2.90 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 
grace 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 
