292 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



peace; the peasants are firing eternally, and even though 

 they may not hit them, the noise scares and makes them 

 as wild as possible." 



" 'Tis a capital buck," I observed, examining him with 

 my glass. " Now he is going : he is turning round, and 

 will soon be among the latschen. Now he stops again, 

 — just in the middle of the geroll. How capitally I see 

 him now ! He is looking down at us again. What can 

 he be afraid of!" And at once he disappeared among 

 the rocks and bushes. 



What was to be done ? To reach the spot where he 

 had been standing would take, at the very least, three- 

 quarters of an hour — besides he was gone ; and though, 

 from the way in which he left the open space for a covert, 

 I judged he would not be very distant, still it was an im- 

 possibility to reach the rocks above him without being 

 heard, they were so steep and difficult. 



" The only thing would be," said Neuner musing, " to 

 wait for him up there. He is often where we just now 

 saw him ; a little higher or lower, as may be, but still in 

 the neighbourhood." 



"Do you think he will be out again this evening? 

 Far off he is not, of that I am certain ; most likely in 

 among the latschen, under the wall of rock to the left, for 

 he went away quite leisurely." 



" No, he probably is not far, but whether he will be 

 out again this evening is a question ; besides," continued 

 Neuner, looking*up to the rocks just over the spot where 

 the chamois had been standing, "the way up there is 

 most difficult. It is no joke, I assure you. There is but 

 one place where you can pass, just above the geroll 

 yonder, past the latschen, and so over the ridge of the 

 mountain : that is the only way out. You have to creep 

 up between and under the crags : 'tis an awkward place, 



