HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS. 81 



which was hardly what I had come this expedition for. Every 

 argument told in favour of a turn up the valley, though I had no 

 intention of shooting, as we had now quite enough meat for the 

 winter. All the same, I took my rifle with me, seeing that one can 

 never tell what may happen on a walk of the kind. 



I took my way across some slightly rising ground near the 

 tent, and up across a level grassland which, gently undulating, 

 spread a long way to the south, between the mountains. It was 

 a well-watered, and, as things go up there, luxuriant landscape, 

 with tarns and rivulets scattered about in great numbers, joined 

 by many tributaries from the numerous side valleys. 



After I had been walking a little while I turned off up a small 

 valley which ran inwards in an almost southerly direction. The 

 ground here was absolutely cut up with hare-tracks ! Countless 

 tracks crossed and re-crossed one another in every possible direction. 

 Never in my life had I seen anything like it ! When I had 

 had enough of following the valley I ascended the slopes on the 

 east side, and fell on to what seemed a veritable high-road of 

 tracks; the snow in many places being trodden into perfectly 

 hard runs. 



While I was standing wondering at this curious sight I 

 suddenly saw a number of white specks on some flat ground a 

 little way off. At first I could not in the least make out what 

 they were they looked more like white stones scattered about the 

 barren land than anything else and therefore took the telescope 

 to my aid. I was highly astonished when I discovered that each 

 distant speck represented a hare ! 



This must be investigated more closely, I thought, and walking 

 towards the spot I was soon able to count thirty-one animals. 

 The thirty sat motionless the whole time, looking as if they were 

 asleep ; but the thirty-first was plainly a sentinel. She hopped 

 about in and out among them in never-ceasing vigilance. Every 

 now and then she sat up and listened for a time, but not hearing 

 anything to arouse her suspicions, continued her rounds among the 

 sleepers again. 



I made my way towards them with all the stealth I was 

 capable of, but it was not many minutes before the sentinel 

 VOL. II. G 



