i8o SIR VICTOR BROOKE CHAP. 



'bad -luck corner' (the place where the old female 

 izard came up to me and got away without a shot ; 

 Post also had a bad bit of luck here). I was posted in my 

 old place, and Post where Francois was. I had not been 

 long at my place when I heard the dogs in full cry 

 coming towards me, and presently saw an izard 

 labouring heavily through the deep snow straight to 

 my post. I let him come till he was about 40 or 

 50 yards from me, and shot him through the heart. 

 He was a nice young male, with very massive horns. 

 Another had gone to Post, but had winded him, and 

 turned off sharp. We arrived at the cabane about an 

 hour before dark, when Post went off to catch a trout 

 for dinner, whilst I went to my old place in the bed of 

 the river from which I used to spy the castle. After a 

 little time I caught sight of the bouquetin, and fancy 

 my delight, instead of being up in the castle, they were 

 down on the slopes of the salle dattente. It was 

 glorious to watch the old rascals picking about at their 

 ease. It was the three males : the boodah a little by 

 himself to the right, the yellow-eyed scamp above him 

 knocking down snow on to the boodah's back, and the 

 aide-de-camp, the second largest male, a little to the 

 left. Once or twice the boodah fed into such a bad 

 place that he could hardly get out of it apparently. I 

 watched them till dark. Next morning Celestin was 

 up at dawn, and went to spy, finding them almost 

 exactly where I had left them. As fast as we could 

 we got ready, and in one and a half hours we were 

 creeping along under the left-hand precipices, where 

 V. B. is written, towards the 'entrance,' in the hopes 

 of seeing our friends on the salle d'attente. Nothing 

 being in sight, we each of us climbed, and with very 

 considerable difficulty, I can assure you, to our posts, 

 which, as you see, command the salle dattente^ where 



