V Moose Calling 97 



But what is the use of Noel's calling, call he never 

 so wisely ? What is the use of my Micmac 



Pouring through the echoing birch-bark 

 All the yearning of his soul, 



when, just as the clatterings and clashings and hang- 

 ings of those mighty horns, sounding like nothing on 

 earth but a delirious kettle-drummer fighting with 

 his own kettle-drums, herald the approach of the 

 deceived bull, night is made hideous by one gurgling, 

 snorting, choking bark sneeze, followed by three 

 fierce, hard, appalling, sneezing barks ? My goodness ! 

 what a row ! And all is still, except that shameful 

 echo travelling for miles, fainter and fainter, but still 

 going, the astonished squawk of "the whisky Jack" 

 awakened from his guilty dream, and the startled 

 yelp of the " Lucifer," who stops in the chase of some 

 wretched hare on a distant barren, half paralysed by 

 the awful thought, " My soul ! there is a Lucifer." ^ 

 ' How does the silly old song go ? 



Cupid sneezing in his flight, 

 Once was heard upon the night. 



' Ah ! love may sneeze at you, but you must never 

 sneeze at a moose bull. And here am I, all lonely 

 and utterly forlorn, in the little camp at the end of 

 the brown lake from eve till morning, forsaken 

 except by a cold but affectionate frog who comes 



^ Whisky Jack, a species of magpie ; Lucifer, the Canadian 

 lynx. 



H 



