NEZ' BIG MOOSE 315 



" ' Two bull Moose, von cow. Big Moose found 

 mate, gone over wood, home to big marsh. We fol- 

 low ; maybe hev bad time, maybe get big jNIoose. Not 

 talk now — creep.' So then we crawled on and on. 

 It stopped snowin' after a spell, and nigh about noon I 

 signed to Dom'nick that we'd better halt and eat. 

 I wasn't as used to the snow and cold as I got to be 

 later, and I'd twisted my ankle in an old stump and 

 was feelin' pretty mean. 



" ' Can eat walkin',' was all he said, makin' off. 



" Pretty soon we come to a place where there had 

 been a Moose fight. Bushes were all torn up and 

 tramped raound about, but from the signs it must 

 have been the night before too. 



" ' You see ? You want stop to eat now ? ' sneered 

 Dom'nick, forgettin' I was young in the bizness. 



" I tramped and stumbled on another half hour and 

 then I sez, sez I, ' I'm goin' to stop right here and eat 

 and make a fire too ; if you don't like it you can go 

 along.' He didn't say a word, and he didn't stop, nor 

 even look araound. I bunched some dry branches and 

 started up a little blaze, warmed my hands and eat my 

 chunk o' bread and bacon. Then I stamped out the 

 lire and looked araound wonderin' if I'd foller Dom'nick 

 or turn about. 



" I was jest standin' between some pine balsams, 

 givin' my gun a wipe, when I heard a crashin' far off, 

 as if a storm was tearin' down trees; but there wasn't 

 any Avind then, and the snow had cleared, yet I couldn't 

 see anythin' comin'. Crash ! crjish ! crash ! nearer 

 and nearer. I grabbed my gun and waited. I could 

 hear hard breathin', but I couldn't tell first if it was 



