THE MOOSK 257 



good shakes to arouse the blood to more vigorous action, 

 and rubbing my eyes to dissipate the effect of lingering 

 sleep, I commenced a search for camp once more. My lirst 

 movement, was to note where my footsteps had led me, and, 

 after following them for an hour or more, found I had been 

 wandering about in circles, which sometimes crossed each 

 other, and had a general trend to the right. 



I knew then that I was really lost, and had acted as near- 

 ly all persons do under the same circumstances ; but as I 

 had daylight to aid me I did not feel any great sense of 

 alarm, and went about retracing my footsteps in the calm- 

 est manner. I first commenced to beat about in order to 

 discover tracks that did not trend to the right, and, after a 

 long search, I saw some that evidently led to the glade in 

 which I first missed my bearings. This was a most wel- 

 come discovery, as I felt that I could not be far away from 

 camp ; so I commenced retracing them at a rapid rate. 

 This was not a very difficult matter; for, by scanning the 

 ground a little in advance with a quick glance, I could see, 

 by the trampled grass and bushes, the lightness of the dew 

 in some places, and an occasional distinctly marked foot- 

 print, the route I had taken. 



While deeply engaged in this pleasant duty, I was 

 startled by hearing a thundering crashing a short distance 

 to my left, and, on looking in that direction, I saw the 

 cause of my woe, the wounded bull, hopping away on three 

 legs through the undergrowth. Forgetting everything but 

 his presence in a moment, I started after him, and in less 

 than twenty minutes headed him off by taking short cuts, 

 and, as he passed by me within a distance of seventy yards, 

 I fired at his head, and he fell on his antlers. When I ap- 

 proached him he was shaking his head violently, and roar- 

 ing and grunting as if he were in the greatest agony. Sup- 

 posing that I had hit him in some vital part, and not caring 

 to fire another shot unless it was actually necessary, I ad- 

 vanced toward him heedlessly; but on roadiing within a 

 few yards of him I halted, as his tongue was out, and his 

 eyes fairly blazed with rage and hate. While looking at 



