III
On the Pasture
Heidi was awakened early next morning by a loud whistle. Opening her eyes, she saw her little bed and the hay beside her bathed in golden sunlight. For a short while she did not know where she was, but when she heard her grandfather’s deep voice outside, she recollected everything. She remembered how she had come up the mountain the day before and left old Ursula, who was always shivering with cold and sat near the stove all day. While Heidi lived with Ursula, she had always been obliged to keep in the house, where the old woman could see her. Being deaf, Ursula was afraid to let Heidi go outdoors, and the child had often fretted in the narrow room and had longed to run outside. She was therefore delighted to find herself in her new home and hardly could wait to see the goats again. Jumping out of bed, she put on her few things and in a short time went down the ladder and ran outside. Peter was already there with his flock, waiting for Schwänli and Bärli, whom the grandfather was just bringing to join the other goats.
“Do you want to go with him to the pasture?” asked the grandfather.
“Yes,” cried Heidi, clapping her hands.
“Go now, and wash yourself first, for the sun will laugh at you if he sees how dirty you are. Everything is ready there for you,” he added, pointing to a large tub of water that stood in the sun. Heidi did as she was told, and washed and rubbed herself till her cheeks were glowing. In the meanwhile the grandfather called to Peter to come into the hut and bring his bag along. The boy followed the old man, who commanded him to open the bag in which he carried his scanty dinner. The grandfather put into the bag a piece of bread and a slice of cheese, that were easily twice as large as those the boy had in the bag himself.
“The little bowl goes in, too,” said the Uncle, “for the child does not know how to drink straight from the goat, the way you do. She is going to stay with you all day, therefore milk two bowls full for her dinner. Look out that she does not fall over the rocks! Do you hear?”
Just then Heidi came running in. “Grandfather, can the sun still laugh at me?” she asked. The child had rubbed herself so violently with the coarse towel which the grandfather had put beside the tub that her face, neck and arms were as red as a lobster. With a smile the grandfather said: “No, he can’t laugh any more now; but when you come home tonight you must go into the tub like a fish. When one goes about like the goats, one gets dirty feet. Be off!”
They started merrily up the Alp. A cloudless, deep-blue sky looked down on them, for the wind had driven away every little cloud in the night. The fresh green mountainside was bathed in brilliant sunlight, and many blue and yellow flowers had opened. Heidi was wild with joy and ran from side to side. In one place she saw big patches of fine red primroses, on another spot blue gentians sparkled in the grass, and everywhere the golden rockroses were nodding to her. In her transport at finding such treasures, Heidi even forgot Peter and his goats. She ran far ahead of him and then strayed away off to one side, for the sparkling flowers tempted her here and there. Picking whole bunches of them to take home with her, she put them all into her little apron.
Peter, whose round eyes could only move about slowly, had a hard time looking out for her. The goats were even worse, and only by shouting and whistling, especially by swinging his rod, could he drive them together.
“Heidi, where are you now?” he called quite angrily.
“Here,” it sounded from somewhere. Peter could not see her, for she was sitting on the ground behind a little mound, which was covered with fragrant flowers. The whole air was filled with their perfume, and the child drew it in, in long breaths.
“Follow me now!” Peter called out. “The grandfather has told me to look out for you, and you must not fall over the rocks.”
“Where are they?” asked Heidi without even stirring.
“Way up there, and we have still far to go. If you come quickly, we may see the eagle there and hear him shriek.”
That tempted Heidi, and she came running to Peter, with her apron full of flowers.
“You have enough now,” he declared. “If you pick them all today, there won’t be any left tomorrow.” Heidi admitted that, besides which she had her apron already full. From now on she stayed at Peter’s side. The goats, scenting the pungent herbs, also hurried up without delay.
Peter generally took his quarters for the day at the foot of a high cliff, which seemed to reach far up into the sky. Overhanging rocks on one side made it dangerous, so that the grandfather was wise to warn Peter.
After they had reached their destination, the boy took off his bag, putting it in a little hollow in the ground. The
