TENTH DAY. 173 
were wonderfully picturesque. I here often noticed the tracks 
of large wolves imprinted in the deep mud. 
Further and further we penetrated into these already 
known districts, though I had some difficulty in recognizing 
them, as all these woody valleys are so much alike ; and at last, 
after nearly three hours of driving, we saw far below us, in 
a lonely grassy valley, the very place where the decoy-hut 
stood at which I had' yesterday shot the young Sea-Hagle. 
Our driver now touched up the tired horses, and we drove at 
a quick gallop along the verge of an almost perpendicular 
slope, and over the most breakneck places, down to the bottom 
of the valley, and in another quarter of an hour reached the 
shooting-lodge. 
It was half-past seven in the evening, the sun had already 
vanished behind the mountain-tops, the shades were deepening, 
the last of the birds singing, and the still repose of a lovely 
night soon fell. I found my brother-in-law and Count 
Chotek waiting for me in front of the house, where I unloaded 
my spoils, and briefly related the interesting events of this 
splendid day, the memory of which will be among the most 
permanent of my many sporting recollections. 
‘Leopold had to-day been very unlucky at the nests allotted 
to him, and had, for the first time, come back empty-handed. 
He had severely wounded a Cinereous Vulture in the side 
with ball, and had distinctly seen the great bird drop in the 
valley ; but all the efforts that were made to find it were, for 
the first day or two, unsuccessful, and when it was at last 
found, and sent after us to Vienna, it unfortunately arrived 
ina very high condition. 
It was a wonderful evening, and until the long-desired 
meal was quite ready we sat in front of the house consulting 
with Count Chotek over the plans for the morrow, and came 
to the conclusion that we would set off again during the 
night and go to the rocks which Brehm thought so much of, 
