230 THE WILDERNESS HUNTER. 



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 tamaracks. 



Having surveyed the ground and found 

 moose sign the preceding afternoon, we were 

 up betimes in the cool morning to begin our 

 hunt. Before sunrise we were posted on a 

 rocky spur of the foot-hills, 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 were 

 thinner, and we saw that it was a young bull 

 moose browsing on the willow tops. He had 

 evidently nearly finished his breakfast, and he 

 stood idly for some moments, now and then 

 lazily cropping a mouthful of twig tips. Then 

 he walked off with great strides in a straight 

 line across the marsh, splashing among the 

 wet water-plants, and ploughing through bog- 

 gy spaces with the indifference begotten of 

 vast strength and legs longer than those of 

 any other animal on this continent. At times 

 he entered beds of reeds which hid him from 

 view, though their surging and bending showed 

 the wake of his passage ; at other times he 



