242 The Wilderness Hunter 



beaver in the mountains, and who told me that if I 

 would come with him he would show me moose. 

 I jumped at the chance, and he proved as good as 

 his word ; though for the first two trials my ill-luck 

 did not change. 



At the time that it finally did change we had at 

 last reached a place where the moose were on favor- 

 able ground. A high, marshy valley stretched for 

 several miles between two rows of stony mountains, 

 clad with a forest of rather small fir-trees. This 

 valley was covered with reeds, alders, and rank 

 grass, and studded with little willow-bordered ponds 

 and island-like clumps of spruce and graceful tama- 

 racks. 



Having surveyed the ground and found moose 

 sign the preceding afternoon, we were up betimes 

 in the cool morning to begin our hunt. Before sun- 

 rise we were posted on a rocky spur of the foothills, 

 behind a mask of evergreens; ourselves unseen we 

 overlooked all the valley, and we knew we could see 

 any animal which might be either feeding away 

 from cover or on its journey homeward from its 

 feeding ground to its day-bed. 



As it grew lighter we scanned the valley with 

 increasing care and eagerness. The sun rose behind 

 us; and almost as soon as it was up we made out 

 some large beast moving among the dwarf willows 

 beside a little lake half a mile in our front. In a 

 few minutes the thing walked out where the bushes 



