238 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



" I see him," said Berger ; " that 's one of them, 

 for certain. 



" Now I '11 tell you what, Berger," said I ; " I would 

 rather get that fellow than the best chamois buck that 

 was ever shot in these mountains. If we could but 

 get him, and bring him down to the forester's house ! 

 Come, let us be after him : which is the best way ?" 



" There is no use in trying, I assure you," said he ; 

 "you see yourself what a distance he is off. Why, by 

 the time we reached that ridge he might be far away 

 on the other side, across the valley and up on the other 

 mountain. I should like to catch him well enough, 

 you may be sure, if only it were possible. It would 

 take us some hours to reach the ridge where he is." 



" I know that, but we may make the attempt. To 

 take that fellow's rifle from him, and bring him down 

 in triumph by Jove ! it would be the best day's sport 

 I ever had in my life." 



But Berger still protested against the experiment, 

 contending that it was perfectly useless to try. So we 

 went on, keeping away to our right to the right of 

 the spot too where I had seen the poacher. The whole 

 time my thoughts were occupied with the man, and 

 I was still longing to make him prisoner. We had 

 mounted a long rough path among the latschen, and 

 could now overlook the scene. Further on to the 

 right the mountain ridge made a sweep, and there the 

 rocks were torn, jagged, and everywhere steep pre- 

 cipices. It was a wild, frightful place. Far below 

 was a chasm, but nowhere ought else but loose and 



