A SEARCHING GAZE. 259 



out from somewliere the relics of my first 

 chamois, and proceeded to dole out a portion 

 to each of us. We had no bread now, nor 

 any tea, but our ravenous hunger made 

 the high scented old billy-goat's flesh very 

 palatable even without salt. 



By-and-bye, as we smoked a last pipe, 

 three wild-looking figures, armed to the teeth, 

 plodded silently out of the gloom into that 

 part of the forest path on which the leaping 

 flames of our log-fire cast quamt lights and 

 shadows. As they passed they turned theii 

 faces towards the blaze, and favoured us with 

 a searchino^ S'aze, which had not too much 

 friendliness in it. But they never paused in 

 their march, made no sign of having seen us 

 save for the turnino; of their heads, and would 

 have passed us without a word of salutation if 

 they had been allowed to. But whoever they 

 were, we did not feel mclined to let them go 

 unbailed ; so Simon and I jumped up, and 



S 2 



