THE CHAMOIS 107 



beasts are in the drive, and soon the easily distinguishable 

 right and left of the Duke's Express are awakening the echoes, 

 and as the fleeing band, after leaving two victims behind, 

 dashes down the flag-line, the turn of the other guns comes too. 

 About one o'clock another distant signal shot tells one that 

 the beaters have reached the top of the flagged ridge from the 

 back, and now we can see them clearly outlined against the 

 sky. They remove the ' lappen ' before beginning their ex- 

 ceedingly perilous descent down the face of the cliffs a most 

 desperate looking undertaking, which one watches with bated 

 breath. Some seven or eight chamois trying to escape 

 by a ledge up the face of the cliff reach the top from one 

 side just as the beaters do the same from the other, and to 

 see them wheel about on a band of rock only inches wide and 

 dash down, leaping from projection to projection, startlingly 

 exhibits their wonderful surefootedness. My turn comes by- 

 and-bye, when an old stager, whom I have been observing 

 for some time, makes up his mind to escape by the pass my 

 ' stand ' commands. Stealthily and carefully winding at every 

 stop he makes, he slowly comes up towards the only remaining 

 point, whence as yet no thundering note of warning has 

 issued, and I am glad that I let the small fry which shortly 

 before dashed past me do so unmolested. It frequently 

 occurs that a sacrifice like that at the beginning of the drive 

 is finally thus rewarded. In this instance, a second old 

 buck an hour later is also fatally misled as to the safety of 

 the route I am guarding. Soon after four o'clock the drive 

 is over, sixteen chamois forming the 'Strecke,' as a very 

 ancient custom of venery, i.e. the placing in a row of the 

 day's bag, is called. A stirring and picturesque sight it is 

 when all assemble at the meeting-place, usually some bit of 

 Alpine sward where sportsmen, keepers, and beaters mingle 

 in eager discussion of the chief events of the day, and every 

 head is carefully examined. To an active climber, joining the 

 beaters under the guidance of a keeper is more exciting work 

 than sitting for hours in one spot and potting driven chamois ; 



