6o IBEX SHOOTING 



in the room ; now a board creaked, and 

 now a spoon fell to the ground. I was 

 sleepy and determined not to wake ; but 

 gradually it was borne in upon me that the 

 attempt was useless, and I had better get 

 rid of the nuisance ; so I hissed out " hish" 

 at the top of my voice, at the same time 

 waving my hands in the dark, and skinning 

 my knuckles against the wall. The noise 

 ceased. I sucked my knuckles, and in five 

 minutes was dropping off to sleep when 

 that vile noise began again. This time I 

 determined I would not awake, so I kept 

 my eyes tightly shut, and held on. How- 

 ever, the fates were against me; a knife 

 clattered to the ground, and a teapot follow- 

 ing suit awoke me in a fury. A moment's 

 careful listening and I had located my 

 enemy, and flung a boot hard at him. 

 There was a crash, over went the table 

 and everything on it, and a scrambling of 

 claws showed that my enemy, a hungry cat 

 evidently, had escaped by the chimney. 

 After this I thought I had better see the 



