144 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



And with his usually merry face overcast he walked 

 on in silence. 



After having missed a shot a change comes over 

 everything. You are no longer light-hearted as you 

 were before, when expectation made you buoyant; 

 you feel discontented with yourself, and, enacting in 

 your mind the whole occurrence over again, wonder 

 how it could possibly have turned out so unfortu- 

 nately. You are not only dissatisfied with yourself, 

 but dissatisfied with all about you. Nothing gives you 

 pleasure; you care for nothing: one single thought 

 alone occupies you, and that is, " If I could only have 

 one more shot at him ! he should not escape a second 

 time." And all those things that at other times are 

 looked at with delight now afford you none : you 

 hardly cast a glance at the barrier of snow yonder high 

 up in the sky; the sunshine does not gladden you; 

 and in a sort of desperation you seek comfort by 

 looking at and following the track of the game you 

 have just missed. I do not see much sense in this, 

 though I have often done it, and have hung over the 

 footsteps in the soft earth or in the snow, and examined 

 the size and depth of the impression, as though by 

 so doing I could conjure up the animal and bring it 

 back again. 



It was now too late in the morning for any chance 

 of a successful stalk; we therefore returned to the 

 hut and cooked some schmarren for breakfast. As 

 we sat over the fire with the dish between us, eating 

 our meal in silence, I could not but think how great 



