Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-10-26

chamois or the ibex OF the Neilgher-
| ries. We turned our boats prov away
| from the shore, and stood out to sea,
SO that. while we held council of war
upon our future proceedings, we might
not alarm the herd and scatter them in
flight 1t was evident that, il sue
I cessfal stalk was 10 be accomplished,
| we must work from the leeward of the
| game, and that there was no easy
stroll before us if we were 10 como
within riile.range. so we pushed on far
enough to lull suspicion in the watch
ful vcdettes that had marked us sailing
by, and then, hidden by high and
rocky point, sought for convenient
landing place. Well, there are different
| views of convenience; and ii any reader
| imagines that we found natural
| harbor, or even were able to beach our
boat on sloping bed Of sand, he or
she has never seen the wild Hehrides.
| After long search, the best that offered
was little cleft in the black reef, and
our bows were showed into it. A tuft
Of seaweed was grappled with boat
hook, and those who we're for shore
had to jump on to a slippery rock
while it was for a moment left clear by
| the heaving waves. The feat was accom-
plished with scramble. and the
stalker and / found ourselves making
| our way from crag to crag, while the
tide washed and churned beneath us
and around.
We will go up the hill bit. and
get between them and the high pass, in
case they are turning that way said
the stalker. Hookum hal ('.lt is an
order"l, as we say in India; and the
ascent was commenced. | have done
some stalking at home and abroad, but
never have l mot any toll more trying
to wind and limb than that climb
First tho piles of fallen rocks, reaching
high over the shore, had to be sur
mounted, on which boot STUDIED with
nails took no satisfactory foothold.
How | loneed for the soles made of
woven grass, worn in Indian mountain
climbing, which take firm grip of any
surface, however smooth and treacher-
Gus, and defy any chance of slipping.
Then We plunged into thicket and
wormed our upward way through inter
twined and tough branches, whose
sturdy resistance recalled the under
growth of tropical forest. Then
across an open scaur, dislodeing at
every iootstep stones and MASSES of
earth, which went hurting away down
into the depths below, and clinging to
every chance tuft of heather or bent.
grass that struggled fora bare existence
on the bald aud wind-swept face How
long our climb lasted cannot be esti-
mated. 1t seemed as if we had been
moving for hours, when, to my pro
found thankfulness, the stalker thought
that we had mounted high enough, and
that We had gained such Point of
vantage that wo might turn downwards
towards the herd, sure that, if they were
alarmed by anything, or took it into
their heads to move, we should be in
the track that they must follow, and
would have chance of intercepting
them
Our movements so far, if toilsome,
had at least been conducted on our legs
but now all human dignity was to be
abandoned, and We had to grovel for
ward as best we might on hands and
knees, and even occasionally sink uEon
that vulgar portion of our persons
Politely called the waist. Before we
made our second start a careful
survey OF our general direction was
taken, and the possibilities OF eddying
gusts coming round corners, which
might give our wind to the goats, were
discounted by some deviations from
direct advance, and the rifle was care
fully loaded. Our course was full of
more incident than there is space to
describe. | was prepared to bump my
shins, TO abrade my hands, and to rub
the buttons off my garments; and this,
Of course, did in full measure hut ii
was disconcerting indeed when the
stalker put up a warning hand and
pointed TO venomous viner wriggling
to one side of our path. The Hebridean
viper's bite is not fatal, but it causes
very sufficient and prolonged personal
Inconvenience, and IS by no means 10
be made light of. / could not help re-
membering. and rather shuddering Mt
the fact that whore there is one there
are likely to be two or three more, and
that it behooved US to gang warily,n
while we were in such dangerous
haunts.
Ha! what is that very strong odor
that penetrates my nostrils? The wild
goat has a very well-detined bouquet
OF his own, and there is no overlooking
the spot whore he has been lately
grazing. Lit was evident that we were
hard upon our game, and the stallzer's
advance was made with redoubled
my view Of the world was limited 10
study of the nails in his broaues, and
| grieved that the artistic design
which they formed in his solos was
generally so completely lost to the
world. We crawIed round our last
boulder. Dougal gave little motion
with his hand, and began to slip the
liiie from its case. | saw that the
critical moment had arrived, lifted my
head and looked. There was the herd,
some feeding, some gamboling and
pnttlng each other in friendly way.
all in fancied security.
There is always deep pleasure to
any one who has even a bowjnr
acquaintance with natural history in
prying into the family life of wild
animals, aud seeing what they do and
how they live when their vie intime is
undisturbed. | sympathize with we'll
known and good American sportsman
who has performed more exploits with
tho rifie than most men now living.
HIS greatest Joy now is in the stalk
itself, and in FITTING his intelligence
against that Of wild animal, SO that
he can approach 1t near enough to
study at his leisure all the minuitm of
its habits. He carries no more deadly
weapon than a camera, and his trophy
OF the chase is a photograph of the
game. He has all the pleasure that
the most exciting sport can give, and
when IL is over he can enjoy triumph
unstained with blood. l have not.
however, yet attained to such philo.
sophical pre-eminence, and | eagerly
clutched the rifle that was put into nv
hands. Did stalker on such an occa-
sion ever fail to say "Tak' time?''