MOOSE HUNTING. 327 



the midst of a general action. Ducks start and quack at 

 the unusual sounds, musquash dive and kingfishers shriek, 

 whilst in the forest we hear a crashing sound at which 

 Andrew says, " Bull-moose, him go." Now that the silence 

 has been rudely broken we pursue the beaver and shoot 

 two of them. That night after supper as we reposed heads 

 under the tilted canoe and feet to fire, the trapper felt as 

 proud as any laird, as rich (in enjoyment of his life) as any 

 millionaire. His manor was as large as a county, and cost 

 him nothing but a little hard work, whilst he had that 

 evening made two entries on the credit side of his account ; 

 item, fur $9 ; item, butcher's bill for one month ; " and 

 as he reposed on a fragrant bed of fir boughs, enjoying 

 his well-earned pipe, he soliloquized, "happy low, lie 

 down ; uneasy rests the head that wears a crown." 



But if we had our moments of good sport and of enjoy- 

 ment we had to work hard for them. For the first week 

 we were all employed from daylight till dark in setting 

 traps round the lake, then taking one day to build a 

 winter camp, the Indians went down stream in the canoe 

 to tend the traps. This trip was repeated every week 

 during the " fall," and each time they brought back a 

 load from the bear-house. During their absence on these 

 excursions I occupied myself in trapping musquash, 

 shooting beaver, geese, and ducks, and fishing for trout. 

 What with these pursuits in addition to the necessary 

 cooking and cutting wood I had not an idle moment from 

 daylight till dark. Every evening I paddled to a quiet 

 corner of the lake in a " catamaran " Anglice, little 

 raft and called moose. 



To lure the uxorious bull moose to his death by 



