262 CANADIAN NIGHTS 



sight of us, but it was ten to one that he would 

 smell our tracks and get scared before we could 

 reach him. There was a larger moose coming 

 through the woods, but where he would emerge 

 it was impossible to say ; and, to make matters 

 worse, it was rapidly getting dark. The difficulty 

 was soon settled, for the smaller moose moved 

 on again towards the woods, crossed our track, 

 snuffed us, and started off across the barren at a 

 trot ; so we had to turn our attention to the 

 larger one. He came on boldly ; we could hear 

 him call two or three times in succession, and then 

 stop dead silent for a few minutes to listen, and 

 then on again, speaking. We planted ourselves 

 right in his way, just on the edge of the woods, 

 and, crouching close to the ground, waited for him. 

 Presently we heard his hoarse voice close to us, 

 and the crackling of the bushes as he passed through 

 them ; then silence fell again, and we heard no- 

 thing but the thumping of our hearts ; another 

 advance, and he stopped once more, within appa- 

 rently about fifty yards of us. After a long, almost 

 insupportable pause, he came on again ; we could 

 hear his footsteps, we could hear the grass rustling, 

 we could hear him breathing, we could see the 

 bushes shaking, but we could not make out even 



