THE CHAMOIS HUNTERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2268, 19 August 1897, Page 51

THE CHAMOIS HUNTERS.

Br D. F. Bauchop.

(Weitten fob the Witness Little Folks.) In the quiet little village of Finster, in the valley of Aarhorn, south of Wetterhorn, there lived two chamois hunters — neighbours — whose sons were extremely attached to each other. These boys, Pierre and Jacques, were so much in each other's society that they had grown up almost as brothers, and strolled anywhere and everywhere, exploring ~all the valleys and cliffs at their own sweet will. They had even taken one or two chamois, hutH-tbis is a eeoret — their father?, who accompanied them, had a shadowy doubt that it didn't all come of the boys' efforts. They had explored almost every nook and cranny (10 they thought) around their village, and knew most of the Tegular chamois tracks. Oa« morning, as Jacques had to go a message to a village a few miles away, Pierre went" off for a stroll by himself among the glades that surrounded his home. There bad been a heavy snowstorm during the night, and Pisrre did not think that it would be to any purpose to look for chamois, as the chamois in its winter coat of white is almost invisible against the snow. However, he strolled along, and, not noticing where he was going, he came to a little glade that was shunned by all the villagers, as there was a tradition that some foreigners, as punishment for their crimes, had been changed into ohamois, and still wandered about in that glade. The strangest thing about this, however, was that, according to tradition, one of them — the leader of the foreigners — was always white, never changing to a summer coat of grey, while the rest never changed their grey colour all the year round. If a man saw those ohamois, and the herd looked at him and then slowly trotted away, it was believed that that man was doomed. Pierre, all unconsciously, had drawn near to this glade, and ha was about to quit.it with ' all haste when he was sure that he saw something moving against the snow. Creeping up behind a boulder, he b&w a herd of * chamois on a little isolated point of rock which could only be reached by chamois, as a crevasse of about 20ft separated it from the mountain. Pierre grew pale with fright for tbe moment, for he thought that he had discovered the famed band of rather eerie chamoi?, together with their haunt. But in his first confusion he had not noticed that they had all tbeir uaual winter coat of white, and evidently had tbeir quarters on this little patch of rock, which was a little below the level of the adjoining part of the mountain. After watching them for a little, Pierre retreated, always fearful lest he should see the ' real doom-predicting band. When he got home he eagerly waited for Jacques, as he had a certain plan to unfold to -him ; but what it was will be seen by the course of events. The next day, the weather being fine, the boys set off together for the mountains. This was, however, no ohamoisslajing expedition, but'merely an excursion to have a look at the "lay of the land," as the sailors say. They, had a good look all round, ' and examined every means of approach that was likely to be of asy use to them. For you must know that times were hard, and the boys thought that it would ' help them along a good deal if they could manage to secure half a dozen or so chamois. Having made their search, they slowly retired, and reaching tbe village they made certain preparations which they kept very secret. The principal of these was the purchasing and acquiring, by hook or crook, of any lengths of rope, which they carefully splicsd. They then fixed on the rope bars of wood at intervalF, so as to form the steps of a ladder. - To one end they fixed a strong stake for driving into the ground, and to tbe other they temporarily attached' a large, heavy rock/ As the cliff seemed to be an all- the-y ear- round haunt of the animals, the boys bad no fear of finding their game gone, and so did not hurry. ' . In about a week's time, as they bad permission -from their parents to go out, and their preparations were made, they took their guns, 1 rope ladder, provisions for a day, and' Bundry little articles, and set out for the " Valley of the Chamois." Arrived there, the first thing they did was to have a hearty meal, and putting their paraphernalia in a handy place, they set to work in dead earnest. Climbing up tbe cliffs which overhung the rock, Pierre drove in his stake firmly with a sledge hammer, and then descending the rope ladder, swung, as he had expected, far into tbe gap. But a shove of his foot sent him swinging cut again, and he dropped on to tbe rock, to be soon followed by Jacques. Having removed the stone at the end, they fixed a similar stake in at the bottom. But tbey soon found that there was too much strain for safety on the rope ladder in that slanting direction, and so let it swing, with a light rope attached to the bottom, that they might haul it in when they pleased. Ths boys climbed up again, and loaded their guns (double-barrelled) with ball. Suddenly Jacques put a hand on Pierre's shoulder and whispered, " Hush, there are the ohauois." Pierre looked in the position indicated, and instantly answered, " Lie flat." They did so, and saw tha animals one by one jump down to their retreat] At a sign from Jacques they both cocked their breech-loaders, and, taking good aim, each shot a deer. The same result followed with the next barrel. Hastily loading, they each seat two other balls on their mission of death, but this time only three deer fell. Agaia tbey loaded, bat when tbey looked for their deer they found that their • game had leaped the crevasse and escaped. Sat, after all, seven full-grown ohamois was not as bad for a day's work. The question now was how to get them j up, and M ther could not do it unaided j

Jacques climbed up and went for their fathers to help them. When the men arrived on the scene they warmly congratulated the boye, and the deer were skinned, cut up, and taken in pieces to the top of the ladder. Thence they were taken home, and though the friends have since taken many a chamois from that little glade, they will never forget their pride when they took seven deer from the Valley of the Chamois. Only one thing more, to explain the mysterious band of deer. It turned out that a murder had once been committed there, and that as a result the legend of the transformed foreigners had come into existence (as such legends do), and had been tbe means of causirjg the valley to be shunned by all.