AN UNLUCKY DAY. 143 



over the grass, with his hat off and his neck stretched 

 out to catch a glimpse of the game we were approach- 

 ing. Quickly lowering his head, and bending to- 

 gether as if to make himself invisible, while his whole 

 body was alive with excitement, he motioned me to 

 advance. I crept forward : the chamois were already 

 on the watch, and gazing, somewhat alarmed, towards 

 the place where we were hidden. Another step, and 

 I was before them : they bounded off, but I selected 

 one, and as it moved away I fired. Maxl looked at 

 me, first in astonishment, and then with an expression 

 of dissatisfaction. 



"Why, what's the matter with your rifle?" he 

 asked : " the powder must be damp, or you have not 

 the full charge : it hardly made any report at all." 



I was as surprised as he. It had indeed made 

 hardly more noise than a pop-gun, instead of the usual 

 roar that caused the hills to reverberate. 



" I don't know the reason," said I, greatly vexed at 

 the mishap, and not a little angry at his displeasure : 

 " such a thing never happened to me before." 



"If you go on so you won't shoot much," said 

 Maxl, growing more and more angry at the misad- 

 venture, and evidently longing, had he dared, to give 

 me a good scolding for what he conceived was owing 

 to my carelessness. "Why, the bullet did not go a 

 quarter of the distance to the chamois : I would lay 

 a wager it fell not a dozen yards from where we are. 

 You cannot have had half enough powder, or your 

 rifle would never have gone off in such a manner." 



