286 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



stood exposed on the summit of the mountain, with Hofer 

 a little in front. Bromberger could not resist the temp- 

 tation, and determined to have a shot at him ; so laying 

 a handkerchief folded together on the rock to serve as 

 a rest for his rifle, he prepared to fire. ' It is a long dis- 

 tance/ he said, turning to his companion, who, with the 

 glass to his eye, was waiting to observe the effect of the 

 shot; f so I'll aim rather high, and somewhat to the 

 right, to allow for the wind coming up from below. If 

 I take him just between the shoulder and throat, you 

 will see I shall hit in the very centre of his chest V 

 And a second after the rifle cracked, and down rolled 

 the poacher, with the ball crashing through his shoulder. 

 As you may imagine, the consternation of the others was 

 indescribable. Bromberger and young D * * * waited 

 just long enough to see the men carry off their wounded 

 comrade, and then creeping into the latschen, stole away 

 down the mountain, leaving the poachers at a loss to 

 tell whence the shot had come." 



" You said just now he had a narrow escape once 

 already : what was it ?" 



" Yes," I continued, " and it was not long before. 

 The forester at Schlier See caught him in a hut where 

 he passed the night, and had him tried for poaching ; 

 but he got off, as usual, without being punished." 



" How was it he got him ? Was Hofer alone ?" 



" No, there were two of them. The other was as 

 great a rascal as he — Nicolaus Angel by name, or Anni 

 Klaus as they called him. But I must begin at the 

 beginning. Not far from Schlier See is an Aim — the 

 Stocker Alp — and Andreas, the peasant who was there 

 during the summer — or Stocker Ander'l as he was named 

 — was an honest fellow, and one who could be trusted. 

 The foresters used to keep their meal there sometimes ; 



