The Moose, Caribou, and Small Deer. 127 



of which, at this spot, was about 3oft. high, descending at a steep angle to 

 the shore, and quite clear of trees or underwood.. This afforded an 

 excellent calling station. As the sun dipped below the trees which 

 surrounded the lake, I commenced operations, calling at intervals of about 

 twenty minutes. Soon the moon, which was only one day past the full, 

 arose. There was a considerable frost, the night was perfectly still, the 

 atmosphere very clear, and I could hear my call echo and re-echo for 

 miles in all directions, truly a splendid night. For four hours I continued, 

 listening intently between each call ; no sound was heard, save the hoot of 

 an owl or the splash of a musk rat. Once I thought I heard a bull moose 

 grunt a long way down the lake on the left side, if it was a moose he had a 

 cow, as I heard him no more. It was intensely cold, and standing 

 listening with one's aural nerves continually at the highest tension is a 

 great strain. At 9.30 I decided to lay down till morning, and was soon 

 under my blankets, with some spruce boughs over my head to keep off the 

 dew. 



I awoke at daylight, got up, and gave three calls, rather louder (it 

 flashed across me just as I had finished) than Indians usually make the 

 first call, for the reason that, if a moose happened to be near, if the call 

 was loud he would more readily detect any flaw there might be in the sound 

 made by a man who was not an absolute master of the art. Well, the 

 echoes had hardly died away when I heard a tremendous crash in the 

 woods to my right, quite handy -not more than 200 or 300 yards off, 

 followed by the grunt of a bull moose. I knew by his voice he was not a 

 small one. Then a short interval of silence as he stopped to listen, as 

 they do ; then more crackling of sticks, and the noise made by horns coming 

 through a thick place. After one or two such intervals I suddenly heard 

 him in the water; though coming along shore. Now, I thought, I shall 

 get a clear shot. I squatted down some six or eight yards from the edge 

 of the bank in line with a bunch of young cherry, which, while it served 

 as a screen, was too small to stop or turn aside a round bullet. I had my 

 gun in my hand, as it was not quite light enough to see the sights of a rifle. 



There was a thick fog on the lake, and at first I only heard the animal 

 walking in the water, but in a few moments the form of a gigantic moose 

 emerged from the mist, walking steadily along about thirty yards out in the 

 water. His coat seemed black as jet, his horns wide-spreading on each 

 side of his head, he did not stop or hesitate, but came on confidently. A 

 splendid sight, indeed ! Now I knew that, although there was no wind, so 

 to speak, yet a little air was drawing out from the land where I was into the 

 lake, therefore, that I must not let the animal get opposite me. So when 



