3132 Quadrupeds. 



our bodies crouched down to the rock, our heads bent forward, our 

 hats and guns held close to the ground. First went the huntsman, 

 who had put on a large gray cap, and a Jersey speckled black and 

 white, the exact colour of the rocks ; his keen eyes scanning every 

 stone in advance, and his light active limbs springing from rock to 

 rock, now running along the huge masses of broken rock which lay in 

 our route, now dropping noiselessly down from some larger fragment. 

 I followed, and found some difficulty in keeping up with him over 

 such difficult ground, where the least noise would have been fatal to 

 our sport. Next came my companion ; while the guide brought up 

 the rear. Safe across the gully, without being seen, away we go, 

 swiftly but noiselessly, towards the rock over which we last saw the 

 reindeer move. Now we gain the very spot where they had but just 

 passed, and now, very slowly and cautiously, and looking intently in 

 advance at every step, we near the top. There is a large projecting 

 piece of rock in front of us ; we creep towards this, and thence peer- 

 ing out with the greatest caution, the huntsman spies the three deer, 

 not a hundred and fifty yards off, browsing the moss on the rock. 

 Slowly he retreats ; and one by one we take his place to gaze, with 

 uncovered heads, and our eyes only peeping over a great stone. 

 There is a large patch of snow between us and the deer, so that to 

 advance nearer to them is impossible, but they are too far off for a 

 shot with a smooth bore ; so the huntsman descends the mountain a 

 few steps, and lying at full length, crawls along the ground, or rather 

 wriggles himself along, like a serpent, or perhaps a Red Indian, and 

 tries to get round the deer, whence he can drive them towards us. 

 Meanwhile we take up our several positions behind certain projecting 

 rocks which conceal us, and lying at full length behind these, occa- 

 sionally peep over the tops at the deer, which have now left the rock 

 and descended on the snow, approaching nearer to us at every step. 

 This is most exciting ! For a quarter of an hour we lie behind our 

 friendly rocks, scarcely daring to breathe, lest the deer should hear us 

 — scarcely daring to peep, lest they should see us ; fortunately, the 

 wind is directly from them> so they cannot smell us. During all this 

 time the huntsman, under cover of the hill, is urging himself along, 

 seeking to get round them ; while our other guide is lower down the 

 mountain, holding an old deer-hound we had brought with us. At 

 length, crack goes the huntsman's rifle ; up we jump, gun in hand, 

 and see the old buck trotting majestically towards us over the snow, 

 his head thrown up into the air, not at all in a hurry, and followed by 

 the doe and calf. I fire both barrels at the buck ; still on he goes as 



