a day's sport on the krammets berg. 165 



" Now, then, Xavier, will you try for him V 



" Of course I will : he is certainly a good way off, and 

 the ground is bad enough for stalking, but it is worth 

 a trial at all events/' 



We noted well where the chamois lay, for though we 

 could see the spot plainly from our eminence, we should 

 soon lose sight of it on getting lower. It was to the left 

 of a stony channel that the water had torn in the side 

 of the mountain ; this therefore, and a pine about two 

 hundred yards further off, were taken as landmarks. 

 One more look, to be quite sure of the point to be 

 gained, and we went down the steep. Broken as the 

 surface was, I could not but think how admirably we 

 both crept along. Not a stone rolled ; at each step the 

 heavy-nailed sole came upon the ground like a paw of 

 velvet ; neither of us made use of his pole, lest it might 

 clink against the rock and cause a sound. Not once did 

 we slip ; and when the ground was so uneven that we 

 had to step lower than usual, each steadied himself with 

 his hand, and then the descending foot was dropped 

 gently to the ground. A woman's step in a sick cham- 

 ber is not more lovingly gentle than was that of us two 

 iron-shod male creatures. 



We halted. Xavier made signs that he thought the 

 buck must be yonder. Here were the stones the water 

 had washed down, and there stood the tree. True, the 

 place appeared quite different now to what it did from 

 above, but still on looking round we felt sure this was 

 the spot. We moved towards the latschen, and peered 

 downwards into the space below, but no buck was there ; 

 he must have gone away as we were coming down. As 

 a proof that we had not disturbed him, but had done 

 our work most cautiously, two does were lying not far 

 off, just below us on a patch of green : had the buck 



