856 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



evident they suspected danger, but I did not think 

 they could see me, for they had not whistled as yet ; 

 and there was still a possibility they might, in moving 

 on, come a little nearer, for at present they were a 

 long distance off. There they stood for a time, I all 

 the while hardly daring to move even my eyelids, 

 anxious what the next moment would bring with it. 

 The nearest chamois was the smaller of the two, it 

 was of a reddish colour, while the other larger one 

 was quite black. But he was the further off, so, if 

 I fired at all, I thought it would be better to take 

 the nearer animal. Thus we remained in presence of 

 each other ; all was still and silent as the very air, 

 it was as if everything had been petrified by some 

 sudden spell. 



Suddenly the nearer chamois utters the sharp whistle; 

 but he gazes still, and is motionless. I now knew there 

 was no hope of their coming nearer ; in a moment they 

 would be off. There was no time to lose ; and, bring- 

 ing my cheek down to my rifle, to take aim, I carefully 

 prepared to fire. The loud report breaks the long 

 silence. " Is he hit ?" I ask myself. " No, they 're 

 both going away ! It cannot have touched him ! Yet 

 the one that lags behind he does not leap up the 

 mountain so lightly as the other ! I don't know 

 though something seems the matter with him yet 

 -yes, he 's off !" Far as he now was, I still fired the 

 other barrel, and knew at once I had missed. 



I followed their track some distance, to see if there 

 were any drops of blood on the snow, but to my great 



