362 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



groan, rising as it seemed from the very inmost depths 

 of his body, followed by a short, quickly -repeated, loud, 

 angry snort, — impetuous, defiant, with all the madness 

 of voluptuous rage. Then all was still. I now felt sure 

 that we should be able to get near him. For although 

 as yet no creature was to be seen, I could easily picture 

 to myself all the dalliance, and behold with mental vision 

 the now-appeased wooer triumphant in the middle of his 

 serai 1. 



" Hist ! I see him \" whispered Hans, bending down 

 to the earth, cautiously turning to see that I too com- 

 pressed myself into the smallest dimensions possible. 

 " Lie down, lie down ! don't lift your head ! He has 

 several deer with him, and they are looking this way." 



The spot where we were was a very steep Lahne, in 

 the middle of which a sort of gutter had been formed by 

 the rains : letting ourselves slide into this, up we went 

 on hands and knees till we reached the ridge. A mighty 

 fir had been torn oat of the soil by some tempest, and 

 lay there, forming an excellent shelter behind which we 

 could watch the deer grazing quietly on the slope oppo- 

 site ; while between them and us was a dip in the hill of 

 some hundred yards, and uncovered by bush or tree. The 

 stag was stalking majestically about in the background. 



While thus watching, a chamois came bounding down- 

 wards from the uppermost ridge of the mountain, leaping 

 lightly over the latschen and then disappearing among 

 them. Hans had not observed him. I pointed to the 

 spot and told him of the circumstance, which was strange 

 enough ; for in that neighbourhood we had not expected 

 to find a single chamois. At all events we felt certain 

 it must be a buck, strolling thus alone quite away from 

 the herd. For a time we saw nothing more of him, and 

 continued watching the movements of the stag. Pre- 



