ON THE GEMS JOCH. 381 



We now clambered downwards, and crossed the geroll 

 towards our booty. "A good buck I" shouted Hans, who 

 was the first to reach the lower chamois, and on he hasted 

 to the other. After examining it I knew at once by his 

 silence it was not a buck. " 'Tis a doe I" he exclaimed, 

 " a very old doe ! There's not much difference between 

 them in size; and look at the horns too, how high they 

 are I" 



We cleaned the two chamois, and slinging the ruck- 

 sacks which contained them over our shoulders, set off 

 for a hut that lay on our way homewards. 



To cross geroll is at no time pleasant walking, and 

 when carrying a load a firm and. careful step is necessary 

 to get along at all. We returned by the way we came, 

 passing through the kahr where we had first seen chamois. 

 Here was a place that made you feel the difference be- 

 tween carrying a weight of some forty to fifty pounds 

 behind you, or having nothing at all to bear. The path 

 was a narrow ledge, and to get out of the kahr it was ne- 

 cessary to step on a piece of rock about as large as the 

 palm of your hand, and then swing yourself upwards. 

 There was no difficulty in the passage; but the dead 

 chamois pulled you back, and prevented the elastic bound, 

 without which you could not reach the spot for your next 

 footstep. 



In about two hours we gained the hut, which was now 

 quite deserted. 



The next morning betimes we set off, and reached 

 home in about four hours and a half. In crossing a 

 mountain-stream I nearly got a ducking. The mountai- 

 neers often throw a couple of saplings over the water, 

 from one bank to the other, and on these the passenger 

 is naturally obliged to move sideways, a step at a time. 

 Being young trees, they bend and rock at every move- 



