290 Unexplored Spain 



myself, having regarded the cathedral as impassable, I had kept 

 no watch on that side. 



For the next half- hour all was quiet. Then we heard 

 again the rattle of hoofs somewhere down under, and on 

 the sound ceasing, had gently raised ourselves to peer over 

 into the eerie abyss in front, when a chamois suddenly poked 

 his head over the rocks within fifteen yards, only to vanish like 

 a flash. 



From this advanced position, in the far distance we could now 

 distinguish the beaters, looking like flies as they descended the 

 opposite circle of crests, and could hear their cries and the 

 reverberation of the rocks they dislodged to start the game. An 

 extra burst of clamour denoted game afoot, and a few seconds 

 later another chamois (having once more mocked the cathedral 

 barrier) darted across the moraine behind and fell within a score 

 of yards of the previous pair, though all three were finally 

 recovered several hundred feet below, having rolled down these 

 precipitous screes. The first chamois I had shot had fallen even 

 farther — at one point over a sheer drop that could not be less 

 than 100 feet. His body was smashed into pulp, every bone 

 broken, but curiously the horns had escaped intact. We were 

 much struck by the clear emerald-green light in the eyes of newly 

 killed chamois. 



The beaters being now close at hand, we scrambled down to 

 rejoin the Padre who had occupied the puesto next below ours. 

 We found that worthy man very happy as he had succeeded in 

 putting two slugs into a chamois-buck, to which the coup de 

 grdce had been given by Don Serafin lower down. 



A curious incident occurred as we made our way to the next 

 beat where " No. 1 " was to rejoin us. Suddenly the rugged 

 stones that surrounded us were vivified by a herd of bouncing 

 chamois — they had presumably been disturbed elsewhere and 

 several came our way. A buck fell to a long shot of our host ; 

 while another suddenly sprang into view right under the Padre's 

 feet. This, he averred, he would certainly have killed had he 

 been loaded with slugs (postas) instead of ball. 



The six chamois brought into camp to-night included four 

 bucks and two does. We had not ourselves found it possible to 

 distinguish the sexes in life, though long practice enabled the 

 Conde to do so when within moderate distance. All six were of 



