THE ALM HUTTE. 127 



second his rifle cracked, and the Tyrolian doubled up 

 together, bent forward, and fell. They were obliged to 

 retreat, and had to use the carts which they had brought 

 to fetch plunder, to carry off their own dead." 



" And your father recovered ?" 



" Oh yes, he lived a long time after that, quite well 

 and hearty." 



" And how was it, Maxl, that your brother Henry got 

 wounded in the foot so badly ?" 



" That the poachers did : those of Miesbach and Schlier 

 See are the worst ; they fire directly they see a forester, 

 no matter whether he attacks them or not. It was near 

 Schlier See that it happened. Henry came suddenly 

 upon five or six poachers, and immediately called to 

 them that he would stand aside and let them pass, with- 

 out attempting to stop them or to fire. And so he did j 

 but one of them, when he got near, fired and hit him in 

 the ankle. He fell directly, and the poachers went on 

 and left him there. With great difficulty he dragged 

 himself to the nearest Senn Hiitte, and the Sennerinnen 

 bandaged his foot and he was carried home." 



"And what about Kreuth, is there much poaching 

 going on now ?" 



" It was not long ago that Ignace, the son of my old 

 uncle, he whom we met yesterday as we were coming 

 home, had an adventure with some of them. It was just 

 on the hill where you shot the kid. He was going up the 

 mountain, and saw the footprints of several men in the 

 snow. He wondered who could have been there, so he 

 followed the track for some time, and presently observed 

 a fellow with a rifle in his hand, waiting and watching 

 for game. He drew nearer and looked well at him, but 

 still without knowing him. At last he asked him what 

 he was doing there, when up jumped the man, crying 



