96 IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 



neighbourhood. I can only urge in extenuation 

 that I had not had a chance to " loose off my 

 piece " for over a fortnight, and was suffering from 

 the natural desire to kill something. Moreover, 

 eagles are by no means rare on the Herzegovinian 

 frontier. I haven't much doubt that my dogs 

 were the object of the swoop I certainly ought 

 to have intercepted. Very likely the big bird 

 mistook the hare-pied " Waldmann " for puss 

 herself, but of course instances of eagles taking 

 dogs are common enough. I recollect one some 

 years back on the Anglo- Scotch border, when two 

 ladies lost their pet for ever and aye. 



Behind the hill I had climbed another rose to 

 half the height again, being mostly perpendicular 

 rock. Much as I desired to ascend that too, the 

 sinking sun warned me to desist ; so I pressed on 

 northwards to a village I could see in that 

 direction. 



Just before I reached it, having diverged slightly 

 from the track, I came upon a viper. It was a 

 different species to our English one, but the shape 

 of its head told too plain a tale for honesty. It 

 was torpid from the change of temperature, but 

 when I touched it it bit at the gun-barrels, and at 

 once put itself in the well-known position of 

 defence. The dogs seemed anxious to inves- 

 tigate, so I put an end to it, and for that shot 

 I do not desire to offer any excuse. This was 



