28 THE MOOSE 



able — she decided on following the conqueror, who 

 appeared to have no use for the huge banquet lying 

 by the alder scrub, which he left to the ravens and 

 the eagles. 



The world went very well for Apukwa so long 

 as the bear carcass lasted. After its consumption 

 the moose displayed complete indifference in the 

 matter of obtaining more flesh food, and seemed 

 quite content with alder tops and sapless bark, in 

 which unwolflike meals Apukwa took no interest. 

 Day after day as she watched her leader calmly 

 plucking the leaves around him, or straddling tall 

 bushes with his fore-legs until he got the topmost 

 branches within easy reach of his prehensile nose, 

 she wished herself a free-lance once more in a 

 rabbit-thronged world. 



For all that she told herself consolingly that she 

 was following a worthy beast. There could be no 

 mightier. 



Suddenly the twang of a bowstring cut the air, 

 and the great moose crumpled up like the lake 

 lilies in the early frost, crumpled up and lay 

 shuddering. 



Out of a thick patch of cover came the strangest 

 being Apukwa had ever seen — a very small thing 



