184 THE MOOSE 



feeling of strengthless terror, the tired animal heard 

 the confused howls of the hungry pack change to 

 the kill-call. 



O-o-o-o-h-h-h / O-o-o-O'h-h-h ! JV-a-a-a-h-h-h ! 

 W-a-a-a-h-h-h ! 



Once more his life hung on the balance of the 

 scales. 



If he could keep to the soft snow lying beneath 

 the trees he might yet escape, for the wolves know 

 well that a moose on unfrozen snow is more than a 

 match for the speediest, and, though tired and 

 exhausted, the great deer had still a few miles in 

 hand. After their hmit — what then 1 



In proportion to his huge bulk the moose has 

 extremely small feet, quite unlike those of the 

 caribou, whose large false hoofs and deeply- cleft 

 toes carry him at a terrific pace over a lightly- 

 frozen surface, which would let down a moose to 

 his thighs instantly. A very thin crust suffices to 

 hold up a wolf — many wolves — and under such 

 conditions the game in moose-hunting is all to 

 the strenuous pack. 



The moose knew the procedure well. He had 

 never seen it illustrated, but the instinct and tradi- 

 tions of all time had taught him. After running 



