THE ALM HUTTE. 137 



yes,' he answered, 'quite so : if I miss the first shot, 

 a hundred florins are yours/ Well, I thought, it is 

 strange enough, but a hundred florins ! that 's a sum 

 worth having ; and I began considering how I could 

 manage to make him miss the first time he fired. 

 All night I lay awake thinking the matter over, but I 

 could not hit upon any plan whatever. Next day I 

 was going up the mountain to show him his stand 

 before the drive began, when down below us in a gully 

 I saw some chamois. That 's just right, thought I ; 

 now then for the hundred florins. So I told him to 

 wait there, while I went on to drive the chamois, to 

 enable him to have a shot at them. When I got to 

 the head of the ravine there lay a great piece of rock 

 that I could hardly move ; but by leaning my back 

 against the block I at last succeeded, and over I sent 

 it into the gully below. You may think what a noise 

 it made ! Down it dashed, tearing and crashing, and 

 leaping from rock to rock, into the very midst of the 

 chamois. They were frightened out of their senses, 

 and off they went as fast as they could bound. This 

 was just what I wanted, for I knew that my gentleman 

 was so hot he would fire directly he saw them, whether 

 far or near. And I was right ; bang ! went his rifle 

 not a second after. Now, thought I, the hundred 

 florins are safe ; he has missed for certain. When I 

 got back to him I asked if he had hit or missed. He 

 had not missed, he thought. This however we would 

 ascertain on coming back, for to stop then was not 

 possible, as we should have reached the stand only 



