LEAVE ST. FEANCIS. 61 



opening at a cautious trot, hesitated, stopped, and impa- 

 tiently stamped his foot. The distance that the moose 

 was from us could not have been more than thirty yards. 

 Slowly and imperceptibly the Indian's gun was getting 

 into shooting position. I attempted to do the same with 

 mine, when oh ! what excuse can I otter ? bang went 

 the right barrel, and, but for a vigorous effort, I should 

 have fallen from my perch. 



I had better draw a veil over the recriminations that 

 ensued, for homicide was nearly the result, whether justi- 

 fiable or not must be for others to decide ; but St. Francis 

 was not long honoured with my presence. Of moose- 

 hunting I had seen enough for one season, and for many 

 A year not even my bosom friends knew that I had ever 

 made an attempt to slay the noblest of all the deer family. 



In the close, warm weather of July and August this 

 game is much pestered with flies. To avoid these plagues, 

 the moose becomes almost aquatic in his habits ; for hours 

 he will completely submerge himself, with nought but his 

 head above the surface. At this season their principal 

 food is the long, succulent limbs and leaves of the water 

 lily. In the tributary streams that help to feed Moosehead 

 Lake it is no uncommon thing for the fisherman or tourist, 

 on his aquatic excursions, to come across moose floating, 

 or see them reach the shore in advance of him, alarmed 

 either by the voices or wind of the strangers. Such was 

 my fortune once when fishing in a tributary of Lake 

 Parmacbeney. Trout had all day been on the feed ; my gun 

 lay carelessly at my feet, half buried in blankets and other 

 hunter's paraphernalia in the bottom of my canoe, which I 



