190 SIR VICTOR BROOKE CHAP. 



got awfully cold, which I felt the more as I had 

 forgotten my knitted gloves. Arthur had taken the 

 lower part. The beat took an age, and it was awfully 

 cold and uncomfortable. As soon as I heard the men 

 I went down to Arthur, and we crossed the gorge and 

 joined Michell, and struggled up to have a look for 

 Arthur's female, but when we got there it was too late 

 to do anything. On the way down to the Cotatoire 

 path Tambell found the froms of a good solitaire that 

 had been dead about a month. The men had found 

 tracks of bouquetin in the beat. 



Tuesday, ^th April 1881. A finer-looking morning, 

 and Pierre started for Gavarnie. Tried the Sanctuary 

 again. I went to the Banbox, as we suspected that 

 something had played a trick on us yesterday in the 

 precipices about this spot, from the way Tambell had 

 looked up and sniffed all along their foot. I had to 

 cross a very nasty couloir before getting to my post, 

 from which the rocks had fallen constantly yesterday. 

 I bolted across as hard as I could, and immediately 

 afterwards a large rock and a fusillade of smaller ones 

 thundered down across the place I had passed. Medor 

 made me jump whilst at my post, coming up a gully I 

 had not observed to the east of the post. I had heard 

 his footsteps, and was sure it was something for a 

 moment. Celestin, who was top man, called me 

 shortly after passing under me to say he had found 

 Arthur's bouquetin. I went down to look at her. 

 She had gone about 400 yards ; she was shot low and 

 far back ; a nice young female about five years old, in 

 kid. Afterwards went up to the precipices to get out 

 of the rain, and lunch. Arthur joined me, and we went 

 to look at the bouquetin which Vincent had carried ofT 

 quietly, and for a bit we could not make out what had 

 happened to her. Sketched the bouquetin. 



