130 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



for the hundred florins. So I told him to wait there, 

 while I went on to drive the chamois, to enable him 

 to have a shot at them. When I got to the head of 

 the ravine there lay a great piece of rock that I could 

 hardly move; but by leaning my back against the 

 block I at last succeeded, and over I sent it into the 

 gully below. You may think what a noise it made ! 

 Down it dashed, tearing and crashing, and leaping 

 from rock to rock, into the very midst of the chamois. 

 They were frightened out of their senses, and off they 

 went as fast as they could bound. This was just what 

 I wanted, for I knew that my gentleman was so hot he 

 would fire directly he saw them, whether far or near. 

 And I was right ; bang ! went his rifle not a second 

 after. Now, thought I, the hundred florins are safe; 

 he has missed for certain. When I got back to him I 

 asked if he had hit or missed. He had not missed, he 

 thought. This however we would ascertain on coming 

 back, for to stop then was not possible, as we should have 

 reached the stand only after the drive had begun. I 

 was very pleased all the time, being sure he had not hit 

 him. On our way down I went to look after the chamois ; 

 and sure enough, there he lay, quite dead. The Baron 

 gave me the ten florins as he had promised, but the hun- 

 dred which I had calculated on having I did not get/' 



Our cheerful fire, the warm beverage, and the merry 

 stories we had to tell each other, made the long evening 

 pass away quickly enough. 



"It is a pity the maids have left no cheese here," 

 said Max, who, like myself, was getting hungry again ; 

 " they would if I had told them. They would leave any- 

 thing if they thought it would be of service— cheese, 

 salt, in short whatever I chose to ask for." 



There was something very pleasing in these little acts 



