206 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



and was now out on the mountain looking after 

 poachers. Shots had been heard, it seems, in the di- 

 rection where we had been lately, and Maxl was off at 

 once after the invaders. Woe betide him who comes 

 within reach of his rifle, and alone ! 



The stag was one of twelve, and had he been shot 

 earlier would have been a splendid prize. But now, 

 his lank shrunken sides made me doubly regret the 

 necessity of thus killing everything, whether in or out 

 of season. 



On Monday it rained ; on Tuesday I went out again 

 with Max, but could not get a shot. It was afternoon, 

 and we were going slowly upwards, when close above 

 us we saw five men, each with a rifle at his back. 

 Down we dropped behind a block of stone, to watch 

 them. They were going along one behind the other 

 on a narrow path, and talking loudly. 



"Do you know them?" I asked Max, who was ex- 

 amining them attentively. 



" Three of them I know, but I cannot make out 

 who the two others are. Let us go on, and see what 

 they intend." 



We proceeded accordingly, at first, on account of 

 the unbroken surface of the ground, keeping below 

 and parallel with them, but afterwards following in 

 their very footsteps. Sometimes we waited to let them 

 pass on, and only when they were a considerable dis- 

 tance in advance did we rise up from behind a low 

 bush where we had been lying, and go after them 

 again. Once, on coming to a ridge, we lost sight of 



