Montreal to Quebec. 85 



season, and with proper Indian guides, meet with the largest 

 of the deer tribe — the Moose (Cervus A Ices. J The chase 

 after this animal affording such excellent sport, and withal 

 leading through the wildest and most sequestered fastnesses 

 of the woods, we cannot omit a slight description of the sport. 

 It is generally hunted when the snow is deep, and sufficiently 

 crusted with ice to bear the weight of a dog, but not of a moose 

 itself. Five or six men provided with knapsacks, containing 

 food for as many days, and all necessary implements for "camp- 

 ing" out at night, set out in search of their game. Having found 

 their animal they will wait till day-break, when the dogs are 

 laid on, and the hunters wearing large snow-shoes follow as 

 closely as possible. The deer does not run far before the 

 crust on the snow, through which he breaks at every step, 

 cuts his legs so severely that the poor animal stands at bay, 

 and endeavors to defend himself by striking with his fore- 

 feet, till the arrival of the hunters ends his career. "Frank 

 Forrester," the great authority on American sport, cites an 

 instance of a friend of his "killing seven of these glorious 

 animals on the River St. Maurice, in the rear of the pretty 

 village of Three Rivers, all of which he ran into upon snow 

 shoes, after a chase of three days." The following descrip- 

 tion of a hunting party's encampment is so spirit stirring 

 that we cannot pass it by: — "The first thing to be done on 

 a tramp is to encamp the first night, since it is rare that a 

 single day's march carries the sportsman to the scene of 

 action. The arms are stacked, or hung from the branches 

 of the giant pines around the camp; the snow is scraped 

 away from a large area, and heaped into banks to windward ; 

 a tree or two is felled and a huge fire kindled; beds are 

 prepared of the soft and fragrant tips of cedar and hemlock 

 branches ; and the party gathers about the cheerful blaze, 

 while the collops are hissing in the frying pan, the coffee 

 simmering in the camp kettle, and the fish or game — if the 

 Indians have found time to catch a salmon-trout or two 



