DAYS IN THE WOODS 267 



and was for turning right round and going home ; 

 but I wanted to go up and speak to the man. 

 He stood there all the time — ^never moved. I 

 kind of bowed, nodded my head to him, and he 

 kind of nodded his head, bowed just the same way 

 to me. Well, I started to go up to him, when up 

 rose a great fat cow moose between him and me. 

 ' Look at the moose. Captain ! ' I said. ' Shoot 

 her ! ' ' Good heavens, John ! ' he says, ' if I do, 

 I shall shoot the man too ! ' ' No, no, sir, never 

 mind,' I cried, ' fire at the moose.' Well, sir, 

 he up with the gun, fired, and downed the moose. 

 She just ran a few yards, pitched forward, and fell 

 dead. When the smoke cleared off, the man was 

 gone ; could not see him nowheres. ' My soul 

 and body ! what's become of the man. Captain ? ' 

 I says. ' Dunno, John ; perhaps he is down too,' 

 says he. ' Well, sir,' says I, ' you stop here, and I 

 will go and look ; mebbe he is dead, mebbe not 

 quite dead yet.' Well, I went up to the place, 

 and there was nothing there — nothing but a little 

 pine-tree, no man at all. I went all round, sir — 

 no tracks, no sign of a man anywhere on the snow. 

 What was it, do you think, sir, we saw ? " 



" Well, John," I replied, " I think that was a 

 curious instance of refraction." " Oh, mebbe," 



