself up with much dig- nity after such a handsome allusion, feeling bound to support the last speaker. He intimates, with an important shake of the head, that he certainly should like to make the ascent, and that if they stop another day at Matrei, it is more than likely that he shall do so. If there is any- thing for which he has had an ambition in life, it is that of scaling the Gross Vene- diger some day. This is more than Green can stand. " Why, you didn't even know till yesterday A HOT WALK. 197 that there was a mountain of that name/' White was astounded at such an assertion. " And what is more," continued Green, "you would not have thought about it had not the host told you it could be done com- fortably and without risk." The Tittlebatonians were out of temper, and their style of walking in the hot sun was not such as would impress one with the idea that they contemplated performing any very daring feat just then. Presently the barn alluded to by the host was reached. There was nothing peculiar about the building, but somehow it occurred to all to step in and look at it. "Whether it was for the purpose of seeing what was con- tained therein, or to observe the mode of preserving hay in that part of the country, is a moot point; but certain it is that the dispute came to an abrupt end, and every- body gazed around with the utmost interest. TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. A question arose as to whether the hay was- this year's crop or last year's, and to settle this point, the party, with one accord, began to explore the cool shady refuge. No satisfactory decision could be at once arrived at, and after pinching and smelling for some time, it was determined to find out by sitting upon it. It would never do to give up so important a matter without some considera- tion, and consequently all laid quietly down to think the matter over carefully. A few arguments were advanced pro and con, but after a time each man resolved to think the matter out quietly by himself, and so all kept their thoughts entirely to them- selves. In this way an hour and more passed without any decision being given, and barring one decided opinion expressed by the scientific Green, that the desic- cated fibre was the abode of several lively specimens of entomology, no positive affir- BROWN STUDY. 199 mation was advanced. There is no know- ing indeed how long the philosophers would have continued their profound studies, reposing upon their easy couches, had not the threshold been suddenly darkened by the portly figure of mine host, whose misgivings that all was not going on rightly had caused him to return and search for traces of the gallant pedestrians. Of course, pro- fuse apologies and explanations were at once tendered, for otherwise the good man might have supposed that his guests had left his implicit instructions unheeded, and gone into the barn, as soon as his back was turned, simply to lie upon the hay and kill time in a lazy purposeless manner. He scarcely listened to the explanations offered, but stood severely at the door until all had departed, the spiritless Tittlebats making their exit one after another in more or less lively fashion. And this time it was im- 200 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. possible to practise any deception, for it was not nntil his guests were laboriously toiling up the hill before him that the host again left them to their own devices. Windisch Matrei is not only a pleasant place in itself, but it is moreover a most eligible headquarters for excursions, whether the tourist be a modest walker or hardy mountaineer. You are in the very midst of lovely scenes and fragrant pine forests, and these can be enjoyed with little fatigue. Thus, as far as Grub en — not two hours' walk — the way is highly picturesque, the path being a ledge cut by the side of a frowning ravine, so steep and tortuous that you never know how far you will be able to proceed. The sombre walls of rock close together so suddenly as almost to choke the passage, and the little shelf of a path seems at times to be lost altogether. Then the magnificent waterfall seen from the preci- ROUND THE GROSS GLOCKNER. 201 pice above is alone worth a journey, the. fantastic shapes taken by the foaming water as it dashes against jagged rocks in its headlong flight, forming gauzy rainbows in the sunshine, looking like a glimpse of fairyland. Past Gruben you come to the very base of the mountains or Tauern, the crossing of which to Mittersill or Krimml completes the tour of the Gross Glockner very perfectly. But this step would prevent one seeing the Pregarten valley and the fine bit of country lying between Matrei and the Dolomites in the Puster valley, and there- fore one must needs be content to drop this link in the chain round the Gross Glockner, and return again to Matrei, the obligatory duty being in truth a very pleasant one. And so the Britons journeyed back to dinner, the host bein^ in excellent humour 202 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. jon a report of the proceedings being sub- mitted, as, by-the-bye, he need have been, seeing he had everything his own way. And while on the subject of meals, a word of praise deserves to be said in favour of the Tyrolese trout. " Will you have them blue or brown ?" the waitress usually asks you, and she means exactly what she says. When boiled the delicate fish are of a pale blue tint, while fried or baked they naturally enough assume a brownish hue. Cooked either way, they are a most toothsome dish, and form a welcome change to the veal and salad which is the staple of most dinners. There is another dish, too, that they under- stand perfectly in these parts — namely, pan- cakes, and these can be obtained when meat and butter are not forthcoming. An ein- gefulltes MeMspeise (Green called them male spiders), a pancake stuffed with preserves, will satisfy anybody, and is a capital foun- BLUE TROUT AND BROWN. 203 dation for walking upon. For drinking there is good beer to be had throughout the Tyrol, as well as palatable red and white wine, it being a matter for regret that the keeping qualities of the latter are not equal to their other virtues. Dinner finished, the host had a further chat on the subject of mountaineering. " We are going to explore the Pregarten valley next," explained Brown. The host was by no means elated at the news. " It will be a fine day to-morrow, I feel sure," he said ; " if you want to make a good excursion, now's your time." White had become quiet all of a sudden, for everybody knew what was coming. " Just the sort of weather for making an ascent of the Venediger Spitz," the host continued, in an off-hand, disinterested manner. " I don't think I ever knew a day 204 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. more favourable for the purpose — a clear •evening and no wind/' Keally one began to suppose that the old fellow received a capitation grant from government on every traveller he sent up the big mountain ; or was it that like pro- fessional crammers who coach young gen- tlemen for examinations, he meant to adver- tise that out of so many visitors who had stopped at his hotel, such a number had .gone up the Gross Venediger ? " I have a great mind to go," hazarded White, after a dead pause, and breaking into a perspiration. " I will take care of your things when you are away," volunteered Brown. "And of any letters you would like to write," said Grreen. White hitched his nether garments ner- vously, and, looking round a little uncom- fortably, gave a short cough and went THE VENEDIGER SPITZ IN DANGER. 205, through the motions of swallowing two or three times. The host was unwilling, of course, to in- fluence by an opinion one way or the other, but it might be useful, he thought, to men- tion that in case an ascent was projected, there were guides always ready and waiting. " I only wish I had bigger nails in my boots, that's all j I wouldn't hesitate a moment," said White. But this was a difficulty that the village shoemaker would get over in an hour, the host bore witness. "Ah, but then again, I don't know German sufficiently well to understand the guides," pleaded White. But this objection too was overruled by the statement that the guides were an intel- ligent set of men, and had repeatedly had Englishmen in their charge. White next objected to his ice-pole, and 206 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. then to his having no snow- veil, but the difficulties brought forward one by one were met as soon as started ; so there was really no alternative under the circumstances but for poor White defiantly and flatly to refuse to go on principle. This seemed both unfair and ungallant : unfair because for the last half hour he had usurped the reputation of a bold headstrong mountaineer on the eve of a perilous journey, and ungallant because the fair Kellnerin, who admired him from the first, had been delighted that this one of all his fellows should be the bravest and most intrepid. It was too bad, just as every hindrance had been explained away, to have the champion of the company refusing to depart without rhyme or reason. No explanation would White deign to offer, but he allowed it to be inferred, by his mysterious manner, that if people had not set upon him in a body, PREGARTEN VALLEY. , 207 matters would have turned out far differently-, and that while he was still personally anxious to make the ascent, he did not do so simply and solely out of spite to the others. It was merely a matter of personal feeling and nothing else, he gave all to understand, and he stalked off to bed with lofty strides that would have made the big mountain' tremble at his approach had it been human. As beautiful in its way as Gruben, if not altogether so grand, is the pretty valley of Pregarten. The way leads from the village over the rushing torrent, and ascends gradually through a forest of sweet- smelling pines. So densely wooded is the mountain side that in places the branches meet together and overshadow the lazy wanderer. Opposite are other green-clad slopes, whose soft outlines against the sky complete the most perfect picture of forest 208 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. scenery one can well imagine. There are many attractive points along the valley, but the most pleasing of all is when you reach the crest of a hill about an hour's walk from Matrei, where the path dips down into the little village of Virgin. The spot, marked by a crucifix, is startling in its beauty. It is as you come round a bend in the road that this glorious peep is secured, and one must needs rest awhile on the grassy bank to enjoy it. On either hand are grand old pine forests, the dark mass of foliage on the steep slopes reaching to the vale below, where the tiny cottages of Virgin are grouped about in picturesque confusion. And in the background, above the black firs and waving green boughs, peeps forth a virgin snow peak confessed in all its purity and loveliness. Such a scene on a summer's evening when the gleams of sunshine are giving place to a rich purple haze that A CRUCIFIX. 209 literally fills the valley with colour, is one no mortal can behold unmoved. And as one gazes upon the beauteous picture, there comes down the path, with painful and halting step, an old woman bent double with age and infirmity, with a, face that long ago lost its comeliness and now •embodies only what is ugly and loathsome. Glancing neither to the right nor to the left, the poor creature shuffles on her weary way, and as she reaches the favoured spot she too makes a pause of a few moments. Can it be, think you, that she appreciates the beautiful landscape ? can she too take delight in the divine panorama before her ? No, her stay has a very different meaning, for it is only when she reaches the crucifix itself that she comes to a halt. Glancing up at the holy emblem, she mutters a short prayer, and then fondlv taking the rough timber in her hands she kisses it reverently 14 2