166 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



by a dog, the animal tries to escape ; but sinking 

 through up to the hocks at every stride, and 

 wounded about the legs by the sharp ice, he soon 

 turns to bay, and is easily shot by the hunter when 

 he comes up. This is almost the only way, except 

 by watching their bathing-places in the rivers and 

 lakes in summer, that this wary animal can be killed 

 by any but the most skilful hunters. Few half-breeds, 

 and not every Indian, is expert enough to track and 

 kill a moose under ordinary circumstances, and it is 

 a saying amongst them that a man may follow moose 

 all his life, and never even catch sight of one. 

 Frequenting the thickest forests, where he can only 

 be seen when close at hand, his sense of hearing is 

 so acute that the snapping of the smallest twig or 

 the crackling of a dry leaf is sufficient to give him 

 warning. A windy day offers the best chance of 

 approaching him, when the noises of the woods 

 drown the sound of the hunter's stealthy footsteps. 

 The moose adopts a cunning stratagem to guard 

 against surprise. AYhen about to rest, he walks in a 

 circle and lies down within it, close to the commence- 

 ment of the curve. Thus the hunter following the 

 track unconsciously passes close beside him as he 

 lies concealed, and whilst his pursuer follows the 

 trail ahead, he dashes away on one side unseen. 

 This year, however, on the 30th of March, the thaw 

 set in suddenly and completely, so that no firm crust 

 formed on the snow, and our anticipations of sport 

 were altogether disappointed. 



Cheadle was at this time far away in the woods 



