p to the rocks
here, and then the bull! No--Karl's life might be sacrificed instead of
mine. I shall not whistle."

With these reflections, he removed his fingers from his lips, and
remained silent.

"If I only had my gun," thought he, after a pause,--"if I only had my
gun, I'd soon settle matters with you, you ugly brute! You may thank
your stars I have dropped it."

The gun had escaped from Caspar's hands as he fell upon his face on
first rushing down from the rock. It was no doubt lying near the spot
where he had fallen, but he was not sure where it had been flung to.

"If it was not for this ankle," he continued, "I'd chance a rush for it
yet. Oh! if I could only get the gun here; how I'd fix the old grunter
off, before he could whisk that tail of his twice--that I would."

"Stay!" continued the hunter, after some minutes' pause, "my foot seems
to get well. It's badly swollen, but the pain's not much. It's only a
sprain! Hurrah!--it's only a sprain! By thunder! I'll try to get the
gun."

With this resolve, Caspar raised himself to a standing attitude, holding
by the rocks on both sides.

The lane between them just gave him room enough to move his body along;
and the cleft being of a uniform width from side to side, he could get
out on either side he might choose.

But, strange to relate, the old bull, whenever he saw the hunter move
towards the opposite side, rushed round to the same, and stood prepared
to receive him upon his horns!

This piece of cunning, on the part of his antagonist, was quite
unexpected by Caspar. He had hoped he would be able to make a sally
from one side of the rock while his adversary guarded the other; but he
now saw that the animal was as cunning as himself. It was but a few
yards round from one side to the other, and it would be easy for the
bull to overtake him, if he only ventured six feet from the entrance.

He made one attempt as a sort of feint or trial; but was driven back
again into the crevice almost at the point of his antagonist's horns.

The result was, that the yak, now suspecting some design, watched his
victim more closely, never for a moment taking his eyes off him.

But withal Caspar had gained one advantage from the little sally he had
made. He had seen the gun where it lay, and had calculated the distance
it was off. Could he only obtain thirty seconds of time, he felt
certain he might secure the weapon; and his thoughts were now bent on
some