DOONAGITtl PEAK. 299 



to it, was such, that at first it inspired an almost overpower- 

 ing sensation of mingled wonder and awe, until the shrinking 

 eye gradually became more accustomed to its dazzling mag- 

 nificence. What an insignificant atom of mortality I felt 

 as I silently contemplated this stupendous immutable work 

 of nature ! If any Alpine traveller can imagine himself 

 brought suddenly face to face with the Jungfrau, as viewed 

 from the Wengern Alp, but considerably exaggerated, and 

 with a towering cone of snow piled above it, he may per- 

 haps be able to form some idea of what was before me, and 

 of my feelings whilst I stood regarding it. As the morning 

 wore on, huge masses of snow, detached by the sun's heat, 

 began thundering down with a dull booming sound like 

 salvoes of distant artillery. 



Several noonday hours were passed on the ridge resting 

 and watching for game. Towards the afternoon, as we sat 

 under the rhododendrons, where we had been sheltering 

 from a shower of hail, we descried two tahr far up among 

 the craggy ground across the wide hollow we had last 

 ascended from, and almost directly above where I had 

 killed the musk-deer. Three more soon put in an appear- 

 ance still higher up, and all were fine old fellows. They 

 took some time to make up their minds to descend towards 

 the greener slopes lower down, my shot at the musk-deer 

 having probably made them suspicious of danger below. 

 Once started, however, they lost no time on their way, as 

 they rattled down with the succession of playful skips and 

 bounds by which these wild goats are often wont to seem- 

 ingly show their glee at the prospect of their evening meal. 

 It was very interesting to observe them through the glass, 

 with their long shaggy hair tossing wildly about in the 

 wind, as they reared up and butted at each other in their 

 gambols, sometimes appearing as though they were knocked 

 headlong, or had even fallen backwards, down from crag to 

 crag. How little did they know they were being watched 

 with deadly intent! At length they all settled quietly 



