392 CHAMOIS HUNTING. 



such towering heights of smooth rock. Yet he did so, and 

 seemed to think nothing of it. ". Only once," he said, 

 " he did not know how to get further while he held on 

 to the bare stone, and above and below was nothing but 

 the liquid air." The chamois came — fifty-nine of them 

 — slowly one after the other, but not at the place I ex- 

 pected, and so far off that a shot was impossible. 



Later we saw a buck below us. Down we went, and 

 taking off our shoes crept over the stones towards him. 

 But there was no possibility of getting sufficiently near ; 

 and after we had watched him for an hour crouched 

 down on the ground, he moved away. 



We now went to a hut lying in a deep glen beside a 

 torrent, that came tumbling in many a waterfall over the 

 rocks. It was a wild spot ; and later when Wrack went 

 out with a handful of blazing pine to light him, and the 

 red glare flickered over the foam, the whole had a Frei- 

 schiitz air ; and had the AVild Huntsman come yelling 

 through the air with his spectral crew, it would hardly 

 have been out of character. There was abundance of 

 wood, and our first act was to make a roaring fire, which 

 soon gave a look of cheeriness to our little dwelling. 

 Potatoes were set to boil, and from some mysterious 

 hiding-place Wrack produced a piece of chamois liver. 

 Here was abundance and luxury ! Meat even, which no 

 one would have expected. And a pitcher of delicious 

 water was fetched from the spring. We peeled and ate 

 our potatoes, fried the liver, sliced more potatoes into the 

 pan, and had a supper good as man could need. 



What especially pleased me was the delight which 

 Wrack's countenance expressed at my satisfaction with 

 all his arrangements and cookery : nor should the thou- 

 sand little attentions he showed me be forgotten. He 

 did the honours of the simple dwelling with zealous and 



