X Cha77tois-Hunting 497 



weight was rather an incumbrance than otherwise 

 in the mountains ; but how could I persuade the 

 ' Heavy,' whose opinions of course ran the other way, 

 to agree with me ? 



However, as the men thinned off, and the place 

 became quieter, I determined to make the attempt, 

 at least ; and commenced the attack by ' standing ' 

 Joseph a cJiopim of the aforesaid red ink, and then, 

 fearing the consequences, followed it up by an in- 

 finity of gouttes of infamous corn -brandy, all the 

 while raving about the Tyrol, Andreas Hofer, and 

 the Monk, and abusing the French, till I quite won 

 his heart ; he, innocent soul, never imagining the 

 trap I had set for him. At last I glided into 

 chamois -hunting, the darling theme of a Tyroler, 

 making him tell me all sorts of wild stories, and 

 telling him some in return, every whit as true, I 

 have no doubt, as his own ; till at last I boldly 

 demanded to be allowed to accompany him the next 

 morning. 



Joseph demurred for some time ; but gratitude 

 for the tipple, my admiration for Hofer, and, perhaps 

 the knowledge that I had been over some of the 

 stiffest bits of the surrounding ranges alone, and had 

 been after the genise, though unsuccessfully, before, 

 made him relent, and it was finally settled that I 

 should go. He went home to get comfortably steady 

 for the next morning, and I laid violent hands on 

 everything eatable to stuff into my knapsack ; while 

 the others, after vainly trying to dissuade me out of 



2 K 



