226 The Wilderness H^lnter. 



spoken of the hunter must show great endurance and res- 

 olution, and must be an adept in the use of snow-shoes. 



It all depends upon the depth of the snow and the 

 state of the crust. If when the snow is very deep there 

 comes a thaw, and if it then freezes hard, the moose are 

 overtaken and killed with ease ; for the crust cuts their 

 legs, they sink to their bellies at every plunge, and 

 speedily become so worn out that they can no longer keep 

 ahead of any man who is even moderately skilful in the 

 use of show-shoes ; though they do not, as deer so often 

 do, sink exhausted after going a few rods from their yard. 

 Under such circumstances a few hardy hunters or settlers, 

 who are perfectly reckless in slaughtering game, may 

 readily kill all the moose in a district. It is a kind of 

 hunting which just suits the ordinary settler, who is hardy 

 and enduring, but knows little of hunting-craft proper. 



If the snow is less deep, or the crust not so heavy, the 

 moose may travel for scores of miles before it is over- 

 taken ; and this even though the crust be strong enough 

 to bear a man wearing snow-shoes without breaking. The 

 chase then involves the most exhausting fatigue. More- 

 over, it can be carried on only by those who are very skilful 

 in the use of snow-shoes. These snow-shoes are of two 

 kinds. In the northeast, and in the most tangled forests 

 of the northwest, the webbed snow-shoes are used ; on the 

 bare mountain-sides, and in the open forests of the Rockies, 

 the long narrow wooden skees, or Norwegian snow-skates 

 are preferred, as upon then men can travel much faster, 

 though they are less handy in thick timber. Having 

 donned his snow-shoes and struck the trail of a moose, the 



