Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-07-03
OLD SIEGEL AND HIS SON.

fortnight Rerchtesgaden. spent much of
my liine there in fishing for grayling and
In talking to the channels hunters. with
many OF whom had made acquaintance
during previous visit. | used often 70
on ior hours listening to their hunting
stories, and on one occasion | hunted
with them
Inc mountains Immediately around
berchtesgaden are kept as royal cham.
oiS preserve, and as the king was ex
PecIed TO arrive shortly, none but his
maJestys own jaegers were allowed. dur
ing the time | was there to disturb the
chamois.
was, however, very anxious to have
at least one days sport, and arranged
with old Siegel and his son Franz.
chamols hunters whom had known for
some time, and on whom could depend
to have "jagd" on the morrow. Siegel
persuaded Gotting, friend of his. TO
come with us
we started early in the morning. and
after toiling for several hours up through
the dark pine woods, which became
more scant and scrubby the higher we
went, emerged at last on the open snow
fields.
We now separated; Franz and Gotting
made long detour to the left, while
Siegel and FASTENED on to reach some
commanding position above in case any
chamols were driven up After an
hours more climbing we halted on the
top of precipice, which, shaped in the
form of q NADIA
de sac for any channels driven up by our
friends below
We had hardly been watching ten
minutes when two chamois appeared in
sight, bounding up the mountain side
and coming directly toward us. When
the foremost had come within range
fired and missed, as most men would
have done, firing as did at so small an
object frors.a height almost perpendicu-
larly above it.
The beasts turned, and, springing with
wonderful speed over the sharp rocks,
were soon out of sight. | fired a second
shot just as they were disappearing, and
think | struck one of them, but it con-
trived to get away and we never saw it
again.
Siegel and |, somewhat crestfallen
trudged on up the mountain, keeping a
sharp lookout on all sides and hating
now and then to give the others time to
overtake us.
Suddenly we heard, far down below
us, a shot, and then all was again silent
We were much surprised, as it is one of
the first rules in this kind of hunting
never, except when absolutely necessary,
even to raise the voice, much less, of
course, to fire a rifle, which scares the
channels completely.
We knew that Getting and Franz, di-
rectly below us as they were, could not
possibly have seen a chamois, as our
shots must have driven them quite out of
reach. After minutes anxiety listen
ing, we fancied we heard shouts, and
fearing we knew not what, called loudly
Franz's name.
We then heard-and this time quite
distinctly-the voice of Getting saying,
"Come down. come down. 1t is all over!
Franz has shot himself?'
Siegel and | were standing together
ankle deep in the snow. glanced into
his face, and think shall never forget
the look of misery | saw there. Before
/ knew what he was about, he had seized
his rifle, had presented the muzzle to his
head, and was feeling with his foot in a
frenzied manner for the trigger.
l snatched the piece away just in time,
he did not try to recover it, but throw
ing himself on the snow, burst into a
most passionate, most eloquent torrent
of praise of his sons many virtues. He
told me what Il good son he had always
been to him, anxious to fulfill his slight
est wish.
lat length succeeded in partially sooth-
ing him, and in rousing him to action.
We scrambled down as fast as we could,
guided by Cuttings shouts
1t was long time before we reached
them; to me it seemed an age. laccused
myself of being the author of all this
misery, and my anxiety was heightened
by the reflection that we were in reality
poaching, and we should very likely, In
consequence of this misfortune, get into
trouble on our return.
We found poor Franz lying shot through
the back and in great pain among stunted
.knieholz"-a plant something like our
whinbush. 1t appeared that he had, con
trarv to all Jaeger rules, carried his rifle
canned, and that in walking through the
knieholz he had stumbled and .aiien, and
his rifle had somehow or other exploded
causing a severe wound.
We stanched the blood as well as we
could with our handkerchiefs, and then
(ynttinu said lie
knew of chalet some way off to which
he thought we might manage to carry
Franz.
| lifted him up as carefully as possible
and walked for some way over the
abominable knieholz, which threatened
TO trip one up every moment. man,
aged. ] think, to 60 about two hundred
Yards with my burden, and then, ex-
bousteH had to lay him down. Ills
father tried to carry him next out un,
nerved and half blinded by his tears had
also soon to giveit up.
Getting was the only one OF the party
uho could carry Franz for any great
length of time over the rough ground
we were now compelled to traverse he
was small man, but seemed 70 NC an
wire and muscle. .bo
II was. however, evident that at the
slow pace we were obliged to go we :.
should never, even if we knew the ezacs
direction-which, by the way none u
rs did-get to the chalet before nightia ll
G Gs u other arrangement must be made
Getting proposed that he should stay
with the wounded man, WINE oieg co., -
should go forward and attempt T., ~
oO =. (1ottinO was the only