A DAY'S SPORT ON THE KRAMMETS BERG. 173 



fell at once, but both were disabled : each one went 

 some distance along a ledge of rocks, choosing, as 

 they always do when wounded, the most inaccessible 

 places. 



I wanted to go down along the edge of the clam 

 and, firing across it, finish at once the two wounded 

 animals ; but this Xavier opposed. 



" No," said he, " leave them for awhile : it is much 

 better. They are both in a bad condition, and by 

 leaving them undisturbed they will get much worse. 

 They won't go away from the spot, and perhaps pre- 

 sently we shall find them dead. If you go after 

 them now, they will make every effort to get off, and 

 as we have no dog with us it might not be an easy 

 matter to track them through the latschen." 



" By getting down yonder," I replied, " I might 

 certainly be able to have a shot and finish them at 

 once ; true it is far, but I would sit down to take a 

 steady aim. As to hitting them, I am quite sure 

 about that." 



" 'T is further than you think," he replied ; " be- 

 sides if we leave them at once we can go after the 

 others. These three are not those we saw first." 



"But they will have heard the shots, and are no 

 doubt off by this time." 



" No, they won't have heard them, for they are 

 over the shoulder of the mountain, and lower down. 

 Now then, let us go." 



I confess I did not like Xavier's plan, for it was 

 most painful to me to leave the chamois there, both 



