Louder and louder grew the rumbling. Crash followed upon crash. All the inmates of the chalet were aroused, and screams of women and children resounded from every quarter. I sprang to my feet, hurriedly donned my coat and boots, and rushed out of the hut, but my fiendish companion was at my heels. Upon gaining the outside of the cottage I found the face of the country much changed. Huge crags had been loosened, and tumbled quite close to us. Many chalets had been completely crushed under them, and as far as the eye could see all was one scene of desolation. The terror and the consternation of my poor hostess was pitiable. She gathered her children together as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and remained stupefied with despair. As for myself, having escaped the danger of being crushed alive, my only thought now was to escape my tormentor in the best way I could. The earthquake was at an end, so I strode on in the direction I had followed on the previous day, taking advantage of the momentary absence of the dwarf, who had entered the hut for some purpose or other, and imagined for a moment that I should not be overtaken. Alas! vain hope; hardly had I proceeded for ten minutes, when I heard steps behind me, and lo! there was the hideous elf running after me on all fours, his physical conformation rendering this mode of progression the easiest. I started, and my blood ran cold. "What do you want?" I asked, angrily, still striding on. But it was useless. Raising himself on his short legs, he beckoned to me, and I immediately felt myself spellbound. "Follow me," he signed with a gesture. "I do not want a guide," I replied. "I am neither in search of crystals, fossils, nor of shining stones; no, nor even of gold." "Never mind," he seemed to say; "come all the same; I will show you what the earthquake has done." "I am much obliged to you; but I have seen enough of the earthquake, and I repeat I do not want a guide." "I do not want your money; I will follow you for friendship," he appeared to say. "Not even for friendship," I said; "I prefer to walk alone." "What!" he intimated, "when you can get a companion for nothing?" "Don't you see, my good man," said I, "that your presence is a bore to me--that I'd rather be alone?" "Nevertheless, yesterday evening you were glad enough of a guide, and I asked you for no reward for my trouble," he seemed to say with his eye. "It is false," I replied; "I did not want a guide. I could have found the hut myself." "That is ungrateful," he said, in his dumb manner. "Did you not ask me?" "If I asked you," I replied, "I did so for the sake of not passing you without a word; besides, I offered you money, and you refused it. I won't be under any obligation to you," said I. "Here, take your nuggets; I want them not," and I threw them at him. "I'll have nothing to do with one who feigns to be dumb in the daytime, and yet can talk well enough at night."