“An American!” exclaimed Lorry.  Sitzky grew loquacious.

“Sure!  I used to be a sailor on a United States man-o’war.  A couple of years ago I got into trouble down at Constantinople and had to get out of de service.  After dat I drifted up dis way and went to railroadin’.”  He hadn’t exactly the manner of a man-of. warsman.

“How long have you been on this road?” asked Grenfall.

“’Bout a year, I should t’ink.  Been on dis branch only two months, dough.”

“Are you pretty well acquainted in Edelweiss?’’

“Oh, I run in dere every other day—­in an’ out ag’in.  It’s a fine place,—­purtiest you ever saw in your life.  The town runs right up the mountain to the tip-top where the monks are—­clear up in d’ clouds.  Dey say it snows up dere almost all d’ time.”

Later on, from the loquacious guard, the two Americans learned quite a good bit about the country and city to which they were going.  His knowledge was somewhat limited along certain lines, but quite clear as to others.

’Dis Graustark, ‘s fer as I know, is eeder a sort o’ state or somet’ing belongin’ to de Umpire, governed by it’s own rulers.  Edelweiss is de capital, d’ big guns of d’ land lives dere.  I’ve walked out and saw d’ castle where d’ Princess and d’ royalty hangs out.  D’ people speak a language of deir own, and I can’t get next to a t’ink dey say.  But once in a while you find some guy dat talks French or German.  Dey’ve got a little standin’ army of two t’ree t’ousand men an’ dey’ve got de hottest uniforms you ever did see—­red an’ black an’ gold.  I don’t see why d’ United Rates can’t get up somethin’ foxy fer her soldiers to wear.  Had a war over here not long ago, I understand—­somethin’ like ten or fifteen years ago.  Dere’s another little country up north of Graustark, and dey got in a wrangle ‘bout somethin’, and dey tell me in Edelweiss dat for ’bout a year dey fought like Sam Patch.”

“Which was victorious?” demanded Lorry, deeply interested.

“I’m not sure.  To hear d’ Edelweiss people talk you’d t’ink dey licked d’ daylights out of d’ other slobs, but somehow I got next to d’ fact dat dem other fellows captured de city an’ went after a slashin’ big war indemnity.  I don’t know much ‘bout it, an’ maybe I’m clear off but I t’ink d’ Graustark army was trashed.  Every t’ing is prosperous now, dough, an’ you’d never know dere’d been a war.  It’s d’most peaceable town I ever saw.”

“Did you ever hear of the Guggenslockers?” asked the irrepressible Anguish, and Lorry felt like kicking him.

“In Edelweiss?  Never did.  Friends of yours?”

“Acquaintances,” interposed Lorry, hastily, frowning at Anguish.

“You won’t have any trouble findin’ ’em if dere anybody at all,” said Sitzky, easily.  “D’ hotel people ought to be able to tell you all ’bout ’em.”

“By the way, what is the best hotel there?” asked Anguish.