"American?" repeated Von Glahn in his gentle, well-bred voice, offering his hand. And, in turn, becoming sponsor, he presented his stocky companion as Dr. von Dresslin; and the ceremony instantly stiffened to a more rigid etiquette.
Then, in his always gentle, graceful way, Von Glahn rested his hand lightly on Stent"s shoulder:
"You made us jump--you two Americans--as though you had been British. Of what could two Americans be afraid in the Carnic Alps to challenge a pair of wandering ibex stalkers?"
"You forget that I am Canadian," replied Stent, forcing a laugh.
"At that, you are practically American and civilian--" He glanced smilingly over their equipment, carelessly it seemed to Stent, as though verifying all absence of military insignia. "Besides," he added with his gentle humour, "there are no British in Italy. And no Italians in these mountains, I fancy; they have their own affairs to occupy them on the Isonzo I understand. Also, there is no war between Italy and Germany."
Stent smiled, perfectly conscious of Brown"s telepathic support in whatever was now to pa.s.s between them and these two Germans. He knew, and Brown knew, that these Germans must be taken back as prisoners; that, suspicious or not, they could not be permitted to depart again with a story of having met an American and a Canadian after ibex among the Carnic Alps.
These two Germans were already their prisoners; but there was no hurry about telling them so.
"How do you happen to be here, Siurd?" asked Stent, frankly curious.
Von Glahn lifted his delicately formed eyebrows, then, amused:
"Count von Plessis invites me; and"--he laughed outright--"he must have invited you, Harry, unless you are poaching!"
"Good Lord!" exclaimed Stent, for a brief second believing in the part he was playing; "I supposed this to be a free alp."
He and Von Glahn laughed; and the latter said, still frankly amused: "_Soyez tranquille_, Messieurs; Count von Plessis permits my friends--in my company--to shoot the Queen"s alm."
With a lithe movement, wholly graceful, he slipped the _rucksack_ from his shoulders, let it fall among the _alpenrosen_ beside his sporting rifle.
"We have a long day and a longer night ahead of us," he said pleasantly, looking from Stent to Brown. "The snow limit lies just above us; the ibex should pa.s.s here at dawn on their way back to the peak. Shall we consolidate our front, gentlemen--and make it a Quadruple Entente?"
Stent replied instantly: "We join you with thanks, Siurd. My one ibex hunt is no experience at all compared to your record of a veteran--" He looked full and significantly at Brown; continuing: "As you say, we have all day and--a long night before us. Let us make ourselves comfortable here in the sun before we take--our final stations."
And they seated themselves in the lee of the crag, foregathering fraternally in the warm alpine sunshine.
The Herr Professor von Dresslin grunted as he sat down. After he had lighted his pipe he grunted again, screwed together his b.u.t.terfly net and gazed hard through thick-lensed spectacles at Brown.
"Does it interest you, sir, the pursuit of the diurnal Lepidoptera?" he inquired, still staring intently at the American.
"I don"t know anything about them," explained Brown. "What are Lepidoptera?"
"The _schmetterling_--the b.u.t.terfly. In Amerika, sir, you have many fine species, notably Parna.s.sus clodius and the Parna.s.sus smintheus of the four varietal forms." His prominent eyes shifted from one detail of Brown"s costume to another--not apparently an intelligent examination, but a sort of protruding and indifferent stare.
His gaze, however, was arrested for a moment where the lump under Brown"s tunic indicated something concealed--a hunting knife, for example. Brown"s automatic was strapped there. But the bulging eyes, expressionless still, remained fixed for a second only, then travelled on toward the Ross rifle--the Athabasca Regiment having been permitted to exchange this beloved weapon for the British regulation piece recently issued to the Canadians. From behind the thick lenses of his spectacles the Herr Professor examined the rifle while his monotonously dreary voice continued an entomological monologue for Brown"s edification. And all the while Von Glahn and Stent, reclining nearby among the ferns, were exchanging what appeared to be the frankest of confidences and the happiest of youthful reminiscences.
"Of the Parna.s.sians," rumbled on Professor von Dresslin, "here in the Alps we possess one notable example--namely, the Parna.s.sus Apollo. It is for the capture of this never-to-be-sufficiently studied b.u.t.terfly that I have, upon this ibex-hunting expedition, myself equipped with net and suitable paraphernalia."
"I see," nodded Brown, eyeing the green tin box and the net. The Herr Professor"s pop-eyed attention was now occupied with the service puttees worn by Brown. A sportsman also might have worn them, of course.
"The Apollo b.u.t.terfly," droned on Professor Dresslin, "iss a b.u.t.terfly of the larger magnitude among European Lepidoptera, yet not of the largest.
The Parna.s.sians, allied to the Papilionidae, all live only in high alt.i.tudes, and are, by the thinly scaled and always-to-be-remembered red and plack ge-spotted wings, to be readily recognized. I haf already two specimens captured this morning. I haff the honour, sir, to exhibit them for your inspection----"
He fished out a flat green box from his pocket, opened it under Brown"s nose, leaning close enough to touch Brown with an exploring and furtive elbow--and felt the contour of the automatic.
Amid a smell of carbolic and camphor cones Brown beheld, pinned side by side upon the cork-lined interior of the box, two curiously pretty b.u.t.terflies.
Their drooping and still pliable wings seemed as thin as white tissue paper; their bodies were covered with furry hairs. Brick-red and black spots decorated the frail membrane of the wings in a curiously pleasing harmony of pattern and of colour.
"Very unusual," he said, with a vague idea he was saying the wrong thing.
Monotonously, paying no attention, Professor von Dresslin continued: "I, the life history of the Parna.s.sus Apollo, haff from my early youth investigated with minuteness, diligence, and patience."--His protuberant eyes were now fixed on Brown"s rifle again.--"For many years I haff bred this Apollo b.u.t.terfly from the egg, from the caterpillar, from the chrysalis. I have the negroid forms, the albino forms, the dwarf forms, the hybrid forms investigated under effery climatic condition. Notes sufficient for three volumes of quarto already exist as a residuum of my investigations----"
He looked up suddenly into the American"s face--which was the first sudden movement the Herr Professor had made----
"Ach wa.s.s! Three volumes! It is nothing. Here iss material for thirty!--A lifetime iss too short to know all the secrets of a single species.... If I may inquire, sir, of what pattern is your most interesting and admirable rifle?"
"A--Ross," said Brown, startled into a second"s hesitation.
"So? And, if I may inquire, of what nationality iss it, a R-r-ross?"
"It"s a Canadian weapon. We Americans use it a great deal for big game."
"So?... And it iss also by the Canadian military employed perhaps, sir?"
"I believe," said Brown, carelessly, "that the British Government has taken away the Ross rifle from the Canadians and given them the regulation weapon."
"So? Permit--that I examine, sir?"
Brown did not seem to hear him or notice the extended hand--blunt-fingered, hairy, persistent.
The Professor, not discouraged, repeated: "Sir, _bitte darf ich_, may I be permitted?" And Brown"s eyes flashed back a lightning shaft of inquiry.
Then, carelessly smiling, he pa.s.sed the Ross rifle over to the Herr Professor; and, at the same time, drew toward him that gentleman"s silver-mounted weapon, and carelessly c.o.c.ked it.
"Permit me," he murmured, balancing it innocently in the hollow of his left arm, apparently preoccupied with admiration at the florid workmanship of stock and guard. No movement that the Herr Professor made escaped him; but presently he thought to himself--"The old dodo is absolutely unsuspicious. My nerves are out of order.... What odd eyes that Fritz has!"
When Herr Professor von Dresslin pa.s.sed back the weapon Brown laid the German sporting piece beside it with murmured complimentary comment.
"Yess," said the German, "such rifles kill when properly handled. We Germans may cordially recommend them for our American--friends--" Here was the slightest hesitation--"Pardon! I mean that we may safely guarantee this rifle _to_ our friends."
Brown looked thoughtfully at the thick lenses of the spectacles. The popeyes remained expressionless, utterly, Teutonically inscrutable. A big heather bee came buzzing among the _alpenrosen_. Its droning hum resembled the monotone of the Herr Professor.
Behind them Brown heard Stent saying: "Do you remember our ambition to wear the laurels of Parna.s.sus, Siurd? Do you remember our notes at the lectures on the poets? And our ambition to write at least one deathless poem apiece before we died?"
Von Glahn"s dark eyes narrowed with merriment and his gentle laugh and attractive voice sounded pleasantly in Brown"s ears.
"You wrote at least _one_ famous poem to Rosa," he said, still laughing.
"To Rosa? Oh! Rosa of the Cafe Luitpold! By Jove I did, didn"t I, Siurd?
How on earth did you ever remember that?"
"I thought it very pretty." He began to repeat aloud:
"Rosa with the winsome eyes, When my beer you bring to me; I can see through your disguise!