IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 335 



not been gralloched half an hour. It was now 

 too late to do more, so we returned to the hut. 

 En route we took up no less than two iron 60-lb. 

 traps, proving that somebody else thought there 

 were chamois about. We got to the hut soon 

 after four, and Joso decided to make a further 

 march, so as not to have so far to go the next 

 day. Truth to tell I was a bit beat, but was 

 not going to let my companions think so ; so I 

 agreed. 



About an hour and a half brought us to some 

 summer quarters of the Grusca villagers. One 

 was a good hut, but the fleas were so awful that 

 we speedily left it for a tumble-down affair, 

 evidently used also as a stable, which the men 

 soon cleared out. Tired as I was — for we had 

 practically been going all day — I could not sleep 

 for a long time for what Mark Twain called 

 the " genuine Swiss chamois." I am of the 

 same mind as the Frenchman who said, " Ce 

 rfest pas la piqure dont je me plains, mais la 

 promenade" and certainly there was a grand 

 promenade on me that night. I had incautiously 

 sat down near the first hut, and got my kilt 

 full, and, as I was using that garment as a pillow, 

 they kept on jumping up, literally two or three 

 at a time, on to my neck and face. However, 

 exhausted nature asserted herself at last, and I 

 dropped off to sleep. Towards morning it was 



