And so the "Iffinger" had become completely Germanic, for the present master had suddenly sold the few Roman slaves which he possessed, and had replaced them by men and maids of Germanic race: Gepidians taken in war. This master was again named "Iffa," like his ancestor. He lived alone, a silver-haired man. A brother, and his wife and daughter-in-law, had, many years ago, been buried under a landslip.
A son, a younger brother, and a son of the latter, had obeyed the call of King Witichis to arms, and had never returned from the siege of Rome.
So no one was left to the old man but his two grandchildren, the boy and girl of the son who had fallen.
The sun had set gloriously behind the mountains which bordered the incomparable Etsch valley in the blue distance to the south and west.
A warm golden lustre lay upon the tender porphyry colouring of the "Iffinger," making it glow like red wine.
Up the mountain slope, upon the top of which stood a dwelling-house with a row of stalls a little apart, climbed slowly, step by step, resting ever and again, and holding her hands over her eyes as she looked at the sunset, a child--or was it already a maiden?--who was driving a flock of lambs before her.
She now and then gave her protégées time to crop with dainty tooth the aromatic Alpine herbs which grew in their path, and beat time with the hazel stick which she carried to an ancient and simple melody, the words of which she was softly singing:
"Little lambkins,
Follow freely;
By your shepherd's
Hand led heedful;
Like the heaven's
Lovely lambkins,
Like the quiet
Steady stars, that
Shining, sparkling,
Obey ever
Their bright shepherd,
Mustered by the
Mild moon ever,
Without trouble,
Without pause."
She ceased, and bent forward to look over into a deep ravine on her left hand, which had been hollowed out in the steep slope by a rapid mountain brook. Now, being summer, the water was very shallow. On the opposite side the hill again rose steeply upward.
"Where can he be?" the girl said; "usually his goats are already descending the hill when the sun has turned to gold. My flowers will fade soon!"