262 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



the hindquarters to the most vital part in my line of 

 vision beyond the hip, and fired. 



I saw no effect of any kind, save that, half-turning, 

 the great moose looked at me, fair and square. Like 

 some prehistoric monster he stood, his wondrous 

 head outlined by the greens of the forest around him. 

 Seizing the short opportunity I put the ivory fore- 

 sight on his forehead, beneath the antler nearest to 

 me, and in a maze of excitement pulled the trigger. 

 The bullet told, and the giant deer staggered to 

 the shot, ran on for a few paces with lurching gait, 

 fell to his knees, then raised himself to career on for a 

 few yards further, when, overtaking him, I ran in, 

 and at thirty paces distant got in a heart shot which 

 was instantly effective, and my first moose crashed to 

 the ground. The massive antlers struck the earth so 

 heavily I almost feared for their safety, forgetting the 

 terrific blows they are constantly called upon to 

 sustain. 



Cecily and I examined the head with interest and 

 delight; it was particularly finely formed, and the 

 points, instead of being the stubby affairs one so 

 often gets on moose antlers, were quite sharp and 

 tapering. When measured it came out at sixty-five 

 inches span, and was somewhat white in colour, 

 owing to the fact that it had not long been out of 

 velvet. Indeed, tiny shreds still adhered in places 

 from the tips. Our men had it that the larger the 

 moose the longer it took to get the horns clean. The 

 bell, or growth of hair, which hangs from beneath the 

 throat, was not long and thick in this specimen which 



