Prince Jan, St. Bernard

o do. Day after day their mother told them more about the brave deeds of the St. Bernard dogs, for the work of the mother-

now storm blew over the mountains early in September, while Jan and his brother slept, warm and snug, beside their mother. Next morning no sun could be seen, and when the

ong corridors that day, and each time one of the monks came into the basement where the dogs wa

tched and waited, thei

must lick his face and hands to waken him, and if you cannot rouse him, so that he will stand up, or put his arms about your neck, you must hurry to the Hospice to bring the monks. That

hat have been sent from travellers rescued by our kinsfolk. Sometimes a handsome collar is sent to a dog that has saved a life, but the greatest honor of all was the medal that was given to Barry, and the beautiful marble monument that you puppies have seen near the Hospice. Your father had a collar sent to him by the men he saved. They knew he would never wear it, but they asked that it be hung above the fireplace

aged to catch the tip of his brother's fuzzy tail. This did not make Jan stop running, so Rollo was dragged after him through the heaps of snow, rolling over and over but clinging tightly until Jan turned and pounced upon him. They tumbled about, somet

were with him. The dogs were accustomed to visitors, for in the summer many people came

with him came down the steps. "There's Brother Antoine

as a much younger man with kindly grey eyes. Jan won the race, but was going so fast that he could not stop until he bumped against this grey-eyed man, who

ith intelligence and kindness, the strong muscles moving beneath the tawny skins, as though each one of them,

e the same age as Jan and Rollo, followed by the mothers with still smaller puppies. They reached a place in the yard where all of them stopped, and though the

ogs know that they must not cross to you, for the firs

ne and the other man stood, then the dogs group

ord you say," the old man spoke.

Antoine's gentle voice. "Not one of these dogs would hesitate to risk his life to save

man spoke as he looked into the upturned faces of the dogs

Italian slope toward Aosta, the other travels the Swiss path leading to Martigny. None of them turns back until the last cabin of refuge has been reached, where they look to see if any person is waiting. It is no

dogs proved they had been there a short time before us. We followed their tracks

tigny or Aosta and how many are on the way. If they do not reach here in reasonable time, or a storm breaks, we send out the dogs at once. It was much harder in the other days, before we had

ad storm," said Mr. Pixley. "It is foolhardy, not courageous, to face these mountains in a

ce or Switzerland for the summer. When summer is over they return home this way, because it would mean a long and expensive trip by rail, which wo

d wait till later in the

n a light shower of rain falls in the Valley below, it becomes a heavy snow up here, and many people are taken unawares. After winter really begins,

sample of your winter weather I have decided to return home to Califor

d? He saved forty-two people and died in 1815, just after the terrible storm that cost the lives of almost all the Hospice dogs. Only three St. Bernards lived through th

hen I was a very small boy, that I found a picture in a book. It showed a St. Bernard dog digging a man from the

hard on them, so we do not use the saddle any longer, but a flagon, or wooden keg of white brandy that we call 'kirsch,' is fastened to the

ed man observed. "Such fur as this pup's would afford better p

k hair holding moisture developed pneumonia. We brought Newfoundland dogs to fill the kennels when only three St. Bernards were left, but the long, heavy hair of the new breed that was part Newfoundland

d eyes each time the monks had examined him. He hurried to her side and pushed her with his nose, as he whispered, "Mother, will they

e so strong and so like your father, who had long hair, too, that I am sur

at the monk's side. The two strangers looked at Jan

t that was not surprising. He was a direct descendant of B

roud as he listened again to the story hi

ed when Rex found them. They knew that their only chance of life was to follow him. He went ahead, moving very slowly and looking back while he barked to encourage them. An ice-bridge had formed. It was hidden by deep snow and they

htful cracking as the ice-bridge broke away. Rex was never seen again, but his warning prevented those four men from being smothered in the chasm under h

rm nose into Brot

ping they would understand him, as he understood the

hat Jan said, but the other dogs underst

credit to us al

he dogs formed in little groups to talk among themselv

America," Bruno sa

while she felt the warm little bodies of the puppies pressed against her side, she had stared into the darkness, think

"but this man said he was from Califo

"A place where they never have any snow

k on?" asked Jan'

and said earnestly: "But, mother, how do

t know," she told

ween his paws, his yellow forehead wrinkled with thought, and he stared across at the tops of the great white peaks above the enclosure until his soft eyes closed in sleep

em could answe