HARMONIES. 



celerating every second till he reaches the bottom, 

 and enveloped all the way down in a wreath of 

 snow, which he casts off' on both sides of his feet 

 and legs as if it had been turned up by a plough, 

 and marking his track by a deep furrow. You 

 follow much more slowly, holding the barrel of 

 your gun across you, while the butt end is plunged 

 deep into the snow to steady you, and to slacken 

 your pace. If you lean forward too much, you 

 are in danger of going down head over heels ; if 

 you lean back too much, your feet will slip from 

 under you, and the same result will inevitably 

 follow, and you will have a roll of, perhaps, some 

 hundred feet, without a chance of stopping till 

 you reach the bottom ; by no means pleasant even 

 on snow, and especially when the snow-hill ends 

 (as is not unfrequently the case) in a rocky preci- 

 pice, to roll over which must be certain death. 



Suddenly, rounding a rocky cliff, the guide 

 makes a quick movement with his hand, and 

 whispers the single word "reins I" pointing as he 

 crouches down to three black specks on the white 

 mountain-side full two miles off. Now all is ex- 

 citement. The telescope distinctly makes them 

 out, — an old buck above, as guard and watcher, a 

 doe and her calf a little lower down. What cau- 

 tion now is necessary in stalking the noble game I 

 There is a broad valley to cross full in their view ; 

 you must creep low, and in line, concealing your 

 rifles, lest the flashing of the sun on the barrels 

 betray you, and not speaking except in the gen- 

 tlest whisper. The valley is securely crossed ; there 

 is a brawling torrent to be waded, and you will 

 be among the rocks. 



Has the buck winded you? He springs to his 

 feet, shakes his spreading antlers, and sniffs the 

 air, then walks leisurely up the hill-side, followed 

 57 



