AN UNLUCKY DAY. 133 



sweeping the floor made the place as neat as it was 

 on our arrival the night before. It had ceased raining, 

 but the sky and mountain-tops wore signs of no good 

 promise. 



We went to the rock where the two chamois had been 

 the preceding evening. At the moment of reaching the 

 summit the chamois sprang away in front of us, stopped 

 at a distance, whistled, and then were off again. They 

 had winded us as we were coming up, and had retreated 

 before the apprehended danger long before we could ap- 

 proach them. It was an unfortunate beginning, for we 

 had looked on those two chamois as our own. " It 's all 

 my fault," said Max, vexed and angry ; " I never was 

 here yet but I stalked up the other side j and last night, 

 as I lay thinking it over, I made up my mind to go the 

 same way as before, and yet I took the opposite one. I 

 don't know why I did so ; I never went on that side be- 

 fore. If we had gone more to the right we should hav T e 

 got above them, and had a shot for certain. Himmi ! 

 Donner wetter ! Der Teufi !" he exclaimed, as he stopped 

 a moment and reflected on the matter, and on the chance 

 which had been thrown away. 



Below us thick mists were rolling, so that it was im- 

 possible to see anything. Presently however a sunbeam 

 fell here and there on the peaks of the distant mountains; 

 and, as a sweet smiling face has the power of dissipating 

 tears or sulkiness, anon the whole snowy range was glow- 

 ing in the morning light. The fog dispersed, the sky 

 became blue, and all looked bright and cheerful. We 

 walked on, and came to the brow of a hill from which 

 we could overlook a large space, partly bare and partly 

 covered with low stunted shrubs. It was a long while 

 before we saw anything, but at last Max perceived five 

 chamois at a distance browsing among the latschen. He 



