vir DEATH OF TWO BOUQUETIN 183 



end of and below this I posted myself, and had hardly 

 got there when I heard my friend Post cannonading 

 away like a man with your rifle "which I had lent to 

 him, as I was anxious that he should kill one. Shot 

 followed shot, and cries and yells to such an extent, 

 that I felt pretty sure they were making a fine mess of 

 it. At last I heard, ' Look out, they are going to you !' 

 and next moment I saw their heads, as they scrambled 

 along the ledge straight to me. I lay very quiet 

 behind a pine gazing up the rock, not knowing where 

 they would appear. I was not left long in doubt, a 

 small avalanche of stones being closely followed by the 

 head and shoulders of the old female. For a moment 

 she paused to see that all was right, and the little bullet 

 sent her flying like a stone past me into the gorge 

 below with a broken heart. The little fellow, a male, 

 dashed back, and showed himself over the overhanging 

 part of the ledge. Another bullet whacked into his 

 little chest, but only grazed him. Like the wind he 

 flew to the left and peeped over, only showing his head 

 and a bit of the neck, into the latter of which I sent 

 another ball, but again only a flesh wound. This was 

 too much for the little fellow. Down the rock-side he 

 flew, at the bottom of which he was met by the dogs, 

 and away they crashed through the wood below me. 

 Stuffing in another cartridge I let fly again, and this 

 time I saw by the gather together of the stride that 

 harm was done. However, he held bravely on, and it 

 was only when a fourth ball through his heart and 

 lungs reached him, as he stood on a rock about 150 

 yards off, that his stout little limbs gave way, and he 

 lay down in the snow and died. Upon going to the 

 female, I was very pleased to see Post's bullet through 

 the top of her shoulders, as I was enabled to give her 

 to him on the claim of first blood. He was not quite 



