THE WANDERER 111 



A very ordinary beast she seemed to Moosewa, and 

 extraordinarily plain to have created such an un- 

 doubted sensation. And yet — the call ! It was 

 irresistible. 



Then wonderful, and again most wonderful, a 

 grand young bull plunged into the fair way ahead, 

 and stood, in his conscious pride and strength, 

 grunting vigorous challenge notes in crescendo 

 scale. 



He wore the most splendid bell a moose in his 

 prime could carry, and as he waited the oncoming 

 of his enemy with magnificent crowned head raised, 

 the tassel at the end of the coarse-haired adornment 

 swung to his knees. 



The old bull scarce waited to take stock of his 

 foe, but rushed, pell-mell, into the fray, which the 

 younger animal met impassively with lowered head. 

 The crash of their horns as they came together 

 shook the ground. A lynx, crouching near by, hot 

 on the scent of a carefully stalked family of rabbits, 

 went off on cushioned feet in a series of gigantic 

 bounds, caterwauling in affright. 



After the first impact, the moose drew away, and, 

 with lowered heads, glared at each other. The 

 younger pawed up the soft earth about him and 



