OUR FIRST CHAMOIS HUNT. 275 



the animal had made his first tremendous bound. But 

 farther on, one red spot showed where the hot liquid of 

 life had sunk through the snow. Without thinking of 

 either of my companions, I hastened on in the indented 

 track of the animal, till I came to a place where the cliff 

 receded into a sort of small bay, with a patch of snow, 

 separated from the one I was on by a broken ridge. 

 Spurred on by the sound of following footsteps, I scram- 

 bled round the ridge, and there beheld the wounded 

 chamois standing about sixty yards from me, ready for a 

 bound at the moment he could ascertain the whereabouts 

 of his foes. I raised my rifle, and with a hand tremu- 

 lous with excitement, took aim, first at the neck, just 

 behind the ear, and then at the rear of the shoulder. 

 Bang ! And as the wreathing smoke ascended, I saw the 

 chamois shrink convulsively, and then fall heavily on the 

 snow, shot right through the heart. -My friends were 

 now at my side ; but I dashed away from them, reached 

 the animal, gave one sweep of my knife across its throat, 

 and the work was complete. 



I must confess that we. rejoiced over the body of that 

 poor chamois with a little extravagance. "We cheered, 

 till the rocks fairly trembled with the pelting of the 

 echoes. We shook hands, like brothers in triumph. But 

 let me cool down into a description of this beautiful 

 animal. Its height was about two feet three or four 



