382 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



merit you make. Moreover as you stand sideways, your 

 heels are on one tree and the forepart of your feet on 

 the other. Now if one stem happens to be weaker than 

 its neighbour, or if you press more heavily forwards than 

 in the contrary direction, or if you raise one foot rather 

 quickly, — if in short all is not kept in perfect equilibrium, 

 a jerk is occasioned by one tree or both, and your bend- 

 ing bridge of a few inches in breadth will inevitably play 

 — you such tricks that over you go into the rapid torrent 

 beneath. We had to cross such a bridge, and a day or 

 two before without anything at my back it was easily 

 accomplished ; but this time the additional weight made 

 the slender stem sink and rise again as if bent on mis- 

 chief, and now I was in danger of going backwards into 

 the water, and now forwards on my face. However 

 neither happened, and we reached home in right merry 

 humour and well pleased with our sport. 



