UP THE MOUNTAIN. 285 



drink I must. We ate a crust of bread, and, as the 

 sun was shining warmly, we crept into a shady place, 

 with Bursch beside us, and all three had a sound 

 sleep. 



In an hour we awoke, and on we went again. " A 

 buck ! a buck ! " flew suddenly from Neuner's lips ; 

 and with widely-opened eyes and his mouth screwed 

 up as though he were saying " Hush ! " though he 

 uttered not a breath, down he dropped, so as to pre- 

 vent his body being seen above the sky-line. We 

 crept forward on our stomachs, with hats off, gently 

 advancing our heads, till at last our eyes could just 

 peep over the ridge. There he was below us, and 

 a splendid fellow too. 



" He is quite black," I whispered to Neuner ; " that's 

 a good buck indeed ! But how can we get near him ?" 



This was a question of painful interest. To be tor- 

 tured by the sight of such a capital chamois, within 

 my grasp as it were, and yet not be able to approach 

 him, was most distressing ; for in a moment my eye 

 reconnoitred the ground, and I saw all the difficul- 

 ties of our position. Over the ridge where we lay 

 the descent was nearly perpendicular; latschen were 

 growing there abundantly, it is true, so that to climb 

 down would have been possible enough, but not noise- 

 lessly, and that was here a question of the last im- 

 portance. From out the depth before us, that went 

 stretching away more or less abruptly to the valley, 

 rose here and there a pile of rock like the towers of 

 a cathedral, with latschen growing on its surface, or 



