298 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



his soul with music, as he lingered abstractedly on 

 his way. 



And now we are in the village, and the children 

 stop in their play, and the old people and youths and 

 lasses pause in their work as we pass, and look at the 

 good chamois that Neuner has at his back. And with 

 what feeling of inner satisfaction and delight you meet 

 the passers-by ! in truth you are glad they happen to 

 come that way just then, when the rucksack is freshly 

 stained and bulging out with its pleasant load. You 

 feel so cheery and light-hearted, so perfectly satisfied 

 with yourself, and, even if not so generally, I am quite 

 sure that now you cannot help being affable. But 

 does not success always make us happy ? 



We took the buck to Neuner's cottage, and his 

 sister stepped out to welcome us. Now came the 

 sweet words of gratulation, sweet and gentle- sound- 

 ing ever, be the language what it may in which they 

 are spoken. Some of the hair was then pulled out to 

 make a gemsbart ; it was jet black, but unfortunately 

 rather short. Six weeks later it would have waved 

 the whole length of his back in long and splendid 

 tufts. He weighed, when cleaned, Gl^ft., and of fat 

 alone we took 5ft out of him. 



"There are calamities in authorship which only 

 authors know,," writes Charles Lamb to a friend ; and 

 just so with the sportsman there is many a circum- 

 stance which he only can appreciate. All these little 

 incidents therefore I mention purposely; for, though 

 very trifling in themselves, they belong here, and it is 



