Sally shouted after him: "Call us if you find something, but be careful, it is steep there." [Illustration: _Churi....unexpectedly gave him such a severe push that Erick rolled down the rest of the mountain side...._] Erick answered with a yodel and disappeared.

Having arrived below, he met the Middle Lotters, who were bending in groups here and there, or lying on the ground, eating the berries which they picked.

Erick could not find the red spot which he had seen from above; but not far away from him stood Churi, who had seen him coming down.

Churi called to him: "Come here, velvet pants, here are berries such as you have never seen." Erick went quite calmly to him and when he now had stepped quite close to Churi, the latter unexpectedly gave him such a severe push that Erick rolled down the rest of the mountain side and right into the gray waves of the Woodbach.
When Churi saw that, he was frightened.

For a moment he stared at the gray waves; but Erick had disappeared, not a speck of him could be seen.
Then Churi softly turned round and ran away as quickly as he could, without looking round, for his conscience bit him and drove him along, and he dared not look anyone in the face for fear that someone could read there what he had done.