AN UNLUCKY DAY. 141 



ters which Solacher's repeater was chiming beside 

 me. Five and three-quarters it 's time to be off ! So 

 kicking away the heap of hay with which each of us 

 was so comfortably covered, we crept down into the 

 hut. Unbolting the door, to let in the light, we put 

 all in order, replaced everything as we had found it, 

 and sweeping the floor made the place as neat as it 

 was on our arrival the night before. It had ceased 

 raining, but the sky and mountain-tops wore signs of 

 no good promise. 



We went to the rock where the two chamois had 

 been the preceding evening. At the moment of 

 reaching the summit the chamois sprang away in 

 front of us, stopped at a distance, whistled, and then 

 were off again. They had winded us as we were 

 coming up, and had retreated before the apprehended 

 danger long before we could approach them. It was 

 an unfortunate beginning, for we had looked on those 

 two chamois as our own. " It 's ah 1 my fault/' said 

 Max, vexed and angry ; "I never was here yet but I 

 stalked up the other side; and last night, as I lay 

 thinking it over, I made up my mind to go the same 

 way as before, and yet I took the opposite one. I 

 don't know why I did so ; I never went on that side 

 before. If we had gone more to the right we should 

 have got above them, and had a shot for certain. 

 Himmi! Donnerwetter ! Der Teufi!" he exclaimed, as 

 he stopped a moment and reflected on the matter, and 

 on the chance which had been thrown away. 



Below us thick mists were rolling, so that it was 



