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THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND

MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

'•*»•"

^yCo-c^-^

C /^fi-

SHORT STALKS

SHORT STALKS

OR

HUNTING CAMPS

NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST

BY

EDWA TIT) NOl^TTT BUXTON

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS

NEW YOr.K : C. V. ri'TXAiMS SONS
LONDON : EDWARD STANFORD

18 9 2

■HH!??S?L!,JllAJgt_J,i;( y wj.i-i«^;^-!S!«!W»HiWff

Coi^yriglit, 1892, hy
G. P. Putnam's Sons

Entered at Stationers Hall, Lomhni, 1S02, by
Edward Stanford

, & t\ft k- C ft. f . «f

mmmm^

PREFACE

Most of the papers which I liave collected in this volume
have appeared before in various magazines and journals.
My thanks are especially due to the Editors of The
Nineteenth CeatKr//. The New Review, The Field news-
[)ap('r. and The Alpine Journal, for their permission to
reprint them.

All but one of them descrilie the chase and death of
some wild animal. Perhaps the criticism will hQ made
that it is sad that a man cannot enjoy liiniself in foreign
(•<)untrio> without killini:; somotliing. I freely admit that
it is a pity, lnit I cannot deny that, to most of us, the
pui'suil oi" creatures wliidi ai'c liard to catcli, wlicllicr
bulLerllics or liutlaloes, is very pleasant. If ihe predatory
instincts whicli wc have inherited — one of my ancestors
was sarcastically descriljed as " worshipping, leaning on
his uiin " — cannot be altogether eradicated, 1 may at least
uru-e, in mitigation, that in .ill these iournevs, spreadino-
over more than a (juarter of a centui'v. I am personally
responsible for ihe death of less than ciuliiy tniii'-rooted
animals.

vi SHORT STALKS

I do not profess to be a distinguislied sportsman,
such as those who have devoted years to the pursuit of
great game ; nor am I competent to instruct aspirants
to that title. If I remember rightly, only one of my
trips has exceeded the limit of six weeks. My only ex-
cuse for writing a book on such subjects, is the keen
enjoyment which I take in reviving the memory of the
scenes described in it.

Mr. J. E. Harting has most kindly corrected my
imperfect observations from the point of view of a trained
naturalist.

I must acknowledoe the assistance which I have derived
from the art of the wood-engraver, to which my book will
owe any charm which it may possess. First and foremost
to Mr. Edward AVhymper,wdiose work is almost good enough
to convert a bad book into an attractive one, and in the
next place to Mr. Lodge, whose birds are a triumph, I am
grateful for the pains they have taken to carry out my
ideas. To Mr. W. Biscombe Gardner I am indebted for
two or three admirable pictures, which make me desire
more from the same workshop. ]\[r. G. H. Putnam has
procured for me some beautiful examples of the skill of
American artists. These have been reproduced by the
"half-tone" process, and it must be admitted, that for
certain subjects it treads hard upon the heels of the
older and more laborious method.

Characteristic drawings of unftimiliar wild animals
are hard to get. Several of mine are from the veteran

PREFACE vii

pencil of Josepli Wolf, wliicli is n guarantee of faitiiful
study.

In expeditions such as these, everything depends upon
the choice of a partner. In this respect I have always
])cen singularly fortunate. I have taken liberties with
the features of some of them — l)oth my own companions,
and others, racy of the soil. 1 like to recall these ni}'
friends in association with the iucidents in which they
shared. To their congenial society 1 owe the chief part of
the brightness of those holiday hours, and if there is such
a thing nuwada^'s as a dedication, to them 1 hcrci*}'
address it.

The tinal revision of these pages has been made under
the shadow of a personal calamity, which has darkened
my house, and with which a light-hearted volume like
this may seem out of keeping. But, apart from the
circumstance that the son whom T have lost took a keen
interest in its preparation, I have found it a relief from the
heart-ache to recur in memory to joyous labours, in some
of which lie was a hapjjy and strenuous participator.

E. X. BUXTON.

Knighton, Septemha- 189-2.

CONTEJSTS

PAGE

CHAPTER T
Sardinia and its Wild Shkki" .... 1

CHAPTER II
Recollections of Chamois Hunting . . .36

CHAPTER 111

Tjik Ruckv Mountains ..... 73

cHAriEi: i\

0\ 'iiiK Rim of tiik Dkskiit .... 122

('ii.\ri'i:i: v

The Ei.k . . . . . .159

CllAl'TI'.i: VT
Tin: l'\\-nii:i; i<y ai.i. ■iiik (tOATS .... 193

ch.\1'Ti;k \ii

Tiik I'vkknkan Ikkx ..... 229

X SHORT STALKS

CHAPTER VIII
Bear Hunting ...... 2.57

CHAPTEE IX

A Tantalising Quest . . . . .279

CHAPTER X
Reindeer Stalking . . . . . .323

CHAPTER XI
The Izzard . . . . . .349

CHAPTER XII
Peaks and Passes . . . . . .370

LIST 01' iLLUSTEATlONS

FULL

PAGE

PACE

Tlio Sardinian Mouflon . . . . . .19

Two to one against the Horse

57

He takes us for a Rival

70

A Flat Crawl

84

The Challenge

89

The Tetons from Buffalo Fork

97

Tlit-y must hi' hereal>i)Uts

119

The Desert from Jebel Metlili

129

The Barbary Sheep

135

The Mountain Gazelle

156

Skranit

175

A Race for Life

189

The Salt Lake from M.iinuin Dagh

196

A Turkoman Shepherd

207

The Capra ^Egagrus .

209

A Likidy Spot

214

Cyril engineers the Water-supply

221

In the Cane Brake .

227

Our Camp .

232

He moved straiglit towards us

269

Love and War

.304

The Reindeer

329

The Herd clattered down the ClifF

358

The Aiguille de Bionnassay .

380

Jakob invites us to leap

392

XII

SHORT STALKS

IN THE TEXT

PAGE

Celestin . . . . •

3

A Nuraglio

5

Gigi ....

13

An Old Chamois Hunter

45

The Liininiergeier .

48

Andreas ....

69

Indian Dick

78

The Tetons over the Divide

87

An Indian Arrow-head

105

Oris ....

106

Sunday Dinner

i-n

An Arab Geitoun .

1:^4

Willie ....

131

ALdullah .

139

The Algerian Buzzard

158

The Capercailzie

162

Watering the Form

. 165

Tump

168

John Wallan with Peyas and Luft .

178

Ernest is stalked

184

Hazel-Grouse

. 192

The Griffon Vulture

. 199

Bouba

. 201

Junk lakes well-earned Repose

. 228

The Wall Creeper .

. 239

Cyril

244

Falling Ibex

. 246

Narcissus Moschatus

. 251

Geof

. 275

The Big Head

. 280

.lani

. 285

"Smoke" .

. 287

Alfred's IMduiiI

. 315

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Xlll

I'AOE

Tlie Great Bustard . . . . . . . 3 1 G

One Toiicli of Nature

.317

The Caravan Barber

3 ID

Arabas ....

. .32ii

Kenny ....

. 337

Tlie Breche

3r)4

Mac ....

. 384

Jakub ....

. 38C.

The Author

. 3!)'.»

SARDINIA AXI) ITS WILD SHEEP

NoTWlTiisrAMMNd tlic pcrpctual striigok' to make life
more eomfoi'tal>lf, it: is a master passioii witli some of us
to eiiiaiici[)ate (jiirseU'es tioiii IkiIijIoii, and IVdin time to
time to escape from tliis complex civilisation to some
barbarous land, there to become for a few weeks liappy
savages like our ancestors. If. in addition, oik* can sd fai'
imitate tliose noble creatures as to spend the time in
killini;- something, the deception is more perfect. One's
]ia]>])iness is com])lete if the animal to l)c liunlcd lives in a
inoiintaiiioiis count r\'. and isditlieult to oliiain, Imi iua\ lie
iairlv stalked in the open. \t least, that i> ni\ case.

.\ fit of this unquenchable longing had sci/cd nic at
the beginning of ISRO. and the pai-ficula)- excuse wliicli
served was the County ( 'oiiiieil Mleeiidus. I was iiersnii;di\-
responsible fni' the conduct of lifty-six ofihein. nnd I ask
any candid person whether that did not justily the lUick-
fever from which I was suffering. On IStli .Iannar\ I
lennu'i] that tlie contests had all |ia>-e(l «iir wiihout
a hitch, and the anxieties of the previous weeks were

B

2 SHORT STALKS

forgotten. People congratulated the victors and condoled
with the victims, but nobody pitied the High Sheriff, so
he consoled himself in his own way. On the following
morning I packed up my camping outfit, and, accompanied
by two kindred spirits, fled to the land of the free. To a
busy man the scope for this sort of thing is limited. If
six weeks be the outside of his tether, dreams of Arctic
bears or Ovis Poll are unattainable and unreal. Time and
distance have to be considered ; but Scandinavia, the
Alps, the Pyrenees, the IMediterranean Islands, can be
reached within six days even in their remoter parts, and
open out possiljilities of elk, reindeer, chamois, bear, ibex,
and deer of several kinds. Of all these I possessed
memories and trophies, and l^esides, the season for them
was over. P)Ut there is another land of forests wdiich I
had for long marked dow^n in my agenda, and gathered
stray scraps of information about, as a squirrel hoards
his acorns — no doubt, with all the pleasures of anticipa-
tion. This was the island of Sardinia, where dwell many
wild animals — red deer, fallow deer, Iwar, ducks, and
longbills innumerable ; but, chief of all, in the wildest
parts, the curly-horned mouflon, desired by many sports-
men, seriously hunted by few, and obtained by very few.

The old numbers of the Field had been ransacked,
travel books searched, H.B.M.'s consuls resident on the
island written to, still the information about these parti-
cular animals was meagre and contradictory. The authori-
ties all differed as to what was the close season for the
mouflun, but they all concurred in saying that it didn't
much matter. They were also unanimous in declaring
that the method of hunting them was by driving, whereas

SARDINIA AND ITS WILD SIIEKP 3

T was convinced tliat, being slieop, they must feed in tlie
open, and tliereforc might be honestly spied and stalked.
Possessed by this idea, I had engaged Celestin, keenest of
chamois hunters, cheeriest of companions — 11i()iil;1i he
knew no wi^'ld wider tlinn his own mountain valley, ilis
friend licnjainiu had begged to be allowed to come too,

CELESTIX.

content to be a hewei- of wood ;ind drawer of w.'ilcr with-
out pa\- ifoiiK' he miglit see some new thing. These two
joined us at Genoa, and were eyed suspiciously l)y the
swallow-tailed waiters when their iron-clad boots clinked
alonsi the marble halls.

My immediate com]>nnions were G , one of those

ovci'worked count i\ luinkers wlio are ('X])('cted to shoot
with their eustunicrs four days a week, and F , ui ihe

4 SHORT STALKS

numerous army of Aiiglo-iVmerican cowboys who return
to Bond Street and Leicestershire when the autumn
" round-up " is over. After Ijeing clothed and in his right
mind for two months, his soul hungered for scalps and the
war-path. I was due back within six weeks to receive one
of Her Majesty's judges at Assizes. So there should be no
avoidable delays — and of course delays occurred, perverse
and irritating.

Instead of following my own instincts as to route, I
took advice — always a mistaken thing to do — and thereby
lost, for hunting purposes, three whole days. But, as
every expedition has its share of bad luck, perhaps it was
as Avell to take ours in this way. Our intention was to be
landed at a small harbour within easy reach of the range
where we desired to hunt ; but when, the morning after
leavinof Leo'horu, we Q;ot amono- the islands in the Straits
of Bonifacio, the Tramontana wind blew so furiously that
it became certain that no landing could be effected between
the sheltered harbour of Terranova, at the northern end of
the island, and that of Caoliari at the other extremitv.
Uur plan of campaign had to be changed at an hour's
notice, and a landing effected at Terranova, many weary
leao'ues from our huntino- around. Not likino- the look of
the trattoria, where we supped, we got the stationmaster
to lend us an empty room in his station. Here we spread
our mattresses and waited for the morning train. Heavens 1
how the wind hissed all night ! It was some consolation
that no landing would have been possible on the open coast.

The early train took us through a In'oken rocky
country, the little ravines covered with cork and arbutus.
It wouhl be ])icturesc|ue if it were not marred by numerous

SAKDINIA AM) ITS \\ll,|) SilKEP 5

straiirht stone walls, iiinlcr wliidi tlic little smoke-culoiircil
cattle cowiTed fidiii llir sliniii. Ill sdiiic |»;irts tlic l;iii(l-
se;i[ic was (IdHciI wiili ininnjln. tlic ancient fortitied dwcll-
iugs of prinievid Sards — conical stone towers, yellow with

A NLUAUHU.

llic moss (if three or lour iiiiMciiiiiuiHs - inlo w Inch i Ika-
retired with their lami lies on the approadi of rineiiiciaiis,
ArooTs, or other jiredntorv nnvii^'ntors. Ihil this h\|»ot liesis
is quite iiiiaiii lioii.x'd. and \cr\' likely wrong.

As we rose to a hiolier level the snow fell hcavilv,
driven hefore a raging" i^ale, and the Highland llailwax in
niid-wintci' could iioi have presented a ninrc desolate
picture. 1 hlcssed in\' I'lir coat aiwl icindeei -liiieil hoots,
it 1 blessed nothing el.-e. It was nicrcl\- a ioretaste oi" the
weather which we were to endure with few respites for a
month.

6 SHORT STALKS

Foiled ill our first attempt to reach our destination by
water, we now proposed to enter the hill country from a
certain point on the railway, whence the map indicated a
road of some sort in the direction we desired. Fortune,
for the moment, seemed to favour us, as we found a fellow-
traveller who knew the country we proposed to traverse.
He warned us of mcdviventi, but my com^Danions were a
sufficient bodyguard, so we telegraphed inquiries for a
vehicle. When we reached the station from which we
hoped to start, a message met us that this road was
blocked with snow-drifts, and that there were no means of
entering the mountains that way. We could only bow to
the perversity of fate, which doomed us to spend our
precious days in wandering round the charmed circle of
our land of jiromise, while we gazed wistfully at the leaden
clouds which covered the Paradise. There was nothing
for it but to re-enter the train and continue the journey
to Cagiiari at the southern extremity of the island. We
now descended to the great plain of Oristano — chocolate-
coloured and dank — and traversed it from end to end. It
is a pestilential hotbed which has helped to give the island
a bad name for two thousand years. Miles away the
mountains rose with sudden steepness from the plain, as
they do on the Italian littoral. AVe passed several stagni,
or brackish lagoons, covered with wild fowl, which would
have stirred our sporting instincts if we had not been
thinking of higher game, and cursing the fate which ke^^t
us at arm's length. The natives pop at them all day and
sometimes kill them, for they brought ducks for sale to
the carriage windows, along with fresh-gathered oranges.

The next morning saw us again on board the train —

SARDINIA AND ITS WILD SUKE? 7

this time on n iini'i-()w-!j;;nii;v Tail\va\- which winds for fiffv
miles into the mountains. At the terminus we found the
''post" wait ino- — a small edition of a Roeky Mountain mud-
waggon, already occupied by three passengers, and into
whii'h we were invited to stow oiii' live selves. At first
the ('((iiduclor volubly refused all luo-o'ao-o, but b\ diui of
heavy briber}- we got our riJles allowed and such a
minimum of eijuipmcnt as would serve at a piiicli. The
rest was h^ft forlorn on the ])latform. and did not rejoin us
for a week.

Somehow we all squeezed in — six inside, two in the
coupe, driver and conductor in front of that — and started
for a twenty hours' continuous drive. We saved our lives
by walking nearly all the way: and this was not ditlicuh,
as we were always either divinij,- into a ravine or climbino-
out of one. The road continually returns u])on itself, and
short cuts were numerous. As we rose, the cultivation
became scantier, and the nmcquia or scrub more frecpient,
till it covered the whole hillside. The population is
exceedingly thin, and the houses are all huddled tooether
for mutual protection in little towns, separated by long
intervals. In the evening we stopped at such a one, and
the conductor wired an incjuiiy as to the state of the road.
Somewhat to our rebef. the answer came back thai there
was too much snow to traverse it in the ni^ht. and six feet
two inches was able to stretch itself on the flat. The
1 1'"/ rone o\' the telegiaph otlice was hospitably inchiicd —
as indeed we found all the Sards — and put bread and wine
before us. and a room to lie in. W f had rescued from our
stores two bottles of that traveller's friend, British jam,
and with the fiadronc. and his brother the priest, enjoved

8 SHORT STALKS

a jovial meal. The jam took tlie priest's fancy immensely,
and his conversation was confined to blessings on that
condiment and curses on Garibaldi, whom he seemed to
think still a militant enemy of the Church. One of the
bottles was broken and the olass scattered amono- the
contents, and we told the priest it was " molto pericoloso "
for him to eat it, but I fancy he elected to chance it after
we had left. In the room where we slept were the first
signs which we had seen of the caccia f/rossa for which
we were enduring so much — skins of boar, moufion, red
and fallow deer. It is not correct in Sardinia to offer any
payment for such casual hospitality, but a little keepsake
to the signorina, who waits in the background with curious
eyes, is taken in good part.

In the morning we resumed our journey on the frozen
road, and passed through some grand ilex woods — alas !
rapidly disappearing before the charcoal-burner. Once in
the snow we found tracks of moufion, or were they tame
pigs ? I am not sure, but they served the purpose of
raising our spirits. The horses, which are small, but well-
bred and wiry, did their work well, and in due course we
reached the little town which was to be the base of our
operations. It is piled on the steep side of the mountain,
facing a lovely view of purple plain and distant sea. We
were greeted l)y the kind-hearted sportsman who is famil-
iarly known in these parts as Signor Carlo. Blessings on
his head for the good things he show'cred on us, not only
then and there, but during the whole time we were in the
mountains ! What bread, short in the grain, white and
tender ! what succulent kids, what honey, more divinely
fiavoured than that of Hymettus ; and above all, what

SARDINIA AND ITS WILD SHEEP 9

(Vliasira \viiu>, of" which the hilU'.vof/ thai we ami oui'
followers liad (liiiiik six hiiiidrcMl liottlcs! ImiI it was
only twopence a bottle, so a lig toi' the expense!

The next niornini'', beinir Sunihix', the whole male
[)Opulation were on the little Piazza, 'i'he women seem
to lu' kej)t ill ahiiost ( )rifiital seclusion. Thf national
costume is peculiar. It has the a}ipearan<-e ol l<eing too
hot aliove the waist and too chilly below it. A heavy
Phrygian ca]\ t'ur waistcoat, ami the universal hooderl
capote, constitute the upper part, while lielow there is
nothing but a short linen petticoat and gaiters. Nearly
all wore a lica\\- knife, fullv two feet lonir, across the
stomach: this is used indiflerently to chop woo<l, sli('e a
sausage, or avenge a (piarrel. \ ai'ied and st rongl\"-marked
features seem to tlenote that ever\- coiKiuerinii' nation of
the ^lediterranean has set its seal on the physiognomi(^s of
the island. Spaniards, Greeks, Moors, Arabs, ami Jews
reproduce, after many generations, their respective types,
distinct, and apparently unmixed. Notwithstanding the
very predatory appearance of some of these gentry, we
foun<l them uiii\ersall\- ci\ il. though we were advised not
to cari\' a larire sum of ni<»nc\ with us, and it would
probably be rash to go into the wilder parts tiiianned.
The islaml is well pati-olleil bv j)olicc, and these earabinieri
were, as wc ihouuht, needlessly sojii'iious about our safety.
The onh' approach lo iiiar,iudiii'4 habits which we experi-
enced was on one occasion when one of our part\' was
walking, alone and unarnieil. on the hill, when three
sportsmen whistled to him to halt, and approaching with
their guns [)ointed at him li-om the hip, demanded cigars,
and then money. lie turned out his purse, which con-

10 SHORT STALKS

tained an English shilling, with which booty they retired,
apparently well pleased with the result of their little game
of brag. When he wanted to examine their guns, they
sprang back, spurred by guilty conscience. This very
mild case of highway robbery came round to the ears of
the carabinieri, though we had carefully concealed the
incident from them. They professed great indignation
that we had not reported it, and the row w^axed so hot
that at one time we thought we were to be locked up for
having been robbed. Ultimately they offered to intern
the whole countryside in their villages as long as we
remained I The only recent crime of which we heard in
the neighbourhood was recorded by a little cross on the
road, a mile from the cantoniera where we stayed. Here,
a merchant, returning with the proceeds of a sale of wine,
had been murdered for his money the previous summer.
There was a hue and cry, and a demand for justice, and
somebody was shot "at sight" by one of the carabinieri a
month afterwards. As far as I could learn, there was only
the barest suspicion against this man, but if he hadn't
murdered the merchant, perhaps he had "booed the
police." The carabiniero was decorated! The custom
of the vendetta has been almost stamped out, and what
remains is merely a residue of commonplace sordid crime,
and very little of that. As impulsive as children, the
Sards are also as susceptible to praise or blame. If the
least thino; went wrono- I have seen them blubber like
overgrown babies, with heaving shoulders and streaming
eyes. Our coachman, on one occasion having to get an
extra load up a rather steep hill, was so overcome by such
a paroxysm that he actually rolled off the box from sheer

SARDINIA AND ITS WIIJ) SIIKEP 11

inability to liold liiniself iipi'i^lit. I am ai'niul it cannot
be said llial llicx" aic as simple as doves. JMany of tlieni
arc, it iiiii>i lie confessed, sad rogues and sna|)})ers up of
unconsidered trifles ; but tlicii' Ixmhomie covers a mull it udf
of sins, and 1 confess I liked them.

The lanouaoc bears traces of the same mixed origin as
ihr [)eoplr, and man\- Aralue words are used; but three
hundred years of iSpanish occupation has left the most
marked impression. Some of our party who knew S})anish
and no Italian had no difficulty in makinu'' themselves
understood.

We had intended to establish a camp in some valley
high up in the best nioutlon ranges, but our camp efpii})age
had had to be left behind with the 1)ulk of our heavy
luij'ixao'e, so that until it arrived this scheme was out «»f
the question ; and though we began with two or three
brilliant days, for the rest of our stay the weather was
such as to make four walls and a roof a necessit}" of
existence. I have said that there were no houses outside
of the villages and towns. The exceptions tn the rule are
the cantoniere. These houses arc placed about ten nules
apart on the Government roads, which now traverse the
mountains in \arious directions. They are usud primaril}'
for the accommodation of the cantonieri, wdio keep the
roads in <U'(lci' ; i)ut thev also contain, as a rule, a laro'e
empty barrack-i'tiom for ilir shelter df tra\ cIIits, aud a
similar one for their horses. In one of these houses, at a
height of nearly four thousand feet, aud close under some
of the highest peaks on the ishnul. we took up oui' (puirters,
afterwards moving- to the ixuarddiouse of a mine a few
miles farther on. The nearest habitation, a small villace

12 SHORT STALKS

uf five or six houses, was six miles oif. This Cdntonwra
contained a fairly comfgrtable room, reserved for the use
of the engineer of the road on his periodical visits, and
this, l)y leave of the head official at CVigliari, we used.
It was furnished with a rough table and two camp bed-
steads, and we soon felt quite at home. The two cantonieri
quartered here had each his separate tenement under the
same roof, and as their abodes contained the only fire-
places, we had to mix a great deal in the family circle.
I daresay we were as great a nuisance to them as they
were to us, l)ut we made very free with the family hearth,
and were always greeted with a friendly invitation to take
the warmest place. Here every evening we had a jovial
hunting symposium, as we dried ourselves and our tele-
scopes. The man liimself, with his wife and progeny,
retired at night to an inner room ; but the hospitality of
the kitchen was extended indifferently to carabinieri —
several of whom slept there every night — goats, dogs, and
casual wayfarers. I used to get up early, and it w^as
always a difficulty to pick my way to the fireplace across
the floor, which was literally covered with the sleeping
figures. As soon as w^e saw these surroundings, we of
course expected to be devoured ; but during our stay of
four weeks I only once caught a flea, and that was a very
little one — in fact, a mere kid, not worth hunting. Per-
haps they w^ere hibernating, and in warmer weather this
kind of caccia miiiht be more livelv.

We had added to our party two Sards — Gigi and
Enricetto — -reputed to be knowdng hunters. They were
cheery companions and w^illiug workers, and never lost
their tempers, but their ideas of the art of venerie differed

SARDINIA AND ITS WILD SHEEP

13

from ours. Gioi had lu.st the lino-crs of liis Jcfl hand hv an
exph>sion of (Ivnnmitc at tlie miiios. 1)iit the rcinaiiiin'.;;
member was mar\ellousl\' hiisv ami usd'nl. Ilci was a
capital shot, and at 0(hl liours would be out on the hill for

^•R.

..-e^'

i;iGi.

partridges, seldom failing to score; but his faxourite
occupation was to draw a stocking on to his stump and
darn it — I mean the stocking: the stump was sound
enough. I'hiricetto had a nn iciirial tciniicrament. which
occasionall}- vented il.self in iriep»ressible shouts when he

14 SHORT STALKS

saw any wild animal — an .inconvenient practice during
a stalk. The worst thing he did was to break up one of
my mouflon heads and take it out for his luncheon. After
this we chiefly used him to fetch supplies from the
nearest town, at a distance of seventeen miles ; and he
and his horse seldom failed to perform the double journey
in the day, and to return laden with huge demijohns of
wine and sacks of bread.

On the first evening our anticipations were raised to
the highest pitch by the accounts which the carabinieri
gave of the mouflon i, or " mufli " as they familiarly styled
them, which they saw daily from the road — an account
which we thought too good to be true, but which our own
experience afterwards confirmed. And now arose a tre-
mendous controversy as to how they ought to be hunted.
One writer says, "These animals are almost impossible to
get except by driving them, and this is a very uncertain
proceeding." With the last part of this statement I agree.
As to the first I believed there was a better way. I had
come to stalk them, and stalk I would. The Sards on the
other hand vehemently maintained that their method had
always been pursued ; that it was to fly in the face of
Providence to try any other, and that none but a pestilent
radical would suoo-est such a thino-. Willino- to humour
them I stooped to conquer. ( Jn the first day we would
go all together, and the Sards were to show us how to
hunt mouflon, but I secretly determined not to let pass a
fair chance of a stalk.

We started before daylight. Indeed, if I may make a
harmless boast, I saw every sunrise during the five weeks
I remained in the island — that is to say, when there was

>^A?vDTXTA AXT) TTS WTLD STrKKI" 15

one. Nor will any one be .successful at this sport who
does not do likewise. But I am hound to confess there
were so many nioi'iiings wlioii i]\o. sky sliook out tin- fcatlior
beds, instead of producing any sun at all, that the conceit
does not amount to much. We ascended a lidoe immcdi-
ately beliiiid tlie house, and followed its crest. The snow,
in spite of the three previous fine days, still la\' every-
where except on some southern slopes. Alternate sun
and trust had produced a crust upon its surfac'c, in plung-
ino- thmuiih which our feet made a terrible noise, which
did not [iromise well for "still hunting." However, what-
ever its disadvantages, one learns more of the habits of an
animal in one day on the snow, than in three without it.
And, oh ! the exhilaration of that moment ! Here was
fresh "sion." In the neiohbourhood of one of these clear
slopes there were unmistakable moufion tracks. Telescopes
were immediately busy, notwithstanding the impatience
of the natives, who thought this a necflloss waste of time.
A few minutes later those blessed words, "■ 1 have them,"
from Celestiii, brought us all, eager worshippers, to his
side. There they were sure enough — four brown spots on
one of the southern slopes a mile or more distant. We
hatl never seen moufion before, but there was no niistakiiig
the identity of the animal. The Sards were sceptical aiul
said it was impossible to see moufion at that distance, but
that tlicv miu'ht bo pio-s. It was wurrh tho dcjax- of a h'W
minutes to iiive these gentlemen a h'>>()ii, so we carefullv
posed a telescope on the rocks, and [)reside(l over the
peepshow. As cich man canif up to l<Mik. \i was amusing
tu watch his face. He would ap[ily his eye with an
ex})ression of supercilious ])ity for our credulilx. After a

16 SHORT STALKS

long gaze this would suddenly give place to an eager look,
while the glass was convulsively clutched ; then a, Ijroad
grin and a volley of smothered oaths followed. Ross's
30-inch stalker was a new revelation to them, and visibly
altered their attitude towards us. From that moment
they recognised that we did know a thing or two which
they had not dreamed of in their philosophy.

These moutlon were close above the hioh road, and as
they would obviously be put away by the first person that
passed along it that morning, w^e did not attempt to stalk
them, especially as they were all females or kids, and were
separated from us by a deep valley. We went on along
the ridge till we came to another favourable spying-place,
and again called a halt. Again the telescope, or rather
the practised eye behind it, was successful. This time
the mouflon were in a shallow hollow in the ridge upon
which w^e stood, and by dropping dow^n to our left and
keeping along parallel to the ridge, we could reach them in
twenty minutes. The Sards assumed an air of profound
wisdom, and showed how they w^ere to be driven. I
pointed out how they might be approached with certainty
if they remained where they were. We compromised.
They were to place themselves and the other guns as
thouoh for a drive, and I w^as to make the stalk. A lone:
tramp through drifted snow took us to the rock which we
had marked as overlooking the macquia where they were.
Lying flat on the top of it, we scanned the slope below us
with infinite precautions. There was nothing to be seen
but the 'inffc(jifi((, which was here so high and dense that
it might have concealed a hundred. I sent Celestin to
a point on the ridge three hundred yards fiirther back.

SAEDIXIA AND ITS WILD SHEEP 17

which commanded the slope from .a different angle, and
wlience I hoped he might see them. But while he was
gone I continued to watch the waving covert ])elow me,
and at last saw a little brown patch in the dark green.
This presently developed into the head and shoulders of a
nioullon. It was a long shut, but 1 had had plenty of
time to get my hand steady. She fell stone dead in her
tracks. At the sound another, darker and more conspicu-
ous, jumped up and stood for a moment ; I rammed in a
second cartrido-e, and as he moved off I felt sure I had hit
him. As a matter of fact, he had received as deadly a
wound as the other, and had fallen within ten yards, but
the covert was so dense that I was some time finding him.
This was a handsome young male. The other, L regret to
say, was a female, Init it was the first one I saw, and
though this chance came thus early, I could not tell that 1
should liave another. After this we always let the ewes
alone. The natives make no such distinction, but fire a
charge of slugs into the l)rowu at short range, as they are
driven bv the paste. Two of those subsequently killed
by us had old wounds thus given.

So trium]iliant a l)eginning was beyond the dreams of
avarice. liici(h'iitnll\' it raised us severnl pegs in th(^
estimation of the natives, and proved to them ihc ttlicacy
of our method. The great ditHculty was to teadi the im-
portance of finding the game before the game found them.
But from tliis time Celestin's superior skill was recognised,
and brute force boweil to science. W'hih,' at lunclicou under

a clump of fine ilex, F made a clever spy of a small

hci'd (.[' mouHon contnining some good malos, on the
farther side of tlif valley. Tlicy were lying in some thin

c

18 SHOET STALKS

covert, and the master ram lay on the top of a rock, only
his dark brown shoulder and fine head being visible. In
accordance with our plan for the day, while two of us were
"posted," the third took the stalk, but this was a very
different business from the first trial. For the first time
we discovered the exceeding shiftiness of the wind among
these hills. A back current carried a warnins^ messaQ-e to

the herd, and F got only a long running shot. The

Sards said it was all the fault of this beastly stalking.

I came home hj myself, following the stream, where
the macquia was tallest and the snow was most drifted.
When these long flexible shoots are bowed down by masses
of snow, and interlaced, they constitute a temper-trying
obstacle comparable only with the leg-fdhren of the
Eastern Alps. On the way I saw another lot of mouflon
which I had unwittingly disturbed in my struggle through
the covert. Now" it is not to be supposed from this grand
day's sport that it is easy to put salt on the tails of these
wily beasts. To some extent, as often happens, we
exhausted our luck on the first day, and we did not get
another chance for many days.

To enable sportsmen to appreciate the difficulties of
the sport, let me endeavour to describe this little wild
sheep, and his ways and surroundings. The mouflon is
a small edition of the big-horn sheep of the Rocky Moun-
tains. Though only about a fifth of the size, he carries
the same sturdy body on short legs. Like that animal,
his horns spring well back, and then curve downwards
and forwards, parallel with his cheeks ; and like him,
instead of the wool of a sheep, he has the close hair
of a deer. The colour of the ewes is also the same

o

o

3

■/I

20 SHORT STALKS

gray dun as the Oris montana, but the rams are dis-
tinguished by the rich dark brown of the shouklers and
a black frino;e of lono^er hair below the neck. On either
side he bears a conspicuous gray saddle-mark, which some
have supposed that nature intended as a target. If so,
it is like the false portholes painted on iron forts to
deceive the enemy — too far back and too high. The
belly is a pure white. His meat is excellent when well
hung, but in Fel^ruary very lean. I saw^ no herd of more
than twelve. The old rams were sometimes solitary, but
more often in small companies by themselves. The young
rams were often in the company of the ewes. It seemed
to us that there was a preponderance of males, and we
were told that tlie shepherds who bring their flocks to
the hills in the spring, kill many ewes and kids at that
season ; but this disparity may be only apparent, as the
ewes are easil}^ missed with the glass.

He stands about the height of a Southdown sheep, l)ut
he carries a head that seems large, out of proportion to liis
body. The following are the measurements of our two
best heads :

Length round outer curve . . .29 Sz 28 inches

Span across horns . . . . . 17 & 21 „

Girth of horn at base . . . . 9 & 10 „

It will be seen that as regards length and span they
are not far inferior to big-horn sheep, Init the girth and
weiolit are much less. I had no means of weio^hinir those
we o;<3t, but our chamois hunter thouoht the weight of the
best about twice that of a large buck chamois, which would
brino- it to about 100 lbs.

SARDINIA AND ITS WILD SHEEP 21

I believe the mouflon, as I know liim, is confined to
the ishmds of Sardiuiu and Corsica. There are niouflon
ill Cyprus, and also in the mountains of Tunis, hut they
are distinct species from the Sardinian animal, and from
one aiiolhci".

Take huH all round, llic Urts musirnoa is one ol' the
best hands at k('ei)iiiL>- a whole skin of any wild animal
Ihat I have hunted. Iluse is not the word lor liini.
He is up to all the tricks of the trade and several more.
One writer states that to approach the rams is "not un-
accompanied by danger." If to his other good qualities
this sturdy little sheep added that of occasionally showing-
fight, he would indeed l»e perfect. To say that "they
frequent the precipitous blufis, where even charcoal-
burners find it (liffirnlt to set foot," as anotlicr writer
avers, conveys a wrong impression. Though lie lives
on ground more or less steep, it is easy, and lie has
no occasion for any remarkal>le feats of agility, (hi the
other hand, his best safeguard lies in the dense macquia
which covers the hills. At this elevation it is exclusively
conq)osed of the tall '" bru}'ere "" heather, from whicli llie
so-called "briar-root" i)ipes are made. This grows from
two to six feet In'^'li. If this covert were continuous, it
would of course be inq)0ssible to see an animal wliii-li
stands little over two feet, l)ut much of it has been
burnt, and there are natural openings besides. It is
in these openings that he must be sought when feed-
ing. As all wild sheep are constitutionally restless, and
never remain long in one place, it will be umlerstood
how difticult it is, even when they have been spied,
to hold tlu'ni with the glass. They are constantly dis-

22 SHORT STALKS

appearing in tlie macquia, and have to be refound again
and again before a stalk can be successfully effected.
When they are alarmed or " at gaze," they have a
hal^it, or at least the rams have, of placing themselves
in the middle of a bush of 'macquia, or in the shadow
which it casts. The ewes, who are naturally less con-
spicuous, do this in a less degree. The mouflon are
also assisted by the wonderful alertness of their eyes. I
do not think that they see at a great distance, but they
detect an exceedingly slight sign at a moderate range.
On one occasion I got up to a small l)and at so high a
level, that there was no covert at all except that of rocks.
They were two hundred yards off at least, and feeding
away, and, the ground being bare, I could see that there
were no outliers — that fruitful source of unaccountable
alarms. Yet the moment I looked over with all the
usual precautions, my cap, which closely matched the
rocks, was " picked up," and the alarm communicated to
the whole lot. No deer or chamois that I am acquainted
with would have detected so slight a movement at that
distance. This exjjerience was repeated on several occa-
sions. The Sards have a fable relating that a hair, which
fell from the head of a hunter, was smelt by the wild boar,
while the stag heard it, and the moulion saw it. When
startled they whistle as a chamois, and as a Highland
sheep occasionally does.

One of their favourite devices is to seek for spots on
the lee side of a ridge where the currents of air meet.
Here, in otherwise favourable positions, they are quite
unapproachable. And the worst of it is, there is no
means of finding it out until the stalker, after sur-

SARDINIA AND ITS WILD SHEEP 23

mounting all other ditlieulties, aiTives within two liuiidiciL
yards, only to tiiul the treacherous wind tiddiiig the
backs of his ears. W'vU lie knows that lie will presently
find their couches warm but empty. I also fancy, though
I cannot prove this meanness against them, that they
practise an artful dodge which is not unknown to red
deer. This is to cii'de round an ohjccl which has excited
some suspicion until they get the wind of it.

jManv of our longest and most interesting days were
spent in vainly trying to defeat craft of this kind, and
to circumvent some strategical position that ultimately
proved impregnable. At last they begin to feed ; fading
light compels us to do something, a fiat crawl through
thin macquia, a suspicious old ewe in the way, who will
keep looking back instead of attending to her supper,
finally a long running shot in the failing light without
result — some such record was a frequent experience, but
such days are not failure.

The ground on which we found them may be described
as broken rather than mountainous. The valley in which
we chieHy hunted is a wide tract bounded on either side
by consideraldc ridges, and containing quite a maze, oi
shallow corries, ail'urding excellent shelter in all weathers,
but where the wind was most aggravating for the stalker.
Most of the valleys hereabouts contain groves of fine old
ilex in the hollows. These ilex woods contain splendid
timber of that species, as well as oaks. I saw one of the
former in the hollow of which four men could easily have
lain abreast. But the destruction of them is most melan-
choly. The j^xistonili or shepherds seem, out of pure
wantonness, to build llieir fires under the line.t)t trees oi

24 SHORT STALKS

the grove, and it was a common sight to see such giants
thus done to death and stretchino- their o-aunt arms to the
sky, or overthrown by the wind. On the day following
the one above described, I went some miles down the road
and explored carefully a valley thus wooded. The ilex
were splendid to look upon ; but though I tramped for
many miles through the snow, there was not a single
track of mouflon to be found, and the reason was suffici-
ently obvious. The ilex produce an immense crop of
acorns, and large droves of tame pigs are l^rought into
the woods under the charge of jxtstorali. The mouflon
therefore quit the neighbourhood of these forests. Now
our pet valley was free from such woods, with the excep-
tion of some small groves too remote for it to be worth
while to bring the pigs so far, and which were given over
to the wild boar. They had trodden the snow like a
farmyard.

These boar lie too close in the daytime to stalk, and,
as a rule, can only be driven ; but on several occasions we
caught glimpses of them, and once, by a fortunate chance,
bao-cred one while stalkiuQ- mouflon. AVe were all tooether
on that day, and were sj^ying for mouflon from some high
rocks. One of our men was at the bottom of the slope
four or five hundred yards ofl", and started a fine boar from
a bunch of scrub. He came out into the open and stood
half-way down the slope, unconscious of our presence as
we were of his, until Enricetto jumped up, yelling " Cing-
hiale ! cinghiale ! " (wild boar) at the top of his voice, and
waving his arms. This was the Sard notion of the best
way to get a quiet shot. The boar started at his best
speed, and tore across the slope below us as if he had for-

SAKDIXIA AND ITS AVIIJ) SHEEP 25

gotten something, his stumpy hhick \njdy |)h>iighiijg u[»

the snow ;it every stride. F was the first to get hold

of his litK'. all Amerieaii repeater, and began '" pnniping
lead ' with it. I I'ushed hack and laid hold of the first

rifle 1 could find, which happened lo be G 's. lie was

twenty yards off and could see the lun, but not having his
rifle could not a'et a shot in. \\ hen I -'ot into position
the boar was straight below lis, going at a great pace
through some burnt mncgnia^ where he showed plainly
a<xainst the snow anions the black stems. I fired a length
ahead of him. Some one said '• E f errata," and the beast
seemed to slacken his pace. Before I could load my

sino-lc liaiiel ao-ain, F !j,ot in two more shots, and at

the last, as it a]"]ieared, l)iggy rolled over among the
macquia. When we got down to him he was still sitting
up, cham[)ing iJood and foam. I got Celestin's big alpen-
stock firmlv ])hinted against his side, so that he could not

charge, and F gave him the coup de (j nice with his

hunting-knife. He was a fine boar, about as big as they
make them in this island, though less than the size they
attain on the mainland. Only one bullet had struck him.
and i)asscd clean ihnniii'h. Of course we assumed that

this was F 's last shot, but after the "" L;ndlock we

followed the track backwards and found that the blood
began one hundred yards from where he h'll. h was
therefore plain that the fatal shot might have been tired
by either of us, and the question would have remained for
ever unsolved if it had not been for a curious piece of
evidence. We carried the boar to the top of the ridge,
and, some further eleansini: beimj- necessarv, a small
battered piece of copper was found in his liver. Now

26 SHORT STALKS

F shoots with a. solid bullet, whereas I used an

express, the bullet of which carries a copjDer tube in the
hollow. The bullet had passed through, but it had left
behind this unmistakable " certificate of oricjin." Poor
cowboy !

AVe were oblisfed to bow down in the house of Rimmon,
and, for the satisfaction of our Sards, devote a day or two
to the caccia grossa which they esteem so much. A
motley band of peasants, accompanied by a variety of
dogs, appeared at an early hour one morning 1)}^ agree-
ment. Some who came from a distance had camped for the
night in the woods. They were very keen and confident,
and expected no pay beyond a supply of wine and a share
of such oame as niioht be killed. All had o-uns, but in a
more or less rickety condition. The barrels of some were
badly cracked, which was not to be wondered at, for the
muzzles were "stoppered" with plugs of grass when not
in use, and doubtless these trivial obstacles were occasion-
ally forgotten. I was told of one man who shot with an
ancient piece which had a distinct elbow in the barrel.
This slight blemish, he said, had been made by his grand-
father, so that only the owner should possess the secret of
shootino- with it.

Before each drive there was a great deal of voluble
discussion, not to say quarrelling, as to how the drives were
to be taken, and who were to act as beaters. About a
third were told off for this purpose, while the remainder,
with ourselves, occupied the "posts" on the ridge above
the drive, or on the slope which was to be driven. I con-
fess I envied the beaters, for we were soon chilled to the
bone at the posts. They did not appear to attach much

SARDINIA AND ITS WILD SHEEP 27

impurtuuce to (lri\iiii;' down wind. The ljealur.s kept up
;i discordant din, l)ut the dou's diM most of tlie work. AVc
made lour or live drives tlial day; boar or moulion were
seen in most of them, but only one or two snap shots were
olttaiiu'd, and the result was nil. Tliey say a small })ig
passed witliin twenty yards of me without ni}' knowing it.
Tile lollowiiiL!' da\' we drove down to the little YilhiQ;c
wlicncc most of tliesc men came, and took some likely-
looking places on another range. The result was no
better. If wc made any sceptical remarks as to an}' drive,
we were greeted with, '' Cervi — altro'.'^ (wdth emphasis)
'' Anche moujiord — Anche cinghiale — Suro, suro !'' (cre-
scendo). This indeed was a formula with wdiich we grew
very familiar whih^ we remained in Sardinia, l)ut after this
experience, we did not pursue the native form of sj)ort, if
such it can be called. Perhaps we were unlucky ; cer-
tainlv rnnnv 1)oar are kilh'd in this wav, l)ut 1 l)elieve very
few mouHon. This is borne out by the following', wliidi
is given by Mr, Tennant as the average annual bag on
the Marijuis of Laconi's estate, one of the largest and
best-preserved on the island : — MouHon, 5 ; red deer, 10 ;
fallow deer, 40; boar, 85; partridges, 500; hares, 150:
rabbits, 300; woodcock, IGO ; snipe, 125; duck, 100;
(|uail, 50 ; plover, 30 ; Imstards, 5. There arc a few red
deer on these ranges, and the Sards would occasionally
point out an old moution track in the snow which had
been enlarged ]jy the sun, and assert that it was a rc(l deer.
1 saw no genuine fresh red deer's tracks myself, l)ut the
exceptionally severe weather had, ])erliaps, driven them
awa\- from the liiijh ground. Fallow deer must also be
sought at a lower level.

28 SHORT STALKS

Returning from that expedition in the evening in the
little waggonette we had hired, we had an object-lesson in
the obstinacy of Sard horses. Such a pair of jibbers I
never saw before. After a series of tremendous struo-oles,
during which we progressed about a mile in an hour, we
gave it up and walked home. The driver arrived there at
midnight leading his horses. The next day he made
another attempt, but ultimately he was beaten, and had to
walk twelve miles to fetch another j^air.

After this we returned with renewed zest to our own
methods, thanking our stars that we were not dependent
upon a mixed rabble of Sards for our sport. It was not all
j^lain sailing, however, for the weather again turned abomin-
ably rough, and remained so, almost without intermission,
for the rest of our stay. One does not expect to find the
Arctic regions within one hundred and fifty miles of Africa.
Daily we had to face heavy fiills of snow and hail, which con-
demned us to a voluntary imprisonment for hours together
under some hospitable rock, waiting for such a clearance
as would make it possible to use the telescope. But our
worst enemy was the wind. So thrashing, hammering,
persistent a gale I never tried to stand against. The
windows of the ccmtoniera were partly blown in, and the
fine powdery snow poured in through the broken panes for
several days continuously, while outside nothing was to be
seen but whirlwinds of snow and columns of spray one
hundred feet high, literally torn up from the surface of the
little river. Even wdien the snow ceased to fall, the wind
was so high that it caught it up in wreaths, and filled
the air with the fine particles like a fog, so that no use
could be made of the glass. Nor was this the worst of it ;

SAT^niXIA WD ITS AVn,D SlIKEP 29

for, thougii \vc faced I ho wcutliei', and l»y patience siie-
eooded in fiiidiiiL;- tlio 'jamo, some slindderino" ciUTont of
air. w liiilinof round the corries and reboiindinc; from the
clitrs. wouhl cany a wai'ning to tlieir senses, from wliatever
quarter we attempted to api)roach, and time after time
o-ood stalks were spoiled. Still we were often reminded of
(Uir latitude, even on tlie worst davs, 1)\' distant visions, as
ihrough a veil, of gleams of southern sun hathing in gohlen
light the low country whicli lay beyond the iidluenee of
this centre of storms. More rarely we enjoyed a whole
day's respite, whicli we thought heavenly by contrast, and
in some sheltered corner we would pretend to take a mid-
day siesta after the manner of these parts, with tlie head
pillowed on a bunch of wild thyme, and its scent filling
the nostrils.

On such a day we had one of the prettiest of stalks.
We had spied from the top of a ridge two old stagers — rams
of cpiite exceptional quality — on the slope below us. They
were thinking of settling for the dav, and the wariness
with which they sought a retreat was highly instructive.
After trying several spots they ascended the opposite
slope, and at last lay down within shot of the top of it,
but so carefully concealed that though they la\- o\\ snow
and where the scrub was thin, if three ])owerful telescopes
had not watched every move, we should certainlv have
lost tlieni when thev '•couched." We 1i;h1 now to tret
down our side of the valley, wliidi was, naturallw in full
view; but the )i\nc(iH'm,\\\\\^:\\ generalK' f,i\<iiiis tin- o-;ime,
sometimes hel[is ilii- Imnter. L\iiig on <iiir h.ii-ks. ;iiiil
pushing ourselves down ilirough the snow with oui- elbows,
we slid in and out among the low bushes, as well cojicealed

30 SHORT STALKS

as our quarry, and reached the bottom in safety. Thence a
shallow ravine led us easily to the top of the ridge under
which the mouflon lay, and following it along to the well-
noted point above them, and finding the wind there sure
and steady, we felt pretty safe of a fair shot. I crept
down the hill till I was nearly level with the rams, and

could just make out a pair of horns, G , who was to

take the shot, Q-ot straioiit above them and much nearer.
We stayed like this for twenty minutes waiting for them
to rise, when suddenly, without warning, rhyme, or reason,
they sprang from their beds and bounded down the slope

without a pause. G got in a futile running shot. 1

was too astonished even to do that. The cause remains to
this moment a mystery, but there is one hypothesis which
fits the case. We had left Gigi forty yards behind on the
other side of the ridge with strict injunctions not to move.
I hope I am not doing him an injustice, but it is just
possible that, as we had so long passed out of his sight,
overcome by curiosity, he came over the ridge to see what
had become of us. If he did so, it is certain that the rams
would see him before he saw them. When we returned
to the spot where we had left him, he wore an exceedingly
ionocent expression, but he did not inquire if the shot had
been successful.

The ccmtoniera was not attractive by daylight. Even
at the worst of the weather we went out on the off chance,
and by sheer perseverance sometimes got a stroke of luck
and conquered fortune against odds. On one of the most
unpromising of days we struggled against the gale to our
favourite spying -place. On the ridge we found that,
even if the falling snow would have allowed a clear sight,

SARDINIA AND ITS WILD SIIKKI' 31

the wind ayhs too Jiigli to hold the olasR stondv. So we
desceiidetl into a deep valley at right angles to the course
of the wind, and sought a big rock. Here we built a huo-e
fire, and, baking alternate sides of our bodies, waited to see
whose patience would first give out.

For five hours we waited for a chance, and then gave
it \\\K and followed the stream homewards, but kejDt a
bright look-out as we passed certain deep hollows on the
sholtorod side, well k-nowing that, in W{\-ithoi' like this, nil
the living things in the valley must be concentrated in
such spots. AVe had ])assed several of these, and were
nearing the high road when Celestin, who was in front,
dropped on the track. A\ e followed his example and felt
i'nr our glasses, now- almost useless from damp. Ilioh
up I he slope he had seen a moutlon, and we now made out
four cunning old rams, the same, as "\ve believed, wdiom we
had seen on previous occasions, but who had always eluded
us. They were sheltering under a steep slope where the
patches of heather were Cjuite six feet high, wdiicli ac-
counted for their choice of the spot. Getting into a
hollow we went straight up at them, with very faint
expectation of getting within shooting distance. Perhaps
they thought that nobod}' would be tool enou<di to
be hunting on such a day. At any rate thev were less
vigilant than usual. Though tlu^ wind seemed to be
whiiliiig aliout 111 every directiuu we g(it right up to
thrill bctbic they were ''jumped." It was impossible to
trll exactlv where tliev were, and the first sio-n I saw
w'as a pair of horns describing a series of arched curves.

I had just time to shout to G to l(»ok out. when

the}' bolted up the lull across a patch of open ground.

32 SHORT STALKS

The leader had his heels in the air before he could cross

it. G 's shot also seemed to tell. Then I tried to

get into a sitting position for a steady shot when they
should reappear in the next opening, but I forgot how
steep the hill was, and rolled clean over backwards, heels
over head, and only recovered myself to lire a futile shot.
Again I got into position with the bead on the sky-line,
feeling sure that one or another would turn there to look
for his scattered companions. Exactly so ! A massive
pair of shoulders and horns clear cut against the sky !
Click — I had forgotten to put a cartridge in. Egregious
duffer ! fot-head ! tender-foot ! Pile on the epithets — you
will never have such another chance. Casting a hasty
glance at the dead mouflon we followed up the trail, and
soon found blood on the snow, which quickly led us to the
body of another. AVe had two beauties at any rate, but
we ouo;ht to have had the lot.

These two had heads which are not easy to beat, but
there were two or three veterans about, with heads as wide
and strong, and, in addition, with the outward turn of the
tips of the horns, which gives such a character to some of
the Asian shee}), and, more rarely, to the American big-
horn. AVe were greedy for one of these, and for many
days counted all else as " trash ; " l)ut they set quite as
much value on their trophies as we did. One day we
spied such a one, well placed on the opposite slope of a
deep valley. He had others nearly as good in his
company as well as some ewes, but we recked not of
them. A solemn resolution was agreed to, to spare no
time or trouble to get this fellow ; and having so re-
solved, we immediately broke it. The first difficulty was

SARDINIA ANh ITS WILD SHEEP 33

to get down llic slope below us, wliidi was in view. Wc
ought to have rciuriKMl uloiio- the rulge lor a mile, to
where a hollow would have covered us. but to sa\e a
quarter of an houi' wc clipiicd il. 1 laiicicd ihcrc was
a little raviiu' liclow us. but the sh')pe proved paiid'iilK
smootli. and the covci't was unusually thin and the snow
abominably white. Having got a third of the way down
in safety, slithering doi^-a-fc }•)•(' , we could not slither up
again, and had to risk it. Now these crafty sheep
practised a dirt}^ little trick, which we observed on more
than one previous occasion. They really saAv us all the time,
hwt jpreteiided t\\A\ they did not, and remained apparently
unconscious until wc disappeared from their sight into the
gully »»f the stream, when they instantly departed. Fortu-
nately we had left IJenjamin on the top of the ridge with
a tclcscojie to guard against such a contingency. 1^'indino-
them gone we now signalled him to join us. He had seen
that their heads were turned towards us, but they did not
even rise from their beds until thev thouQ-ht their de-
part ure would be unobserved. They then scpai'ate(l into
two parties, but IJcnjamin had kept his glass (»ii the
patriarch ami two or three olhers wIkj accompanied him.
lie reported that they had passed over a shouMci' of ihc
mountain towards a ciM'tain dec]') corrie which we knew
to be ;i l',i\ourite sanctuary. WC now made a bi<»- detour,
as we should lia\e done in the first instance, and at len<'-th
reached the rim of this basin. From here, after a long
search, wc again discovered them. To approach was a
ditfereiil business in this concave hollow. for >e\-cial
lioui's we wound ourselves about among the low bushes,
and lioirib!\- cdlij work" was this Hat crawlincr in powderv

D

34 SHORT STALKS

snow ; but it was impossible to get nearer tlian a quarter
of a mile. We had left Benjamin at the point where we
had refound them, with instructions to hold them with the
glass. Once he thought they had discovered us, for all
their heads went up together ; but, turning his glass
towards the quarter at which they were looking, he
discovered the cause in a laroe boar snoutino- about the
scrub. In the meanwhile there was nothinsf for it Init to w^ait
till they fed into a more accessible place. This they at
length did, feeding down the stream till a friendly shoulder
hid them. Then we jumped up and ran along the liill as
quickly as our stiffened limbs could travel, till we got
right above them. The supreme moment seemed to have
arrived. They were cjuietly feeding through some tall
niacquia towards a clearing. We slid down a hollow
which faced this opening, and waited seventy yards
from it. First came a suspicious old ewe gazing about.
Now they were all in the open exce23t the big one. Last
of all he trotted out, and turned to graze on the edge of a
steep bank, the whole length of his broad back exposed to
us. What a grand trophy he will make set up in AYard's
best style ! It was just the loveliest chance I ever saw,

and after such a stalk too ! I whispered to F to

take him so. There was a crash of lead on splintered
rock — twenty l)0unds, and he was gone. Alas that the
minute treml)ling of some superfluous erratic nerve should
squander all that labour, forethought, endurance, and
science I We]], J know whereabouts he is, and — I hope
to look him up again some day.

It would be extremelv interestino- to me, 1)ut I fear
tedious for the reader, to describe other stalks, successful

SAKDINIA AND ITS WILD SHEKl' 3r.

or the reverse. T will content myself witli snying that
notwithstanding (juite an epitlemic of misses, we secured
nine moufion and one hoar, all hy fair stalking.

I will eonehide this chapter with a suggestion or two
thai may he useful to any one who may follow in our
footsteps. If he understands stalking, hy all means let
him take a telescope, which must he usetl with industry
and i)erseverance. Nor let him he content with luokino-
the oTound over once or twice. In su(di covert an animal
may be hidden one minute and exposed the next. If lie
must drive, let him avoid surrounding himself with a tribe
of natives. Two or three are enough to drive a wide area
for sheep. Let them drive, wdiile he puts himself in the
h(>.'<f post. His iiuli\i(hi;d chance will lie as good or better
than if the ridge were lined with impetuous natives. The
headquarters should be as far as possible from a town.
A few Italian cigars carried in the pocket are the best
passport. The best season for stalking moutlon woul<l
probablv be the summer, when they are liigli up on the
peaks where the rucks are nearly bare : but there ina\ he
danger of fever until October. Su])]>lies should be fetched
everv two or three dnvs from the n<'arest town bv a man
on horseback. To avoid the necessitv of carrvino- much
monev. a sum -liould be deposited with some agent there,
and everything paid tor through him. 1 f the spoilsman
carries a irood stock of wholesome incredulitw and relies
upon his own judgment, he will enjoy liimself If he
discovers mv particular preserve. I lio]>e he will ukjvc on
to some other equally good, or, shouhl I find him in nn-
quarters, tfiere might be a bad case of rrii(b'(l<i,.

II

EECOLLECTIONS OF CHAMOIS HUNTING

Of the various forms of stalking \Yliicli I have tried, none,
in my opinion, will bear comparison with the chase of the
chamois — Antelope rupicapra, the only representative of
the species in Europe.

The main element in ull forms of sport is that the
interest should be sustained. This is not possible with
any game that lives chiefly in dense covert. If the sports-
man is so fortunate as to get a chance ixi ^\\q\\ ferce naturce,
it comes suddenly, without warning, and often without
generalship on his part. Chamois, on the other hand, live
on ground which, as a rule, can 1)e thoroughly surveyed with
a telescope. Spying is in itself an art, the perfection of
which is only attainaljle by long practice, combined with
excellent natural vision, but considerable proficiency ma}'
be attained by an amateur possessed of a good instru-
ment, and wlio is not content to look over his ground but
searches it minutely and patiently. When he lias attained
even a moderate degree of skill, he has qualified himself
for one of the highest pleasures of hunting. Moreover,
he will not have reached finality, but will find that lie

RECOLLECTIONS OF CIIAMOIS IIINTIXG 37

can improve liimsclf" nlniost iiulcfiiiitely, until lie per-
fni'iiis feats wliicli lie would lia\'e |)i'e\i(ius|\- thought
impossible.

It should l>e remembered that Ji chamois, even when at
rest, always places himself where he can look tuil. and. as
he eau see. so he fan be seen. J used to be astonished at
the ease with whieh some of mv hunters have, at a distance
of two tliousand \'ai"ds or more, detected a rhamois bv
the gray marks on its face — tlie only visible part of its
body. Yet I have myself, when in good practice, accom-
plished the feat.

So great is the power of a good spy-glass that I do
not remember ever to have had a l)lank day's chamois
Ininling. u'. iritjinni st'cm;/ ait/jthiiKj, except, of course,
when the mountains have become shrouded in mist early
in the day. This diligent spying is to ni\' mind one of
the most inspiriting features of tlie sport. ^Jany a de-
liglitful liour of anticipation havi' 1 spent in watdiing a
herd, or perhaps more than one, while waiting for them to
settle for the day, discussing the best line of approach, and
impressing upon the memory the salient features of the
eround in their neiiihliuurhuod : and this is not wasted tnne,
for these animals are so restless that it is often necessary
to wait till uooii before th<' real labour of the day e(un-
mences.

The deli«dit of overcominu* rock dit]iculties — one seldom
has any ice work in ehanioi- huniing — adds another eharui.
and the .\lpine Club is a standing proitf that healthy
Enfrlishnien aic t'ond of cLindjerino: for its own sake. At
the same time it is a nii.^lake to su})pose ihal the conven-
tional ])ietures that are written and painteil. ni' (/<'msj('f(/«'rs

38 SHORT STALKS

in difficulties ^ are often realised. Chamois are, as a rule,
found at an elevation of from six to eioht thousand feet, and
do not affect the tops of peaks, or very break- neck places
unless they have been alarmed. Some mauvais fKi>i are
encountered, but as a rope is a hindrance, and is seldom
carried, no one but a fool would court really bad places
which mioht be turned.

Neither is the sport a very arduous one. The dis-
tances to be traversed are not really great, and though
there is always a sharp burst of climbing of from one
to three thousand feet — for the approach has almost in-
variably to 1)6 made from above — the ground must lie

^ I may be permitted to cull a few specimens from the literature of tlie
subject, wliicli accounts for tlie glamour wliicli surrounds it in the public
mind. One old German writer says that " the most dangerous chase of all
is that of a chamois. The hunter must manage all alone, as neither man
nor dog can be of any service to him. His accoutrements consist of an old
coat, a bag with dry liread, cheese, and meat ; a gun, his hunting-knife, and
a pair of irons for the feet. He then drives the chamois from one crag to
the other, making them always mount higher, climbs after them, and shoots
them if he can, or if he finds it necessary ; Init if tliat should not be the
case, and he has driven one so far that it is no lunger able to elude him, he
approaches quite close, puts his hunting-knife to its side, which the chamois,
of its own accord, pushes into its body, and then falls down headlong from
the r(jck." There is nothing impossible in the following, and I should l)e sorry
to deny the truth of it, but I have not had the good fortune to observe such
a game of " leap-frog " myself. We read of chamois crossing a snow-field,
"that they hasten their tlight in the following manner. The last chamois
jumps on the back of the one before him, passes in this way over the backs
of all tlie others, and then ]ilaces himself at their head. The last but one
does the same, and the others follow in order ; and in this manner they have
soon passed over such a field of snow," Such writers do, however, occa-
sionally hit upon the truth, as, for instance, where one of them says, " It is
their inner heat which inii)els them to seek those places where snow is to be
found." A friend of mine once took the temperature of a freshly-killed
chamois, and it stood at 130° Fahrenheit. I am ashamed to say that I have
never verified this experiment.

■RErOLLEr'TIOXS OF CHAMOIS HUNTING 39

constaiiil) le-siLirvcycd, and the position of the game
ascertained afresh, so that halts are frequent. Personally,
T find tlie yielding Ijoo-s of Sweden, or even the lono-
heather of Scotland much more trying to the wind ;ind
muscles.

'riic sliifting scenes of Alpine peaks, forests, and glaciers
form another inspirinij; clement which is totally wanting,
sav in the leaden-coloured slopes and peat bogs of a Scotch
deer forest. ]S'i) doubt Scotch deer stalking has some of
these charms, or had them in the days of St. John and
Scrope, but those seven -strand fences have taken the
flavour out of it. It seems a work of supererogation to
circumvent an animal which you have already circum-
scribed with an impassable wire enclosure.

Then there is the real skill recjuifcd to hit so small an
animal. The vital part (»f a diamois is scarcely larger
than this book. That may seem to the reader a sufhcient
mark, but when it is exactly the same misty colour as its
background, and you know it is about to run away, 1 can
assure him that it is renuirkaljly easy to miss. It is no
consolation when xou heai- the ex(daniation at your elbow,
*' G-r-r-r-r/f uhei\" and xour hunter shows with his lin^vr
and thumb liow \-ou wanted only hall' an indi to make an
excellent shot. 'J'liere are some peo})le who ne\er ndss. 1
have encountered a few. and read the books of many. 1
am always sorry for them. It must be so monotonous.
I once met an old sportsman returning from stalking, after
missinu- a stac;. He assured me that he had a private
enemv who must have tampered wiili tlie sights of his
riHe. That is al)0Ut the tallest excuse I ever heard, but in
chamois huntin- a man must be bolder even than that to

40 SHORT STALKS

find reasons for all tlie misses which he is certain to make.
AVhen his invention is at fault, it is best to go and shoot
at a stone till he has restored his confidence.

Another attraction of chamois hunting is that it takes
you to the mountains at the time of year when they put
on their most gorgeous raiment. At the latter end of
September the corridors of the hotels are empty. Yet it
is not till then, when the mild sunshine, even at mid-dav,
casts those wonderful purple shadows, that the infinite
variety and delicacy of form of the everlasting hills stand
revealed in clearest definition, often rendered yet more
clear by a soft powdering of fresh snow resting on every
ledge. Tiien who can measure the glories of an Alpine
sunset, when the pink snow-fiush is framed in golden
birches ? Large j^atches of these clothe the hills — acres of
them together — and out of them tower the great Arolla
pines, black by contrast. The larches have hardly
turned, but at a lower level on the Italian slopes, the
beeches, though still green for the most part, carry fiery
points ; and under your feet, that close-growing bilberry-
like plant which is, 1 think, the Yaccluvnn, burns to a
scarlet so pure and brilliant, that 1 have often mistaken it
for the blood of a chamois of which I was in search. It
is not surprising then that, when the pursuit of new peaks
and passes — the craze of my salad days — began to pall a
little, I adopted with enthusiasm the chase of the nimble
mountain antelope, which combines a mild form of moun-
taineering with all these delights.

Most of the chamois huntino- which I have done has
been within easy distance of the Engadinc. The people
of Graubuuden are jealous of their sport being shared by

RECOLLECTIONS ()K CHAMOIS IHNTIXG 41

loreigucL's, unci tlicy 1ki\'o a local law winch iurhid.s cxcii a
Swi>.^ of nnothor canton to limit under lica\v ])onalti(>s. I
have known tln'iii to >i'\\i\ out spies to watdi an l^jii^lisli-
nian who liad o'one out with a local hunter, and to sec
that he did not fire the shot. A trustfnl American once
persnaded a hunter of Saniadeii to take him out for a
ffcmsic-jdiii) . hill, as the risks of (h3tection wci-c so u'rcat.
this euilclcss mountaineer demanded a hiiili taiilf -not less
indeed than 1U(» francs. After an arduons da\', the strano-er
returned with one small marmot, and w.is immediately
mulcted in another 100 fraiies' ])enalty, having' been in-
formed against by his own guide, who took half the fine.
This exchisiveness is of lonij; standino-. Von Tschudi
mentions one, Colani, who lorded it over these valleys at the
comnii'iicement of this ceiitur\', and at whose door was laid
tlie disappearance of not a few Italians and others, who
had trespassed on his preserves never to retuiai. I*er-
sonalK' I doubt the aut heiit i('itv of these blood t hirst v^
deeds, a belief in which was })erhaps fostered by himself
to keep otf intruders from his domain : and I am iiicliiieil
to think that his worst crime was inordinate lying. At
least that is mv infereiice from the fallowing history of
one Lenz, who bearde<l the lion in his den. and begged
permission to accompany him on a hunting expetlition.
He seems to have been in a terrible fright of this monster
of Frankenstein, who acteil the part to perfection all the
time wliidi he passed in his company. I (piote only the
cream of the horrors which lu' uiiileiweiit : —

"Atone time keiiz and ('olaiii were both lying down
and leaning over a preci]iice of a thousand feet, in order
to spv out the u'anie below, when Lenz .-iuddenh' heard a

42 SHORT STALKS

loud ru.sliing sound, and at the same time a cry burst from
Colani. Lenz drew l)ack and saw above him an enormous
Liimmergeier, which in another instant wouhl have shoved
him down the precipice. Cohxni's shout had saved him
from certain death. Soon he spied out five chamois in a
spot, one of the most difticult and dangerous that can be
conceived. Cohini had only been there once before in his
life, he said. However, straightway he Inickled his gun
on his shoulder, and reached the narrow gallery of a vast
perpendicular rock, which sank to immeasurable dejDths
below. The loose earth slipt from under them at every
step. The ledge became narrower and narrower. Objects
beneath appeared like the smallest s^^ecks. As they went
on, vast chasms intervened from time to time, giving
them sudden glimpses of the world below, and at last the
path seemed to disappear altogether. ' Now, look sharp,'
shouted Colani, and catching hold of a jutting tooth of
rock, he swung himself over to the opposite side, leaving
his companion to do the same. Lenz imitated him with
the courage of despair, and rather, as it would seem, to
the astonishment of C*olani, who quietly remarked, ' I did
not think we should both have stood here too-ether. And
now,' he said, 'for the chamois ; w^e have got round them
fixmously.' In half an hour they reached the top of the
mountain, where they had seen the animals. Two were
lying at their feet among the Alpine roses, on the brink of
a precipice. Lenz's heart beat as he fired over C^olani's
shoulder. One of the animals sprang into the air and
rolled backwards down the precipice ; Colani's shot missed,
his gun 1)eing poised on a tottering piece of rock. Lenz
wished to go down and secure his prey, but Colani with-

1?EC0LLECTI0NS OF CHAMOIS HUNTING 43

liekl liiiii, adding, witli what J^eiiz thought a guilty look,
' Whatever descends into that jxrave is buried safe enouo;h.'
Many years before, a hunter of the (Jrisous had disappeared
there, leaving no trace behind. Ijcnz declares the spot
seemed to him to smell of human blood.

" They next reached a valley full of blocks of stone,
and shut in by perpendicular rocks. In clambering over
some fragments, Colani caught sight v\^ some object, threw
himself down behind a stone, and motioned to Lenz to
d(i the same. He made no answer to his companion's
in(|uiries, l)ut looked up through his glass and muttered
an imprecation, at the same time clenching his fist con-
vulsivel}'. Lenz perceived at length a human figure high
u]> among the rocks. The fierce expression and angry
words of his guide filled him with strange misgivings.
' Remember I am come to shoot chamois and not men,' he
remarked sternl}'. After a while the strange hunter dis-
appeared. Up jumped Colani. ' Follow me,' he said ;
and they rushed at full speed up the hills, taking only ten
minutes to accomplish what was usually the work of half
an hour. They sank down exhausted for a momenl, Imt
presentl} tli<' str.ino-er reappeared, and Colani deliberately
cocked his gun and took aim at him. ' Halt,' cried Lenz,
pushing the weapon aside, ' 1 allow no murder before my
eyes.' Colani cast a terrible glance at lilm. but presently
gaNc him his hand and said. ' W<' will not (|uarr('l with cadi
other.' ^leantime his destine* I \ ictini had disappeared.

The Engadiners have still the re})utation of — shall 1
say — great independence of character. Perhaps by this
time the attrition of all the nations has put a polish on
the surface, but thirty years ago, it sometimes took the

44 SHORT STALKS

form of rather masterful self-assertion. I remember Herr

G \ who afterwards blossomed into a wealthy hotel

proprietor, but who did not then wear a Ijlack coat, exhibited
his dawning civilisation by announcing, in the course of
the tahic dlidtc, that beer was not to be drunk at dinner,
and that if any one wanted it he must take it in the
public beer saloon. Now we Britishers did not all want
to drink beer, for his Valteline " Montaoiier" was excel-
lent, but we declined to be coerced into consuming it.
We rose en masse from the table after soup, and adjourned
to the tap-room. There we solemnly drank our l)eer and
returned for the next course. This form of strike was suc-
cessful, and the bloated capitalist, who by the way was a
very o'ood fellow, was brought to his knees.

On account of the local jealousy which I have hinted
at I have generally hunted on the Italian side of the
frontier, but my first expedition was near Zernetz. It
was a sudden thought. We were not properly equipped.
We used borrowed guns of the country, and naturally we
came back after two days, having caught nothing but bad
colds. There had been a heavy fall of snow ; the tracks
of chamois were everywhere, and though I failed to get a
shot, I was badly infected with the buck-fever. This result
was contributed to by the stirring reminiscences of my

excellent friend Herr S of Pontresina, formerly

President of the Graulnniden, who accompanied us on
that occasion. His laroe collection of chamois heads
testifies to the zeal with which this fine old sportsman
hunted them in years gone by.^

1 I can only remember one of these tales. He was followinrr witli one
companion, in the depth of winter, the bloody trail of a wounded chamois.

RECOTJ.l'i'TroXS OF CllAMolS lirXTIXC

4")

At tlu' tirsl (>|ip()rliiiiit y I ivpcalcd the cxprrinRsut,
lilt madt' iii\' a])|H-oa('li('s iiku-c sriciil iHcallw i started

AN nl.l) ( IIAMDIS HINTEK

fi-om rf^ntrc^iiia. wliich was not tlio fasliirnialili^ ro^^ort it

The track led tlu-iii across a steep couloir tilled with deep loose snow, intu
which they ijliiiiged up to their middles. "When hall-way across this the
mass parted just above them, and moved downwards with ever-accelerating
speed, snmotimes covering them deep with a surging mass, and then again

tossing tlicin in the air. At last S felt himself suddenly and violentlv

arrested by sonu- pmtiuding substance, wliich afterwards proved to be a
liroken stump of a tree. Alti-r a time he recovered consciousness and suc-
ceeded in shaking himself free. His first thought was for his frieml. if
whom nothing was to be seen. But as he gazed over the waste of snow, lie
saw at a distance a twig, which had been pressed duwnwards, recover itself
and spring U]i. Thinking it might lu; the sign of some life he made his way
to the spot, and close by it found a boot jirotruding from the surface.
Scraping the snow away as best he could with Ids naked hands, he at h-ngtli
uncovered the body us far as the face, 'tin- man was apparently dead, and
his face almost black ; but presently he came to, ami was little the worse,

while S himself, in turn, fainted from the injuries he had receiveil, and

was laid up for six weeks before he recovered.

46 SHORT STALKS

now is, for tliero was only an old-fashioned, wooden-
walled inn. I made, in spite of the regulations, a prelimi-
nary canter in the well-known Val Rosegg. For the past
ten years or more this valley has been constituted a sanct-
uary for chamois by the wise provisions of a Federal law.
At that time they were scarce, hut after a long search we
spied three. The day was stormy, and under these cir-
cumstances the wind is always uncertain, and our stalk
failed in consecjuence. However, I established, by a fluke,
a, reputation as a shot, which many misses never com-
pletely effaced. Returning along the mule-path, a marmot
was observed outside his hole. As I sat down to shoot,
he scuttled into it, but presently reappeared, cautiously
showino: his head and shoulders — a small mark — but I
took pains with the shot and slew him at the door of
his house. Presently the same thing happened again
among some rocks, but this marmot showed only his head
as he watched our movements. Besides, the shot was a
long one, but by a fortunate accident this bullet also sped
true. Ever after, my hunter attributed my misfortunes to
anything but the true cause.

The valley of Livigno is a wide open pasture, with
rounded green hills on either side, very fat and product-
ive, and maintaining a considerable population. In its
upper portion there is much high ground and some excel-
lent corries, Ijut the best o-round is below the villaoe.
Here the river enters the wild Spol ravine, the lofty sides
of which are composed of dolomite, which produces rock
scenery of the most contorted and bizarre character —
isolated columns, terraces, mysterious hollows and clefts,
flying buttresses, like those on j\Iilan Cathedral — though

RECOLLECTIONS OF CITAMOTS HUNTING IT

the ruin ot" locks is so great, that a eh)ser comparison
would l)t' fnimd in tile remains of tlic tenijilc of tlio Sun at
I\ariiak. Most striking of all. water spouts out in certain
places in t'ull-liodicd streams I'rom the face of sheei- dills.
Then this kind nf lock is stained witli ochre and russet,
;inil liu'hts up strano'L'h' under the mvsterious o-low of

1*10.- * O

sunset. The slopes are (dollied with dense patches of
tlie /^//^^^■ iiiiKjhus, or /c;/-fdhren, the tangled thickets
of \vhi(di are a favourite haunt of chamois. Owino- to
the iuaccessihlc character of this ravine, the whole valley
of Livigno, though geographical]}- on the northern side of
the watershed, and in the ma[) projecting like a peninsula
into Switzei'land. has .dways belonged politically to Italv.

At the time of whicdi I write there were many
kiinimeri'eier in Li\i<jn(». It is nowadavs a very rare
bird in the Alps. It is easily distinguished from the
moi-e numerous ea2;les by its areat size, and a tail loneer
in proportion to its bo(ly than theirs, as well as ii\- more
pointed wings.

There are always rumours flying about of bears in the
Lower Engadine. Two or three limes we came across
tolerably fresh tracks in snow or on soft onnuMl. and I
once saw the skin of a newl\ -kiUed om-, a daik pelt with
a tinge of gray on the lips of the hairs, but I uin-er
eiieonnteiTMl one in the lle,-h.

I'^ir a series of years i visited this \alle\- almost
anniiallw and alwa\s had good spoi't. Sometimes we;
a[)proached it from Pontresina, across the mountains fiom
the' lieridna Pass. Sometimes we ascended its lowei-
extremit}' from /einetz. If the weather \\a> \-er\- rou^h.
we put up at the little /<K'(n(/(i in the village. it smelt

48

SHORT STALKS

of cheese and required heavy dustings of " Keating ; " but
its hospitality was of the heartiest, and indeed the whole
community regarded us as their guests. Sylvestre, the
landlord, was especially genial in his greeting, though

TUK I.AMMKiiiiKIEIi.

I am bound to say he tried to make hay on the rare
occasions when strangers chanced to shine upon him.
The result of this was that each year, as the dav of our
departure drew near, a slight coolness arose between us
owing to the consciousness, which botli (5f us had, of the

RECOLLECTIONS ol' CHAMOIS HUNTIXO 49

iiiovit;il)le row (ivor tlic Mil. To put ii[> ;it tlio \illage
iiiN'oIvod ci loii»>- walk lo oiir huutm2; uTOund. and we
ireuerullv camix'tl in one or oilier oH the o-oat-herd.s' rciu2fc
liuts. suppleini'ii It'll hy a small ridge tent.

( hir faxoiiritc caiiii) was aliout six miles down tlie
ra\iiie, oil a little g'reeii |ilatrorm raised somewhat aKove
the riser, in which there wen' some ver}' iiiee hathiiiL,^
pools, ('lose by was a bridge, which was coiiveiiieiit, as
it enabled lis to spy bolli sides of the valley from tlic
neighbourhood of canij).

In those early da}'s my principal hunter was Spinas,
a lean old man. who lived on the Julia Pass, with long
black hair, a. shrivelled face stained to a dark chocolate
eolour. and a great hooked nose like some bird of prey,
which was strictly in character. He was \ery poor, but
that was owing to his passion for hunting, whicli he
preferred to more profitable occupations. In the wintei-
he would sit up on moonlight nights to shoot loxes.
Sometimes he set fall-traps for marmots. ]!<' was always
oatehino- something, but he once told nie that the hardest
work of all was trout-hshing. To my surprised im|niry
he re[)lied that the hotels will onl\- buy them ali\-e. ;ind
that involved carrying on his back a large enclosed
trou<di, shaped like a eoHin. wliii-h had to he constantly
replenished with fresh water. He was a jiast master in
the science of chamois hunting, but a terril)le tyrant to his
Herr, and very severe when the latter missed, on which
occasions he would sometimes refuse to work any more ;
h.r. like most of the Engadiners. he was verv indei)endent,
not to say boorish. Fortunately for nie he had ;i touching
faith in the accuracy of my shooting, but coml)incd with a

E

50 SHORT STALKS

profound distrust of express riiies. '■'■ Zu vid pulver'''
was always on his lips after some fatally bad shot on
my part. On a question of wind, or the proper line
of approach, he scouted all advice. Indeed he would
allow of no difference of opinion in his own depart-
ment.

I think his success was mainly due to his patient, or
what sometimes seemed to me — when boilino; over with
ardour — his dawdling ways. " Sempre lentano " was his
tantalising answer to all my urgent suggestions of prompt
action ; for he talked a mixture of German and Italian as
well as a hybrid patois called Eomansli, which is supposed
to l)e debased Latin. I remember once findino- chamois
quite early in the day in a very good place. He had not
seen them, and kept mooning around all day at a low
level. Quite late we mounted, and of course found them
where I had indicated. I missed them, and my temper
was not improved l)y his sententious remark : " See what
a orood thino- it is to wait. You are sure to see them at
last." For all this I am bound to say his judgment was
generally correct. He had a great hulking son, who was
also an able hunter, but was even a o-ruffer and a rouoher
cub than his father.

Another of my favourites was old Bernardo, a tall,
lantern -jawed, and clean-shaven native of Livigno, who, of
all the Italians I ever met, was the slow^est of speech and
the most preternaturally grave. I never could divest
myself of the idea that he was a Methodist preacher, and
this was borne out by the dark clothes which he habitu-
ally wore. He was inferior in skill to Spinas, but the
natives of this valley hunt but little, and leave it to the

RECOLLECTIONS oK CIIA.MOIS lllNriNc! 51

iiioro enterprising- Engiidincrs, who frequently cross the
mountains to try tlieir link there.

The incidents of every stalk, whether successful or
not, wliicli I made in the conijianx' of one oi' other of
these nii'U. remain graxcn ujhui iii\- nuamnN- : l)Ul loset
them all down liei'c would make a ver\' nionoLouous
ell;i])ter.

i Will ciiileaN (tiir lo dex-i'ilM^ a single sueeessi'iil da\' :
and to present a t'ailhCiil }iii-lure 1 must not omit all
mention of the other sort, however painful the task may
be. It was the first day of the season. We had reached
over-night the little wirthsJiaus on the Ofener Pass, which
is within reach of the ground I have descrihed. We
started soon after 3 A.M. ami were tar along the [>alh
l)efor(> th(> da\' actualK' dawned. As it got light, t]i(> man
with oiir liaou'ivu'e horses ituUed uii short, and nointcil (uii
to us a Ituck, which I couhl not see without a telescope,
feeding on the opposite side of the stream, about five hun-
dred vards off It seemed strang'e that he should remain
there so unconceiiie<lly, but he was doubtless accustomed
Lo people passing thai wa\'.

We attempted the stalk, but had hardly startcil licluic
those wlio reniaine(l nn the ])ath signalliMl us hack. lie
had o-(ii ijrcil nf iiciic hmkcd at, ami with a shrill whi-llc
had ijuiet l\' walked <>\]' into a t hick wood, heaving t he hag-
gage to proceed oil its way, we left the path and climbed
the opposite mountain. As we ueared the top ol' a steep
couloir, another solitary buck jum))ed u]i above us, within
fifty yards, and gazed at us, but not ipiite long enough
for a shot to be snatched. Spinas now said that from the
next ihb'c we should certainlx' see more " Crriiiiiioc/ic. as

52 SHORT STALKS

he called them, as they would have come down for the salt.
I did not then know wliat lie meant. Sure enouoh when
we cautiously looked over, there, on a wide green plateau,
four hundred yards in diameter, was a herd of no less than
twenty-four chamois. Some were chasing one another at
full gallop round this park-like space ; others butted one
another, or in sheer exuberance of spirits sprang into the
air and pirouetted on their hind-legs ; while grave seniors,
too old to dance, looked on with the same air of super-
cilious approval which grandfathers like myself assume
at a ghillies' ball in Scotland. It appeared that earlier in
the summer, goats are herded on this open space, and,
after they have been driven down, the chamois are
attracted by the remains of the salt which is spread
for them. Sometimes such sahldcheiicr, or saltlicks, occur
naturally. It is not on my conscience that I disturbed
this family pai'ty, for while we were making the necessar}'
detour, they betook themselves to the woods for their
mid-day siesta, we knew not whither.

I have several times been the witness of such a gemse-
sj>i('I. They generally choose a wide patch of snow, in
an open valley where they cannot l)e easily approached.
Once, I am ashamed to say, I successfully stalked such a
party. They were so occupied, that I succeeded in crawl-
ing down to them in full view. Chamois hunters do not
understand this kind of flat crawlino- and oenerallv will
not attempt it, as there is in most cases such abundant
rock covert that there is no need for it ; but it is often
effective when chamois are feedino-, and the lioht is not too
good, if you let yourself downhill on your back, feet fore-
most, and only move while their heads are down.

rtKrOLLECTTOX^; OF rTTA^rOTs IirXTlXC -ul

I t>ttcii huiiiil cliaiuois, again, uu llic alxivc-iiu'iiliuinil
grcc'ii plaleau ; and on one occasion T s])io(l anion'j: a sniall
liord a yonno- Imck willi a cnrious (Idniiiiily. Our of his
horns curved forwards instead of 1 tack wards. T was very
anxious to possess myself of tliis trophy. Imt Sjiinas took
me up too close. TIk'V got notice of our approach, and in
the confusion of their dcnartuic I couM not distinouish
the one 1 wanted. The horn of a chamois is supported on
a core of l»unv sul)stancc whicli rises from the skull. Some
accident amono- the rocks must have wrenched this horn
round on its pi\ot.

To rt'tui'H to tlic da\' in (|uestion — wliilc Cloof and
Spinas continutMl to look foi' the hig hei'd, 'lohaiui and I went
farther \\\<. We now fouiKl ourselves on the edge of the
deep trt'Hch 111" the S]ioI raviuc. and proceeded to search,
wilh ui'cat rare, thr eliaus of rocks, gullies, and iir scrul),
wliich faced us on the opposite slope ; for the day was now
well advanced and verv liot. and the greater the heat, the
more do chamois withdraw themselves into concealment,
creeping into hushes and holes in the rock. I jioii tlie
thoroughness of this work depends oui' Intpe of sport for
the dav. Not onl\' is it necessary to find the o-ame.
lint to make sure that there are no others near iliein
who niiijht he started ]n tlie course oi the stalk, and so
disturl) thcMn. Tin* occu]>ation i>< ahsorbing, and there is
dead silence, till afier half-andionr .loliann says : "■ Xow 1
see three in the /ttj-jo/ircn.' " Win ic .' 'Vy\ the great
rock under the liiilr cjitl'. As thei-e are millions of ijreat
roi-ks in \iew. and a lhon>aiid lit I h' cli(r<. i his is vague, and
shows that .lohann has not huiiled much m conipanx . lor
there is a ceitaiii art in de.->cril)ing the exact position <if a

54 SHORT STALKS

chamois which you have found. The proper way is to
take some conspicuous object which any one can identify
in a moment, and lead up from it by a chain of minor
ol)jects to the precise spot you wish to indicate ; something
like the following : — " You see the green alp at the top of
the wood. Follow up the couloir to the left of it till you
come to a dead tree. To the left of that is a cliff with a
black shadow shaped like a camel, and just below the camel
is a rock with a narrow gray streak. They lie ten yards
to the left of that." In this way one is led Ijy the hand
as it were, step by step, to the presence of the chamois.
" See," says Joliann, " I will show you with my stick."
But the stick is useless as a pointer, for it is bent by
Johann's fifteen stone of weight. " Stay, I will point the
rifle," and he draws a bead on them, and puts his head
on one side so that 1 can look alon^ the sights. Now I
see where he means, and pick them up with the glass — a
doe, a kid, and a two-year-old. Presently we find six more ;
then another lot of three. The last were low down, and as
it was getting late we chose them for attack.

It was a long and rough descent into the ravine, and
we had to o'o down stream to a Ijrid^e. After half-an-hour
of ascent at Johann's pace I began to be sorry I had come,
but I was not really pumped till the leg-fohi-ea was
reached. The flexible stems of this curious dwarf fir (the
Plnvs miKjlins is, I think, its correct name) are every winter
bent flat under the weight of snow, and never Cjuite recover
their erect })Osition, ])ut remain partly recumbent and inter-
laced, each stem growing down the slope. It is easy enough
to o'o straioht down throuoh it, and not verv difticult to
clim1) straight u]», l)ut to cross it diagonally is a trial to

KECOLLECTIONS OF CHAMOIS HUNTING 55

one's temper. It is a perfect net-work of interlaced
1>i';inclu'S, too tliick to ])iis1i aside, too tliiii to bear your
weight. If you try to get over them, they fly up at tiie
wrong moment, and it" you crawl under them they pull
your cap ofl", and catch the rifle which hangs at y(Hir back.
Ill a thick grove of it you cannot see three yards in any
direction except towards the valle\'. i su])pos(' ii was
some instinct, which lower animals like myself do not
possess, that guidod Johanu to the right spot, but we
found ourselves at last at the top of the clilf under which
the cliamois had been lying. They had moved, and for
some time we had to crawl about through the branches,
peering down through peepdioles in the deep fringe which
]irojccts l)eyond the upper edge of the cliff. At last
Joliann siu'ned that thev were below us. I struui-led Lo
his side, and thi'ough a gap I saw one of them for a
moment, but he had moved befoi'e I could o-ct the rifle
into my hand, and the brandies hid him from me. Then
.b.thaiiii pointed out another riglit under me. I had to
stand up and shoot straight down. As I fired he gave a
shiver and bounded off, so that he was at once hidden.
We pushed through the thicket to a more open place, and,
as we reached it, 1 cauiiht sieht of the brown Hank of
another which was making off through the covert, and
knocked over a second, stone death <,>iiickly we found a
way to descend and let ourselves down by the branches.
There was the blondx- track >>\' ilie first clianioi-. The
poor beast had not gone fir. l>iit had life enough left to
get awav once more. F()l lowing more cautiously, I got
a siii'ht of his head. an<l lini.-shed Inui willi a bullei ihroiejli
the neck.

56 SHORT STALKS

1 hate carrying my rifle, and never do so if I can help
it ; luit the exception is when my hunter is otherwise well
loaded with the results of a successful stalk. Then it feels
as light as a feather. The Iccf-fohren no longer rufiies,
and you step airily over the mauvais pas, which you
distinctly funked in the morning. In a hurried shot like
the above I do not pretend to be always able to distinguish
the bucks. I am guilty of the death of many a geiss.
In the above case my second beast was only half grown,
but his cutlets served with cream — make a note of it —
were enouoh to make one devote oneself to shootino- nothino-
but kids.

Along the broken gorge of the Spcil there is a mule-
path, but the difficulties of the ground compel it to cross
and recross the torrent, if I remember rightly, no less than
six times in four miles. These bridges are an important
aid to chamois hunting, as it is necessary to survey the
flank of the valley which it is designed to hunt from a
spying-point on the opposite side. This route is supposed
to be practicable for the roughest kind of hcrg-Lvagen, but
on one occasion, when we were driven by bad weather to
escape by some means, and had loaded our possessions on
such a vehicle, we went very near to losing the whole of
them, and the horse into the bargain. The actual torrent
bed is so deep and narrow in places, that a moderate spate
will raise the surface of the water forty or fifty feet in two
or three hours. It was in such a place that wild shouts
were heard in front, and on roundino^ a corner, we saw the
hin<l wheels of the hcrg-wagen already on the water-worn
slope of rocks below the path, while the body of the
machine literally overhung the goroe. The foremost man

TWO TO OM". A(;AtNST TIIK II'>1!SE.

58 SHORT STALKS

was tearing at the horse's head, and madly shouting to it
to make fresh efforts to save itself from destruction, while
the terrified brute, fully aware of its danger, was struggling
on the brink. The second charioteer had o-ot his feet
planted against a rock, and was holding like grim death
by a rope to the hinder part of the waggon. One shaft
was over the horse's head, and the whole was at such an
angle that all our goods, including our weapons, must,
even as it was, have tipped into the glacier torrent, wholly
past recovery, if we had not taken the precaution to cord
a big mattress on to the top of them. Rushing forward,
we seized every available guy rope or holding-place, and
presently by main force hoisted the crazy thing into stable
equilibrium.

To show the al^undance of chamois in those days, I
may make an extract from my journal of the history of
two successive days, which also happened to be the first
days of the expedition of that year. We left Pontresina
at some unearthly hour, and drove to the entrance of the
Yal del Fain. There was a sharp frost and the little
stream was frozen nearly hard. AVe walked to the head of
the valley, seeing nothing on the way till we had crossed
the frontier, w^hen we almost immediately made out two
little lots, of two and three chamois respectively. As they

were in diff'erent directions, R and Spinas went after

one, while G and I with Johann tried for the other.

Before we had gone very far these disappeared, but al)out one
o'clock I saw a lot of ten at a oreater distance. Just then,
liowever, our attention was taken oft* by seeing the other
party, who had come round the other side of the mountain,
and were sionallino- to us that there was somethinfr on

RECOLLECTIONS OF CHAMOIS HUNTING r.'.i

tlie c-liir Itelow us. We climbed cautiously down, peering
alidut. liut could sec notliiug till we got nearly to the
bottoui, where we came upon them lying right below us.

(1 had (he shot, but. unfortunately, for some reason

which 1 cannot rememl)er, had Spinas's rifle instead of his
own. and missed clean. These native wea])ons arc mostly
furnished with a hair trigger, which is very puzzling to
any one who has not practised with it. They came right
up [)ast us, and gave me a good running shot which I
ouuht to have done somethino- with. Returnino- we ao'ain
made out (Uir herd of ten on the top of a hill, and a single
one in another du'eclion. The herd lieini'- on the best
stalkinof o-round, we went for them. The stalk was a
simple one, and wc arrived within a hundred yards of
them. To creep forward into position 1 had to show
myself on the sky-line, wdiich should always be aNoided if"
possible. The rorgeiss, or doe sentinel, instantly saw me,
and twisted sharp round to have a better look. A buck,
which la\- neaivr. stood up, but the next instant he sprang
into the air and fell dead. ^ly second shot, as the}- ran,
glanced from a rock with a "ping" just in fi-ont of the
nose of one of them, and 1 lienid it buzz across the valley;
but T "-ot in another cartrido-e just in time foi- ;in oullier
who had been feeding behind the ridge. He gallo})ed up.
stood for a moment, giving me a capital chance, so that I
dropped him de;i<l almost on ihc back' ofllie first. in the

meanwhile K had also Ikk.I a good ehain'cand knocked

over a chamois with a bullet throuu;h its bod\- ; but even
a ■450 express is not always euou'jh. and this one managed
to recover itself sufficiently to reach coveri. and the dark-
ness comimj on. it was lost.

60 SHORT STALKS

HeiT S , who was always most solicitous for our

welfore, had on this occasion — this was after Pontresina had
develojDcd, and when his son had begun to keep a hotel —
lent us his leading chef, a very smart young man, whose
ability with the saucepan was beyond question, and who
was supposed to be fired with ambition to distinguish him-
self in ht chaxi^c. We camped that night in a hut which
was decidedly draughty. Alphonse's courage seemed to
be evaporating, and our supper was not a success. The
next morning there was no appearance of breakfast or
cook. He had decamped in the night, and the following
evenino; was discovered in bed at Pontresina. Another
cook was despatched to us, with less artistic soul for
sauces, l)ut with more pluck. He had served in the French
army, and was great on his feats of arms and venerie.
Soon after his arrival, he borrowed, unknown to us, an old
fowling-piece from the cure. There was an air of repressed
mystery about him as he prepared us for our evening meal,
and the climax was reached when he set before us, with
a tremendous flourish, a tom-tit and a chaftinch on toast,
and exquisitely garnished.

The day following the one just described was, I think,
the most disastrous I ever experienced ; l)ut I look upon
the reader as my father confessor, to whom I am bound to
make a clean breast of it, wdiatever the result may be to
my reputation. At ten o'clock I saw a chamois looking
at us a quarter of a mile oft'. He thought we were not
pleasant company, and went over into the next valley
with three others. We followed, and found them again
lying down straight below, I crawled u}^ to the edge,
and thought I was going to distinguish myself, luit, owing

RECOLLECT K A' >^ OF CTT.nfniS Ill-NTINC (il

l(t in\" (■liiui>iiK'.s.s, lliey s;i\v iii\- head and |iiiii]ir([ up.
TliiiikiiiL!,' tliev were about to start, I was iu rallier too
o-rcal a liun'\', and was n'uiltv of a most aunoNM'iiL^- ]>i('cc of
il'i'iclicric. 1 was sliootiiin" straiulit dowu, and ilid imt
grasp the riHe tightly enough witli my left hand, so that
its weight pulled otl" the trigger before 1 had (juite aligned
the sights. I am ashamed to say it is not the only
occasion that a simihir act of carelessness stands recorded
airainst me. The shot disturbed a lol nf eleven and
another of two. The latter went and lav (h)\vn in a cfood
place, and we made an excellent ap]^]'()a<'h. There they
were, not more than lift y yai'ds off, one feeding and the
other lying down. I was determined I \\(»iil<l iiol l)e in
too o'reat a hurr\' this time, and hiv watchino- them over
the ridge, with my legs in Switzerland and my ritle in Italy,
waitino- till the bi<>-o-est luiiieil a Hltle. I felt that he was
bound to roll over. Jle was, howevei-, of a dilferent
opinion, and galloped off iinseathed. It wouM have been
ditliiuh to make a worse miss. At two oclock we spied
a big buck l\ing on I lie top of a narrow rocky ridge. We
had a ditlieult stalk down the rido'e itself, erawlino- some-
times on one side, sometimes on the other. The wind was
uncertain, and he got a whiff prematurely, and was oil
l)efore I looked onci'. 1 hail a long and dim slmt. and did
not know whether he was hit or not. until, foUowinu' the
tra(d<, we found some spots of blood. Wo ti-acod it till
it o'ot too dark lo Iblluw it, and we hail to come lo I lie
conclusion thai he was only scratched. 1 am rnniiidrd
of the sensible utterance of a voun!»- friend on a similar
occasion, " Kegardez iei I tout ce i|ue })uis dire c'est
ceci ; (jue si un izzanl doesn't tomber within fifty

62 SHORT STALKS

metres of where lie's tire'd at, lie's aiissi bon cjue
manque'd."

The valley of Liviguo is so cut off from the rest of the
world, that the village priest is physician of the bodies as
well as the souls of his Hock. More than once I have had
to call in his services. My companion in 1874, who was
rather inexperienced, was suffering from an ailment familiar
to Alpine climbers fresh out from England. Unknown to
me this had continued for several days. Our remedies
were not sufficiently potent, and prompt measures were
necessary, or our hunting ground must be abandoned in
search of medical aid. I sought the tonsured apothecary,
who received me with delightful bonhomie in his den,
which smelt, about half and half, of old l)ooks and rhubarb.
In my finest Italian I furnished the learned man with a
diagnosis of the case. Seizing mv hand, the cure assured
me that I need be in no further anxiety ; that he had the
very thing, a remedy which was suro, swo.

I suppose that the present generation has advanced
beyond Seidlitz powders and knows not that ancient
remedy. For the benefit of Jin-de-siccle youths, 1 may
mention that the powders in rpiestion were contained in
white and blue })a[)ers, and that it took one of each colour
to make a draught. This was what the Padre produced,
but in parcels of so portentous a size as were never seen
before, doubtless designed for the iron stomachs of his
mountaineers. One would say that such a mass of ebulles-
cent material could not be administered to an ()rdiiiary
mortal without something happening, but if this double-
barrelled remedv failed, I was to trv another shot at
3 o'clock in the morning. At 6 a.m. I think half the

l^vKCOT.Ll'C'IMOXS ()]• {MTA'\rniS lirXTIXC 6:i

iiihahitjints of the v;ilk'\- luid asseml)le(l outsiJr. They were
no (l(»iil)L anxious lor our own .sakcs thai we should remain,
hut they were chiefly concerned f<»r the ethcacy of the
blather's remedies, to wliidi I lliiid< t li»'\' ;itt;i<-lie(l some-
lliini;' more tli;in mort;d <|U;ilitics. TlieycouM not come to
Lord's or to Kpsom : why shouM they not assendde to
watch this contest between the priest ;ind the (h'.vil?
There was something like a cheer raised, when, at O.oO, 1
announced that the priest \ii\A exorcised tlic dovU.

The next occasion when 1 consulted m\' reverend
fi-iend was a more serious one. hut tliat is a long story. IMy
brother and I were camped at the lower end of the Spcil
Ravine, and went as usual in different directions, though
on the same side of tin; v;ille\'. ^'oung Spinas and I h;id ;i
lono- walk over the hill without seeino; anythinu', and rather
kite in the day spied a splendid buck close to the top of the
Pi/ I)ia\el, the highest peak hereabouts — too far away if it
luid been an ordinary chamois, but this beast was worth an
exct-'ption;d efl'ort. To cut a long story short, nfter a ti'c-
mendous climb we lost him. then rel'ountl him. hui came
upon him suddenly in a position where he must inevitably
smell us in a few seconds ; ran as hard as we could to get
the shot before this haiipeiied (lor a chamois when he gets
the wind goes off lull ])elt. without raising his head or
looking back as a stag will do), and consetjuentl}', being-
blown. T all but missed him, but not (piite. Ihirdcuied
with his body, we made slow progress home, and it was
nearly dark when we reached the edge of the clilf which
oNcrlooks the valley, and came in sight of the camp. At
sight of it Johann raisei] ;i view li'>lln;i. and, to my surprise,
it was replied to b\' a hiint and distant response to our

64 SHORT STALKS

right, and still higher than we were. " That is your father
with the other Herr.'' "' Yes, they are very late, hut they
will get down an easier way." The way down this part of
the cliff is extremely intricate. It is composed of what I
can best describe as hard-baked slopes ; that is, shoots of
nuid and shaly material, so baked by the sun as to afford
very insecure footing, and witliout l)ig hobnails they are
decidedly dangerous. In this case the slope was divided
by several horizontal lines of low cliff, only to be negotiated
here and there, and the scrub made these spots difficult to
find. In the fading light we lost the way more than once,
and it was })itch dark before we got to the mule-path. As
we tramped along it, I fancied I heard another shout behind
us, and then I saw a light glimmering in the woods alwve
the line of our descent, and where no lio-ht should l)e.
Joliann said it must l)e made by some woodcutters, and
that the other party would l)e surely back in camp Ijefore
us. A two-mile walk l)rought us there, but they had not
returned, and I now felt sure that they had tried for the
same passage as ourselves and failed to find it ; and it was
clear that they could not get down safely without a lantern.
As a matter of fact they also were burdened with a heavy
buck. They had given up the attempt to descend when I
first saw their lioht, and were now makino' the best of it
under a rock, where I should have done better to have left
them ; but that I could not tell. Snatching up the lantern
we hurried down the valley again. At the bridge we again
saw the glimmer in the wood, and a distant answering
shout assured us that we were not mistaken in the identity
of the party. Lighting the lantern, Johann and another
man started to })ick out the difficult way while I waited

RECOLLECTIONS OF CHAMOIS IirXTlNd 65

aiixit^uslv. A I II o'clock il l)('i;an to pour, ainl I rcLrcuLcU
to tlic camp. Iloiii- after liniii- passed and llicv did not
rctitni. Al llif first gliiniiifr ot'liiilit, I was down al tiic
l)rid!j;c again and soon after saw llicni a[)pcariii«j;.

In llif nicanwliilr <aii' two men li;id readied tlieni, ImiI.
llioU'_;li tlie\- liail succeeded ill findiiiL;' the way up. Ilicy
could not hit oil' the clue again, and after struggling tor
sonic hours in I lie di'iii[)iiig /('(/-j'Ohrcn at an angle of 50
degrees, tliev ioiind iheii- way to a woodman's (//fc, where
they sat, soaked and shivering, for tiie rest of the night.
Twenty-four hours hiter, my brother was seriously ill, and
developed a severe attack of dysentery. This was beyond
the healing power of the priest, and, making an ambulance
of a l)<r(/-(ri/(/r,i, 1 o-ot him with some difhcultv over to
i'onlrcsina, where for a fortuiuliL i nursed liiiii uiilii he
was well euouu'h to travel home.

The next time I \ isited the valley the poor priest was
dead — died of ennui, they said. For that he had no
remedy.

I never had anything approaching an accident in
oh.iiuiiis huntin*'-, thouLih I once hurt myself rather badlv.
W r were stalking some chamois in a diilicult position
when llie\' look the alariii. li\' runniiiL;' hard for lliree or
Wnw hundred \afds we were aide to cut them off at a ])ass,
ami aiii\-cd just as they crossed, at a distaiKH' of tw.'nty
\ards. 1 Ixiiocked over the leader, and then ran forward
aoain to try to get a second shot. I had lo descend a
short but steep slope of snow, and di<l so by a standing
r//isfir((Ii' ; Intt, as I was carrying a ritle, 1 could not steady
myself as usual with a stick. The bottom >A' the slope
was converted into hard ii-e. and upon this f slipped up,

F

66 SHOET STALKS

my foot striking heavily against a rock at the bottom.
I felt that I hnd received a very severe blow, but it did
not bring me down, and I still ran on, but at last was
brought to a standstill by the sharp pain in my foot, and
lookino- down, I found a cut extendinsf literallv from the
toe to the heel of the boot, as clean as if it had l;)een done
with a razor, and the blood streaming from it. Fortu-
nately for me this happened on the watershed, between
Italy and the Engadine. With some difficulty, after
binding up the foot with handkerchiefs, I was able to
hobl)le do\\'n to a path and send for a horse. It was
nearly two months before I could use the foot properly,
and though it is eighteen years since, I still carry the
scar.

AVhile I am upon the chapter of accidents, I may
mention an adventure which befell me some thirty years
ao'o in this neii>hbourhood, though it had nothino' to do
with chamois huntino;. We had made a successful first
ascent of one of the }»eaks of the Bei'nina Range, and were
returning down its northern slopes, which afford a grand
series of glissades. There was a hot south wind blowing,
and the snow was exceptionally soft and wet, so that only
the steepest slopes gave sufficient impetus. One, of the
necessary pitch, was soon found. As we careered down
the slope, a cushion of snow was raised under our knees
and in front of our feet, and this gradually extended till
we were carrying along with us quite a considerable
avalanche, of the consistency of a bran mash, which
surged round us up to our waists, but instantly solidified
when we came to a halt.

One of our guides was in the habit of carrying a large

RECOLLECTIONS OF ( IIA.MolS 111 Nl'ING 67

nautical li'Icscopc in the side-pocket of his coat, and in
his strno-o-h\s to keep his In ad u|)|)ennost, it fell out, and
iii)\v la\' liurifd at an nid-cnown (le[)tli in tin- cDnucalrd
heap. \\ f |ir(tl)rd in all dirrctions, and scrapiMl a\\a\- llic
surface, l)Ul dii;'L;'iii,u' with an ice-axe is slow work, and it
hecauie eNddcnt that the uiattiu' was liopeless. Slush v
snow is the coldest ot' inciliuuis, and patience was soon
exhausted, as well as animal lieat, l)esides, worse weatlier
appeared to ])e ltrcwin_<>'. Our three guides still persisted,
another instance of Engadiner obstinacy, and when re-
peated expostulations had failed, we five tied ourselves
together, and left them to their iiiiilless searcJi. L*rc-
sently we came to another slope whi(di appeared to be
even lonci'cr and moi'c in\'ilinu' than the last. ( )winL!; to a
light haze, the end of it was not distinctly \ isihle. hut- as
far as we could see, its surface appeared (piitc uidiroken,
and we started in full confidence that we had only to
keep our heads above water and go ahead. 1 hil. and
suddeidx" I saw that it was not all right. The slope curled
over ominousl}' in front. 1 pulleil up as ipiickK' as 1 could,
but it was too late. Those behind me were not equally
practised, and bei'ofe 1 cou]<l warn ni\' innncdiate follower,
he came into \iolent collision with ni\' hack. I was not
]>roof against such swift bowling, and was drixcii (tver the
edo-e at an uno-overnablc rate. Then followeil ihe un-
pleasant sensation of resting on nothing, and I fell straight
through the air. com])letely clearing the liciui-sch ri'nd.
With a thud 1 penetrated the soft snow, and then it
seemed to me that each of my com ]ian ions in succession
fell on the top of me. AVe were ioljowed li\- the snow,
which came d(»\\n in a cataract on our backs, and when I

68 SHORT STALKS

righted myself we were far down the slope, slithering away
stil], the centre of a great wave of snow. As soon as I
could get my head up, I counted the heads of my com-
panions, and, to my horror, there were only four of us.
However, the suspense was not of long duration, for,
looking back, the face of the missing member presently
appeared, looking benignly down on us from the edge
of the hi'iy - scliriimJ. Our impetus had carried us
over it, but he had stopped himself against me and
dropped straight into the chasm, which was fortunately
choked nearly to the brim with snow that had preceded
us. The height of the drop was some five -and -twenty
feet, and the rope was broken in several places, but
happily the pulpy condition of the snow prevented further
mischief, except a few abrasions and black eyes.

()ne of my expeditions was spoiled l:)y an incident
which, though not so serious, was scarcely less annoying.
1 had handed my single Henry rifle to a group of peasants
in a loirth^haus who were anxious to examine it. Somehow
or other they must have loosened the screw which retains
the striker in its place. The next stalk I had I made a
beautiful approach, got within fifty yards (jf the wholly
unconscious herd, and, as I pushed the rifle forwards for
the shot, I noticed a Ijlank hole where the striker should
be. Carefully withdrawing myself, for an hour I searched
the ground I had passed over, l)ut in vain. I was
obliged to retire leaving the chamois undisturbed. I had
brought with me a spare striker which Andreas, another of
my hunters, who is a l^lacksmith l)y trade, as well as a
most skilful and patient stalker, spent the next day at the
local forge in iugeniously fitting into the place. Unfor-

RECOLLECTIONS OV CHAMOIS HUNTING

f;!»

luiijili'ly, it prowil lo be one which IjoloiigcJ to aiiollicr
ririe. It was too ^hort or too sliar]), and oitlicr missed
firo altooetlier. ov huii- so 1)adly as to amount to the same
thino-. The results were calculated to soui' t1ic tempei-.
I got a runnino; shot and W(»uii(hMl a o-ood buck. He

AXDIUCAS.

almost immediately stop])ed, offering- a. ea|)ital chance,
when the rille nii.-sed Jire. \\ c were abh' lo kec'[) Jiini in
view with the ii'lass till he hiv dnwn far above us. but it
was then I'hi liti- !<• ImIIhw aii<l we never saw him au'ain.
While we were thus eno-iioed. aimlhci- buck had seen us,
and taking us, I su])pose, for a ri\,d.as tlic\- will smuetimes
do at the end nf Sept ember, liad a]>proached within
shootinu" distance. The whistle »•!' .il.iini he u'ave when
he discu\-ered his mistake w,is ihe lii>i w,•lrnin^■ we had
of his presence, ami even then lie was not (piite sure of

HE TAKES US FOR A lilVAL.

KKrOl.l.KC'l'lONS OF CHAMOIS HU.N'l'lXO 71

US. and sttiiiil \vliif>tliin'- jukI staiiii)ino-. Once more — click
— l)iit no ex}>losion except a inaledictorv one. The next
(-lay 1 went to I he \ al i-h'l Aqua, .so called because there is
scarcely an\' water in it, only a waste of loose stones.
Even the little !:;lacier which fills its head is covered with
them and looks ink\' hlack. Near the foot <^\' it we spied
eight chamois. It was necessary to descend and cross the
valley below them, and then mount the slopes till we were
far above them, and trv to come down a ouHv : but this
was a noisy proceeding-, as stones kept hopping down in
Iron I (jf us. They became suspicious and began moving
ui) the edo-e of the olacier, we skirtimj; along high above
them on the look-out for a chance to cut in in front of
them. At last a favourino* couloir took us down to
within a little of the olacier. But bv this time a lii-ht
mist had driven up, and we had a ditliculty in making
them out amono- the rocks. Chamois, however, can see
thiough anything less thick than pea-soup, and the
moment we looked over they picked up our heads against
the skv and began whistling. For the life (^f me T could not
make them out, so that they put t'lilly two huinlred yards
between us before I got a chan<-e. Then <iiie <>\' them ran
a little wav on to the glacier to get a better view of us,
and cf-avQ me a clear sioht of him aLiainst the snow. It
was an almost impossible distance, but it was ni\- last
chance. The hammer Icll — click, bang I — the cartridge
huDs: fire again, I think it was a hundred to one against
that shot. What was mv astonishmoit. th(>refore. when
he reared up on lii> hind -legs, ran a tew yards, and fell
dead.

The old "solitaires," who are males of an unsociable

72 SHORT STALKS

disposition, and are always the best beasts, are often to be
found quite low down ; but as tliey are experienced old
hands, they know well what precautions to take to save
their skins. One especially noble fellow, with a very fine
head, lived on a scrubby slope of the mountain within easy
shouting distance of the chalet of Campoggiolo. He had
frequently excited our covetous instincts, but he was very
crafty and we never got a shot at him. The natives were
almost inclined to regard him superstitiously, as we were
by no means the only hunters who had tried in vain to
outmanoeuvre this crafty old general.

One day in the year in (juestion I had not left the bottom
of the valley for three minutes, to make the ascent of this
hill, when I heard the shrill hissing whistle which sends
the heart into the mouth of every chamois hunter, and
my shaggy black friend, whose form I knew so well by
examination through the glass, sprang away not twenty
yards off. Hoping for another sight of him, I threw myself
on the ground into shooting position. I had scarcely done so
when he sprang on a rock thirty yards off, and surveyed us
for several seconds. There could be no doubt of him this
time. I could lay the bead against any part of his black
neck or shoulder which I chose, and I even think that, in
that brief second, I made up my mind on what part of my
walls I would hano- his head. A mockino- click was all that
followed. I was near enouoh to this old buck to see him
wink, and I believe he did wink, before he slowly turned
and sprang out of sight. I will conclude this chapter witli
the memorable words with which Bernardo consoled me
on that occasion — "Ma c/tc roletef e diavolo!'

TTT

THE iJOCKv :\rorNTAms

For years T IkkI nursnl tlu' inojcct of a liiinting trip to
the IJi)ck\- ,Arouiitains, and drrixcd endless excitement ;iiid
pleasure from the coiilemplation of wli.i! I could hardly
rejT^ard as more tlinii a vision. At last a fixvoiirable moment
arn\c(l, .-lud willi ni\' smi iVcsli iVoni (•dllc^c I >i;ii-ic(l m
the Ar'r:o)i<(. We did iii>L Jel the grass grow under our
feet. M\' fi'ieiids thought that T av;is going to studv
education;d [)rol>leius in IJoston. hut during our aljseiice of
eleven weeks IVoui London we onlv passed two idghts in a
civilised bed — -one in New \'or]\. the other at a lin--awa\'
Fort in the fooidiills of the Oreat l)i\ idc

Neither tlie lengtli of thi- Hying \isit. nor lln- extent of
t>ur hag. entitles a '" tender-foot " like mvselt' to speak of
those reo-ious, or ihu hiu" Sfamc which inhabits them, with
the autlioi'itv and cxjtcrioiu'c df iliose past masters of
the chase who till lai-ge ualleries witli heads and skins
which ha\(' taken \'ears to collect, bul we did manage to
brinij" back', besides snme hand-ome i rdiilnes suu"U"estive of
delight Jul memories, a stock' of \i'_;our from the most
braciiiLi climate in the world, wliidi man\ toils did not

74 SHORT STALKS

exhaust. Across the Athiiitic we sailed a time race against
the Servia and Austral. We won by lialf an hour, which
was inspiriting, though the speed was not comparable
to that attained nowadays. For the continental journey
one makes a o-ood start in the " Chicaoo Limited," but
it gradually diminishes in speed and civilisation as it
approaches the watershed. We passed through a " hot
snap," but there was an antidote to the intense heat, by
help of which we not only endured Ijut even enjoyed
it. This was to sit in the smokino- saloon of the train
in a cane-backed chair, with l)oth feet out of the window,
so that the fifty -mile -an -hour breeze, entering by the
boots, passed in a soothing current up the legs, permeated
the small of the back, and escaped behind the ears. All
the passengers did it, at least all the male ones, and every
window was decorated with these patent ventilators.

Arrived at Eawlins, a station on the " Union Pacific,"
at 3 A.M. of the fourth dav, we found that the mail for Fort
Washakie started four hours later. A rapid series of trans-
actions with the local banker, who had to l.)e roused from
his bed for the purpose, and we were ready at seven. The
vehicle, locallv known as a " mud wao-oon," was a small
edition of the ''Dead wood" coach which burned so much
powder a few seasons ago at West Kensington. It was
not showy, Ijut had need to be very tough. Our course of
thirty-six hours, or thereabouts, over sage-bush plains and
ridges, was not dictated Ijy any consideration of gradients.
Dry watercourses or gulches were taken at a canter, with
a swoop of which the Switchback Railway gives a faint
idea, and a bounce whicli drove the tops of our heads
against the roof, fortunately made of nothing harder than

TIIK HOCKV M(^rNTAlNS 75

canvas. At .sunset a respite from tins l)()ne-shaking' process
was oiven us. On the wnv we Imd horrowed tlie driver's
old muzzle-loader — and. from llir box seat, had annexed
certain over-confident '■ sage-liens,"' or rather poults, for the
old ones are almost uneatable, and these iiia(h' a welcome
addition to our supper, after which for two blessed hours
we streteh('(l diir cramped lindts under the stars,

Anglo- American friends had been very sceptical about
our accomplishing the distance to the confines of civilisation
in the fourtei^n (hivs which 1 had allowed, but we reached
Fort Washakie in a fortnight, almost to the minute, from
Liverpool. \\ llie [iresent time tliis record could doubtless
be easily beaten.

Tn the last stao-e of groaning stiffness and dislocation,
Itut othei-wise ready for whatever might turn up, we were
driven up to the strange settlement — halt traders" canij), half
military compound — where the U.S. Government, with a
handful of s(^ldicrs. overawes, or m<~'rcifull\' controls, the Ked
man, and administers its well-intended system of out-door
i-elief. The theory of it is that the jirecaiious ]i\ing whiidi
the Indians gain bv hunting is sui)|)lemented bv Govern-
ment rations, and that in the meanwhih' the savage,
restrained wiihin his reservations, will (diange his nomadic
nature, and learn the steady arts of peace. In practice the
meat-hunter is accom]>lishin'_;' his work more ra]>idl\- than
the schoolmaster. Tlic game is dying out. ami all that thi-
Indian is learning is to ivlv on eleemosx iiai\- aiil. while the
steam ploughs and other expensive implements, wit h whic h
it is in vain sought to tempt him to scratch the teeminf
soil, are broken uji for lirewood mi the lir.-t cold winter.
This at least was, as i gathered, the result with the

76 SHORT STALKS

Shoshone Indians, on whose reservation we were ; and yet
under this fostering system this tribe are actually on the
increase. (3ne of two thino-s. Either a o;reat and indus-
trious nation must be content to have on its hands, in
perpetuity, a weak and thriftless race as a pensioner at full
wages, or when, as has recently happened at Pine Kidge,
the pinch comes, there will be cattle-stealing, reprisals and
a final massacre. Doubtless there have been pilfering,
blunders, misunderstandings, and cruelty on the part of
some of the American agents, but against these should be
set the persevering efforts of the Government to reclaim a
treacherous and untameable race. The Indian question is
one of the few " small grits," in the vast American
wheel.

The centre of activity was not in the so-called "Fort,"
which consisted of a railed-in enclosure and the officers'
quarters, but at the traders' store, which was constantly sur-
rounded l)y a group of squaws and ponies, while their lords
inside bartered their " ration certificates " for all sorts of
articles, useful or otherwise — but never for whisky. The
sale of that article is an offence visited with the severest
penalties on the trader, and here at any rate the law
seemed to be rigidly obeyed.

Here also we found our " outfit " — an elastic term by
which, in this case, I mean the pasonitel of our expedition —
loafing around. They had started with our pack train nine
days before from Eawlins, and had arrived two days since.
They consisted of Bol), the "boss" hunter, Madden, the
packer, and Cris, the cook. In addition to these I enoao-ed
" Shoshone Dick." a local hunter, as guide, as none of the
others knew the country where we were going. English

THE ROCKV MOUNTAINS 77

liiiiit iiiL^' pai'tR's who are compcllccl to rely on tlie guides
\vliii'li tliev ran eiio-ao-e at sliort ii<>tic(> nnist he tolerant of
sueh men. and not expeet that those who will undertake
this temporary work aiT the cream of ihe popuhition. We
were not exempt from this experience.

l)oIi \\a>an I'Xcclh'nl horseman and careful of his cattle,
l)ut Hot a li\('l\' eompaiiioH ; nor did he seem to think il of
sueh \ital eonsequenee as we did whether we found game
or not. ]\Iadden was a good-natured giant, whose duties
Avere to roimd-nii llu^ hoi'ses in the morning, and pack the
beasts ol' liurden when we were on the mareh. lie hi>l his
horses often. l)ut never Ins tem])ei'.

Dick was of a more mei-eurial type. lie was said
to have lu'cn the onlv survivor of the famous INFormon
massacre of eniigiants. and lieing then a Ijahy, was taken liy
the Indians, who were jjelieved to have heen prompted \>y
the jirophet of Utali 1o that shameful deed, and had lived
with tlieni evi'r since. This, at least, was the story as it
was tokl to me. As might have been expected, Dick had
little of the varidsh of civilisation about him. lait though
his vo('al)ularv was limited, he made free use of it. He
copicil in evei\' particular the gait and manners of his
foster-pai'eiits, his white skin and high sj[Mrils alone contra-
dict in l:; his briniiing-up.

Oris was supposed to be the eook. but he was the worst
cook of the })arty, not cxce^itiiig myself; an(k as the
sequel proved, we could have well spai-ed his services.

In the struggle for existence, which is the necessary
condition of lil'e in a new count ry, evei'\- man is ex[)eeti'(l
to "boss his own portmanteau." and il' he comes to grief it
is not the business of those about him Lo help hini out.

SHORT STALKS

It is at first a little startling when this principle is observed
by your own servants, whom you pay to look after you ;
l)ut an Englishman who wishes to enjoy himself out West
had better fall in with this view of life, treat his men on

■»j i"iiiii-"'' ■ ■ • '1',. I'jj 't '«" V"'i ml'' '' / If

INDIAN UlCK.

equal terms, and expect no personal service. His clumsy
efforts to fend for himself will Ije openly ridiculed, but
secretly respected.

They had pitched our camp a mile l)eyond the Fort, on
the Ijanks of one of the numerous forks of the Wind River,
for the sake of better feed for the horses. Thither, after
paying our respects to the commanding officer, we pre-
sently cantered out, full of the first glamour of expectation,

THE RO('K\' MorXTAIXS 7!)

oil "liii;- l»iu-kskiii " and "' little l»iickskin " -(fii<//ic/\ li,!L;lit
buy horses. Jt was railicr a cold donclic to ouf sj)irits to
find no palatalilc food in canii*. and oiir nifii in a condition
of siirliiu.'ss, which was perhaps to l)c acconiitc(l loi' 1)\- tlic
dearth of whisky. As usuall\- happens on these occasions,
at tlie first stait. thcie was much to improve in the canij),
and liie arraiiL'cments were not so coniiilete as tliev shoidd
have l)een. The wag;uon, which was to accompany us for
iiinetA' iiiil(\s to tlie edc-e of tlie tlnck timl)er. liad not been
eno-ao-ed. AbehK'H, wlio had informed me he had ''made
liis pile luit hist it in mining s^jecuhitions, had not pro-
vided himself with a horse, as it was his business to do;
and. in fact, was waiting fof in\' anival to borrow money to
buy one. The tents, of which we had two, were wanting'
in boltom ilaps, amb tlnnigh \entihitiou is desirable, an
open window six inches dee}) all round the bottom of your
house is trying to city-1)red p(M_)ple when the thermometer
sinks lichtw fivi'zing-point, as it does every night in those
regions, for no part of Wyoming is less than five thou-
sand feet above the sea.

These and other deficiencies involved a delav almost
intolerable to impatient spirits, and perhaps le(| ii> to think
that our men were not so eager to lea\e the lleshpots of
Egypt as we were ; but l)y the timely help of the garrison
officers, and some drafts on Oovernmcnt stores, tlie\ were
all made f^ood on the t'ollowinu' daw Tlie next inoriMii" I
was up before sunrise to 1 1 y to hurt\- up the men for an
early start. Jjut saddling u}) the packs is a long business.
First the horses have to be " rounded up," and dii\cn into
a bunch, when one <ir two are lassoed and the rest allow
themselves to be caimht. Then the packaues have tu be

so SHOliT STALKS

carefully apportioned, aucl, after they are fastened on with
the '^ diamond" hitch, examined, to see that the balance is
right. After tln-ee hours' hard work w^e pulled out and
took the shortest cut to the AVind River, which we w^ere to
follow to its source, and beyon(L

Mexican saddles are universally used, and are com-
fortable riding wdien you get the knack of it, which
consists in lengthening the stirrups and straightening the
knee. In ignorance of this "tip" the "tender-foot" soon
finds himself tender elsewhere. I was slow to learn to
carry my legs like an inverted V, and suffered accordingly.
Nor were my raw places soothed by the remark: "You
fellers should learn to ride afore yer come hunting ; " but
it would take worse experiences than this to spoil the keen
delight of the first few days' ride in the crisp air, and
above all, of the first camps. One of the earliest of my
minor misfortunes was to crush the life out of my watch
with my knee, when I thought I was only squeezing my
air-bed. Thenceforth there was only one sound time-
piece in the party, and that had lost the minute hand ;
but it is astonishing how soon you can dispense with the
fringe of civilisation when you try. Our train consisted
of four riding horses for ourselves, five pack horses, two
pack mules, and six horses belonging to our three men —
seventeen in all.

Our plan was to cross the ridge which constitutes the
backbone and watershed of the continent, and thence make
a rapid dash, lightly laden, to the Geyser Basin in the
National Park, wdiich, at that time, had been but rarely
approached from the south. Afterwards we proposed to
return to the basin of the Wind River to hunt.

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 81

I had studied tlio acpouiit of the olhcial survey of these
parts 1»\' I>r. Ilaydeii, and some excencnt maps, wliidi that
explorer had given me, and liad decided u[)on the
To-gwo-tee Pass at tlie head of tlie final source of the
Wind River, whidi, though not previously traversed by
more than two or lliree parties of whites, iironiised the most
direct route and the best game country. Most English
hunting ]>ai-ties, visiting a toleraldy open enuntrv, are
accompanied by a waggon, and can thus atford to carry
many luxuries not possible with a pack train, except one
of ver\- u 11 wield V dimensions. But, owino- to the frino-e of
dense timber with which this part of the Main l)ivide is
belted, its passage was at that time impossible fof wheels.
and all we could do was to send up the heaviest of our
stores in this way, a four days' journey, to "Clarke's" —
the farthest raiiclu^ u]) the i-iver — and there make a depot
to which we could return later on.

A\'c had hiid in some excellent provisions from the
AVashakie ti'adcr (the Auieiicaiis are ahead of us with
preserved eatables, which are a necessity of existence in
a newly-settled couiilry), but for sonic icasoii tVcsh meat
was not at the moment to be had there. W'c had not
troubled ourselves much aliout this, knowing that we
should soon be in a game count ly. 1)ut after a few days
we all began to loathe sail ham and tiniicil meats boiled
to strings, even though it was supplemented b\- plentv of
trout, and longed so muih for iVesh venison steak that we
determined to diverge at once fiDni the main ri\cr \,illev,
into ihc moiiiii;iiiis. to)' ;i prelim iii.iry skirmish. Tlii.s course
would also allow the waggon, which travelled slower than
we did, time to arrive at Clarke's. Sti-iking off to the ri'_.]it

82 SHORT STALKS

ou the third chiy out from Washakie, we rode for a dozen
miles up one of the numerous forks, and camped in the
heart of the hills.

Now, at least, we hoped to reap the first-fruits of our
long journey. In the morning we started in two directions
— Gerald with Dick, I with BoIj. Boiling with ardour as
I was, it was rather trying that my man, in a fit of obsti-
nacy, declined to follow me at a greater rate than a walk.
As our chief aspirations were for " big-horn " sheep, we
made for the top of a high ridge in front of us. But there
were no traces of them, at least, none of recent date, and
indeed at that time — 28th August — they must generally
be sought for much higher. Some few fresh traces of elk
were enough to raise my spirits, but I soon made up my
mind that deer-stalking on horseback was a mistake — or,
at least, that I did not like it. It was all very well when
game was " very plenty." Then, if you disturb nine-tenths
of it, it matters little. Enough remains. But, when it
becomes scarce and shy, the heavy tramp of a horse, and,
if in timber, the frequent crash of a dry snag, disturbs
everything for a mile in front. Of course if you want to
hunt at a distance from camp, it is well to ride out to your
ground. A good hunting horse, if the reins are thrown
over his head, will remain where he is left, or thereabouts,
and, while he (juietly grazes, will avoid entangling his feet
in them. As Bob always remained glued to his horse in
spite of my expostulations, I generally, after this, took
Dick, or stalked alone ; which, though I did not pretend to
their knowledge of woodcraft, is infinitely more interesting.
On the ]3resent occasion, too, I discarded further assistance,
and sending Bob Ijack with my horse, took a line of my own.

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 83

The tiinlxM- oivw in tliick groves, on tlif slopes of
spruces, cliiefly of the Dour/las kiiul, ami, in the holhjws, of
cotton-u'ood — a sort of pt)p]ar, ][ere and tlicie were
"])arks" of .L^rass, now l)urne(.l to a light l)ro\vn. vVpart
IVoni huniing it is always a ch'lightful experience to stroll
lor the first time through sucli pathless woods, and make
acquaintance witli llic things that fly and run — the trood-
chucks, a little beast like a marmot, the squirrels and
their miniature striped counterparts, the cltipmunhs, who
squeaked at me from cNcry fallen tree. I found large
stones and stumps, which had been overturned by bears for
the oTubs that lie under them, ])ut saw nothino- larii'er tlian
the alxn'c-mentioned animals till rather late, when, from
a hi^li ridge, I spied far below a herd of prong-horned
antelope. They lay well on the way to camp, and would
at least afford fresh meat, even if theirs was not the tropliy
that I desired most keenly; so down I went for an hour
through till' [line forest, during which time they were, of
course, out of siMit ; but emeroino- from the covert 1
discovered tlicni again, feeding on a slope of sage brush.
Flat stalking in sage brush is not pleasant, but the sun had
set and there was no time to lose : and after a close crawl.
most of the way in \iew. I rolled over a good buck, ii
was too late to do more then than grallock him and cany
oil" ihc li\cr for immediate consumption.

Arrived at cam}) 1 found 1 had not been the first to
draw blood ; Gerald had forestalled me in the matter of
meat, havinu' kille(l a bull wai)iti or '•elk" in ilie
vernacular. He- had had liis ups and downs, however.
The bull 111' had actually seeureil was iu)t tlic fii'st. The
first had run away after he literally had him in his grasp.

A I'LAT CHAWL.

TIIH ROCKY .MOUNTAINS 8r.

The stalk had been successful. The monarcli was laid low.
Witli all the exultation orNoutli ;il a lirst successful sIk.I,
he had carefully laid down his rillc to gloat, with the more
freedom, over its grain! |iroportioiis, and, counting the
points, he drew his knife in orthodox fashion, and leant
over the fallen tree against which the elk lay Uj cut its
throat. But at the first touch of the knife the animal rose
slowly to his feet, made a lunge at his enemy, A\liicli must
have had serious consequences it' it lind not l»een for the
liarricade between them, and made otl". Fancy the cruel
revulsion from triumph to despair when it was realised that
the ritle was ten yards away and unloaded ! Of course
w hen Dick came up an attempt was made to track him,
but in vain. The poor beast had been shot too high and
had L;one off to die elsewhere, or perlnips not to di(^ at all.
l''ortune, however, took [)ity on llic young hunter, ami
allowed him another bull on the wa\' liome, which he easily
stalked and killed. So at supper that night wc were not
despondent.

As camp was now well sup[»lied witli meat, we de-
termined lor the present to do no more hunting, but to
proceed on our journey. In two days we arrived at
Clarke's. This was the firthest ranehe on this side of the
Main l>i\Idc. from the top of which it is distant i>iil\' a
three hours' ride. Indeed it was then the onl\- abode
beyond AVashakie inhabited all the \'ear round. To call
it a ranehe is fiatterv, for it consists of a sinole \o<x room.
Here old Clarke had led a comi»letely solitary existence for
seven years, and yet he was no misanthrope. He gave us
a most hospitable welcome, and ])rovcd a genial host, with
more information, and mon- ability to impart it, than is

86 SHORT STALKS

usually found among the rouglier AVesterners. There were
various stories of how he came to settle here. One was
that he thus got out of the way of drink ; another, that he
w^as the " Jack the Ripper " of those days ; l)ut I did not
invite his confidence. Apparently he supported himself
exclusively by trapping, which art he told me he had
taught himself out of books. He certainly drew no income
from his gold mine, which was his special hobby, and which
was for ever in his conversation. This was a claim which
he had secured a short distance above his house, and to
work which he tried to persuade us to invest our capital
and bring out a company. There is gold throughout the
Wind River mountains, and to " show the colour," i.e. tiny
flakes of gold, it was only necessary to wash out the first
handful of river gravel in a tin basin ; but to do this on
a large scale and profitably, in "placer" mining, it is
necessary to find not only a good gold-bearing bed of gravel,
as Clarke had done, but a great fall of water which can be
l^rought in iron pipes and directed against the face of the
gravel in a jet sufficiently powerful to break it up, and to
wash away the superfluous stones and mud. These and
other necessary conditions were wanting in this case, so I
was not tempted, nor by other discoveries of his, which he
imparted to me in solemn secrecy, and wdiich afforded
him a great amount of innocent satisfaction.

Arrived here, to our dismay we found no waggon. It
turned up, however, the following night. The way is an
uncommonly rough one, and one of the horses becoming
entangled in the harness had been so injured that he had
to be killed. We used the delay to pay a visit to Clarke's
mine, and also to climb an outlying peak, where we hoped,

TIIK ROCKY ^[OLTNTAINS 87

vaiiilv as it proved, to liiid s]i('r]i. l)iil iVdiii ilic i(i|t of
wliicli wo cauLilit our lii'.sL glimpse, t>\er the t(»|> of I lie
M.ilii hi\i(lc. lirre at its lowest, of" the Teton I'eaks far
• Ml the otlier side ot ii. To reach the T iiinii Pass, which
is that most usuall)' tnivelhil fiitm the upper part of t lie
W iii<l lii\('i'. lakes (inl\ four hours frdhi ('hirke.>. hut the
lop of the To-gwo-tee Pass is a h>iig day's ride.

li'* >'■>

TIIK TETONS OVKH TIIK DIVIDi;.

Taking Ckirke, wlio had been to the toj», to show the
Avay, we left his house on Septeuiher 2. AVe rode foi-
several hours along the Wind Uiver, now reduced to very
small pro})ortions. At mid-day we began to rise into the
thiek timber, and for the rest of the dav it was a con-
tintious struo-ok> with a maze of snao-s and fallen stems.

This bane of ]iack-trains is caused by forest fires,
wliich have burnt out the life of the trees, leavini; unl\
gaunt stems and blackened ground, followed by tempests
which have whirled these tottering giants in heaps \o tlie
ground. In places the stems lie parallel to one another,
and piled to the height of many feet as though the\- had
been laid in sheaves. Elsewheie. while some have stood
the shock and are still erect, their neighl)ours lie prone at
evcrv conceivable au'de to one another, and their branches
pierce the air as weathered snags. This gha.-^tl\' waste,

88 SHORT STALKS

whether brought about by natural causes, or the reckless-
ness of man, will have to be paid for some day, for are we
not within measurable distance of the inevitable world-
wide timber famine ? The j^resent low price of timber is
no proof of unlimited abundance, but is rather caused by
the eagerness with which the merchants' yards are being
glutted and the supply exhausted.

But the equanimity of the traveller is more likely to
be disturbed by the immediate difficulty of penetrating
this chevaux dc frise. The horses are clever at clearing
single trees. These minor obstacles are surmounted with
the minimum of effort, and without much displacement of
luggage, by a slow standing jump ; but from time to time
the cavalcade gets so pounded that there is no release
without the axe. However well trained the horses may
be to keep their l)urdens clear of accident, a rending sound
is a frequent accompaniment, as some bundle, perhaps the
tent, is caught by a snag, and suggests draughty nights
thereafter and evenings spent in darning.

To such mishaps, and the frequent attempt of one or
another of the horses to break the line and find a way of
his own, there is a runnino- comment of Western lanouaoe.
This and the tramp of horses and snapping of dead wood
keeps up a chorus which is rather inspiriting to the man
who manages not to lose his temper every time his hat is
swept off, or his last pair of stockings snagged. It may
be imagined that the course is a devious one, and that
progress is slow ; but, however time may fly, a halt is out
of the question in such ground. There is no space to pitch
a tent, and the absence of feed would inevitably cause a
stampede of horses in the night. It was late before we

'•'^' ^^' : "^/V-^^^^-^:: z^^^^^:^^^" ^^'

THE CHALLKNCiE.

90 SHORT STALKS

reached the top of the pass and camped in a small open park.
This was at a height of fully ten thousand feet, and, when
I returned from an evening stroll, ice had already formed
in the bucket. All our blankets and every available
garment were wanted that night, and the streams were
frozen to the bottom in the mornino-. The descent
proved much easier than the ascent. It lay through
open parks of grass with patches of cotton-wood, which
became thicker and more frecpient as we drew downwards.
Passing one of these I caught a glimpse of a large animal
lying down with something like a young tree on the top
of his head. I pulled up sharp, and a big bull elk, the
first I had seen, sprang up. He got behind some trees
before I could get off to shoot, but at least I had had
my first sight of an elk, and I envy any one that moment.
Half an hour later we jumped two others. This was too
much, and, as we again wanted meat, we elected to make
a short day, and go into camp at once in a wide grassy
hollow, on a chain of hills between "Buffalo Fork" and
" Black Rock Creek," the waters of which ultimately find
their way to the Pacific. After a feed I started out with
Clarke on foot. We had hardly gone a mile, and were
walking along a bare ridge with cotton-wood groves on.
each side, when he pointed out what he said was a l)ull
elk among the trees below us. I got out my field-glasses
and made out a narrow perpendicular section of some
large animal, which was all I could see for the tree-stems.
It was a long shot, but I felt pretty sure of him if I could
only avoid the trees. AVhen I fired he of course dis-
appeared, and Clarke said I had missed him, but I fancied
I saw the top of a thin tree shaking about as though

I'lli: UOCKY MOUNTAINS iti

something' were straii£>liii<:!' below, aiul sine eiiouoli wlun
we Wfiit ilown tlii'i'L' was iii\' (irst rlk (jiiitc (LmiI, am! I lie
aspirations of iiiaiiv vears oiiiilit to luue been satisfied.
Yet I am afraid I was not content, for tlioni^li yonng and
tender, and can'xiuL;' niDi-c than enoiii'li meat lor <'iir
oullit, and to load down Clarke's horse on his reliirn
journev as well, his head was a ])oor one, and I could not
resist the temptation of trying for a better one. So while
Clarke went for a horse to carry the meat to camp. I went
on with bloodthirsty intent, but was only rewarded l)y
jumping another and much better l»ull. w ho was too quick
for nic. and this had the effect of making me keener than
ever. It is astonishing how silent)} these great creatures
dive away through the thickest timber. There is a crash,
a sound of mufHed steps, then dead silence ; but if \'on
follow the wide-spread footprints show that speed was not
relaxed. AVhat they do with their horns when the stems
are close ranked is a mystery.

In the next day's march we should have reached the
Snake lUver and Jackson's Lake, whence we hoped that a
three days" rKie would Ijring us to the Geyser Basin ; but
we were not destined to proceed far in this direction. As
we broke camp the weather began to break too, and the
snow to fall in soft meltini'' flakes, which (|uickl\- whitcnc(l
the upper grouml. though i'or a time thi y melted as they
fell aiiionu- the timber. Gerald and I started on foot to
hunt alono- the ridge between the two streams, agreeing to
meet our followers at thi'ir juncti(Ui, which might be five
miles down. There seemed no room lor a mistake on their
Y>nvt. ami \uv maps had proved so correct that T never
d«>ul)te<l my ability to liiid the way to the trysting-place

92 SHORT STALKS

ill two or three hours. After we had walked a mile or
two we saw a l)ull staring at us a hundred yards away.
The snow was falling thickly, so that he could not make
us out plainly, and while we made a careful inspection
through the glass — for we now determined to be chary
of shooting at anything that did not carry a good head —
he continued at gaze. As he appeared to come up to the
required standard I fired, but, owing to the dim light, hit
him too high, and missed him altooether the second barrel.
He went oft' — alas ! badly wounded — into the thick wood,
where the snow did not lie, and Ave vainly tried to trace
him. I have no justification to ofter for firing this shot,
for we had meat enough at the moment, but I suppose
there are few AVestern sportsmen who have not been
similarly tempted by a fine head, and Englishmen are
not the worst oft^enders. While I continued the search I
sent Gerald down to Buffalo Fork, where 1 made sure he
would encounter the pack-train, for the purpose of stopping-
it. We agreed that he should hold a due northerly
line by the compass, so that if 1 followed in the same
course I should strike the river at the same spot. At
length I had to abandon the search, and went down
the steep slope, compass in hand. Arrived at the Ijottom
I could neither see nor hear any signs of Gerald or the
men. In vain I shouted. The whole valley, except for
the swirl of the stream, seemed as silent as a mountain
top. I waded the river and crossed the valley, which was
here wide and sw\ampy. It was cut up by numerous stag-
nant lagoons, and covered with a dense growth of willow,
l)ut game trails, of which there were plenty, afibrded a clue
to the labyrinth, and in due time I got across. Here I

THE i;0("KV MOUNTAINS 93

t«iini(l ;i Ihh' o]»oii i;;inie trail, j)ara]k'i tu llie course ofllio
ri\ci'. wliirli I made snro t1i(^ caravan iniist have rdllowcfl
if my tlii'ectioii.s liad liccii iiiulerstood ; Imt llid-f was no
si»iii til" aiixdiiiiL!,- except wild animals liaviiiu' passcil tliat
wa\' loi' a tliousaiid years. In no pleasant IVamc of mind
I wandered, now a mile down streain. now a mile up,
slnnitino' nivself lioai'se. and occasionalK liiinu my i-iHe
till I had nfarlv exhausted niv cartridiies. i cared iiotliiii!"-
tor losinu' Idie nn-n for tli(> time, hut T was quite unalile to
account for my sou's disappearance. The intense solit ikIc
was oppressive, and my imagiuatiou eonjui'e<l up all sorts
of terrilile contingencies.

After two or three liours, to my great relief, I heard his
voice, now as lioarse as my own, on tlie side of tlie ri\er
from which T had come, and alter a loUir strujjeir with the
^\■ilIow lirake he rejoined me in a panting condition, lie
had lieen several mih>s(hnvn to the junction of tlie streams,
huL had no more news of the pack-ti'ain than I had. \\ a
\\v\v utterly mystifii'tl. hut, after once more walking down
to the appointed UK^eting-phu'C, hite in the afternoon there
was an answering sliot to one of ours, and in a (piailer of
an hour the missing hand appe;ire(|. hxiking verv much
hedrauuhjd and rat her ashamed of themselves. .Mvdiree-
tions to Boh had heen exitlicit — to o'O straiii'ht down to the
stream to lii> li'jht. and follow it to its junction with the
oiher. it was oi)vious that that was the easiest slope ftr
the horses, hut he was in one oi his ohstinale moods, and
had followcil (Hir t I'ack in tln' snow ;dong the iidges, and
when he ;irrivi'(l ;il the end it was too stee[) to get down,
so that he hai] to retuiii on his track neai'ly to tlie
last cam]>. Tt was now -i o'clock, and farther progress,

94 SHORT STALKS

soaked and tired as we were, was out of the question, so
^ve went into camp at once, and there were destined to
remain for some time.

The weather now for a time completely broke up.
Owino' to the dense timber, which we knew covered the
ranges that lay beyond, through which there was, at that
time, no known track, and the serious delay which this
involves with heavily-laden animals, we had intended to
leave most of our horses and equipage, with two of the
men, hereabouts, and to make a forced march from this
point to the Creyser Basin, with little besides the clothes
we stood in and the horses we rode, afterwards returning
on our tracks. But with snow lying deeply, an unusual
circumstance in the first week in September, it would
have been hardly prudent to traverse the high -lying
intervening ranges thus lightly equipped, and, our time
being strictly limited, we could not afford a slower rate of
progress. The Park was therefore struck out of our pro-
gramme, and we consoled ourselves by the reflection that
that region has become sadly vulgarised. After all, the
wonders of nature that abide with a man are not those
which he has read of in o-iude-books. These are half stale
before they are seen. It is one's own casual discoveries,
the unexpected, some mountain glory or vision of cloud
and water, which paint the lasting pictures of which he
never tires.

My chief trouble was that, at the Geyser Basin, we
shoidd have touched the fringe of civilisation, and we
lost the only opportunity of posting a letter. I therefore
bribed Dick to undertake the journey and to be my
postman. lie returned to us in a remarkably short time,

rill'. IIOCKY MOUNTAINS 95

and said he had found two miners going that way. to
whom lir h;i(l ('iitrust('(l liis chMrQ-c. lie li;i<l ;i liedrao-..],.,!
aspect aiiil wore the expression of a dog who h.is paid
a suiTeptitious visit to the hirder. 1 am inclined to think
lie found the weather too much for him. At any rate tlie
letter was never delivered.

We had arranged with Chirke, wlio had left us to
return home, to meet us on a certain dav at the head
waters of the (Jros Ventre, another tril)utary of the Snake
River, which we believed would be good game (juarters,
so we could now aflbrd to take it easy. The delay was
not with(»ut its compensations. Buffalo Fork is a lovely
vallev and had at that time been little visited by whites.
We drew this inference from the entire absence of the
remains of slaughtered animals. Indeed, at the time of
our visit this was true of the whole of this part of the
basin of the Snake River, sometimes known as " Jackson's
Hole," and is due to the dilliculty of the passes leading
into it, and the enormous quantity of snow precipitated
here by the lofty range of the Tetons, conditions whidi
were said to make it impossible of residenee in the winter.
The tameness of the smaller animals told the same re-
freshing tale. T remember a ])ine martin — surelv one
of the shyest of animals — wliidi remained at a distance of
fiur or five yards to gaze at me with an expression of
amused curiosity, yawning the wliih' in my face, as much
as to say — " Wall, stranger, what do you think ot" our
country ( \ hnil it a dull place." Great hawks would sit
on the buuirhs oveilianL:,inLi' our heads, sereaniin"' (h'lianet',
liut not deigning to offci- to the power of man the homage
of lear.

96 SHORT STALKS

A few hundred yards off a lovely little lake reflected
the full height of the Teton Peaks — separated from us by
the wide flat of the Snake River valley. This was the
only mountain which I saw which could be described
as Alpine in character. Indeed, this double peak is
described by visitors to the Park, from which it is
distinctly visible, as the Matterhorn of America. There
was not another of the so-called peaks which came in
our way, to the top of which I could not have ridden a
horse with little trouble. On the lake in the foreo-round
waded and paddled a great quantity of wild fowl — cranes,
ducks, the beautiful green-winged teal — and a tiny white
mark on the very imperfect photograph which I took
represents two wild swans which lazily swam almost
wdthin gunshot, though my camera was on so small a
scale that my friends are sceptical.

This camera helped to pass the time, though it did
not produce satisfactory results. We could not carry so
fragile an article as a dark lantern, and as there was a
ftxint light in the tent even at midnio-ht, a chano-e of
plates had to be eftected by the sense of touch inside
a sewn-up blanket. On our return some strange results
were developed — such as a picture exposed on the back
instead of the front of the plate, and thus reversed. "We
tried to keep strict account of the slides which had been
exposed — not always with success. Gerald, returning to
camp, and fired with artistic ardour, would superimpose
a great visionary horse, or cooking pot, on the sky of a
lovely landscape which had taken my fancy an hour
before.

In spite of the weather we did some hunting, but

THK IKllJ.N> IKD.M llLl- lAl.il KuHK.

H

98 SHORT STALKS

not mucli. It is nearly as easy to lead pack animals,
loaded with wapiti horns, through such timber, erect and
prone, as lay behind us, as to drag a flight of hooks
through a knitted stocking, and we could only aflord to
devote a single horse to this kind of luggage. There was
therefore little temptation to hunt, except to keep our-
selves in meat, for we could not carry oft" our trophies
except to a very limited extent.

But though we did not burn much powder, some
interesting days fell to our lot. During the whole of
one day, we together followed an immense herd of wapiti,
which the snow had aj^parently compelled to herd together
and mio;rate to a lower level. It had also the eff"ect of
hastening the " whistling " time, and the woods resounded
in this first Aveek in September with the strange note.
It was as if all the steamers, big and little, in New
York harbour had got into a fog and were trying to
avoid a collision. The guttural old hero of many fights
was answered by the impudent squeal of an aspiring-
youngster. Hoarse or clear, deep or shrill, all combined
to swell the chorus of many throats, amongst which,
after a time, we fancied we began to recognise the
characteristic note of certain individuals. The snow, as
we followed in their tracks, was ploughed like a cattle-
yard. We hoped to " get in " and slay the monarch of
the herd, but it was constantly on the move and covered
a large area. In our attempts we were more than once
bafiled by some outlying young stag or cautious old cow,
who barked her alarms. These warninos did not seem to
quicken the pace of the main body, who at length
gathered and halted on the top of a low hill, partly

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 99

bare of trees. Now was our moment, and we crept up
ventre-a-tcrre right amongst them. Every minute we
wouhl see a tawny flank among the trees within a tew
yards. I ml I do not think we were detected. We could
hear much iiiishiiiu' and tiijhtino; o-oinu' on on the hare
top, where the big ones were assembled ; Ijut though we
now and then eauQ-ht sio-ht of a fine pair of horns over
tlir intcrvenini; hedo-e of undero-rowth, we could not see
enough to pick and choose. Perhaps we ought to have
run in among them and taken our chance of picking out
the bicfo-est, or, as I have sometimes thouMit since, so
great was the preoccupation of tlie herd, we might have
climbed one of the fir-trees wdthout beino- observed, and
so commanded the serried mass in front ; but we hoped
that in the frequent rushes of the old l)ul]s to drive off the
young ones, the ''master" would come our way, and we
lay low. At last one, bigger than any we had yet seen,
showed himself in hot pursuit of a youngster. It was his
last charge. Into the jaws of death his blind jealousy
carried him. He was a good bull, but I am ('(>ii\in('ed,
though 1 never got a fair sight of his rivals at eiose
quarters, that he carried by no means the champion head
of sueh a herd. I afterwards got to the top of a hill
which commanded the country, and ukkIc out the whole
herd abdut three miles off, gat]iere(l in the (jat river
bottom. They were too distant to count, but there must
have been quite two hundred of them.

It is very intcrestino: and instructive. thou<di, owiiio-
Lu the restlessness of wild animals at such a time, seldom
productive of a tangible result, to follow their tracks
in the snow. I have a vivid recollection of a day I

100 SHOET STALKS

spent in sucli solitary diversion. Early in the day I liit
tlie fresh spoor of a heavy bull, a cow, and two smaller
ones, and lazily followed through all their wanderings,
well knowing that I should almost certainly be " picked
up " l3y them as they lay at mid-day. After following
the trail for some distance, I found there were the
tracks of two bulls instead of one, thouuh I had nut noticed
where the second had joined the company ; and when,
farther on, one of them diverged, I followed that. He
took a circuit of a mile or more, then rejoined his own
track and followed the rest of his family. In fact, it was
one and the same bull whose double track had puzzled
me, and who, like a wise general, w\anted to make sure of
his rearguard. Perhaps he had caught a distant sight of
me. At any rate, when the party lay down for the day,
they were so placed as to command their own track
without beino- seen. The l)ull had taken even oreatcr
care to hide himself, and when his consort was at last
jumped, I failed to get even a glimpse of him. But,
taking up his track again, I followed it, and found that, at
this alarm, he had made a short circuit till he got my
wind, and then off at full speed. Retracing my steps,
I found that the stalker had himself been stalked. A
wolverine, an animal that is fond of doino- his huntinsf bv
deputy, or rather contents himself witli the scraps which
he thinks the two-footed hunter will leave him, had been
cautiously tracking me, step l^y step. His foot}»rints,
which are like those of a small bear, were very distinct in
the melting snow, and showed that he had kep)t almost
close to my heels, but had slunk out of the way when he
saw me comino- back. The intellioeuce of this animal is

TIIK ROCKV MOUNTAINS 101

reuiarkable. In fact, according to some of llic histories I
lia\(i read, lie iiiiisi l»c (|uiic the smartest character in the
►States. He Inllows the ti'appcr (Mi his rounds, and springs
;ill I he ti'aps with a stick before lie eats tiie haits. When
I hey set a spring- gun for Iiiin, he /i<i/j-rocks it before he
steals the meat !

Subscqnentl)-, I followed tlie e(piall\' I'resli track of a
gray wolf, who appeared to ha\e Iteeii watching me for
som<' time from behind a fadeii tree before he had slunk
away. It is liardl}' necessary to say that snow tracking is
not the surest methoil of tilliim- the larder, but it is an
eminently suggestive way of spending a happy dav.

In the course of this walk I came upon a bare hillside
facing south, on wdiich were large numbers of shed elk
horn?;, some of which were, of grand dimensions. ]\[any
had hiin long enough to become partially decomposed.
1 suppose the warmth of the situation must tempt the elk
to come here in the slieddino- time, which is the month of
April for the old bulls. 1 do not know whether the
wapiti is less anxious than other deer undoubtedly are
to conceal these e\ ideiices of their presence. They are
certainly more fre(juently found.

The extrai^rdinai'N' pheuoiiKMia of horn growth would
be beyond the sco})e of this chapier. but it ma\' be well to
remiinl the unleariieil that these antlers are completely
Q-rown each year in a ixriod of ten or eleven weeks, and
become almost as hai'd as ivory in anothei' month. As
every sportsman who has sawn a wa]>iti head in half foi-
transportation knows, to the cost of his muscle.-, the .-hull
which supports this structure is extremely massive, having
a minimum thickness of nearh' an iiirli. ( )ne of mv

102 SHORT STALKS

wapiti was struck as he fell by my second bullet full in
the middle of the horn, between the l)ay and tray points,
but such is its strength and elasticity that even a solid
'500 missile failed to penetrate, only scooping out a cavity
about a third of its diameter in depth, and, springing to
one side, carrying away a great cantle of horn.

While on the subject of horns, I should like to say a
word on the setting of them up. ]\Iany heads are to my
mind somewhat marred by the habit of mounting them
with the horns nearly upright and the nose tucked in
close to the neck, as if he were trying to see the top of his
head in a looking-glass, or had adopted the detestable
fashion of bearing-reins. This is no doubt done for the
purpose of showing the full height of the horns, and also
to avoid contact with the w\all, but it is not natural. No
stag could pass through l^rushw^ood in that attitude. He
habitually lays his horns back over his flanks. Thus the
facial angle should never be steeper than 45 degrees, but
the truer attitude is with neck sloped a little downwards
and the head nearly horizontal.

Among other ills to which flesh is heir the waj^iti are
occasionally attacked, and ultimately killed, by a very
virulent form of scab. I believe it is contracted from the
big-horns, who probably first took it from some herds of
tame sheep. Once Gerald and I found a large stag, so
freshly dead that the wet foam still lay on his lips. The
ground and the surrounding scrub was trodden and torn
by the poor tortured beast in his dying agonies. The
disease must have been of rapid progress, for his horns
were very fine, and could have only been grown by a
healthy animal.

TlIK IIOCKY MOUNTAINS UKi

.\l;iii\' cottoii-wood lives iicai' oui- caiiii) on lluii'iiiu
Fork had l)COii f(dl('<I hy beavovs, and (Hi a still iii^lit wo
could liear the soundiiio- smack with which llic animal hits
the surface of the water with its thit tail

They tell tall tales to tt'iiderfeet about beavers. One
ol" (till- men was never tirc(l ot" aruuinu" that the beaver,
when constructiiiu' or repairin-j,' his house. h)ads that spade-
like implement with mud and carries it in front of him
like an apron, while he walks erect. 1 am reminded of a
Hibernian tenderfoot, who, seeing a beaver's skin in cam]).
remarked — '' Begorral what a toiujue the craytur lias ! ""

We had with ns a single beaver trap, which we
occasionally set. The lure is a minute portion of the
powerfully-smelling gland of a beaver. Pliny tells us that
beavers, well knowing that they are ])nrsued for certain
organs, will mutilate themsehes when hard pressed. The
essence is rubbed on to twin's overhanoino; the water.
The scent is carried far down t\\v stream ; the beaver
follows it upwards to its source, and gets caught in
the tra}), which is set under the surface and firmly
pegged. Only once were we successful in securing a
specimen. Being short of meat at the time we cooked
him. lie was greasy eating, especially the tail. No
animal has l)een more mercilc.-sl\- harried lor his coat than
the beaver, and the skilful pelt -hunter, following up
every creek in the country, clears them one by one ot
theif iidiabitants. Even this individual had lost one leg
in a [)ast encounter.

There are, or were in 1884, a few moose in this part
of the Uocky ^b)untains, thouuh I had not at that time
heard of any sportsman who had hccn .-^uccesslul in obtain-

104 SHOET STALKS

ing them there. Once on Buftalo Fork my sou got a
distant glimpse of a cow with his spy-glass. I have no
doubt he was correct, as we several times saw the tracks,
which are much larger than those of a wapiti, and a moose,
male or female, is unmistakable.

We were snowed up for eight days in Buffalo Fork,
but, in spite of the fact that we were seldom dry, we only
once lost our tempers. That was wdien we could get no
breakfast because Oris had left the axe out, and the snow
had effectually hidden it in the night.

From Buffalo Fork we travelled south along the valley
of the Snake Eiver, with the Tetons towering above us,
and then turned eastwards again up the Gros Ventre Eiver
towards the Main Divide. Here we encountered two gold
prospectors, the only human beings, unconnected with our
party, that w^e saw for a month. They rode into our camp
in a very dilapidated and half-starved condition. They
had lost their way, and one of their horses was dead lame.
The snow had driven the game from the country which
they had passed through. Notwithstanding their poverty-
stricken aspect, one of them proved to be a highly intelli-
gent gentleman, who told me that he was Sheriff of
Leadville, and was making this trip more for j^leasure than
profit, though ahvays hoping to strike a good thing, stake
out his claim, and make "a pile " on the mining market.
As scores of wanderers like himself had even then pro-
spected nearly every creek in the Piocky Mountains, it is
not likely that much remains to be revealed, and what there
is can only be made remunerative with heavy machinery.

As I lay one day ventre-a-terrc a bright object within
two inches of my nose attracted my attention. It was a

Tli

i;ocKN' Mi^rX'l'AIXS

11)-)

beautiful 1\-F<)rin('(l arrow-licad of transparent agate, and
must liavc lain tlicrr. at least since the ^'onoral a(l<~>y>tion nl"
iron li\' the Indians twu hundred \cars
Hii'o. This and a small ''old nuuiicl whii'li
my mining- friend })resented to me at part-
ing, were the only trophies I carried oil'
lioni the Gros Ventre. The snowstorm
had cleared the game out, and we were
driven b)- the exhaustion of oui' stores
to move on to nuM't Clark(\ who was to
join us at a certain trysting-phice with a fresh supply.

The Main Divid(^ here forms a l>road h 02;- back at a o;reat
elevation, from which rises the Union Peak. This is not
(juite the highest point of the continent, but it is the very
crown and centri' of the waterslied, and from it the three
irreat river-svstenis lake their rise, so that it would not be
impossible to find a point whence three snowballs might be
thrown, of whi<-li the first, melting, sliould ultimately find
its way to the (iulf of .Mexico, the second would reach the
Pacific by the Gulf of Califoriua, while the third would enter
the same ocean two thousand miles farther to the noith.

The wooded [thiteau ou the |)i\i(le was cluirmingly
broken nito open paiks. ami here ami there were lakes,
surrounded bv tall f)ouulas iirs. \\ ith a Ioul;' IJole, eul on
the spot, and a jiieco of bacon. .Madden cauglit a trout in
one (if tliese tarns, which mu>t liaNc scaled j'ulh- 7 lbs.
Inside it was a full-grown waterdien. It was welcome, for
at this time we were again short of meat. A\itli the
smallest foresight tliis need never have happened, but the
Western ])alate aldiors an\- meat which is imt '" Moody
llesh. ' The reader wdl perceive that this expression

106

SHORT STALKS

conveys a literal description. Our depraved appetites
often longed for meat in a less crude condition, and we
tried to save up for our own consumption what had been
killed a reasonable time ; but we were always informed
that the " stinkino; stuff" had been left behind at the last
camp, and no expostulation availed. Owing to this
improvidence, w^e were sometimes needlessly sharp set
when our larder just before had been overflowing.

> )

ORIS.

Another of the amiable weaknesses of Oris, our cook,
was to purloin the best of our stores for his own private
consumption ; but his most objectionable characteristic was
a very violent and dangerous temper. One morning
towards the end of our trip, I was peacefully eating my
porridge, when the rufiian set upon me in so insolent a
fashion that Gerald knocked him down. This increased the
blind rage of this Caliban, and he picked up a large knife

TIM-: ROCKY .MOINI'AIXS loT

;mil came on ao-ain like one distrauHil. If looked .^oiioiis,
l)iit Siicll. now lliorouo-lil\- ;ilive to the situation, snrano;
upon liiiu. I was told al'lcrwards that I should have
received notliini>- Init uratitude if I had then and there rid
the territory of the ]iestilent "' rustler," InU Iviieh htw is
out (»f fashion, and I look the >inii>h'r course ot J^iyiug
him his due, and bidding him ■" slope." From a compari-
son of notes with \\\x friend, j\lr. Theodore Koosevelt, I
have some reason to think that this miscreant is now doing
his ten years, having been one of a band of thieves whom
that gentleman overtook and captured, and brought down
in the depth of winter, after guarding them day and
night. The tak^ is admirably told at length in Mr.
Koosevelt's charmnig book un Ivanche kife, but as that
work is not very generally known on this side ui tlie
Atlantic. T niav be ]^ermitted to give a brief sketch of the
incident as 1 had it from the author's lips.

At his ranche on the Little Missouri, jMr. Roosevelt
kept a boat, the only craft of the kind on that part
of the river. Three bad characters, for whom the country
had l)ecome too hot, came down one night in a flat-
bottomed " scow," and, seizing the boat, proceeded down
the river. The loss was soon discovered, but pursuit in
the depth of wdnter seemed hopeless. But these were men
who were not easily to be deided. and they set to work,
and in three days laiib anothei- tiat-bottomed scow, and
started down stream in the wake of the thieves, a task all
the more critical because the ice was jn>i 1>rcaking up and
the rivei' full of float ing masses of il. In(h'e(k this ice had
formed a lofty l)arrier across the stream, which liad ground
down past the ranche a few days before, ripping the bark

108 SHORT STALKS

from the cotton-trees on the bank and leavino- banks of

O

ice stranded along the edge. On the third day's voyage,
on rounding a corner, they perceived the smoke from the
cam]) of the marauders, who had not reckoned on this
determined pursuit. Cautiously landing and creeping up,
the one man in camp quickly yielded to a call to " throw
up his hands." Then, lying in wait for the other two, they
also, on their return from hunting, were in turn " beaded "
and secured.

Now the average Westerner would probably have used
a short and sharp method with such evildoers, but that
was not Mr. Eoosevelt's way. The real difficulties of the
capture only now began. The problem was to bring three
wholly reckless and unscrupulous ruffians down to town
in the depth of winter, guarding them day and night.

The first and perhaps the most efiectual measure was to
remove their boots. In those parts the ground is fre-
quently covered with a cactus, so dwarfed as to be
almost invisible, and covered with sharp spines, which
will bring a man, who attempts to walk unshod, to the
ground with an involuntary yell. It was impossible to
face the current, and the voyage had to be resumed down
stream ; but an unexpected obstacle was encountered
in the before-mentioned jam of ice, which they overtook,
and which was slowly creeping, like a ploughshare,
down the bed of the river. Thus the party was forced
to dawdle down for eiglit days in the wake of the ice,
with dwindling stock of provisions, at length reduced
to a little flour without yeast ; and never for a moment
could the anxious watch be relaxed. At lenoth a ranche
was reached whence a rouoh wao-o-on was obtained, in

TIIK i;()CK\' MOUNTAINS 100

which this pivcious fivighl was convevcd to the town of
Diokiiisoii. For tliirty-six lionrs tlie gallant captoi-
followed the vehicle on foot witli h)a(lc(l rillc in hand, for
1»\- that means only could he command his captives and
ensure himself and his companions against the risk of a
sudden attack, or attempted escape.

W iihoiii enihiising Mr. Smalley's opinion that for liigli
breeding the best Americans heat the best Englishmen, it
must be admitted that, for humanity combined with pluck,
this feat is calculated to mak(^ an Ano-lo-8axon i)rou<l.

We now cam[ied close to the Tnion l\'ak in the hope
of linding l.)ig-liorn sheep, but the weather had driven them
all down into the timbci-, in which it was all but impossible
to come upon them unawares ; and though we found some
tracks, we failed to get a sight of them. We could do
nothing at such a height, and therefore dropped down on the
east side of the Divide to Clarke's ranche, which we found
occupied by a considerable number of rats. Thev were
about the size of our common rat, but with long i'ur ami of
a light gray colour.

On one of the atliuents of the Wind River we fjund
game in iilentv. and the wapiti were now in the lid] swino-
of the •■running" season. We canipe(l in ;i grove of
cotton-wood, o^'er which a lire had passed some time
before, leaving them sear and dead. This was well enouoh
for a cam]iing grouml in still weather, but somewhat
critical in a wind, as under i liese circumstances such poles are
a])t to fall without warning. The lirst evening I heard the
whistle of a large l)east, and. hurr\iiin- in that direction, sfot
within two hundivd }'ards of him. wlnii we were stojtpeil
by a small canon with perfectly sheer sides. There appeared

no SHORT STALKS

to be no means of crossing without a detour, for which
there was no time, but on the way home we hit a
practicable crossing. There was scarcely light enough left,
but we hurried back along the opposite bank on the chance.
My friend had stopped whistling, but suddenly we caught
sight of him, and at the same moment he saw us. In the
heat of his jealousy he mistook us for a rival, and instantly
advanced towards us. We crouched perfectly still among
the pine stems, in full view, but saved from detection by
the dimness of the light. On he came with a most insolent
and overbearing demeanour, challenging all the way, till
he was within ten yards, when he gave me a certain shot.
This w^as a good head, but I improved upon it a few
days later. My best I got with a penny whistle. In com-
pany with Dick I reached at mid-day the edge of a l:)luff
overlooking a splendid basin a mile or two in diameter. It
was so densely timbered that stalking was difficult, but the
"calling" was in full swing, and we counted on finding
our game by the tell-tale signal. We had been late in
starting, and the day was hot, and even the most amorous
bulls had " (|uit " whistling to take a siesta. Dick said he
would wake them, and proceeded to gather the dry stalks
of a plant, out of which he extemj)orised a whistle, and sit-
ting down with his le2:s dano;lino; over the edo-e of a low cliflf
started a very passable imitation. I doubt whether any one
can produce the exact thing. The choking, pig-like grunt
which follows the w^histle takes more wind than human
lungs can produce. But they Avere not particular in these
parts, and the challenge was instantly answered by a good
but not first-class bull, who presently showed himself in
an opening, impatiently squealing defiance. Immediately

TTTF TIOCKV ^rOTXTAlXS 111

afterwards aiiotlicr animal witli a iiuicli deeper and more
sonorous voice opened on llie left. Then l)egaii a very
lively tri(\ wliieh we kept u]) in the liope of dl•awil)^• tlic
bio- one from his cover, for 1 was sure, from the \ohime of
the note and the unwilliiioness of the tirst elk to approach
him. that this was the boss. But he wouldn't show, and
iNIahomet had to go to the mouiii;iiii.

Marking the position of the sound as well as 1 could,
I di\-e(l into the timl)er. When [ had gone as far as 1
chired, 1 sal down, for fear of jumping him, and gave a low
whistle. The hull came straight towards me Rns])iciously,
and without uttering a sound, and keeping himself so
much under cover that I could not see him i>lainly. He
stopped about twenty yards off, but completely hidden,
and, after a pause, calndy turned tail and walked slowdy
away without once giving a chance. Another cautious
whistle must have stopped him, for when, a few minutes
later, I followed, in spite of every precaution 1 jumped
him from boliind a otoui) of vouns; trees, and thou^'h a
snap shot at the yellow mark on his stern ([uickened his
trot, he got off with a whole skin. It was rather a bad
miss, but it was better so, for if I had hit him I mioht
have lost him, and I ]i;id seen enough of his points to be
keenly disappointed and to long for a nearer accpiaintance.
Dick, who of course had a clear \ iew ol' him while 1 was
away, said he was an " ohl time l»ull, " so I determined to
lie low for him. T.ut I was too impatient. ;iud bognn
badly, overrating my woodcraft. Dismissing J.)ick to take
tlie horses back to camp, I followed the elk's track on foot.
He appeared to l)e accompanied l)y a single hind only.
Several times I heard his now familiar note, but I never

112 SHORT STALKS

seemed to get to close quarters, and lie was probably again
jumped without my knowing it.

Early were we in the saddle next morning. As the
particular kind of dry stalk available for whistles was not
always to hand, I borrowed a tiny tin whistle from one of
the men. Eidino- out for an hour or so, we tethered the
horses and climbed to the top of a ridge which commanded
the basin from another point. Our puny note, favoured
by the stillness, was carried far over the tree-tops. In-
stantly came back the deep-chested challenge, mufHed by
the trees, l)ut loudly and confidently expressed, as though
he had no doubt at all about this strange thin -voiced rival.
A minute or two later it sounded again, and then again,
each time nearer. Evidently he was coming rapidly in
our direction. The timber below our perch was dense. It
is always difficult to look down into a wood, and clear
patches were rare, Ijcsides which he now ceased to answer.
It seemed that he could not get up to us, for our ridge fell
away in a steep cliff on that side. Clearly, the only chance
was to go down and find him. Dick said I couldn't get
down, but I was in no mood to stick at trifles. Leaving
him there, with instructions to whistle cautiously at inter-
vals, I started, and, with the help of a projecting tree or
two, was soon at the bottom. Pushing through the thicket
to the nearest open patch, I instantly saw what was up.
Three hundred vards oft' the ridoe was broken down into
a slope. My elk had made for this to get at his imagin-
ary rival, and there he was, still accomjDanied by his single
faithful hind, laboriously making his way up it. No
wonder he had not answered, he was too blown to do it,
and he was reserving himself for the encounter. He was

'mi-: UUl'KV .MOINTAINS 113

alrctuly close to the top, and in ;i few minutes it woiilil lie
all over, for li(> would (■(nnc Iroin hfliiiul on iJiek, wlioni I
could still hear cliL'erl'ully tootling above. A I whatever
cost of skill and shin I had to o'et back to him lirst, for
the elk would surely detect the s]nu'ious sound as soon as
he came to close (juarters. How i did pound up that
eliti"! I came do\\n it on a pretty straight course, but I
went up again sti'aiuliter. As soon as T r-nmo witln'n siiilit
of Dick 1 commanded hini in a whispered shout to "stop
that whistling," and then drew out to a more open spot to
receive the monarch. I was onl\' just in time. He was
already approaching, and in the same cautious way as the
da\' before, advancing a few steps and then ])ausing to
listen. He was alreadv within a hundred \'ards when i
cauo-ht sio-lit of him. 1 was readv to take the first chance,
for I didn't mean him to show me his tail again if I could
helj) it. l)Ut that rush upstairs had set ni\' heart a-thump-
ing, and the muzzle of my I'ifle oscillated like a piunp
handle. Under such circumstances, a bullet is very fond
of the open air. At last he stood rigid, with every sense
on the alert, and I'airl}' showing his shoulder between two
trees. As often happens with elk, lie did not seem to
flinch to the shot, but T knew it was well ])lanted. He
stood for S(mie seconds without movino-, then his legs
trembled, and down he came, drivinsi' his oreat brow
antlers into the ground. 1 may fairly say that I got him
with a penny whistle, and 1 strongly recommend an\' one
o-oin2: to the haunts of the wapiti to arm themselves with
at least one lure of the same kind.

The same day Gerald secured a remaikaljle head. It
had no brow antlers to speak of, but the hoiais were spread

I

114 SHORT STALKS

into a fine palmated top, a variation wliicli sometimes
occurs with the wapiti, Ijut never, so far as I have observed,
witli any other red deer.

On one occasion I had sent Dick liome with the horses,
intending to try for a l)ull which I had heard in the morn-
ing, and I was confident that he would speak again ])efore
sunset. At hast I heard him, and the depth of his voice
indicated a heavy animal, but Ijefore 1 got near enough to
sight him, six shots were fired in rapid succession, and
wdien I came up to the place, I found the animal dead l)ut
no hunter visible. I knew very well what had lia})pened.
It was Dick who could not resist the temptation. AVlieu
I charged him with spoiling my sport, he excused himself
by saying that he wanted " sinnus " for his squaw. The
Indian women use nothino- but sinews for all kinds of
sewing ; but in this case it was only an excuse, for the
carcass remained untouched till we left.

We soon tired of pursuing the wa})iti, for, with a small
outfit, fre(|uent kills mean wasted meat. AYe were still
most anxious to secure some big-horns, the Ovis moiitroia,
the great wild sheep which is closely allied to the Ovis
ammon of the Himalayas.

No trophy is more coveted by American sportsmen
than a big-horn ram. He is a true sheej), l>ut like a deer,
clad in a dense coat of hair instead of wool. He carries a
provision against cold which I have not observed in any
other animal. The hairs of the neck, though presenting
outwardly a smooth surface, are crinkled one over the
other, so tliat each separate hair follows a zigzag line, thus
enclosing more air in the folds, and atlbrding a very non-
conducting " comforter." A bold rock-climber, yet so far

'I'm-: i;(>cK\' MorNTAiNs no

as iii\- ()l)scr\ ;ii Ktii ''ot's. he caiiiiiii ;iiuir(i;icli lor nu'ilitv the
cliailluis, ;ill(l sllll Irss llir iWcx. \\n>[ Uuck}' Muiuitaiii

s])(u-tsm('ii luive heard of tlie (U'lii-lit Till manner in which
the hiu-horn transports himself down ;i niduntai)!. A cnw-
i)o\- once rehited to me. with Western eiieru\- ^f Imiuuao'e,
a |iersi)U;d experieure ot'lliis kind. lie had eircimu'enletl
a herd of twenty-one rams, and wlieii fourteen of them had
fallen to Ins riHe. I lie remainder had sprung- o\cr a perpen-
dieuK-ir elilf several Imndred feet liiLili. an<h ;diu'hting
eomh»rtai)l\- on their horns, had ])roeeeded e;dnil\' on
tlieii- way. To m\' mind notldng sliows the trne frankness
of llie .\meriean min<l more llian tlie simpheit\- witli whidi
tile Westerner ltelie\-es that \'ou l)elie\e his lai'adiihlles.

Not man\ I'aiuiish lniiitino- "outfits'" succeed iiowa-
days in hiinoinu- back the heads of 2:ood hiii-liorn rams,
hut I attril)ute this to the fact that the Western hunter,
who o-enerallv thinks first of meat and how to uet it most
easily, is apt - at least that is my ex|)erience — to dis-
courage liis eni})Iover from hunting on foot ; and fi'om tlic
rou'di natur<' of the u'ronnd where this animal ''eiH'rallx',
hut not always, abides, this is the only eti'ectual way to
cjet at him.

(hi our wa\' u|). a month before, we had looked from a
distance into an upland hasiii of inie oi ihe forks of the
Wind IJix'er. surrounded 1p\- high and ll|■o]^(■ll penk-< whudi
looked likel\'. Two davs' iournev took us ihiihei-, hut at
the first attempt to 'j-et inti* it we wei'e completely beaten
by fallen timhci' .md intricate ctnunis. Tlie next da\' I
rode out h\' myself and succeeded in linding the clue to
the entrance. < hi the wax'down again I hc.ird i he xpiinvl.s
chattering in front of me, and, h\ the track- in the snow.

116 SHORT STALKS

found I had started an unusual Iv laro-e bear. I never o-ot
a sight of him, and I am not sure that I shouhl have eared
to tackle him if I had. It is all but impossible to Avalk
silently in snow that has melted and frozen again. I
think we were rather unfortunate in that neither of us i^ot
a chance at a bear on this trip. Nor were any of the re-
mains of kills which we revisited touched. Perhaps they
were temporarily scarce in that part, for bears shift their
quarters a great deal. But with the best opportunities
very few are killed by ordinary sportsmen in fair hunting.
The great majority one hears of are obtained with the
assistance of a 60 -lb. iron trap.

On my return to camp I found that during the tem-
porary absence of our men the fire had spread to the
surrounding grass. The men were just in time to save
their blankets, but one of the tents was burnt, and for
the rest of the trip they had to shelter under one of
those make-shifts which AVesterners so readily contrive.
Another two minutes and every article which we possessed,
except the clothes we stood in, would have gone up in
smoke.

We now moved camp into the basin, determined to
leave no stone unturned to secure a ram or two ; but till
the very last, though we saw some ewes on more than one
occasion, and were frequently tantalised by fresh tracks in
the timber, we got no chance at a big one. The last day
before our intended departure had arrived, Gerald had
searched in vain for most of the day, when Bob, by a fine
piece of spying in the bright interval between two snow-
storms, made out a band of old rams feeding; in a canon
on the opposite side of the valley in which our camp was

TII1-: li(»CK\' .MOTNTAIXS 117

pitched. A (Illicit dt'scciit ;iiiil a toilsome diiiil) l)r()iio-]it
thrill to tlic spot, and tlioii^h the search was dillieult,
owiiiL;- to the snowstorms, tliey at last o'ot even with
them, and (Torahl in a succession of (juick sliots iiiaiia!4'e(l to
liag two iine old rams and severely wound a third, wliieh
he I'ecovereil the followiii-'- dav. This ehano'c of luck
iiiduceil us td postpone '■pulliuu' (Hil " Inr two more days,
in the hope tliat tlie good lortuiieof'tlie son might he
extended to the father. Next day I was once more tan-
talised by junijting some rams whose track I liad followed
into a timbered c^nlo/?. I did not see them, but the iMninds
with which tlie\- had sprung IVuiu iheiL' beds, wJdeh I found
in the snow, left no doubt as to the cause of their de-
]>arture.

And now the last day and my last chance Innl arrived.
Three long days with the }»ack-train, thirty-six hours in a
mud waggon, and tinally the continental express, would
liareK leave two or three hours of margin before the sail-
ing of the " Cunarder," which we must catch to keep ]'ublic
engagements and private promises. It was now or never.
The best chance seemed to be to ti'v hioh and we deter-
milled to o'o straio'ht to the top of the serrated rido-e,
which rose tliree thousand feet above the camp, ami
diviiled our \;illey from the next creek. Tliis had some
cra<i2;V crround on its -lopes, which looke<l likely for sheei~)
if onl\' the weather had not driven ihein all down. Riding
up till we hail pas.sed tlu'ough the liniher. and the slope
became too steep, we left the horses aiitl took to (dimbing.
Tn three hours from cam]) we had reached the top, seeing
some oncourau'iug "sign" on tlie w,iv. We ]'troceeded
along the ridge, carefully si)ying on both sides, but a

118 SHORT STALKS

piercing- wind swept across it and made it Lard to perse-
vere. Fine Lail and cubes of hoar frost blown from the
rocks smote our hands and faces, and now and ao-ain one
had to pause on tlie lee side to take l)reath. During one
of these halts, on lookino- back alone; the ridoe, we saw a
band of ewes and small rams about five hundred yards off,
and apparently following in our track. Some whiff of our
taint had disturbed tliem. Aware of danoer, but not
seeing us, they launched up, and I tried the shot as a last
chance, but without result. But its echoes disturbed
another lot of eight or nine, this time all old rams, at the
very Ijottom of the next valley. After a bit they dis-
appeared behind a rise, and, failing to see them reappear,
we assumed that they had remained there. There seemed
to be nothing for it Init to tramp to the bottom, and this
we did reluctantly, as it lay right away from camp. Down
we went for half an hour as hard as we could go, but
when we reached the foot of the slope the sheep were
nowhere to l)e seen. Glancing upwards, there they were,
outlined against the sky on the top of the ridge, within a
hundred yards of tlie point where w^e had left it, so that
we had not only had our tramp in vain, but lost a fine
chance into the bargain. On our way down they must
have passed pretty close to us, concealed in a hollow. Up
again we had to go in the worst of tempers, Init consoling
ourselves with the assurance that we should l)e able to
follow their tracks in the snow. Alas ! wdieii, after an
liour's severe grind, we reached the point where they had
disappeared, not a " sign" remained. Thoiigli tlie weather
was clear the wind had smoothed away eveiy trace.
We commanded a wide area, l>ut t]i<' l)and \\i\A wliolly

THi;V MIST UK HKKIiABOUTS.

120 , SHORT STALKS

disappeared. Gloomily we turned downwards and camp-
wards.

However, luck must tin^n, and the usual reward of
perseverance was yet to be ours. At the upper edge of a
curious castellated cliff", which formed a conspicuous feat-
ure from our camp, we came upon the tracks of another
band, so burning fresh that it was obvious they must be
immediately below us in some broken recesses of the rocks
which we coukl not command from above ; and, in fact,
while we peered about, a backward curl of the strong-
wind which was beatino- agfainst the face of the cliffs must
have carried a message to some of them, for one, fortu-
nately a ram, marched out into full view on the opposite
side of the amphitheatre, with deliberate step, but evident
signs of uneasiness. The next minute he was spinning
backwards through the air with a bullet through his spine.
Then — oh, glorious luck I — out stepped another ram, wholly
unaware of the ftxte of his companion, and stood on the
same identical shelf, and he also was "my meat." The
third ram now appeared lower down, and making off at
his best pace ; but he was so inferior to the two which I
had secured that I let him go. As long as he was pick-
ing his way down the rocks his movements seemed to me
slow and clumsy, but the moment he cleared them how he
did stretch himself out, and " dust" down that mountain !
And now a curious thing happened. The remainder of
the herd were all ewes or little ones, and being deprived
of their leaders, and apparently bereft of sense, gathered
on a buttress just below us, and for some minutes, though
I stood up, shouted, and threw stones at them, they
seemed glued to the ground as though they were under a

THE KOCKV .MULNTAIXS

121

sjicll, Siicli want (if i-('S()ui'cc I never saw in aii\- wild
animal.

1 1 was no liLilii matter, in our cxliaiisttMl ami half-
frozen condition, to secnre my trophies. ^My first ram liail
fallen rpiite tlirce Iniiidrivl f^et into an almost iina]t|)roar|i-
able cotdon\ wliei'c the powdery snow was literal!}' np lo
my neck: hut it was done at last, and tln^ liead and su<'li
meat as we eonld earry conveyed to a point accessible to
horses. Tlien home to the camp fire and mutton cutlets ;
and till' next mornini'' "'eastward ho" with contented
minds.

l^-llsi^

sLNUAV ijinm:i;.

IV

ON THE KIM OF THE DESERT

The recont openino- of l)raneh railways throuoli the Atlas
Moimtains into the desert of Sahara has Lrouo-ht within
reach of London a winter climate, almost as superior to that
of the Riviera, or the Algerian littoral, as these are to our
own ; indeed, if time-tables were strictly adhered to, it is
even now possil)le by landing at the port of Phillipville, one
hundred and fifty miles east of x\lgiers, to reach the oasis of
Biskra, which is well out in the desert, in little over three
days from London. If the Algerian trains could be per-
suaded to travel at the modest speed of twenty miles an
hour, this would l)e accomplished with ease. Although
Biskra is not much more than a hundred miles from the coast,
tlie tra\'eller has there left behind him the mountains which
attract and condense the moisture of the Mediterranean,
and, after the bei-innino- of Januarv, he can count on
perennial sunshine, except when — and this is seldom — a
liigh wind fills the air with a dust-fog almost as imperme-
al)le to the rays of tlie sun as a watery cloud.

The climate was not, however, the chief attraction
which drew me thither with two companions one January.

ON I' 111': I MM ol' Till". DESERT 123

On till' ;ii-i(l siilc of the I'ano-es wliidi imincdiatelv
ovei'look I he desert, tliore exists, the wliole way from
the Atlantic to Tunis, a certain wild "' Uarbary sheep,"
called l»v naturalists the Orts t lUKjila pi, us or i Ik;
Aoiiildil, Ii\- Arahs ili(^, Arom. and lt\' llic I'Vcnrli ilic
Monjlon a iH'.dichcUc. from [\iv l<»ng pendcnl mane, if that
be the correct term, wliidi the animal carries on the under
side of its neck and shoulders d(»\vn to the knees. Jl is a
large sheep, scarcely inferior to the " big-hoiii "' of the
IJockies. Mild of a dull rufous-xcl low colour, well calculated
for concealment on the red and vellow cliffs which it
inhabits. Thouii'h not extreme]}' rare, it is, for reasons
which will sul)sci|ueiit 1\' a])|>e;ii'. except ionalh' dillicull to
lind. True, the kids ai'e oceasionallv cauiiht l)Vthe Arabs,
and. as the nro"/ breeds freelv in eonfinement. it has been
distributed from the Jardin des I'lantes to other zoological
collections, includinc;- our own.

\\ hy not, then, be content to examine him at the Zoo ^
\Vh\' should "Uc want t > kill the j;oor beast? I haxc in*
defence to oW'ov. except that rather mean insiiucl which
forces up doijo's eu'ii's, uncut lolio,-, and loiciuu postaue
stamps whi(di have ceased t<> be useful, to iabulous values.
.\fter inimei'ous iu(|uii'ies I had failed to hear of anv
I'higlish spoii>uian who had successfully stalked the animal.
th(»UL!li T kuow of two, one ten years ami one twent\"di\('
\'ears since, who hail l ncd m \ain.' A fVeuch iiook in m\"
possession, J^enscif/iienients sni- />/ I'rocinvc dc Constantinc,

' Since the aliove was writlni a triciicj, wlm is one of the best lillc .-liots
ill Eiiglaml, I'liUnuffl almost exactly in nnr t'iMitstc|is. He ami liis conipaniim
hunted the .same L,'roun(l \'i<v live weeks, an<l secured three sjieciuiens, but two
of them Were niiiili bt-ttri' (rii])liici limn any of onr>.

124

SHORT STALKS

which professes to give a description of the fauna of the
province, does not mention the aninicaL An accomplished
traveller told me that it was scarce, " Ijut not qnite so
difhenlt to get as an Algerian lion." A friend who had
travelled throuo-h the southern ranges of the Atlas admitted
that he had never heard of it. Can it be wondered at tliat
I desired to secure so rare a trophy, and incidentally to use
it as a peg upon v»diieli to hang a fresh series of experiences,

i

' I,

U ft'

»K?

"^

to wander among mountains rarely visited, to pitch or
strike my camp when and where I pleased, among a people
who daily do the same ?

Our expedition began with some misfortunes. A great
Januarv storm in the Channel had 1)lown down some tele-
graph posts, and so delayed our arrival in Paris that we
missed the Marseilles express, and consecjuently the Algiers
boat. At Marseilles we received a telegraph from my dear
old chasseur Celestin, who, on his way to meet us there,
was seized l)y the fashionable complaint, and lay halfway
from his mountain valley, helpless as a log. He did not

o.\ TllK IM.M n|- ■rill^: l)|-;>KiiT 125

ji»iii lis till icii (lavs later, hut I had a second very cllicicut
striiiu' ill Aiidifas. a hlacksinit li and diainnis hunter.

Our tirsi |Miiiit. rrachcd after t\vi> (hi\',s spent in the
train, was El Kaiilara, soniclinics callid ■" llic (Jalc ol the
Desert." TLm'c a riiln'c of I'imI I'ock. ucarlv tlic last outwork
of the iii(iu!iiaiii>. list's Jor ciLilit hiiiidrecl I'eet al)o\t' the
i)hiin. ThroiiLih this rido-c tlir lit i Ic river, al tinirs a rock-
shakiiiu- torrent, has opened a. gap, admitting tlie passage,
for niaiiN' ao-es past, of the converoiiif'' caravan routes from
the south, ami for llie hist few years the railway fiMiii the
north, which m>w terminates at Biskra, iliirl\- iniles
farther.

As we took our evening stroll ihroiigh the ga]). its con-
torted red rocks were lighted on the east side into a tiery
olow liv the settinof sun. .\t the far end of the o-ui) one
comes suddenly on the first oasis, a wealth of gray-green
foliage, and tlu' wa\iiig plumes of sixty ihousaml palms,
liiieh eontrastiiig with the thirsty rocks. A few of these
have estaMished iheiiisel\-es in the very gorge itself, as
thouiih struooliuo- for the lirst drink. Some of the ])alms
are tall and ii])right as a shijt's mast, others heiiding o\-ei-
tiie stream whi(di has undermined their roots. Amonu' the
black columns and shaded aisles while-rohed ligures Hit
about — for you never liear an .\ral) walk- m- iir exiled
under mini walls. A mnnth later the greenery was \aried
by [link clouds of a])ricot l)lossom. but this was not yet.
'Idiat which strikes one must is not the sighl of the palms,
but tlie sound of them. The waving plumes respond to
the breeze by a low monotonous jiiss, as distinct as possible
from the latlle ami (juiver made by the (dashing of
deciduous leaves. Seen from an elevation, these oases look

12G SHORT STALKS

black on the i)l;iin. like notliiijo' so iimcli as liuoe leeclies

J- <r!; o

sucking at the juices of the mountain.

But we were not thinkino- much of these thino-s that
night. What sportsman does not remember the first eager
hope with which he examines the new hunt in o- oround ?
Are the wild animals we have come so far to seek still to
be found in those clifis ? I knew that they were there ten
years ago, but men of knowledge had assured me that the
railway must have driven them away, and that I must go
farther afield. We had vet to learn that it is not the
habit of this old-world sheep to run aw^ay from civilisation.
He has other means of protection.

Behind the little inn at the north end of the gap was a
sandy ridge, which ofiered a good spying-point. From this
our telescopes presently scanned the clifis of the Jel)el
IMetlili, the highest point in these parts, wliic]i rose to the
north from a little plain to the height, I should judge, of
five thousand feet. There was no doubt aljout the broken
character of its clifis. Their appearance, at any rate, justi-
fied our hopes.

Two very dirty and ragged Arabs, Ali and Abdullah,
had been fetched from the mountain itself with a view to
being retained as guides, and, while we supped, they inter-
viewed us, squatting on their hams on the tiled fioor.
These ragamuttins gave an edge to our appetites by assert-
ing the undoul)ted })resence of fcsJtffd^ as they call the
old male of the (irom, in the clifis ^NQ had been examinino-
and the more eairer we showed ourselves, the higher rose
their terms. We finally settled with them for three francs
a day, at wliicli price they proved distinctly dear.

Gerald started at a very early hour with Andreas and

UN Tiii': ui.M oi' rill': |)i:skiit \-ii

old All li» tr\' the iicaivst and iiio>t pivcipilnii> ]i;iil (ifllu'
range. The rest of us, after the delays w hidi generally
aecom|>aii\' luggage, got oil' an hour later with the mules
and canip iraiu. and had not gunc I'ar across the jdain
wluMi we saw ni\- son aud his com])ani<)ns still on a nt'igh-
bourinu' rise. We wcul across and found a souicwliat
mixed altercation proceeding, whii-ji. as iKnie of the three
could speak the laniruaire of the diliers. was not surorisino-.
Old Ali was at the hottom of the mischief. He declared
that it was inipossihle to go uptln' mountain exccjil l)\' tla;
path, lull as thefewas ((l)\-ioiisl\' no ditlieullw he was made
to understand that he could take his cdioiee LeLwecn ii'oino-
as he was liid. nv fcturning to the tents of his fathei's. This
imp of mischief elected to go, and it would have been
better if he had never been born, for on this very first
nioi'inno; such a^ chance offered as did not soon recui-. and
he spoiled it. Tliex' had scarcely got well into the ra\ ines
with which the fange is seameil. wlidi they spied some
nioullons, one of which, a laro-e ram, la\' in a position
most fav^onrable for a stalk. They were so eagerly engaged
in determining the best line of approach, which was bv no
means ditficult. that tlie\- did not pav any hceil to their
foljuwci'. I.ookinu found, to then' liorroi' llie\' lnund that
he had o-oue off on his own account. His intentions were
no doubt innocent, but the result was disastrous. Jle prob-
ably thought that the Englishman could not ]">os>il)Iy get
near the game unaided, ami \\(»uM he much ph'a-e(l if the
Uanic should come to him. It was about a huiiilred to one
against this lia])]ieiiing : >tdl he would try. and. slipping
off, he succeeiled, in about ten minutes, in showing himself
and giving the wind at the same time. Twenty minutes

128 SHORT STALKS

later lie arrived at the rock where the quarry, ^Yhich was
now far away, had been lying, and began to throw rocks
down. He finally rejoined the strangers, and appeared to
think that he was being congratulated on his spirit. Later
on, yet another was spied lying favourably placed on a
clitf, but when the spot was reached it had gone, having
probably heard the nailed boots on the rocks. This was a
difficulty which we afterwards found it very hard to avoid.

In the meanwhile the rest of us, with the mule train,
followed a well-engineered path constructed by the French
to give easy access to a tower of observation which they
have built on the highest point of the mountain. After
three hours of steep ascent, we halted at a convenient
plateau a little short of the summit. This was a most
attractive camping ground, l)ut I saw at a glance that,
with uncertain weather, it would be far too exposed,
especially as one of our tents had Ijeen temporarily lost on
the railway, and our men would be very imperfectly
sheltered by the make-shifts which we had 1)rought from
El Kantara.

It commanded, however, a marvellous view. The
Metlili is the highest point for many miles, except to
the north, in which direction we were slightly overtopped
by the cedar forest ranges near Batna. To the east,
but at a distance of many miles, the great mass of the
Aures, crow^ned by the highest point in Algiers, the
Chellia, now white with snow, rose perhaps three
thousand feet hioher than where we stood. But to
the south who can describe the wonderful expanse of
the desert which lay four thousand feet below us ? To
my mind there is no panorama so interesting as a

'vS4;

m

K

130 SHORT STALKS

bird's-eye view over a plain from a considerable lieiglit.
The plains of Lombardy from Monte Rosa, of Spain
from the Breche de Roland, liave this human interest,
l)ut in both these cases subsidiary, l)ut still lofty ranges
serve to Ijreak the contrast. But here we were on
the top of a great craggy wall which rose straight from
the plain. True, the latter was seamed by three low,
rocky ridges which lay parallel to one another between us
and Biskra, but they were completely subordinated and
looked like small purple islands rising out of a golden sea.
Over them one took in the whole plain, every inch of it.
to the verv horizon, clear cut and level as the sea itself.
To the east, perhaps thirty miles otf, lay a large chott or
salt marsh, but whether its shining surface was due to
water or half-dried salt I could not determine. The sun-
sets and sunrises from this and similar elevated camps
were of marvellous interest and beauty, especially wlien a
sea of cloud clung to the mountaiiis, as sometimes hap-
pened in the earlv mornino-. In the foreg-round raoo-eil-
edged peaks, with deep purple shadows, pierced the
luminous mist ; beyond, the shadowless, illimitable plain.
The nio-hts were not less beautiful. In still weather the
air was so clear that the stars shone with scarcely dimin-
ished briohtness down to the horizon itself, and one seemed
even to look down on them.

All the southern slopes of the Atlas are singularly
waterless, and the Metlili is no exception to the rule.
Every drop for our use had to be brought up in barrels on
mule-back. I wanted to send the barrels l^ack so as to
have a fresh supply the next day ; so I poured the water
into two of mv canteen baskets which are lined with

ON I' 111-: i;i.M oi-- 'I'm-: dksp^ut

irn

water] iroi if" i-auwis (or the purpose. Nnw llic wvav and
tear <it iii:iii\' camps had li>M upuii lliis liiiiii;.;'. ami no
sooner liatl the mules drparlcd wiili tlie l)arn'ls, than we
found that the baskets were Irak'in^' l)adl\' and would
preseniK' \>r cmplN. Ilcrc was a pass, lur, tli(iUL;li wo had
some wine, the Arabs W(»uld of course not toiicli that, and
for (tur>cl\'(\s rookinn- would Ik^ ini])()ssil)l('. Willie wlm

WILLIE.

a(hls to liis otiici" !^'ood fpialitics as a comjianiMn a rcsourcc-
l"ul habit, sharpened 1>\' many '" i-ound-ups, suggested my
waterpii'id capr. IIa>til\' Irtcliin'.; it. \vr ]iuslicd it into
the third basket so that the edt>;es huim' oxer ilic .-idc.
I'hat hi'hl a part of the water. Another inspiration ; ilic
vaselim' pdt ! I smeared tlie yellow grease al)oul the
(diinks and angles oi' the iidw empt\' ba>k<'i. ami h' and
behold I it held the rest of the water splendidly. 'I'rue, the
colour was repulsive ami the tlavoui' pungent, hut the
Arabs were not deterred by ihcir scruples fiom drinking

13:^ SHOET STALKS

it. Indeed, the climax of nastiness was reached when the
uoiiest and dh'tiest of them on his arrival at camp, lioi and
thirsty, })liinged his whole face into it and drank freely.

As soon as we had squared this and other matters in
camp and pitched our oidy tent, Willie and 1 started for an
exploration on our own account. Though the best of the
day was gone and we saw nothi ug, we found some fvrah
tracks ; and the tracks of the arouj are calculated to
rejoice the heart of the hunter, for they are as large as
those of the red deer ; and as Gerald arrived late in camp
with an account of what he had seeu, our expectations were
raised to the highest point. We had not yet realised that
it was one thing to catch a glim})se of the animal, and
quite another to put salt on its tail.

The next morning I went with Andreas to the steepest
part of the mountain. It is cut into a series of deep
ravines which score the slope fr<>ni top to bottom. At
rio-ht anoies to these run long lines of vertical strata from
wdiich the softer limestone is worn away, leaving enormous
slabs ; the bio-o-est slab of all forms a clitf several hundred
feet high and two nules or more long, which runs along
the face of the mountain. Just outside this is another
similar slab or series of slabs, only a few yards in front of
it, and almost as tall as the cliff itself, and seeming from a
little distance to form part of it. Between the two is a
deep, narrow trench, barely accessible here and there
where the outer battlement is broken down. Lesser idates
of rock project all over the mountain side, and afford
splendid shade and hiding-places for the aroui. Here and
there are ragged bushes of thuja and clumps of alfa grass,
like the pampas grass of our gardens but of smaller

ox 'I'lii': KIM ov TiiK 1)Ksi:i;t 133

Crowtli. So roii'jli ami lnoktMi is the urdiuul that only a
iiiiniitc iVactioii ol the siirracc can l»e coNci'fil wiih the
slass. We travcisiMl tli(^ vaviiios, Ritvino- each with Lireat
eari\ At iiiiil-(la\' I heard a shni in t h(> adjoiiiiiiu' holldW
ami hurried to the rid^'e which coiimiamh'd ii. Allcr a
hiii'_^' scaifh I >]»iiMl ;iii Ai'ah with a '_;iiii. har Itchiw and on
ihe other si(h' of the wadcw c\iden 1 1 \- KiiiLi' in wait for
sonict hinL^-. I'rcscniK' he liegan signallinL:; to aiiothci- who
was l)elo\v us. hut invisible. I tlioiiiilit they must he after
pai'ti'id<'"es, ami did not |»a\' an\' part icidar alteiition. I
was just settling down to luiiclicon and had laid aside the
)illi' when I saw the jicad of a niouHon ])assing aloiiu' the
rocks not more than Iweiitx' \-ards iVom me, and wholly
unconscious ot' our presence. l)efoi'e I couhl u'ct the rille
in hand he had |ia-sed. oU'eiang a Sjiliaidid chance il I had
been rcadw I ran forward, nuikino' sure that I shouhl Liet
another \ iew. laii he had succeeded in puttini;- one of the
al)Ove-name(l upright walls of rock hetwccn us, and i
never saw him aii'ain.

Tiie experiences of these first <lays liad eiveii us a
toleralilc notion of thi' appcMirance ami hal>its o| the
;inimal wiiich we hojMMl to sc(aire. and l he dinicnities o|
the pursuit, and I wdl now ende.ixuui' to des(M'd>e ilieni
and to ini[>art I he secrets of the craft . together with such
'"tips" as sul)se(pient aiKcnlures suo-o'ested. liei'Mh)tus
mentions "asses with horns" whi(di inhaljilcd tliese
ramies. True, in tin' <ame sentence he describes "mon-
sters with <loo-s' heads, and others without heads who have
eyes in iheir breasts" — I sliould like to |>ossess 1id[thics of
some of these— bul asses witli hoins is a description wliieli
aptlv fits these wild diecp, witii their Ion- and lalliei- dull

134 SHORT STALKS

faces, like most African animals, and in marked contrast with
the bold and high-bred exjDression of their smaller name-
sake of Sardinia and Corsica. Pliny describes the animal
as the "goat hart," which is also rather apt. The pendent
mane and sand}' colour I have already referred to. On the
knees he has patches of bare callous skin after the manner
of a London cab-horse, which 1 suppose enables him to kneel
and reach his food on steep places and in the crevices of
the rocks. The Arabs say that these animals do not
drink more frequently than once in five days, and this
enables them to traverse long distances on these thirsty
slopes. They are unknown nearer to the coast, as, for
instance, where the climate is moist enough to su|)port the
cedar forests, nor do 1 Ijclieve they are ever found out uf
sio'ht of the desert.

The knack of keeping himself out of sight, and getting
out of it when surprised, is the most oljvious characteristic
of the animal. The lial;)its of the iVrabs, continued through
countless generations, have helped to form the hal)its of
the a)-(itn'. These nomad tribes pitch their tents neces-
sarilv within reach of one of the scantv sprino's of water.

^ *■■■ L O

Here at uio-ht, within the circle enclosed bv their black
geitouns and a small zareha of loose thorn bushes, they
herd their flocks of goats. In the early morning numerous
thin columns of blue smoke mark the positions of such
camps, generally placed for shelter in dry watercourses.
With l)arking of dogs and shouting, the flocks move off up
the mountain, and as the day advances they work up and
over it, so that no cliff or corrie is safe from their intrn-
sion. The wild sheep have no means of escaping from
them, as every mountain within reach of water is similarly

r^^f

TUK riAllHAUY SHKKl".

13G SHORT STALKS

infested. They are thus constantly witliin sight and
hearing of the x\rabs and their goats, and, having no
means of escaping from their neighbourhood, have de-
veloped the art of hiding themselves to an extraordinary
degree, and their confidence in their own invisibility is
unlimited. A practical illustration of this occurred to me
one cvenino- when I had sat in one r)lace for twentv
minutes carefully spying the surrounding country. My
coig-n of vantage was a knoll which commanded a small
shallow hollow, in which there was not a vestige of cover
except the few thin thuja bushes, which looked as if they
could not hide a rat. It was not till T rose to shift my
position that a female ai'oui and two yearlings started
from these bushes. They had been lying witliin sixty
yards of me, and must have been fully conscious of my
presence. In this and other respects the arcnii is very
like the Pyrenean il^ex, which lives in similar steep, l)roken
rocks and scrub, and which also relies on concealment in
preference to flight. It has, moreover, the same inward
turn of the ti}) of the horns to ena1)le it to push through
the bushes. The horns of the Alpine ibex, which lives
among bare rocks, curve in one plane.

This habit of observing you while he Ijelieves himself
hidden, is highly inconvenient to the sportsman. If he
thinks himself unnoticed, he remains till the coast is clear.
If a bolt is necessary, he watches for the most favourable
opportunity, and, like a woodcock, [)uts a rock or a tree,
in a trice, between himself and danger. From this it
arises that one views the game much more frequently than
shots are obtained, and many of these are snap shots,
j\Iy own experience is suggestive. I hunted on twenty-

ON TllK lil-M Ln-' llIK DK.SKKT 137

tliree days, being nearly always out from before sunrise
until sunset. During' that time I saw sheep alxuil a do/.eii
times, but I got shots at (mix Ibui' — two of which I
secured and Kt.sl a thiriL It was (juite a rare cNcnt to
(liseover them with the glass, and this sickened our
eliamois hunters. Celestin was eoustanlh- exelaiuiinu-. as lie
closed his glass witli a snap, "'('ehi n amuse pas (h' ricn
voir," wliile tlie more phlegmatic Andreas in (K'spair
wouM (h'eamily search (or camels on the distant phiin.
r>ut il" oiu' did ha])})cn to get a view of a Itaiid in an
undisturbed condition, the difficulties W(M'c not over,
owine- h) liie fact tliat the animal is constantK shiftiuL;' to
avoid the ooats and tlieir Arab owners. Nor is that the
onl\- reason for their restlessness. Tliough it is forlii(hh'n
to the Arabs to cai'r\- firearms, we li'e(pu'ntly saw them
prowling al)Out with thi'ir hmg IhntfM'ks. which seem to
ha\(' run to iiarrel at the ex))ense of the stocl<. The\'
are seldom successful, but the game is not the less
di>i urheil.

Of another (btHcult}' we \ ery eai-|y became aware.
Visitors to Kg\'pt will rememhei- how main' of the ancient
monoliths ring like bells. So here the ib-y rocks are
resonant to a deuTee of" which 1 had had no pre\ious
ex]»erience, and to walk silentK' in iiaile(l hoots is almost
impossible. The Arabs who wear sandals of c//" grass
move noiseless! \'. and A ndreas, for a i ime. aijopi id i he nal i\'e
I'ashi'iii with loleralde success, but our Alpine nails ela>lied
and rang, step one never so (hdii-ately. The dilliciilt}- is,
exeejit f)r one defect, couiploteh' met b\- thick' iiidia-
i'ubl»er soles. Indcrd. Hot onK are llic\- \>yy .silent. Iml
they gi^'c (piite a new sense of power ami seciuiix in

138 SHORT STALKS

climi)ing rocks at a steep angle, ^7ro?'7V/t'(:/ fha^e are
Ijerfectly dry. The defect is that these sharp -edged
rocks ruin tlie best attachments in about two days, and
repairs are not always possible. Boots were not the only
article of attire which suffered. A single flat crawl down-
hill made ribbons of the tonohest Harris tweed. I was
very soon scarcely decent, l)ut Gerald, with true filial
piety, abstracted two large patches from one of Willie's
coats, and sewed them on to the sitting place.

During the first few days the weather was treacherous,
and it was clear that our first camp was untenal)le as long-
as our men were so badly protected. The poor linen-clnd
Arabs looked especially miserable, and it was melancholy
to see them scrape a small hole, fill it with hot ashes, and
squat over it, making a sort of open-air Turkish l)atli by
spreading out their burnouses, and this at the best could
only have cooked one end. So we had to make arrange-
ments to remove camp to the foot of the mountain until the
weather improved, and we could recover the missing tent.
It was well we did so, for even three thousand feet lower,
and well under the lee of the mountain, our tent pegs
with difficulty held the ground. The wind drove the dust
thi-ough tlie flaps, and snowstorms were frequent. Tlie
mountain was covered with wreathino- storm-clouds, and
the position at tlie moment was so hopeless that we again
sent for the mules and pulled out for El Kantara.

Ali and Abdullah took this opportunity to strike for
higher wages, which was not surprising under the
circumstances ; Ijut, as we had no hope of hunting that
day, it was a badly-chosen opportunity, and we told them
to go to the landlord and be paid off. They went

UN THE KLM Ul' Till': DESEIIT

139

willi their luii'iioiiscs Ik'Iwcch llieir legs, and ictunicd crest-
I'allcii to their (/rifouiis dii the hilh I was not sorry to
part with Ali. who was a radieal and h-NcHer. if not a
( ihtdslonian. and had poisoned I lie mind of hrs coin pan ion ;
1»ut we misled AlMlnlhih. who was teaehalih'. Like most
Aralis he was uit'ied w i I h woiKh'rfid evcsio-lii. ;ind a *\'.\y

AUDI l.l.AH.

or two late)- lie s]iied mo on the hdh and eainr raeini^'
across it. draoo-ino- his wile, who was ralhei' a uiiod-h)oking
young woman, and the>c mountain Arah-> lia\i' no
nonsense ahoiit rovoring their faces. She eaine to ph-ad
l"o|- him — at least I gathered that that was the np-hot, of
their iahher — and when I took hnn a^ani into ni\' ser\"iee
1 was rewarded with L-ralelid Lihinees.

'V\\o weather mending we again mo\'e(l to ihe inonntain,
and thi-^ tinn' we deti'rmineil ti» e.-imp m t he w ateli-t ow ei'
itself. At the top a eniiMii< .-ind tant;di>iii'_;- tldng
happened. \Vc were close t" the tower, and the nndes

140 SHORT STALKS

and nearly all the men had already reached it. Willie and
I were nearly in the rear of the line, when two fine ram
mouHons appeared within a few yards of the path. It
was blowing a gale of wind, and I suppose that this, and
the fact tliat the gronnd was covered with snow, had
prevented their hearing the tramp of the mules. As
usually happened our rifles were not to hand, and the
animals passed, as we found by their tracks, within six
yards of tlie tower withdut any one there being aware of it.
Again, an hour later, just as it was getting dark, I saw
from the tower another mouflou cross an opening scarcely
two hundred yards ofl'. I rushed out, but there were
numerous bushes to hide him, and, the darkness coming
on and clouds blowino" ui), 1 could not siirht him ao-ain.

What lio-ht there was after our arrival we used in
stuffing up the loopholes of the tower, as well as we could,
with pieces of wood, tent covers, etc., as the wind literally
screamed through them, and in sweeping out the snow
which lay in fine powder on the tiled floor, with extem-
porised Itrooms of thuja Ijushes. This building was
devised solely for observation and defence, but it has been
disused l)y the authorities since they have carried the
telegTa[)li to El Kantara, and the Arabs have taken
advantage of tin's to loot the place as far as they could,
and especially to remove all the locks, so an entrance was
easily effected. It is a solidly-built stone structure, two
stories high, each of which is approached by ladders only,
which can be withdrawn through trap-doors. At the top,
angular projections of iron pierced for musketry command
every side in case of attack. Each floor is also loopholed.
On the top story is a little stove, and there we established

ON Till-: ui.M oi- nil': DKsEirr i4i

Dill' ctii.k and caiitt'cii. A\ c iiilialiiicil the llr.-i lloor, and
(iiir (liiiiitT had 111 (•(line lliroiiuh llu' trap-ddni' and down
the I'ickclN ladder, wlilch was I'ai lior critical inv the soii]!.
()iir l\\(» Aral) iiiiiiirr.- cainiMMl on ihc iJi'uund lloor. and
made a u,ood life in ihc middle of it. As the luilht-

]il-(ioffd tili'd (liior> wrvr \ r|-\ cold to tllc feet. We spcnl a
o-ood deal ot' Imic l»\' llicir lii'c an*! waldictl ihcni plailin"-
tlic <//f''f i»Tass and wcaN'in"' llif nlail into samlals. Thcv
turned out a 'j^nod workini:,- [lair in alioul twcnlx nnnutes.
'Idns toULjli Lirass constitutes (jne ol the chief sources of
wealth to Alucria. l)einu- used for many purposes, and
exported as the raw material of paper.

From wliat I have described alreadv, it niiuhl he
thouuht that the <ii-(nii ahouiid to sueli an extent that
you could hanlly tlii'ow a stone witiiout hitting one, hut,
though one or other of us saw some almost dail\. it was
no! till ihc sixth da\- that an\- ol' us o-ot a chance. That
eYeiiiiei. oil lii> return to eamii. (lerald irot a \er\' loiio-
shot m the du-k and se\'eiel\' wounded a good one. The
poor beast la\' down three times in Iwd hundred yards, hut
fiiialK' got into sui-li hnikeii roclvs tliat . darkness eomin'j on.
the seareli hatl to he ahaiidoued. We scoured those elitlV
nearlv all the next daw hut the maze of roidvs ami hirshes
defeated us. That he lie> dea<l there somewhere I do ik.i
doubt. The truth was, as we di.scovercd too late, the little
■3GU ritle which (Jerald cariaed was not jiowiiTuI eiionnh
for so large and tough a beast. for a week we had
worked hard and li\"ed hard, and hei'e was a crowning
misfortune.

r)Ut our luck turned at last. ll was in what we called
the " Big I'orrie'to the west of the tower that (Jerald,

142 SHOET STALKS

who was accompanied 1)y Abdullah that day, scored the

first success. Quite early in the day he spied, at the

bottom of the corrie, the head of a moutlon sticking out

of a l)ush. The animal was so bad to see that, when he

took his ghiss off the spot, he could not refind him for a

quarter of an hour. Soon after this he made out four

others witli him. The approach was not very difficult if

they could get over a certain space which had to be

crossed in view. He himself went first, moving with

extreme slowness and caution ; but when Aljdullah came

to follow, the patience of that child of nature was not

equal to the strain, and, when halfway across, he started

up and ran the rest of the distance. The sheep of course

saw him and moved to a far more impregnable position

liioli up the opposite side. The hunters were, moreover,

now fairly caught, being in full view, and there they had to

stay for four hours till the sheep began to feed. They then

slowly crept l)ack the way they had come, and, making a

great circuit of the corrie, came down upon them from aljove,

and 2'ot at leno-th within one hundred yards. There was a

o'ood ram w^itli them, and Gerald thought he had picked out

the very hair that he desired to hit. The beast, however,

went oti" witli the others as if nothing had happened, and

the runnino' shot, as usual, had no effect. Fortunately the

hill was nearly bare in this part, and, as the ram followed

the opposite face, he could be kept in sight. Seen through

the glass, when he had run three hundred yards he showed

signs of distress, and finally rolled over dead. The shot

was exactly in the right place, having entered behind the

shoulder and passed out at his throat ; but this animal

also mioht well have been lost if the ground had not

ox 'rilM KI.M ol' 11 IK IJHSERT 1 i:',

favoiiird keeping liiin in view. As soon as lie fell,

A1h1uI1;i1i, aflcr the iii.iiiiici- of his kind, set off at lull
speed. Geralil. who was a university rnnncr. wliuHv
failed to cateli him. and hrturc lie gni up, thr hrast's
throat was cut from ear to ear. to the o-veat danui^c of ilic
.specimen, 'riirre was great rejoicing in the tower I hat
niu-lit. Ijitil this success, we had beij;un to tliiidc tli.-it
we had h)st our time and l)r(»kcn our lieiirts oNcr .Ichcl
Metlili in vain, and now that the mountain li.id vielded
a single trophy, we were quite ready to try fresh
scenes.

A low mountain of a light cream colour. Ii.dt'way to
Biskra, wliiih <iur telescopes had shown lo he of a
singularly broken character, and ihcrelorc likcl\ for sheep,
had attracted our attention. This is o-enei-alK' licliovtMl
t(j he ill'.' Sail .Mountain of whidi Ilci-odotus says: —
"There is another hill (•!' sail, and water. ;ind nicii li\e
round it. and iie;ir this .-;dl is a nniunl.'iin whii-li i> railed
Atlas. It is narrow^ and ciicular on all sides, and is said
to be so lofl\' that its top can ncNcr be seen. Ibr it is ni\ci-
free fnun clouds, either in summer nr wiiiler. " ll lies
close to the small oasis of f^l Outaja, on the liiskra road,
and thonu'li it seemed rather too near tlic h.iiints of men.
we li;id alreadx' proNcd lli.ii lliis \\;i> nol iiecessai-il\-
incompatible wiih ihr [)resence of our sheep.

( )ur first care on arrival al this pl;icr was lo cdl (.n ;i
certain wealthy Arab. .\clnm'i \n\\ \)\r/. b\- mmir, a
retired captain of Ny^/A/.s-. i-eputed to be a niiL;iii\ liunh-r.
lie courteously showed us, anions other li\e animals, a pair
of baby aroui, which In' was trying to i-eai'. and whirh
scttle(l til'' (piestion of the pr(\sonc(> of ih.it .iiiim.d in

144 SHORT STALKS

the ncigliboiirliood ; also a female cdini, or inuuiitaiii
gazelle, which had been snared l)y some Arabs when
feeding at night in their 1 larley-fields. It is about twice
the size of the common gazelle of the plains {(Jazella
dorcas), and differs from it in the long, upright, and
straight horns, as distinguished from the lyre -shaped
horns of the smaller species. The cd mi has long-
pointed ears, and very large and prominent black eyes.
This beautiful animal excited us greatly, but, from what
we were told of its rarity and the ditticulty of finding it,
we had not much hope of securing a specimen. I was,
however, destined to become acquainted with it. ( Japtain
Ben Driz's enthusiasm for sport, as is the case with most
of the better- class Arabs, was centred in hawkino-.
Unfortunately we had no opportunity of seeing this
characteristic pursuit.

Our movements were governed here, as elsewhere, by
the scarcity of good drinking water, and we finally got
leave to spread our mattresses in some spare rooms at the
railway station, to which a fresh supply of the precious
liquid was daily brought by train.

The foot of the Salt Mountain is distant about two
miles across a stony tract of desert. We were told that
its intricacies were so great that it was impossi1)le for a
stranger to find his wav, Ijut there was no real dilticultv,
and we should have done better without the Arab whom
we took with us, as he w^as both stupid and lacked the
keen sight of most of his race. The mountain, which is
not more than three miles long, has the appearance of
having been dropped from above, and broken in the fall.
Its chaotic character is due to the solubility of the salt.

ox Till'; L'l.M ol' Till'; DI'iSKIM" 145

l''\(ry sioiiu wliicli washes it cames awnAMi ]i(»rliuii i'ldin
iIh' iiiicrior. so that it is lioneycomhed with hujhiws iiisi(h'
;tii<l (»ur. The siu'lact' is (lirfiiili'oratcd salt and t-arth,
with a while saliuL' cxiKhitiuii which makes the inotiiitaiii
contrast strangely witli the red rocks and \-cll(t\v phiin
round it. ( liicc well into the mountain, tiic conrusion of
iorm caused by its huge trenches and (issures is remarkable.
('ifcuhir craters abound where the soil has fallen in, and
here and there w<' came, with startling suddenness, u|)on
ch'an-cut perpend icuhtr shafts with walls of green semi-
tiansparent salt, closely resendtling the " nioulins "" of the
larger glaciers of the Alps. These w^ere of all sizes from a
foot to ten f(>et in diameter, and of manv the bottom w^as
lost in gloom a hundred feet or more below. They are
dangerous places without care, as there is a crund)lino-
verge whicli fre«|uently overhangs. The ground gave
back a hollow^ sound in many places, but it was easy to see
where one could uo with safet\' li\' watchinir for tlie o-azelle
tracks, which were freijUenL. kittle grows on the saline
soil except a ])lant like samphire, and another tl(^s]iv-
leaved plant : but flocks of blue rock-pigeons, wldch breed
in the clefts, gave some life to the scene. Brioht-coloured
earths, pink and ]>ui-pl", crop dut lio-e and there. ( )n the
top there is a less broken part, and someihing of a phiteau,
with a little vegetation, and lierc we hoped ti» hnd ^'amc.
of wliicli we soon saw ]>lenty of tracks.

Aftei' our Arab liad disiui'hcd ihj-ee gazelles b}' Jiis
noisy walking, we separated, \\'illic taking one side of tlie
mountain and 1 tlic other. Snon after I made a »'Ood snv
ot three nioutlons on a red clitl'. which faced tlie other
eii<] of the Salt ?iIountain, at some distance. A\'c had

L

146 SHORT STALKS

hardly started for the stalk when a curious and painful
accident happened to me, which afterwards had unfortunate
consequences. Slipping up, I brought my hand down on
an edge of salt so sharp that it ripped the whole of the
skin from the ball of my thumb, leaving nothing but bare
flesh from the joint upwards. The mishap nearly caused
me to faint at the time, and gave me great pain for several
weeks afterwards.

It took us an hour or more to reach the top of the clitf,
under a ledoe of which we had seen the mouflons lie down,
and creeping down with extreme caution, for the slope was
covered with loose stones, we reached the edge of a little
bluif which commanded the spot, and there we waited for
them to rise from behind the rocks where they lay, and
show themselves. For nearly four hours we lay broiling
in the sun, but our patience was in vain ; for they had
really changed their position before we arrived. At last a
great rattling of stones above us told only too well what
had happened. 1'hey had moved to the left while we w^ere
making our stalk, but, a herd of goats entering the valley,
they had returned, but above instead of below us, and
getting our wind, quickly took leave of that range. We
returned in a despondent mood over the Salt Mountain,
and followed the most beaten track I could find, where I
expected to see nothing. Going round a corner we nearly
stepped on a splendid fesldaJ. I snatched the rifle from
Andreas, nnd should have had an easy running shot, but
the handkerchief which I had wound round nnd round my
wounded thumb came in the way of the alignment of the
sights, and, before I could tear ofl' the miserable rag, he was
round the corner, and though in three or four seconds 1

ON TIIK I MM OK TIIK DKSKllT 1 IT

reached the spot. lie t';isil\- kcjit liimsc]!" out of si^hi in ihc
maze of contorted fniiows mikI ^•uI(•lles. AVas there cvei-
such fatal had luck from so despicable a cause ? After this
I u<'iicrall\' carried iiiv rith' al lull cock, Iiuul:' I)\- llic sliaii
on one sliouMer — a ])erfectly safe position.

The next morning i parlh' retrieved ni}' loitunc by
killiuL!- mv first nionfloii. rx-atinu' the o-round like a
trained setter and willi litle in hand, for it is im[)ossible
to spy the numerous hollows, we found some veiy fresh
tracks, and followiiii;- these came upon a small band of
mouflons, who, as usually happened, had seen us first and
were o-oino- hard. 'I'his was excusable, for tliev were in
deep shadow while we were in bright sun. The shot was
a long and doul)tful one, but, waiting until they p)aused a
moment, 1 picked out the on(^ which s(>emed to 1)e the
bio-o-est, and had the satisfai-t ion of seeino- it tundjle
backwards. ()\\ing to my damaged thumb, and partially
left-handed condition, I f"und>le<l o\cr the hammer and so
failed to o;et the rifle reloaded in time for a second chance,
which presented itself when they paused for several
seconds on the sk\'-line. So exacth' the colour of the
rocks arc they that when 1 went up, it was (piite a long
time before 1 could see mv l)east, though it la\- therein
full view within a few yards of nu\ To in\' disu'ust it
proved to l)e a female, and there was a good lam in the
herd, (^f which T should ha\e been ]>retty sure if I had
been readv for thcin on the sk\-dine. The chances of
war had certaiidy Iteen against us so fai-. and continued so
to the end: but I think our mishaps reached a climax aL
the Salt Mountain. The sportsman who complains of his
luck usualh' stands as self-condemned as the woikman

148 SHORT STALKS

who complains of his tools, l)ut 1 certainly think that all
the Ijad luck which 1 ever deserved, and did not have, was
concentrated on this trip.

While at El Outaja we made friends with the sheik of
the village, a very dignified and courteous personage, who
invited us to dinner, along with the stationmaster and a
French gentleman who had lately arrived to try an experi-
ment in vine culture. We were received in a wiudowless
room, with a handsome carpet and a good deal of furniture
of a plain kind. His secretary sat at another table writing-
most of the time, for the village sheiks exercise magisterial
functions. After a preliminary course or two of rather
highly spiced viands, served in European fashion, the
"piecG de resistance came on. The table was cleared and a
Hat iron dish, a yard in diameter, was placed there, after
which two servants bore in a half-grow^n sheep, roasted
whole, on a wooden spit. This was deposited on the dish
and the spit withdrawn. The sheik then proceeded to
pull off the choicer parts with his fingers and place them
on our plates, after which we were expected to help our-
selves in the same " go-as-you-please " fashion. It was
not so nasty as it sounds, for it was roasted very brown
and crisp. After this followed the great national dish of
Koiis-Kousou, signifying " generosity " — Hour moistened,
and rolled by the hand into tiny balls like sago, then
steamed and served with different sauces or raisins. A
wife is valued, to a great extent, according to her ability
to make Kous-Kousou. We had lots of Algerian wane,
which the sheik did not disdain to drink himself. Dates
and pomegranates finished the meal.

The lano;uaa;e was a difiicultv, but we learned somethino-

ON THE la.M oi' Till': dksert uy

y'

W

about the palm-oTowiiiu' iiidiistry. Il all dcpciids (ni
\vat('r-su[>ply. and a. watcr-rinlit costs about I'M! jicr acre,
wliicli is a ij-reat deal uku'c than the hind itsrii" is wuilh,
and conveys a perpetual right to a copious irrigation every
tliree days. A palm-tree comes into ])rofit about five
years after it is phmted as a sucker, and, when once it is
in full bearing, may produce to the value of ten francs per
year. The owner has then little else to do but to open his
sluices and sit in the shade.

Our next move was to Biskra, which has been often
described. It is redolent of tlie (h'seil, for tlie Arabs li'tun
the country, which may mean two hundred miles south,
come here to buy and sell. The sights and sm(dls of tlie
market-place are curious. Huge packages of dates jannned
into one solid mass are the leading commodity. The
public letter-writers sit in the sunshine, while their custo-
mers whisper tlnir eoiiv>p(»ndence into their ears. Another
functionary, who also pertbi ins in the open, bleeds the Arabs
in the head, which the\' think improves their evcsiuht.
The subject, wearing a solemn " having my hair cut" sort
of expression, srpiats on the ground : the pert'oiinei'. sinii-
laily seated behind him, makes incisions, and "cups" him
on the back of t lie lie.id.

The flesh-pots of ci\ ilisation did not detain us, but we
struck out again for the Ahmar Kluulou range, a ridge of
the Allies niountaiiis, twodax-' ride Ironi Diskra. These
mountains are iidiabited b\" the C/iu/rid. n Ijranch of tlie
P)erbei-s. the original ownei-s of the hind, but dis]iersed b\-
tlu> invadinu' Arabs and dri\cii into these fastnesses.
They are a stationar\- laee. and biiild t lieiiiselves sttuie
villages, and wherever a hollow in the liill lias accumulated

150 SHORT STALKS

a little soil they roughly terrace it and grow l)arley. To
keep oft' Ijirils and beasts they l)uild a little pyramid of
stones painted white, to represent a crouching Arab,
Their villages harmonise so closely with the rocks that in
a bad liglit you may stumble on one, and fail to see it is
a village at all. On one occasion such a mishap did occur
to two of our party. We had moved camp to the village
of Hammam, of wliicli they knew the approximate position,
l)ut they missed it, and slept supperless on the liill. We
pitched our first camp by a little ain, or spring, the
thread-like trickle of which was sufticient for our wants.
Here, or hereabouts, we spent a week in a position even
more commandino- than the Metlili. Thouo-h we o-ot two
more sheep, our hunting adventures did not dift^er greatly
from previous experiences. We varied our bag, liowever,
l)y stalking a very large boar in the open, a somewliat
uncommon experience, as those animals rarely leave the
cover l)y daylight.

A goatherd, with whom we carried on a pantomimic
conversation on the hill, after describino- the wav in which
tlie aroui hide themiselves, and then sneak away when
you are gone, had told us there were immense quantities
of Ijoar in that part. "TIaloxf hczef, hezc-e-e-f?''' he
repeated, screaming out the last syllable, and waving his
arms.

As we Avere returning to camp I saw Ijetween us and
tlie setting sun the dim outline of a large animal, wliich 1
toolv f(n' a donkev, of wliicli there were several about,
(^erald confirmed my impression, as he said lie saw it wag
its tail. We walked on, but presently I tiiought lietter o1"
it and took out iiiv oiass, wdien I found it was a lar2;e

ox THE 1!1M Ol' llll-. DESERT 1 :. I

1)();ir. "Cluiti! SanL;li(M' 1 " ntid ni\' C()m]);nil(ms dropped
like well- 1 mined |Hiiiitcrs. Il \v;is odd tli;ii lie had iidt
seen iis. Imi he was too busy willi his supper, oi' i-aihrr his
breakfast. There was no time to lose, as tlie li^lit would
soon be none, and we crept towards liiiu in full \ie\v. I'dv-
ino- on his oljtuseness of sight and preoeeujiatioii. At hisl
we lost sight of liim in some rougli groumb and a]>])r(^a('1i('(1
UKire quiekly : ihcii he reappeared, eomiiig towards us, and
we again dropped lo tlie ground. He fed down bch)w us
iut(» a liollow, and we began to fear thai he wonhl gd llir
wimb ][e was snoutini'' about, aiul at last Cfot his head
beliind some bunelies of ff/f'a o-rass, thouuh tlu^ rest of his
Inxh' was expos(Ml. It was necessary to i-isk something,
amb trusting ihaL he would not raise his hrad, we jumped
u]) and ran (bnvn into a little ravine, under the cover of
which we ((nickly got to close quarters. (Jerald tndk m\-
ritle. ;is being uioi'e powerfnl than his own. fir he i-eall\'
was as bio- as a donkev in the body. The liuht was now
ver\' dim. and all we could see was a great arching back.
I am indinedi to think that tlie .-houlder was nnstaken foi-
the other end. .\t an\' rate the shot was rci-i/ far hack.
However, it knocki'd the pig clean over, but he recovered
himself with a loud "'•' ouf."' and ma(b^ oft'. I missed him
as he ran, but he seemed to realise for the lirst tinn' that
he had an enemy. He ficeil round towai'd^ u-<. and stood
with his head high in the air. A steady second shot from
Gerald laid him flat, ami his death struggles made the dust
fly. Celestin and I Iiuri'ied oft" to eam]i f •)• a niuh'. while
my son c<-impleted the obscijuies, and Juade a hre ol' di'\'
scrult as a beacon to show the spot. The bi-ute was
enormous, and taped from the tip of the tail to the snout

152 SHORT STALKS

G feet 2t) inches, fair measurement, without stretch of
strino- or imaoination.

The Arabs, to whom he was the accursed thing, did
not at all approve of having to handle him. One of them
piteously exhibited to me a spot of l)lood on his clothes,
apparently thinking that his injured conscience should be
compensated. I told him to wash it — I mean his burnous.
He seemed to think this was adding insult to injury.

One day we watched a curious phenomenon from this
rano^e. A hioh wind beo;an to blow from the south, and
columns of dust, hundreds of feet in height, marched in
stately battalions across the plain. Though we were three
thousand feet above it, the air surrounding us gradually
thickened into a fog, dense enough to l^lot out everything
a quarter of a mile off, but of dust so fine as to be quite
impalpal)le. In a short time it began to settle as a delicate
bloom upon everything in the tent.

Eeturning to Biskra, our next expedition was to the
eastwards, to El Gattar, a pretty camp in a river bed.
Although for the most part dry, a small stream rose a
short distance below, and fell into a natural bath of white
rock frinoed with maiden -hair fern. Dense masses of
oleander surrounded it, and were the nightly roost of
countless desert sparrows. AVe pitched camp under a
low white cliff, from the crannies of which miniature
owls looked out. Our Arab followers thought there was
something uncanny a1)0ut the place, and tried to dissuade
us by saying that tlie cliffs w^ould fall upon the tents, or
that the floods would come and wash us away. Nothing-
would induce them to sleep there themselves. The Arab
whom we picked up here for a local guide was tlie best

UN THE lii.M (.)[■' TiiK i)i:si:!ri- 153

spcciiiK'n tlint we oiicoiintered, Adiiiiet Ben Saiul by
name, a, oood-lookiiio- o-entleinaii witli a Scotcli faee and
courteoii.s inaiiiicis. I su]»p()S(' that lie had iic\ci- heen
ill the conipau)' ol luiiu_[)eans hefori', lor lie loolc an
intense interest in all my proceedings. Whenevc]- nny-
lliiiiLt' hai>])('ii('(l he seized niv liand and liowed his head
over it; us, I'or instance, when I slijtpcd and recovered
myself, also when 1 faihd to do so; again if I understood
what he s.aid, or equally when I did not. J\[ost effusively
of all when I offered him some tobacco and thin paper
wliii'h 1 liap])cii(Ml to ha\o in ni\' pocket; the climax
beino- reached wlicn J lii-hted his cio'arette with niv sun-
glass. But this was a forbidden joy which he would have
piously refused if any of his friends had been by. W hen
luncheon tinu> arrived 1 was very hungry and particularly
anxious not to share my store with Achmet. I knew he
had brought nothing with him, for they are the most
abstemious race, and I hoped that Ins sciu]>h'S would
|»rove stronger than his ap})etite. With >oinr confid(>nce,
and with a great show of politeness, 1 handed iiim my
slices of meat, well knowing that he had seen them fr\-ing
in grease. This was of course rejected, and bread also.
A biscuit he nibbled with extreme caution, c\idiiii]\ in
terror lest some fragment of fat should poison his soul.
There remained the honne hoi'che of ni\- hiiKheou. a
hanillul of biscioiis dates. 80 tar I had got all the ei'i'dil
of mv UL-nerositN'. without havimj; lost aii\ liiiieheun.
Grown over - conli(h'nt, 1 chanc-ed it, and handed the
]\'K'ket to him. To mv lion-oi- his ev<'s L!'li~^tened with
eager jox . his lean lingers outstretched and clas[)ed the
whole liiowii mass, gathering it togetle r to the l.isl fruit.

154 SHORT STALKS

These same dates of Tuggurt were a joy and consolation to
us throughout the trip, but they had their troublous side.
They had an awkward habit of getting loose among the
clothes, and especially the Ijlankets, and there dispers-
ing themselves, till there was nothing left but the mere
skeleton of a stone. There was no remedy except the
Arab plan, to rub over the greasy stain with a handful
of desert sand. Dry dirt is their only soap, and it is not
ineffective.

From the adjoining range of Bou Arif we again took
sportsman's toll, l)ut the old patriarch ram for whom we
lusted eluded us to the last. ( Jnlv on the last dav, on our
way back to the railway and civilisation, did a real bit of
unexpected luck fall in our way.

Once, on the Ahmar Khadou range, 1 had caught a
glimpse of a herd of gazelles, which from the length of
horn of the leader I believe to have l^een the large rough-
coated mountain kind. I was shifting camp and riding
one of the mules when tw^elve of these handsome animals
crossed the track. Of course the riHe was behind, and,
l)y the time I went after them, I found an Aral) with a
gun as long as himself in front of me. He had already
succeeded in showing himself to them, and further pursuit
was useless.

Wc thought there was little chance of obtainino- this
coveted trophy, liut between our last camp and VA Outaja
there is a lono; red rido-e call(Ml "Ben a C^houf," on wliich
we were told tliere were some of these cdmi. We were
very sceptical, as the ridge was a low one, and there were
Arabs all over it, for we could see their fires on it at niirlit.
Still it lay on the way, and we would try a drive.

u^■ Till-: i;iM i>v tiik DE.sEirr inn

Goino- foiwnnl to ;i point al)Oiit two-thirds ot" the
loiio-tli (if llic I'idi'i' We cliiiilicd up It, ;ind posted ouf-
selves on lilt' roekv crest, while our men drove it nlonir.
A small lirrd of the common gazelle were seen to lake to
tlie plain, liiit iiothinn- came to the guns. Climbing a liigli
point winch c.inimaiidcd tlic i-emninder (^f tlie ridge, we sat
down tor a careful s])y, and I'elestin presently made out
four gaztdles. which were assumed to he tlie common kind.
on a ston\' plateau far below us. An Arab woman was
gathering brushwood for fuel in llie same fudd oJ" the
telescope, and thougli really at a somewliat lower level of
the mountain, it added a further spiee of excitement lest
they should get lier wind. This was another instance of
tlie wav in whi(di these wild animals fi'e(|uent the immediate
neighbourhood of man, confident in their inxisibility and
the acuteness of their senses.

My companions, as they always did, wished me to take
the (diance. They stay^'d at the lop. and there are few
more interesting things than to walcdi tlu^ approach from
a station which commands both the stalker and the
stalketl.

Before stai'tiu"- we arrano-ed a code of siii'nnls b\- which
the watcliers could indicalc the dii'cction of ilic animals if
thev should move during the progress of tlie sialk — a
common practice with (diamois hunlers, but one in in\'
experience often lending to mistnkes.

We disappeared from their \iew. ami. after ihr la)i>e of
half an lioiir, were seen emeruiuL! from the oullv, some
hundivds of feet below, and ap])ai-ciit K- close to tlie
'•"azelles. Our o:aller\' of anxious watchers saw that we
approaclied the np])ointed spot. We seeme(l ti» ilem to

ON 'I'lii-: Ki.M oi' rill'. i>i;si-:i;'r 157

1)0 nioviiiu' wiili umieccssary (lelil)crali()ii. I'm. IVdiii
:i1>ovi'. till' uroiiml looked iic,irl\- (hit. In reality it was
rather steep, ami so coNcrrcl willi iiii>ialilc rocks ihai we
had to lake extreme ])recaul ions noi lo set tliciii I'olliiiL;.
At li'iiuili we were sefii to reach the lit lie ln'okeii lidu'c we
liad urcviouslx' noted. 1 cdeed niNsell' loi-wards on ni\'
{d1)(')ws. an<l laid the ritli' for the shot, hut no report
lollowed. Had the eartritliies heeii rorL:()tt(^n ? An
aiionisinu' idea ! The fact was that the distanee, fore-
shortened to them, was too oTcat for a certainty, and
I waited for the beasts to feed into the next ra\ine.
This they presently did, and we. the stalkers, cr('[)t
forward to a mound from whi(di we hoped to see them
reajtpear. Here we waitetl m su.spense, and at length
turned an iiii[uii'inu- telescope upon our com])anions.
Tlun- were sio-nallino- that the animals had <>one no ihe
ravine. They had seen one do so, but the others really
remained opposite to us. The mistake nearly cost us
dear. Hur steps on tlie loose rocks were heard. We s;iw
three bounding forms, but the gazelles had he;iid and not
seen us. and paused on the other side long enough to gi\e
me the desired ehanee. 1 thouuhl 1 was steadv, but lo m\'
disgust T heard the Ijullet (dink on the stones.

There was a vision ot" \'ellow bodies rushing through a
maze of yellow rocks, and my second shot went anywhere.
They had run a hundred yards, when one. lagged, and
Celestin said, "" AFais il est bieii louche!" The next
moment his heels were in the ;iir. ;ind ;i " whoop " wcni up
to those on the ti>]i. to be answereil b\- n -iniil.ir p;>',in from
them. \\ hen 1 e.\amined m\' beast and found that it was
a fine i»uek cdiiu, "scarce and little known." as an able

158

SHOET STALKS

naturalist describes it, the sliouts expressed still greater
triumph. My first shot had passed literally through his
heart, and out at the other side.

This was a good finish, and made up our \n\g of large
game to seven head ; not a murderous one, but sufiicient
when the rarity of the trophies is considered.

Six days later we were in London.

THE ALGEIUAN BUZ/ARU.

V

THE ELK

It is cuiifnis tiiul the laro-cst of tlic wild animals of
iMirope. nr. iiiilccd. oF aiiv part of tlio Norllicni Trcini-
spliero, unless an exception be made ol" the almost extinct
North American bison, should have received so little atten-
tion from that ubiquitous creature, the British sportsman.
This is the more strange because many of this enterprising-
class do not count it too much troulde to cross the Atlantic
In hunt the same animal, under the name of '"moose,"
in the forests of Canada. It cannot, therefore, be the
difficulty of his pursuit which deters thcni. Some fiitht'ul
votaries there are who may be looked for wiili certainty
ou the deck of the Eldorado or Aiigclo, with their fjices
set towards Scandinavia, aboul the uiiildjc of Auo-ust, ;iii<!
not even the stei'uest tones of lln' party whips will serve
lo dflam tln'iii iMi the latiu'Hid benches. The ii.-iii-ui"' lime

1 O

has arrived i'ov them and lor the elk. Hul these arc the
exceptions, and mav almost be counted on I he fingers. That
at least was the case at the linie of" which I ;ini writing'.

O

I do not pretend that elk hunting is the [)iince of
sports ; that designation must be reserved for the chase of

160 SHORT STALKS

those animals wliicli arc to be foiiiul on open ground, like
the red deer, and, above all, the chamois, because in that
case the contest between the strategy of man and the
instinct of the beast, the varying fortunes of the day, the
complications of the scientific stalk, are visible and patent
to the least experienced sjjortsman, and shared in by him
during the greater part of the daylight hours, (hi the
other hand, to the elk hunter the golden chance for which
he has toiled, while it seldom ofiers, may occur suddenly
and almost without warnino-. He must work on in faith
and not by sight, and if for many hours his dog leads him
on a not too fresh track of an old ox, he must bear in
mind that all the time his quarry may be miles beyond
his boundary, or may have come round to leeward and Ijc
at that moment snitting the tainted air, in wliicli case the
hunter will find it out, when he reaches the spot, by the
leno;thened stride and mud-scatterino- hoof-marks of an
elk that has been skiwmt, to quote an expressive and onl}'
too familiar word from the vernacular.

On the other hand, some sportsmen have surprising-
luck. I heard of a novice, whose host sent him out on the
opening day of last season. He had not penetrated a
hundred yards into the forest before he disturbed a large
l)ull elk, and fired a snap shot at its retreating form.
Hurrying forward he oljtained a second glimpse, and fired
again, as he supposed, at the same elk. Laying on the
dog, he presently came up to the animal in its last gasjD,
and, a few yards farther, a second in the same condition.

There are not many of us who have fairy godmothers,
or carry such straight powder as this, and the very uncer-
tainty and the raritv of obtainino- a clear view of an

THE ELK IGl

niiinial whose trn('k>^ are everywhere visihh^ and tlic Inio-e
size (»f tliose tracks, so far larger even than those made l)y
tlie wapiti or great red stag of the Rocky ]\Ioiintains, gives
the elk an air of mystery which adds a zest (o his cajiture.
His curious antediluvian ap})caraiu'e, causcfl hy abnor-
mal ly high shoulders and great bulbous upper liji, which
was surely natures lirst attempt in the direction of the
elephant's trunk, adds to the impression that he is the for-
gotten remnant of a bvgone period and of contemporaries
wlio must be souii'lit for in the coal-measures and Irish
bogs. Old Bishop l*(intop})idan credits him with such
length of leg "that a man may stand U})right undei' his
belly," but this is of course an instance of the glamour
wliicli surrounds the animal.

The elk makes his home in the l)oundless forests of
spruce and birch which clothe the central ])lateau of the
Scandinavian piMiinsula. ""I'liese verge on tlie monotonous,
but are saved from it l»y the ever-varying views of lakes
of all sizes, and countless number, which dot the woods,
by the bogs which once were lakes, by the gardens of
mosses and lichens, furnished forth by every fallen and
rotting tree-stem: and, lastlw by the sound of l)ii(]-life
which alone breaks tlie silence. The capercailzie, moi'e
often heard than seen, rises with heavy bustlini'- tlii>-lit,
and tlump> inlo a fir tree a liinidre<l yards awav. sui'veys
the position, and waits for nou to pass — at least that is his
practice when nou <lon't want him ; or a covey of the
beautiful white-winged grouse, wliicli remind yon by ilnii-
ci-ow that thev are the near illations <if I lie Scotch grouse,
and wliicli. wlicii \'ou want a diaiigi' li-Min ■• rlJduM-."" will
afford vou adeli'dilful da\s uunniiiL; anionL-' the iiatches of

iM

162

SHORT STALKS

dwarf birch on the adjoining fjekl. In the densest groves
of spruce a rapid scuttling of wings will indicate the
presence of a covey of hjerpe or hazel-grouse, the smallest,
and, perhaps, the handsomest of the grouse tribe, and, as
some think, the best eating. They only Hy up into the
adjoining spruce, where the brown bars of the breast, so

THE CAVEHCAILZIE.

conspicuous when the bird is handled, harmonise perfectly
with the twigs. On the bogs the doul;)le snipe, of slow
and heavy flight, and other long-shanks, give a charming
variety to the bag.

Tn the olden time the elk appears to have been hunted
both by stratagem and with the assistance of dogs, for,
in the Gentleman\'i Reci^eation we read that when the
hunters " have found the trees whereunto they lean, they
so cut and saw them that, when the elk cometli, he over-
throweth the tree and falleth with it, and being not able
to rise is so taken alive. When thev are chased ea2;erlv
and can find no place to rest tliemselves and lie secret,
tliey run to the waters and therein stand, taking up

THE ELK ir.3

water into their luoutlis. and in a little time do so heat it
tlmt, .^(iniilini;- it upon the doo-.^, the heat thereof so
scaldeth them tliat thcv dare not come nigh or approach
them any more." '

In Siandina\ ia, at the present day, there are two
leo-itimatc indhods of hunlini;- the elk, and in each a
trained doo- is tlie essential coadjutor, Imt th(^ principles
of his science diiler radicalh' in the two styles. In one
case the hind-lnnid is held on a leash, and depends
exclusively on a hi^hlv sensitive nose to lead the hunter
to the (juarry, either directly, or by following the tracks.
This method is generally pursued in Norway, and, indeed,
is now. I helieve, the (>nl\- one allowed there. The doo;s
so used are general Iv of the Esquimaux breed, protected
fnuu the cold and the consequences of their pugnacious
disposition by a splendid growth of hair, especially on the
ni^ek and shoulders. A friend of mine has trained a setter
to tliis work, and he requires no lead at all. With this
doo- as his sole companion he has killed many elk, and this
excellent sportsman scorns the idea of there being any
science in an\' other method.

^ Tlii.s writer may Imvo takrn liis inl'iiniiatii)ii IV.. in tlu- ynuiigcr IMiiiy,
wlio was possibly not a very good authority about liyperborean rcgious, but
wlio lias the following pa.ssage — "Moreovei', in the Island Scandinavia there
is a boast called Macklis. Coniinnii he is tliere, an<l iuikIi talk we have
heard of liini. Ilowbcit in these parts hee was never scene. Hee reseinbleth,
I say, the Alee, but that he hath neither joint in the hough, nor pasternes
in his hind legs ; and therefore hee never lictli dowiie but slecpcth leaning to
a tree. And therefore the hunters that lie in wait for these beasts, cut
downc the tree whiles they are asleepe, and so take them : otherwise they
should never bee taken, so swift of foot they are, tl:at it is wonderfull. Their
upper lip is exceeding great, and therefore as they grasc and feed, they goc
retrograde, least if they were ]>assant forward, thoy should fold floiible that
lip under their muzzle. ' — J'litnj Secundiis, Trans. Philemon llullainl.

164 SHORT STALKS

On the other hand, the Ibs-hund, or ranging dog, is
generally affected in Sweden. His business is to beat a
tolerably wide area on each side as his master proceeds
through the forest, 1)ut never so far that his bark will be
out of hearino-. He is often of a liixhter build, and more
calculated for speed than his l)rotlier who works in
harness. The loose hound has necessarily a large amount
of discretion left to him, for, although he knows very well
where his master is, by his trail which he continually
crosses and recrosses, he is frequently invisible to the
latter for twenty minutes or half an hour at a time.
When the dog finds elk, generally, in my experience, an
ox, a cow and a calf, his aim must be to hold them
by barking round them, but without getting too close ;
so as to keep them at bay, until the hunter, attracted
by the sound, approaches near enough for a shot. If,
as generally happens, the elk break the bay, the dog-
endeavours ao'ain to head them and arrest their flioht —
an exceedingly difficult thing to do if the animals have
suspicions of a two-legged jDursuer ; and, indeed, success in
this form of hunting is seldom attained, except after a run
which tries the bottom of the staunchest wind. If the
hunter possesses that attribute, I promise him some
glorious experiences. On the other hand, the finesses
of venerie and the intellio-ence of the hound are best

o

observed in followincj the gentler method.

Elk have increased of late years under protective
legislation, and large numbers are killed by both t]ie
above methods. A writer in the Field gi^■es the official
returns, which do not include those surreptitiously taken
out of season, at 515 for Norway and 1782 for Sweden

Till". i:i,K 160

ill iho _V(':ti' 1889. In I S!)0 the •tnimlxT kill.'. I in ih,- l.-ittci-
C(iuntr\' \v;is IDCto. and \C>7\^ last vnw.

^ly liisl attempt for elk was made in Xnr\va\-. ( )ii
tlu' way out I revisited tlic llc\nr l^'joid. (i[)posit(' I lie

-r|||.:pkr^^i.-

r^^

.•^^

WATEKIXC THK " KOKRA.

Island (>riIiU(rcn. in the hope of picking up llie casual
bear. 'J'lie steamer landed us one Saturday afternoon at
tlic (plaint isKaiid town of Christiansund, and an Imnr later
our ]iartv of six starte<l in a launch wliicji I had [ire-
viouslv cnuaQ;ed for tlie rcniainiiiij: seven! v miles of water

166 SHORT STALKS

journey. Steaming up the Sound between the ishmds
and mainland, we were overtaken at sunset by a
dangerous fog, and had to lie to under the island of
Smolen, and make up extemporised beds on board, for the
ladies. At 4 a.m. the haze lifted sufficiently, and, after
watering the engines at a stream which fell over a clift'
where the rocks dipped sheer into deep water, so that we
could draw up alongside of them, we sailed up the still
w^aters of the fjord. I shall not soon forget the lovely
Sunday morning wdiich greeted us. The sun shone bril-
liantly, and as w^e passed alternately barren cliffs, w^ooded
hills, and green valleys, I pointed out to my daughters
the scenes of past triumphs or failures. The glassy
surfoce of the fjord was broken only by numerous boats
loaded with fomily parties, converging from all directions
on the little church and the red and yellow homesteads of
Kirkesseter. On two previous occasions I had found bears
numerous on these hills, and each time either I or my
companion had secured one. This year my former hunter,
Per Klonglevik, informed me that they had deserted the
country, and two days' search confirming his statement,
w^e sailed on to Throndhjem.

I had hired through a Norwegian agency an elk
shooting near Levanger, of wdiicli more presently, but,
having in the course of these preliminary wanderings
encountered a Norweoian who knew the district and orave
me an unfavourable impression of it, I changed my plan,
and proceeded first towards the Swedish frontier to the
south-west of Throndhjem.

Our first halt w^as at Selbo, at the upper end of the
large lake of that name, where we put u}) at the '' Sana-

TIIK KI.K 167

toriiim," ill rcalilN- ;i capilal IkiIcI. wlio'i' llic laiidlaiU- —
iiinllicrlx' st»ul ! — altt'i-iiat('l\- Iuiiil!,- onht us willi Ifiiipt iiiij;
dishes, and di-scuursuil sweet imisic in the adjoining s<(/oJi.

Tliis was t(io civilised for in(\ 1)ut tlie landlord assuv-
inu' me that there were dk in tiie woods, and that he
had seeured t hrec '" lights, ' i (h'hi\('(| two days to give
it a trial. The latter expression requires e.\|iKinatien.
In \orwa\- e\"er\" hoiider, or farniei-. has the "right" to
kill one rlk on his forest holdinLf ; hut in the o-reat
majority of cases these |iia\ileges are Hkc the adxertise-
inents of some Highland proprietors — " ten deer may be
kilh'd." Tt is oidv on the best o-round that the\' are of
any use, and, as the li(»Mings are small, it is necessary, lor
any hope of success, to have a wide range, and to secure
permission, by hire or otherwise, to hunt over many lioM-
ino's. Indeeil. unless the rights are let, it is a common
practice for the farmers jointly to connnission the most
experieneed hunter the\' ean get h(»ld (»!", or rather the
one who owns the best dog, for that is the essential
oleUKMit. to i\c> tlieii- hunting for them — the elk. when
killed, beinu' delivered to the fortunate man on whose land
it happens to fall.

At Selbo I eoiiM hear of no 'jdod dos;, but 1 had
previoush' purchased one througii a correspondent at
Thi'ondhj(_'m. "Tuni]) " was a sydendid specimen lo look
at, Willi a magnilieent ■"stand up coal of Idaek hair.
especially on the fore part of his body. A broad head,
prick ears, and narrow nose combim^l to give the fo.w
expression common to the Noiilimi breiMls of ilogs. while
the double curl of his tail, if it ilid not (piite, as somebody
has suggested, lift his hinddegs otl" the ground, gave an im-

168

SHORT STALKS

pression of energy not belied by his performances. His short
legs and powerful build enabled him, when harnessed, to
drag his master uphill like a young cart-horse. He was an
able hunter too, and would have been worth tlie long price
I paid for him l)ut for one physical defect. He was in the
habit uf pulling so strongly at the rope, when on the track
of elk, that he had injured his windpipe, and had a cln'onic
cough, wliich could not always be suppressed at critical

«J))

TUMP.

moments, and he lost me some chances in this way. Morally
he was not a perfect character ; at least lie suttered from
green-eyed jealousy. The last I heard of him was in the
following laconic epistle received two years later : " Tump
is dead. He was with two powerful dogs, and he resented
them. One of the other dogs is very sick." The last
statement I can well believe. Dear old Tump ! He was
as affectionate as he was quarrelsome, and his caresses
were as vehement as his onslaught.

I started from Selbo before daylight and drove nine

'I" 111': i'l.K iGj)

miles in a i-arriolc, llifii struck iiihi the llr woods with
Taoliis, who was su])[)os(m] to know the kouiKkii-ics ol" iii\-
rathi'i; iKirn»w Ijcal. i'eiliaps lie did, hut his aeecnuil ui'
their wliercakoiits N'ai'icd accoi-diiiM- to the needs and
expectations ol' the nionicnt. Tuin|i was of euui'se
harnessed, and KmI hy a cord, or rather led us — at a
handsome pace too. (Jne oJ" the first qualifications of ;iii
elk dou' which J noticed is that he kn(»ws whcic his
master can foHow. and avoids low horizontal l»i'aiiches
and such like oljstacles. The harness consists of a broad
straj) along- the spine, to which are attached two collai-s,
one passing round his neck, the other undei' the chest.
He pulls so hard that a single collar would, choke
him. There is another advantage. The cord, beinij-
attached to the liindermost collar, is much less likel\- to
iiilanijle the eloi>"'s IcQ-s.

It is a stirring moment for the elk aspiiaiil when he

first finds the tracks and other signs of his (piarr\'. Not

till then does he realise the huge dimensions of the beast.

The merest tvro will not fail to mark the chanu-e in Ihe

demeanour of his dou' when the latter uets the wind.

It was not very long l)efore Tump exhibited such

symptonis. He paused, head in air. eagerly snuffing

the breeze. The long hair <iii his back stood more

erect than ever, and he o-azed intenth' in ihe dii-eetion

whence came the taint, while his bodx- trembled with

excitement. Then ho starteil with a ])ull on tli(> ri»pe

which threatened to jeik it out of the h.iud of the hunter,

or la\' him flat in the mud. In a few minutes he paused

atrain. ami laid his n(tse to the o-round. There ai'e the tracks,

fresh enough, but onlv those of a cow and calf, so after

170 SHORT STALKS

following tliem for a short distance in the hope of catching
a first glimpse of the coveted game, we struck off" afresh,
hoping to hit on an ox.

The elk lies down from 10 a.m. till about 3 p.m.,
and, unlike deer in this respect, he rarely changes his
couch during those hours. At this time it is of little use
to continue the search. He has some craft in his stupid
old head, and one of his tricks is to return on the lee side
of his track, so that any pursuer following is certain to
give the wind. Besides, his hearing is very acute, and
as he lies i^crdu in thick scrub, the hunter is almost
certain to be heard before he is aware of the prox-
imity of the game. These hours of waiting are very
difficult to spend, and very trying to the patience. Some-
times a small pent-house of birch faggots, into which
one can just crawl, serves as a refuge, sometimes a
more substantial hay-hut, but most frequently the hunter
must sit "just there" among the spruces, and keep him-
self warm by collecting dead wood for a big blaze. On
the present occasion we had a little diversion. Paolus
said : " We will have boiled trout for luncheon." I did
not know what he meant, but presently he led me to a
small rivulet runnino' into a lake, and Ijeuan workinii;
up it, scanning its miniature pools. Presently a wave and
the protruding fin of a good-sized trout was seen, but the
water was too shallow for him to escape, and after a short
but exciting^ run we had him out on the bank. In a
quarter of an hour we had two more, and the three
averaged about a pound each. It was pleasant, but
wrono-. I onlv remember one similar hunt. That was
after a large eel, which we dislodged while tickling trout

THE ELK 171

uiidrr the stones in a Scotch luiiii. The uliillic callcil il

a " sar|iiiit," and sijuinuctl with >ii|icisl iiioiis U'li'or whcii-

vyov its hhick coils sIiowimI ncai his hoots. Bnt iioho(l\-

had aii\' oh|ccl ioii to eating the trout, and a ha\'niakci''s

hut l)cing handy, and the customary iron pot in its [ihicc. wc

soon liad tlicin hcCorr us, fizzing liot on the plank hcd shdl'.

In the at'ternoon we again struck sjnjf, this lime a

hull, a cow, and a calf. They were tra\'elling down wind,

and I had lillle liojx' of an\' result, l)ut I contenlcij

myseir hy [licking up some wood-craft from Tump, k

is not difficult to measure the dea'ree of freshness of the

track l)\' the licha\iour of the doo-. He is not content with

roading the track itself, hut frequently stands on his hind-

lesfs to smell at the twio-s which have been nilil>le(l. Now

and again he jiauseswith head in air, and tries to catch

the wind direct from tiie elk. If the scent was very hot

Tump would utter a sound which 1 can onl\' describe as

a bark in a whis})er. J have known other elk dogs to do

the same.

Now the track takes a more zigzao- course as the band
search for their aflernooii feed. SuddenK' Paohis, wlm is
in front of me, starts backward, and points along a narrow
o;lade. I can see nothini-- but the winishinL;' Hick' of a
Vellow stei'ii as tlie\' whip awa\' into the dvo]) shaihiw of a
clump nf spruces. 1 had at aii}' rate seen m\ first elk,
and my appetite was whetted.

The chief food of the elk consists of the haves of
deciduous trees, especially of the mountain a>h. and <>ne
soon learns to regard a "' l)lack" wood, i.e. one >>{' lirs
onlv, as a poor chance. I'^ioin hi- length of neck he
reaches his food to a considerable heiuht, hut. not content

172 SHORT STALKS

with this, he presses down the limher saplings by the
weight of his body, and standing over them browses them
to the top. In hot still weather the elk sometimes leave
the dense covert and frequent the more open fjeld. Once,
when my son was shooting grouse on such ground, his
setter drew up to a bunch of young spruces, but suddenly
leaving his point began barking furiously. As the sports-
men hurried up, expecting to find some wild cat, or pos-
sibly a bear, a large bull elk rose up and calmly trotted
away. Of course it was the day before the opening of
the season.

My first experience w^as all very well for a beginning,
but we wanted a wider range and more unsophisticated
quarters. ]\Iy Norw^egian servant had already been sent
on with the luggage up the fine valley which here falls
into the Selbo Vand. I was assured that the Tydal had
not been visited by Englishmen for several years. The
accommodation was said to be too rouoh for ladies, but
they protested against the assumption, and we started in
a stolherre and three karjole on the following day. The
road is in the old-fashioned style, that is to say, like
General AVade's roads in the Hio;hlands, it o-oes over hill
and dale instead of contourinsf them. This means finer
scenery with diminished speed. At the second station
where we changed horses, we noticed the head and skin of
a freshly-killed elk, shot, as we were told, l)y a Swede who
was hunting in the valley. A few miles fjirther on we
encountered a cart with the huQ-e carcase of another, the
handiwork of the same man, and the farther we advanced
the thicker grew the rumours of the prowess of this mys-
terious hunter. At each station we found that Dahl, the

THE ELK 173

" Tolk," li;i<l contiiiiicil liis \v,iy, and it' we }>iit our noses
inside we conciuTed in his jiidoment. It was not till tlic
late cN'ciiiiig wlicii we were ai)[)r(»acliiiiL;' llic watershed
wliieli separates Norway from Sweden, that we found hini
(\^tal»lislied at Tiin'ocn, a o-rou]) of farndiouses, roonn- ;iiid
clean, willi homely folk, to whom the si^ht of MiiL^lish
hidii's was a revelation. The I'iver, even up here a line
torrent, thirty yards wide, I'an ])ast llie house. Tlie
woodeil hills rose on either side si.\ oi' seven hundred
feet to l),ire lops. Jliglier peaks stood fartlier l)aek.
We dined oil' a scvni-poKnd trout. This was not taken
out of the stream, but netted in one of the numerous
lakes wliieli dot the woods. Suhserpiently dueks, not
malhird. hut a dark krown kind, were krouu'ht to us. which
were got in the same way. This kind are rather tame,
;ind when they find themselves enclosed in the circle of
the net, instead of tlvino- dive uiuler it and uet their heads
into the meshes. Except milk products we could get no
supplii's Irom the f.-inn. hut thei'c were man\' r(_^iiideer in
the woods, whieh, though a})parently wild, are all owned
ky ka]i]is. We sent u]^ to thfii' enmp. tifteen nnles otl",
and the next day they brought down ;i three-year-old,
which rimii-lied us with the liiiesl nie;it in the world i'or ;i
fort night.

Our rooms were large; all round the bedrooms stood
numerous '• m.irri;ige chests" of ])ast gencr;it ions, and a
great \ariet\' of reindeer eonts, s/icciij'e/dts, or sheep-skin
rugs, which serve as sheets, blaidcets, and counterpanes to
the natives at all seasons, and other g.nineiils hniej- IVoni
the rafters. The beds in No|\va\' are a dillicnlty ; they
are too short for most i'^nulishmen, at least those ol' mv

174 SHORT STALKS

inches, and are generally inhabited. We were independent
of them, havino; broiioht calico bed-baos. These are no
weight to carry, and when stuffed with dry hay and laid
on the floor make excellent lying. If not thus provided,
a couple of reindeer skins form a mattress which is both
elastic and free from vermin.

We arranfjed with the various owners that we mio-ht
hunt where we liked, and i± we killed an elk we were to
pay twenty Jcronc, or about 22s,, to whomsoever it might
belono;, besides the meat, reservinsf the skin and head for
ourselves. We also sent for the usual hunter of reputa-
tion. He came, but would only consent to enter our ser-
vice on condition of carrying his own rifle. I knew what
that meant, and allowed him to depart. Thrown back on
Tump and the light of nature, we made a poor hand of
it. Our want of success was partly due to still weather,
which is fatal to this kind of elk liunting. Repeatedly we
found Ijurnino- fresh tracks of elk which had doubtless
been shrcemt by us, but we failed even to catch a sight of
elk. After this it began to snow, and continued to do so
intermittently for three days. It was terriljly wet work
forcing one's way through the birch saplings, l)Owed down
and tano-led bv the mass of snow, but one learns more of
the habits of an animal when hunting in snow than at
any other time.

We sometimes took an off day at the birds, and on
one of these occasions one of those incidents occurred
which are pour rive afterwards, but very unpleasant at
the time. The ladies accompanied us, and two of tliem
went home at mid-day. An hour later the third followed,
receiving instructions to keep the wind on her left cheek

fe«;_

■4'

't

SKR.KMT.

176 SHORT STALKS

until she reached the edge of the valley, whence she
would see the farm below. When I reached home at
seven she had not returned. Calling a hasty council, for
there wanted but half an hour of sunset, we organised
search parties in three directions, who were to fire guns at
intervals, and to listen for the loud cow-horn, which was
to be the signal when she was found or returned. Happily
we had scarcely reached the trees when she appeared at
the upper end of the clearing. She had lost her direction
in a sharp snowstorm, and had finally struck the valley
some miles above Lovoen. Here it was narrow and
rugged, and there was no appearance of the green fields
which she expected to see. At first she thought she had
struck the wrong; vallev, and the farther she followed it
the more strange and inhospitable it seemed. She sat
down to consider, and at last came to the conclusion that
tlie waterfall she heard lielow could be none other than
one which she had seen some days before, four miles above
Lovoen. This determination she fortunately adhered to,
and though the intervening ground was very rough, she
ultimately came in sight of the homestead. It was a
small matter, l)ut the dismay of feeling lost is sometimes
no trifle even to a strong man. Fortunately the poor
child kept her composure as long as it was necessary.

The topography of the upper plateaux of Norway and
Sweden is very puzzling, as every ridge and hollow re-
sembles the next, and the timber impedes a general view.
I have known even natives completely at fault, and on
one occasion in Jemtland even the Scovmand of the
beat, 1)y mistaking one lake for another, led a member of
my party ten miles wrony, an error which cost him four

Tin-: KT.K 177

hours' w.ilk in tin- dark, over sonic ol" llic roiu'licsl oruund
in Europe. 1 Inive i'oiuul iliat the best way to identify
eaeli ldllsid(> is to iTHjircss n])on tlu^ niemorv tlie pattern
made by tin' lighter foliage of tlie deciduous trees among
thf firs, and to find for each some fanciful resemblance,
such as a cow's liorn, a saucepan, or forked lightning.

In the meanwhile we kept hearini'- tantalisino- accounts
of further successes of the Swede wlioni I have already
mentioned. News of this kind travels fast in Norway.
Once we sent in vain to seek him. A second messeno-er
was more surcessrul, and retnrnc<l with the mysterious
man. wlioni ])y this time we hchl in profound respect.
.Tiihn W'alhm is a Slwmand, or ]unil)crcr, in Jemtland.
lie has a slim, clean-cut figure, an alert face, and the clear,
light blue eyes of a Celt. His words are few and weiohtv.
He also declined to leave his gun at home, but promised
not to use it except to prevent the escape of an animal.
This was a reasonable contlition. as he received tlnrty
krone from every man on whose hind he killed an elk.
Moreover, he said that iie must not ha\e more than one
Englishman to accompany him at a time, and he evidently
considered iliat we were about as much use in hunting as
portmanteaus, and he did not want to have to cair\' more
than one. John was the hero of numerous elk hunts,
and Could command his own terms. With him were his
two dogs, " Peyas " and " Luft." These dogs were past
masters in the art of loose hunting, and licji.id refused five
liundred In'one, or nearly £28, for the f'oinier. This may
seem an exaggeration, but John had, 1)\- his aid, already
killed five elk that year, each of which was worth fully
£6. He was very particular not to allow his dogs to be

N

SHORT STALKS

hcandled. I have known liim, after some one had stroked
them, to take an aromatic wisp of spruce twigs and wipe

mufm-

JOHN WALLAN WITH PEYAS AND LUFT.

them down, lest the elk should recoonise the taint of man
when the dog is baying round him.

I met him tlie next morning at the appointed rendez-
vous. The dogs were led until likely ground was reached.

TlIK ELK 179

Then tlu'V raii_L:,('(l al)()Ul while we walked steadily on, only
occa.sioiiallv oatchiiic!: a o-limiiso of thorn. Notliinfi; was
seen in the niornino-, and at eleven we settlrd in a liroken-
dowti hav-luit for tlie Ions/ mid-(lav halt, made a lii'c. and
tried to dry our wet clothes. Ft is (jnite as important for
the loose hiuind Iiuntcr to lie l)y for the mid-day liours as
in ilif more stcaltlix- ini^tliod of still huntino- hecanse — so
they say — it" an elk is started from his couch he will not he
bayed, in the afternoon we kept ah)ng a ridge, while the
doo's hunted the hirch wood below. Then we heard tliem
find, but indistinctlv, and after an excitino- five minutes of
intent listenins:-, we made a circuit of the wood and found
by the tracks thai the dogs had run an elk down to the
river, whicii lie had crossed. They returned to us, as these
(h^gs would not cross a heavy stream unless encouraged by
their master.

Close to the haydiut, where we had been lying for
three hours, strange to say we found again, this time a
solitary ox. He also went down to the river, we after him,
as hard as we could run. Just before he reached it T
caught an inspiriting sight of him, with the dogs at his
heels, but too far olf tbr a sliot. Across the intervening
Imi"- he lodkcd as l)iL;aiid as black as an clcithant. As soon
as he crossed the river the dogs returned to us, and 1
thought it was all over, but just then I saw him again
beyond the river, crossing another opening three or four
hundred yards off. As it seemed to be my last chance 1
sat down, and aiming well over his shoulder, tried the shot.
but the bullet struck under him. Now at any rate he would
make tracks, but, on tlie bare chance, wi' waded the riv^cr,
and laid the dogs vn again. To my .-urprise they quickly

180 SHORT STALKS

bcayed again, a sliort distance beyond the spot where I had
viewed him, and it wouhl appear that lie coidd not have
noticed my shot. AYe approached at a run, and had got,
as I shoukl jndge l)y the sound of tlie baying, within a
Inindred yards, when I trod on a stick, which broke with a
loud crack. John looked round at me with a blank ex-
pression and said, " Now he will spring," and sure enough
the sound ceased, for when an elk is o-oino- his hardest the
dogs pursue in silence. Again we started at our best pace
in the direction which they had taken, and in a few
minutes a faint and distant bay drew us on again, but the
elk knew that the dosfs were not alone, and would not be
stopped. All this time my companion, who carried no
ounce of superfluous flesh, was going well within himself,
while I began to labour like a water-logged boat. I shall
not soon forget the suff'ering of the next forty minutes, but
I felt it was now or never, and, buoyed up at intervals by
the faint sound fjir ahead, I struggled on, now across oj^en
bogs which were soft but not springy, now through masses
of tangle and clumps of trees, till my feet were like lead,
and I was reduced at last to a walk. Now we find a harder
piece of ground, as welcome as water in the desert, and by
its help seem to get nearer to the retreating sound. But
we are again approaching the river, and I am almost
thankful when John says, " He will cross it again, and then
it is all up." He does cross it, and the dogs return to us.
We throw ourselves dow-n, on our backs, on the bilberries,
and gasp, while limbs stiff'en rapidly. At last John
remarks, " The Elcj is hxinh too ; " and indeed so ponder-
ous a body is not easily conveyed over several miles of
such ground, " Is it any good to cross the river again ? "

TIIK KLK 181

"No, Ijut \vc will lr\' if \<iu liki'. I do like, jiikI wc wade
tlii'oiiu'h once more, hut Iia\'e a diHiciiliN' with llie dogs,
wlio ai'e as W(Mrv as ourscK'es, and plainix' sIkiw tln'ir
disappointment.

Liift (■liml)S on to a rock in mid-stream, and wlunes
pitifully. At last they are over, and we lay tlicm on again.
We are reduced to a painful walk, and lliey ])i(d>: up a cold
scent slowly. Suddenly they shoot ahead, and in two
minutes luive him again, with a savage chorus, and this
time it does not move. He tlionght to have shaken them
off, and stopped almost as soon as he crossed the rivei-.
" He has got stiti'now," says John, " and won't start easily,
Init go softly." We steal u]), pushing the fir branches
aside. No broken sticks this time; we tread like cats
tliiDuuh the interlacinij: bouu'hs. I see a o-reat gray
shoulder and \ello\v horns. He stands up to the knees in a
sm;dl tarn, with his head towards the dogs, who are dancing
and harking on the bank al)0ve him. My arm waves like
the arm of a senia]>liore. and I feel tliat I could not hit
a house across the street. <>li for a rest! Ihit dolm says,
"Slioot through the branches or he will see you." As I
fire he crashes out amono- the doos. ami mv heart sinks,
for surel}' I have missed him. lUit .lohn claps me on the
shoulder, and says, '"'Gud schut." "Do you think he is
hit?" " Ja, sikker ! " As we run round the lakelet there
is a sweet sound of sciimmage beyond, and there lies a
vakkev ox, panting out his life, while tlic dogs rush in and
tear mouthfuls of wiry hair from his back. A five-year-old
bull, big enough to satisfy anybody ! The shot was a bad
one, and would not have serv^ed if he had been fresh.
Such a run is a severe strain, and 1 could scarcely have

182 SHORT STALKS

managed tlie ten miles' tramp home if it had not been for
the supreme sense of virtuous toil rewarded.

The next day we rode up — I could scarcely climb into
the saddle — to gloat over the prize, photograph him, and
bring him down. It took four horses fully loaded to do
this, but the ground was unusually boggy. I have gener-
ally found sledges a better means of transport when the
ground is soft. Great was the rejoicing in Die's house, on
whose " rioht " the elk had fallen, and his neioiibours came
in to congratulate him. This is not to be wondered at, for
a full-grown elk carries enough meat to supply a family
for the whole winter. It is generally minced uj) and made
into sausao;es, which are hunir on the rafters. In Sweden
it is salted and smoked.

Two days later my son had another fine run, which was
even lono-er than mine, but had a less fortunate result. I
was myself in the woods at no great distance, and by a
great piece of luck had heard the baying, and came in for
the latter part of the run. The elk was finally coursed
out of the woods, and away into the high fjeld, where the
dogs bayed him among the rocks — a wild scene. He was
galloped to a standstill, and appeared to be " our meat,"
but just as John and Cyril got within range he slowly
rounded a corner. Thinkino- he would oet a standino- shot

o O O

on the other side of it, Cyril reserved his fire ; when the
corner was reached the animal had rounded another, and —
we never saw him again. AVhether, like 8t. Hubert's stao-
he vanished when the fun was over, or had had time to get
his wind — the downhill track helping him— I know not ;
but the dogs returned almost immediately with a reproach-
ful expression, which plainly said, " Why didn't you

'nil'. i:i.K 183

shoot?" and [\\c l:1'ouii([ bciiiii' hard \vc failed Lo .strike ihu

O O

track ai^-aiii. Thoi'c wa.s wailiiii;- and uricf tliat iii^lil, l»ut
a few days laler ('\ril ^■(lt a l)ii!l alnuol \vitli«>u( ilic ti'oiihlc
<»f a run at all.

This kind ni' lailuir annoyed John extremely. It was
not so nuicli the kiss of his (-((nnni-sidn as the di.scouraije-
ment of his (h\o-.s that he minded. ( »n one occasion. Imt
this was in the folknvinij,- }car, we were (;rcc|)ing u[) in
Indian file to a l)ay by Peyas. Gerald, who was leading,
turnetl round and whispered to me, "A cow and calf" I
passed the word on to John, and 1 never saw so mucli
strong' kinguage expressed in silent pantomime. lie gave
us to understand that our feelings were of no importance
at all, but that if Peyas were disappointed he would leave
our service and go homt'. So the ])ooi- calf was left mother-
less ; but 1 ought to (jualily that by saying that he was as
laro'G as a small horse, and well alJe to take care of himself.
But of all the dogs which I knew it was iSkyt who did the
cleverest thinsi'. Gerald, who had outrun his Norweo'ian
companion, got u[) to Skyt's bay in time to fire a snap
shot. The result he could not see, but l)efore lono-the doi<-
again stopped the animal with the usual n(»isy demonstra-
tions. Presently there was silence, and instead of con-
tinuing to bay, as his nature and training would direct, he
i"(^turned and sai(b as ])laiid\' as dog language could. ''It's
all riiiht ; come alonu". The dou' had found thai the shot
had taken effect, and. himself unheld. with >lo\v ami catlike
steps, led Gei'ald to where the wounded elk was standing.

In very still weather hunting by the ordinary methods
is useless. Tiiere is then iioihiug for it but to try ilri\-
ing il an}' ul the ground lend.-- it.-cU to that cuurae of

184

SHORT STALKS

proceeding. I have done it myself, but it is dull ^YOl•k — so
dull tliat one of my companions carried a French novel to re-
lieve the tedium, with the result here depicted. It is only

->/?v

ERNEST IS STALKED.

fair to say that Ernest, who is smart at a " back-hander,"
dropped the animal after all. The important point is not
to relax attention till the beaters actually appear, as elk
under these circumstances are very suspicious, and keep

'J- 111-: i:lk 185

l»ul little ;ilic;ul of the iiu'ii. The follDwiiin- Icttri' from
oiiu of luv Swedish cluinis, who is exuerinu-ed at this, us

•/■ J-

well as all other forms of elk limit iiiu', uives a o-ood idea of
the kiinl of thing : — "C — — and 1 rowed <lowii liergsjo in
the finest 'elking' weather, i.e. with half a gale at our
baeks, Init before reaehing our destination it suddeiiU' Irll
to a ealm. AVe had no alternative but to attempt a drive.
There is a certain ijeld there wliicli favoured that method,
ha\ iiig a wide lake at its foot, and steep ground above. I
sent my two men to the end of this Ijeld with orders to
return along the wooded slope with such breeze as there was

at their backs. C and 1, after careful search, selected

two likely spots as 'passes.' I placed him high up, near
t(j where the forest ceased, as driven elk generally keep as
high up as they can without leaving covert, while I took
u[i a post lower down, whence I could command a long bog
which crossed the drive. After sittini-- immovable for an
hour and a half we began to hear the men, and shortly
afterwards the cracking of a de;id stick brok(^ the stillness.
I hopcil t'or bear, for it was ;i likely spot to tempt IJruin.

Then a shot from C 's ritie, followed b\' the heaillono-

ni>li of a heavy 1mm|\- through the timber. I waited till the
men came up, as 1 make a nilr never to leave my post
until the drive is oww as a chance may (•('ten present itself
at the last moment. Then 1 joine'd my coiiipaiiioii. ami 1
<piickl\' perceived by the tracks that the animal was hard

hit. (" and the two mi'U with thc'ir twn doiis ha>teiie(l

to follow on the line, rather too (piickly as it turned dut. I
had handeil ni\' rille to one of tlniii. as m\' ruiiiiiiig ila\-s are
over, and 1 remained behind with old \h,]\. every hair on
whose body stood ou end. lie would have given his tail

186 SHORT STALKS

to be allowed to go. As I quietly followed, I presently
discovered that they had overrun the track of the beast in
their haste. The Litter had turned short off to the riMit
towards the lake. As I looked in that direction I perceived,
about thirty yards off, a grand pair of horns showiug above
the trunk of a fallen tree. At the same moment the elk
must have discovered my presence, or noticed that he was
discovered, and sprang to his legs, showing me a broadside
of the kirgest dimensions. AVithout pausing he plunged
down the betangied slope and disappeared. A minute
or two Liter the party of pursuit, having perceived their
mistake, returned in hot haste, and I led them on to the
true line, Down through trunks, rotting trees, roots and
stones they stumbled and ran, for there was no time to
lose. If the animal should gain the lake he would certainly
cross it. They had scarcely left me when I thought Don
might stop him before he took the water, so I let the old
dog have his pleasure. Away he went like a streak of
lightning, and presently I heard him and the two elk
hounds lift up their voices, and a few minutes later a
double shot. Scrambling down the encumbered slope I

emerged on the shore of the lake. C and the two

men were sitting on a fallen tree, all three blowing like
whales. The elk lay about thirty yards from the shore,
submerged, all but one of his sides and part of a horn. On
this island the three doo-s were standino- and makino; the
hair tlv rioht and left, while now and aoain one or other
got pushed off into the water and scrambled up again.
Tiring of this at length they sat down side by side
facing me, and occasionally grinning a growl at each
other, for the space was too limited for a fight. Nothing

'IMII'! i:i.K 187

\vuul(l iiuliicr tlu'c'llv hoiinds lu leave tlicir iairlN'-cariicd
quai'i'N'. and |)()ii. iisuall\- so t ra<'1al>1(', was Ido jealous to
obey my buniiiioiis."'

AVliilc ill T\'dal I was as near luakinn' an end as T luive
ever been. The Xorwegiuii ponies have an exhilarating'
liabit of gallopino- down the short, steep hills whieh are so
fre((uent on ilnir roads. At the foot of one of these the
road was raised on a ri\'er wall, I went \- I'eeL higii, without
any protection at the edge. The [)on\' was going full
gallop to gain an impetus for l he ascent, and I had ashing
}>ull on his head, when one of the reins — a plain rope in
these less-frequented \alieys — came away from the bit.
In an instant we were olf the road, but ha}»pily on the
bank side; it was the near rein whieh had givt-n. If it
had l)een the other, we must ine\itaiil\' have gone oNcr on
to the roeks, and no one would ever \vd\r known how it had
happened.

From Tydal we proceeded to tlie neighbourhood of
Levanger. This expedition })roved a comjjlete failure, and
I only mention it as a waining to others. ]\ly obse(piious
landlord and his too sumptuous abode inspiicil nir with
distrust from the first. His house was sph'ndiil. Imt in the
matter of elk ground he had been extremely eeoiioinieal,
and the little he had secured for me was (bvided into two
portions, while on the best part of it a gang of wooibnen
were at work. 1 don/t think he meant to be dishonest,
but he had never seen an <'lk. and apparently thought they
lived like rabbits in stone walls or haycocks, 'i'he next
year I went to Jemtland, in Sweden, antl with nun'e
experience our bag was a much larger one. J^^ven an elk
is, however, easily missed, and a> this chapter is a truthful

188 SHORT STALKS

record, I will confine the remainder of it to showing how
this may be done.

The first incident of the year was that one of my
party stalked and shot a reindeer, as we were luird up for
meat. The two Norwegians who were with us were much
shocked at this high-handed proceeding, and sat aloof on
the top of the hill, as if we had shot Farmer Giles's cow,
while we proceeded with the graJlock. I sent a message
to the Lapps, to whom the animal presumably belonged,
and paid them about half as much again as it was worth.

On the opening day of the season I was fortunate
enouo;h to kill a bull elk, and the followino- mornino- called
upon an English gentleman who was fishing a neighbouring-
river, to leave him a portion of the meat. He asked me
to join him in driving a certain large wooded island of
which he had the shootino- in the middle of the lake of

O

o

Ann. I declined his invitation, as I had undertaken to
cross the lake, a row of about nine miles, and ascertain if
there was anv o;ood o-rouse o-round on the fartlier side.
Returning in the evening, the course took my boat quite
close to the island. As we approached a long tongue of it,
which projected towards the mainland, I saw an elk splash
through the shallow water towards this promontory.
Thinking it was only a cow, I took no steps, but lay to
to see it take the water, as its evident intention was to cross
to the mainland, and drawing up near the point, we
waited. In a few seconds there plunged into the lake, not
a cow, but an old bull, with a very fine head. Now, hav-
ing refused my friend's invitation, I liesitated for a moment
or two what I ought to do, but my scruples did not last
long, and I told the boatman to l)end to his oars. Tumji,

I

190 SHORT STALKS

who was my companion for the day, was violently excited,
and I had to hold him into the boat with one hand lest he
should jump overboard and be drowned by his chain, while
with the other I crammed bullet cartridges into my gun.
The elk had about two hundred and fifty yards to swim, and
I assumed that we should overhaul him with ease. The elk
is, however, one of the finest of swimmers, and readily takes
to the water, even when not pursued. This one, the moment
he realised that it was a race for life, put on a spurt which
astonished me. Every stroke drove his great head and
shoulders far out of the water, which seemed to hiss past
him as he pounded through it like an ocean steamer. By
the time he was halfway across I saw that the race was a
hopeless one as far as I was concerned, and that it was
now or never if I was going to shoot at all. The mark
which he offered was so large that I made pretty sure of
hitting it at the eighty or ninety yards' distance which he
had now put between ns. I stood np to shoot, and the
shot looked easy, but these light " prams," as they call the
lake boats, are far from steady, and at this point we felt
the full force of the south wind which blew up a five-mile
reach, and drove big waves before it into the narrow
sound. The boat rolled and swayed witli it, and the
mnzzle of my rifle dipped and rose like the yard-arm of a
ship, now pointing at the sky and now at the water. In
vain I tried to steady myself. My first bullet skimmed
just over his neck, my second must have been A^ery near,
judging by the spasmodic bound he gave, jerking his body
half out of the w^ater. Before I could load ao-ain he touched
terra Jirma, and in a cloud of spray raced ashore. I just
got in my cartridges in time to give him a parting double.

THE ELK 11. 1

l)ut I tliiiik tliov wcro, ovoii wiMcr lli.in tlic lli'-i. We
l;iiul('<l. and I laiil Tiiiui) (111. lie raciMl down tlic island,
I'oL' il was not tlic mainland. Iml was di\idcd fiian it l>y
another much narrower cliaiincl, aiul stood harkin^' al \]\v
othov ond wlicro the dk had aLTaiii taken tlu^ \vatoi'. Il
was pretty clear tliat J had not hurt him. This was one
of lliosc calamities wlddi li\-c 1)\- a man all his da\'s, and I'C-

visit him in his dreams. j\lr. J had keen lyin^' in wait

for this sliot all day, and here was l.wlio had neither
toiled nor s|)un, had di'»»[t[ii'(l in in the \'cr\' nick of lime,
got the shot and mi.ssed it. i humbled myscli' ljch)rc him,
ami was forgiven.

These large lakes are very convenient as liigliwavs
for reaching distant parts of the ground, hut when the
wind is strong it is sometimes impossihle foi- a Ixjat
to make wav ao-ainst it. I well I'cmcmlti r one wet
and stormy day, when for this reason we had to tramp
l)ack overland, and when the river was at length reached,
wholly failed lu make oursehcs heard in the farm on the
opposite bank. Even rifle shots produced no effect, till we
took to shooting af tltc house itself, and a well-planted
bullet on the stone chimney bi'ought a IVighteiieil face to
the door.

xV few days after the failure on the lake the aa'onv was
still more excruciatin-'K- niled up. Fancv an eau'er \-ouih
panting with a long run. ITe reaches tln^ ed«_!;e of a steep
blutf and can hear the ba}' at some distance. Jhit at this
moment four othei- elk cross an opening below, and he
proceeds to stalk them. Jle gets wit hin i wo hundred yarils
of the ox, standing by himself, and li-icning intently to the
distant bii}' of t he dog. The youth, fearful of losing the shot

192

SHORT STALKS

if lie tries to get nearer, fires and misses. Strange to say
tlie elk never stirs ! The sportsman thereupon stalks up
to within eighty yards and again misses ! He then follows
the lot which the dog is still baying, reaches them in half
an hour, has a steady shot at forty yards at the cow (the
ox had left them), and misses ! After this it would seem
about time to ofo home. Eowino- down one of the lakes
they drag the boat across a small portage to another.
When they come in sight of it they see a large ox swimming
from one promontory to another, and about two hundred
yards off. Three shots, each nearer than the other, but
none (juite near enough ! Hoping to get a better chance
as the auimal lands, Infelix waits, but the elksw^ims behind
a point of rock and lands at his leisure out of sight !

I will draw a veil over the sufFerino;s of the actors in
this tragedy, and I think I had better stop there.

HAZEL-cniOUSE.

Vf

TlIK IWTHEIl OF ALL THE (lOATS

It was not the search for foro-otten sites or treasures of
mar])le, a passion wliich tempts so many Icai'iicd and
enterprising men to visit Asia Minor, but the desire to
hunt a rdck-liaiuit iiiL-' ihex, dwellinu" on eci'tain mountain
ranges in that country, wliich took me there with two
companions. Once onl\' during the montli wliich we s]MMit
in tliosi! reuions did we leave this ahsorhiuii" pursuit to ])av
a duty visit to the lime -laden waters, j)ink and white
terraces, and eaitlii|uake-ri\-en hasilicas of the ancient
baths nf 1 liefa[M)lis.

Tlie Capra rpgar/rvs or Pasmif/ is beHeved by naturalists
to have desei've<l the title with which I have headed this
article beyuiid any other wild t\[)e of goat. j\h'ntioned
bv Tfomer^is being abundant in the yEga?an Islands, in

• 'Y\i'jeir(r'' iv (V ai'yes a— ct/Jfrtat yiydiurw
aypiai' ov jikv y<\p Traro'j (ivdpMTro)v uTr€f)VK€L
ov8e fiLv el(Toi\\'iy(TL KX'vijyeTui.

Odyssey 9. 118.

" A woody islainl, aiiil on it are in'oituccil rcpuiitlr-s wild goats — for im
track (>r man scares tlieiii away, nor do hunters come there.''

O

194 SHORT STALKS

some of wliicli it still exists, its habitat ranges at the
present day from the ^ga3an Sea, through Asia JMinor and
Persia, into Afghanistan, and therefore in close proximity
to the most forward civilisations of ancient times. It is
thus not surprising that the various breeds of tame goat,
however modified by man, should in many respects "favour,"
as they say in the eastern counties, this ancestry. The
scimitar horn curving over the back, the l;)lack shoulder-
Ami again —

To^ov ei'^ooi' t^aAoi' acyo9

aypioi', oi' po. TTOT avrhs vtto (TTeproLO Ti'\>ycr(t'i

7r€Tp7/s €K/3ati'0J'Ta 8eSey/7.ei'09 ei' TrpoSoKycri

l3ef:^Xi'lKeL —/io'? (rr?jBo^ . . .

Tor Kepa Ik k(.<1>(iX?]^ eKKaiSeKaSiopa rreffiVKeL

Iliad 4. 105.

" His polished bow, fashioned of the horns of a Instv wild he-goat, whom
once on a time Pandanis himself, having waited ambiisluMl for Ids coming out
from the rocks, Idt lieneath the breast, and pierced in the chest . . . The
horns from off Ins head had grown sixteen palms long." If the Bard did not
exaggerate that must have been a patriarch indeed — 48 inches ! But IMr.
Lydekker, who is an authority on the subject, supports him. He says : " In
the male the horns may attain a length of some 48 inches measured along the
curve ; but a specimen is recorded with a length of 52^ inches."

The following throws some light on the method of hunting :

'ilpcrav 8e vvp.cjjaL KovpaL Ato>; aiyto^oio
atyas opecrKojoi's, n'a SetTri'vycreiar eTtupoi.
o.i'TtKo. Kii.p — i'Xa To^d. KUL aiyiwea'i doAiYai'Aois
elXopieO' €K I'ljMV, Slu. tie Tp'L\a Korrjj.yjOei're'i
ISdXXojiev alipa 5' eSojKe 6^eo9 /xei'oetKea Oijpip'.
v'Tje'i jxkv jxoL eTTOVTO Si'dj^eK'o, e^ 8e eKu.crTijV
ei'vea Aay ^tH'or atye?" e/xot Se Ssk e^eXor oToj

Chhi.^^rij 9. 154.

" And the nymphs, daughters of ^Egis-bearing Zeus, roused the wild goats
oi the mountains, to furnish dinner for my mates. Straightway we took us
from the shijjs bended Ijows and long-socketed hunting spears ; and, ordered
in three companies, we shot, and speedily Heaven gave us game enough to
our mind. Twelve ships there were that followed me, and to each there fell
by lot nine goats. But for myself alone I chose out ten."

THE I'A'rilKi; OF ALL THE COATS 195

stripe ut" ihe old iiuilcs, llu' beunl, not worn l)y all species
of ilx'x. aro its most distill o'uisliino' cliaractoriRtifs. 'I'lio
bezoai' stone — to wliidi has becu long alti'ildilcil many
liealing properties. Imt especially as an aiilidnte to poison
— is foiuul in tlif slomacli of this animal.

As an njil Turk put il to inc, ■" Why do \'on coinr nil
the \va\' ironi iMiuiaiid to shoot a little 2;oat not worth two
niedjids?" The truest answer W(.»uld perhaps he that the
old " billy " of the species, who was at that time caged at
the Zoo. was a particular friend of mine. I lis high-bred
appearance and pugnacious habits, and the fact that he
was occasionally, when in his tantrums, chained up to
avoid his damaging: attacks on his prison — damaging, that
is, to his own handsome head — perhaps first suggested that
he was a gentleman of character whose a('»|iiaintance it was
desirable to make. Be that as it nia\', a hunting expe-
ditioii to obtain this goat had long been among my keenly-
desired |trojects.

\\\ dint of pertinacious iiirpiiry from the few travellers
who have sought out the haunts of the animal, 1 Ii.id an
accurate general knowledge of the ranges where he must
be sought. 1)111 this second-hand learning winiM not ha\'e
SI 1 nil 'I'd it I had not been assisted on tie • spot. \\ it h such zeal
di'l ller Majesty's vigorcnis representative at .Smj'rna second
iiiv projects, that one would have thought my success to be
ol' international importance. rnfortunately for the ext(Uit
ot' m\' bag. the limits of my absence from l-aiglaiid a
rio"id six weeks — precluded me from reaching the best
ground, which is the chain of the Taurus roiniing the rock-
bound southern coast of Asia Miiioi'. Xeai-ly a fortnight
more ot" \\\\ scant\' time would have been consumed in the

THE SALT LAKE FROM JIAIMUN DAGH.

THE FA'IMIKi; ()!• ATJ, Till-: iioATS ! 1)7

Lu ami tiM III' I his j(»unii'\ , and I lie <-lHilrra cn'riiiiiL; ii[) t liaL
coast, and the (|iiarMnl iiir wliidi miuiil fnllow in its
track, introduced an rlcinciit of niKcitaiu dcla\- wliidi I
cDuld ]\ni aflord lit ritjk. I had. I hcicrnrc. to aim at the
second best, whicli I knew to he a certain liiid. This was
calh'd the "'■dMaimun Dauh" or Monkey .Moiinlain. a small
liul isolatetl ranij,'!' on the Aidin railway, and ahont two
hundred mih's from the coast. I hupeil that, once on the
sj)ul, I shouKi he alile to hear oi allernati\'e ranges in-
liahited by this goat, but, excerpt tn a ver\' limited extent,
this did not ])rove to l)e so.

The radwax' kiip'S at Sm\'riia can do most tliino-.s that
they wish, and. thanks to tlieir fricmlh' co-operal ion, we
reached ('hardak, a station close to one end of the moun-
tain. fi\'e ndnutes under the week IVom London. I ra\idlin<''

O

<V" Atlu'ns ; and the return |ourne\' li\' ( 'oiisiaiit inoph' was
accuniplishetl almost exactly m the same lime. Here we
were at one end of a precipitous range seven or eight miles
inlengt h. Tlii'>e clills rose abruptly from the phnn to a height
ofabouttiftee]! huutb'eil feel .and at their base we }tilehe(l our
cam] I. An angle in the rocks made an excellent tirephice,
ami a little cave a conxcnieiil cedai- where we kept our
sup[>l\' ot" water. This had to be brought ti> us dailx t'n'm
the nearest \ iHage. Ii\c miles otl'. lor the niouniain \\a-. ai
the time o( (»ur visit, waterless. In I'ront, a narrow strip
of pliin divide(l us from the basin of a gi'cat salt lake ten
miles lunu" and li\c miles bro.id : or rather an expanse of
white salt slime, tor as we saw it. at the eihl of a long
drought, oidy a traction of its surface was covered with
water, and rhat, whateNci' the weather on the mountain,
was nearly always as still as glas.s, reHecting the white clitis

198 SHORT STALKS

of the " Sunt Dagli " or Milk Mountain, three leagues away.
If there came a shower of rain, which happened later, it lay
in a thin sheet of water over the whole area and trans-
formed it for the time into the semblance of a bank-full
lake.

In three places at the edge were swanq^s, where a scanty
supply of undrinkable water oozed from the base of the
mountain and was trodden into mud. For along this strip
of plain was carried not only the newly-opened railway,
but an imj^ortant caravan route, and trains of camels,
donkeys, and bullock-carts with solid wooden wheels were
continually passing. The harsh " klonk-klonk " of in-
numerable wild geese, and the 2:)laintive notes of curlew
and plover, constantly arose from these swamps, and to
them also must have come the ibex for their onlv driiikino-
place, for the whole face of the mountain was as dry as a
captain's biscuit. On one occasion one of our followers
saw some drinking there in broad daylight. At sunrise a
faint unpleasant odour always came up from these marshes,
suggesting a liberal use of quinine ; but we were assured that
at this elevation — between two thousand and three thou-
sand feet — we need not fear fever. While pitching our camp,
we were engaged in clearing the projecting stones from the
sites of the tents. One of my followers was busy over a par-
ticularly obstinate one with his heavy iron-shod alpenstock,
and at length turned up, with much laljour, a large living
tortoise, which had buried itself there for the winter. It
lay on its back, meekly kicking its legs in the air, while
the Frenchman blushed up to the roots of his hair with
surprise and disgust. Above, on the higher rocks, were
a great number of eagles and vultures. On one occasion

THE F.\'iiii:i; OF ALi- 'nil-: coats

inn

1 etiuiitfd iiiiir {■ncliii^ r\n<,v lo mo, and lii^li alxtNc them
a. great crane wheeling in siniihir I'a.shiun, with lii.s lung
legs sticking ont hchinJ as tlic lierons at Imnie are wont to
(■;iir\' theirs. 'I'he vultures had a curious habit of diving
straight into deep fissures in the elift's and disappearing

THE (JIUFFOX VLLTUliK.

with a, clunisv plunge ul wings. Then they would waddle
to the outer edge and streteh out their cadaverous white
necks. These holes in the elitls are very conspicuous
landmarks friun afai', owing to the profuse way in which
the Ijinl white\vaslie.s his doorstep and the w;ill of rock
below. Great numljers of partridges lived (tii the lower
cliifs. i'uring the heat of the da\' ihey la\' el«"se. aiitl
were perfectly silent ; but about an hour before sunset
thev would all wake suddeiilv into life, as if at a given
signal, and bcnin struttino- and t;dkinir, so that vou mi'-ht
tliink it was No. 15 Committce-roMin.

Besides our three selves, my party comprised Celestin,
my c()m})anioii on many such tri[>s, who has appeared
before in these pages, and llenjamin — l)otli hailing from

200 SHORT STALKS

the Pyrenees. Our following, as happens on these trips,
was rather a large one, and the commissariat required some
foresight and generalship, for the country does not produce
much that is acceptable to European palates.

Our cook, who was distinguished l)y the title of Iladji,
having once visited Mecca, seemed to think that all further
effort in life was unnecessary, and that Providence would
send whatever it was felted that we should receive ; but
his manners, I must say, were beautiful, and he had a
sweet, responsive smile, Omar, a fine young Turk from
the neio-hbourino- villao-e, knew somethino- about hunting;-,
and I got very fond of him, though our commuuications
were confined to dumb-crambo. During the whole trip I
only encountered one Turk whose behaviour was rough.
Indeed, he was a Yuruk. The oenuine Turk has nearlv
always the manners of a courtier. This exception was
Metiut, another hunter of repute from Chardak, whom we
employed for certain drives, and whose whole manner ex-
pressed the rooted opinion that dogs of Christians were
only fit to act as " stops " for the likes of him ; but even
he softened to the diplomatic flatteries of Findlny, who
addressed him constantly as " my pet lamb," '' my sucking-
dove." My preconceived notions of Christian and Turk
received a rude shock. Up here there were scarcely any
native Christians, but nearer the coast they abounded. A
more villainous-looking lot I never saw, but it was probably
only the scum that gathered at the railway stations, and
one should not generalise in this way.

But I have still to describe the most important member
of my staff. I had heard before my arrival that a " retired
brigand " had been secured for our service and protection.

THE FATllKi; OF AM. Till'. COATS

201

'I'hi.s description was lileralh- liiic, hiii wc had no reason
to regret the selection. ^Yo. ])ieke(,l up old " lJoul);i '" at a
station on our journey inhuul ; and so true to the cliaraeter
was his a])pearan('e and dress, indudinL;- tin' cndiroidcriMl and
sleeveless cloak that huii^- down Ids shouKlers, that as the

.- I

Wifi'^^^i^

mm^^'

«oun.\.

train dirw alonLi the philiorni wi- ■■spoiled" liim m.-iantlv
aniong tiie crowd, most of tlie items of wJndi coidd have
play(^d tin' stage-villain at a niomcut's noi ice. \\li,iic\cr
liouba's crimes may have been — and thcx- would certainly
have fdled a hook — siucc his wind fjot short, and for oilio'
reasons, he lia<l become a reformed if not a repentant chai--
acter. We tound hiinasolid and rrjiablc person, and "ood

202 SHORT STALKS

company withal. A popular favourite throughout that
country, his moral weight w^oukl certainly carry him in at
the head of the poll if there were a School Board election.
I never found out his real name — " Boulm" means father,
and is simply a familiar term of affection, much as you say
"Grand Old Man." He would sit all day smoking cigar-
ettes in the tent, with a benign smile on his face, but any
little emergency galvanised the phlegmatic cavass into an
enero;etic leader of men, whose word was law wdth hio;h and
low, and he never failed us. His Martini rifle was rarely
laid aside, and he would without doubt have used it in
our behalf if necessary. It would have taken him some
time to use up all his cartridges, which he carried in an
enormous belt right round his rather stout person.

When he got to know us pretty well I drew his story
from him one night, with the assistance of the Greek
stationmaster. He told it in a matter-of-fact style, with-
out apparent regret, and at the same time without affect-
ation or " side." It was afterwards confirmed by people of
authority ; besides, I never knew him to tell a lie. Very
likely he minimised his little escapades.

"Why did you take to the mountains, Bouba ? " He
gave a fat chuckle. "It was because of a woman. There
was a girl that I was intimate with — I was very fond of
her. A man came and took her away. I went after him
to his house and struck him." (He did not say what he
struck him with, Init I believe that, as a matter of fact,
he shot him at sight.) "Two days afterwards he hap-
pened to die. Then the authorities tried to catch me, but
I was always escaping out of the back-door and coming
back at night. So when they found they could not catch

TTTE FATHER OF ALL TTIE COATS 203

iiie tlicy put 111}' rather iu pri.-suu, aiul then my Inothur ;
and I thought I had better go quite away. I was for one
year hv nivself ahout the mountains, pickino- up wliat 1
could get. 1 could not at first find any companions that
were any good for that sort of woik. Tlicn came the time
for tlie conscription. Many ran away to escape lieing
ihawii, so 1 oot some o-ood men. Tlierc were nine of us,
aiii] I was captain, but we liad no guns. There was a
forest with saw-mills. Due of the mill-owners who was
enemy to the other told me that this one had many rifles.
We went to his house one night and demanded llieni. ih'
said lie liad not slot anv. Tlien we made him sio'ii a bond
to procure them ; and as the first mill-owner !ia<l t(»l(l us
wrongly, we compelled him to join in the bond — so it was
quite fair to both. We got those rifles all right, and cart-
rido-es. 1 was a brinand ciuht vears. 1 never killeJ anv
one for money ; but if any one would not stop, or if he was
going to give information to the authorities, of course we
had to kill liiin. if one of us were wounded we <liil oui'
best to carry him oil', but if this were impossible"' — here
he made a siixnificant (vesture across his throat. "But we
all knew that was necessary, it would never do to leave
a wounded man to fall into the hands of the soldiers.
He mio-lit betra\' the rest of us. Once a man asked
us all to his house to su})per. Then he sent to the
Governor to sa\' that Bonlja's ]iarty were there : but
we heard a noise and jxot awa\'. A Ibrtnio-ht afterwards
we came back and slit his nose and ears." (This he said
in a tone of righteous indignation, as if he would evidently
like to do it again.) "We used to slop nirnliaiits and
camel-drivers, and the villagers gave us what we wanted

204 SHORT STALKS

because tliey were afraid. If a person had not anything
we let him go."

" What was the best catch you ever made ? "
He grinned at this, and after thinking a bit, said : " We
once stopped the Imperial Post and got £7000. Tlien
they sent a large number of soldiers after us. There was
another band of brigands — eleven of them. We helped
one another, but did not generally act together; but this
time we all combined. The soldiers came up, Ijut we were
behind rocks. We killed twenty-five of them, and not
one of us was touclied. We afterwards killed seven more."
For having won this victory he evidently considered that
he had deserved well of liis country. " But," I said, " they
surely couldn't have tried very hard to get hold of you ! "
" Well, perhaps not always. I used to send money to the
big officials, but the sergeants and people like that I did
not care for. AVlien we ran short of cartridges for the
Martinis I sent £50 to a colonel in the army whom I knew,
and he sent me a quantity of army cartridges."

" When the Government found they could not catch us,
they offered a free pardon to all who would come in, and I
gave myself up and was pardoned. I afterwards helped
to hunt down the other brigands. Two of my companions
were killed at this time ; others died, and some are still
alive. After this another Governor was appointed, and
because I would not give him money he put me in prison
and charoed me with slittino; a man's nose and other thinos.
I was in prison thirteen months, while the Governor was
trying to get a case against me. He found a person with-
out a nose, but the man would not 2;ive evidence ao-ainst
me. He said he did not know how it had been slit, but he

'rill', iwriii:!; oi' ai.i, 'I'iiI': coat^^ 205

snp})()sc(l lio liad liccii born so. Tliis was because 1 had
sent lilm a laroe sum." Hero tlie stationmaster [>in
111 the fullowiug original observation ; '" In this country
the man who is ricli is innocent like one ])ig(^on." " At

hist jMr. I* i-'ot me out. It was all l"oll\-. but I should

never have o'one to the mountains l)ut for that woman."
The oentleman mentioned was connected with the Otto-
man Kailway. Boid)a had made himself extremely useful
to this Comi»anv, and its ensfineers, in niakiuu' their exten-
sion, owe(l inueh ti> his inlluence. In fact, he is crtiviss to
the chief engineer now, and a highly-respected eharaeter.
No one would hesitate to trust him with a hundred ])onnds
oi' any other sum, and a more suitable chaperon for young-
ladies could not be fouiul. That is the story as he tohl it
to us, anil I have no doubt it is in the main true.

There does not ai)])ear to be anv brioandaoe in that
part of the country now, though the Agha of the village
assured us, with undoubiiug faith, that ihei'e was a brigand
about, whom no bullet couki penetrate. This story liad
a foundation in fact, as we aftoi-wards diseovered, l)ut it is
too (•ommon}>lace to be worthy of narration.

( liveii a bi'oken (diff, searcelv an\' part of which was
more than an hour's walk from our camp — for the goats
inhabited oid\- the steep side of ilie mountain — it will be
thouii'ht that the task of securini!' an adeiiuale nundier of
specimens was an easy one ; luit, as ni\- i^\renean hunter,
in whose company I have cut to pieces man\' ]iairs of boots,
put ii. after two or tlii'ee days' experience, "■ Le eo(|uin est
ruse connni' le "liable !" The excellent eyes and eai> with
which the creature is endowed would not. however, lia\c
saved him tVoin our scientific approaches if he had not been

206 SHORT STALKS

assisted l3y siuTOiinding conditions. Not only are these
rocivs cut up into innumerable clefts and ravines, but they
are covered by a tliin forest of stone pines, noble trees of a
pale green colour, not mean and disbranched like those of
Italy, but driving great wedges of root into the rocks, and
spreading like Scotch firs into lofty and massive trees of
varied outline. Between them a shorter and denser growth
of cypress and deciduous barberry, now dying oft* in scarlet
and orange. This covert, though not quite continuous,
made hiding for the ibex very easy. Nor was this all.
The rock is a kind of pudding-stone, and the round em-
bedded pebbles constantly work out and lie in unstable
banks, wherever the angle of solid rock admits of it. The
least touch, and down they clatter, starting others. Dur-
ino- the first fortnioht the drouoht and heat were excessive.
This not only drove the animals to the innermost recesses
for coolness, liut made the stones more resonant ; and the
air being dead still, the least noise travelled far. Even the
fallen oak-leaves ^ were so crisp and dry that they crackled
like parchment. Like all animals that live in good covert,
these goats have great confidence in its protection, and
we saw them more often near the foot of the clift', within
hearing of the drovers on the highway, than at a higher
elevation. The best which I secured I killed within easy
shouting distance of the railway.

But this confidence is accompanied by exceeding
watchfulness, and their natural alertness is indefinitely
increased by the constant harrying of the natives. The

1 According*to Herodotus, " The Phocians were made aware of the apjiroach
of the Persians on the mountain-path to TliermopyLo by the noise of tlie
oak-leaves as they were trampled by the soldiers in the stillness of dawn."

•^

0<>^

ak*'^^

A TIHKOMAN SHEl'HKKD.

208 SHORT STALKS

bands, consisting of from four to ten almost always,
according to our observation, posted a sentinel, and more
than one promising stalk was spoilt by this inconvenient
precaution, the sentinel posted above having been pre-
viously invisible to us. On one occasion one of my
companions observed a very complete system of reliefs.
Each member of the band took its turn on a commandino;
rock for about ten minutes by the watch, standing im-
movable while the others fed below. At the end of that
time he would go down, and another instantly mounted to
the coign of vantage and took his place ; l)ut the most
remarkal)le part of it was that the turns seemed to be
taken in order of seniority, beginning with the kids,
followed by the ewes and young rams — the oldest
patriarch, who had by that time finished his meal, being
last of all ; Init he shirked his duties, for he distinctly
took a postprandial nap. Another trick of theirs which I
twice observed old soUtarn males to be guilty of, was, if
they saw, or thought they saw, anything suspicious, to
mount a prominent watch-tower, and, after a note or two
of alarm and warning — a kind of cough wdiicli might spell
tlie letters b-u-r-r-up rapidly repeated — calmly lie down
jind await events. Woe betide the hunter who, lulled
into hope, then attempted a scientific stalk, for his labour
wouhl 1)0 surely wasted. I remember once to have nearly
circumvented a buck chamois who thus flouted me. He
saw the tops of our caps against a patch of snow before we
saw him, and bounded away, but stood three hundred yards
ofl" whistling. Then he lay down, still whistling and
watching. The fatal thing would have been to withdraw.
It was necessary to give him something to look at. Leaving

Till-, lAI'liA .Ki.AI.IU >.

210 SHORT STALKS

my liunter where lie was, with instructions to keep his
cap gently moving, I drew back with infinite precaution ;
then, making a detour, got within easy distance of my
friend, still lying there and whistling, crept into a
beautiful position, and — missed him clean !

But to return to our goats. The only method of
hunting them practised by the inhabitants is to drive
them to certain posts occuj)ied by the guns ; but though
we were not above trying this and every method, and did
stoop to conquer in this way when we got tired of the
other, it is not interesting, and the more crafty individuals,
esjDecially the old rams, will not be driven. AYe j^i'eferred
stalking, and did so with great perseverance, and, for
the reasons given, with singularly little result — at least
at first. The best chance was during: the two hours
following sunrise, and a similar period before sunset.
We had therefore to be astir early, and the camp-fire
shone red before we returned. The telescopes were in
continual use during the day, though, as is the case in all
timbered countries, I found a powerful opera-glass often
more effective for spying corries where it was all-important
not to show over the sky-line. Notwithstanding the
facilities for hiding, our industry with the glasses was
rewarded by finding the animals almost daily, but the
conditions above described generally defeated the stalk.
That is to say, when we reached the spot the goats had
moved, and even a slight change of position on such
ground made picking them up again before we were
ourselves spotted by the cpjarry exceedingly chance
work. In the end I thoug-ht that what the American
still liunters call "sitting on a log" — in other words,

Till-: i\\'nii:K of all tiik coats i^n

\y\\\'j: /icrd" ill ;i likely ])laee — ])ro1)alily llic most efFective
Diuaiis ; bill lur llial 1 liad not llic |)alieiice.

Almo^jf the best chance I liad came in mv way the lirst
evening'. We saw a small lici^l fecilin^ near the b.i.-c df
tlir cliir. with some o-ood bucks in it, and oot down to the
rocks above them in the Last twenty minutes of day li^lil.
Arrived within shootini>- distance, we could see a female
and two kids feeding' among the trees nearly perpendicu-
larly below us. and were peerino- down the openinu's to trv
and make out the bucks, when one of the kids l)egan to
show signs of uneasiness. Perhaps it was the cry of
some partridge : more probably the little beast was sharper
of eve than T uave him creibt for, and the settino- sun was
shining fidl upon us. Then they began to move off, and
for a moment I saw the bucks, distinguishable l)y their
size and darker colour. 1 had my head on one of them.
but the shot was b'Ug -'ind the light iu my eyes.
Surely, I said to myself, they won't believe that
voungster. Hoping thev would sto]). and that I should
better my position, I withheld my tire. They did stop
about three hundred yards off and fed again, but when
we arrived near the spdt they had di>appeare(h and. the
light fading, we gave them u^). That was a fair sample of
our experience. I did not get another chance for a week.

l)a\'attei' da\' we bask'cd, and sometimes u'asped, in the
heat, climbed and tund)led on the loose stones or toiled
with \\\o glass, the sweet aroma of the ])ines filling our
nostrils. I should bu soriv to make the I'oader as wearv
as, to tell the honest truth, we became of " ^lainnui
])a<'li."' and 1 will confine mv nan-ative to a sino'le dnv. the
most fortunate which I had.

212 SHORT STALKS

I had heard that some of the railway officials were
going to have a drive, so I went up early and posted
myself at a high elevation where I could command a good
deal of the cliff. There I spied a band of four, comprising
two small bucks. They were quite quiet, and lay down in
a good place, and I got quickly within fifty yards of one of
the bucks. He went off with the rest at the shot, and
Celestin, who followed what he thought was the track,
could find no trace of blood, and declared that I had
missed. As the shot was a perfectly easy one I could
not think of any excuse to account for it. In a very
depressed condition w^e climbed up to another high point
and stayed there some hours watching. At last we saw
two ibex coming away from the drive, and climbed down
quickly on the chance of cutting them off; and now a
wonderful piece of luck, the only one that fell to my lot
on this trip, happened. AVhile sitting and waiting I
looked ]-ound and found we had returned to almost the
identical spot of my first stalk. At that moment I heard
stones rolling Ijelow, and, looking over the edge, saw my
beast of the morning rolling over and over, quite dead.
It was scarcely a score of yards from where I had lost sight
of him. He appeared to have beeu dead some time, and
it was the most extraordinary chance which led us back to
the identical spot at the fortunate moment when his body
rolled down, as we should never have seen him except for
the movement of the stones attracting our attention.

The beaters now Ijegan another drive the reverse w'ay,
and across the ground where we were. AVe lay low and
let the men pass us, which of course they did without
seeing us, then got on to a prominent rock to see what

Tiii-: i'.\Tiii:i; ui- aij, riii-: (ioat.^ 213

would iKippi'ii ill I'jK'l, '■ st;i\f(l l);ick i'ov t hu ralthils."
As 1 expcclcd, the il)cx kept coming ])ack. It was cnrioiis
to soc tlioni snoakinii- out of t;roves close to wliicli a man
had just i)asse(h They knew pci't'ectly well what was up.
First canu^ tliri'c witliiii shot of me, l)ut thev were all
small: then a female and a liltir oiic : then t wo ^oodi.-h
l)U<dvs with nihers, ver\' low down. These last we were
fortunately able to keep in view, and saw them lie <l(i\\ii.

AVe got down and found a good phiie for a shot,
whence 1 could see the bio-o-est. It was a loniiisli shot,
hut T was very stead v. Howevi^r. olf lu^ went like
liohtninii' and Celestin aoain declared 1 had missed,
neither c<tuld we find any blood. T could not see how
many went away when they crossed the next ridge, but I
noticed that thev were a lono- time arri\in!i there, as
ihouo-h somethiuL!' had ddaxcd tluun. To this circuiii-
stance I attached importance, as wild animals always stop
and look back if one of their number is missing; so we
fnllowrd I'll their line. There was a little hollow behind
some rocks below me. which 1 thoU'dit wouli eliiiiliinij
down to explore. As 1 peered into it my beast sprang
away through the trees. I could only see a pair of legs,
but of course I knew he must be badly woundeil. Then
we found — where the poor beast had stood and stanipid
the eround — another sie'n of a, wounded animal. A lew
yards farther thei-e were spots of blood, and thenceforward
we followed the tra(dv with extreme care. At last I saw
him lying behind a I)ush. IFe sprang away again, but
that time 1 was able to give him a disabling shot as he ran.

These ibex are of a light Itrown colour, the males being
rather darker than the females; but the oldest males

TllK KA'I'lIKi; ol" ALL Till': (JOATS -21 r,

iiiuleroo a complete eliaiige in ;i[ipeai-ance, becoming liglit
gray with a ch'arly-defined ])laek sliouKler-stripc, wliicli
gives llu'iii a xcry small appi'araiicL'. it i.s a sight to stir
the heart of a liuuter to see such a one sunning himself
on some t(^W('r of rock, and, 1)V way of inoi'iiing exercise,
beudino- his head to the ''round and dri\in<j; his sworddike
black liorns into some bush, of wliidi he ■" makes hay"' in
about two minutes. I only once got a diance at one of
these o-rand old '' billies," and that 1 muddli'd. \\\' had
taken refuge from a sharp shower, in a cave, or rather shelf
on the cliir, prolectcd by a long overhanging rock. The
rain drift('(l in, and Celestin carried mv rifle to one end
wlifi'e it was more sheltered. AVc made a fire at the
other end. and 1 was sitting over it with my back to
the view. when, with a fixed stare, Omar pointed
with his fniger over .my shoulder. There, about a
hundred yards off, was a splendid male ibex such as
I have described, with l)lack horns wliidi curved luH-k
nearly to his tail. There are not more than two or three
like that on the mountain. Tie was quite unsus[)icious,
and cabnh' inovinsj- down the I'ocks, on account of the
liad weather I sup[)Ose. Kisking discovery, I crept to the
place where my ritle lay. Two trees grew across that end
of the opening, and I could not shoot from there. Back I
crawled, and sat down for the shot. lie was slowly
stalking ilowii the rocks. Ijut still witliin ea.sy range. I
levelled my piece, but at that moment a gust of wind
blew the. flami^ and smoke across niv line of si-jht. and I
could sec nothing. The next instant he was round a rock
ami gone. 1 neai-]y turned sick wiili desperation. ( )f
course we followe<l and triecl to fin<l him acr;dn — an ;ill but

216 SHORT STALKS

liojDeless task in tlic complications of this hill. In the
course of the search we got wet through, and in trying to
dry my coat over the fire Celestin burned the back of it —
my best "go-to-meeting" one, as it happened; but I
would have given twenty coats to get that beast.

That was not the only piece of bad luck which I had —
for from it. Once in a drive I was posted on the edge of
a ravine ; there were eddies of wind about this ravine, and
in the middle of the drive a puff in my back warned me
that if I stayed where I was I might spoil sport. I there-
fore withdrew to a less exposed post a hundred yards
behind. 1 had scarcely settled there, when two capital
males came and stood within fifty yards of my first
position. It was still a possible shot, but a long one, and
intervening trees now made it necessary to shoot quickly
or not at all.

The cartridge missed fire. There was no time to
change it, as they were just moving, but, hastily cocking
the ride, I tried the same cartridge again. That time it
went, but wide of the mark — a miss, but excusable under
the circumstances. They went up to Findlay, who got
them both, a capital right and left. These were the best
two we got, and I fear I was envious.

The Turks are very excitable when they see game, and
should never be allowed to remain near you at your post
if it can be avoided. One who accompanied a member of
my party to his post, and who could not be persuaded
to take his departure, rose in his place on seeing ibex
approaching, and began frantically gesticulating and pull-
ing at the EtFendi's sleeve and pointing out the game
which that sportsman had perceived long before. Natur-

TIIK l-ATHl'i; OF Al.l. Till': COATS lM 7

all\' llic L-oats rct'iised lo ctniif aii\' iicaivr. aial, wlidi
they turiied and tied, this maniac began }'cliing at the tup
of his voice.

Tlif ii»e\ were not tlic on1\- animals that iidiahitcil tliis
mountain. ( >n one occasion a laru'c Ncllowisli ci'caturc
>l)i'an"' a\va\' and stoo(l '>azinu' at. us. It! had not been
slow and clnnisy, he might have been stop})ed, bul the
form was dim amono' the trees, and hard to idcntil'w
SubscijUfnlK'. Cclolin gol a gliniiiM' of it through llie
glass, and pronounced it to l)e a leopa.nL 1 saw it again
myself at a long distance, and thought the outline more
like that of a h\'cna ; it mav have been a Kiix. All three
of these animals are found in the mountains. A few days
later I found some small eaves vvliicli the tracks showed to
be tVe(iuented bv this bio- cat, whate\'er \\r was. Outside
one of these holes was an immense store of bones of
camels, Ijulloeks, sheep, dogs, and the shells of tortoises
broken open. They must have been dragged a thousand
feet U]> the (dills, and ]>robabl\' belonged to animals ihat
had died on the earavan route below. According to Tliny,
the livena — which m ni\" belief the ainmal was '" alone ol
all beasts will search for men's bodies within tlieir graves
and sepulchres, and rake them forth. He has weird tales
to t'll of the animal among others that " he will counter-
feit mans speecdi, and coming to tlu' shepherds' c(»ltages
will call one of them foilli. wliose name he hatli learned,
and when he halli him willmut. he will \\orr\and tear him
in }»ieces. '

Hearing of a distant mountain said to contain ibe.x.
which hail the further advantau'e of beinir clear of forest
in its upper part, ami being by this time tired of

218 SHORT STALKS

" Maimim Dagli," we struck our camp and journeyed
tliitlier. At tlie foot of this rano-e was a cliarmino; villao;e,
with a copious stream, which sprang full-bodied from the
living rock and worked numerous small mills, the splash-
iug of which, and the greenery of the walnut-trees, were
refreshing after our arid experiences. Every village has
its guest-house, and this one was comfortable, and the
Agha or headman hospitable. Indeed, that virtue, accord-
ing to our experience, is universal among the Turks in the
country districts. When any distinguished or very holy
persons are received as guests in the villages of the Turko-
mans, who must not be confounded with the Turks, I was
credibly informed that the hospitality of these people
extends to lengths which are surprising to our ideas of the
exclusiveness of the harem.

The Aglia's friends Avere not less pleased than he to
see the foreigners eat. The host likes not only to enter-
tain the stranger, but to show off the latest lion to his
friends. These Turks are themselves very abstemious,
and our appetites seemed to astonish them. "Heaven
be praised ! the Efiendi wants more meat I What an
appetite ! " they said. Bouba's customary evening greet-
ing, "May your food sit heavy on you, my lords!" was
another sign of this friendly interest, and not tlie brutal
curse which it sounds like.

A word here may not be out of place about the various
races which inhabit this land. Turks, Turkomans, Cir-
cassians, Yuruks, differ in their customs and modes of
life ; each race, generally speaking, living in villages apart
from the others. The Turks, according to our experience,
exhibited a more sincere and dignified, if less ostentatious.

THE FATIlKi: <)!• AI.I. 'I'l IK COATS I'l'.t

liospiialil}', and a niorc li^itl ul)sei'\aiu'f of ihc Mussiil-
iiinii cddo of I'l'li'^-ion. tliati tlicir iu'iLi,-lil)om's. Of tlie
Circassians iml luiicli iit'tMl l»c said. T1r'\' arc lliiidy
scattered about this part of the country. Tliose \vc saw
were a part icularl\' siiustrrdookini;" lot, with none oi" tlicir
wdild-fained beaut w Nevertheless, thcii- dauirliters are in
demand, and, \\halr\cr the law, thc\- haljitually sell thcni.
(Jur frit'ud the statinnniaster said he had had a coininis-
sion to 1)U\' as niaiiv as lie could at £15 a head, ami
within a few davs a i;'irl of sixteen had l)e<Mi offered for
twenty niedjids ; £5 does not seem dear, but perhaps she
had a temper. Even the Turks accept a very substantial
present from tlirir woulddic sons-iiidaw. and the credit oi
a man with six dauL;htcrs is always good. The Yuruks,
who are the mountaineers and shepherds of this country,
are said to steal their wi\cs, but this must be a risky
process. They are nomadic, and their black goats' hair
touts arc conspicuous; Imt the climati^ compel.-^ them to
spend the worst months within ibur walls. 'J'heir ilocks
are protected l)y a large breed of white dogs, whose
threatenino- attacks are rather ahirmino- to a strano-er : but
1 alwa\s found a stout stick a sufficient passport. 'I'hey
are sturdv folk, but tlnir manm^rs are rouii'h. Thus, on
leaving a Yuruk \ illage, Fimllay received a somewhat « in I
demand fo]- his I'jiulish saddle. As a conti'ast to this, I
may nuiition tin' polite recpiest of the Turkish shcrill' just
mentioned, when we bade him farewell, that a barrel of
wine of the countrx' which we were le,i\iii'_;- bi'hind -honld
be emptied to the last drop on the gi'ounil. The ^ uruk
Agha Would have scorned this self-denial, and would have
made it the excuse for a drinkiim fiout. 1 am afraid the

220 SHORT STALKS

Yuruks are responsiljle for the terrible destruction of the
forests by fire. This is not accidental, but done of set
purpose to improve the grazing. From some of our
camps we could, every night, see two or three of these
fires raffino-.

According; to our hosts, no strang-er had ever hunted
on that mountain. They assured us there were plenty of
Kayech on it. Some Yuruks whom we met the next
mornino;' brinmng; wood down the mountain said the same,
but when I showed them a picture of the ibex, I saw that
they looked doubtfully at it. The fact is, the term
Kayeeh is used vaguely, and is generally applied to the
largest horned animal in the district. We were assured
that there was plenty of water on the mountain, but it
took us four hours of stiff walking up a rough path to find
the first sign of it. AYhen reached it proved to be a tiny
mud pool no bigger than a soup-plate, from which the
faintest trickle oozed away, losing itself in slime. Along-
side lay a very ancient and disused trough formed of a
hollowed trunk, dry and cracked. It was unpromising,
but this camp was so beautiful that it was worth an effort
to make it habitable. By clearing out the little pool and
puddling the trough with mud, we at length got a tiny
trickle of clear water, enoug-h for drinking*, though not for
washing-. If we had gone farther we should have found
plenty of water, but not so favourable a camp. It was at
an elevation of about five thousand feet, and at the upper
edge of a gorge or canon, fifteen hundred feet deep. The
position overlooked an extensive forest of stone pines, the
finest trunks we had yet seen.

Having; settled the water, we beg^an collecting; wood,

'-.-"•■i ■ ;> SS-'.O *:.\*->"<i

;^1ibv

fVUlL l-.Nul.Nhhli.-^ IHh .\All.i; .-Ll'll-V.

222 SHORT STALKS

and while so engaged, a shout from one of my companions
called me to look at a fresh track he had found. There
was no mistake about it. It was that of a red deer, but
half as large again as any stag's slot which I had ever
seen. This was indeed a find upon which we had not
reckoned, for few travellers have had the luck even to sec
the bio- red stao- of Asia Minor.

But duty before pleasure. I had come here for ibex,
and must first ascertain if there were any on the mountain.
That afternoon was devoted to a very careful search with
the telescope of the upper part of the mountain, but we
saw nothing, and from this and the complete absence of
tracks we soon came to the conclusion that they were a
myth. By the time I had satisfied myself on this point
there was only an hour of daylight left, but I hurried down
to a point which commanded a wide extent of the forest.
Here I had scarcely oj^ened my glass before I made out a
stag and a hind feeding at the bottom of the valley below
us. Celestin was greatly excited, having never seen any
game larger than chamois and certain other rock-ski})pers
which he had pursued in my company. Everything seemed
to favour the stalk. We got quickly down under the
shelter of trees, and had arrived within three hundred yards
when the hind started. The ftxct was, the wind, which had
been blowing up the valleys all day, at sunset changed its
direction. The stag had not yet caught the taint, and
stood a while. I could see that he was large in the body,
but the lio'lit was too dim to make out his head. I tried
a despairing shot, but the distance was too great and 1
could scarcely see the 1)ead. It was a bad chance and,
alas ! I never had the luck to ixct a better. Three times

Till': FATHER OF ALL IIIF (iDATS -I^S

oil ilie way Icu-k ti> catnii I licaid (lie I'o.ii' of a stasf, wliicli,
when heard oii a still cNciiin!'' ('cIkiiii''' tlii'(>U"li the o-reat

~ ~ •~ o

tree-stems, is a sound ealciilated to make a man impatient
lor the next iininiiiiu'. it was tlirOili of Xoveiid)ei-, wlucli
is rather late for these demonstrations, and, as a matter <if
fact, 1 did not hear it a^'ain after tliat tiiulit. If tlie\- li;id
continued to L;ive out siieli signals we miulit have done
better.

it li;id lieeii borne in u[>on us at ndd-d;i\- tliat tlie
arrival of tlie camels with our ((luipao'e that nialit was
problematical, as these splay-footed animals do not travel
Well em mountain [)atlis, and one of the party was sent
back to bring on, by some means or other, something to
eat, and, if possible, sonu-^ coverings. It was long past dark
when we heard our messenger shouting, for he had missed
the track and oot entano-led amono; the trees. Half an
hour later he blundered into cam}) with old Bouha. ,iiid a
donkey laden with certain necessaries, but we had little to
cover our bodies that night, and not over-mueli to put
inside them. Douba had to septal under the eanopy of his
cloak, whieh gave him the well-known bat-like ap|)earance
of a tragic d(\s|»erado. and ex]ilained with ;i '_;rin that he
was accustomed, ten \'ears back, to that sort of shelter —
that is, before a paternal government interfered with his
line of business. We filled our luiieheon-bags \\ith pine-
shoots for })illows, but as thc\- were gathered in the d.nk
we did not find out. till we were too slee])y to remox f iheni,
that most of them had eones attached. ('\iil and l"'indlay
tried the same material for their beds, anil their dii-ams
were not peaceful. As an old campaigner. I pict ended to
instruct them in a l)etter dodge, whicli is to dii;' ;iiid s(,'r;ipe

224 SHOET STALKS

a hollow for the hips. In theory it is admirable, but in
practice exasperating.

The next day was a blank, and the following one
jDromised to be another. Cyril and I had long returned to
camp. It was pitch dark and raining hard. Bouba was in
a state of trepidation that Findlay and Celestin would spend
tlieir night in the open, and wanted to start search-parties.
A good motherly old brigand was Bouba ! In vain I
assured him that my Pyrenean could find his way on any
mountain in the dark. At last a loud " whoop " proclaimed
at once their return and the cause of the delay. AVhen
they stumbled into the red glow, drenched with the rain,
this was soon explained. Findlay had slain the stag of stags.
"Mais que j'avais pear cpiand je I'ai vu ! " said Celestin.
He had made out with a glass from a long distance a single
tine of a horn in a thicket of young fir-trees, but for some
time was uncertain of its nature. Then the stag removed
all doubt by rising and showing himself as he crossed an
opening. In time they reached the place, but could see
nothing till Celestin suddenly met him face to face in the
thicket, and shouted to Findlay, " L'animal ! Lemonstre !
Tirez ! tirez ! " but " l'animal " was off, and this was easier
said than done. For a moment he showed himself, and
Findlay missed him clean. Now what did this polite stag do
but cross the stream and calmly mount a knoll, where he
stood, fully exposed, as long as you please, at fifty yards.
That shot told. The stag went off, but they soon found blood.
Then followed a most exciting stern chase for the best part
of half a mile, the o;reat beast labouring- on throuoh the
thicket in spite of his deadly wound, while Findlay struggled
after, in vain seeking a chance to plant a second bullet in

'I'FTK KATIIET; OV .\T,[. TITF-: COATS 225

a iiiuilal place. ll is k) he Icared that some llial he
iittemptecl woiiKl havt' involved a shilling' fiue at Bisley.
Once he measured his length -which is almost lialf-
\va\' between six and se\en feet — in a si ream, and linrt
himself so severeK thai L assured liim al'lerwards he would
have a still" knee for lih', hut wnuld al\va\s lia\'e I he most
pleasurable associations with it. Jlis cartri<lges were
nearlv exhausted, when a snap shot struek the back of the
aiiimal's head, and the huiic beast lav eonciuered. How noble
a trophy he had won the following figures will show, at any
rate to the initiated. The head carried fourteen points, but
one of the " bays " had l)een broken in fighting-. The length
of the horn from the " burr" is 43-2- iiit^hes, span inside the
horn ;]s ', inches. No sueh stag as this, to the best of my
belief, has been seen in Western Europe, at least for many
o-enerations. The Castle of ^loritzburu, which contains
the most remarkable collection of stags' horns in I'^urope,
gathered during several centuries, can ])erhaps match it
with one or two. I do not think the weight could have
been much less than 40 stones. This it was impossible to
verify, but the foot and >hankd)one attached weitrhs •_*.', lbs..
which is considerably mi»i'i' than (hmlile that of a good
Scotch stag. JMiidlav's initial could have stood Ibr" l^'ortu-
natus '" on this trip. Ihit, then, the last time we had been
together, somewhere in the far north, the luck had been
the other way.

The next niuht an incident occurred which shows how
unsophisticated the fo-ce naturcB are in this district. The
Yuruk put his head into the tent and said there was a
beast prowling about, might he shoot it .'' Half an hour
afterwards he tired at and missed a fox. rndeteijcd b\-

226 SHORT STALKS

tliis, tlie depredator carried off in the night the whole
of the remaining venison in camp. The following day
Findlay secured another stag, a much smaller one, the
venison of which was placed for security in the centre of
the camp. The fox again returned at dusk, and was shot
dead by the camp fire, within five yards of us all !

Our host from the village below thought it a necessary
act of hospitality to come up and remain at our camp
during the whole time of our stay. Notwithstanding the
rain, which here came down in torrents for two nights, he
sat through it a picture of serene patience. His followers
were not so well ofi", especially his black servant, for there
was no room in the tents. Hearino; talkino; in the night, I
looked out, and saw this wretched neoro sittino- iu the
drenching rain, and carrying on a loud conversation with
himself to keep himself warm.

The biff stao; was our crownino- success, and if we could
have spared more time we might have repeated it ; for,
tliough the forest was fairly dense, they were not so wary
as the ibex. At least I thought so then. As Bouba
said, " All animals are Sheitan (8atan), but these stags
are not rpute such Satans as those Satans of goats."
The fact was that these same " Satans" were the object
of my journey, and whereas up to that time we had
done scarcely anything with them, I was very unwilling
to return home beaten by a mere goat. We, therefore,
perhaps foolishly, left the red deer and sought out
the goats again. That my amour ^woiwe was saved
the followin<«' total bae^ will show. Seven ibex, two red
stags, one wild boar (a very fine beast killed in a cane-
brake on the plain). On our return to Smyrna, we found

IX THK CANE BltAKE.

228

SHORT STALKS

our deeds celebrated in the local Greek " Daily," a quotation
from which shall conclude this chapter :

'0/\tyo(, /5e/3u.('o)9 yj'('Y»'^"oi'(rtr ("in eis jiLKpav (XTrocTTacrLi' utto rij-i aioi]po-
Spuiij.K?!^ y pa.jij}:?i<; \ivlp v~dp\ov(TiV ir no ecrtorepiKW utyaypot Kat eAa<^oi,
irpMToi 8e voju^oji^' ot "AyyAoi Trepiy'jytjrai^ eXOovTe^ iirl toj'tw tttoScik-
i'»'(H'(r(, T/)]' ('((Sor et'i rois I'lperepois. to?s ttya7r(iJi'T(t'i ra jieydXn. kcu uAvyav/
Ki'rvyytu.

Which Cyril thus freely rendered : "There are wild goats
and deer u}) there, and yet you slow-lxdlied Ephesians let
these English Barbarians come here and show you the
wny to catch them."

^^

JUNK TAKES WELL-EAKNED UEl'OSE.

VII

THE rYlJEXEAX IBEX

Tfik range ol' lln^ r\"i'eiR'cs on its Sjiaiiisli side slopes
rapidly to the lowlands, but its soft limestone lias been
cut ami carvoil in strange fasliion. S(~inio of Hk^ ti'onclies
thus formed are of extraordinary d('[)tli and steepness.
I have heard the xallcy with which f am most Jaiuiliar,
described ;is itcing narrower al the lo|» than at the
bottom. C^M*tainl\' for depth and steepness it has no ri\al
with which 1 am ac( |uaiiile(|. To heigliten the contrast,
the \alley widens in one plact' into a small le\el and park-
like ])lain of grass, dotted with gi-eat s])i-(\ading beeclu^s
whose stems ot" sil^■(■|■\■ hark are llcc]<cd with ncIxcI pat (dies
of ilai'k u'reiii moss. AN here tlie soil has li'athered. tall
spruces colli i'a>t nobl\- with the loH',;- I'mnt of \cllow clitl
which towers above. A ilcn>c undergrowth of serubbv
bee<-li and of l)o\ hushes ten feet higli. co\crs tli(> slo[)es.
I idiappiK' the big beeelies are 'jradualK' di-a|i|)eai'ina"
before man. t he great de\i)urei-. ami iiohle sj)ars of lii's whiidi
have been felled, but ne^'ei- remo\ed. ciimbci' the paths of
tlie forest, win le r\r]\ tlie liumble box isciit iiilo leiietlis to
make wooden spoons whiidi are .-old fir a farthing apiece.

230 SHOKT STALKS

But tlie feature of tlie valley is the wonderful wall
wliicli encloses it. I know no cliffs so tall and so un-
compromisingly sheer as those that hem it in. Some of
them overhang so far at the top, that a stone, dropped
from the edge, will not touch for a thousand feet. In the
early spring they carry a fringe of pendent icicles, some-
times fifty feet long, and these huge spears, loosened by
the sun, descend with a prolonged whiz and crash audible
for miles. The reason for this overhano-ino; character of the
cliff's is, paradoxical as it may seem, the softness of the
strata composing them, because, when a stratum of greater
density overlies less durable material, the latter gets
weathered till the upper shelf projects. Also while some
strata are harder than the averao-e. others are so much more
friable that even the most perpendicular cliffs are scored
horizontally Iw what appear from below to l)e faint lines,
but are really narrow galleries or grooves, along which an
active animal, and sometimes a man, may pass in safety.
This feature has an important bearing on the particular
sport described in this chapter.

Sometimes these galleries extend Ijackwards into the
rock, forming considerable caves, of the shape of a half-
opened oyster, in the face of the cliff or more often at its
base. In summer the Spaniards often select such a one, if
it happens to be in an accessiljle position, and liiTd a con-
sideral)le ffock under its shelterino- roof. Well I remember
one whicli I reached in the company of a lady who is an
excellent climber. It was high up on the face of one of
the tallest cliff's and looked out from it like a window in
a wall. It was approached by a narrow overhung shelf
whicli !('(! across the cliff. We sat at the back in the

TllK rVi;KNKAN IBEX 231

deepest shadow, en. ilinu' luirsclves after <>ui- i'Iiml> of fniir
thousand feet. The .Iinie sun was Imsy witli I he sii<i\\
overhead, and a e(nitiniioiis sliower of <lr<)])s, intensely
illuniinalcil. tell across tlic (tpcii iiioiitli of our rulu^e.
Just outside I his huuinous curtain, a flight of swifts (hirted
and screanKMl. hut tin's was onl\- th(^ foreground. We
were hio'h enouuii to dwarl" the cra<>"i>"v rido-e which forms
the southern side of the vaUcy, and I lie eye swept as if
tVoni a liallodu. the nian\'-coloureil pK-iinsol' Aragon, spread
below us like a map.

The huge battlement which encompasses the valley
sometimes projects into it in towering proniontoi'ies, like
that which forms the background in the ilhistration.
and which is connected with the main mass behind it bv a
narrow isthmus of I'ock. Sometimes the wall recedes into
deep bays, but always follows the same level lines, and otters
the same hopeless front to the climber. Oidy in one spot
for many miles is it sufficiently broken down to afiord a
difficult access to human feet and hamls. In one othei-
place the broken staircase above so nearly apjtroaches that
below, that it occurred to me some years as^o to see what
couhl be ddiic \\x artificial means. A certain liold Tuaxm
was susjiendcd from above and chiselle(l out holes in the
sheer face, into which iron pegs were inserted. This .sca/cr
tie ferro is not a nice place foi" a ])lainsman. but it allonls
convenient access to some excelleni izzard ground, and saves
tin.' shejiherds, who summer in the uppei' ivgidu.-. )nan\'
a wear\' ti'ani|). The tir.>t time I caini' down it \\\\ hunter
followed me carr\'ing an izzard. which I had |u-l kille<l.
The leu'S of a dead izzard are alwa\"s f'a>liiieil id'jeihei- ami
suspended across the bearers forehea<l. while the body

1 rw

iCt

si

¥\\

ilillll

•iT,! '

^ ^ —

^^»-^^'g> '^■- Jli^Ji--i^,'OV

OUR CxVMP.

THE i'Vi;i:ni:an uikx -ja:?

liano's on his back. .lust at tlic iikisI awkward step, wliero
you have to stretch round ;iii .lULilf to Icel for the next
}>eg, lie nervously glanced ui)wards. The next inoinriit I
was conscious of a body — whether man or beasi 1 could
not for a mi^ment t(dl. foi- I was mvsolf clingiun- like a flv
ou a pane of glass — wliirHng past ni\' head into space. It
took us more than ;in hour of caicful hunting for traces
of blood and hair on the slichcs of that ditr. before we
refound the izzard. crushed out ol' all recoirnition, several
hundred feet lower.

Im'Iow the loftier clilfs. lesser escarpments follow the
same level line, divided from one another by sloping
shelv(>s nv mrrn'rhcs. as thev are locallv called, which mav
be followed for long distances without the possibilit \' (tf
asceudino; or desceiidino- from one to another.

All the Pyrenean streams are lovcdv. owino- to the
absence of glaciers and the consecpient clearness of the
water, and, ii'oni the lime or other ]iai-ticles hdd in
suspension, the deep pools assume a wouileilid opalescent
blue. Tn this vallev, the action of the water has polislied
till' limestone into a smooth ami ci-eani\ white — pearls set
in ametliN'sts. I'Voni these blue deptli>. ihe Spaniards
draw, with ver\' piinnli\(' roils and Hies, trout of no mean
size.

In the spring, llii- pari leiilar si i-eam presents a curious
daih' [)henoini'iion. In llie earl\' morning;- it alnio-.i runs
dry — its sources of .-up[)l\ fio/cn haid but the hoi .liinc
sun soon wakes it. ami the \dlume increases till it reaches
a maximum about 4 I'.M.. h\' which time it is a ra"iii<''
torrent of ui-eal depth and fon'c. a >t range contra-t lo the
cloU'lle-^s sk\'. To cross ii.ouc had. at that time, to pass a

234 SHORT STALKS

very nervous bridge. Two fir stems, side hy side, had
been thrown across a rocky place just below^ camp, with
the thin end of one of tliem against the l)ase of the other.
The effect of this was, that while one foot rested on a rigid
foundation, the other danced and sw^ayed uncontrollal)ly,
and the white water tearino- Ijelow did not tend to allay
the involuntary trembling of the knees.

On a little platform overlooking the river and the little
park of beeches, there is a tolerable hay-loft or barn, the
only 1 )uilding of which the valley can Ijoast, and there is
room besides to pitch the tents. Of late years the hut
has been extended, and divided by two partitions so that
it affords very fair quarters.

The slopes of this valley, and of one or two others like
it, are the home of the Pyrenean ibex, one of the rarest of
animals and most difficult to ol)tain.^ Unlike the Alpine
ibex, which inhabits open cliffs, the Spanish goat takes full
advantage of the covert afforded by the dense scrub. This
variation of habit results in a different curvature of the
horns, the points of which in the Pyrenean bouquetin are
bent towards each other over the back — a form designed

^ Other ranges in Central and Sontliern Sj^ain are inhabited Ly a variety
of the same animal, somewhat smaller as I understand, Imt otherwise closely
allied, if not alisolutely identical with Capra I'lircnaica. According to ]^[r.
Lydekker who is an ai;thority on the subject, "there is evidence that in
Andalusia the species has existed since the Pleistocene epoch, its fossil
remains occurring in the caves of Gibraltar in company with those of an
extinct rhinoceros and other mammals." The younger Pliny ajjpeai's to have
known the animal. His translator renders him: "There is in Spaine a
kind of a musmones, not altogether unlike to sheep, having a shag more
like the hair of goats than a fleece with sheepes wooll. The beast hath a
most tender head, and therefore in his pasture is forced to feed with his
tail to the sun." — Philemon Holland's Translation, a.d. 1601.

TllK I'VlfENKAN I I'.KX 235

for easier passage tlir()ii<^"li the luaiiclu's, ]\Ir. lianow,
\vlio wrote at tlie licuiiiiiiii^' of tlic cciiturN', savs that
"despair sometimes impels the \\n-\ to face his rasli
pursuer oii the edge of some })athless [)recipice, and he lias
l)e('ii k'lidwii to tlirow liimst'lF headlong upon the hunter,
so that itoth have rolled o\'er into the ahx'ss beneath, and
miserahly })erished/' However that may he, that these
animals are diffieult to hunt maybe gathere<l from ihe (act
that I pa it 1 f tur di>iiiiet visits to the valley, and worked
pretty hard each time, hetoi'e 1 obtained a single specimen
of a male. (hvini'to the hollows in the rocks, and the
vegetation which covers them, it is all but impossible to
spy them with the glass, and the oid\- methoil of hmd-
ing tliat is practised, is to dri\e them. The guns are
postetl in an ascending line, each one occupving one of the
shelves I have described, at some spot where a lohrabK-
open shot may be obiainetl. The ibex are f"nll\' up to
every point ot" the game, and it is Imt seldom the\' can be
induced to come h)rward to the guns, though. generalK'
speaking, several are viewed by the beaters. Tliough a
heaviei' beast than the chamois. ihe\- ai'c lietlei' climliers,
and will t raverse places wliii-h I dn not think the chamois
Would face. Their aim -eenis to be to pass along some
tiny shelf where no man can fillow. to a ImJIow or over-
hanging rock' w'liicii tlic\' know of. and llicrc lie down.
wii(ill\ invisible from above or below. Dogs ai'c n>ed of
a close-tracking habit— the noisier babliler.- the belter — to
drive them fi'om tliese retreats. Imt it has lia])])ene(l on
several occasions in my experience, thai t he dog has reached
a place where he can neither go f uward noibaik. and has re-
mained there all night . hi> niclanchdlv howls ])laiid v audible

23G SHORT STALKS

at tlie camp, two or tliree thousand feet below. There is
nothino; to be done in these circumstances but to wait for
the morning light, when his master ascends to the spot, or
as near to it as he can o;et, and encourao-es him by his voice
to venture a leap, in which case the dog, who has really
as many lives as a cat, generally gets down unharmed, but
the eagerness of the chase sometimes leads to sudden death,
and I have known them to disappear altogether, leaving
their fote a mystery.

The Basque Spaniards wear a kind of cloth sandal, a
strip of the material Ijeing 1)ound over their feet and round
the ankles. This gives them a remarkable clinging power
on rocks, and however arduous the beat, and difficult the
climbino- thev never shirk their task. The frontier French-
men affect to despise their neighl)ours over the border,
" Ces maudits Espagnols," are words always on their lips,
but this feeling is not justified by any inferiority of race —
quite the contrary. These mountaineers are a sturdy and
agile people, with an air of antique grace, which would
make them ver}' charming fellows indeed if it were not
for their al:»ominable lano-uao-e. The villao-e which is
situated a few miles nearer the plain, has its municipal
institutions tolerably complete. When strangers are in
the valley, a deputation, consistino of the Mayor and his
deputy, commonly waits upon them to bid them welcome.
Indeed the whole parish council, or whatever they call
themselves, seemed to enjoy us as much as if we had been
a circus. The right to sport in the valley was claimed by
the commune, and on one occasion the Mayor, doul)tless
eo;o;ed on b\' his followers, endeavoured to extort from us
more rent than he had himself agreed upon. The task

Till' i'\'i;i:Ni:.\N ii'.i:.\ 237

was cvidi'iit l\' ilistastet'iil to him. lnil a ^ciicial clcciidii
was iiiipciidiiiu. <Mi| Aiilouio, wIki I think was hsKhaiil'
tlio opposition, in pulilic k(^])t on sa\inL!" iioihinu'. whih' he,
aucreth' besouuht ns to stand lirni. The (h'liaic wliich no
(Innlit followed thi> incident of lorei^n jiolie\ was |)i'ol)-
al)l\' aerinioiiioiis. The Alo'ldc whom I knew hest was
a very dio'uiticd and courteous o-entleinan indeed; but
though Siuni»r ( i re^'orio's manners were distiiiL:iiishe(k he
\\as not loo |)i()U(k on oecasiini. to earn a few (Vanes a da\'
by acting as beater. To the practical accomplishinents of
a mountaineer, lie added those of a L^-ood vocalist and
dancer, arts which were brought into requisition wjienever
we had a success to celcbiate. The nali\e costume, con-
sisting of a short jacket and velvet knee-breeches, slashed
at the side, too-ether with a lono- sash wound round the
waist, which i> rrei[iientl\" made use of to lower an
inextierieiiced traveder (hiwii a liad pkn-e, enhanced I lie
]iictui'es([ucness of these occasions.

1 cannot say 1 am enamoured of ibex driviiiL;-. and
it" it Were not for the raril\- of the trophw I wouM never
have enilured those tortures. Fancy sitting through three
sermons on end, of the longest kiiiik on a >toni' which
gets lianh-r and -harper e\ci'\' minute, nnih'r 1 he strictest
obligation not to nio\-e or go to sleej>. I f on the >hailv
side of the xaMew there is a ra>piiig wind, and probably a
snowstorm. On the northern Aoyyv j'i-ijukj unch'istates the
ease. The solitude and the strange ]iositions in which \n\\
find \ourself have a sironij' ellect on the iniaiiinalion. The
laintest sound aciiuires an exau'u'erated sioiiilicaiice, .uhI
sets the heart tlirol)bing painfullw I have often fancied
I heard shots whuh wcic nexcr lire(l. and the baxinu" "f

238 SHORT STALKS

dogs whicli proceeded from no canine throats. The one
hallucination may have been suggested by a little pebljle
hopping down from the cliff above, or the rumbling of
stones in the torrent below, the sound of which comes up
to you at intervals, now faint and now strong, then for a
long period altogether inaudible. The baying of the dogs
is what you are listening for, so the illusion is natural,
l)ut the real thing is unmistakable, and, if you hear it,
pull yourself together, for a dun-coloured Ijody may spring
across the couloir which you are commanding, either above
or l)elow you, and won't wait till your hand stops trembling.
Much more frequently nothing happens at all, and the
tension of your heart-strings is final!}" put an end to by a
sudden and unexpected yell from a Ijcater, which nearly
cracks them outright. He appears round a corner of rock
and looks round in a l)ewildered way, for though he knows
you are there, he cannot see you till you rise stiffly and
stretch the aching joints, with a sense of relief that that
penance is over at any rate.

Some interest is afi:brded by the birds and lesser
animals. Fliohts of thrushes comino; from the direction of
the drive afford the first indication of the approach of the
beaters, tliouoh these are still inaudible. As vou are
stationary, and nearly the colour of the rock, the live
tilings do not see you, and consequently come very close.
A squirrel pattering over loose stones is a good imitation
of the sound made by the larger animal which you are ex-
pecting. They are mostly coal l)lack, with a slight tinge of
gray on the tail — a very pretty species. When at last they
discover the enemy, they chatter angrily. Dusky jays
express their views on things in general in the same way

THE PYRENKAX IF.KX

239

as tlK'ii' hliu'-wiiiu'cd cou.sins do wiili us. The lit I Ic \v;ill
i'i'c('[)er is uiic ui' llic prettiest l)ir(ls ;- l)lack and gi'a\-, wilh
liiilliaiit criiiisoii wiim's. and l)oak ciii'vcd like a curlew's,
lie llutters ubuut the liot rocks — a close imitation of a
butterfly, — and this resemblance is enhanced by his lialiit
of spreading his wings in the sun wlicu he alights. I^agles

THE W.M.I, ci!i:i;rKi;.

are numerous, and the great lammergeier is not larc. T
have known as nianv as fnc of the loruicr lo coiuc down
to the body of an i/.zard, which had been too much
smashed 1)V falling over the clitl' to be removecl. and com-
mence a I'urious contest bei'ore we had hit it \n\- live
minutes. There are a lew foxes about, and occasionalK'
I have seen pine martens. Oiu' of those animals came and
Silt witluii tldrty yards of me. A> lhe<bi\c was nearly
over ] [uit a l>ulk't through Idni. and he makes a very
handsome mount in my hall.

240 SHORT STALKS

The first time I actually got an ibex it gave me long
warning of its approacli, as the slojie consisted of loose
stones, and I could judge by the sound, of the spot,
about eighty yards below me, where it would cross. I
fired the moment it appeared, going at a good pace ;
the goat turned and sprang downwards out of my
sight, but I had seen the hair fly from the shoulder, and
knew that ibex was "my meat," The next gun, who was
placed a hundred and fifty yards below me, fired almost
at the same moment. He shouted — " I have got him ! "
I replied — " My ibex, I believe "^ — when the drive was over
we both hurried to the spot and met over the body. " It
fell to my shot " — " But it was my shot she got ; you will
find the bullet in the ofi' shoulder which you could not
see" — and so it proved.

Like most animals driven in this way, they seem more
or less conscious of dauger in front, and their aim is always
to break back ; consequently a drive seldom takes place
without the beaters seeino; more than the ouns. " Walk
in line with the beaters" may be said, but the beaters are
often not within hearing of one another, and the ground
is so complicated and difficult that even a practised
mountaineer, unless he were familiar with its intricacies,
would be sure to get into trouble. I have however some-
times thought that one might do something by sneaking
about early and late among the cliff's, in the company of
some native familiar with their feedino; o-rounds, but I
have never heard of any one trying this. My first ibex
was only a female, and it was long l)efore I got her a mate.
My son had another a few days later ; after that we left
the ladies alone, and of course as they were not wanted,

Tin-: PVKi:xKAX ir.Kx -j ii

llii'N' ol'lfU caiiK' aiiil (•(iiiti(liiii'l\' (iH'cTlmI llii'iiisi'h us [n ilu-
sacrifice. At the same spot where I achieved iii\' first
success, I h)st ()]\o of iiu' l)(>st chances at a hiu' male. A
messciiii'er ha<l come lii'cathK'ss Imhii the licalei's to sa\'
that Ic r/cii.r had lieci) seen to take to a lirol\cii chll'.
where he was liehexcd to he in hidiiiu'. The I w i > npper
"iins went in haste. In the nieaiiuhde. I chndieil up the
scniir from ni\' post hehiw. and awaited I hem in tlie lia>in
at the lo[» of it nnder the clill'. One of the healers hail
come up and stood li}' me. SiuUlenly pointing as 1 thought
to the cliff", and wildlv gesticulating, he shouted, "See the
houtjuetin I the big one ; i\ladre de Dios I why (h>n't yon
shoot? — ^lake haste — he will he gone here, close Ky.
Oil! I'^athei' of devils! he is gone, and I could have
touched him with my stick; he went (juile slowly too."
huriiig this exc'ited speech 1 gazed and wondered, and
ga/ed again with all my eyes. The clill" was within forty
yards and 1 seemed to command every inch of the inter-
vening ground. T thouglit the man insaric or jid<ing. hut
his frantic o-estures seemed uentiine. Five Seconals later
I caught the flick of a stern as it disap[ieared in the scrub.
The I ruth is, there was a slight depi'es>iun which crossed
the r()ck\' basin within ten \ards of us, of which I was
unaware, and wliih' I was scanniiiij; the led'j-es on iheclitf,
liie ibex, of course the largest ever seen, passed (juile close
to me. My companion, who stood a few feet higher than
I, could see the top of his back and horns, hidden fi'om me
by a rocky hummock,

I always was an unlucky, or else a stupid sportsman, and
such measure of success as I haxc had, has lieeu attained
b\' stickini:: to il till lui-k chanuvd. In the case of the

R

24-2 SHORT STALKS

Pyreneau ibex, I suffered tribulations indeed, but 1 will
drink the l)ittei' draught over again to the dregs. My
brother and I had o-one to what we thouo-ht were to be
our posts, Ijut there was a misunderstanding. AVhen the
beaters came uj^, we were told that we ought to have been
at the " cascade " posts much farther on. There was not
much daylight left, Init, instructing the beaters to come on
in an hour and a half, we hurried down into the main valley
and up a lateral one, and arrived at our posts very hot and
thirsty, just after the time appointed for the drive to begin.
Now it is a recoonised rule that one should never leave his
post during the progress of a drive, but on the day in
question, literally the only occasion when I trangressed,
my thirst overcame me ; the river was scarcely two hundred
feet below. I thought nothing could possibly come yet,
and climbed down to it. As I was stooping to drink, I
saw a hoary old grandfather of goats standing within ten
}'ards of my deserted post. I seized my rifle but the
hammer was locked, and before it Avas ready, the beast had
sprung down out of my sight and gone on towards my
brother. The next moment his rifle rang out, l)ut in-
effectually, for the old billy raced back along the line by
which he had come, just showing me the top of his back
for a moment. That was an unlucky spot for me. It
was just there on another occasion that I was standiug by
one of the beaters who had come up to me. The drive
being over, we were talking together without any attemj^t
at concealment, when I saw a young male ibex standing
within a stone's throw, and apparently unconscious of our
presence. I made sure of him that time l)ut the cartridge
snapped. I had Inirnt some hundreds of similar ones that

rili; |•^ KENEAN ibex 243

year ;i( a tai'm'l ami dtlici-wisc. ;iii(l had had tiiil\- unc dilier
iiiiss-lii-c.

ll will lu' iiiidcrstood thai after thi> >nv\ ofililn- I had
to 2;o on till sninci liiii"' hapiiciictl. Imi a.> I iiaNc said, it
was iml till iii\- liiiirih \i>ii to ihc di>irict that I srciircd
a lirad woiih rduniniLi. It ••aiiic iii this wa\'. T here is,
on ihe soiuhi'rii llaiii< of ihe vaHev, a ver\' wide comiche
witli s1i(>er cliffs Ixitli almve and liehiw it. wdnch ai'c without
a hreak hir .several miles. Il is comparatively free from
serul), ami. Iieiiiu; very rouu'li and broken, is often resorted to
hy the boncjnetin if the lower woods have been iiiiKdi driven.
^\ e hail dri\('ii it on tliat occasion without result, hut
Antonio who had been |ilace(l as a stop, had seen two
niale> on a tin\' ledi^e on the lace of the u[»[)er ebll'. Tliis
ledge was far above ns, and barely traceable from where
we stood. He said that (Uie was ver\' old and walkeil
lame. The men had to make a detour of s!.\ miles to
rea<di the other extrennt w but le-t the u'oats should take
it into t heir heads to siiil't . we made haste to 'juanl our end.
We were assured that this ledui;c. though nowhere more
than two feet wide. wa> I'oniimious for five miles. Indeed
the elill .-eeineil like a wall, lail a man could easd\ |)ass
aloni;- this little shell', for the wiiole distance. prociJiil tlic
rocks irei'e '//'//. There were jilaees which ihc men. bold
(dimbcrs as tlie\- were, would not attem|il wlnn the surface
was moist. <U\r man would of course have been >ut]icieiit.
but, lest they should iict in our way, we sent them, all but
one. to make the l(»nu round, and they canu' alonu it in
Indian lile. One experienced old haml we retained to
show us the way up to our posts, as the ascent was com-
plicated and ditlicult. At this point the clilf was some-

244

SHORT STALKS

what l)rokeii d()wii, and there were several possible routes
which the ibex might take. Of these, I was placed in
the most likely post — the highest — on the ledge itself.
My view was bounded by an angle of cliff thirty yards in
front of me, round which the little shelf wound, and which

CYRIL.

hid everything except a portion of the main cliii" half a
mile off, and across this the faint line of the ledge was
drawn as with a ruler. We had agreed to watch this point
carefully with a glass, so as to be forewarned of anything
wdiicli might approach that way. Cyril, who was posted
a hundred feet below^ me, took five-minute turns with me
at this task, and we signalled to one another with a silent
motion of the hand. After a couple of hours of this
industrious watch, a slight drizzle came on which for
the time partly obscured the middle distance. AVhen
it had passed, I resumed the watch l)ut could not tell
if, in the meanwhile, anything had passed the point in

I'lii': rvKKNKAX ini:x 245

question, ami was in>\v |.( rha|i> a|i}»roacliiiig just rouml
the corner.

Now ( '\ril <iiiil(| (•(luiniaiid imirr ol'tliat part wliieli lay
close at liaiul lliaii 1 could, and lie saw the much-eoveted
pair <i(" liKi'Hs apjiroacliini:'. and alrcadx' witliin T(\a('li of liis
own ritli'. Loyally \\r ]r\ ilie bearded patriarc-li eome on
lo nil' — but iniauinc liis rc('lin"s wlun, o-lanciiii'' up at me,
he saw me steadily spying the distant clill", instead of
watehinu' the foreo-round. Still lif was proof aijainst tlie
temptation, so anxious was he that I should secure the
lir>t honours. In vain he tried liv a faint whisilt' to
attract my attention. The goat passed on out of his sight
towards nu\ Then followed an agonised pei'iod of sus-
pense, so prolonge(l ihat he thouuhf I must be asleep, till
he saw the glass hastily dropped and the ritle seized. Still
the shot did not follow, and he sup})osed I nuist somehow
have let the beast pass me. At last the rifle rang out.
He heard the stones clatter as the animal raced back the
wav he had eonie. The sound ceased, and the next moment
the dead ibex whirled past him through space, twisting as
it fell. In I'ealitw tlioUL;h 1 ke|)l the o-lass iihied to the
distant clitf, I had many years l)efore leai-ne(l the stalker's
trick of kee})ing the left eye 0})en, and I >aw the horns
of the ap[)roacliing animal the instant they a})[»ear((l i-ouiid
the corner. This histor\- miuht be described as the con-
fessions of a duffer, and it must be admitted that the beasi
was yery near me indee(l, before I discovereil thai, though
1 was ready, my rifle was still on half-cock. lloweyer.
•• /c Jtnt/fii.r," |'(.|- he it was. atlvanced with a dignified
hobble, and when within ten \ar<ls of me, he; came into
full \iew and instantly receiyed a slml full m the diost.

246

8H0ET STALKS

With that short gallop peculiar to an animal shot in the
heart, he turned and fled, ))ut fell and died on the ledge ;
turned half over, slid a yard or two and shot out of my

view. No one uttered a
sound for a few minutes,
hoping that the second ibex
must follow the same way ;
l)ut whether he had found
some means of escape from
the trap, which was beyond
the power of his less agile
companion, or whether he
had left it l^efore we closed
the door, I do not know.
AVhen it was clear that
there was nothing more to
come, we woke the echoes.
The poor old veteran had
fallen fully five hundred
feet before he struck, and
with such force that his body
bounded fully as far again down
the slope. Of course the horns
were broken but were recovered
after a short search among the rocks. He was eleven years
old by the rings of his horns, and weighed ten stone clean,
or about the size of a red hind. Ilis meat was the driest
and toughest I ever broke my teeth against. The accident
to his fetlock joint had apparently happened many years
before. Tliere was a sound of revelrv in the hut that
night, and the Mayor danced his stateliest measure.

Till-: 1'\i;i:ni-:an ir,i;.\ 247

T ,1111 liiii|itr(l t<» (juote a similnr incident fi'om a letter
written ti> me I»y an excellent sportsman who know tlie
valley manv years bef(n"e I did. He had wonndcd and
lost an iild male I wo da\s 1)efore. and had (dianeed to spy
it where ii had taken H'i'nL!e, hieh on the lace of the
Hurt hern (ditV. He thns deseril)es the atteni]>t to i-each it: —

■• I'Vaneois and Michel starte(l {'or the aseent, i* and T

takine- up our two old ])osts helow. which we ai'c intimately
acquainted with. 1 did not envy the men. It is alxmt
as \-illainous a hit of elimhinL;' as I kmiw. and tlu' lieiLiht
has an eftect even on Francois's head. ]\Ii( lid had to uixc
up the last itKoirnis j')^^ ami sit down. Francois, bootless,
went on alone. Vainl\' he peered into all the vari(nis
recesses in the face of that gruesome elill'; the bompietin
was not to l)e iVmnd. ( Mie chance remained and that was
on what wt; call the back covrache of the 'Chateau.'
Francois disappeared round the corner, on a ledge about a
foot wide, at a height of at least a thousand feet alwve
our heads. To our ilisa[»pointment he reai)peared in about
half an Imur. and began to comt^ down to us. Of cour.se
I thought he had not found the l)tiu<|Uei in, but it appeared
that he had not oidv f)nnd him Imt had got close to him.
I\'in'4- in a hdle in an awful })lace. but cnuld iKit get near
enougli to dislodge him. After a bit to Q-dt, j^our donncr
courmji', he an<l Antimio Wduhl uo up again an(»ther waw
Accordingly, wleii piinied. up llie\' went auain. and dis-
appeared round the corner. Pi'cseniK', the most tremend-
ous I'liw proceeded Irom that nncann\ re'_;iMn. AnxmusK'
we ke})t our eyes on the little ledge leading from the l)ack
coriU('1n\ but the old boy would not leave, down Ik^ woidd
not come, but dashed past Antiuiio nn three h^us. and

248 SHORT STALKS

instead of taking the usual, and what we believed to be
the only pass, he made straight for the face of the precipice
itself, and we saw him appear, like a fly on a window-pane,
apparently glued to the smooth rocks, along which he
passed at a terriljle height to a little ghostly ledge we had
not noticed before, high above the chamhre a coucher.
Here he lay down, and from below we could only see his
head and neck. Francois and Antonio manaocd to tret
to within one hundred yards of him, but not an inch farther.
Seeino- that nothino" could now be done to o-et him down,
we determined to send a rifle up to Frangois, and make
him finish the })Oor brute. This we did, sending three
cartrido-es. The first two had no effect and it was not to
1)6 wondered at, for Antonio had t(_) hold Francois by the
Ijelt when he fired, and all he could see was his head and
neck. At the third shot the boucjuetin swerved violentl}",
tliouo;h still untouched, stao-o-ered, sent two or three rocks

o " CO '

whirling as pioneers, in his endeavour to recover his
l)alance, lost it, and the next moment was Hying like a
little leaf throuo-h the air. It was a sickenino- sio-ht. So
nnicli does the precipice overhang, that he appeared to us
to be fl}'ing away from its side : six or seven hundred
feet he fell before he touched anythino-, and he onlv touched
twice, each time boundino- hioh into the air, and revolvino;
like a Catherine wheel with the violence of the fall, before
he got to the bottom : a fall of at least a thousand or
twelve hundred feet. IJoth horns were smashed off close
to his head, but are none the worse themselves, and his
skull was smashed into atoms."

A few davs after \\\\ first success, I had another stroke
of good fortune. The posts used for a certain drive being

Till': rVliKNKAN ll'.KX 249

liiniti'(l ill nuiiilnT. jind the htouihI to ])c (lri\cii Ix'in^o;
easier lli;iii usual, rurdiici" I accoinpaiiird t lif Ix'atcrs, hut
the eovLTl proNod so dense and the ehimbering so continu-
oii?5, that tlie (diaiU'O of u'ettiti^' a sliot soomod ho])c]ess. I
locked ui\ rilli'. and de\(»ted ni\' whole eiiei'i;ies to kee|)inii'
in\- place in ihe line, llalfwax' ihrituiih, I iioticeil very
fresh sio-n of il»cx, and slioule<l to thai ellect to tlie nearest
beater. Just then "Medore" l>ei;an whimpering; a little,
and slowly picking out the scent hehmd the line, and in
tlu' opposite direction to wlii( h it was moving. To (juote
a junior mendier of my family "I sacv the scent go round
the cornel'," and then, thinkino- it a cold one, moved on :
when suddeiiK- the dog opened eagerly, fifty yards behind
me. 1 heard some heavy animal crashing through the
brush towards me, with a noise like a mad cow in a green-
In lU-e. and had just time to unloi'k and cock the riHe, when
a bruwii sliadow\- oliject passed within four yards of me.
I was al the nioineiit struiJL'linL'' in llie midst ol' a dense
thicket of young l)eech stems, the branches of which rpiite
prevented aii\- ]>lav oi- sweep of the barrel : but I rire(l the
veriest sna}) shot in the wmld. By the merest lluke 1
hajtpened to co\-er his shoulihT. and in f'Wer nioments
than it takes to write this line, the dog was teaiang at the
dead bo(l\- of another oM ram, scarcely inferior to the first.
1 must have passeil within a few ])aces of his place of con-
cealment, and as 1 rei-arded m\s(df onl\- as a bcatir
1 was makinLf noise enoiio-li to wake the vadev. This
incident shows the rrdiance which these goats ]tlac(> in
mere concealment, and ex[)lains how this scarce species
has maintained itself aLTainst extinction fdi- so manv

ages.

250 SHORT STALKS

Since the date of this double success of mine several
\vell-a|3pointed parties have visited the district expressly to
hunt them, l)ut, if I am correctly informed, their efforts
were fruitless except in one case — that of an Englishman
who killed a female ibex, while his servant got a young
male. The natives of this valley, knowing how small
is the chance, scarcely ever attempt to hunt them for
themselves.

In the course of one of my visits to the valley, I made
a discovery which is worth recording. Masses of a very
beautiful white daftbdil with drooping flowers were growing
on elevated platforms. I remembered to have seen it in
collections at home, and, though I could not put a name to
it, I recognised it as a scarce species. I dug up a (pumtity
of Ijulbs with my alpenstock, and when they flowered the
following year, it proved to be Na)-cissus moschatus, a
daftbdil figured by Parkinson, a writer of the time of
Queen Elizabeth, and described l)y him as coming from
Spain. It has been in cultivation in this country or in
Ireland, probably during the whole of the intervening-
period, but until I found it, its habitat was not known.
A drawing of my flowers appeared in a gardening news-
paper, and I was besieged with inquiries as to tlie locality,
but I only imparted the secret to two well - known
enthusiasts, who together made a journey to obtain it.
Unfortunately, some brigand discovered the native who
liad l)een witli me when I made the find, and bribed
him so heavily that he dug up 10,000 l)ulbs, and made a
small fortune.

When I first knew this district, there were a o-ood
many bears about. They appear to have now deserted it,

'I'lii': 1'\i;I':ni:an ii;i:x

251

]»nt at tliat tinu' one heard almostdaiK- of siniif I'aid wliich
llie\' had altriiijilcd, ov ))cr]>('l rated ii]i(»ii the Hocks. The
shepherds took groat ]iaiu,s to I'okl their goats in (h'teiisiKK.-
]iositioiis, and kept up a rre(|ncnt fiisila(h' during the night
to scare the eneiiiv. Their siTeat sheei)-(k)gs, wliieh are as
hivge as St. Bernanls hut pui-e wlilte, witli l)!aek muz/Jes,

^'^■m

, 'l^r/ '' .

m^^'K..^

"i ''.

V c?r.

NAItCISsrs MOSCHATUS.

were said to have t're(pieni encounters with tlie depredators.
I ha\'e seen (higs who had Iteeii hadlx' scivit che(h and with
all ol them the etleeL fur the lime upon their temper
towards easual strangei's was vei-v mai-l<ed. so tliat it was
e\-eii dangerous to a[ipi'o;ich <aie of ilie>e c-mips ;done, and
wit hout a stout sti(dv.

The (.nly way to hunt hears in these forests, is to pro-
ceed as for the ihex, and to driv(^ them. A favourite beat

252 SHORT STALKS

was in a neighbouring valley, and the post, reputed to be
the l^est, was a little hollow, overgrown with box bushes,
situated above one cliff, and below another. From it
one looked down into the depths of the valley, and uj)
at gaunt cliffs, but the immediate surroundings were in
gloom and overshadowed l)y masses (jf box. It was
rather an exciting spot, for the visible space was so
small that it was obvious, that if a bear came that
way he would inftillibly be almost on your lap, before
he would bo seen. I remember the first time I occupied
this position expecting this to happen every moment, and
indeed the tracks showed that "Nicholas" frequently
passed that way. I had sat there for three hours with
senses keenly alert, and fancying all the time that I was the
first human being who had ever entered that eerie sjiot,
when I spied something white on the ground. It proved
to 1)6 a fragment of the Times newspaper. After this, my
sentiments were of a less exalted nature. The nearest
approach that we made to seeing Bruin ourselves in that
drive, was that, on one occasion, one of the beaters — the
most infirm, who for that reason was at the bottom of the
line, where the slope was easiest — nearly trod upon a large
bear, who sat up and stared at him for some moments,
Ijcfore he quietly strolled off in the opposite direction to
that of the hunters in ambush.

I never saw a bear at the post I have described, but
once an izzard ran up against me there to its own hurt.
This particular wood was a sure find for one or more
of these animals, which were always old male solitaires.
Just Ijy this post, I once found the trunk of a fir-tree,
against which a bear had sat u}), and rubbed his back.

'INI-: i'\"i;i:Nh;.\N ir.KX er,^

Tile hair >lill cliiii''' In till' rf>iii(tiis liai-k hi tlic liri"lil of
six feet six iiidies; so that ihcsr Tn iciicaii I M,'ars sometimes
attain 11(1 nicau size.

( Ml another occasion mv IViciKl t he late Sir \'ictor Drookc
killed a larf_i,'e female, as iiick would liavo it. the da\'
before I joiiu'tl liini. He woiuhKmI her severely at the first
s1iot , and, foHow iii^ ii[i ihrliloodx- t rack, entered ;i patch of
tail liox hushes, so dense that he liad to <-i'a\\l in on hands
and knees. The dog', who had hccii following up the line,
joined him, and, moving hy his side stej) l)y step, sho\vc(l
b}' Ills erect hackles and trembling limbs, that the bear was
close at hand. This was a very risky proceeding, the
moi'o so, as when the shot was fire*], she had a cub at licr
side. Uut she would not face her determine(l pursuer, ami

bolted into the open where Mr. P , who was stationed

on the other side of the river, finished hei' with a well-
directed shot.

Once onh' had an\' member of m\'part\' a success, with
bears, and that was in a dri\e f«»r ibex. ^1\' brother was
posted at the foot of a clitf, where it projected in a shai'p
angular mass, TTis position was ou a favotu'iti^ tra(d': of
ibex, but at some height above it, on the face of the clilf,
there was another alternative route whi<li had to be
guarded. ( )ld Antonio was placeil here with orders to
turn an \lliing that appeared. I think he inii>t ha\'e been
asleep : at any rale, he realised so suddenly that some wild
beast was within a vard or two of him that, forijctlniij his
instructions, or feeling himself unable to tm-n it, he fii-ed
his rickety old piece which was 1oade(l with buck shot,
into tlie flank of the animal. The bear, Ibr bear it was,
turned, and sprang straight over the clitf. Xow the

254 SHORT STALKS

remarkable part of it was that my brother never heard this
shot. Whether it was that he did not consciously distin-
guish it from the shots which the Ijeaters fired at intervals,
or that he was so intent on the baying of " Tembelle," who
was o1)viously pushing something in his direction, I do not
know, but so abrupt is the grooving of this mountain that
I have known more than one case of this puzzling pheno-
menon of smothered shots. The first w^arnino- of which he
was afterwards conscious was a scramblino; sound above,
followed by a Hying leap of some heavy body, and a crash
on the slope of loose stones where he was sitting. He had
fired his shot which had finished the Ijusiness, and the bear
lay dead before him Ijcfore he had fully realised that it was
a l)ear at all. It was a rather small bear, and had probably
been considerably disabled by the charge of shot, which
accounted for this rude and very clumsy descent. There
was more rejoicing among the peasants over the death of
this their enemy, than over a dozen ibex ; and as the pant-
ing beaters gradually assembled, they made the valley ring
again with cries of " L'Osso I L'Osso I " We ate a part of
this little gentleman, but he was less juicy than a Ijilberry-
fed cousin of his in Norway, into whose steaks I had had
the pleasure of sticking a fork some years before.

Once more we thought we were in for a chance. The
way to our posts lay through the dense covert near the
base of a favourite drive, which we called "The Great
Chaos." There, in a muddy place on the narrow track
was the imprint of the characteristic plantigrade foot, so
fresh that the water was still oozino- into it. AVithout
stopping to scrutinise it too closely — what else but a bear
could have any business in such a place ? — we pressed on

'iMiM i'Vi;i:ni:.\x ii'.kx 255

willi rillrs c'oi'kc'ii, and hearts 111 our inuiiili>. Aiiollicr
wet place and in(>i'(> siL;ii ! lie is ('\idciit Iv jusi in tVdnl (•!'
U8 ; A liwi^c sunlit patcli of wild i-aspKcrfics .--liowcd
aliead and — iinw i'oi the su[)ri'ni(' ludincnt — sonic hidden
!i(m1\- was ino\ iiiu' ahout in tlic tall canes. We stoo<l in a
ilToiip. with tlic rides almost at the sliou!

o

Iter, wiien — oil .

the Idank di>iniisioiiiiio; — a rij)plin!4' hinuh lan^' out. and
faces n])peai'cd, not i'uir\', luit raspbeiTX-staiiied altout [\\v.
iiioulh. antl two strai)i)inu' sirens stood uTiiiiiiiiu' in the
siinliulit. and inxdting 11s with a shrill W(dcom(> to tlie feast.
That reiiiiiids me of another sell wlii(di I experienced, and
whicli nii'_;lit ha\-c had unpleasant conseipiciices. A[\' post,
at a oreat lieii-ht above the valley, commande(l a ruo-o-ed
torrentd)fd. and the ojipo.-iie slope of rocks, thinly covered,
where the soil admitted of it, with a scant \' Lii'"Nvt h of pines,
— as fax'ourable a chance lor ibex as there is in the \allev.
The roar and swish of the water, and the wildness of the spot
hell" ti^ ke(^p th(> niM'ves on the stretch of k(>enest expect-
ancy. I'iliiiL;- u]) a few rocks, you crouch beliind tlieni,
and tr\- to look as much like one of tlieni as }'ou can. All
the possible openings are vieilantly kept under ri'view,
and not a nioNcnieiit escapes notice. .\t last there Z^" a
nioN'enieiit. SomelhiiiL;' l\\t» hiindri'd \ards oil' is coming
through the Iret's in mv direction, with caulioiis steps, as
if awai'c of datiger in front: at first oidv a brown pat(di —
looks bke an izzard a hundred ;iiid til'tx' \ard> t<io big
for anything but an ibe.x ; a hundred and twenty }'ards — 1
brini!' the siudit to bear. Now it i> hidden, luit it must
come into full view between those two trees — here it is,

but not just where I expected till' little black bead is well

defined against the hairy Ihink I begin to put a slight

256 SHORT STALKS

pressure oii the trigger, but something iu the clumsiness of
the o-ait arrests me ; then the hish of a long; taih Bless-
ings on that tail I — think what a fate it saved me from—
if it had not been for that, I should have gone down to my
o-rave as the man who shot the cow ! How that cow o-ot
there puzzles me to this moment.

Talking of cows, I once found a heifer at a lower level
l)ut in a more awkward fix. She had been stretching up
after the young leaves, but, slipping, had wedged her head
between two beech stems, which sprang V-shaped from
one stool. When I discovered her, her head was pointing
down the hill, but in her struggles, her body also had
worked round the tree and down the slope, till it was a
miracle her neck had stood the strain. AVlien we found
her, the last flicker of life had nearly gone, and her eyes
and nose were already Jiy-hlown ! Releasing her with
some difficulty, we poured the contents of a whisky flask
down lier throat, and to our astonishment, she presently
came to, but with a crook in her neck which she probably
has still. ^

1 An accident of this kind liajj^^ened some years ago to a red deer in
Windsor Park, and terminated fatally. When discovered the animal was
dead.

VIII
BEAR HUNTIXG

The Eeacler may think that the Last chapter has been
poaching on the domaiji of this one, but it will l)e seen that
wliile the headings of my chapters relate to the different wild
animals, the chapters themselves refer to distinct localities,
and i now pass to a region two thousand nulcs to the north
of my last described ground.

Nearl}' every EnglislniiMii who takes a gun to Norway
lias a latent expectation of shooting a bear. There is a
very old story of one of our countrymen which is calcu-
lated to dis^K'l these illusious. It is cun'cnt in a liiiinlrcd
forms, but the most fauiiliar \ nsioii is. tliat after Sjiendiug
t\vont\' \'ears in tin; sr;ircli fur bears, he liiialK' shot a tame
one in the suburl)s of Christiania. There arc iudcctl few
Bi'itisli spnvtsmcu who ever sec one in its uativc wilds,
still less secure it. That supreme good r.iituiic was
liowcviT mine.

In 1873 I had rented a. red-deer shooting on 1 he sea-
ward side of tlie larGfe islnud of lliticrcn. which lies chix' i.i
the Norwegian coast, just south of the eiit ranee lo the
Thioiidhjeni I'jonh that is to sa}', 1 liajl hired the I'ights

S

258 SHORT STALKS

of about twenty farmers, each of whom is eu titled to kill
two deer. I need hardly say that the right to kill, is by
no means equivalent to the power to kill. Indeed, I doubt
if there were forty deer in all that part of the island.
They live in rather dense w^oods of Scotch fir, dwarfed hy
the Atlantic gales, and it is not possil^le to do much with-
out driving, which has few attractions for me. But I may
say in passing, that these deer reach heavy weights and
carry fine heads, and that the islanders are particularly
unsoj^histicated and hospitable. At the end of three weeks
our stalking — if poking about the woods on the chance of
a snap shot, at the stern of some animal of indeterminate
sex, can be so dignified — had not been particularly success-
ful, and we came to the conclusion that hunting the red
deer in this wise was not a noble sport at all. Besides,
excitino; rumours reached us of bears on the mainland —
there are none on the island — and we determined to try
pastures new.

Crossing the island, we hired a fishing-boat, and sailed
across the sound which separated us from the continent
towards the narrow entrance of the Hevne Fjord, then
up its quiet reaches till w^e came to a green patch denoting
a habitation of some sort. Tliis fjord is less stern and
forbidding in character than most of the show fjords farther
south, but to my mind is more varied and lovely.

We landed at the farm to pass the night and make
inquiries. From the heights above it, I remember seeing a
strange sio-ht. We looked dow^n on the still waters of the
fjord, here about two miles wide. Halfway across it there
appeared a distinct wave, apparently propelled by the nose
or fin of some large submarine creature. It moved on for

BEAR HUNTING 259

a full luilt^ toward.^ tlio shore holow iis, keeping- a straight
course; but the leviathan, or whatever it was tliat caused
the commotion, never showed above the surface. We
could only divine it to l)e the KraJcen, or sea-serpent,
which old liishop Pontopiddan particularly describes as
iiihaltiiinL;' these coasts : "the only place in Europe," as he
says, "visited by this lernble creature." Among many
other veracious facts in its natural history he mentions
that its presence is sometimes discovered by the fishermen,
who find a shallow in their fishino- o-round wlien^ none
should be. Their surmise is confirmed if they encounter
great shoals of fish, on the principle that

"Great fleas have little lleas
Upon their backs to bite 'em,
And little fleas have lesser fleas,
And so ad infinitum."

These they haul in a I a great rate — I mean the fishes. Onl}^
if they find, liy the shortening of their lines, that the krahen
is rising, they Hee away. Finall}' when the animal appears,
" itsback or u[iper part seems to be aliout a mile and a hall"
in circumference (some say more, but I choose the less for
o'reater ccrlaiiit \) and looks, at lir>t b'ke a iiuutbei' of small
islands surrounded willi somctiiinu' liiaL lloats and Ihictu-
atcs like seaweed." lio, further (piotes Glaus Magnus, a
mu(di older wiitei'. to the eti'ect that it leaves the sea "in
moonlight nights to devour calves, sheep and swine. It
has a mane two feet long. It is covered with scales and
has fiery eyes." ..." It disturbs ships anil raises itself
up like a mast anil sometimes snaps some of tlie men from
the deck." These are what the good Ih'shop, who go\erued
the diocese of Bergen one hundred and fifty years ago, calls

260 SHORT STALKS

" crediljle fucts wliicli lie lias gathered from many corrobo-
rating accounts ; " but lie is very sliy of " sportsmen's and
anoiers' histories, which ouo-ht not to he admitted as
authentic." In the former category he places mermen and
maidens which also inhabit these waters. These are said
to swear roundly in the Danish language, and when the
boatmen " grow apprehensive of some danger and begin to
retire, the monster blows up his cheeks and makes a kind
of roaring noise, and then dives under the water, so that
they see him no more." It is of course the mermen only
who behave in this vulgar manner. The mermaidens, accord-
ing to our right reverend historian, are not guilty of any
more forward conduct than " rolling their eyes about
strangely " — perhaps he meant winking — " as if it was out
of surprise to see what they had not seen before," and of
"makino- lamentable cries."

While I am delving in this mine, I may as well
gather from it some particulars of the natural history of
the bear, the subject of this chapter. Says the Bishop,
" When he goes out in the spring of the year he is found
to Ije fattest. According to the common saying, he has
sucked his paws. He sucks them till they make a white
froth wliicli makes them sore and tender. He is at this
season lame, and hops about for some time, and of this the
huntsmen take advantage. His stomach is also sick at
this season, and drawn up of his long fasting ; and to cure
it he looks out for an ant's hillock of which he swallows
up the whole. This scours his inside, and cleanses and
strengthens his stomach." But according to the Bishop
there are times when the bear is much Ijetter able to take
care of himself, for we are told, " he will lire off a gun

BEAR HUNT IXC 261

wIk'Ii lir lias laki'ii ii iVoui the liLiiilsinaii. ( iidcr these
circuinstaiices, the hitter *" has iiothiiii'' to clelciid liiinself
with l)ut Ill's knife. Tliis ]i(> takes crosswavs in his hand,
to run il<>\\n the liear s open throat. If lie (h)esnot succeed
ill this his life is h)st ; the hear tlaes his skin, iind i)ulls the
hail- and ilesh over his heail and ears, face and all." But
he adds "If the luintcr eoiujuers, he then tlaes the Ix'ar."
It appears that the hear has a pari icular dislike to a (•()\v
with a hell round her neek. '" At this hell he is mightily
oli'eudcil : he tears it off and strikes it so flat with liis i)aw,
that it shall ne\er speak or vex him ai^aiii. \\ hen he
wants to cross the water, "it" he sees a hoat h\' the way,
he will iio after it it it he on 1\- to rest himself: if he i>ets
in he will sit in the stern quite ([iiiet and peaceal)le ; the
farmer, however, docs not care to let him in it' he can play
his (^ars fast enough." However, the bear is sometimes
useful. ■■ lor. says the fjishop, "" 1 was told that an old
grass-l)ear was many years known to follow the herds like
their u'liard. and stood often taiiieh h\', as the maid was
milkiiiu', and always drove the wolf aAvay. lie did no
hurt to any <iiie : oul\' in aul iiinii. when he was almost i;"oino-
to look foi' his dell, he would take a kid or a sheep, as if
for vSummer's wages: hut I doiihl if there are many of his
kind that use that discretion. Tlie\' saw howcNcr. lor
certain that in his proper jurisdiction or the place where
he usuallv resides, he will take hut one ])ie('e fi'(Hn a man."
The last statement is sliuhtK' ainhii-uous. This human
element in the cliaractcr of the hear is further illustrated
by Lloyd, wh(j says, '' When he linds a 'gin' set for liis
destruction he sj)rings it, after putting stumps and roots
between the teeth." The same author (juotes W. \'ergelanit,

262 SHORT STALKS

" That the bear, when mortally wounded, makes for the
lake and there disappears, has long been a general belief
among the people of Norway. . , . AVhile the drag net
was being used in a forest lake a sunken log was drawn up
from the bottom, with the skulls of three, if not four, bears
iirmly attached to it, the fangs being deeply embedded in
the wood itself." Accordino; to Turberville " When a bear
is hurt sore and escapeth the huntsman, she will ojDen and
stretch her wound, yea, sometimes she will draw out her
own guts and bowels, to search them whether they be
pierced or not : and by that measure many of them die
when they might well escape." The same writer gives the
following advice to beginners " If two men on foot have
boar spears or javelins, or short pitch-forks, would stick
well one to another's defence and revenge, they may kil a
great bear : for y'' beare is of this nature, that at every
blowe she wil be reveno-ed on whatsoever come next to
hands. So that wdien y'^ one hath striken y'' beare, she
wdl runne upon him ; and then if the other strike quickly,
she wil returne to him again. So that the one may
alwaies help and succour the other."

There were no bears in the neiohbourhood of the home-
stead where we first halted, but there were reports of their
presence farther up, and we ultimately ran these rumours
to ground at a fiirm called Klonglevik, many miles up the
fjord, where lived the noted hjom sliuter, Per Klonglevik,
who had killed no less than eleven bears in his time. He
supported himself on his little croft, but his passion was to
hunt all kinds of fur, and in the spring he migrated to
Nordland for seals and otters. Most of the bears he had
killed were murdered half asleep in their winter hies.

BEAR HUNTING 263

indeed it is in thai \va\' that ucarh" all Lliosc recorded are
obtained.

With what poor appliances tins is done the following
incident, wliidi was told to me, will show. Ole and
]\Iagnns, two mere lads, went up on to the fjeld to shoot
ryper about the time of the first snow. Finding the foot-
prints of a bear they tracked him to a hoh' under the rocks,
where it waseviih'iit tliat he had just ensconced himself lor
tlie winter. The\- had nuthino; but small shot in the f^un
which they carried, Init, cautiously retreating to a safe dis-
tance, they made a tire, and, melting some of the shot in
an old pipe bowl, jiroduced some rough bullets with whifli
they loaded their piece. Armed with this and a long pole
they returned to the attack, and, while one stood over the
hole, the other sounded it, and vigorously prodded at the
sleeping beaut}', i'resentl}' there was a bite, and so vigor-
ous a demonsti-ation, that Ole retreated to a safe place, but
^lagnus stood his ground, and successfully discharged his
piece into the head of" the beast.

Accordino- to Peter the chance of our findino- a bear at
that time of the year was not very good; but of their
presence he (|uickl\' offered proot' by showing us his stooks
which had been pulled about a few nights before, and
other and unmistakable ti'aces w^hich the perpetrator of
the mischief had lefl behind.

The next morning we were off early, all four of us
following in tlic wake of old Per. This was not the way
to kill bears, as the chances of disturbing a wihl aiiinud,
carrying ears so well -tiung as a bear's, is as the srpiare of
the numljcr of the party. But this was only a trial tii]).

The old man bore an euurniuus single-barrelled rillc,

264 SHORT STALKS

weigliing 20 lbs. aud carrying a 4-oz. bullet. It had been
for several generations an lieirloom in his family, and he
looked doubtfully at our express rifles, the bore of which
he kept contemptuously measuring with his little finger.

Bears are passionately fond of all kinds of berries which
ripen in this month of September, aud they greedily devour
bilberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, and moltehcer
or cloudberries. We therefore crept stealthily about, to
the various points which commanded the banks and hollows
where such berries abounded, and especially the copses
where the rowan grew. Many of these trees were found
broken and bent down, for the sake of the scarlet clusters
wdiich adorn them, for, if there is a dessert which Bruin
prefers to all others, it is these. But of the bears
themselves we saw none that day, and this was not surpris-
ino;. Thereafter we never went more than two tooether.
Bears do most of their feedinu' and travellino- — often for
long; distances — at nio-ht, and durino; daylioht are on foot
for a short time only, morning and evening. The inter-
vening hours are spent in some secure ambuscade whence
they can make a rapid retreat through the thicket if dis-
turbed. For this reason we made two distinct expeditions
each day — at the earliest dawn and again about sunset —
and devoted the middle of the day to replenishing the
larder with ptarmigan or grouse, from some beat which we
had thoroughly hunted. On the third day news was
l^rou^ht to us of a large bear liavino- attacked a horse on
the other side of the fjord. That "Nicholas" occasionally
does this with success has been frequently attested. Old
Lloyd describes his method of proceeding, wliicli is "to
grasp the neck of the horse with one arm and to arrest its

BEAR HUNTING 265

hcadloiiii; career by .seiziiiii' ii tree with llie oilier, wlmli
al\v;i\'s l)riiiL;,'s liiiii to t]\o ni'oiiiul witli ;i j<'rl<." I sIkuiM
lliiiik that ;i lioi'sc in 'j,(i(»(l roiidit i(»ii would, with his heels
render a good accoimt of a bearwliicii attempted this tiick,
and indeed when the hitter desires a meat diet he generally
eontents himself with niiitti>ii. IWit according to Pontoppi-
daii this is nol his method of defence. That author says :
" Horses show a ureal deal of eourai>;e when lhf\- liiihl wilh
the wolves and hears, which they are oft obliged to do,
jtai'ticularK tlir latter, for. when a horse pereeives any of
them near, and has a marc with him. he puts the weaker
behind him and attacks his antagonist with \\\r\ fore-legs
which he uses like drumsticks to strike withal, and comes
oil' u>uall\- the eon(picroi'. . . . lUit sometimes the bear
who has the double strcnij;th o-ets the ad\antao-e, and
especialK' if the horse happens to turn about to kick with
his hind-legs. If he attempts this he is ruined, for the
bear instantlx' leaps upon him and fixes himself on his
back." Bears niust occasionally attack elk. foi- in the forest
of a IVieihl of mine a eow elk was shot froni whose
shoulder a lar"f t lianu'ular piece of skin had been toi'U, ami
the wound showed unmistakalde sions of a bear's claws.
The state of her udder pi-o\c(l that she had been smkling
a call, in derendmu' which she had [)erha[)s receued her
wound, but which had probabK' I'allen a victim notwith-
standing.

Whatever the tiuth of tln^ particulai- tale which reached
us may have been, it was sutlicit'iitly exciting to induce us
to change our (piarters, and we crossed tin,' Ijoid and wcni
several miles up a latei'al \alle\'. We were c,irl\- ;d<iot
the next nioininij but iL was jioL nj\ turn to m.) with fV-r.

266 SHORT STALKS

Leaving what was supposed to be the most likely fjeld to
the other party, accompanied by my cousin and a young-
farmer, I followed the track along the bottom of the valley
for some distance, hoping that fortune would send some-
thing in our way. The lower slopes were covered with a
forest of spruces, but between that and the sky-line there
was a considerable belt of rough mountain side, less densely
clothed, and which could be fairly well surveyed with the
glass. Each slope as it came into view was carefully
examined. At length we reached a little knoll, in the
middle of the valley, which commanded both sides.
Stretching ourselves on the soft carpet of heather, and
basking in the sun which was already high, we toyed with
our telescopes without much expectation, for it was now
nearly bear's bedtime. I was sweeping my glass rather
vaguely over the ground above us, when my attention was
arrested by the rounded back of some whitish animal,
feeding far up the mountain side. "A sheep," I said to
myself; but what should a sheep Ije doing up there and
alone too ? Besides it was too big for a sheep, and yet it
seemed too white for a bear ; but at that moment the
beast turned broadside and disclosed his proportions. It

'Was a bear ! How B jumped when I told him ! But

there was no question about it. He was plainly visible
to the naked eye — a great wallo2)ing whity-brown bear !

And now in a moment we were in a frantic state of
excitement. How to get at him ? It would take us fully
half an hour to climb up through the forest, and during
that time the animal would be concealed from us, and
might change his position or retire altogether. He was
evidently busy feeding, and had now reached a long flat

BEAR HUNTING 267

tflo_[)c wliicli luokccl as ii" it would (iccup\- him suiiic time.
Tf M'o wont up a little to tlu^ left (»!" this wc should be
under tlic wind, and mi^ht hope to encounter Iniu, if he
continued his present course. It was everything to cover
the intervening ground in the shortest possihir time. The
young peasant did not seem anxious tu improve his ac-
(piaintance with bears, besides which, like most Norwegians,
lie wore \'er\' dark and conspicuous clothes. So we left
him behind, with orders to remain where lie was, and il
necessary to signal the movements of the liear. ]My young
companion and 1 were both in first-rate condition, and we
went up through that wood at a pace which would be hard
to beat. In twenty minuti's we must have got up nearly
a thousand feet, and it was now of the greatest consequence
to get a sight of the bear as soon as possible. Fortunately
there was a rocky ridge close to us wliicli rose abo\'e the
tops of the trees. This we climbed and eagerly scanned the
prospect. To our great joy we soon again mndc out our
fiit'iid, who was still busy witli his breakfast and remained
nearly in ilic [)Osition which he had occupied when we lelt
the bottom of the valley. Diving once more into the
gully which scored the mountain side, we again rapidly
rose, and in ten minutes more had reaclit d, what I judged
to be, the proper le\el of the place where he had been last
seen ; I)ut now tlic bear had cntiivl\' disappeared. AVc
cautiously drew along the mountain side towards the spot
where he had been feedino; but could make out nothing.

There were several little coppices of dwarf birches near
where \\r had been ; he must 1)e hidden in one of them.
We sat <h>w"n ;ind 'jot out i>ur ;_:lasse8, for a nmrc careful
inspection. After a long search i made out a patch of

268 SHORT STALKS

something wliicli miglit be bear's fur, and, after keeping it
in view some time, it moved, and, soon after, the bear
showed himself once more in the open. He was now not
more than two hundred yards from us, on a ridge similar
to the one where we ourselves lay, and lictween us there
was another and rather lower ridge, divided from us and
from him by deep and narrow rocky gullies. While we
were considering our next step, he drew towards us and
descended into the second ravine and out of our sight.
We immediately drew to the edge of the first ravine whence
we could command the intervening ridge, which we ex-
pected him to cross. Once we heard him crashing through
Ijushes, and then for minutes which seemed ages we neither
heard nor saw anything, till I began to fear that he had
crossed, some way above or below, and out of our sight ; for
we could not command more than about a hundred and fifty
yards up or down the slope. I was afraid to move on, lest
he should come over upon us, while we were struggling
among the scrub and rocks of the ravine immediately
below us. Anxiously we deljated the question and decided
to give him only two minutes more before we went to seek
liim ; l)ut before that time had expired we saw the gray
top of his head, as he moved straight towards us Avitli that
swaying motion peculiar to the animal — his head close to
the ground, and now and again sucking up great moutli-
fuls of berries on either side of him. He was not more
than sixty yards off ; I got my bead upon him and kept it
there as lono- as he moved forward towards us. At lenotli,
some l)unch of fruit more tempting than the rest caused
him to turn broadside, with his head down the hill,
and I let him have it behind the shoulder. It was a

270 SHORT STALKS

relief wlieii the rifle cracked and the mental strain was
over, whether I had missed him or not. But then I
knew for certain that I had not missed him. When
the smoke cleared — it was before the days of Schultz
or E.G. — the bear appeared running straight towards
us, quite unaware of the quarter whence he had been
stricken, and it almost looked as if he were chnroino- us.
Now he reached the opposite edge of the ravine beneath
us and beaan climbino; down its face, but lurchino- so
heavily that I could hardly keep myself from shouting, for
I saw that he had the lead in a vital spot. Telling my
companion to reserve his fire for close quarters, I gave the
enemy a second barrel which made him reel again. At
the bottom of the ravine he reared up on his hind-legs,
clasping a young tree and swaying it to and fro in his
struo-Q-les with death. Two more shots and then he rolled
over. As we ran towards him we danced and yelled and
shrieked as if we were demented. But we had sense
enough to draw near with some care and from above, as he
lay on his side apparently hi articulo mortis. Tenderly
approaching I tried to turn him over with my foot, when
he suddenly raised himself on his fore-feet, with a very un-
pleasant rattle in his throat, and tried to scranil)le up the
hill after us. For this we were prepared and springing
back I finished the business with a shot through his fore-
head. We proceeded to examine our prize. Though I
have hitherto spoken of it as a male it proved to be a she-
bear four years old, and five feet long from the nose to the
tip of the tail. Now that we came to inspect her closely
her light colour was even more strange than it appeared on
the hill side. Seizing her fore-paws we dragged lier down

JiEAU HUNTING 271

tlie steep slopes till we were j(»iiie(l by our native and two
others from a sa'ter l)elow. They were almost as deliuhted
as we were. i\>r I hey had siitrrn'(l iniich. AImjuI I he time
we got her down into the valley, there was a shout from
the top of the ridge above us ;ind th('r(^ were tlu^ other
party. They had heard tlu! shots and oui- shouts whidi
souiithMl to thcin hke a, wail of distress. (Jld Per had said
" Spring vi over tjeklet," and they must have "sprungt"
indeed to have accomplished ihr distance in the lime.
Willi their glasses they had niaih' out the l)od\- of the
hear in the midst of the group, and more answering whoops
went uti from us to assure them there was no delusion.

A cart was sent for, and the l)ear was conveyed to the
farm with all the })omp and circumstance hefittiii'^ oui-
important victory. Then we had a grand skinning in the
})resence of the whole po})ulation ; I never felt myself so
big a man before or since. 1 was told that I must
immediately proceed to the nearest IiiikIshkiii or magis-
trate, and claim the reward, Init, as that would involve a.
two days' journey, and the mutilation of mv troph\- b\'
the extraction of two df tlie (daws. 1 i)i'et'erred to loref-o
the five dollars whi< h I had earned, whereat the natives
wondered. ( )n investigation il appeared tliat \\\\ first
shot wonhl have sufficed, and after Per had seen the
destruction whi<di it wrought, he did not again take the
troubh' to carr\' Ins cannon when he went with us. IJut
thuuiih we worke<l harder than e\ei", wc saw iiothiniJ" more
that year. Then we sailed back to Havncii on the island,
and iiearK' at<' a fimous old sportsman who was staying
there out of house and home, while we waite<l the coming
of the old Tdsso.

272 SHORT STALKS

AVliat Norwegian sportsman of tbe last generation does
not remember tliat old ship ? She plied from Hull to
Throndhjem, threading the islands for the last quarter of
the way, and dropping or picking up her ardent passengers
at various outlandish points. How jealously they guarded
the secrets of the rivers and fjelds, and yet how friendly
they were 1 If I remember rightly she had been once cut
in half and mended again to suit the passenger traffic. In
the winter she returned to her vocation of carrying stock-
fish to the Mediterranean, and you would have known that
too without l)eing told. In spite of the tumbling seas on
the Dogger, and the fcit pork, and greasy stewards, which
things were a snare for weak stomachs, those of her
patrons who have not gone on a longer voyage must have
memories of jovial hours on her salted decks. The last I
saw of the old ship was the tips of her masts sticking up
in one of the narrow channels between Stavanger and
Beroen. Once more and for the last time she broke her
back, I)ut it was on a rock and in a snowstorm. She
was past patching that time and her old liones were to be
put up to auction on a certain day at twelve o'clock. But
at ten o'clock she had cheated the hammer by knocking
herself down for nothing, and sinking in deep water.
However that was years after the date of which I am
writing.

The next time I visited my bear-ground, we disem-
barked at Christiansund, and hired a little steam launch
which carried us through the night up the long and narrow
strait of the Vinge Fjord, the head of which is divided by
a few miles of isthmus from the Hevne Fjord. When the
little engine stopped its panting, we Ijreakfasted in the

V.r.W. TTrXTTXG 273

dark, ami as soon as the niuiiiiii^' hroki-, lamlctl and wrrc
ourt' more greeted by old Peter and liis son, and were
c|uickly dcvonvinu- tlic nows wliidi ilicx- had ln-oii^dit
about bears in [)k'nty and of })()rtent()iis size. W'c soon
found lliat llifir arcounls were not exaiXQ-eratLMl as tliere
was much "sign'' about. I think it was on the second
day after nur arrival that we were trvino- a lonu' hof-
barked ridge called the Rod Fjehk ihickK' wooded on its
sides, l)Ul o|)cn at the lo[) — a small place, but a favourite
resort of bears. Arrived at the to]) we se])a rated; I went
with Per along (^ne flaidv, Geof with the lad on the other.
Halfway along our beat there was a ridge which hid a
useful-l(M>kinL:' hollow from our \iew. 1 suo-o-ested that we
should make a detour so as to survey this depression before
advanciuo- to the windward of it. lUit Per said it was no
good, and I followed, too tameh". at his heels. We now
reached an eminence which commanded the uround in front
of US, and had scarcely sat down to spv it, when a large
she-bear and Inr half-grown cul) galloped out of the hollow
wliicii we had thus foolishly missed, and passed scarcely a
liundre<l yards from us; I levelled m\- [)icce, but Per
arrested me, saying, "Don't shoot; they will stop, they
are only going to feed." if that was so, they must have
been in a great huriy foi- their supper. Of course the}'
had smelt us and wei'c bound for the next parish. They
never paused till the\' had ])ut several hundred \'ai'ds
Ijetween us, and then dixed into thick trees on the other
side. \\'e followed, vainly hoping that L'er's surmise was
correct, and that we might yet find them. We did see
something moving in the bushes. As we stealthih
crept forward some dindy-seen loini was approaching

T

274 SHORT STALKS

US from the opposite direction ; drawing behind a bush
I waited with my rifle ready. Tliere was a faint rustle
and Geof appeared wdth his rifle presented at my head.
We had been stalkino- oiie another.

After this w^e shifted our ground to Krokstad on a
branch of the fjord that runs far up into the mountain,
and here, unlike the generally soft tone of this fjord, tall
cliffs hang over still and inky waters. This moving about
from farm to fiirm is very pleasant. The quality of the
quarters varied, but, though we never knew what we should
find, we were always sure of a cordial recejDtion. Here in
this darksome corner of the world there was quite a fleet
of herring-boats which were busy day and night, and with
good results, to judge from the boats, nearly gunwale
full of silver treasure, which were being rowed across to
the larger smacks, for conveyance to Throndhjem. These
fish are called fat herrings and they deserve the title.
They were entirely without roe and all the oily juice of
their bodies was concentrated in the flesh. I want some
scientific man to tell me why they don't make maiden
herrings like that on our coasts, and why we are con-
demned to eat them only when in an interesting condition.
The attractions of this l)eautiful place were further
enhanced l)y vast flocks of gulls continually in motion,
and shoals of porpoises, justly called cacciatore di mare,
who were also eno;ao-ed in chasino; the herrinos. I was
told that a whale occasionally follows the shoals into
these narrows, and it is recorded that "sometimes he
swallows such vast quantities, that his bell}' will hardly
contain them, and is even ready to burst, wliich causes
the whale to set up a hideous roar."

BEAT} TTT'XTTXO

275

Al lliis place llu' bears had liccii (•(•niniilliiiL' irreat
ravages, and ilie (^veiling ul' oui' arrival 1 saw one — very
Jai'ii'onnd lU'arlx' lilai-k. He was feedinu' about six IiuihIitmI
yards from me on the top of a clilt". i quickly halved this
distance and was just counting on a first-rate chance when
lie disa})peared iido the tangle whidi cldllied t lie face of
the clilf and 1 saw him no more.

We did not however reliirn IVoin ihat expedition

UEOF.

(|uit(^ em|)iy-lian(h'd. Ii was at lieerild lliat Geof got his
l)ear. When we reachrd tlie foot of ihc mountain ihr
peo])1e at the farm told how they had seen a hear onl}' an
Imnr licforc \\ C a^ain took o])])osite flanks of the same
ridii^e, a method wliii h I do not recommend, as one partv
is verv lialde lo interfere with the other by uivini;- the
wind, and from the dilliiidi\ of defining I he beats l)efore-
hand. At t'our o'clock I heard two shots and then after a
pause two more. M\ companion and I set off running

276 SHORT STALKS

and crossed the intervening crest. Guided by loud talk-
ing we quickly found the other party. Geof had seen
something through the tree-stems and pulled Per down
into the bilberry bushes. From this place of concealment
they made out two bears, as usual busy with the fruit.
Keeping very Hat he crawled forward. Then one of the
animals moved towards him and o;ave him a o-ood chance.
He took a steady aim behind the shoulder, and knocked
him right over. But, as he was about to fire his second
shot at the other bear, the first gathered himself together,
rose up, shook himself, and made oif. A second shot
failed to stop him. Loading as he went Geof ran forward
as fast as the roughness of the ground would permit, and
actually overtook the bear, or at least got near enough to
perceive the wound in its side ; but the meeting was so
sudden and unexpected to man and beast that, while the
latter slid off the edge of the rock like oil, two more
bullets went over his back. He was evidently severely
wounded but he had now reached the edge of a steep de-
clivity down which he went, sliding, rolling and tumbling,
and was instantly lost to view.

Geof was under that common delusion that the lost
bear was of very large size. The next hour was therefore
almost too exciting to be pleasant. We hunted every
cranny of that clilf, never knowing from moment to
moment whether the infuriated beast would not spring
out upon us. At last darkness drove us down, and in a
very depressed condition of mind we rowed away to our
night's tjuarters. But the first streak of dawn found us
on the spot again, reinforced by a company of peasants,
and we carefully quartered the ground. This measure

BEAi; lirXTING 277

[>r()\(jd cli'ccLiuil, and iii a cjuarter oi" an liour one of lliuiu
had rccovorod tlic l)l()od-staiiR'd ti'ack. and, following it
up, had found the bear, (juite dead, at the foot of
the cliff. The only disenchantinij' tliino- about it was
that it proved to be a mere hobbledehoy of a bear
after all.

1 did not have an opportunity of revisiting that country
for a good many }'ears, and when 1 did so, I learned that
the bears had left their old haunts, and this information
was completely confirmed by a search of all the favourite
places. There was no sign of a bcai- having been there for
years. It was difficult to account for this for they had
been little hunted. Perhaps it was a bad year for fruit.
1 daresay they are back there by now. and if an}' of my
readers should be tempted to visit the place, 1 hope he
will let me know ihe result.

1 will conclude this chapter with a story which was
told me by an Enixlishman, lono- resident in Scandinavia,
and for whose veracity I will vouch. It shows that though
liruin almost always runs away, accidents do sometimes
happen. Two poachers, Nils and Lars, were out after elk
in the winter. The dog in Lars's charge was drawing on
something. Nils kept some way to the left on a parallel
course. Suddenly Lars saw something gray in a chimp ol
fir-trees and fired. Tonfident of havino; held true, he ran
forward to ascertain the effect of his shot. Instantly a large
bear charged him, and, before his frienil couhl intervene,
had so mauled him that he dieil the same evenino-, A\ ild
with grief for his friend, Nils started with a dog to avenge
his death. The task should be ensy, tMr ihc bear had gone
ulf leavinii blood \' iracks in the ,^iiow. J>ut Nils never

278 SHORT STALKS

returned. Three days later a search party found him bitten
and clawed to death. Strange to say his gun had not been
discharged, and still more strange, his dog had also been
killed by the bear, who had himself succumbed to his
wound, and lay dead a few yards farther. Thus of all
those concerned in this tragedy there was no survivor.

IX

A TAXTALISIXG QUEST

The red deer of xVsi.i Minor i.s by no means widely dis-
tributed over the peninsula. The essential conditions of
its existence — forest, seclusion, and above all running-
water — are conibincd in conipai'ativel}' few of llic elevated
ransces of tlu> countrv. In a fu-iuoi- cliMiiter 1 have recorded
a trip wliicli I made fov the purpose of liuntinp: tlie wild
goat or ibex of that country, and how, in the course of our
search for that aninuxl, we, by chance, discovered a moun-
tain and a forest where the red deer existed in tolerable
numbers. Our stay there liad been necessarily restricted
to a few days, and (hiring that time, my companion
secured two stags, one of them heing of great size, and
carrving a grand head of fourteen ])oints. while neither my
son nor I o-ot a chance. Cousiderinu' the spliiidid dimeu-
sions of these (her. whidi are. I tliinlv, even larger than the
Ilimalavaii J)"r<is/n(j/i</ . and inferior to no olln-r species
of red deer in {\\r world, except the wapiti of America, it
was not to be expected that 1 should sit down [•aiieiitly
under this rebuil". in the autumn of hist 3'ear, I

280

SHORT STALKS

revisited the same range, in the company of Mr. A. E.
Pease, in the confident expectation of securing some
trophies. In this, however, for various reasons, we were
completely unsuccessful, although, on several occasions
we nearly grasped the prize. I appreciated more than

-., I

THE BIG HEAD.

ever the ease with which my companion, Findlay, in
the previous year, came, saw and conquered, Avliere I,
after infinite toils, had twice to retire, confessing^ mv-
self routed ; and, to show that I am not jealous, I here
insert a picture of his big head, literally copied from a
photograph of it taken immediately after it was brought
into camp.

A TAN'IWl.lSTNT! QUKST 281

()iir lailiirc \vill not ])erliaps make our experiences tlic
less iuLereslini;' (o sport snieii. The cundiLions of llus
quest were unusually ditlicult, and the details may pci'haps
suii'ii'est to th(»>f who ninv follow us, the l)cst nu'ans of
overcoming them ; for tliough tins chapter may read like
an apology for our defeat, I do not pretend that we did
not make mistakes. AVliat Nimrod so inspired as not to
do so ? I only say that in addition to any errors of
judgment we may have made, we had more than our
share of Ijad luck.

The Continental journey, the triple voyage, the
glimpses of Corfu, Athens, and lSm)'rna need not be
dwelt upon, TiCt me begin l)y describing the ground
we designed to hunt. Abruptly, out of the level
plain, springs one of the Pisidian ranges, the " White
^Fountain,"' so called from its twin peaks of limestone,
which rise, to a height of 7000 ft., gaunt and bare
by contrast wiili their lower slopes, the last-named being
sombre-hued from the cypress and sci-ubby oak which, on
this side, clothe the base of the rano-e. Its Icadinsf feature
is a ravine of extraordinary depth dividing these peaks,
and literally cleaving the mountain to its roots. The tool
which has carved this narrow groove is a little stream which
seems quite out of proportion to the work it has acconi-
plish('(l. It |iur>U('s its silent wa}- 3000 feet below the
double summit, and through depths which never see the
sun. while nothing that has not wings cnn foll(»w its eourse
throughout. It actually disappears from view before it
reaches the plain, though an extensive cane brake, a
favourite resort of wild boar, marks the place where
it oozes forth auain. The sheer cliifs which face one

282 SHORT STALKS

another on either side of it, are honeycombed with
holes and caverns, and show how the water has grad-
ually melted out a way for itself through the soluble
limestone.

A rough pass crosses the mountain at a great height
above this ravine, and near the highest point of the path
we pitched our first camp. Our pack train, which com-
prised a varied assortment of horses, camels, and donkeys,
had dawdled by the way. This was the more trying
to our patience as a thunderstorm was gathering and
growling behind us. Just as we reached the camp it
burst upon us, and in a few moments the ground was
white with large hailstones. Hastily pulling one of our
little tents from the back of the animal which carried it,
we held it up — there was no time to pitch it — and as
many as could gained a partial shelter by crouching inside ;
but such of our packages as were not waterproof were
presently reduced to draggled rags, and our bread to
sodden pulp. This dusting was not the pleasantest form
of greeting, but it was soon over, and tlie bushes around
were presently arrayed in a strange assortment of garments,
British and Oriental, steamino- in the settino- sun. We
had no reason to grumble, for thenceforth for twenty-eight
days we enjoyed a heavenly climate, once only similarly
broken. Frosts at sunrise, fresh sparkling mornings, then
four hours of blazino- heat for salamanders wdio liked it,
or, for those who did not, a soft bed of pine-needles in the
cool shade among the fir-tree columns, and the sweet
resinous smell which the sun distils from them. Then
again, the cool shade of the mountain, for the sun dipped
early behind the lofty ridges, while, for two hours more,

A TANTAT.TSTXU QUEST 283

itri .sliatts dl' lii-iit coLitiiiucd to .sLrcaiii llirouiili tlic ureal
gap, painting its white elitfs red; and wlien, as sometimes
hnp|)('n(Ml, tlic twin peaks were ca]i]^i(l wiili Invid stoTni
clouds, I he level rays were detiected downwards, and dis-
persed in juismatic colom's.

I'^idni dui' elevated camp we overlooked the country
lieyond the White Peaks — a great expanse of lower hills,
ot" roumUnl form, and generally free from rocks, but
covered from top to bottom with a vast pine forest com-
plicated by numerous hollows, pockets, and deep narrow
ravines, at the I)ottom of which trickled tiny streams
generalh- half blockcMl wiih fallen stems. Beyond, lay
tlie plain again, dotted widi patches of green, indicating-
villages and water, and beyond that again, range upon
range of mountains, most of them of a uniform light gray
colour — an important fact from the sportsman's point <•!
view, for it denoted their waterless and treeless condi-
tion, and indeed the almost total absence of any kind
of life.

The forest consists of pines of llie Corsican variety
which throws grand trunks, but carries, comparatively,
scanty tops. Fires are of constant occurrence, and their
track is marked l)y wide patches of whitened stems.
These are terrible jtlaccs to get through, for the ground is
littered with rotting branches, and the admission of light
and air induces a tremendous tangle of umh^rgrowth.
This forest, like every other in Turkey, is rapidly dis-
ajipearing. On one occasion, in ihe course of a two hours'
ride into these liills, I counted thirty donkeys, or horses,
laden with roughly-hewn beams or tiiv\\oo<b ;ind this
process goes on all the \'eai" round. The liucst trees are

284 SHORT STALKS

cut down to furnisli perhaps a single joist, or even left
to rot if not precisely to the mind of the woodman.

Such was our huntini!- oround. We knew there were
red deer there, and were eager to begin, Ijut before doing
so, let me descrilje the lyersonnel of our party. It must
be admitted, that on this occasion, our following was too
large, and the consequent increase of luggage was a serious
impediment. The supposed difficulties of the country
accounted for this. Nevertheless, it was a mistake which
I here place on record as a warning to others.

On Celestin, who has appeared before in these pages,
I, of course, placed my chief reliance as a stalker. I had
also engaged a countryman of his who combined the joint
functions of hunter and camp servant. To Achmet, a
Yuruk, who summers his goats in these mountains, we
looked for local knowledge. He has the reputation of
beinsc a 2:reat hunter. Careful cross-examination elicited
the candid confession that he had only killed three deer
in his life, all hinds. Indeed, he admitted that he had
found them so difficult to get, that he had given up trying
on his own account.^ Achmet had, however, some know-
ledge of the haunts and habits of the denizens of the
forest, and he kept our spirits up by his sanguine l)elief
in the power and accuracy of our rifles, and our infalli-
bility as hunters. If he heard a stag roar, he danced a
triumphal pas seul : " Inshallah, we will have his head
to-nio-ht."

o
^ It would appear that others are not more fortunate, for 1 could hear
of no horns in the villages, and very few pairs find their way to Smyrna or
Constantinople. This is, perhaps, in part accounted for by the custom,
which, I understand, prevails among the villagers, of presenting any shed
horns wliich they may obtain to the mosques.

A TAXTALISINO QUEST 285

l)()ul);i. the crst-wliilc liri'^niid. whose e;ii'l\- c-capades
lia\c !)C('ii ilcscribril li\- me m a Inrnici' diaplcr, aclcd as
our general advisor and juiitector. Then there "wore the
intor])ri'tci- and tlic cook. Tlio soloction of Levantine
ser\'aiits is al\va\'s a lotteiA', and in this case we drew a.
Idank ;is well as a prize. Franyois, a, ISmyrniote, acted as
our interpreter, l)Ut was rea(]y to assume at a nmnient's

.lANI.

notiee all other funrtions, 8U<di as tailor. wa>licr\\ unian,
kitdicn-niaid. postman, beater, and (n-cn on one occasion.
rdicxril inc Innii nnndi pain l>\' hi> >kdl as a chiropodist,
in old .lani. wlnun we liired as cook, we carried dead
weight. Ill' hail never learnt to build a camp fii-e. which
is ratliei- an essi'iitial beginning, and his suul scarcely
soared above the mysteries of />//'(//. that uiu versa!
Tnrkish dish consisting of boibd rice and scraps. ( )!" il

|C

286 SHOUT STALKS

washing of pots and pans, or indeed of any ablutions at
all, lie could not see the necessity, because, as he said,
" They dirt themselves to-morrow." But besides this he
had the most muddled mind I ever encountered. Stand-
ing erect, among a chaos of utensils, on his shoulders an
old soiled blanket which he wore day and night, he would
slowly revolve on his axis with a vacant, searching ex-
pression on his face, while he vainly endeavoured to recall
where he had last mislaid the liandle of the frying-pan,
or some equally essential article. Why we kept him on
I do not know, except that he could never have found his
way back alone, and that we regarded him as a sort of
court fool, whom we carried for our amusement. His
pigeon English was certainly worth preserving. In reply
to a ravenous sportsman as to what he had got for dinner :
"I know; chickens. One chicken cooks you ; one chicken
eats men with pilaff; one chicken soups." "But, Jani,
we are getting rather tired of chickens." '' Buy sheep
upstairs" (on the mountain). "And how far may that be? "
" Two o'clock to another small country — half a street."
That is obscure, but we, who understood the workings
of his mind, knew that he meant, " two hours to the next
village — quite a short journey." At last, one day, he
disdained even the slight preparation indicated above, and
remained rolled up in his old blanket. When roused he
excused himself : " Something twist in stomick ; he very
smart." I save him a rousino- dose of castor oil and
essence of ginger, after wdiich, if not very smart, he was
ratlier smarter than l)efore. He had a private remedy
of his owai which he thus described : — " He makey very
hot rocks in fire ; one for belly, one for what you call

A TANTALISING QUEST

287

(Icrriere." We discournu'iMl ihc |iractico of" lliis drastic
cure ; wliicli, IiliwcncI' cuiiirurliiig, was an iueuUNT'iiieuL
one tor I he cook.

]>ast, Init lint least. T iiiav iiKMition nn- dear d(\a"
"Smoke," a Ndi'weuian elk-liouii<l. wlm I liojicd would
|irn\'(> useful 111 the forest. lie is a In ii<l-li n ad, i.e. his
metier is to indicate l^y his luaiiner ilir ])reseii((' of deer,
aiiil to K'ad his master towards ilicin. If il liad not heen

■ SMOKE

fur an iiiilowai-d mi>lak(,'. wliirh J will |)reseiill\' nairale,
he would have justified his pi-eseiice, and as it was, he
ani])h' rcjiaid tlir trouMi' of linii'_:'iuLi" him h\' his au'reeahle
company. Jle is of a s(»cialil(' disposition and wishes to
make fii('iid> with every two-footed or four-footed creatuiv
lie meets. This diil not alwa\'s answer, lor ;i Turk regards
all dogs as equally accursed, anil the lo(,iI doers veliemeiiilv
resent the intrusion of a stranger of their own kind. Jle,

288 SHORT STALKS

therefore, soon learned to keep pretty close to heel when we
approached a village. In the plains " Smoke's" heavy fur
coat was unsiiited to the climate, and his drooping spirits
were reflected in the attitude of ears and tail. On the
hills all this was changed. His eager face was the picture
of alertness, and the curl of his grand old tail, like a l)ig
steel watch-spring, showed that he respected himself and
knew what was expected of him. In a day or two he was
familiar with all tlie signs of game, and the roar of a stag
obviously caused the same shiver in the small of his hack
as it did in mine. When he heard it, he would cock his
head on one side, and think how nice a broiled steak
would be. Then he would look up at me, and say quite
plainly : " If they were only in an open place now, about
forty yards oft', and feeding." At night he regarded him-
self as our protector from all kinds of vermin, and lay at
our feet until the first signs of dawn appeared, and I told
him that I was about to perform my toilet, — a very brief
one, by the way, on a frosty morning.

At the first sioii of dawn on the mornino- after our
arrival we were ready for the start, but the cold steam
caused by the storm of the night before, settled round us
in a thick fog. At last the sun dispersed it, and we started
in opposite directions. Scarcely five hundred yards from
camp Celestin and I found a little opening on a ridge
where grrass and herl^s o;rew rank and strono; — a favourite
feeding ground, f )r it was tracked in every direction.
Nor were those proofs wanting which, we are told, the
harhourer of old was wont to

" OiTer on bended knee
To the Ladie of hitih deuree."

A TAXTAMSIXC (^UKST 289

Close hy, too, \vi' touiul the iiiiini>lak;il)lc traces of a l»ear.
T iiinv HKMitioii liei'e tliat \V(> coiislaiit 1\' iiict \\"il1i sin-li
si^'iis again, luii. as ilic liear.s siiciid llicir dax's in some
fortress aiuoiii;' llie rocks of tlie ravine, and waiidci' nnix'
ai lUH-lit, tliere was not nnicli djaiicc of encountering tliem
ill the tlesli. At aii\- rate we iie\'erdid so. Tlie\' apjieai- to
feed oil the lierries <)[' ilie ]iiiiij)er. wliidi (dollies ilic higher
i-orries (.filie iiiouniaiii. lUil on this JirsL day what cared
we for an\- game less nohle than "a stag of fourteen " ?

There were so^ne slieltered hollows just below wlii<di
lookeil likely, and, (lescendinir to a lower level, we ii'ot to
the leeward of them and [)roceeded to (|uai1er the ground
with the light breeze in our faces. Now "Smoke"" liegins to
understand. lie presses forward a, few ])aces and stands
in an aiiiiudeas if he were trxing to reinemher something,
rerhaps it is t he nienioiA' of a smell sometliim'' like that
in a far-olf land. In a moment he appreciates what he

has 1 II hrdiiuht here for. Mis ears stiffen up into two

lt|a"k p\' ran I ids. and t here is an inteiil look in his eyes as he
lifts his iio>e to ihc wind, and works ii u]i and ilowii with
a tossino motion. Then Ic laills on Ins cord, and, as an
old sportsman hat h it,

"When in\- liduiid (lotli str.iiii ii|i(iii good scent,
I must coiitt'S.s the same dutli me content."

W'.' let him Icail. till, in a fwv minutc's. he hrings us to
some fresh tr,i<k> oj" that nioiiiing, — a l»ig stag, too, among
them. we now took the coiiiliict of allairs into our own
lian<ls. and tried to follow the line wliiili the .iniiiiaU had
taken, lait tlie\- had wandered hither and ihilher. ami at
last we got confused, and then fi-i ihein altogether on

U

290 SHORT STALKS

some hard groiuid. Half an hour was spent in making a
careful cast l)elow, in what seemed to be their direction,
but we failed to recover the line. All this time the dog
continued to have the wdnd, l)ut doubtfully, and as he
kept eyeing the ground above him we took the hint anjl
tried up the hill again. Perhaps we had rather relaxed
our caution. May be we came too suddenly over the edg;e
of a little gully, filled with a growth of young firs. Some-
thing started Ijelow us. " Mais voycz done. Tirez rite ! "
But whatever Celestin saw was invisible to me, and it is
no good shooting at a fir clump. We sat down and
lunched, and out of our leather cups drank the waters of
disappointment. Alas ! before we had done, we had to
drain them to the dregs. Celestin, meanwhile, consoled
himself by apostrophising the stag and his relati(3ns. It is
his habit to hurl opprobrious epithets at any animal in
which he is interested, and the move he respects its intelli-
o-ence, the stronoer the lanouaoe. Once, when on a visit
to me in England, he was taken, among other sights, to
see the Law (J(uu-ts. Much impressed l)y the judge on the
Bench, he felt that he was expected to say something.
He summed up his impressions in four words, which, in
his mouth, far from indicating any contempt of Court,
expressed both reverence and astonishment — " Ma/s Ir
vieux cod I on / "

I may mention that Celestin, as is natural for a
chamois hunter, has little faith in the dog. He places
his chief reliance on the telescope. In m\' judgment, in a
forest such as we were hunting in, it is almost useless. It
is true that there ai'e vistas and narrow openings whirh
may l)e surveyed, Jind where deer may be occasionally

A TANTALISING QUEST 291

spic'il. 1»ut t]\ry do not miioniit to n tontli of tlio suvfnno.
AssiiiniiiL;- that deer lia\e been ''spotted" from sonic
elevated position, it is a work of time to reacli the place,
and. in the nu'aiiw liil(\ it is practically certain that they
will ha\-c nio\-c(l. if onh' a little; and, without a know-
k'dcc oC their exact position, there is every pn»l>aliility
of '• junipini;- " them. 1 do not discard the glass, hut, in
spite of our fiilure to score. T believe in the dog's nose by
preference. On the other hand, one must admit, that
unless perfectly trained, his impatience may get the better
of his discretion at a critical moment, and the chance may
be spoiled b\- an uncontrollable whimper.

lUit let lis go down andtind the tiacksof the deer that
we lia\e disturbed, and sec it' they will read us any uscrul
lessons. Tn the course of the investigation the special diffi-
culties which attend this kind of hunting will a])])ear. We
soon found them, and also the couches in which the deer
were lying when we came over the ridge. Sit down in this
bed which a stag has just vacatetl when he was juinpcil
b\' us. From behind he was protected bv the wind. lie
was himself in dee]» shade, and in front of liini a thin
screen of seedling trees ju>t hid the wlinje nl \\\> Imd}',
while his hoi'ns harmonised perfectly with the dead snags
of a fdlen branch. Ihit tliat did no! picxcnl his liaxing a
lull view of the opposite iidgc. True, it is lindiercd as
heavily as on this side, but lie would n^t fail to see us cross
one of the little openings.

T.et US follow the page of Iiis story as printed by
hini-elf. lie piMliMbU' la\' low till we were hidden,
then sprang, not with the tore ;ind all nnaion nt a
tame animal, but with a siiinle bound as il he had

292 SHORT STALKS

heen ejected by steel springs, and came down with
all four feet close together, and driven deeply into the
pine needles. He must have stood like that, rigid, for
an instant, then took two long swift strides. That was
perhaps the moment in which Celestin got a glimpse of him,
l:)ut if I had seen him I could not have got a shot, for he
stopped again almost instantly behind a big pine stem ;
again five or six strides and he stopped behind an impene-
trable screen of young fir-trees. Now his retreat was
assured, and he took it leisurely. Dropping his tell-tale
head, he softly pushed his way through the close-ranked
stems. Apparently, he soon forgot his fright and began
feeding about. Proba1)ly he only took us for wood-
cutters, some of whom he sees and hears every day. The
deer are unmolested by them, and are consecjuently little
alarmed at their approach, but they are continually moved
Ijy them, and become " skulkers," a lialjit which makes
them more difficult for the hunter to come at. Here, our
friend stopped and viciously punished a young tree, re-
ducing it to matchwood and twisted fibre, no doul)t saying
to liimself, tliat tliat was what lie would like to do to the
beastly two-legged creatures who had disturbed his siesta.
In this kind of huntino- there is first of all the difficulty,
which is common to all woodland stalking, of locating the
game before approaching it. In Scotland the deer-stalker
is practically certain to see the deer before he can be seen.
Not only that, 1)ut he spends an hour in arranging the
exact course of his stalk, and before he starts he traces his
approach from ridge to liollow, from hollow^ to peat-hag,
even to the very rock from whicli he intends to shoot. In
a forest like this, on the other hand, he cannot see a

A TANTALISING QUEST 293

lnitidrcil yards in aii\' direction, and there is every proba-
lulilv of ucttiiiL!,' within earshot ol" the deer luTore it is
possilih' l(» see them. They liave, therefore, every ad\aii-
tage o\-er the man, and th(! elianees are greatly in favour
of their either seeing or snicllinL; him first. In most cases
llie\ lake their h'a\e without Jiis e\er becomini;; aware of
their [)roxiniit}', unless he should presently come across
tracks, ver\' drr-^) at the toe, and with the dii't senttei-ed
around — a sure antl certain sign that those who made
them departed in fear. Unless this is the case, deer are
never in a hurry. Even when in motion, their gait is a
saunter, which, for strategic })urposes of defence, is almost
as o:ood as standiuL!' still. When hduLi; it is needless to
obser\e that a I'axourahle positioji is always chosen. Then,
unless a man has been brought up to hunting in woods,
lie is ahuost sure to foriret his h'^s. The branches hide
his view and it does not occur to him that the eyes of a
deer are at a level to see under them. After all he is no
wiser than the ostrich. Ao-ain, as a set-olf to all his
other ad\antages as a predatiir\- animal, man is a nu>st
c(.ns|iieuous object. A post six feet high catches the eye
on anv kind of uround. In deer-stalkino; in oiien country
where he can discover the game from a distance, he
counteracts this disability b\- makiuo; to himself four len-g
wherewitli Id make Ins lin.-d appniaeh.

He is also, for his weight, the most noisy of animals.
He makes more fuss with his two lejjfs tlian aiivthing else
en(h3\ved with four, and that Wrings me to the greatest
dilHiadt \- we had to encounter — the alniormal stillness of
the air. In Scandinavia, where elk are hunted in forest
nearl}', but not (piite, as dense, it is considered hopeless to

294 SHORT STALKS

go out Oil a stiil day. Here we heard scarcely a whisper
ill the trees tlie whole time. But in another sense these
woods are unusuallv "' noisv," from sticks and stones, and
crisp dry leaves which strew the ground. If you imitate
the deer and lie low, you may hear every leaf that falls
within thirty yards, and a tom-tit alighting on a twig
makes quite a commotion. You realise how difficult it
would be for a man to approach within shooting distance
without detection, unless he should come up Ijehind a
ridge. " Smoke " repeatedly showed that he could hear
an approaching footstep long before I could, and a deer's
sense of hearing is doubtless fully as acute as a dog's.

It must not be supposed that the deer are as plentiful
here as in a Scotch forest ; there are comparatively few.
Tracks there are in plenty, but it does not do to
oet much excited over tracks. One deer makes a oood
many in the course of a night. I attach more importance
to the frequency of "beds" and to trees which have
been punished by the horns of stags. Both birds and
beasts of l»rcy doubtless take toll of the fawns. There
is a laroe black eaole whose table - like nests built on
the flat tops of fir - trees, were very conspicuous from
above. Then there is a Rinaller kind, of a lighter
colour, which builds in great numbers in the clifl:s.
There are also many small beasts of prey. I secured a
curious little polecat, but that was on the }ilaiiis. His
body is mottled yellow and l)rowii like a tabby cat. He
has a well-defined white band across his forehead, and
his furry ears, which he carries upright like those of a
marmoset monkey, are also white. I learn from Sir AV.
H. Flower that it is the "marbled polecat." I saw

A '|-.\X'I"AI.1S|N(; (,)UE8T 295

liiiu riuli'il III) ill the urass ami Im- a iiioiucjil tlioiiulit lie
was a kitten, fur it was closo to a Nilla^e, ami T called oil'
in\' (Iol:,' wlio was inakiiiL;' \'nr liiiii. Tliis woke the creature,
and. wlicii he started to rnn, ins arched hack and fiirrx- tail
indicated the weasel irihe. AVc ail started in pnrsiiii and
one of the Tnfks r;in him dow n jnst as he reached lii> hole.
The curious part ot" it was that the nati\cs wiio were witli
nie declared tlie\' iiad nevei- seen one like ii Ix'I'ore.

Onv word as to llie ancit'nt records of Ccrrus c/djj/ius,
as an inhahitant of the Levant. 1 have made many
iih|nirie8 for carved icpresentations oi" red deer among
those who ai'c familiar with the remains scattered ahoiit
Asia Minoi': l»nt, thouo-li o-raven imao-es of the wild o-oat
are known, j have not been able to hear of anvthin" like
a stag. Perhaps the horns puzzled the artists. That red
deer existed in those reo-ions lonu' a^d c.iniiot he doubted.
ilcrodolus mentions "gigantic bulls whose horns were
caiTic(l into Crecce." Aristotle describes the Ccrnis
claphiis as found at Arginusio, (»ii the Stag .Moiintaiii.
Some authors of ancient Greece give a curious (h ri\ation
of the name — ^Xup o(^e<s\ the "serpent chaser"' — though
modern -diolars might hesitate to accept it. The implied
tradition is frequentK' nut with. Tnibeix ille (piotes from
Isidore: "The ilarte is right conli-airie to the serpeiite. and
when he is olde, decrepyte, and sicke, hee goetli to the deiines
and caves of serjiontes. and with hisnosti-ils he jiuffeth and
forceth his bi-eatli into their holes in such sorte. tli.it b\-
virtue and loi'ce thereof he constreyiicth the serpentes to
come forth, and killeth tliem with hi> toote, ;iim1 afterwards
eateth and devoureth them. Afterward he goeili to diink,
and so the ven\'me spreadelh ihrough all theveynesof

296 SHOUT STALKS

bis body ; and when lie feeletli tlic veiiyme work lie
runneth to chase and heat himself, in such sorte that
nothing remayneth in his l)elly, coming forth by all the
conduits and pores that nature hath made in him, and by
this means he reneweth his force and healeth himself,
casting his haire." That deer do pursue and kill snakes
there is confirmation from modern observers.

Pliny's statement of the swimming powers of these
animals is perlia})S the most remarkable part of his account
of them. He says: "They pass the seas, swimming by
flocks and whole herds, in a long row, each one resting his
head upon the jjuttocks of his fellow next before him. And
this they do in course, so as the foremost retireth behind
to the hindmost by turns, one after another, and this is
ordinarily observed Ijy those sailors that pass from Cilicia to
Cyprus; and yet in their swimming they descry no land by
the eye, but only l^y their smelling have an aim thereat."

We soon realised the difliculties of our quest, but
we persevered, hoping to fluke something. If the
sport is a tantalising one, the excitement is pretty
constant. As I have no triumph to record, I must
describe one or tw^o occasions when 1 only just missed
securing it. After a long day, spent in futile search
for a stag which Alfred had mortally wounded and
lost the night before, we returned to cam]) by separate
routes. We knew there were deer in the valley which 1
intended to try, for as we had gone up that way in the
morning, and were approaching a little opening, we were
brought up standing by the smell of deer, pungent and
unmistakable — a rampant smell, which caused me instantly
to cock my rifle. They were gone— how long since, it was

A TANTALISING QUEST 297

iiiilMissililc to say, — f'T in th;it >till air, aiKl on flic dewy
iiTiiss, llic scfiil iniulit liaii"'" lor some time. Uii iiiaiiy
subsequent occasions my nostrils were assailrd in tlie same
\va\', and a very tantalisino- tliino; it was. I lia\c luaid dl'
people \\ ho l)clicvc' tlicmselves to ])l' sun-oundcd 1»\- .-pirits.
Here I he invisil)le essence filled the air and made one feel
jusi like that. 1 was coididriit that tliedceriiad iTinained
on that side of the valley, iur the op})osite side had been
occ'Uiiied duvina- the dav hv a nois\' (•omi)an\' of wood-
cutters.

AVe had not traversed half (»iu' appointed beat, before
what lisilit air there was shifted to our Ijacks, and to avoid
disturbini:; the ground, we pursued our \va\- hi^ncwards
along the torrent l)ed at the bottom. "Smoke" suddenly
paused and made tliat \va\\' motion uf his nose as if he
were driid^ing an<l swaHowing the aii'. while he looked
steadfastly up the stee]» slope to the left. He was not very
sure, f'l' he (-(add not get the wind direct. A\'e had just
passed one of the steep gullies that lani straight up and
down these slopes. They always contain raid< herbage
and are favourite feeding places, so that I felt sure that
the deer, if deer there were, wei'e somewhere lu it. We
mounted the slope, not following the course of the gull}-,
but making little loops and returning to it at a high(>r and
a hiuher itoint. Still, the doo- was doubt I'ul. as was shown
bv his iiazino- first in one direction, then in another. Alv
companion, who is without experience, lait fond of luaking
suggestions, said : " On cUrait ij^n' d iloit ctre libre." 1 do
not know it 1 made any answer to this wild [»roposal,
totallv foivign to the priiieiples of a Ju inJ-l, >i ml . \^ \ did
1 suppose 1 was misunderstood. Intent on the groiuid

298 SHORT STALKS

before me, I did not observe what B was doing. The

next moment, to my horror, the dog trotted past me freed

from his cord. 1 turned and asked B what he had done,

whereupon lie began calling him back ; but it was too
late. At that moment " Smoke " shot ahead like an arrow,
and ten seconds later was heard barking furiously at the
heels of a deer, which rushed with tremendous chatter up
the slope. I sat down hoping to see under the branches.
One vision of brown hide I had — ^too brief to shoot. Achmet
said: " Boijonouz'' ("horns") and with a pantomimic
action of his arms indicated a pair of antlers. He was
probably right, for it was a solitary deer, but I could not
see them. Now this insane act of B— — 's was a great mis-
fortune, for it not only lost me a first-rate chance, — I must
in two minutes have looked down on the stao;'s broad
back as he was busy feeding in the bottom of the gully, —
but it was certain to ruin the steadiness of the dog. Sore
in spirit I stumbled camp wards. " Smoke," meanwhile, was
waking the echoes. AVhen he picked up my track and
rejoined me, three-quarters of an hour later, I had to give
him a thrashing, for his good, but it was sadly against the
grain, for his fault was no fault of his.

Now we had agreed to move our camp that day from
its elevated position to a little meadow which we knew of by
the side of the main stream. This reached, we found, to our
disgust, no signs of our people, and it was now nearly pitch
dark. I thought something had prevented the removal,
and that we must climb a thousand feet higher to the old
camp. AVe expended nearly a box of matches in examin-
ing the horse tracks by the stream. I thought they were
all old. Achmet declared them to be fresh. At last he

A TANTALISING QUEST -lO^j

soizod nic vclioincnl 1\ li\- the Injijx^ts of iiiv cont ami tlioii
bcii'aii tierce 1\- nulliii''- nil' liis dot lies. It Idokcd as ij' he
wanttMl to tiglit uiv, Inil I coiTcctly iiilciprcliMl the action
lo tiicaii that lie wmiM |tle(\ii'e his old coat tlial liis \ic\v
was C'OiTecl. I let liim hasc his waw and we stuinhhil
o\cr iaUfii sit'iiis and ah)nL:,' the stuiiN- IkmI ot" tlic stream,
ami al last hcL^an to st'c the ivd rcllcction ol' a jire on the
pine trees. Just then two shots were fired as a signal, and
we wore soon at lionic. 'Idns \vas a ]»i'ottv cam]), and as
sh(dtcrc(l as the other was exposed. 'i'hc little stream ran
past the door of our tent. Its deeper pools were lull ot"
small trout of a \-er\' liglit colour. Tliev were sinuularK-
fearless, and I daresay would he easy to catch, but we did
not trv.

Two of the animals <»f our [)a(dv train had come to grief
on the wav down, and rolled fortv metres down the slope.
The accident had n(» worse result than this: — .Mfred's
favourite tin of Ilea jiowder was smashed and all his
po-ssessions were permeated witli its contents. in the
mornino- ever\- l]\' in the tent cluno- to the inof a shrivelled
corpse, and the ult iniate conse((uence was still more serious,
for when the hag was opened the insidious dust ga\e him
such an attack of asthma that he did not completely
recover from its etfects for three weeks.

We had tinie(l our visit to imdv'e the most of the
season I'f ■"hixc and war." hojiing that tlir "' hrlling "' c)r
"roarintr' of the staii's wduld help us. it has alwavs
seemed to me that the latter term is a misnomer as a
deseri[)tion of the sound, which is more like the cx-
axrorcrated \awn of a lii<'- lu>tv man. It did mu
prove to be such an assistance as I expected. L'om-

300 SHOUT STALKS

paratively few of the stags seemed to roar at all, at least
during daylight. One reasou of this may have been that
there was at this time a good moon, and when this is the
case deer do most of their feeding at night and lie very
quiet during the day. Then a roaring stag is generally a
travelling stag, and, therefore, a difficult beast to come at.
I heard the first on September 28, in the big ravine far
below our first camp. A few hours later he was heard and
seen Ijy one of our party, miles away, and the next day
he was far in another direction. I had no douljt of his
identity, lie was in the first access of passion, alone, but
seeking the hinds. Of course I hoped to become better
acquainted with the voice of this charmer.

An extensive hill rises about a thousand feet al)Ove our
second camp. It is a favourite resort of deer, but much of it
is covered with a growth of young firs twelve or fourteen feet
liioli, which are even more difficult to traverse and to see
throuoli than the bare stems of older trees. We soon found
an opening where deer had fed that morning, and where
their frao'rance still liuno- in the air. The tracks tendino- in
the same direction as tlie dog indicated, we allowed him to
lead us. Over ridiic and dale he took us. There was
clearly something in front, but he hesitated a good deal as
if something puzzled him. At last he showed signs of
great impatience when we reached the edge of a basin, full
from side to side of young fir-trees. As it was a hopeless
place to get a shot in, I sent Celestin round to drive it
towards me, but when he rejoined me it was to tell me
that the dog still hankered after something beyond. To
cut a l(jng story short, he led us, at length, into the middle
of a fine sounder of hoirs. "Smoke" must not be blamed for

A T.\XT.\iJsiX(~; (,)ri:sT r^oi

this. II(^ had iu'\cr smell wild Iwiar hi-lnic, and \\v had
no ivason to thiidv' that pork wouKi l)c less acceptable tliaii
venison. The t'ainiK' i»artv weiv all so hnsilv cnirairofl in
lui-ninii' nj) the groniid willi iheir hni^- iilack snonis thai
I miuhl have tak'eii in\' lime and |)i(ke(l out an\- one,
but 1 was so diso-usted at this ih'scent to llie lidirulous,
that 1 hred wildly at a sleek \'oun^' poi-ker and missed him
clean. I think tliat, at this time of the year, these |iii>s
come up from the marshes on llie plain toi- a kind ol' mush-
room,— coarse but edible- -w hich grows in (piantities in
the bla(d<: pine h>niiiis.

()n a subsequent occasion I was more fortunate. I
jumped a big solitary boar tVoin a mass of fallen limber
and sci'ub. Springing to a more open place, I waited for
the chance. Then Celestin silently iiidieate(l ihat h" .-aw
him. 1 softly crept back to his side and made out a lai'e-e
black something which seeme(l to be standing and listen-
inor. There was a sli''ht motion, and 1 instant Iv iiuINmI ihe
trigger, but as I did so. the stem of a tree mixe(l itself up
with the dim outline. However, a cai'td'ul exannnatioii of
the truidx iaileij to i'c\-eal a bullet mark. So we laid
"Smoke" on. At first lie showed sonu' signs of trepida-
tion, l)ut presentlv taking to it more kindlv, led us on the
track till We lound a laige pahdi of bl(»od. and, a few wards
tarlhi/r, the biiar him,-elf, leaning against a tive and (|uite
dead.

Ikit to i'(^turn to the da\' in (piestion. We wrre now
(j[)posite to a long wihl coiiii' where I fell sure there would
be deer, and though it in\o|\cd ;i still" descent and re-
ascent, we delcrniMK^l to tr\'. We had not gone far before
■"Smoke ' airaiii winded soinel hiiiu. and when In' had led us

302 SHORT STALKS

some way his opinion was confirmed by the faint sound of
a stag's challenge far up the glen, I believe him to have
been the Don Juan I have already mentioned. He had
found his wives but was roaring lustily for more. I judged
from the intermittent and gasping sound, that he had
rivals and was busy defending his rights. I afterwards
found, near his track, part of a Ijrow antler broken off —
a significant trophy of battle, — but I had not the luck to
see an encounter. On subsequent days we came across
the tracks of many solitary stags — large animals too.
They were not roaring, and I infer from this that they had
been defeated and w^ere not in the humour to assert them-
selves.

AVe now got to a higher level to approach more rapidly.
Each time we surmounted a ridoe and looked into the
corrie below it, we had to wait for another signal to assure
ourselves that the stag was beyond the next shoulder, for
this sound is not one which is easy to locate. After pass-
ing successively five or six ridges and corries, we made
sure that the sound proceeded from just beyond a steep
rise which faced us. AVhat with the labour of climbina;
it and the excitement of the moment, by the time we had
reached the top my heart felt like l^ursting its bounds. We
knew that we must be close to our Cjuarry, and " Smoke"
amply confirmed this, for the previous misteaching now
showed itself. He was pulling furiously on his cord, so
that Celestin had all he could do to hold him, and I
was trembling lest he sliould make some more audible
demonstration. No doubt I ouoht to have retired for
some distance, and waited for the next challenge. It is
so easy to be wise after the event. What I did was to

A TAN'iwi.isiNd (,)['KST :^o•^

juisli t'orw.-ird as softlv as I ((Uild llinniuli tlic iiitorveniiig
I'luiu]^) of N'oiiiiu,' firs, l)iu all the tiiiic my sli-ps wci-c liiiri-i(Ml
l>v tlic sound of the struuii'lc beliiiid me, and thai which I
divadfil oc{-urn'(l. I havi^ no doul)| tlial the sta^ heard
it too. As 1 m'utlv |)nshc(I aside tiic hist liraiifhrs I suw
a great pair of l>ro\v antlers pointing skywards, the erowns
(tf the same thrown well Itack Ix'hiiid two attcntixe
ears, and a keen nose pointing- in my direction. A very
(piiek sliot nn;4ht have u'ot his ritir oH", Imt that I am not,
and het'ore I could hrimj,' mine to m\' shoulder, the stau;
whipped round and was hidden by a l)usli. At the same
niom(Mit scvci'al white stei-ns flasln^l awav. I ran as hard
as 1 eould to the edo'c of the next hollow. The deer were
crashino- tln'ouo'li it, in\isil)le to me. In a monu-nt thev
appeared, and there stood my stag in all his o-loiy, not more
tlian a hundred \-ards awav, hut in a dim lielit. \\ hv
do I >a\' mv stag? — tlie stag that ought to have been
mine. Oh I what a head he had! Ihit how lonu' wouhl
he stay so? A singde stride would hide him again. T
dared not sit or he (hiwn for a stead\- shot. 1 nmst
take him just so, as 1 stootl. pant in;.;-. I did all I knew
to pull mxself together for that shot. hut. as the hammer
fell, some restless overta.xed organ refused to he «|uiet.
.M\' left hand dritppe(|. ev<'r so little, and the bullet —
Well ! I .-u^ipose it grazeil him. \'>'V he sprang in the aii- as
if he were, struck, but 1 ncxcr found any other sign thai
that was so. In the meanwhile. "" Smoke's" stiaiggles wei-e
So violent th.it he ;ictu;dl\' bnike awa\' out of his collai-
and h;id another little course on his own account, and m\'
feelings t(»wards the biped who li;id caused the trouble were
not iVieudK'. Then cnnn' the wear\ li.inip Immi'. ;ind lu-l

A TAXTALISiXt; QUEST 305

as we writ' tryinii' to foro'i't our misfortunes iu tlic cvciiiuo-
pipe — tlierc was the stag again, or one with ;i voice just
like liis, right al)Ove the camp, on the very hill where we
had toiled so Iiai'il in the morning — .Maa-a-a-augh, like an
ohi cat on ihc hnnsci(i]i.

After tliis I saw only (Uic dthcr tirst-rale stag. WC
were altcnipling a dri\ ('. He passed nie high up (Mi the
fiice of the opposite hill at a distance, as I should judge,
of "JoO yards. T refraim^d fi'oni sliooting. lio]»ing he niiglit
come Dear me. 1 have never ceased to reoret it. Yet if I
had fired I should, have almost certainly missed liim at that
distance, and then I should always have blamed myself for
not waiting. I afterwards followed the tracks of this animal.
Ife was close in fVont of the men when I saw him. Vet
he had onl}' walked ahoul a hundred \ards I'arther. as if
he were strollino- (hiwn P>ond Street, and ha<l then lain
down to watch, altliMugh their sli^uts wei'e I'inging in
his ears.

The nrroiiiid was not fjenerallv favourable foi- drivinof.
'Piiere was, however, one drive, that of the big ravine
below the first camp, from whiih I hopeil sinnelliing.
There wei'e gener;dl\ deer in it. and it was elosed hy a
line of clirts on either side, which complelel}' barred the
wav down th(> \alle\\ so that if the lieaters (b'ove towards
it. the deer must eiihei' brejk liaek thi-dugh the line, or
escape by a steep fonloir w hieh led to a pass. I made a
great circuit and deseeiidiuL; this aniloir plaee<l my.self
scientifically, so that nothing could ])ass unseen. I had
sat for t wn hours when a ]iarl\" of ja\s began to talk at
the bottom of the ra\ine. I ha xc often ob.ser\"ed ih.itit
is the habit of these birds to do this when an\' lare;e

306 SHOET STALKS

animal is moving below tliem.^ In America, squirrels act
in the same way, and are often a useful guide to the
whereabouts of o'ame. As the shouts of the men were
not yet audil)le I was sure that there were deer on the
move. The chattering company gradually ascended the
hill towards me, till they stopped a little below, and just
beyond a ridge, after which they gradually dis^^ersed. I
drew my inferences that something had come up to that
point and stopped there. The men had had orders to
bring the valley down, and then to swing up the side of
the hill towards my post. To my disgust, when they had
accomplished the first part of their task, they omitted the
second. I stayed where I was for another hour, vainly
hoping that they would carry out their orders. Then
with my glass I made out one of the Turks far below me,
busily engaged knocking crab-apples off the trees. It was
useless staying where I was, so I steered straight for the
place where I had last heard the jays and there found the
fresh bed of a stao", and tracks showino- that he had vacated
it in haste, probably when he heard me descending the
stony coidolr. A Turk often begins a jol) well but seldom
completes it.

All these days my companion, whose superior energy
deserved and obtained more exciting adventures than my

1 Since writing tlie above I find that olil Turberville made iinicli tlie
same observation more than three hundred years ago. He writes, "you
shal see by experience y* if there be any X)yes, or javes, or such liyrdes,
whicli chatter at them [the deer] and discover them, they will streight way
return unto their tliicket to hyde themselves for the shame and feare that
they have ; " and again — " Furdermore if in casting aboute tlie covert, lie
heare either pyes, jayes, or such byrdes wondering, . . . that is a token that
the harte is vet on foote."

A TANTAUSINC (,)ri:ST 307

own. was cvoii inoro tr)rtiiro(l tliaii I willi I lie ])aiiis of
Tantalus. I will resign some pages 1" liis ])arallcl cx-
iMTiciiccs. 1 Ic writes : —

"We had not l)e(Mi on! dl'cainp an Imiir when B

(■lf\ ("rl\- ImiiiuI wil li Ills glass a large liiml l_\iiig in t lir 1 liicket
of NiHIlllJ,' jiilics oil the o[i|>osite side of llir Nallcv we Were
in. After a patient search w ilh the teleseupe, 1 made out
two more, restinu', and whiskino- their ears in a ])ateli of
thick scruli. At tills time of year it was liighlv improliahle

J O.I

that thev would he unaceomimnied l»v a male admirer, so
we made for the ridge ahovc them ho})ing to improve our
acquaintance with the herd. Softly we crept down to
within three huinlivd \-ards of where we had marked
them, and waited and watcjied. hut onl\' to disco\-er idti-
niatelv that lhe\- had moved on. Mo douht, in s|»ite o[ our
care our movements had been heard, for there were tracks
of a hig stag and three hinds, with slips and slides on the
wet o'roiind. such as deer make when moving faster than
their wonte(l pace. We followed their track for a while,
in the lioi.c of seeine- them again, under the delusion that
thev were simpl(\ unsophisticated beasts i'or whom the
smell of man. or the -(.uiid of his steps, couhl lia\t' h'W
terrors, but in \ain. and towards aftcrnodu we tried ti'csh

gromtd. ( Mice while crossing a little gully B who was

five yards in fioni df me st<']>p<'d and sju-ead oul his hand
behind him, a signal that he saw something; 1 came (juickly
to his side, just in time to see a great stag disai)pearing
throu'di thick trees o\er the ridu'«' thirtv vards in IVont of
me. Before mv ritie couM b<' bi'ought to shoulder, he was
out of siLi'ht. thoijeh in a nio-i uii'jallani manner he had
left Ids hulv and her child hciiind him, at our merc\. 'riie

308 SHORT STALKS

liiiid and calf stood 'at gaze/ with great wondering eyes.
The calf, which was quite as big as a Scotch hind, would
have been a welcome addition to our larder, hut I had no
intention of disturbing the valley on the first day with the
report of a '500 rifle, save for a master stag. I returned
to the tents full of sanguine expectation.

" The folio wino; morning I set out with Achmet and
Celestin. The Turk took me from 5.30 a.m. till 10 o'clock
on the track of a big stag, down the long slope of the gorge
below our encampment, up the opposite mountain, over
rocks and through dense forest, till with the heat, already
great, and the long climb, I should have called for ' time '
had I not been excited bv the slot of the stas^ which was,
to my imagination, as big as that of a shorthorn bull.

" At last Achmet stopped, sat down and said, with a little
chuck of his chin, ' yok ! yok!' (no good) a conclusion to
which I had come some time Ijefore. For an hour we
carried on a conversation a V Enfant Prodicjue, assisted by
my limited Turkish vocabulary, while the Turk smoked
cigarettes made from my tobacco, and then we resumed
the chase and all but secured a prize. — ' All buts ' seemed
to be my fate in the Ak Dagh.

" About mid-day we were clambering over some hot
glaring white rocks as softly as we could, to the edge of a
patch of wood that filled a deep ravine. On reaching the
first clump of trees Achmet seemed to know instinctively
that there was game in front, he bent forward over a rock,
pulled aside a big l)ranch of a fir tree and stood like a
pointer. By the movement of his fingers 1 saw he wanted
me to draw up ; I did so inch 1)y inch and distinguished,
fifty or sixty yards below me, in the trees the white patch

A TAXTALISIXCJ QUEST 309

tlint m;irks tlic stci'ii of" a drcr. SaN'c the liauiiclics and a
hit of tli«' licll\- I could sec iiothiiiL;'. Iml lie was ex idnit 1\'
awaic ot'our }treseiici'. and began to move, I lilt(<l my rillc
and liasiil\- took a sight foi'wai'd of his haunch l>ai)g, and
down he crashed. Sure of my stag, I sprang (h»\vn the
roeks, l)ut to m\' diso-ust he was up a-jaiii an<l smasliinij;
throuoji the tre(\s out of ni\' sinlit. We followed fast in
ihc hope of keeping him in view, hut did not see liim again
till he emero-ed on oiien r>round half aniile off. There he
stood with head lowered and o[)en mouth. We lay down
well hidden to watch him. With my glass, the dark red
patch, too far back in his ribs, where I had hit liim, was
[ilainlx- \ i-ihle. and when he la}' down I thought the end
was onI\- a (|Uesiion of minutes, but he rose again and
slowK' made his wa}' up the si(h' of the ra\ine. halting
every iiundred yards. As soon as he disappeared o\'er the
sky-line, in spite of the great heat \ ran like a lamplighter
over the shar[) rocks, but when I reached the s[»ot where
he had \anished from m\' \ iew I saw no stag Init an
endless sea of ravines, \aHeys and gullies, one l)eyond
another, covered with stunted pines. Following the blood-
stains we found a j)lace where he had been d«»wn. and then
we waited a while, but not for long. Through the blazing
heat of mid-day and far int»j the afternoon we searched one
piece of covert and ra\ine after another. C'elestin kept on
saying : " M<tis, vest aur (jn'il csf hiort.' Of this 1 was
equally suiv. but 1 realised as the <kiy wore on that the
odds were heavily against our linding him in -uch ground,
and we were reminded b\' the red glow on the eliMs that
we must get l)ack before iighi failed us. The next day was
spent in a further and fruitless search m whi<h all joined.

310 SHORT STALKS

" On the last clay of September, I started in tlie dark,
and, winding upward through the forest, readied tlie
liio;liest ridg-e of the mountain in time to see all the olories
of an eastern sunrise amono-.st its white cra2;s and l)lack
pines. AVe had hardly begun the descent on the farther
side when a solitary hind trotted out into full view and,
after returning our gaze for some moments, trotted away,
having once more reminded us liow easy it was to be
amongst the deer without knowing it,

"Soon afterwards tlie distant liellow of a stao- reached
us, and we made for the corrie whence the sound came ; he
repeated his challenge, and at length we got so near that
my heart jumped every time he lifted up his voice. AVe lay
down and presently saw a hind's head appear on the sky-
line above us. She apparently approved of the prospect and
came out. Then another followed, and another, and lastly a
pair of great antlers like a withered tree showed above the
ridge. We crawled down into a gully and laid our plan for
a stalk. The ground for once was nearly free from trees,
but covered with masses of rock, and cairns of loose stones,
intersected with little ravines. Achniet conducted me
rapidly and skilfully across the open, displa3'iiig the dash
that is sometimes essential to success when deer are on the
move, or in a wooded country where they may at any mo-
ment disappear from view. AVhen under the cover of rocks,
he would run as nimbly and silently as a cat, his feet being-
shod with goat skin, while he turned to me every minute,
patting the sole of one of his feet as a sign to me to make
less noise. We quickly arrived within a hundred yards of
the stag, and there behjw me I could see the crowns of his
horns, with f(»ur or five ' croches ' ' on top ' of each, showing

A rANTALISTXC QrEST 311

over II loiiii' ledu'o of rock, as he rulli.wcd the hinds. We
moved oil, [Kirallrl wiih him, in llic liopc he would v^>\\\{- up
into view, l)ut lit' disappeared down u gully, and Adiinet
started on anotlicr run to cut 1iim otf at tlie next ravine.
1 readied the edu'c of a clill'. and lookino; over, saw seven
liinds (luickly passing us, thirty yards oclow, Imt tlie stag
was not at first to he seen. When lie did conir inio sight
lie was iiio\iiig slowly through thick trees sixty yards
beneath me. How often have I wished for the return of
tliat moment and with what remorse 1 ha\e thouuliL over
the mess I made of this golden opportunity.

'■' 1 can see it all now. the gi-oat heast passing hetween
two trees, his nose near the ground, scenting the hinds'
tracks, his massive l)ranclie(l horns King hack over his
withers and his shao-o-y neck outstretched, while I crouched
on the edu'c of the cliU'. paiiliii!' with the run and the
suspense of such a nninieiit. the stag so near that I gloated
o\"er the ti'iuniph n\' which 1 felt assured. Alas for inv
l>luii<ler I Was it hiick fever or over-conlldeiice ( I think
it must have lieeii due t(» tlie \-er\- ;size of the animal —
such a liroadside ol' Innwii ! I lired (juicklv hefoi'e his
shoulder was (|uite covered hy the trunk <A' the next tree,
lie fell 'HI his knees to the >hiit. Imt hefore the echo df the
valley had aiiswer<'(l the crai-k of the ritle he was plunging
down the ]preei[.it(ius ninmitaiii-side liriiiuing with him an
avalanche of stones. Once he reappeared four hundred
yards oft', slowly mounting the opposite side of the corrie.
In despair, fi'i>m the recoiled ion of iii\' ]»i'e\'ious ex})crienc(\
I fired auain. and vet auain with niv last siirht uii. A
putf of ilu>t uihlei- his hind-foot marked the first hiillet,
he winced to the next, hut I saw no sign of his heing

312 SHORT STALKS

struck, and lie broke into a trot and in another minute
was over the sky-line out of sight. I confess those last
shots were the height of folly, for had I refrained he
might have lain down in view. Aclimet, who had
lieaten his breast with disgust at my first shot, was now
full of astonislimeiit at seeing my bullets strike so hard
right across the valley, the range of his own mediaeval
weapon being aliout forty 3"ards with Turkish powder.
After we had searched the ground to recover my empty
brass cartridge cases, which were treasures in his eyes,
we started on a long and weary, but, alas ! useless search
for the stag.

" Some days later I nearly attained success, but not
quite, with the l.)iggest stag I had seen. Benjamen
and I had heard him roarino- about noon, and had oot
within 400 yards of the group of pines whence the sound
reached us, when a hind emerged and lay down in view of
us. AVe followed her example, and were stretched there
on our faces for two hours in a roastino- Asiatic sun, nor
could we move a hand without her turnino' her head and
ears towards us. it was an intense relief Avheii, at length,
she got up to feed and cpiietly bedded down out of our sight.
We then took off our 1;)oots, clambered down the rocks to
the trees, and as the bellowing grew^ louder and louder I
assured myself that we were fast approaching the monster
whose sixteen points I had counted hours before. Cautiously
we worked our way, close together, through the trees.
Benjamen in the act of drawing aside a thick branch to
allow of our stepping over a fallen giant of the forest,
discovered to my gaze three great hinds within twenty-
five yards of us. There they wore, all eyes and ears, and

A TAXTAT.ISTXr; (.HKST 313

il (lid iiul nwd Iniijaiiu'ii's inullrrffl "' Sffcrr' to tfll nii'
the gnnu' was up. OW they went, and i had ju.si liiuc lo
thiiilv' ipfniii' caiiiit lardci'. h)iiLi' wil hunt aiivtliiTi'.;' inorc siil)-
staiilial iliaii chii-kciis and eu'U's, and lo tire at the sleekest
• 'f the disa])})earii)g" trio. Leaving the dead hind, 1 ran
(HI («• sec it" I could make out I he stau', l»ul oiil\' heard I lie
distant ehitterino- of the stones on the sh)i)e al)ove me.

LoiiL!, liclofe we reaelied faiuihar uiDund. ni^ht fi'll and
with it a dicnching thnn(K'r shower. W hat a jouiii(_')'
we had I Benjamen, who had l>een hinu" with seiatica
all daw was now conipletelx' overcome For several
hours we struugl('(l and slundih'(l llirouuli wet lanL^h'd
undergrowth, tumhling into water-courses, ehinliing in and
out of ravines in pilch darkness. In spite of my coni-
jianious liglitdu'aih'd t\\claniation> t hat we were |(i>t and
tliat he would ncNcr see his home again, 1 felt sure
of the direction of the (.-amp, and allcrnatel}' pulling and
ahirsiug him and sometimes coaxing him, wc at length
reached a ridu"e whence we saw the welcome liuhi 'd' the
camp tire. Benjamen did not throw otV tlu^ effects of this
daw and we had to inwihil llie poor iMlow home.

"To complete uw tale of misfortunes 1 niu>t men-
tion one other occasion when Achmet led me in iliickest
forest alino>t loo cle\erl\' up to a stai;'. lor he hrou-lit
me within twelve yards of a, great pair of antlers which
Were sticking up ovei- the edge of a tliickK"- W(^oded
ridge as if planted tliere. The annual aj)[)eai'e(l to he
listening", ever\ indi of him save his horns covered bv
the risinix uTonnd. \\ C waited till the lasi iioint drew
slowly out of sight, and iImh 1 laii to the ridge, hut all was
still. The animal, pinliahly with an inkling of danger,

314 SHORT STALKS

had droj)ped his head and crept away like a snake in the
grass. Achmet's beUef in the penetration of my weapon
was such that 1 could not convince him that it was useless
for me to try and shoot him in the head through the top
of the ridge. 8ucli was my share in the tantalising dis-
appointments of our quest, but I felt that, in spite of my
tw^o bad shots, had we had the slightest turn of luck, we
should have secured grand heads of what must, I think,
be the most beautiful deer in the world."

Disheartened by our failures, we felt that we must
try some range where the forest was less dense, and
the conditions more favourable to success. Such a one
we believed we knew of in the Emir Daoh. Bouba
had visited it in the early spring. He had seen deer
there, and, as a proof, had brought back some horns.
It took us four days to reach it, for our pack train con-
tained some sorry animals. Alfred, who knows a good
horse when he sees it, was mounted on one which had
seen twenty -three summers, each of which had left its
scars on its knees or elsewhere. Then there were all the
other delays which arise in a country where procrastina-
tion is the rule of life. The Turks have a saying which
aptly expresses their attitude towards any one in a huny.
" Let us put it under the cushion of the divan," equiva-
lent to the Parliamentary expression — " that it do lie on
the table."

Our wa}' lay along a chain of elevated plains, Hanked
l)y l)arren mountains, and separated from one another by
low rocky passes. It followed, for the most part, one of
the ancient trade routes to Konia. C*amels pass all day
in long strings, grunting under their loads, as they have

A TAX'rAT.isiNc (»n-.s'r

:', 1 .-)

tloiu,' loi' lill\' ('fill iiric's, and the solul woddcii wlicuLs vi
tlio nrahas. as it" tli('\', too. were alive and sutrcriii'j, still
iTeak aiiil L^'i'oaii almiL:- the jilains at two kiloiuctres an
liuiif. as llic\- did in the iMiH' "if Alu'aliain. There is little
to \ai\' thr nionoi(»ri\- of thcsr phiins. The great lieut
seems to dri\(' all kinds of" lif"e into slieltt-r. Even tlie

:^f^'. ■'

ALl-HEU S MOL NT.

villaoeis lia\'i' fircniar nndd'Liround eliamliiTs li» \\hii-|i
tliev i-etiiv. ()iil\- ijic childivn secni iiidilliavnl to llir
heat. TIh'\- I'dll ihcji- little lifowii luMlio ill the diri all
ilaw and aiiiu>e tlieni.-el\c> li\- hiirlmL: .-liar|i .--tiek.^at the

till no-

heap to sec \\hii-li can (ln\ (■ t In

•ir tiii\- >|ieai' ilie

deepest. ImiI to\\ai'<ls eN'eniiiu' Imd- and Inasts Ix'liiii to
appear. Tlie (Inat lUistard is coinnion on these [)lams,

316

.silUllT STALKS

but is tlifficiilt t(i see except when feeding, about
sunset. This thev do in a line like tame o-eese on a
common ; yet they are b}' no means unwary. On the
approach of danger, first one and then another stretches
out his great wings, showing an expanse of white ; then
after a pause they start running and flapping till tliey get
enough way on to begin their heavy flight. This is so
slow that they are sometimes coursed and pulled down by

TUE CiREAT BUSTARD.

gTe}'houn(ls. Sand -grouse shoot by with the arrowy
flight of blue rock-]>igeons. A curious phenomenon of the
plains was a dust-spout, if I may coin the word, caused,
no doubt, bv one of those whirlwinds which sometimes
occur in abnormally still weather. It may have been
tw^enty miles ofi"', or farther, and was mushroom -shaped
like the column of smoke in a conventional eruption of
Vesuvius, 1)iit much more airy and transparent than that,
and it appeared to be stationary.

To save the time occupied by pitching and striking
camp, morninfj- and evenino- we resorted to the villao-e

A TAN r.\lJSIX(! OUEST

;317

" odns " or micsl - houses. This iii>I il ill imh is iiiii\ci'>?al,
ami IS uiie exaiii|)h' ol the hospitahh' iiisliiicls of llic Tiuk,
All comors arc entitled to use them uratis. and lo i-cceive
sudi conrse food as nia\' lie Lioiii!"'. Soiiic an- nassahhj
enouo'h ; to ciitfr oMifis i-c(|iiin's the slroii^c-t ihtvi'S.
\ iTiiiiii alioini(h All 1 he Im'>1 kinds of th'as, ti(d\s. ct lioc

■■ijj'f*

■i-i

W

ONE TOUCH OF NATIUK.

(ji'iiKs oin/ic ill Asia gel luiporUMl there on eanul - liaek,
ami have eondtined to ])i-odnee l)reed.s of extraordinary
inlellisjfence. Tlie\' all seem to know li\- inli'i'itcd in-tim-t
the wav to that I'Mri of xoiir peisoii wliieh eaiiiiol eon-
venientlv he reaehed without the assistance ol' a fiieiKk
Those whieli omit tliis ])reean!ioii 'jvi killrd dH". aiiil thus
the race is improx e<l. Add to this tie' |inngent odour of

318 SHORT STALKS

the stables, which are generally under the same roof, and
of burnt camels' dung, which is the only fuel in these
villages of the plain, and it will be seen that a man must
harden liis heart to enjoy himself. Your welcome is,
however, nearh' always cordial. When 3'ou are estab-
lished the villagers troop in, to the numljer of a dozen or
more, and seat themselves without restraint. Their man-
ners are courteous, but they show their friendly feelings
towards strangers, chiefly, by telling pleasant lies. As
one is truly a guest of the village, it is impossible to resent
this very natural attention.

Travelling in the interior, is, at the present time,
perfectly safe, and there are no thieves because there is
nothing to steal. Scarcely any of these small cultivators
carry guns. I had a revolver somewhere in my luggage,
but I was far too much afraid of it to load it. Su<-h
organised l^rigandage as there is, takes place within
reach of big cities like Constantinople, Salonika, and
Smyrna, where the scum of the Levant congregates, and
where information of possible good hauls may be obtained.
Osman was the last professional gentleman who exploited
the country near the latter city. To save further trouble
the authorities enrolled him and his whole band as
gendarmes, but the proverbial rule did not work wel] in
this case. They began, like the law otiicers of the crown,
to combine a little private practice with their official duties.
Summoned to Smyrna to account for this, they came to
the Konak, 1)ut with revolvers concealed in their belts.
When their arguments failed to convince, they used more
forcible ones and shot two or three policemen and specta-
tors in the court-house itself. But somebody had taken

A TANTALISINt; (,)rF,ST

:'. 1 0

a mean ;i(l\;iiit;iL;i' of tlicm l)y placinu- soldiers wiili lo.nlcd
rifles in llic u'allcrw \\lu> prcst'iitl}' made iiiiiiccincit of
them. At the end of two minutes there was noliod\- left
to he ]ianL:(Mh

hi ilie larger towns, of wliieli we passed two or tlii-ee,
tra\(dlcrs put up at kliaiis. Tliese consist of a eourtvard,

l-nuud I lie inIclio|- of \\ Idcll TUUS ;i \-ei'an(hill o|' h;dcon\ . into

wliitdi t he guest-ehaml)ers. wln(di aie hare of all funuture,

THE CAHAVAN nAnnEU.

:,.</

open. The ti'avellei' is ex]>eeteil to |iro\idc liisown tood,
no easy matter if lir lias ani\cd late t'of the Tiiik is not
accustomed to eat or transact hiisiness after sundown.

I he most strikinu' jjlace which we passed was .Vhouni
Kara- llissai'. hut that was on the i-eturn journev. The
town lies round the hase of Ihc /)/(/(■/,■ roc/,- whirh uixcs it
Its name, a I'oiic whirh ri>rs ahruptK' in tln' proportions
of a small Matti rhojii. to a lieiu'lit of 700 feet. As we
appi'oaelird it h\' tin' li-lit of a golden sunset, an ail' of

320 SHORT STALKS

mystery was imparted by a low -lying cloud of smoke
which hid the town, and floated away in the shape of a
gigantic ostrich feather. The only substantial things
visible were the frowning black pyramid and innumerable
white minarets which projected through the l)lue haze,
while their bases were shrouded l)y it. Otliman, founder
of the Ottoman race, arose like a meteor from somewhere
within sight of this slender tower of rock — ht type of his
dynasty — ever threatening to fall, but saved by the inert-
ness of its mass, it lasts on through the ages.

Two long days in the saddle took us within sight of
the desired haven. Eagerly we scanned, through our
glasses, the distant outline of the range, to try to make
out the character of the oround. The fourth morn in o-
found us at its base. The rest of the day was spent in
stumliling up a dry water-course at the bottom of a narrow
gorge. This natural staircase was the only access for
horses to the upper part of the mountain. At length, we
emerged upon a broken plateau, and, after winding about
for some time among rocky eminences, began to skirt
along the northern slopes near to the highest summit, and
overlookino- the oreat salt desert which lies in the middle
of Asia j\Iinor. The sun was near its setting, but we
could not see any dead wood about — a prime necessity of
a hasty camp, — nor any water. Notwithstanding this, our
spirits rose, for the ground looked attractive. The sloj^es
were scored by numerous deep ravines, and hollows covered
with patches of oak, while on the ridges were wide stretches
of the finest mountain pasture — first-rate stalking ground.
Delusive lio})e ! The next minute my heart sank for 1
saw a large flock of sheep. I knew very well what that

A T.\NTA1.ISIX(; QUEST 321

iiicaiit. W (■ had (H)iiu' all t lint \v;i y loi' not liiiig. Presently,
we saw aiKitlicr ami aiiollior, 'i'lic iiiouiiiniii was covered
witli tliian. A ('a[)i(;d p!;icc for ilrrv. doulillcss, hut miU'li
later in the \r:\v when ihr llock.s iio down. lUit our

O

immediate concern was to timl wood and water. At last
we had to stop, for it got too d.iik to go on. l''(»i innately,
we discovered a heap ol" chips on a little plateau where we
could pitch a tent, and innnediately called a halt, and
l)undled the packs on the ground, while we sent oil" two
men to seek for water in the A^alley. In an Itour they
returnc(l. with enough foi' di'inking. and we made ourselves
comfortable.

In the morning, impiiry of the shepherds confirmed
oui' impression as to the deer. They witc no doul»t
somewhere on the range, for we. subserpiently, saw some
horns in one of the villages, but it is very extensive, and
the valleys were too deep to get our pack train along
it, parallel with its axis. There seemed to l»e no other
course but to go down on the northern side, and up .ignin
at some other })oint. A distant part of the mounl;iin
was pointed out to us where there were '' suc/eun chok''
(plenlv of stags). ll lookeil ([uite close, but it took us a
day ;ind a h;dt' to reach. There was said to be a ^ urnk
who knew it well, and was a niiglil\- hunter, and we went
out of our wav to find his village. He was euiiaijed in
thrashing, and his wife, a regular termagant, declared in
most forcible lan^uas^e tli;il he shoul<l not go liuntin'j.
" Why, you idle vagabond, you never catch anything
when vou do go. Look at these poor di;ir little children.
and attend to vour harvest." That is what she seenieil to
be saying. Then she seized his gun from him and ihrew

Y

322

SHORT STALKS

it back into liis tent. This is what they call the subjec-
tion of women in Turkey. At last, the sight of silver
appeased her, and he was allowed to come, hut she hejot
his gun. AVhen we reached the fresh hunting-ground, it
was only to rejDeat the same disheartening experience.
Here, too, were flocks of sheep, and this, apparently, our
Yuruk expected, for having got his dollar, he deserted in
the eveniiio-. AVc hunted the surroundiuo- o-round dili-
gently for two days. A few stale tracks only were found,
and they were made by " travellers," We could hear no
roaring. Perhaps we ought to have made another attempt,
but at the time it seemed to us the most sensible course to
return whence we had come.

This chapter is already unduly long, and I must draw a
veil over our further labours. When the month which we
had allowed ourselves in the country had expired, we were
still without any of the royal antlers which we had dreamed
of. It was very bitter. Shall we admit defeat, or try again ?

AllABAS.

X

i;i:iNi)KKi; staij<ix(;

S.M.^rox and iviiHlrci' wore tlic dhjoet of my first tri[» to
jS'orway — now a gond many yeans ago. At the farmlniuse
of lloass in Siuulal. we lioped to Ix' in lime for the end of
I lie salmon fishino-. Imt the season had been an earlv one,
and the salmon were aU wA and sk'C'|i\' al the holtoin
of the iiools. 1 ('ould not beo-nile a sino'le one: not
that that is a fact of any significance, for 1 never was a
f(^rtnnate fisherman. 1 hahituallv console myself by the
profound belief that the salmon hsher owes his occasional
successes to circumstances over which he has no coiiMmI
whatever. To me the stranoe thino- is that the most
exciting [tail of the capture, and that wliidi dmiands
the most skill and auilitv, 1 mean iraffinir the lish, is
gcnerall}' left lo the ghillie.

On the occasion in question i lake credit to myself for
earlv rcalisiiiLi- tln^ hopdossncss of the attempt. On the
second d,i\- 1 determiiM'd to take a prcliiiiinary canter on
the neighbouring fjeld, whilr my more [)ersistent com-
])anion remained Hoooin,.- ;iwa\- at llif >till nio]-c obstinate
salmon. I did not expect a very tangible result from tin'

324 SHOET STALKS

experiment, because tlie Sundal valley is ratlier populous
for Norway, and the hunting expeditions of these people
are sufficient to scare most of the reindeer to less accessible
places, even though, as far as I could learn, Ijut few were
brought to bag. More could not Ije expected with the native
pojD-gun, which at the time of which I am writing was
generally the handiwork of the local blacksmith. Go back
three or four hundred years, and it requires an effort of the
imagination to estimate the craft and patience which it
must have taken to secure so wild an animal. Tliat the
pursuit w\as attempted I once found presumptive proof,
for I picked up an iron arrow-head among the bare stones
near the top of one of the highest peaks in those parts. It
could hardly have been used for any other purpose. I had
little expectation of success on this first trip. Neverthe-
less, I hoped to gather some hints, and experience that
would be useful for a more extended sojourn on the fjeld,
which we proposed to make in a few days.

I was accompanied by an excellent stalker, a farmer
from a neighbouring valley, named Tostin, of whose repu-
tation I had heard from a friend, who, fortunately for us,
was free from the jealousy with which one Englishman in
Norway generally regards another if he happens to be on
the look-out for sport, and also by his dog " Barfod," a
splendid specimen of the Finnish or Esquimaux breed, to
which all the dogs in Northern Europe approximate. It is
characterised by short upright ears, an alert expression and
a tail that curls like the horn of an old Hiohland ram.
The vital parts are protected from the cold Ijy a dense ruff
of hair. The tail also carries a splendid brush and this is
not for ornament alone, for when the dog sleeps you notice

RETXDKKR STALK I XU 325

that liL' usi's it foi' a rcspii'jitnr. " Barlud " was the size
of a collie, but eoal Mack all (t\cr, except for one white
foot which o-avo him jiis iiaiiic His fine fur seemed to l)e
the ohjccl of his especial pride, ;iiid lliree or four times
a dav. he ch';iiic<l liimsclf in (he snow, scatteriiiir it ahoiit.
and ruhhiiii'- his hack on it lill his coat shone ao-ain.
The expression of " JJarfod's " face showed that he was as
honest as the day, and as shrewd as a Scotchman, and,
besides all llnsi^ qualities, he possessed a fai'-reaching'
power of smell, by the help of which he would not only
indicate^ tlu^ presence of de(>r at a distance of three or four
miles, if the l)reeze and the nature of the ground were fav-
oural)le, l)ut his master could tell from his manner whether it
was the deer themselves that he winded, or only their tracks.
Moreover, he was as mute as an undertaker when the case
required it, Init when the occasion was past, as garrulous
and as cheery as a fox-hunter after a good run, provided the
stalk had been successful. Besides "Barfod" I hired two
infei'io]' beings wlio professed to have local knowledge, but
who 1 should judge had never been on the fjeld before.

At davbreak next morninc;, we ascended a small lateral
vallev, ;ind after jiassing a gi'ouj) of swto's — as the Nor-
wegians call their summer chalets — where I pro})Osed to
pass the night, struck u[) a steep ascent, and in half an
hour came out on the edge of the drear\' ijeld. This con-
sists of a vast plateau of heather and rock, cut through at
r;ire intervals, b\- the dccji 1i-cn<'h of a cultivated vnlley —
low ridge and shallow \";dh'\' alternating for fbi't\- miles,
with hei-e and there a small ha It"- formed glacier, or little
lake, still nearly choked with the winter snow. In places,
the ridges rise more stee]il\'. with some pretence at jagged

326 SHORT STALKS

edges and cliffs, Init I suppose the level is nowhere less
than three thousand, or more than six thousand feet, and
for the most part the outlines are round and tame. In
the sheltered places a few patches of grass are found, and
cows are brought up for a few weeks in the year, and
tended by a solitary girl.

The hio'h field is sinoularlv barren of life and the
reindeer and ptarmigan have it almost to themselves.
The chief exception to this rule is the little lem-
ming, clad, like the Pope's Guard, in livery of yellow
and black. These miniature l)lunt-headed marmots —
they are only al)Out four or five inches long, including
their stumpy tails — as though conscious of the repro-
ductiveness of their race, are ready to sacrifice their tiny
individual lives with wanton courage. As you walk
the moor, a chirp crescendo, full of anger and defiance,
attracts your attention. Looking about, you will perceive
this tiny David, bolt ujiright, and challenging Goliath.
Very likely he will be standing by his hole, but he will
scorn to fly from dog or man. I have known them thus
on a high road to contest the way with an advancing cart,
until the wheel crushed the fearless little soul. They vary
enormously in numbers in different seasons, and their
sudden appearance in hordes accounts for the super-
stitions anent them, to which old writers have given
currency ; cjj. of their fall from the clouds which Olaus
Magnus accounts for, in that " like frogs and other small
creatures they may in tlieir embryos be attracted to the
clouds, and, being then come to maturity, may drop
from them."

Tlieir inordinate increase in certain years, and the

RKTN'DKET^ >^T.\T.KTXr: 327

consecjUciil Jcai'lli ol" iood, duiilillcss uecuunts lor ihfir
strano-e mio-ratioiis in countless liordcs. An old hunter
once told 1110 tlint. in n Itnd Icmmino- year, owing to the
complete destruction of all ('(lildc hcihage on tli<' nioiiii-
tains, the reindeer are constrained lo pursue and eat the
lemmings themselves, a n< I tliis statement is confirmed by
many observers. Under these cii'cumstances, they move
ott" across coiintr\' incompact bodies. No obstacle deters
iheni. The niiuratinL' army leaves a wasted track behind
it. IMultitudes perish by the way, either devoured by the
birds and beasts of ])rev which hang on their flank, or by
drowning in sea and river. Some say that they return, or
a remnant of them, in <lue time to the high fjelds whence
they came.

In liiintino; reindeer Norwegians relv almost entirely
upon their dogs for finding the deer, as such a thing as a
telescope was, a cpiarter of a ceutur)' ago, unknown in the
remote districts. There is some sense in this, for there
are innnmerabh^ hollows on the ]ilateau which cannot be
spied. These are often full of snow, and reindeer are fond
of lying (111 the snow. The hunters' method is to keep a
steady course, hour after hour, across the wind, in the hope
that sooner or later the dog will catcli the scent of a herd,
in which c;ise he will indicate it by lii> manner. At the
same time 1 should b\- no means advise an\- sportsman to
discard the use of the glass.

To.stin, like most Norwegians, was somewhat lazy, and
made rrctjuent halts df Inn'j duration, but })erhaps he had
reason in that too, for the waiting game often pays in
hunting. In ilie course of one of these halts I was idly
examining a distant snowv ridge, when a small si)eck

328 SHORT STALKS

appecared on the sky-line, followed by another and another,
till there were seven of them. That was my first sight of
wild reindeer. I was eager to start in pursuit, but Tostin
declared that these deer were too distant to reach that
day, so we proceeded in the same way as before, alternately
walking and smoking pipes on rocks, the while taking no
particular ol)servation, but leaving everything to the dog.
1 had no great expectations, and therefore was not dis-
appointed that, for a long time, nothing came of it.

We were sitting down for the twentieth time to shelter
ourselves from a passing showier, " Barfod " was lying in his
favourite position with his head between his paws watch-
ing his master's face, when suddenly he jumped up, ran a
few steps towards the wind, sat down on his haunches,
and eagerly snuffed the air, his hair on end, and his whole
body trembling with excitement. There was evidently
something up, and Tostin assured me that it certainly
meant deer. I lowered my voice, fancying that the dog-
would not show so much excitement unless the herd were
close at hand, but this was a very needless precaution.
" Barfod " was called in and tied to a cord, which his master
held in a tight grasp. He paused once or twice turning
his head about. Then, as though he had made up his mind
about the rioht direction, he bounded on, tugoino; at the
string. Vie followed as fast as we could walk, along an
almost level snow gully. Several ridges were topped with-
out seeing anything, till at last I began to get very much
l)lo\vn, and to think the dog was humbugging us, for it
was difficult to believe that he had winded anything at
such a distance. After runnino' and walkino- for three-
quarters of an hour, and covering, I should suppose, fully

Q
55

^*?^-";

330 SHOET STALKS

three miles, as the crow flies, from the spot where the clog
first detected them, Tostin, who was now some way ahead
of me, suddenly crouched down, and got hehind a rock.
I followed his example, and creeping up to him, took
one look. There they were sure enougli — eight or nine
deer, slowly feeding away from us about three hundred
yards off".

A ridge of rock favoured us, and we worked up to
them behind it. At last Tostin said, " Now look over and
you will see the buck." I did so, and there he was plain
enough, but too far for a fair shot, at least I had not
suflicient confidence in myself to try him at that distance.
It was my first chance at reindeer, and I determined to
make sure of a bag, which indeed the state of our larder
made highly desirable. A pretty good hind stood broad-
side on, about one hundred yards off", and I felt that she
was to be the victim. As the smoke cleared ofi" she lay
kicking on her back. I shall not apologise for this un-
gallant action. In Norway the pot is the first considera-
tion. Besides I wanted to shoot a reindeer anyhow.

Unlike the red deer, the hinds carry horns of their
own. They are said to carry them some months after
the bucks have shed theirs, and at this time, as I am told,
they inflict condign punishment on their lord. He is a
faithless brute and doubtless deserves it. For every
chance you get at a buck you get ten at hinds. I do not
think that five per cent of the deer we saw in Norway
were bucks. The reason of this is perhaps, that their
skins are thicker, and they can withstand the attack of
the mosquitoes. Therefore while the hinds are driven to
take refuge in hio;h oround, the bucks can afibrd to remain

REIXDKKR STALKING :^31

ill tlic vnllovs \v1iovo tho food is riclifr mid llio voo-ct;ition
sutlicieiit to hide lliem.

Wr iviunicil to llie scetcrs, and selecting the neatest
Imt. 1 marched in and took possession to the considcrnlilc
astonishment of the rair-haired young dauglitcr of \ ikings
wliose domain it was. as 1 was totally inial)le at that time
to exi)hiin to her in her own huiLiiiaijo liow much gratified
she ought to be at my intrusion. But she made a virtue
of necessity and n^tirod to tlie domain of another sister of
the craft, presently returning to bring me the one luxury
common to all in Norway — a cup of coftee from berries
roasted at the moment, ground between two stones, and
served with e;indied sugar.

The next day 1 took another long stretch over the
Ijeld, buL saw noiliing, and returned the third lUdrning to
Hoass, where I was welcomed for my meat if not for
myself. I^)Ut the flesh pots were not enough to keep us
in Sundal, for the salmon still preferred the grovelling
worm to the painted fly, and we made preparations for
spending the rest of our time on the fjeld.

We drove down the vallev to the head of the fjord,
and boated as far as the mouth of another vallev, the
Oxendal, whieh extends sonu' miles up into the fjeld.
Here, on the sliore of tlie fjord, tliere was a post station
whrre cverv travcljci' inu>t ciitir hi- n,im(\ The book
iiii-ludcd the records of thirty years, but tlir cntiiv list
hanllv covered a imge. and contained only oiif I'hi'jli-h
name. We were coiiipclhMl to spend three nights at a
farmhouse at tlie head of that valley, as tlie weatlier was
too b;id to go Up to the fjeld. aiid I faney that not even a
solitary traveller had ever penetrated there.

332 SHORT STALKS

Three generations, besides several poor relations, herded
together, without a sign that they had ever had any com-
munication with the outer world. Indeed, in these re-
moter valleys they seem almost independent of all produce
save their own. Oatmeal and milk summed up the total
of their bodily needs. They seemed to have nothing on
earth to do but to cook and eat heavy messes of porridge.
It must be frightfully unsatisfying to judge by the fre-
quency with which they recur to it. So entirely did
they live on spoon meat that there was not a fork in the
house. This indifference to good food must I think be, in
part, due to sheer laziness. To eat flesh you must, at least,
first catch your beast. The Norwegian therefore contents
himself with oatmeal which needs only to be warmed
and stirred. Perhaps for the same reason, and on account
of emigration, labour is dear in Norway where everything
else is cheap. To hire a man for a day costs as much as a
sheep. However, every man is "jack of all trades," and
every household is self-supporting. To them the English-
man who is unable to cobble his own boots is a subject
of melancholy interest, that one should be sunk so low.
I once sent a small cask of beer to Norway, which
the voyage had put into such a forward condition
that I had a difhculty in drawing it. They thought
a brewer who did not know how to tap his own beer an
extraordinary phenomenon !

During visits made to Norway in more recent years I
was struck by the advance made by the Bonder, or ftirmer-
peasant class, in their standard of comfort. Owing to im-
proved communications many articles of food formerly
unknown to them, and especially good white flour wliich

KKINni'lKI! STALKING .333

tliov cannot produce tliemselvcs, penetrate to tlie secluded

vulieys.

Til tlic niicLst of all the squalor there was one I'cature
wliicli was then ronimon to most f;ii-ins away from tlic
high roads, hut would pcrliaps he rarely observed now,
owing to the pertinacious researches of collectors. The
only investment that they seemed to know for their
savings was in silver plate. This house was piirticularly
ricli ; 1 made a l)id for a massive old tankard of (plaint
de\iee to the old miser of a grantlfather, and he would
have sold it directly if it hadn't been for his relations.
]lc dill run (nit with it on the morning of our departure
when he thought no one was looking. He came out
wearing only his shirt, which seemed to have been in use
as long as the tankard, and the idea that he and ancestors
such as he, had been using the latter for all sort of pur-
poses for man\' generations, was too much for me and 1
rejected it. He did however sell me a silver belt, which,
as I afterwards heard, did not belong to him.

The fii'st night that we were here a bear climbed into
a neighbouring fold and kille(l three sheep. The people
were in great excitement and a deputation waited upon
us to beg us to try to kill him. They proceeded to dri\e
somi' miles of the scrub on the side of the valley. The bear
could not escape uphill by reason of a steep scarp of rock
which extended along the sides of the hill, and there was
a gully which could onl\' be crossed at one point. The
beast had been c()nstanily seen crossing at this place, and
there we wtre ]M»ste(l Ix'hind an ;imbuscade of bushes. 1
thought then that itwas a i-rMiiiI cli,nice.,iMd that "Nicholas"
ought certainK to come to be killed, but he failed to show

334 SHORT STALKS

himself. Subsequent experience lias led me to the con-
clusion that a bear seldom spends two nights running in the
same bed, or even in the same valley, especially when his
conscience is burdened with a crime like the above, and also
that he is as a rule far too cunnini>- to be driven to o-uns.
If the peasants see a bear twice in the year they think he
is always thereabouts, and they are very ready to turn out
for a drive, both because they enjoy the lark themselves,
and because they like to keep the Englishmen in the place.
On the third mornino- the weather cleared and Ave were
al)le to go up to the fjeld. We sent our luggage on a
pony to a certain sceter, and soon reached a high point
whence we could survey a large area. We were not long-
in finding a herd of deer disporting themselves in the
middle of a snow-fifdd, but while we were discussinsf how
best to get at them, they suddenly galloped off and we
saw them no more. I believe they winded the pony who
was in the valley. Before long we made out three more a
great way off. We had to go over some rough ground and
so lost sight of them, but about mid-day we found them
again. They were half a mile off, in the middle of a
little plain at the bottom of a valley, so that we were
fully exposed to view if we moved towards them, but by
moving in line on hands and knees, and stopping when
they looked up, we got, after an hour's crawling, to a big-
rock within four hundred yards of them, behind which we
could again stand upright. Beyond that, there was not a
stick or stone to cover us, and there we had to wait, hoping
that the deer would shift to better ground, or that some-
thing would turn up, but for many hours they refused to
move. We began to be anxious, as we were far from our

IIF.INDEKIJ STALKING 335

night's (jiiarters. b'^r j^iart of the time tliey lay, a]»])arently
fast aslec}), but we (H)iihl not presume u])on tliat. I never
yet could (h'terniinc lo my own satisfact i(»n wJicther deer
close their eyes when ihcy sleep. If we arc to helieve our
old fViend Poiitoppidau it would not niudi uiatfci- in (lie
case of the reindeer, us, accordinu' to liim. the\- lia\-e a
hole ill their e}'elids, for use in a snowstorm.

It was iiearlv six o'clock before they rose and
fed towards more uneven o-round. We crawled fifty
yards nearer, and waited aeain. Farther ihaii that
we dared nut g(j, until, one b}' one, they disappeared
behind a shelf of rock. AVe jumped uj), and ran down
tile hill ;is hard as we couhl, and t»-ot within rano-e
before they reappeared. Kenny had the first shot, wliieh
was successful in bringing up one deer, and 1 managed to
knock over a second. The stalk had lasted from lirst to
last seven hours ; it was a six miles' walk over heather
and bi'ij- lo the sa-fcr. and it was (luite dark lonii' hefore
we reached it. We didn't expect grand things at llolbue,
as the tiny settlement was called, but were rather aghast
when we found how very limit e(l were both board and
lodnino". We tried several safcfs afterwards, but a
description of this one will suffice for all, though I confess
that it was not one of the best specimens of its class.
There was a little den about ten feet b\' six, built of rou"h
stones the chinks of which were .-^tuiled with moss, and
about a third of this space was taken up by the shelf on
which the girl slept, and the fire|ilace and co})per for
cheese-making. The two men who IkkI broiighl our
luggage and the sdh r piije seemed to till the a\ailalile
standing room, and I am convinced that, with the whole

336 SHORT STALKS

of our party inside, the door could not have been shut.
An inner chamber about the same size was filled with
utensils and the produce of the season. I believe
that eventually our men slept in this place, on the
top of the cheeses. AVhen we afterwards visited another
scBter we took the hint from them, for this inner room is
always kept clean. The floor makes a capital bed when
well covered a foot deep with reindeer moss and heather,
and Kenny and I just filled it from wall to wall I would
only warn others from my own painful experience, that a
column of milk-pails eight feet high in the neighbourhood
of one's head is not a very stable piece of furniture.

On arriving at Holl^ue, we turned out some of the
men, that we might make our way to the fire with our
frying-pan, a fortunate purchase from Sundal, without
which we should have been badly off indeed. I had
besides one of those neat little copper toys called, I think,
a Eussian Stove. The spirit lamp vaporises some more
spirit which is contained in an inner vessel, and which
rushes out throuo-h a narrow orifice as a lono- tono'ue of
superheated flame. This plays on the copper lid of the
thing and would doubtless cook a lark or piece of bacon in
a few minutes, if the handle did not get so hot that it was
invariably upset on the floor. Besides the spirits of wine
always gets among the venison in some mysterious way.
This is tantalising to such appetites as we had developed,
1jut, on the other hand, the ambitious little roar which the
baby furnace makes while it does all this, is distinctly
comforting. Our frying-pan was a much more substantial
piece of furniture, fifteen inches in diameter. It M'as filled
every morning with collops cut fresh from the carcase of a

KEINDEER STALKIXd

•.VM

rcindeor, wliich Inv ready to liaud on tlio roof of the sa'ter,
and willi I'h'nt}' of butter, this made an excelh'iit fry.
It was our nuunstax' for l>rcakfast arnl dinner and also cold
for luncheon, and it is the best tribute I can pay to rein-
deer venison, to sav that we only got a little tiivd {){ it at
the end of a i'ortniL^lit. Kenny generally had the advaii-
taore when il was set belween us. lie always o-ot to the
uii(hlle of the pan first, and encroached upon my sitle of it.

KKXNV,

Fr.i't-unateK' I found in the iiitiieacies of my ajiparatus a
wonderful knife ;ind fork in a small compass. I-Vmii that
time, I had the bettei' of him. not only could J eat much
faster, but I could detect and pick out all the tender bits.
8uch is the power of intellect when ()]»]>osed \o brute
force. We felt the want of bread very nimli. The native
article, ^//'"//'/■'v/. is loathed b\' most |-]iii^li>h ,-t (Unaehs after
a few (kavs. 'J'lie meal is made from luulh'-riiMiiid oats.

V V 1

338 SHORT STALKS

The cake is fired for about 45 seconds on an iron
plate. It is of the texture of brown paper and is like that
to eat, with the addition of a certain iiabbiness due to the
moisture which it quickly absorbs. AVe were also rather
hard up for something to drink. We had one bottle of
brandy which was reserved for cold days on the high
ground ; also half a pound of tea, which we managed to
spread over the whole time in infinitesimal doses. Towards
the end it did get very weak, Init by boiling it at the end
of dinner in a venisony pot, wc infused a little spurious
colour.

The grand difficulty is the fire, if, as in this case, the
sceter is too far from the valley to bring up wood, for
then, the only fuel is dwarf creeping plants, hardly thicker
than a pencil, and full of moisture. But a great deal may
be done by keeping up a great blaze for a little time, so as
to warm the hearthstone which gives out its heat slowly.
Then if a fresh heap of sticks is laid ready, after a time
they become sufficiently dry to make another blaze.

But to return to that night at Holljue. After supper,
we inquired for our bedroom, and were vaguely directed
to a big hollow rock that lay somewhere near. AVe sallied
forth in quest of it, and found a good many rocks al^out
the height of one's shins, with sharp edges, and well
concealed, l)ut the night was too dark to find the particular
one that we wanted.

There was however an old scvter close by, which had
been long deserted, and here we deposited ourselves and
luggage. The cows liad adopted it for their own, so we
enjoyed a rich carpet, but we rigged up a shelf with an
old door, and I slept as well as I could, with the conscious-

REIXDKKi; STAI.KINC 339

ness that 1 was cuutractiiig a .severe eukl, lor all I he moss
had rotted nwav from hetweoii tlic stones. aii<l tin- wind
blew au'ainst ns I'reelw This was imrl iall\' r(Miitilic(l tlic
next (la\' with I'lvsh nmss, Itiil even then. ! eouhl sec to
write by the daylight that came througii the holes, so that
windows were not missed. The door was guiltless of any
ftistening, an(f. in a high wind, conhl only 1)e made secure by
a ]»ole jammed against it l>y somebody else on the outside,
which was awkward if }'ou wanted to gi't out in a liurry.

The riglit of ]>astui'age on t]te fj''hl is not I Ix'lieve, as
ill Switzerland, common to all the inhabitants of a \alley,
but is — unh'ss the law iias bccu altered — the property
of individuals, who have obtained a prospective right
by long usage. Perhaps this is because it was not worth
quarrelling about. 'I'he\" do however convert it into good
milk, cream and cheese — llie kind licnerallv niade, and
which is called onijs-os/ (whey cheese), being of a dark
br*)wn colour. The whole establishment is manao'ed bv
one strong-minded rcnialc who leads a solitary life, except
when her supplies tire Itrought once a week. She has to
milk the cows, make two or three different kinds of cheese,
and keep all the uten>ils ch'an, so her time does not hang
heavy on her hands, and I came across none who did not
seem to like it.

The second dav we were ao-aiu successful. W'r li.id had
n fruitless L:rind over an extensive snow-liild and were
comimrhome, when the inl'.illiMe •■' Barfod aijain told ii< of
the presence of deer, and led us up to tliem — a herd of ten.
It was my turn to have first shot, I made a very bad one
and hit the deer too far l)ack, Init retrieved my honour, by
knocking him over with the second barrel. As we walked

340 SHORT STALKS

home, I heard behind, and quite close to us, a kind of
croak, which is the sound the deer make when they are
startled. This deer must have followed us, having prob-
ably seen something moving in the valley and mistaken
us for his relations. He was wildly alarmed when he
found out the gaucherie of Avhicli he had been guilty, and
went off like the wind, so that our rifles could not be got
out of their cases before he was out of range.

The next day was a blank, and the next after that I
was obliged to stay in the scpfcn- and nurse myself, for the
cold I had contracted the first night had become serious,
and I dared not face the biting wind on the high ground,
till it got better. I improved my knowledge of the
lano-uaoe, by consultino- the sceto- woman about the
economy of cheese-making, Ijut most of that weary day
was spent within the four walls of our windowless hut.
There was a small quantity of rice among our stores,
and I taught myself how to make a rice pudding, by an
exhaustive series of experiments carried out upon infini-
tesimal portions of rice. I extemporised a Turkish bath,
by raking out the fire, and sitting in the fireplace, while
I exhausted our literature by the light that came down
the chimney. I dumped the holes in the wall, which
occupied more of the time than anything else. Tailoring,
cobbling, wood-carving were successively tried by the
meagre light — anything to pass the time — but the bitterest
pill of all was, when after fourteen long hours, Kenny came
back, for I heard that I had missed the most interesting
and successful stalk of our trip.

One of the men, whom we had sent into the valley
two days before, had told us, on his return, that he had

REINDEER STALKINC 3 11

seen tlie tracks of lour Jargi' deer wliidi he believed
to be bucks (tlu>y turned dut ;iff(M'w;irds to l)c ww old
hinds) whicli had o-onc u|> into a small \alle\', t'roni
which there was no exit, but tliat li\- which they had
entered. On tlie follow iiiL!,' day we had looked foi- our-
selves, but could not see any sio;ns of tlieir having coinc «iut.
On the morning in (|Uestioii. when the ]>arty were opposite
the valley, the dog winded them, apparent!}' not far oil".
He quickly brought them into sight of tlie deer. They
were about two liundi-ed yai'ds off. but it was dangerous
to try to get nearer. Instead of lying down as might
have been expected, for it was now ten o'clock, they kept
feedinij on riuht un ihe hill, and Tostin remarked with a
grin, that, if thev went (»ii. they \\(»uld get into a. place
where they could onl\' e(»me liaek the same way, and that
would be in the face of tlie hunters. They were now on
a steep slope, forming the base of a 1»roadish ridge, wliieh
led u]i to the top of the mountain, and this is flanked by
steep precipices on each side. The decried u[iwards with-
out pausing, the hunters following as closely as they daicd.
This went on till thev ti'ot fairlv ui)on the ridire. Not
being able to see them, they took the top of the moun-
tain before them like a turiu]) field, the two men on
either side, Kenny in the middle but a little behind. They
had not gone far. before he saw the deer some distance off.
a[)[)arently nearly as far as they could get. Up to this
time Tostin had thought that they could only escape
by coming straiglit back in their faces, lie now I'aiieied
that they might possibK know of a [»assage over tlie top of
the mountain, ami aecoi'dingly cliaiigiMl his mode of attack.
He would li'o (»n, and, b\ elindiinLi," alonir the face of the

342 SHOET STALKS

cliff, get beyond them, Kenny was to stay with the other
man, and so get the deer between them. As soon as they
attempted to turn back they were to show themselves, and
keep them on the ridge as long as possible. The plan
succeeded perfectly. Tostin had my breechloader, at that
time quite a novelty, and, with the unaccustomed facility,
he was rather reckless of his bullets, which beo-an to sino-
past his companions' ears. The poor brutes were quite
pounded, and did not know which way to go. Before
they could get past Kenny, three of them lay dead on the
ridge. The fourth made a bolt to get back, but he cut
her off, and put a bullet into her as she passed within thirty
yards, which quickly brought her to a standstill. He had
them all four lying dead within two hundred yards of each
other. It was not till then that he found that they were all
hinds. This was rather a damper, but at least the meat was
very welcome in the households to which it found its way.
The next day we went down into Eikisdal to spend
Sunday at Tostin's farm in the hope that my ailments
would yield to a warmer climate. This valley forms a very
deep trench. There were no preliminary slopes, but, after
walking for several miles over fjeld more or less level, we
came suddenly to what seemed the edge of an enormous
rent in the hills. In front of us, the cliffs were broken at
one point by a gap which admitted of a steep zigzag path
being carried down its side, through a tangled copse of
creeping birch. At first, clouds filled the valley and pre-
vented our seeing to the bottom, but as we got below these,
we saw the inky surface of a lake extending for several
miles. It fills the valley from side to side, and washes the
base of the precipices. On the op})Osite side, Ijlack sheer

KEiNDKEi; ^TALKING 343

cliffs extended as far as we ct)uld see, and over these a
splendid waterfall made one leap from the sky-line ti>
the level of tlir lake. Tost in assured ns that lie once
wounded a deer whirh ijul into this stream and was carried
over the fall never to be seen asiain. It was. in far-t. no
mean rivci-.

It is this peculiar confu'uiation, of \allrys of extra-
ordinary aluuptness, and separati'd from one another hy a
wide extent of plateau, which makes the Norwe.uiau hi;j,li
fjeld so different from mountains of the normal type. The
Norwegian fjelds are not the place to go to for scenery.
Unless a man is attracted by mere barrenness and a sense
of space lie will be disap]H)iiited. It is featureless to a
o'reater deuree than au\- hill countr\' which I know. Of
colour too there is none exce})t melancholy hues. A ]ii'oof"
of this is found in the birds and beasts, which generally
nuitcli the ground they live on. They are all dull-coloured,
though 1 will not deny that the white -winged willow-
irrouse is a preti \- hird.

But this remark does not apply to the scener}- of the
fjords, some of which are of an excpiisite softness, and
others, which are walled in by lofty sides, falling sheer into
the water, of surpassing sternness. Tliere is nothing like
them auNwhere else. ()ii the oilier hand, the climate is
the reverse of bracing. Ii has far too much of the vapour
of the Gulf Stream in it for my taste.

h lodk us ncarl\- l\\o hour.- of boiic-shaking descent to
reach the shore of the lake Here was a little green patch
and a fanuhouso. the onlv ])ossi])le settlement for man or
beast on the edsc of the lake, and seeniinir to iiuard the
gates of the happy hunting ground al)ove.

344 SHORT STALKS

We rowed to tlie head of the lake, and Tostin's farm
was close by, in the middle of a fertile little plain, or
rather a plain which would be fertile, if a little more sun-
shine could reach the bottom of the valley. Tostin was a
prosperous man, his fields carry good crops and many
beasts. His rano-e of farm buildino-s was extensive. The
house itself was one of the best I came across. Liside
there were large well -furnished rooms, pictures on the
walls, and newspapers lying about, beds clean and comfort-
able, but alas ! the table carried nothing but a snow-white
tablecloth and silver spoons, whose brightness mocked
our empty stomachs. There was nothing in the house to
eat but oatcake, coffee, and milk products. However, it
was some chano-e to have the venison we had brouoht
with us cooked by other hands than our own, and to miss
the familiar liavour of our fry-pan.

Tostin's pay for one day would have covered our 1)111
for board and lodging for two nights at a roadside station,
l3ut it was not sutticient to tempt him away from
home when we returned to the fjeld. He rejoined us
later on, but, for the time, he found pottering over
his unripe oats, and eating gruel, more interesting.
Certainly, the corn hadn't the slightest tinge of yellow
upon it, but he said it never did get riper in that
valley. So for the time we had to content ourselves with
a young and inexperienced hunter. Up to this time we
had shot eight deer in six days, but Kenny's great coup
hud exhausted all our luck. Thenceforth, we had uothino-
but failures. For eight days we failed to bag a single
deer, though we saw them nearly every da)'. AVe moved
from Sitter to swter, but nothiuii; reversed the tide of mis-

REINDEER STAI-KING :Mr)

rorluiK'. On uiic uecasioii, we .s|)1lhI cIult on llic l()[) oi a
ridge wliic]i tliorc wore niil\- two way.s of reaching. We
stati(»iu'il (iiir>cl\es l»\- oiic n(" llirsc wax's, and sent a man
iijt the other to drive the deer towards us, liut contrary to
all reason, they doubled back past the driver and went
dtiwn ])\' the wav lie liad conic u}). Another lime, we
wounded one out of a herd, which fell oxer a precipice
where it was not possible to recoNcr him ; at least so 'J'ostin
said. Twice the wind chopped round to our backs Just
as we were a]i])roacliing deer. Once a thick fog came on
when the dog was leading us up to deer, and they saw
us before we saw them. Once only I made a downright
mi.ss, and as it is usual to attribute that sort of misfoituiie
to some extraneous cause, I will say that I shot over his
back owing to a stiff neck.

At last our time was uj), and we liad to get across to
the Romsdal valley, and take to our hirjolcs again. Our
last quarters on the fj(dd Avere at a pleasant ])laec by the
banks of a orand trout stream, whicli atforded a wclc(une
chano'c in oui- larder.

The last day came, we had twenty miles to walk to
the valley. We were very anxious to score a final success,
and to improve our chances we separatc(l ,ind liM.k ditfcrent
wa\s, Kciinv takiuij' To.-^tin, and I an old hunter from
Aursuen. named Bjornen, or the Beai', wliich ap[ir(>priately
desci-ibed liini. I\cnn\' snw nothing all d;iy. \avV still
seemed auainst us for the wind shifted to our ba(d<s as
soon as we had started, making it very unlikely that the
dou' would set the wind of deer, and hi'_;hi\ oruhablc th;it
tliev would get ours, and this in fact was the very thing
that happened. About five miles on the way. we saw a

346 SHORT STALKS

herd of eleven deer in front of us, galloping off as hard as
they could, having taken the alarm before we saw them.
They were led by the finest buck I saw all the time we
were out, and I could have cried when I saw them ooino-.
We sat down and watched them o-o. They settled down
into a long swinging trot till they disappeared over a ridge
about two miles off. It was likely to be the last chance,
and it was worth making a special eftbrt to come at them ;
so we made a circuit of some miles to be sure of o^etting;
to leeward of them, and then quartered the ground up the
wind, in a series of lono- swino-ino- zio-zao-s. This was a
protracted business, for the dog, who was a very inferior
specimen to "Barfod," seemed to have some family cares on
her mind, and took no interest in the proceedings. Thus,
we had to trust entirely to our own senses. After some
hours of this search I began to despair, but at length
Bjornen, who was in front, stooped stealthily, after peering
over a ridge, and there, as good luck would have it, were
the missino- herd.

They had recovered from their fright and were lying-
down l)y a little lake baskino; in the sun. We left the doo-
in charge of Bjornen's son, and got up within fair distance,
sheltered by a rock. Here I left Bjornen, and dragging
myself l)y my ell^ows through the grass for another thirty
yards, reached another rock just big enough to hide me,
and lay quite flat. Besting on my elbows, I could look
over and survey them. The whole herd, except their
leader, lay exposed to view on a little knoll. He was
couched on the farther side of it, and I could only see his
horns, and occasionally his head and part of a great shaggy
neck, when he lazily raised his nose to snuff the breeze.

REINDEER STALKING :M7

Any one oi' lliL- others cuiikl be cowrud hy ihc bead us
tlioy lav. but T had to wait till the master stag gave
me a fair chance by risinu'. The lawns, of which thoro
were two or three, were as impatient as I, and several limes
got up and ti'jcil to rouse their dams, but I had to wait
more than two hours for my op}>ortuuity.

Now })crhaps sonu' ma\- think that lying on youi'
elbows in the sun is an agreeable way for a lazy man to
pass his time. So it is for a few minutes. Try it for
an h(Mir. and \'ou will alter vour o])inion. T'^nless your
muscles are made of steel they will refuse any longer to
carry the weight. Your head wdll be suffered to sink on
your hands and \-our tlioughts will wander anywhere until
you ]»i'esently forget where you are. That at least was
what lia]i[)ened to me. How long I had been dozing 1 do
not know, l)Ut somethini;' roused me with a start, and in a
moment I realised that I had all but lost my chance.

The herd had risen, and were ti'otting dr)wn the other
side of the knoll, all l)ut the big buck, who ibrtunatelv
still remained for his final stretch. As he turned to follow,
he gave me a fair broadside for one moment, and I lired.
They all went off in a mob together. For a moment 1
thouoiit I niu>l have missed him, from the wav he raced
after them, but something spasmodic in his gallo[) made me
hope. They disappeared behind n ridge, and I anxiously
watched f »r them to top the next hill. AVhcn they came
in sight, the buck was not with them, and for a certainty
there was ami)le cause for his lingering. In a minute he
appeared, struggling gallantly with his fate, but the hill was
too much for him. an<l he came down on his knees. As I
got up to him. he made a vain efibrt to regain hi> Irgs, but

348 SHORT STALKS

ill doing so, he rolled over and died. My bullet liad been
well placed for it had cut the heart and passed through his
body. I found it under the skin on the opposite side.
Yet he had run two hundred yards l)efore he fell. He was
a oTand stao- in the body, and his horns thouoh small in
proportion, had sixteen points. We secured the meat from
marauders under a heap of big stones, to be fetched sub-
sequently, but, as we were determined to have something
to show, we cut off the head and a haunch as trophies.
Bjornen carried the haunch, and I hope he liked it, for I
found the head quite as much as I could manage for a
rough walk of fifteen miles, but I would rather have sat on
the horns all the way home than left them behind. We
found Kenny at Lcesjevoerk in the Romsdal, and the next
morning took to the road again, and in five days were in
Eno-land.

Nowadays, I believe that one has to pay a heavy
license, amounting to £11, for the privilege of shooting-
reindeer, or any other wild l)ird or beast on "public"
lands. This restriction is aimed at foreio-ners and
especially Englishmen, but if further protection is needed
for the reindeer, it is a pity that the existing laws are not
enforced against the natives, who, with all their excellent
qualities, are the worst poachers and pot hunters in the
world. Though I have only once been out reindeer hunt-
ing since the experiences here described, it ranks high in
my estimation of wild sports.

XI

Tin: TZZAKD

The I/zartI, as tlie clKUiiois iA' the I^vrenees is l(»c;ill\- callcil.
IS practically identical with its cousin of the Alps, it is a
proof of the persistency of th(> race that, notwithstanding
the ciioiiiioiis geological pci'iod wliidi niiisi haxc elapsed
since the two branches of the family were separated i)\- the
Kli')iii' ami the I'lains of Laiimiedoe, llie\' lia\'e dixcru'ed so
sliglitlx". The facial marks of the Pyreneaii animal are
rather darker than those of its congener, ami in all its
parts it is perhaps somewhat smaller, especially m the
horns which ai'e mnrc -lendei-. hut this is onl\' part of a
o-eneral law uiidei' which certain animals, such as the
chamois and the red deer, show a more vigorous dcxelop-
ment as you travel eastward to a wider continent. There
is fulh' as nnich ditference in tins i'es|ieri lietwrcn the
chamois of Transylvania and that of the Alj)s, as between
the hit t(M' and the iz/.;iril.

The I'yrenean peasants, whether on the j'^rench or
Spanish side. raid^. with one or two noi.ihlr excej)tions,
fir below those of the Alps, liotli in enthusiasm for the
" chasse,'' and in tin' science of hunting: and some of

350 SHORT STALKS

their methods woiikl he despised as unworthy, in regions
where the honourable rules of the chase are as much
regarded as they are with us. A gcmsen-jager prides
himself on his fine rifle-shooting, and practises the art
every Sunday in friendly rivalry with his neighbours, but
the chasseur cVizzards will tell you that there is a better
chance of killing two at a shot if you use a charge of buck-
shot, and that tlie herds are tamer in the spring when the
kids are runnino; at the sides of their dams.

My first introduction to the izzard was, in fact, in the
month of March. I paid a l;)rief visit to the charming
villao-e of Gavarnie without any idea of huntino- at that
time. There is a finely -engineered road to it, one of
Napoleon's III.'s extravagances, but more excusable than
some of his follies, for it was constructed to please his
wife. This, and the miracles of Lourdes have had a vulgar-
isinn; effect on Gavarnie since I first knew it, and at the
present time the hunter who regards his bag, will do
wisely to seek more unsophisticated quarters. But this
remark requires explanation. It is aljout twenty-five years
since a hidy in gauze wings appeared to a shepherdess at
that hamlet. The miracle was endorsed by the Pope and
all his cardinals, and has brought much pelf to the coffers
of the church, as well as to the ecstatic damsel's cousins
and aunts, who advertise themselves as such over the
doors of the wine-shops. The j9c/'er /??.<? flock in thousands
from every part of Catholic Europe, and great numbers of
them find their way up, twenty-eight miles farther, to
Gavarnie. This has not improved its moral atmosphere,
but it is still delightful (juarters, and the eternal features
are always there.

THE IZZARD 351

The chiet' oi' lliese is the Cwqac ui llial ilk, a woinkTiul
amphitheatre of black clifts, siiniionntcd hy siiow-firltls
ami the aii-v-lookino- crests of the raiiii;c. At the time of
iiiv tii'st visit the famous waterfall, of no o-reat volume,
but said to be roiirlceii humlivil feet in height, which
falls over this clifl', was frozen to its walls like a white
curtain, while o-reat shoots of snow, that had |)ourrd IVom
above, la\- in dirt \' white slopes at the l)(»ttom of the al)yss.

Across one of these, as we entere<l the CV/v^/'c we saw
some black dots niovino-. and immediatch- had our o-lasses
on three izzards. This had a very e-\hilai;Hing effect on
our spirits, and I allowcil myself to be persuaded to
attem]>t a stalk on the following day, though Gavarnic was
shrouiled in snow, and I was sceptical as to the possibility
of getting about in the higher corries. Having no weapon,
I borrowed a lOdjore gun which carried a [xjudennis
spherical bulKt. Two of my daughters accompanied me,
and T did not look upon the expedition in a yovv s(Mious
spirit. It snowed so heavily in the nmrning that wc did
not leave the inn till mid-da\- ; but. alter an casv ascent
of two hours, a i)oint was reached which o\(i-looked the
\ al d'Especiere, and we almost immediately spictl a
solitary buck izzanl disporting himself on the rocks. I
was halt' inclined to think that he was a tame one put
there for the delectation of travellers, Init i swallowed
mv scruples and seriouslv entere(l upon iIk^ stalk, while
the ladies watched from below. M\- hunter ami I loilcd
u[)wards for an hour through powdery snow, e\cr increas-
ing in dejtth till we got well alio\e the cliff whei-c we had
seen the buck, but he was nowhere visible and it was
clear that he was reclining in S(»me hidden corner; .so there

352 SHOET 8TALKS

we had to wait for an liour. sittino- in a bitiiiir wind,
with snow well above the knee, till he chose to appear.
This at last he did, feeding below us and we quickly got
on better terms, as it was easy to approach silently
through the floury snow. I never felt much more hopeless
of doing any good, for my fingers were almost without
feeling, and the flakes, which now fell again, piled them-
selves on the ril) of my gun faster than I could shake
them off. However, I had got to let off that gun at that
izzard, and I was quite relieved when I had pulled the
trigger and got it over. The poor little rock jumper
raced, with a frantic scamper, down the snow slope, but
almost instantlv rolled over with a hole rioht throuo-h
him which might have been made by a crowl^ar. My
bourgeois weapon had carried true.

The ground which the Pyrenean chamois frequents is
certainly steeper and the climbing more difficult, at least
on the Spanish side, than I have found it in the Alps when
similarly engaged. There are also long lines of cliffs which
cannot be negotiated except at certain points, few and fiir
between, and which therefore involve lono- detours. These
cliffs are often more than sheer : thev overhano- at the
top, or, as one of my party, somewhat given to exaggera-
ti(m, described them — "they are not so steep after all,
only that the slope is inside out." A dead or wounded
izzard sometimes falls over them, and gets smashed out of
all recognition. Gerald had to make a circuit of three
hours to reach one which had thus escaped him, and found
it already annexed by birds of prey ; a circumstance which
mattered the less, as there would have been nothing fit
to carry home in any case.

TlIK IZZAIII) 353

T will not woarv tho roador witli aiiytliiiiu- lik<> a
connecteil account of my izzarcl liuiit> «>!' wliidi I have
enjoyed many since that, or I sIkhiM run llic ri>k df
repeating nmcli of wliat 1 have said in the chaiitd' on
clianii)is, l)ut a few selections from my iidtcs will serve
to uive sonir idea of the spoil.

1 lliink I lie followiiiL:; was one oi" the most varied ami
interest iiiu'. as well as successful days that I ever had.
()ur parlN' of llnvc Irj'i oui- hcadcjuarters at 4 a.m.. and.
appointing a rendcz\ous at the little handet (•!' iMiudiero,
invaded Spain hy three diti'crent routes, wlnle our luggage
followed a fourth — the ordinary mule path. .My course
lay tlirougli the " Rreehe," the curious square luche
in the crcsi of the rid"e which is visil)le for so man\-
leagues, both on the French and Spanish side. 'i'o
reach it one marches straio-ht at tht" wall of the
Cirque, whence, to the uninitiated, there seems no exit;
hut across the rio-ht-haiid part of the clitf there is
a narrow diagonal le(lge which is almost invisihle trom
hejow, hut uji which there is in reality a famous natural
staircase, very steep, hut perfectly easy. After three
houi's of stead\' cland)erinu, and when we had L^'ot iicarK'
within sight of the Breclie, four izzards appearetl conung
from it across the snow-fiidd. For a long time \ve watched
iheiii. lill the\' la\' down. ;ind we hegaii the stalk'. AVe
had to nio\c iiniong some rocks wlndi wt re m iheir \iew,
and 1 think thev mav have seen something. At any rate
they showed signs of uneasiness, ami after a time crossed
the valley in which we were, to an isolated peak or
huttress, called I he Sarradet<. which pi'ojects tVoni the
main chain aliove the Ciique. and went oui ui our ^ight

'2 A

354 SHORT STALKS

round the corner. We now took up their tracks in the

THE BKECHH.

snow, but the farther we followed them round the peak,
the more the wind was at our backs. I was just making

TilK IZZAKI) 355

the reni;iik ilial. fur lliis ivason, ii wus useless to proceed,
wlifii Uelestiii. who was in front, (luckc<l lii> head. I
scrambled turward in time to see two «>l' llif animals
dasllill^■ awa\\ now lidnnil Iul;' rucks, and then a^ain
a[)iiearing lor an inslanl. The >kol was a snaii[)y one
and as I expected, the kullct tinklcil on a rock.

Aniitlicr cartridge was i-amnietl in anil I waited during
that absorbing moment of e\[iectcition, when yon can hear
the bounce of the hoofs and the rolling stones. Presently
the biggest stood upon tlie ridge beyonik his outline cut
ont sliaruK- ai^ainst the skv. 1 was ready for him and
telt sure of him as I i)ulhMl tlie triL;!>er, but at that monieiit
a little \earliiiu' fellow dashed in front of Jiini and mjt ihc
bullet. It was unfortunate. Init he had uixcn nu^ a v(>rv
pretty stalk at the cost of a four hours' digression. We tJien
tramped on to the Breclie which we reached at nud-day.

This remarkable cleft has been often described. The
tlanking dills are (piite sheer, and it is so sipiare cut that
it looks as if it had been sawn out. ()wing to the
narrowness of the range, one has tlie sensation there of
dominating the world, more than on any otlu-r spot
which I kiH)W. It is a favonrite camping p]ac(^ foi"
hunters, but is loo hiti'li except dniino- the most settled
weather in the sumniei-. A >inall cav<' has been hewn out
of the per[»endicular face of the rock and is closed by
an iron door, but it is too dark and damp for m\' taste,
and I prefer the slielving hollow under an overhanging
rock on the Spanish side. One's couch there, is, to say the
least, a knubbly one, and the situation is perhaps as airy
as nnv in Euro]io : but with a little contiaving one can
make oneself at home there. ;ind the view tioni the parloui-

356 SHORT STALKS

window, especially when the columns of cloud boil upwards
from the hot caldron of Spain, is of extraordinary interest
and charm, though these vapours are ahvays regarded with
suspicion, for they are the most frequent marplots to the
sport. On the present occasion we had no intention of
remaining, for many hours of the roughest rock tramping
lay between us and our night's lodging.

From the Breche you look out to the south over a wild
waste of rocks and snow, below which a tremendous range
of cliffs walls in Spain. Out of this tableland, if I may call
it so by contrast with the j^recipices, though it is in
reality broken up by many deep ravines, rise several isolated
peaks. High up on the face of one of these, the Pic Royo,
we made out a lot of izzards. They appeared to be quite
unapproachable, as they commanded the whole of the
comparatively level ground between us. However, under
cover of some big rocks we approached to within about six
hundred yards, hoping that they would come down on to
better stalking ground. In this we were disappointed and
we could not afford to wait. Beyond there was no covert
whatever to conceal us. We were now on a ridge of rocks,
coloured red and ochre, which were precisely matched by
a suit of Harris tweed wdiicli I happened to be wearing.
Feeling sure that it would puzzle the izzards, I deter-
mined to try how near I could get by boldly walking
forward, although I had no expectation of getting within
shooting distance. Leaving Celestin behind, I proceeded
to advance towards them in a stooping position, and
hanging my arms so as to look as much like a four-footed
animal as 1 could. The moment I left the l^ig rock they
saw me, and all stood up, staring intently in my direction.

TTTK TZZAT^D 357

I kopt steadiK- (Hi lill I had (limiiiL-slicd llic dislaiice 1)\-
oiR' lialf, the izzards all llic w liilc oontiiininii^' to stand at
"•aze, l)nt (piit*^ niia1)l(\ owiiio- to the ciiiious harmony of
my clotlu's with my .suiTOiuidings, to dist iii-_;uis]i fViciiil or
foe. ^^ hen 1 got within wliat I jndged to be three hundred
yards, the red rocks came to a sudden end, and were suc-
ceeded by blue sliale. It was clear that, with a ditlerent
])ackoT()un(k I must be instantly identified. Now it so
happened that, a few da\-.s l)efore, 1 had Ijeen shouting a
rifie- match at a target, and knew exactly wliat mv
•400 Honry eoidd do at tliis very distance, although
it has only one fixed sight. Besides, tlir izzards
otiered an unusuallx' dear mark, standing, as they were,
rigid as carved stones against the white slopes of the peak ;
and, as it was hopeless to get any nearer, I thought 1
would try the shut; but J was considerablv surprised
when the smoke cleared, and revealed the une 1 had selected
lyinfv stoue dead. It was a sio-ht to see the rest of tlie
herd scattei- with tremendous leaps, and, accompanied by
the lioundino' stones which tliev disturl)ed and a cloud of
dust, bound and slide down the cliff towarcU me, f'oi-
apparently they could not believe that the shot could have
proceeded from the dim and distant object which they had
been watching. That was 1 think the longest successful
shot I v\v\- made which was not an absolute iluke.

C'elestin had now a vorv heavv burden, but I was
destined to add to his lo;id. After another two hoiii's'
clambering, and just before we began the steepest part of
the descent, wi- saw another band at no great distance,
but also appai-ent 1\' in an unstalkablc }»lace. M\ unliriii-j;
companion pi'opo.-rd that I .should get as near them as I

k

THE HERD CLATTERED DOWN THE CLIFF.

I'll I'. iz/Ai;n nr.n

could, while he made a circuit and moved tliCTU. This
Sf'henic wc carried out. lait the\- did n(»t take the expected
direction. 1 ran ah)ni'- hehind a ridit'C to cut them oil' but
T could not o'ct within two liundi'cd yards of thoni. They
had seen nu\ l)ut thouijht thcv were far enouu'h to he safe,
and hunche(l up. The distance was really too far for any-
thini»' like a safe shot, and 1 had no husiness to trv it, hut.
eneourao-ed hy my previous skill or good luck, I selected a
nice l)uck and (ired. They rushed off helter-skelter and I
supposed I liad missed, as, perhaps 1. deser\ed to ilo ; l)Ut
ten miinites later, when 1 reached a spot which faced the
slope where they had been, T turned my glass on to it
while waiting for Cclestin to come up, and there lav the
body of the buck where it had fallen, stone dead to the
shot, behind the rock on which it had been standing, and
which had coni[iletely concealed its bod\' lioni the tiring
point, Celestin somehow managed to [lih' all three ainmals
on lo his back, and lor a short distance, but with labour-
ing steps, carried them so, till we reached a she])herd's
refuge and thei'e left them. We had still f'ulK' three
thnu-aiid feet of descent and the wa\' was rough,
but it was lightened bv a glorious moon, whose Immihs
streame(l ihi-ouuh the great pines and b\- an exhilarat-
iuij- sense of success. It was 9.30 Ijcfore I rejoined ni\
companions.

I think this was without exception the \h'>[ dax's
sport I evei' had : nor was that all. f )r Gerald and
Geof had each secured ;i lihihI buck. ( lci-;dd"s beast
had iiiven trouble df i;iilier an unusual kind. It had
been killed at the fop nj" ,i elill". down which it had ]'olle(|
f(ti- a lontr distance till (»ut of their siuht. The hunter went

360 SHORT STALKS

down to fetch it, and did not reappear for an hour, when
he returned without the buck. He had followed it
by the Ijloody trail which its body had made as it
slid downwards, until the cliif got too steep for him.
From this point he could see to the base of it, and the
small snow-field which sloped away from it, but nothing of
the buck. To reach the bottom thev had to make a detour
of two hours ; but when this was accomplished, there were
still no signs of the dead izzard. At last they came to
the conclusion that he must have fallen behind the snow,
which had melted away from the rock, leaving a cleft, into
which they could neither see nor descend ; Ijut there
remained one more chance of reachino- it. By oreat oood
luck the stream which fell down the rock had worn a way
for itself under the snow. Proceedino' to the foot of the
slope they cautiously crawled, on all fours, up the tunnel,
and, after a difficult piece of underground clambering,
found their quarry and Ijrought it once more into the
daylight.

So far as numbers were concerned, I once had a still
better day than the above. On the plateau above mentioned
there are several curious deep crater-like hollows which
ought to be lakes, but that the water, which flows into
them, escapes through suljterranean passages in the soft
limestone. I f^und a herd of izzards in the bottom of the
largest of these, which is about half a mile in diameter, and
perhaps 500 ft. deep. I killed one at the first shot, and
as there was no escape for them except by mounting the
steep slope opposite to me, they kept stopping and giving
me a second, third and fourth chance, so that I had three
lying dead before they got out of range. 1 had killed

Till': W.ZWA) 301

another in tlic nioniing-, so there was meat in camp
that night. 1 was certainly in excellent iorni that year,
l)ut lest T sliuuKl seem to boast, T mav mention that ii
few days afterwards, I had three chances, each one sim[)ler
than the other, and missed them all !

\i' a person is willing to face douhtful weatlici'. he
may often have the finest sport late in the year, when the
l>ucks aie on the move. They are then sometimes seduced
within range Ii\' their own headlong passions. It is a case
of mistaken identity. IMy friend Sam furnishes me with
the following note (^f such an experience:

"The autumnal e(|uinox is not always fa^■ou^al»le foi'
stalking; hut if its customary storms are suspended, the
[)atient sportsman may sally out with an assured prospect
of sport. If he should he favoured with still In-ight frosty
weather, and iVesh white snow, upon which tracks can he
picked u[i at any distance, the cream of the season lies
before him. For about this date a new element enters
into the gam(\ Even the most chui'lish old solihnrcx
seek to 'join the ladies.' The weighty old gray-face
now sallies forth in rpiest of the fail-; and his weakness
may sometimes lead him into embarrassins: situations.
It may seem unfeeling to take advantage of his rash
indiscretions — but that these occasions mav be iirolitabK-
turned to account the loHdWiug will show.

" It was the last week in ( )ctober — stormy weather had
kept us jirisoners for several davs. wIkmi the change came,
and we dcteiniiiiid to oivc it one more da\- before startino-
homewards. M \- eouipanio)i and T hail -taited before dawn,
and the morning had broken upon a perfect day. A\ e pro-
ceeded up a valle\- at the head olwlileh \\r Imd [ireviously

362 SHOPvT STALKS

seen a herd. Sure enoiigli they were there, or there-
abouts, 1)ut the stalk failed, and they went away — ujihill
as though to cross into another valley. We watched
them top the ridge, going very slowly in the deep snow,
and made sure they would stop, a little way over on the
other side. We were just about to make after them,
when we spied, very high up on the opposite side of our
valley, two splendid bucks. One was a lord among izzards.
His head was good, but what especially distinguished him
was his size and colour. His haunches and shoulders were
so grizzled as to be almost white, while his barrel was black
like a bear, and the long bristles stood up — a wiry fringe
along his back. There was only one way up, and the wind
was puffing this way and that, in an aggravating manner.

" But it was my last day, so we hardened our hearts
and determined to try it. Sometimes we were on good
ground, sometimes on bad, — and the wind all over the
place. I had not much faith in it. Suddenly, however,
the l)uek we were in search of rose, and disappeared
over some rocks. We could not tell whether he had o-ot
our wind or had merely risen to feed ; but we feared the
worst and hurried on to see. Sure enough they had
o'one. AVe were iust beoinnino- to sio-h over our ill
fortune when my hunter touched me and pointed. C*rossing
a wide corrie there he was — the liio- fellow — standino- on a
peak of black rock, starino- hard in our direction and oiyino-
vent to a succession of surprised whistles. ' Sa2)risti' —
'All ! Je [/)'(( nJ coquin. Refiardez-Je ! il }icst jjas .siir — il
nous cro/t iVetre fcmeUes, voiis ct moi par exem'ple I Tencz
voifs tranqTi/I — uc hovqez pas — // ra iiovs fnire imc petite
visite!' And behold! one loud whistle and with every

'nil-: IZZAllD 303

hair uii liirf Ijack creel, he wheeh'd about and .started in
our direction with tlic air of sudden iin|iulse whicli comes
over a man when he catches siirht of his ladvdove, for
whom he lias been waiting impatiently at the trysting-
place. IIow he did gallop on the rocks and scramble
through the soft snow, sometimes up to his neck ! Soon
a buttress of rock hid him from our sight. We jumped
up and ran for a rock wliieh commanded the spot whore
lie should reappear. ]\Iinutes seemed hours, till we heaid
the slio-ht rattle of fallincj stones. Presentl\- his head
appeared and then his body came in sight. He was
lookintr about eauerlv for his inamorata bul he was not
received wiili the caress whicli he expected. Bang — apnft'
of smoke — a momeiii of suspense and then the prolonged
sHibiig x'liiid of izzard. snow and small stones, combining
lo make a miniature a\alanclie into the boUom of the eorrie
below. 'L'animal ! il .sest joJrrDcuf irowpe ccffcfois la ! ' "
One of the most curious shots I e\'er made was on the
'■ Jjlue ('liff." so called from the sh-it\shah' of which ii
was composed, or, as some said, from ils elfeci mi
the nerves of an\' novice who attcm[)ted to cHiiili
it. Certainly it was all but impossible to get a stalk
on ii, p,irll\' owing to its steepness and the erunibl\-
nature of the rock, but still more to the (-((neave shape of
the eoi-rie. I'^roni its upjiei' edge we s]iie(l two ehaiiiois
U'inu" to<i-ethei' on ;i p.ilch of snow, bui loo f;ii- oil" \'i<v a
fair shot, and there was no prospect of getting any nearer
iiiih'ss they moved. We lav llal oii oiir >toiiiaili> and
watched tlieni till we Li'(»t loo cold lo remain aii\' loii'jei'.
and it was necossarx' to ti'\' the shot, or set down ;i bl.mk
day. My enm[»anion put the distance at three hundred

364 SHORT STALKS

metres. That was, I tliink, an exaggeration, and tliere
was nothing to l)oast of in the fact that it was my turn
to have a stroke of luck, and that I succeeded in liittino;
the one I aimed at. He rose, stumbled a few steps,
then lay down, and I had no difficulty in ultimately re-
covering him, though I had to shoot him again. But in
the meanwhile the strange part of it was that his com-
panion, wdio lay within two yards of him, never moved to
the shot, though the echoes of it reverberated round him
like thunder. Loading again I aimed at this sleeping-
beauty, but hiiled to find the mark a second time. This
bullet must have splashed the snow all over him and
he fled like the wind, but even now he did not know
whence the sound came, and galloped straight towards us
round the face of the cliff. I thouoht I was sure of him
too, but he followed a little cornice below me, and the
overliano-in(T elifl" hid him from view, so that I never saw
him again. I have no doubt that the indifference of this
izzard to the sound was due to his mistakino- it for ftillino-
rocks. There had been a heavy fall of snow, which was
melting very rapidly at the time, causing big stones to
crash downwards every few minutes.

I do not wish it to be thouo-ht that tliere was
anything extraordinary in the long and fortunate shots
which I have recorded. Every sportsman can recall
plenty such, and there is no particular credit to be attached
to them. Some would say the contrary. But I have
selected such instances for description because, however
nuudi they may have been due to chance, the triumph at
the time was sweet, and made the impression of those
days more vivid than others.

TTTE IZZATID 'Mir,

TIktc was a \vi\ etkl liuck wliicli iiilialjiLcil llic
EscLisan, a broken lid^o al)ov(^ BoikIktu. W c constantly
wont in ]inr>iiit of liim, I ml lie as often (■ln(l(Ml ns, as lie
had done in the case of many other sportsmen, native and
foreio-u. I had been first told of liis existence 1)\' Sir
Victor Brooke who had known him tor tour or live years
before 1 did, and he was (jnite a veteran when he was
first observed. He had been christened by that sportsman
"the Uld Soldier," for he had oid\' three leijs and a short
stump, as if he had just come out of Noah's Ark, the
rest of that limb 1ia\inL;' been left behind in a ])revious
encounter; but he knew very well how to make the best
use of this limited number, and there was no fit homing
his craft. His horns were unusually long, and the hooks
had been partly worn or broken away. No wonder it
the natives regarded him with semi-superstitious awe, for
he had been repeatedK' shot at, and seemed to bear a
charmed life. It would lill this volume if T detailed all
the attempts we made to scenic this child of the mist,
ami tlie shifts and expedients he used, to make himself
invisible at critical moments, but I will Imrrow froiii
Gerald's notes the account of the last serious attempt
that we made to secuiv his venerable head. That was
three years after 1 had made his ac(piaiiilaiii-e. ;iiid he cm
scarcely have been less than twelve years old when i hrst
es])ied him.

■■ We went up the Escusan where we spied se\'.Mi izxards
under the l)ig "lill". Wr ouglit to luive got up to them if
Geute had not made a mistake about thf wind, which cost
us this chance. Ihit we were on the look-out for iIm' ' ( )ld
Soldier' and cared verv little for this, or lor aiiotliei' lot

3G6 SHORT STALKS

wliicli we found soon after. Lono- we soui>lit him in vain,
and, at lengtli, climbed to a spot wliicli commanded the
other face of the rido;e. Thence we made out a sohtaiir
who hjoked like the ' Soldier,' but as he was a long way off,
and lying down, we could not identify him in the usual
way. Now an unfortunate thing happened. We acci-
dentally startled a small band which had not previously
been seen by us, and I rashly took a long shot at them,
doino- no crood, and of course disturbino; the solitaire.
Immediately we turned our glasses towards him. It was
the three -leo-o'ed one himself. He had three others with
him, a very good buck, a doe and a kid. We watched
them till they lay down on the long slope of snow and
loose stones under the cliffs which overlook the pass. This
is very bad stalking ground from the smoothness of the slope
and the noise made in walkino- on the shoots of stones. The
two bucks lay down together at the bottom of the snow
slope, near to wdiich there is a pile of rocks which have
fallen from above, and slid down the snow. The approach
might have been managed very well if it had nut Ijeen
for the doe and kid, which lay down in a commanding
position, and one in which they must get the wind of any
one coming up behind the stony hummock. The weather
looked so uncertain that somethino; had to be dared. If
we waited till they fed in the evening, the gathering
clouds would probably interfere, so I had to take the risk
of their being put away by the doe when she got my wind.
By descending to the path which crosses the pass, and
remounting, I soon approached the position I desired, but,
as I expected, started the doe in doing so. Fortunately
the bucks did not, at first, sec her go. Now by rapid

Till-: IZZAIM) :U!7

cniwliiig I _i;(il U[) uiulcr >liL'llcr ol" the [>\\r ^>i' sioiics IVoiii
wliicli \]\c 1)ii('ks were not iiiore tliaii a liuiidrctl yaids
distant, and I licL:,aii to liopc tliat tlic cliaiicc was willilii
my grasp. Alas! when I lnokcd (i\ri- it a[>|)('an'il iluii.
tliniiLi^'li tlii' conipauion Kiirk oU'rrcd an easy shot, — and
a ver\- tine one lie was too — the ' Ohl Sohlicn-' had so
phiced himself that only his jiorns coidd ])c seen. I
might lia\e killed tlie other witli ease, l)ut waited, linking
that the ohject of my desire would stand ami show him-
self. I thouoht he woukl do tliis as soon as eitlier of
them canglit siglit of tlu3 doe, wlio was slowly ti'avelling
along the roeks ahove, but instead of that, when tlie old
fellow at last rose, he perversely moNcil oil' under comt
of the stones, and I ('(tuhl not catch sight of him until he
had reached too lontj a ramre and was o'oino- hai'd. A
running shot at a chamois at any distance is a douhtl'ul
business. At a hundred and lifly yai'ds the chanee is
remote indi'cd, and he would not halt till he liadtfeMeil
that inler\al. I gave him one more parting message at
that long range, and knocked the snow all o\'(M' him. but
that w;is all."'

That was the last shot anv of us ever had at him. but
it was not (juite the last 1 saw of liim. We were due on
a certain dav at (lavarnie, hoiuewanl liound. and deter-
mineil to have one more try for tlie Old .Monarch whose
territory lav on the way. 'J'he da^' was unfortunnteh'
again cloudv, so that it seeme<l lio|)eless to do anxihiu"-.
but now and again tln' eloud- bfted for a few minutes at
a time, and eaeh of these brief opportunities was bu<il\'
used with the telescopes. Suddenly through such a lift.
I saw the " Old Soldier" about a (piarter of a mile oli" like

368 SHORT STALKS

the spectre of the Brockeii. I coiikl not be mistaken in
his identity for I coukl pkainly see tke stump of his miss-
ing leg, but the curtain came down again before anything
coukl be done. We moved on however throuoh the mist.
As if by magic it suddenly lifted. Again I caught a glimpse
of a buck just about wliere the "Soldier" kad been, but
ke saw me as quickly as I saw him, and was over the edge
before I could draw a bead. I ran forward, peered over,
and could kenr liim rattlino; below. As lie readied tke
bottom ke stood a moment and gave me a fair view wdtli
a good background of snow. I saw^ tke kair fly to tke
bullet. Tke l)uck stumbled, recovered kimself, ran a few
yards, and fell over dead. Tke invulnerable lay stricken
at last, and tke stalwart wdio kad defied us so long was,
as I supposed, overtkrown ; but before descending to
possess myself of kim I took a look at liini tkrougk my
glass. Lo and hekold lie had got four Icc/s, and, tkougli
tke l)iooest izzard I ever skot — he weiohed 60 lbs. — he
was, comparatively, a young buck. Now wdiether the
" (31d Soldier" renewed kis youtk like Faust, in tke person
of tliis vigorous young buck, or wdietker ke went up to tke
kappy kuiiting grounds as one of tke cloud forms wkick
floated around us, according to my information, from tliat
day ke was uever seen again hy living man.

Before I conclude tkis ckapter it may be wortk
wkile to give a kint to future sportsmen. In tke transit
across France, cartridges, and tke means of passing
tkem tkrougk tke douanes, are always an anxiety. I
once kad a bad quarter of an liour at Paris. Wken I
went to seek my luggage tke usual long bench was
searched in vain. At length I discovered it, set by itself

'rill'. IZZ.\I>'I) 3U9

in a oornor, like a \ku\ 1)o\'. TIic inomciit I claiiiiccl it I
was myself claimed by a liaughly uilicial ;iii(l tdld to con-
sider myself iiiuliT ai'rest. lie tnxeil me witli cMrrx-iiiLi;
dangerous explosives, and dcscrilnMl ni\- l)ag as no lidter
than an internal machine. Then waxing more voluble he
described, with tremendous action, how it li.id spit fire and
liuUels; •• Puiii! jmiii .' /x/ r/oi'f." JMeekl}' 1 rollowud my
captor to the condemned cell as 1 su])posed, and in my
presence the accused bag was examined. Fortunately 1
was able to show tlint all my cartridges were still intact,
but 1 ctuild not deny the palpable evidences of fire. I'lti-
mately to my surprise I got otf with a reprimand, and it
was not until some davs later that I discovered that mv
whole stock of cigar-liuhts was missino- 1

'J B

XI [

PEAKS AND PASSES

Alpine ascents liave l»een done to death, and perhaps
this chapter will be generally skipped l)y readers who
may have struggled so far in my book. Yet I can-
not deprive myself of the pleasure of recalling just one
or two laborious but delightful days of struggle, which I
spent in the company of friends, no less enthusiastic than
myself, and in the capture — not of wild beasts — but of
virgin peaks and passes.

There was a v\^onderful freemasonry among the wor-
shippers at those shrines, and it would be impossible to
exaggerate the devotion and enthusiasm of the votaries
during the " sixties." It was the decade following on the
formation of the Alpine Club. Within that period, nearly
every peak and passage of any importance was discussed
at home, minutely examined on the spot, attacked, and
finally conquered. At that time I was one of the worst
victims of this summer madness, and spent hours (ah, how
delightfully I) at the little Club room in eager controversies
with others like-minded with myself, while I wasted my
substance on every kind of printed or graphic j)ublication

I'i:aixs and passes ;{7i

which kH'i'I'ciI ;i lorctiisic. or a i-ctrospcd. of ih\' diosoii
iiisaiiilN'. Then the ^al hcriiius al /I'liiiall am! olhcr
lavttiiritc eoulres ! Thdv were liiants in those days, al
least, we t h()HLi;lit so I hen. nini wilh liiiil>-. hmuainl sinewy,
and wilh heads to dc\ isc. and lo cdniniand. < hi the h|)S
mI' lhi'>t' niasici's of ihr crat't onlsidcrs like nix.-cll' hun^'
wilh ir\ civiKT. The [n'olrssidnals loo. the A ndd'co-o-s^
tlie Crozs, ]]t'nni'n. and a (Vw others in ihr lirsl rank,
wlios(> native slxiil and aL;ilil\' had i'oni|iii'i'('d so nian\'
ditticullies, and whom wr couiili'd rather as inliinate> than
as servants.

1 do nol prelend that in\' own trinniphs were
anxthin^- remarkalih'. and I shonM lintl it hard to seh'ct
a!i\dt'them which wouM rank as lirsl-rale achie\'einents.
The two expeditions which 1 ha\e recalled iu this chapter
were undertaken witliin a few days of eacli othei- in
Allirust 18G5. (»wiim- to the detestaMi^ weathej-. lhe\-
were tlie onl\' attempts which we were alih' to pull oil
successfulK' in that season. For this reason, and on
account of their intiin>ic ditticulty, they left a pari iculaily
vi\'id iin]>i-e--ii >n on m\' mind.

.Me--r-. (Iro\c. Macdoiiald. and I had lieen lor maii\'
da}s unwilling prisoners at C'haniouni. and were so weary
of pronienadiivj,' on the Icn-cI that a ireadmill wniilil liax'e
been welcome as a variety. Sodileii and despairinu", as we
were, the sliuhtcst sion of an improvement in the weathei-
was seized upon as a chance of release from tlie hot steam
of the valle3\

l')\' dint of persistent slinkinii', the glass liad at length
been induci'd to declare thai a <-haiige for the itciler was
imminent, and liiere were eertainlv some ra^is of bbie

372 SHORT STALKS

visible. Without au hour's delay, we seized the occasion,
drove off down the valley, and a few hours later found
ourselves at the little Pavilion de Belle Vue, on the Col de
Voza, which ridge divides the northern from the western
face of the great massif of Mont Blanc. That mountain
has been almost vulgarised by two generations of the show-
man's business, but I have often thought that, of all the
ranges which I know, it is the most impressive. The pure
and stately dome of the monarch contrasts so gloriously
with the graceful spires of the attendant aiguilles, which
rank themselves around their lord. Of these, the Aiguille
de Bionnassay, which is the most conspicuous and seductive
of the group, of those that are visible from the approach to
Chamouni from the west, was, at the time of which I write,
nearly if not quite, the highest Alpine peak which remained
unsealed. Our intention was to endeavour to ascend the
peak by its north-western face, and if successful, follow the
lonjy curved arete which connects it with the Dome du
Gouter. We expected difficulties which would only yield
to a determined attack ; but we had tested one another's
powers, and I had the utmost confidence in my companions,
than whom it would have been difficult to find any more
averse to turning their l^acks on an incomplete undertaking.
Our guides, Cachat and Payot, though not in the first rank,
were, like most Chamouni men, excellent icemen.

With an hour or two of daylight to spare, we proceeded
to examine the face of the peak which we hoped to suljdue,
and which now came in sight. A well-regulated mountain
ought to consist of rocks and snow in reasonable propor-
tions, so that if the conditions of the one are unfiivourable,
resort may be had to the other medium. In this case.

pp:aks and passks :^7n

tluTc w;is iio siidi opiioii. Tlic riitirc f;i('0 wliidi was
tunii'tl tti\\;n\ls us coiisislotl of ice and snow, soinc ol' il
ill siuooili s]o])os at tli(^ liiu'lu^st nii^l(> coiisislciil witli
sial>ilil\': ami a'jaiii. wIhtc llic nicks liciicatli were loo
.steep to hold a coiil iiiiious l)e(l. there were elill's ol" ice of
lliat ])carl\' iiliie whu'h denotes I'eecMiI fracture, and liclow
these, the slopc-s of oldei' and dirtier snow were scored with
long wliite lines i)y the frtMnicMt a\alanclics. Il was clear
that to a\'oid t hen- daiiu'erous lra(d\, we sli<_>uld liedri\en to
ascend some rather puzzling places.

AVe each of us rose from the usual discussion which
takc> place on these occasions, willi the linn conviction
that he aloni' held the correct clue to the labyi'intli. hut l>v
niiiiual consent, we left the guides to decide, and, hy wa\'
of pi'.ict ising our muscles for the g^'mnastics hcfoi'e us,
plax'cd ;i iiintch of cricket on the >kitl le-ground, using a
\ouiig lir-treeaiid a slsittle liall, iiiitil a, gigantic leg hit
of Macdoiiald's wliicli he landed somewhere in the direction
(pf the (llaciei' des IJossons, and wliieli ]\o refus(^d to fiehl
himself, sto})ped ail further J'lay.

PresentK". i>ur men approached us. luit tlieir faces did
not express contidence. They thought there would !•••
much >tep-cutting, w hieh was indeed oli\ious, and that the
summit could har<llv he reached under twcKc hours with
favourahle weather: an estimate. 1)\- the wa^■. which
proved inade(|uate. ( )t the dilliculties which we miglit
encounter 1)e\-(ind it. we had no means of iudo'ino;.

W itli this prospect, we determiiieil to walk through the
greater pari of the night, so as to reserve the full comple-
ment of daylight hours Inr the unkiiown trials of the route.
It is not easy to sup at six. an«l eat again— I was going to

374 SHORT STALKS

say breakfast — witli an appetite at 11 p.m., still more
(litHciilt to sleep tliroiigli the intervening hours. Thus it
was not a very hilarious party that started soon after
midniglit on a very dark night ; nor were our spirits
stimuhited l»y the weather. Tlie clouds looked oily, and
the watery moonlight behind them showed that they were
streamino- overhead at a oreat rate, straiQ:lit from the torrid
plains of Lombardy. Such a southerly wind, as all
mountaineers know, was certain to give us trouble.

In bad weather mountaineering is uncertain and often
risky, so that ascents which in clear weather are com-
paratively simple, become, under other conditions, most
formidable. On the other hand, the mountain gloom, the
sudden lifting of the curtain, the visions of fairy light
seen through the rifts, the mysterious depths half revealed,
make it far more interestino-.

O

At first, the route lay over grassy alps, and we had
only to steer towards the frowning masses diml)' seen in
front. 1 always found that in these ghostly walks l)efore
cock-crow, the time passed quickly enough, provided that
the pace were not forced ; and in what seemed a short space
of time, we were skirtino- the base of the Aiouille du G outer.
We had engaged a han.ger-on of the little inn, whose local
knowledge was supposed to be equal to keeping us in the
little goat-track which leads towards the Glacier de
Bionnassay ; l»ut when we got among the rocks, either the
darkness was to() much for him, or he passed l)eyond his
ken, so that we presently found ourselves plunging and
stund)liiig over hidden obstacles. He hopelessly lost his
way, and we our tempers. So we sent him 1)a('k to his
natural function — cleanino" boots. But now we rounded

I'KAKS AND I'ASSKS :}7.")

an angle, and tho dim outlino of tlie Glacier a[t[)care(l like
some laro"o, white, flat fish. The seareelv percept ihh' in-
crease of liuht was sulUcii'Ul to iiidicaLe our LTeneral I'oiite,
and hy sunrise we had crossed the glacier, and ivached the
hasc of the great frozen pyramid, with whii-h we wov to
try conclusions.

( mler such circumst anci's. it is generally the best
policy to attain, at once, to one of the great ridges which
lend u[t to the peak to he clim])ed, and to follow its crest
as nearly as possible; for this reason, that the angle of a
pyramid must necessarily be less steep tiian either of its
faces, and also l)(M'aus(\ fj-om such a ]^(^sition, you can
better survey the slopes on either side, and take advantage
of any favourable combination winch may present itself.
In our case the only ridge available was that to dui- right.
forming the western barrier of th(» glacier. It was of a
formidable character, l)ut I am inelined to think that on
a closer ac(piainlance, a wav could have been fouml among
its rocky obstacles, which would have occupied less time
than the one we ndr)pte(b On the othm- hand, we might
have l)een stopped altogether, and. })rovided our patience
and stcp-cntting force held out, the ice-route was the more
certain. Owv men too, as ('hamnimi guides always do,
preferred the glacier, bv which 1 do ihiI mean, in this case,
the ordinai'x' ice-stream, but a binkeii clilf of exceptional
height and steepness, from which detached masses wei-e
continualK' idunirinix downwards.

For a liHig distance, our route lav up a >l(ipe entirel\-
com[iosed (»f avalanche drhns. ( )ne nnunent we ic-ted

<i|| ,1 .-iillil bmildii- ot' ice. half enner.ded, tllC llext. witlloUt

an\' warning, we j»lunged up In oui' middles into snow,

376 SHOUT STALKS

rendered viscid 1)y the warm moist weather. Under, and
among the leaning clifis we cut our tortuous way upwards,
with a sense of relief as each source of danger was passed.
At lengtl), we had subdued them all, and there lay between
us and the ridge, nothing but a slope of hard ice of great
steepness and unknown length. It was only a question of
the sturdiness of our men, when we should succeed in
surmountino- it. In turn they took the lead and wielded
the axe.

Hour after hour, with a muscular vigour, only to be
found in countries where every peasant is a woodman, the
ringing strokes succeeded one another monotonously, and
the fragments of ice hissed past the string of ]»atient
followers. In cutting up an ice-slope of this length, it
is necessary to economise time and labour as much as
possi1ile, and the steps are hacked out as far apart as is
consistent with safety. Tliis necessitates a cramped posi-
tion for each member of the party, for one leg is always
doubled up sharply, with the knee nearly at the level of
the stomach, while the other remains stretched at its full
length. The best way to pass the tedious hours, and to
prevent the imagination dwelling too fixedly on the
ol;)vious possibilities of the situation, is to work away with
the axe, and imj^rove the steps which the pioneer has
l)eQ:nn. To most Enolishmen rocks seem more comfortable.
It is the pitiless ice with its exquisite lines, curving over
to the unknown, which daunts the nerves. At least that
is my experience, and I do not think it is possible for the
most practised mountaineer to find himself on such a
slope witliout some tremors. The rope gives confidence,
and at that time I used to maintain that it gave security

PEAKS AND PASSES 377

also. But 1 fear it must be aduiittod, that experienco lias
jJi'uNcd that, on a slope of sudi steepness, tlie ini^take
of one may involve the destruction of all.

At lenii'tli. tlic mnmont of relief arri\c(l. when ihe fare
of ice to \vhieh we had lieen clinuinir, heii'an to assume a.
less acute angle to oui- l)odies, and in a f(vv minutes, we
were able to stand upright with a tolciaMe sense of
snpi)orl. Snow could lie, and in the softer material we
quickly trod out the remaining steps nccessai}' to land us
on tlie ridi-e,

O

Thouo-h the narrow edu'e on which we now stood still
ran uiiwards, and curved out of sii»iit to an unknown
distance, there appeared no obstacle likely to stop us.
We had l)een going for twelve hours, almost without a
halt, and foi- seven hours the ice-wall had held us in
its toils, but now, for the moment, the tension was at an
end, and wiili a sense of assuivd \iclor\', we tlii'cw our-
selves on our backs in the snow, to enjoy the delicious
luxurv of a stretch, and to recovei- somewhat fi'om the
exhaustiug lal)our. We opened our rucksdcki^ and fed,
but the sense that we were bound to win had a still more
restorative effect.

But one thing was clear : that we had occupied far too
much time over the nreliininarv struggle. Tn describinir it,
perhapis 1 liaNc niaile the same mistake, and I niii.-t hurr\
over the remainder of our ascent, as in fact we did on
that day.

To my mind, the last two hours of a narrow arrte,
leading to a viriiin iteak, oilers the most cxhilaratinG:
exercise which falls to the lot of man, descended from a
monkey. The difiiculties encountered are generally of

378 SHORT STALKS

small account, compared with those already overcome, and
the sense of overlooking both sides is only comparable to
the exaltation of the skater when he first succeeds in
balancing himself on the outside edge. In this case, we
had quite enough excitement to keep our powers on the
stretch, for now a fresli trouble met us.

A heavy thunderstorm had for some time been cracking
and growling below us. We stood as it were, on an island
with a curdling sea of thunder-cloud at our feet, not inky
as such a one appears from below, but brilliantly illumin-
ated from above. This lio-ht w\as so stronsf that it subdued
the flashes of lightning, and we could only see those that
were near us and on the edge of the cloud. They appeared
from our position to take a horizontal course. Some of
them were instantly succeeded by rending explosions
which seemed to send a vibration throuoh the mountain
itself, as the shock of a broadside wave shudders throuoh
an ocean liner. It was still more trying to the nerves
when our axe-heads began to hum audibly with the stream
of electricity passing through them into space, and the
loose hair under our caps became distinctly sensitive to
the same mysterious influence. Such an experience has
occurred to most Alpine climbers, and to myself on more than
one occasion, but never under such startling circumstances.

Quite suddenly, the storm rose and enveloped us, and
the air Ijecame thick with a tourmente of snow, driven
before such a wind as is only felt on the loftier ridges. It
seemed like some live and anury Ix'ast, which strove to
cond) us ofl' the crest. Lest I should seem to exaixo-erate
in this, I may remind the reader tliat we were within a
mile of tlie Px^ssc du I^romadaire. wliere some vears after-

I'KAKS AND 1 'ASSES 379

waixls sueli a fate is hclicwMl lo have ovoi'take'ii a )iart\
of seven. We literally cre])t aloni^ the siiowv iicck.
(tftrii st(i]>]iiii^' to cliiiu' \vit1i hands and feet, until some
lihist (if .■>ur|)assiiig t'iii'\' had spcnl itscli". and sonic-
limes even astride ot'thc tliin knifc-cilMC. In fari. in ihis
ii;-nominious position, we finally arrived at the top, half
ehoked and w holl\ dazed li\' the whirling mist of snow-
dust.

The sunnnit of the Jiionnassay is nut a iiet'dle, as tlie
jiame imjtlies hnt a seimitar-sha])ed ridge. AVe were un-
certain wliiidi point in tliis ridge was the actual summit ;
but a partial clearance, which occurre(l a few minutes later
removed all douht that we had passed it, when the
delicate white blade — for such it looked like — fell away
in front, and then dived downwards to describe the trreat
catenar\' curve, nearlv two miles lone", bv w]d(di our ])eak
is cojinected with the Dome. It was by this hiehwav
tliat we had hojied to esca])e. a)id we liad ex]iecte(l the
ridge to be conipai'at i \ (d v le\(d, as indeed iVom below it
a])pears to be. I'erhaps, we were confused by the lilizzard.
or oui' nerves niav liavc been shaken by the strain of
fifteen hours' contiinmus toib (V'rtain it is, tliat the
mnnient the natui'c of the ridge was revealed to us, our
ofuides rccnihd from it. and we had no nioi-(^, stomach foi'
it tlian thev. One of my comiianions, who knows most of
the nastiest ])lnces between the hauphim- and the '" l'rost\'
Caucasus,' afterwards described it in lie' Al i>nn' .J,,ii rnal
as "the most terrifii- tiling he had ever seen in the Alps."
And so it was to us, foi'. ;dlli(Migli if we had had a re^crxc
of force and ample time, wo might liaxc elfeeted the
assnge in safety, it was now neaiK' four o'elo(d; in the

C

IM'AKS AND I'ASSES 381

aftei-jiooii. Ii wa.i inaiiifest, tiiat ii rido-c so loiiu ami I'oi-
liiddiiiL;- fuiiM iiul l>r passcil ill the daAliiilil lliat j't'iuaiiUMl,
while, to 1)L' uvortakou by nightfall in that situation, and in
siicli a wind, would Ix' to l)o cau^lit in a tra]» fi'om \\liicli
there was no escape. Un tlu' other hand, to return hy the
wav we had niounlftl was out ot'tlie question. To descend the
ice-wall l)y the staircase we had constructed, would hf. now
that the steps were hidden under snow, to court disaster.

But out viam inveniam, aut faciam. There was no
alternative but to iind, or make, a- wa}' down the elill on
our right. It was impossible to see from al)ove what this
miiiht lead us \\\\o. or bow lonir it would take. But we
had a tolerable confidence in being able to extricate
ourselves by one or other of the couloirs with which it was
scored. It was not extraordinarily stec}), but the rocks
were slip[)ery with iVesli snow, and intensely rotten.
However, with caution it could be done, 'i'liere was
always some solid point or shell Dn wlueli one or nioie of
the links of our human chain could steady tlnMuselves, while
the others tenderly let tlu'mselves down the ticklish ]»laces.
The pioneer had a bad time of i(. for he could not be sure
of the stability of anything, till he tried it with his weight,
and he repeatedly lost his footing, and started with great
suddenness down the slope, to be pulled up again b\ the
ro['e, which we kept as taut as possible. In the course of
one of these involuntary <jlis.S(((/(S lie lore the seal of his
trousers com]>letel\' out. More than once, we came u])on
uncxpectedy'/"//N in the elill". wlndi coni]ielled us to retrace
our steps and traverse its face in seaivh of practicable ways.
We were troubled by (juantitics of falling rocks and stones,
loosened b\- the wind and the nudtinix snow, whi(di shot

382 SHORT STALKS

over our heads every few minutes, or struck the rocks near
us, gkincing into space with a highly suggestive whiz.
But we had chosen our route on a careful estimate of the
Italance of risk, and as we could not avoid these missiles,
we grew callous to them.

J\ly recollection of the next four hours is dim. I only
know that when at leno-th darkness overtook us, we were
still entanii'led on this orim face, and hioli enoui>li to look
over the Col de Miage. We had had no temptation to
dawdle, so that if in that time we had only made
fifteen hundred feet of perpendicular descent, it was
Ijecause the place was undeniably treacherous and nasty.
The spot we had reached was about two-thirds of the way
down the block face immediately below the summit. The
positions of Mont Blanc and the Dome are dindy seen to
right and left of it resj^ectively.

When light at length failed us, we had perforce to stop.
A shelf was found, if that can be so described, which was
not Hat, but tipped at an angle that necessitated great
caution throughout the night. Our clothes were soaked
with perspiration and the fine j^enetrating snow. Any
garment which we took off froze in a few minutes to the
rigidity of a board. Such meat as we had left was also
frozen ; but we had little inclination for food, for our
drink was exhausted. A stream which we could hear
somewhere below us, but could not reach, made this more
tantalising. This sound gradually died out, as its sources
were dammed by the frost. Fortunately for us it was,
relatively, a warm night, that is to say, it would, with a.
clear sky, have been much cokler, but the wind had moder-
ated, and, as it blew from the south, a canopy of cloud

I'I':.\KS AND I 'ASSIES 383

ai'iTslrtl llir railial mn IVmih our Ixxlics. 'I'liui'i' was not
iiuicli t(» fiMf IVoiii I lie caiitioiiadc (•fstoiK's. foi' tliat (|uirkl\-
st(»[»[)L'(l atlcr siiiiilnwii. I had soiiir fi'asoii [n dread
gcttiug frost i>ittcii.' I)iit llioU!j,li our sutrcriiiL;s wci-c ^rcal
froiii tlir cnld, no roult (if thai kind followed. Altmiately
we crouclu'd with our knees up to our chins, or stanipnl
awa\' the stillness. With ufiin Nullooiierv wc warde(l o|]'
any tendency to a dangerous drowsiness. At h'ast we had
the sense of victor}' to warm us, and Macdoualds spirits —
which were in inverse pi'opoi'tioii to the dejiression of
others — were contagious. Alas! tliat his clieeix- \ uice
has loni!,- lieeii still !

The weary night passed at last. As soon as the light
permitted, we continued — though rather still) \' ami with a
certain treniljlinsj; of the knees— our downward proo-ress to
the Miaii'c Glacier: and i)etore nud-da\-, reached the
hathino- estahlishment of St. (Jervais. One of us had to
hold his two h;inds in a nn'sterious manner to the seat of
his trousers; the rest were stained and di>lie\cned. ami to

' A season or two before tliis, I li;ul Ijeeii .severely I'rost-liitleu ini Monte
Kosa, without being conscious, at tlie time, of any unusual inconvenience.
The night was intensely cold, but whether my foot lost its vitality iluring
the a.scent, or on the top where I went to sleej) for an Imur in the sunshine,
I il'i nut kniiw. Although conscious of something wrong with my foot, it was
not till i readied the little tarn by the Kilfel Iloin, that I realised the cause.
There I stripped for a bathe, and, when I tried to 2>ut on my boots again, it
was impossible to do so, for the toes of one foot had suddenly swollen to
:i portentous size. It was not without dilliculty tliat 1 hopped down to
the lliffel-berg Inn, and thence rode to Ztrmatt to consult tlie vill;ige prac-
titioner. Ill' toM me that I ought at once to have returned to the glacier
and immersed the frozen part in an ice-pool until it was frozen again. As
it was too late for that remedy, he applied hot glue, but the toes were so
l)adly injured, as to di.sable me for some weeks, and 1 fancy I li.id a narrow-
escape of losing them altogether.

X.

384

SHOET STALKS

run the gauntlet of a double row of smartly -dressed,
supercilious haigneuses, was a more terrific experience to
modest men, than any we had encountered.^

After the expedition above descril^ed, we were again
imprisoned at Chamouni for ten days by stress of weather,
bargaining for artificial agates, eating heavy dinners, racing
to the Montanvert ao'ainst time ; and feedino* our imaoina-
tions on all sorts of ambitious schemes aojainst neio-hbourino;

O o O

MAC.

passes and peaks, the broad bases of which were all that
we were permitted to see. At length, we became almost
callous to misfortune. AVe gave up even our daily con-
stitutional in the rain, and sought refuge from our despair
in o-amblino; and tobacco.

During part of this time, we were enlivened by a strike
of our guides — a strike, not for a rise of wages, but against
the employment of non-union men. We had one day
found young Taugwald from Zermatt, outside the hotel,
and looking out for a return job. As he was a strong-
lad, we engaged him as our porter. He was one of the

^ This was tlie scene of tlie tragecly of last Jul}', when nearly tlie \\hole
series of buildings was swept away in five minutes by a ilood which came
down the gorge almost without warning.

PEAKS ANIJ PASSES 385

survivors of the tcrriljlo catastrophe on the Mattnlioni.
wliicli liaJ lia]»]MMi(Ml a few wci^ks before, and of wliieli all
iiicirs minds weiv lull.

Just (lull .lean r)aptiste Croz liad returned from
Zenuatt looking ill ;iiid crazed at the loss of his 1) lot her.
His grief found vent in lialf-formed accusations against
the men who had been willi him at the time of his death.
The wild tale found read\' credence among the suspicious
Frenchmen, who are always jealous of the German guides.
The next nioi'uing our men came to us, and (h'lil)eratelv
accused Taugwald of having cut tlie rope on the occasion
referred to, at the same time demanding his dismissal
They reckoned that we could n(»t do without them, and
indeed we should have preferred to retain them, but we
coukl not (k'sert Taugwahl in such a strait. Thev were
rather astonished wlien we paid tliem olf, but our ^mjuipt
action did more than anything else to dispel the cruel
rumour, at least in Cliamouni. Cacliat eveiituallv beo-o-ed
to be taken on ae-ain. and we allowe(l him id reioin. but in
a subordin;ite position.

In the meanwhile, the resources of civilisation were
not exhausted. We jtosted oft" Taugwald to Zermatt. He
accomplislied liis missiun in extraordinarilv (piick time,
and returned with a tower of strength in llu' person of
Jalvub Anderegg. Jakoh was a rougher man tlian Ids
betterdcnown relati\-e ^Iclchidr. and with less experience
than he, but he was a splendid specimen i)f humanity,
with more dash an<l <leteiniinatioii than a nv Swiss I ever
knew. lie ari-i\ed ju>t in time foi' another p,irii;il clear-
ance of the weather.

At midniLiht on AuLiu.-t (i, we tfil linm ihe .^eductions

2 c

386

SHORT STALKS

of Capua, and took the path to the Pierre Pointue, which is
on the route for the ascent to Mont BLanc, with a vague
idea of forcing our way somewhere, over the highest part
of the chain, and descendincr on the Italian side to Cour-
mayeur. As we walked, our plan took shape, and ulti-
mately we determined to go over the Dome du Gouter and
descend l)y the southern Glacier de Miage. The host of
the Pierre Pointue was prepared with " encore un gigot,"

JAKOB.

as he always was, because experience taught him that
the enduring Englishman would 1)c persuaded to Iniy it.
While waiting for this, we amused ourselves by examining
the wonderful assortment of garments which were then
considered necessary to a successful ascent of Mont Blanc.
The most remarkable of these was a kind of knitted helmet
of mediaeval shape and ferocious appearance. I have the
best reason to remember it, for once, when 1 was very

l'i:.\KS AND PASSES 387

green, 1 wore one on a liigli ex|MMlit ion. 1 was tVcsli fVom
Eiio'laiid ami iii\' conijilexioii was dclieule. Tlic woollen
foNcriiig preserved il in ]>ciTrclioii, all cxcciit ni\- nnfor-
innalr nose, which was eookeil into a resemblanec to a
well-brow ned cutlet.

Soon aflcr wi' look to the ice, it liccainc clcai' that
our work was cut out tor us, owing to the depth of fresh
snow. li soon reached lialfwaN' to our knees, and, at the
Ch'auds Mulcts, a halt for breakfast was an acce})table relief.
We stood outside, for the rocks were covered witli fresli
snow, and no ap})etite could stand the stale concentrated
smell of {\iQ ccibcDH', caused by the surplus scraps left behind
by several ^lont Blanc parties, which means no small
])ickings, as anybody can tell, who has had to pay a
[iro\ision bill at Chaniouni.

LeaxiuL;- the Grands .Mulcts we crossed the glacier, and
got on to the low^er slopes of the Dome by some steej)
roeks, forming the eommoncement of tlie clitf which, higher
up. overhangs the I'dit IMalcau. We chose this wa\'
because, beinir the most direct, we thouuiit it would be
the shortest, and also because we lio|ie(l that llie snow
Would not lia\c rented m sudi ipumtitu'.-, on the exposed
ridge, as in the valley. JUit this very circumstance ]iroved
a hindrance, as the hot weather of -July had consolidated
the neve, and where it had been blown (dear of snow, steps
had to be cut in liai-(l ice. Opposite the Petit I'latcau
the ridu'e we were on begins to expand into iircat swclliii"-
fields and hills of snow, and over these it was not particu-
larly easy to steer a correct course thioiiMh the ha/e which
now closed in u[»ou us. It was on tlii>e wide white hills
that Mr. Xettleship so gallantly fought for his life this

388 SHORT STALKS

summer, aiid lost. This ridge and the cadjacent ice-hxdeii
valley, an area scarcely larger than Hyde Park, might be
described as the Gehenna of the Alps, so fatal has it been
to travellers.

We were puzzled by one of those semi-transparent
mists which admit a good deal of diffused light, but are
a decided relief from the full blistering glare of the
sun. It is altogether rather a cheerful atmospheric con-
dition than otherwise, but it effectually obscures your
vision of distant objects. Once we were brought to a
standstill ])y finding ourselves on a round hill, which
might or might not be the top of the Dome. The slope
fell away in front of us, and we could not see enough to
pronounce whether the next rise was the Dome or the
Bosse. We rightly decided that our hill was a spurious
imitation, and started again up the next slope. In another
half-hour a break in the cloud showed us our position.
We were a few hundred yards from the top of the Dome,
and had worked round to the west side of it, so that we
were opposite to, and on a level with the Aiguille de
Bionnassay.

We were also now able to survey the connecting ridge
for which we had felt such a repugnance, when on the
Aiguille at its other extremity. It certainly seemed to us
that we had been well advised not to cultivate a closer
acquaintance on that occasion. By the map it must be
nearly three thousand yards in length. It was important to
us to fi]]d its junction point with the buttress which comes
down from the Dome to meet it, because we knew that
this spot had been reached from the south, by a branch
of the southern Miage Glacier, which offers a perfectly

I'KAKS AND PASSES 389

easy means of descent on that skle. But the moment-
ar\- intii\al of f\vi\v wcjiilicr was succeeded l)v moi'c
mist, which clusud in upon us thicker ihau hci'orc. The
liclKinu' I'urves of tlio Dome were confusing' wlu'ii half
seen through such a xcih hut wc kept on in wliat wc
believed to be the riuht direction. A very sliu'ht error
might send us to h'ft or riglit of the junction point wliich
we souo-ht. In the hittei- cast' we should without kiiowiuL:-
ir retui'U to the northern side of the chain, (h)\\n tlie
l)ionnassav Gkicier. In tlie former — l)ut as that was tlie
error which we '//'/ make, i will descrilte in due course
what we found. Tt was now om^ o'clock. l)nt owing to
the soft snow and hard ice. we had taken li\-e and a lialt'
hours from the Grands Mulcts, and including halts, thirteen
from Cliamouni. We Iral a descent before us of quite six
thousand feet, before we could reach the main ice-stream of
the j\riao-e Glacier. The haze again thinned out a little, and
when we came to the edge of a precipitous slope W(^ mis-
took it for the head of the affluent (dacier which we wished
to descend, and which lav. in realitv. more than a mile
farther westwards. \\ «■ could see some hundreds of yards
down the slope which, although steep, was covere<l with
a great accumulMtion of fresh, but not powdery, snow and
seemed easy. .\l any late this facilis descensus looked
so in\'itin"- after oui- lou'j,' Lirind. that we \'i(dded to the
temptation.

We descended, i should think, fd'teen hundred or two
thousan<l ^oo\. nlouo-hinir comfortabK' \n^ to our knees, and
were beoinninti" to see the tlaiter surface of the uLi'it'i'
below, while ther(^ was still enough haze to dimiin-h the
apparent distance, ami make all look smooth and pleasant

390 SHORT STALKS

in front, when Grove's hat blew off, and trundled down-
wards. We were carefully watching where it would go,
with a view to recoverino- it at the bottom, when it sud-
denly disappeared, and we then noticed what seemed to be
a faint line drawn across the neve at that place, and that
l;)eyond it, what appeared to be the continuation of the
slope was of a yellower colour than the snow close at hand.
In a few minutes more we were near enoug-h to see that the
line was the edge of a cliff of some sort, and that the yellow
neve beyond was, in fact, many hundred feet below it.

The whole glacier seemed to have slipped away from
its source, causing a fault, to use a geological term, — a
cliff of ice, stretching in a curved line, without a break,
completely across the stream. For the greater part of
its height it was not perfectly precipitous, and was so
much broken that it seemed just possible to cut a way
down it, but its upper portion was a sheer glassy wall.
The rocks on 1)oth sides had our first attention, but they
were almost as steep as the ice, and there was no footing
on them. We unfastened ourselves from the rope and
ran up and down the edge, each on his own account,
looking for some means of escape, and finding none ;
and then we followed Jakol) or Cachat about, in hopes
of hearing some word of consolation from their oracular
lips. At one place the cliff was vertical for only thirtv
feet, or thereabouts, and it would have Ijeen possible to
drive in an axe, and let ourselves down, but the landing
below, in that place, was hardly less precarious than the
wall itself. There was another place nearer the side of the
glacier which to my eyes seemed so hopeless that I scarcely
looked twice at it — a great three-cornered serac, which had

PEAKS AND I'ASSES ;5!»1

partt'tl iVoni the edge, niid was tottering to its fall, causing
a rift ill tlic face of the clitl" wliidi iiiiglit or iiiiglil not
extend to tlie foot of tlie wall. Twice Jakol) lav down
on his stomach and peered over the edge at this phiee, hut
each linic he had come a\\a\' with a. shruir and a i-runt,
and gone hack to the phice where the cliff was h)west and
in whicli ('achat seemed to ])]ace most reliance. An old
general ol' Persia once said : "" if yon op})ose everything
that is proposed and do not advance something certain,
you must fail in \'our jdans." Jakob, if he had never read
Herodotus, had im1)il)ed the maxim. Once more he
i'ctuitic(l. drew hack a few steps for a sliort run, and
holdly leapt from the edge on to the scrnc. Fj'om thence
he was better able to judge of the possil)ility of turning
the cleft into a subwav. After a louo; inspection he c;dled
on us to follow. I confess that I didn't like this leap into
the unknown. ^\y artist has perhaps somewhat exag-
gerated it, for in itself the chasm was easy to spring
across, but the great hunk of ice had sunk as well as
separated, and it was several feet lower than that fi-om
which it had parte«l. To spring back was ()b\-i()uslv
impossible. lli>wever, our confidence in Jakob was bound-
less, and swallowing our scruples, one by ou(^ we leajit the
chasm. Immediately below us the ch't't was blocked with
snow to within a few vards of ihr ,-uitace, and we were
lowere(l (111 to this one l)y one, the l,i>t man coming <h)\\ii
with a run. while tlm-e belnw stood firm to catch hiui. a
svstem of tactics tliat we had recourse to man\' times
durinu' the afternoon. The snuw we had aliuhled on iiaNe
us fjood footinix, and we descended some distance farther
into the biiwels of the rrlacicr bv its means. When ihis

'-'■'tf'Em^A^g

JAKOB JNVITES US TO LEAP.

PEAKS AND PASSES 393

came to an end. J;il<()l) [)i'oceeded to cut (li;iu<»ii;illy down-
wards, plant in n" his steps on eaeli side alternately. This
was slow work, and the smooth lihtc walls drew largely
on oiir stock of vital heat.

There is no foundation lor tlu' popular dclinition of
neve, namcK- unconsolidated snow. These same walls were
composed of iee as hard and transparent as any to he found
in the artificial caves at ( Jfindclwald. And yet we were
at a height of twelve thousand feet, and many thousands
of" feet ahovc the limits of" what is o'enerallv calle*! neve.
I question whether the laNcr of" ]iowdery or granulated
snow is e\'cr nioi't' than a few feet thirk on the to}» of the
denser material. The etfect of the weather is so (piickly
to granulate the surfaces and cause a su])(U-ficial resem-
blance to snow that none hut a fresh hreakao'C exhibits the
clear ice.

All this time that we worked downwards, or rather that
Jakol) woiked and we supported om*selves with outstretched
legs, the interest was too absorbing for us to think much of
the cold, as we A\ere never al»le to see I'or nian\' xards what
was before us. Jhit at last lisiht beiian to be reflected on
the walls in front of us as well as from above, and. on
turning a corner in i\\q crevasse, wo, saw out through the
split that it made in the face of the cliff. At the bottom
of the split, which we could easily have reached, the cliff
outside was too sheer fir a footing, so Jakob cut upwards
again towards a higher point where it looked nioic promis-
ing. As the crevasse here became too bi'o;id h.r ;i p;iir (.f
leo-s to stretch across, this was a Liraml dillicuhw The
manuiT in which .Talcob >olved it was a niaster|nece of
mountaineering skill, (piite the chef-d'ccuvre of" the many

394 SHORT STALKS

really scientific dodges to which he had recourse that day.
I cannot tell how he defied the laws of o-ravitation wiiile he
cut the necessary supports for us, and while w^e were w\ait-
ing round the corner, but as each of us came to pass the
difficulty, he found, first a series of big pigeon-holes for
his feet in the perpendicular w^all, then a corresponding
series of little ones above the level of his head for his left
hand, and finally, a third series of small deep holes in the
opposite wall, which was distant six or seven feet. The
use of these last w^as to bring out the capabilities of the
axe as a third leo-. This was held at arm's leno-th ao-ainst
the opposite wall, the holes being intended to prevent the
point slipping. AVe were then aljle by its means to jam
ourselves against the ice, and move along, tripod fashion,
till, on reachino; the edo-e, a bio' red hand was thrust round
the corner, and seizing ours, drew us round into broad day-
light, on to a small platform of limited character on the
outside, and one by one we emerged like rabbits, a hundred
feet low^r than wdiere we had entered.

We had onlv li'ot about a third of the w;iv down the
cliff, but what remained, althouiih it was hardlv less sheer,
and gave ample opportunity for the display of Jakob's
ingenuity and sticking powers, offered some slight shelves
and points of support, and after our late triumph we
hardly believed in anything which could stop him. There
was obviously only one possible way, and that Cacliat
strenuously maintained was impossil)le. He detached
himself and WTnt to look for a better, but came back in
ten minutes and in silence resumed the rope.

After three hours of ingenious manceuvres and cramp-
ino- positions, and mnsterlv combinations of fing-er-holds.

PEAKS AXl^ PASSES :v.).-.

always SO ari'anuvd lliat (Hir wciu'lit sIkuiM l>f di-t lihiitcd
over iiiaiiv })t)ints of support, aiul our safety lu-vcr allowed
to do])('nd on the stal)ilitv of one (whidi is tlie secret (^f
safet \' in a Itad place), we reaclic(l the fdot of tli(3 ice
clitl", and ]»ausin^ a moment under the sheHerinL!,' cave
foinietl h\- a larLi'e frauinent, to stretch ourselves, and to
recover (Jionc's hat, which lay on the snow close at hand,
we started and ran as fast as we could (tver the remains
of a\'alanches which coNci'cd some acres ol' the ulacicr.
till we were out of their range. AVe kept down the
middh' of the ( llacier whose fortunes we had unwittingly
tollowe(l. instead of those of the Miage Glacier, into
whose (h'cp straight ti'ough it jtours. Soon we came tt)
the top of an icel'aU. This was not ap})arently ol" any
great ditlieull w and the Chamouniard of course proposed
that we should make oui' way down it. hut the German,
as was his nature to, chose the rocks on llie left hank.

I cannot say for certain that we should have done better
on the glacier. Imt it so(»ii hecame (n-ident that, as it was,
we had no jono-er an\' i-liain-e of o'etliu" clear of the ice
before night. The I'ocks jiroved more oljstinate than we
ant iei[iate(l, , -Mill . though we encountered no great dillicull \\
it was repeatedly necessary to detach the ])aity and use
tlie whole rope to let them down one b\- (Uie. like sacks.
o\er some steep face of rock or aw kwaril h'dgi'. to surer
footing below. Time ]>nssed (piickly, and our pr(»gress
was slow. Another night biN-nuai- secnii'd now iiii'\-it-
able, and we bcii'an to limk about au\iMU>l\' \i'V a taxdurable
place to Spend it iii. Tie locks we wei-e on wouM not
do at all. as they were far too steep to allow of stamping
about in the night, a most ini[ioitant . it' not essential

396 SHORT STALKS

condition. The only -place in sight was a moraine some
way down the ghicier, on its opposite bank, if we could
get there in time.

After three more hours on the rocks, we got down to
the level ice-stream, with a short half hour of davlioht
left to make the 1)est we could of, and we did make the
best of it. We started off at a round trot, and kept it up
as long as the nature of the glacier permitted ; and even
when it didn't, the pace was not slackened, for we made
up our minds at all hazards not to improve on our night
on the rocks of the Bionnassay, liy spending this one on
the open glacier. Once, we were nearly floored l)y a long
bio- split at rioht anoies to our course. It seemed rather
broad for a jump, l)ut time pressed, and no otlier means
of escape except a long detour presenting itself, there was no
help for it. There was barely rope enough between us, but
as each man jumped, the next on the line followed as
near as he dared to the edge, to allow as much tether as pos-
sible, while he himself was held up by those behind. The
rope was severely strained at each successive leap, and one or
two of us were nearly jerked ofl" our legs into the abyss.
Only poor Cachat, who was last, had no one to restrain
him from behind, and was obliged to spread liimself flat
on the ice and anchor his arm in a hole to avoid this
catastrophe. Tliis was the last obstacle, and throwing
off the rope, we strolled across a level slope of ice which
separated us from the moraine, congratulating ourselves
on the superior nature of our accommodation. One big
ruck had attracted our attention whun yet a great way
off, and to our deliglit we found it partly hollow under-
neath. Here we estaldished ourselves, after pulling out

n:AKS AND I'ASSKK 397

tlir most kllllMiK' stolics, mill lil.-nlc t';i\(illl';il>|(' (•0111] t;irisi»ii
ln'twcfii ihis and (Mir iiii^lil (|uai't('i-s on llic l>ioiiiias>a\'.
I'Irtc was l)ut 011c drawback; wo had 110 water, and our
wine was all Li'oiic. (^idiat went in scai-di of a sti'cam as
.soou as we arrived, luii it was so dark lliai lie was unable
to find any.

After t\\i> hours of restless and intri-nnttent dozini>', the
skv oTow lii-lii bcldnd the iao-oT'd edu'e of ^Nlont Hroo-lic.
and the full inocui I'ose. The liulil was so brilliant lliai
things were almost as }»lainly seen as b\- da\. \\\' wvic
so comfortable, that if it had not been for want of water,
T think we should have stay(Ml wln're wo were. But we
etiuld hear a ri\idet ifuroiino- nnder the ice in a tantalisini>-
manner a few yards off, and this ao-oi-avated our ihii'st to
such a degree, that, in the hope ol" finding some lower
down, we started again, and before long came upon a
sprinu'. which was, however, too stino-ino- cold to drink
from, except sparingly.

We now got on to the lowest spur of the buttress w lii<h
tli\'iiles the (Racier dii Dome fi'om that (•!" the Xorlhrrn
Miau'e. The last few hundreil I'cci were steep iiioU'di to
be a bore in the deceptive light of the moon and in oui-
tired condition, S(j telling thr nifii to tind out ihc best wax-
ami then call us, we curled ourselves u\> in a hollow and
dozed again. In a (piartrr of an hour a voii-c beh)w told
us to come on, ami at twehe o'clock we got down on lo
the Miage Glacier, whose com]iai'ativelv level sti-eam we
ought to have begun to follow ten or eleven hours before.
From that time I remrudx'r iiothinii" bul man\' an un-
satisfvinuc drink and man\' a sleepv siund)lc, till we
reached the l)road level path of the Allt'c Blamhr. There

398 SHORT STALKS

all fear of glacier pools and loose stones being at an end,
I believe I went soundly asleep as I walked, and dreamt
comfortable dreams of trout, and cutlets, and champagne.
Once or twice I faintly suggested spending the rest of the
night where we were, but the idea was treated with scorn
by my more persistent companions, and I trudged on,
a hungry somnambulist, until at last l>road daylight and
pleasant anticipation cjuickened the sleepy blood and
lifted the heavy eyelids. At half- past five we entered
Bertolini's, and then — may his shadow never grow less
— my dreams were more than realised.

After this the weather forbade any more high expedi-
tions, and I returned liome over the pass of Mont Cenis
in the diligence, enjoying by the way an experience which,
I venture to think, is rather uncommon. At Susa I
secured my place in the coupe, the other corner being
occupied by a neat little French damsel. Two is company
but three is none. At the last moment a German baoman
o-ot in and wedo-ed himself between us. His diameter
was large, and his odour of garlic offended me. Indeed
his presence there at all was superfluous. I hoped to
console myself with sleep, but this was impossible, for
these two talked incessantly the whole night through.
She was a dressmaker, and he '' travelled " in ribbons and
buttons, so they had a liond of union to start with. More
and more voluble waxed their talk as we toiled up the
ziozaf'S ; and as we rattled down on the French side
their mutual confidences became quite embarrassing to a
shy man like myself. Finally, about six o'clock in the
morning, totally disregarding my presence, he offered her
his hand and his fortune. If he did not throw liimself into

n:AKS AND I'ASSES

'.»!i

the conveiitioiKil ;ii t it udi' it \v;is solely liceaiise to I urn ioiiimI
was im[iussiliK'. At this |m_(1iiI 1 was ;iliii(i>t iiidiiird lo
iiitervL'iic ami iiiiplorr Iht to refuse llic Inule, hul it was
uiuiccessaiy. Al'trr an anxious niinut(> of suspense, she
curt 1\' dismissed liim. il' that lie a correct expression when
her lover I'emaiiied iiecessarilv uUkmI to hei' >idc i\)v
another two houis. Ilaj)})ily his diseoiisohitc position
redueed him to silenee foi' a time, so that I slept, and was
oid\' roused li\' a JVesh discussion ahout ccs hon/ycois
(l\i/i(jl'iis, and especially

. .UtA«s£&i^i^4Kw, 1

THE AUTHOR.

INDEX

Ar.pri.LAH, 13S
Accident, 65, 66, 67, 86

,, On Salt Mountain, 1 Hi
Achmet, 284, 298, 310, 312

,, Ben Saad, l.'i3
Afiouni Kara-Hissar, 319
Ahniar Kliadou Range, 1-19
Aiiliu Ivaihvay, 197
Alfit grass, 132
Alfred's n\onnt, 314
Ali, 138

All.'f r.lanclie, 397
Anderegg, Jakob, 385

,, Meluliior, 385
Andreas, 68, 132
Anfilupe rupiaipm, 36 '7 sffj.
Antonio, 237, 253
AoKilitd, 123
Arab dinner, 148
Arabas. 315
Arabs hawking, 144

,, Method of warming themselves,
138

,, Wear sandals of (///Vt gi-ass, 137
Aroni, 123

Asia Minor, 193 ff srq.
Athens, 197
Atlas Mountains, 123 d »i/.

,, ,, Waterless, 130

Anres Mountains, 128, 149
Autumn coloiu-s, AI|>s, 40
,, Sport, 361

B.VR.v Singha deer, 279
Barbar}- slieep, 123 et scq.

,, I'owerof concealment, 134
■• ilarfod," 324
Basijues, 236

Bears, 47, 166, 257 ef- ficq., 333

,, As guardians of herds, 261

,, Attacking horses, 264

,, l>ny's successful encounter, 263

,, Driving, 333

,, Encounters with hunters, 260

,, Fondness of berries, 264

,, In Asia Minor, 289

,, Scarcity of, 116

,, Talc about, 260

,, The author s[)ies one, 266
Tuibcrvillc's account of, 262

,, Will dive when wounded, 262

,, Winter habits of, 260
Beavers, 103

,, Manner of trapping, 103
Bod -bags, 174
"Ben aChouf," 154
Berbers, 149

Brnj-sc/iriiiKl, fall ovei", 67
JJcnj-iraijini, accident witli. 56
Bernardo, 50, 72
Big-horn sheep, 114

,, Kanis, (lerald's successful stalk
of, 117
Bionnassay, Aiguille de, 372 -i v.^.

,, (Jlacier de, 389

Birds of Scandinavia forest, 161
Biskra, 125, 149
Bleeding, Arab custom of, 149
Boar. 24, 150, 301
I'.onifacio, Straits of, 1
Bosse du Droniadaire, 378
Bon Arif, 154
Bonba, 201, 285
Bouchero, 353
Box bushes, 229, 252
Breclic de Roland, 353

n

402

SHOUT STALKS

Brigandage, 10, 203, 318

Brooke, Sir Victor, kills a bear, 253

Braytrc lieatli, 21

Butialo Fork, 90

Bustard, the Great, 316

Caecia grossa, 8, 26

Caeliat, 372

Cagliari, 6

Camels, 223, 314

Camp in the Pyrenees, 233

„ A dry, 320
Campoggiolo, 72
Cantoniere, 11
Capercailzie, 161
Ca]ira ccgagrus, 193 rf seq.

„ ,, Driving, 210

,, ,, Habits of, 208

Carabinieri, 10
Cartridge hangs fire, 71
Cai'tridges, passage of, through France,

368
Caves used for shelter, 230
Celestin, 3, 199, 284, 290
Chamois, 36 et seq.
Chamonni guides ; preference of ice over

rocks, 375, 395
Chardak, 197
(Jhawia, 149
Cheese, ISTonvegian, 339
(.'liot, or salt marsh, 130
Christiansund, 272
Circassians, 219

Circular hollows in limestone. 360
Clarke's ranch, 85
cutis, 230
Colani, 41
Col de Voza, 372
Colour of clothes deceives the izzards,

356
Constantinople, 197
Cook, a faint-hearted, 60
Oornkhcs, 233
Corsican pine, the, 283
Cotton-wood, 83
Cow, in unexpected place, i250
Cris, 77, 106
Croz, Jean Baptiste, 385
Cyprian mouHon, 21

152

Dates, 149
Desert sparrows,
Diavel, Pitz, 63
Dog-harness, 169
Dogs, Norwegian, 324

Dogs, distance at which thev wind deer,
328

,, For reindeer hunting, 327
Dome du Gouter, 372 ct scq.
Double snipe, 162
Douglas pine, 83
Driving reins in Norway, 186
Dust columns, 1 52

,, Spout, 316

Eagles, 198, 294

.Edmi, 144, 154

Eikisdal, 342

Electricity, stream of. audible, 378

El Gattar, 152

Elk, the, 159 ct scq.

„ Dogs, 163

,, Driving, 184

,, Food of, 171

,, Ground, description of, 161

,, Habits of, 170

,, Hearing of, 170

,, Intelligence of, 183

,, Numbers of, 164

,, "Rights," 167

,, ,, Cost to hire, 174

,, Sign, 169

,, Swhnming, 188, 191
Emir Dagh, 314
Enricetto, 12

Fallen tindicr, 87, 115

Fat herrings, 274

Fcshtal, 126

Fires, accidental, in America, 116

Fjeld, 343

Fladhrikl, 337

Flea-powder, 299

Fleas, 12

Franyois, 285

CxAVAi;me, 350

Gaze] la (t areas, 144

,, Kdvclla, 144
Geese, wild, 198
Gcitoims, 134

Gentleman s liccrcat'iiin. tlu'. 162
Geof, 273

Geyser Basin, SO, 94
Gigi, 12
Glissade, 66

Goat-skin, Yuruk shod with, 310
Grands Mulcts, 387
Grauliunden, jealousy (il' people of, 40
Gros A^entre, 95

xi)i:x

403

Guest-hoiisf, "-'IS, ol?

Hadji, 200
Iliiininam, ir)0
Hazcl-G rouse, 162
HfilVr, atxiik'nt to, 25(5
llerodotu.s, 13:3, 143

,, Description

tain, 144
Hevne Fjord, the, ItJo
Hitteren, 105, 257
Hjerpe, 1(52
Hoiiss, 323
Holbue, 335
Hunting, Sard niethc"! i

,, On horseback,
Hyena, 217

of Salt Muun

62

luKX, I'yrenean, 229 il s<i/.
,, Dogs used to hunt, 235
,, ])ti\ing, 237
,, Falling over cliir, 21ij
,, Form of horns of, 230
,, Hal.its of, 234
,, Skill in concealment, 235
Hex, 23

India-nilihcr soles to lioots, 137
In<lian, the Xorth American, 75
Iron pegs to scale dill's, 231
Izzards, 349 c< seq.

,, A good day at, 359, 300

,, Distinction hetween chamois

and, 349
,, Falling over clilf, 356
,, Ground frcipiented by, 352

Jackson's Hole, 95
Jani, 285
Jays, 238

,, Indicate presence of deer, 305
Jebcl Metlili, 126 et scq.
Jemtland, 187
John Wallan, 177

Kntjcck, 220
Khiin, 319
Kirkesa-ter, 166
Klnnglevik, 166, 262
Klonglevik's rille, 263
Konia, 314
Koiis-JCoKsoii, 148
Knik')i, the, 259
Krokstad, 274

Lammekgeier, 47, 239

Lc(j-f6hrcn, IS, 17, 51
Leghoi'n, 4
Lemmings, 326
Leopard, 217
Levangcr, 166, 187
Livigno, 46
Long shots, 357, 359
Ijis-lixud, 164
Lourdes, 350
LoviJen, 173
Lynx, 217

Mdci/inii, 7, 16
Madden, 79
iMaimun Dagii. 1 9 7
Main Divide, SO, 81, 105
Malaria, 197
Malvivcnti, 6
Marmot, 46

Mermen and Mermaids, 260
Miage, Col de, 382
,, Glacier, 383
Miss-fires, 216
ilont Broglic, 397

,, Cenis, 398
Moose, 103

Moritzburg, Castle of, 225
Aloullon a manchette, 123

IJcst season for stalking, 35

Colour of, 14 7

Dimensions of horns of, 20

Driving, 35
,, Saddle-mark, 20
,, Sardinian, 2

,, craftiness of, 21
Mountain Gazelle, 154
Mud-waggon, 7, 74
Municipal Institutions, 236
Mushrooms, 301

Xan-issus Moschalus, 250
Native weapons, 324
Night in the open, 64
Norway, cost of labour in, 332

,, License to shoot on
lands, 348

,, Scenery in, 343
Nuraijho, 5

public

Oases, 125

"Odas," 317

Ofener Pass, 51

Ogliastra wine, 9

Olaus Magiuis, i[Uotation froin, 326

Old silver, 333

404

SHORT STALKS

"Old Soldier," the, 365

Oristaiio, 6

Othman, 320

Ovis montana, 114 ci seq.

,, Musimoii, 21 d seq.

,, Tragelaphus, 123 ct seq.
Oxendal," 331

Pack Horses, 79, 88
Palm culture, 149

,, Trees, noise made by leaves of,
125
Partridges, 199
Pastorale, 29
Payot, 372

Pliotograpliy, amateur, 96
Pierre Poiutue, 386
Filaff, 285

Pine marten, 95, 239
Finns mwjlius, 47, 54
Pisidia, 281

Pliny, quotations from, 134, 217, 296
Pole-cat, the marbled, 294
Pontoppidan, Bishop, 161, 259
Porjjoises chasing herrings, 274
Priest of Livigno, 62
Proposal, a, 398
Pyrenean streams, 233
,, Sheep-dogs, 251

Racial Characteristics, 9

Rats, 109

Rawlins, 74

Red deer, 222, 279 et seq.

,, Ancient records of, 295

,, Beds made by, a good indica-

tion of numbers, 294
,, Behaviour when started, 291

,, Difficulty of finding horns,

284
Difficulty of hunting, 292
,, On Hitteren, 257

,, Roaring, 299

,, Sardinian, 27

,, Search for woimded, 309

,, Smell of, 296

Tlie ])ig head, 280
,, Travelling stags, 300

Reindeer, 323 c< seq.

,, Skins, used as mattresses,

174
Tame, 173, 188
Rocks, resonance of, in Atlas Mountains,

137
Rocky Mountains, 73 ct seq.

Romsdal, 345

Roosevelt, ]\lr. Theodore, 107

, , Capture of thieves by, 107

Saddles, ^Mexican, 80
Sceters, 335
Sage brush, 83
,, Hens, 75
Sahara, Desert of, 122 et seq.

Climate of. 122
Salt Lake, 197
,, Lick, 52
,, Mountain, 143, 144
Sard language, 11
Sardinia., 1 et seq.
Sardinian bread, 8

,, Game, 27

,, Guns, 26

,, Railway, 5

Selbo, 166
Shed horns, 101
Shccnfeldts, 173
Shoshone Dick, 76
Sledges, 182
"Smoke," 287 '
Smyrna, 197
Snake River, 91, 104
Snowstorm, 28
Solitaire chamois, a, 71

,, Lives in woods, 72

,, Restlessness in October, 361
Soutlierly wind, effect of, 374
Spanish mountaineers, 236

,, Valleys, descri}ition of, 230
Spinas, 49
Spijl Ravine, 53
Spying, 15, 36
Stagni, 6

Steam-launch, 165
Ste}>-cutting, 376
Stillness of the air, 293
Stone pines, 206
Strike of gui(h'S, 384
Striker of rifle, loss of, 68
Sundal, 324
Susa, 398
Sunt Dagh, 198

Tasso, 272
Taugwald, 384
Taurus, 195
Terranova, 4
Teton Peaks, 87, 96
The Alcalde, 237
Thunder-shower, 282

INDEX

405

'I'liuiulerstonn, ;37S

Timber, destniptioii of, in 'ruiUiv,
283

Tiiiiii'il moats, Amoiifau, 81

Tu-ywo-toe Pass, 81

To|)ograjilij' in Norway, 17(J

Tortoises, 198, 217

Tostiii, 324

Tower on .lebel Metlili, 130

Tramontaiia, 4

Trout, 10.'.

,, For luncheon, 170

" Tuni))," 167

Turkomans, 218

Turks, lios])itality of, 218, .'.17
,, JIanners of, 200
,, Marriage customs, 219
,, Procrastination of, 314

Union Pkak, 109

V.\i. DEL Aqua, 71
,, Fain, ."i8
Vcnddta, 10
Vermin, 317
Village jiriest, 02
^'ing^' Fjord, 272
Von Tchudi. 41

Vulture, 198

W AM, Creeper, 239
\\'a|iili deer, 83, 90

Attacked by scab. 102
., Bull, crai'tiness of, 100

Herald's lirst, S3
,, Head, best attitude to mould,

102
,, Lured with a penhy whistle, 110
,, Reckless destruction of, 114
,, Toughness of horns, 101

" Wliistling," 98, 109
,, With iialmated antler.s, 114
A\'ashakie Fort, 75
AVatcr, dilliculty with, l:il

,, Scarcity of, 197
AVesterners' ]iartiality for ficsli meat, 105
AVhite Alountain, the, 281
AVild raspl)errie.s, 255
Wind River, 80

,, Mountains, 86
AVolf, gray. 101
AVolverini', 100
AVood gi'ousc, 161
A\'yonnng, 79

VruiK. 200, 219

III: i:nd

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