best advantage. Chaffer stood about two feet high at the shoulders,
and was about three feet in length, not counting his short, black
tail; his yellowish-brown body was streaked down the back with a black
line, which defined the spine, while his beautiful head--the face and
throat a peculiar yellowish-white, with a brownish-black mark which
went from his mouth to his eyes--was surmounted by a splendid pair of
horns nearly come to perfection.

These horns were from six to eight inches long, black and shiny,
slender and round, rising from the forehead perpendicularly, and
curving sharply at the extremities into hooks. Very proud Chaffer was
of them, for they meant; so much to him. They meant, for one thing,
that he was now almost full grown, and that he would soon be of an age
to take his place in the antelope world as a champion and fighter. He
could hold his own now with some of the males, and, although he had
just been driven out of the herd, several others had been forced out
with him, so he did not trouble himself much about it.

The only thing he was puzzled about was what he should do next, but
this little matter was decided for him in a manner he never dreamed
of. He was some way from the herd now, but at that moment he heard the
well-known whistle of the sentinel chamois.[Footnote: Each herd has a
chamois who acts as a sentinel. At the slightest sign of danger this
sentinel gives a peculiar whistle, not particularly shrill or
piercing, but which has a curious, penetrating power and carries a
great distance. Not only does this sentinel give warning of danger,
but he indicates from which direction it is coming.--_Author._] In an
instant Chaffer was off, leaping over wide chasms, climbing over crags
and dizzy heights, sliding down dangerous, slippery places, but always
going in the opposite direction to the approaching enemy.