188 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



thus broken had something discordant, something un- 

 earthly in it, and I was almost glad when the sounds 

 died away in some distant hollow*. 



At length I saw Xavier making his way back again. 

 The chamois was not to be seen. We followed its 

 traces some distance, first however binding up my 

 torn fingers, in order not to confound the drops of 

 blood falling from them with that of the chamois : we 

 saw that it had got out of the clam, and was doubt- 

 les*s among the latschen. Without a dog we could 

 then do nothing, for by this time the chamois had 

 probably ceased to bleed ; and to follow it by the slot 

 alone on the hard ground, crossed and recrossed by 

 that of others which had passed there lately, would 

 be impossible. 



I forgot to say that, when slipping downwards, I 

 had, in order to stop my descent, convulsively clutched 

 at a piece of rock with my right hand, hoping to save 

 myself. It came away like the rest ; yet it caused a 

 momentary strain on my shoulder, and seemed to jerk 

 it out of the socket. Tor a second or two the arm 

 fell helpless. I had now time to examine the limb, 

 and finding I could lift my arm concluded all was 

 right, and trusted that the pain would cease by the 

 time we got home. 



We now clambered down to the chamois : all was 

 so jagged and broken that there was not a place broad 

 enough to stand upon which was not sharp and cutting. 



* The drawing facing this page is not a sketch of the clam iu 

 question, but there is much resemblance between the tv\o. C. S, 



