vii CAUGHT BY AN AVALANCHE 173 



the leading guide, and the next moment, to our 

 horror, we saw Celestin and Francois crumpled up 

 in the snow-drift, and carried away out of our sight 

 down the steep slope into the mist below. Our 

 feelings are better imagined than described, as we 

 stood alone in the midst of those mountains of snow 

 without any indication how to get backwards or 

 forwards ; the falling snow had filled up our tracks, 

 and we dared not speak above a whisper. It was 

 absolutely necessary to retreat from our present 

 position, and we retired about 100 yards from the 

 blue line, and made our way down the steep face in 

 the direction we had seen our men carried ; in a 

 few minutes, to our joy, we heard a whistle from 

 below, and on answering it were shortly joined by 

 both our guides, who, though they had been carried 

 down a considerable distance, had most providentially 

 escaped without serious injury. We then learnt 

 from Celestin what a dangerous position we were in, 

 having in the snow-storm got close beneath the 

 great avalanche at the top of the pass. 

 Captain Brooke goes on to describe the death of 

 the great trophy of this expedition, the big bouquetin, 

 which he speaks of as next to the Markhor of the 

 Himalayas, as one of the grandest beasts he had ever 

 laid eyes on. This was the first bouquetin killed in 

 the Pyrenees for many years, and was a most magnifi- 

 cent specimen. 



To HIS BROTHER HARRY. 



"PAU, qtk May 1879. 



Post and I have just returned from the 'home of 

 my fathers, where the wild goat lives on the dread hill- 

 side,' and according to my promise I send you an 

 account of our sport. We were a month away alto- 



