404 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



upon, as nearly the size of this round table as may 

 be (forty -two inches in diameter), only it was rather 

 longer at one end, which gave us more room to open 

 and clean the chamois. Now we had to return, and 

 to carry the buck with us ; that was the most difficult 

 part of our undertaking." 



" It was in going back you grew giddy, was it not ?" 

 " Yes, for the first time in my life. It was not 

 exactly giddiness either, but rather fright, a feeling 

 that now it was all over with me, and that I should 

 never come out again. But there was no time to lose, 

 or it would really have been all over with me ; so 

 pulling out my flask, I took a long draught of the 

 spirit that was in it, and sat down to recover myself/' 

 " But where? not on the narrow ledge surely ?" 

 " Yes, on the ledge, with my feet hanging over. 

 I was obliged to sit down. I sat there for about a 

 quarter of an hour. But then came the getting up, 

 that was a difficult piece of work ; for as the ledge 

 was narrow, I could not turn as I should have done 

 anywhere else; for, if I had, my shoulder or elbow 

 or head might have knocked against the rock behind 

 me, and that, causing me to lose my balance, would 

 have sent me over ; so I was obliged to get first one 

 foot up very carefully, and then at last the other, 

 and when that was done, all the rest I managed well 

 enough. Nothing on earth however should ever in- 

 duce me to go that way again." 



" How long was the way altogether ?" I asked, 

 " the ledge that projected from the face of the rock." 



