Till-: 1'\i;i:ni-:an ir,i;.\ 247 



T ,1111 liiii|itr(l t<» (juote a similnr incident fi'om a letter 

 written ti> me I»y an excellent sportsman who know tlie 

 valley manv years bef(n"e I did. He had wonndcd and 

 lost an iild male I wo da\s 1)efore. and had (dianeed to spy 

 it where ii had taken H'i'nL!e, hieh on the lace of the 

 Hurt hern (ditV. He thns deseril)es the atteni]>t to i-each it: — 



■• I'Vaneois and Michel starte(l {'or the aseent, i* and T 



takine- up our two old ])osts helow. which we ai'c intimately 

 acquainted with. 1 did not envy the men. It is alxmt 

 as \-illainous a hit of elimhinL;' as I kmiw. and tlu' lieiLiht 

 has an eftect even on Francois's head. ]\Ii( lid had to uixc 

 up the last itKoirnis j')^^ ami sit down. Francois, bootless, 

 went on alone. Vainl\' he peered into all the vari(nis 

 recesses in the face of that gruesome elill'; the bompietin 

 was not to l)e iVmnd. ( Mie chance remained and that was 

 on what wt; call the back covrache of the 'Chateau.' 

 Francois disappeared round the corner, on a ledge about a 

 foot wide, at a height of at least a thousand feet alwve 

 our heads. To our ilisa[»pointment he reai)peared in about 

 half an Imur. and began to comt^ down to us. Of cour.se 

 I thought he had not found the l)tiu<|Uei in, but it appeared 

 that he had not oidv f)nnd him Imt had got close to him. 

 I\'in'4- in a hdle in an awful })lace. but cnuld iKit get near 

 enougli to dislodge him. After a bit to Q-dt, j^our donncr 

 courmji', he an<l Antimio Wduhl uo up again an(»ther waw 

 Accordingly, wleii piinied. up llie\' went auain. and dis- 

 appeared round the corner. Pi'cseniK', the most tremend- 

 ous I'liw proceeded Irom that nncann\ re'_;iMn. AnxmusK' 

 we ke})t our eyes on the little ledge leading from the l)ack 

 coriU('1n\ but the old boy would not leave, down Ik^ woidd 

 not come, but dashed past Antiuiio nn three h^us. and 



