104 SPORT IN NOETH AMERICA. 



unable to touch one of tlie inhabitants with the 

 point. There was only one ^Yay of seeing the mar- 

 mots at our leisure, and that was to conceal our- 

 selves and wait patiently until fear had given way to 

 confidence. It was a circumstance favourable to 

 our plan, that, on the borders of the " town " was 

 a row of dwarf cedars, whose dwarfed branches 

 would enable us to see without being perceived. We 

 retired with as little noise as possible, and each 

 having taken his place, remained immoveable, keep- 

 ing the most profound silence, every eye fixed on 

 the " town," the doors and windows of which were 

 open indeed, but not just then crowded. 



Little by little, w^e could see a few old stagers put 

 their nose out of doors and then disappear. Others 

 jumped out for a moment, but only to quit one hole 

 to leap into another. At length, a few of the 

 marmots, reassured b}" the tranquillity which reigned 

 around, and believing that the danger had gone by, 

 slipped out of their hiding-places. They rapidly 

 crossed a considerable space and entered a hole. 

 We could only imagine that they had gone to visit a 

 friend or relative to recount the alarm which they 

 had felt, and to discuss the causes of the panic,, 

 and compare observations upon the vision which 

 had passed before their eyes. Afterwards, other 

 marmots, grown bolder, began to throng in groups 

 in the middle of the streets, and these groups were 

 apparently engaged in discussing the outrages which 



