AN UNLUCKY DAY. 135 



more noise than a pop-gun, instead of the usual roar 

 that caused the hills to reverberate. 



" I don't know the reason," said I, greatly vexed at 

 the mishap, and not a little angry at his displeasure : 

 " such a thing never happened to me before." 



" If you go on so, you won't shoot much," said Maxl, 

 growing more and more angry at the misadventure, and 

 evidently longing, had he dared, to give me a good scold- 

 ing for what he conceived was owing to my carelessness. 

 " Why, the bullet did not go a quarter of the distance 

 to the chamois : I would lay a wager it fell not a dozen 

 yards from where we are. You cannot have had half 

 enough powder, or your rifle would never have gone off 

 in such a manner." And with his usually merry face 

 overcast he walked on in silence. 



After having missed a shot a change comes over every- 

 thing. You are no longer light-hearted as you were 

 before, when expectation made you buoyant; you feel 

 discontented with yourself, and, enacting in your mind 

 the whole occurrence over again, wonder how it could 

 possibly have turned out so unfortunately. You are not 

 only dissatisfied with yourself, but dissatisfied with all 

 about you. Nothing gives you pleasure; you care for 

 nothing : one single thought alone occupies you, and 

 that is, " If I could only have one more shot at him ! he 

 should not escape a second time." And all those things 

 that at other times are looked at with delight now afford 

 you none : you hardly cast a glance at the barrier of snow 

 yonder, high up in the sky ; the sunshine does not glad- 

 den you ; and in a sort of desperation you seek comfort 

 by looking at and following the track of the game you 

 have just missed. I do not see much sense in this, 

 though I have often done it, and have hung over the 

 footsteps in the soft earth or in the snow, and examined 



