348 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



tinually, in order not to advance upon him unawares. 

 Now a louder roar told us he was near : and anon we 

 crept forward with redoubled quickness, but also with 

 redoubled caution. In mounting higher the ground be- 

 came steeper and more broken, and though it was broad 

 daylight, still it was difficult to advance among the roots 

 of trees and get along over the stones, without displacing 

 even a single one. 



The stag was seemingly now quite close to us ; and we 

 got to a tree and awaited there what would happen next. 

 Straight before us the hill-side sloped steeply down- 

 wards, and there on the rising ground we knew the stag- 

 was. I could not see him, but I once saw the tip of a 

 bough bend, though not a breeze was stirring, and this 

 at once told me his whereabouts. Presently I could 

 hear the stag's footsteps on the stony ground, as he 

 moved about in his angry impatience, and signified so 

 much to Hans by moving my fingers over the ground 

 and pointing thither whence the sound proceeded. 

 Hans' s gaze was fixed across the dell. Suddenly he 

 looked at me, his eyes wide open, his lips moving but 

 uttering no sound, and with a slight movement of his 

 head indicating that he saw the stag yonder. — I looked, 

 but saw nothing. 



" Fire ! " he said, in a whisper full of excitement. 

 " Fire ! there he is ! It's not too far ! Why don't you 

 fire?" 



" Where ? — I don't see him." 



" Up there, by the tree ! What, don't you see him ?" 



I looked up to the stem of a tree standing on the 

 declivity, but could discover nothing. Hans meanwhile 

 was burning with impatience. It was indeed vexatious ; 

 for he, it was clear, saw the stag before him all the 

 while, and I was searching for him in vain. But pre- 



