BAD LUCK 



No such luck ! The appearance of a beater at 

 the edge of the wood, and that of the other "guns" 

 in the far distance, followed by more beaters carry- 

 ing what were evidently chamois, told us that the 

 drive was over, and our last hope fled. We had 

 waited indeed ; but for what never came ! 



The Prince had had the luck that day, and killed 

 three chamois. 



But it is not often (in a good preserve, at least) 

 that one sees absolutely nothing. Unless the wind 

 plays some trick, one almost always has a sight of 

 game though perhaps too far to shoot at and 

 generally one may count on getting a shot. On the 

 occasion I was speaking of, however, the wind ' was 

 excellent, and there were plenty of chamois in the 

 drive. It was sheer bad luck ! Perhaps that fatal 

 date caused it ! 



The weather had, on the whole, smiled on us 

 during our stay in the Zillergrund, but on the last 

 day we saw the other side of the picture. The 

 wind blew fitfully and gustily and, seemingly, from 

 every point of the compass. Blinding snow- 

 showers came on continually, the white feathery 

 flakes drifting round us as we sat shivering in 

 the biting wind, that blew through and through 

 one. 



My post was, of course, the most exposed I had 

 had during the whole time we were in the Tyrol luck 



207 



