322 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



and told Andreas to get up and make him a fire, 

 that the poachers might not suspect he was in league 

 with the forester. On looking round he saw the two 

 guns and the poles which the men, strangely enough, 

 had left hanging on the wall near the hearth; and 

 pretending to inquire whose they were, got some 

 evasive answer from Andreas. This, he said, did not 

 satisfy him : he suspected all was not right, and would 

 search the hut. So he went up, and groping among 

 the hay, seized hold of the two men's feet, and in this 

 way he pulled them out of their hiding-place. As 

 they had left their rifles below, instead of taking them 

 with them when they went to lie down, they could do 

 nothing. The thing was, I suppose, they felt so sure 

 of being safe in the hut that they did not mind going 

 to bed without their guns." 



" Well, but how did they escape ? What happened 

 to them afterwards?" 



" The forester, who was somewhat hasty, could not 

 wait till it was broad day, but in his impatience set off 

 with his prisoners at once. It is true they were bound, 

 but not together ; and, as they were going down, Anni 

 Klaus made a spring, dashed into the bushes, and 

 was out of sight in a moment." 



"And the other, Hofer, what became of him?" 



" He was examined, but, as is always the case, he 

 denied everything. The powder in his pocket he said 

 he had found, and invented a story about looking for 

 a goat that had strayed, to account for his being on 

 the mountain. Of course he would not confess, and 

 he got off scot-free." 



