Without any exertion on their part-- without the wasting of a single shot, or the spending of an arrow, they were provided with meat; and in quantity sufficient, not only for that day's dinner, but to ration them for a whole week, with odds and ends falling to the share of Fritz.
They had gone out of the hut again; and were seated, as oft before, on some large stones that lay upon the ground in front.

It was a fine bright morning; and, although cold in the shade, the sun shining down upon them, reflected from the white snow on the mountains above, made it warm enough to be pleasant.

For that reason, and because there was some smoke inside the hut, where they had cooked their breakfast, they had preferred eating it in the open air; and here also they were holding council as to their future proceedings.
While thus engaged, a sound fell upon their ears that bore some resemblance to the bleating of a goat.

It appeared to come down from the sky above them; but they knew that it must be caused by some animal on the cliffs overhead.
On looking upwards, they beheld the animal; and if its voice had already appeared to them to be like that of a goat, the creature itself in its _personal_ appearance, to a very great extent, carried out the resemblance.
To speak the truth, it _was_ a goat; though not one of the common kind.
It was an _ibex_.
Once more Karl had the advantage of his companions.

His knowledge of natural history enabled him to identify the animal.