178 THE MOOSE 



It would be a good fight, thought Moosewa, 

 who loved good fights no less than good fighters. 

 But he overestimated his rival's capacity, and had 

 the best of the battle from the onset. Indeed, if the 

 newcomer had not possessed the stoutest of stout 

 hearts, the series of petty squables would have 

 ended suddenly as they began. That was the 

 worst of it. The claimant would not acknowledge 

 defeat. Moosewa had to administer a lesson. 



It was such a fight as made even the uninterested 

 moose company cease ruminating and draw together, 

 such a fight as the valley had never seen, and always 

 the larger bull got his enemy in some vulnerable 

 spot and escaped himself unscathed. 



So intent were the two warriors on the combat 

 that they threw caution to the winds, and did not 

 heed a greater danger than that which stood 

 immediately in front. 



For the trapper had come up with them again. 

 As he threaded his noiseless way through dense 

 patches of dwarf underwood, in an effort to throw 

 out a new line of traps, he came on places where 

 the moose had stopped to browse, showing that 

 they were not then travelUng very fast. A little 

 farther, and the sound of rushing bodies met his 



