"Henry," said Mr. George, "there is a thunder shower coming up; we must hasten on." "No," said Henry; "that was an avalanche." "An avalanche?" exclaimed Mr. George. "Why, the sound came out of the middle of the sky." "It was an avalanche," said the guide, "from the Jungfrau. See!" he added, pointing up into the sky. Mr. George and Rollo both looked in the direction where Henry pointed, and there they saw a vast rocky precipice peering out through a break in the clouds high up in the sky. An immense snow bank was reposing upon its summit. The glittering whiteness of this snow contrasted strongly with the sombre gray of the clouds through which, as through an opening in a curtain, it was seen. Presently another break in the clouds, and then another, occurred; at each of which towering rocks or great perpendicular walls of glittering ice and snow came into view. "The Jungfrau," said the guide. Mr. George and Rollo gazed at this spectacle for some minutes in silence, when at length Rollo said,-- "Why, uncle George! the sky is all full of rocks and ice!" "It is indeed!" said Mr. George. It was rather fortunate than otherwise that the landscape was obscured with clouds when Mr. George and Rollo first came into the vicinity of the Jungfrau, as the astonishing spectacle of rocks and precipices and immense accumulations of snow and ice, breaking out as it were through the clouds all over the sky, was in some respects more impressive than the full and unobstructed view of the whole mountain would have been. "I wish the clouds would clear away," said Rollo. "Yes," said Mr. George. "I should like to see the whole side of the mountain very much." Here another long and heavy peal, like thunder, began to be heard. Mr. George stopped his horse to listen. Rollo and Henry stopped too. The sound seemed to commence high up among the clouds. The echoes and reverberations were reflected from the rocks and precipices all around it; but the peal seemed slowly and gradually to descend towards the horizon; and finally, after the lapse of two or three minutes, it entirely ceased. The travellers paused a moment after the sound ceased and continued to listen. When they found that all was still they began to move on again. "I wish I could have seen that avalanche," said Rollo. "Yes," said Mr. George. "I hope the clouds will clear away by the time we get to the inn."