THE CHAMOIS. 103 



he is in pursuit of, "he can go no further." The 

 author of the ' New and Perfect Art of Venery/ who 

 has given so amusing an account of how the chamois 

 play at leap-frog over the snow, says that in such 

 cases, " when the hunter can get neither forwards nor 

 backwards, and is unable to save himself by a leap, 

 nought is left him but to fling off everything, and 

 wounding the soles of his feet cause the blood to flow, 

 so that by its stickiness he may be enabled to hold 

 himself better on the slippery rocks." 



In the ardour of pursuit, indeed, one might easily 

 get into a place whence, unassisted, it would be quite 

 impossible ever to get out. A spot may often be seen 

 below which can be reached by a jump or by sliding 

 downwards ; but the question is, whether, when once 

 there, it will be possible to get further or back again ; 

 for though you may let yourself down the smooth rock, 

 there is no climbing up its steep surface. It is there- 

 fore necessary to be assured of this before taking such 

 a leap, or you may find yourself, like the Emperor 

 Maximilian, on a narrow ledge of rock, at your back 

 the smooth stone, and before and below you nothing 

 but the yielding air. 



