TENTH DAY. 173 



were wonderfully picturesque. I here often noticed the tracks 

 of large wolves imprinted in the deep mud. 



Further and further we penetrated into these already 

 known districts, though I had some difficulty in recognizing 

 them, as all these woody valleys are so much alike ; and at last, 

 after nearly three hours of driving, we saw far below us, in 

 a lonely grassy valley, the very place where the decoy-hut 

 stood at which I had yesterday shot the young Sea-Eagle. 

 Our driver now touched up the tired horses, and we drove at 

 a quick gallop along the verge of an almost perpendicular 

 slope, and over the most breakneck places, down to the bottom 

 of the valley, and in another quarter of an hour reached the 

 shooting-lodge. 



It was half-past seven in the evening, the sun had already 

 vanished behind the mountain-tops, the shades were deepening, 

 the last of the birds singing, and the still repose of a lovely 

 night soon fell. I found my brother-in-law and Count 

 Chotek waiting for me in front of the house, where I unloaded 

 my spoils, and briefly related the interesting events of this 

 splendid day, the memory of which will be among the most 

 permanent of my many sporting recollections. 



Leopold had to-day been very unlucky at the nests allotted 

 to him, and had, for the first time, come back empty-handed. 

 He had severely wounded a Cinereous Vulture in the side 

 with ball, and had distinctly seen the great bird drop in the 

 valley ; but all the efforts that were made to find it were, for 

 the first day or two, unsuccessful, and when it was at last 

 found, and sent after us to Vienna, it unfortunately arrived 

 in a very high condition. 



It was a wonderful evening, and until the long-desired 

 meal was quite ready we sat in front of the house consulting 

 with Count Chotek over the plans for the morrow, and came 

 to the conclusion that we would set off again during the 

 night and go to the rocks which Brehm thought so much of, 



