WILD ANIMALS AND MEN 227 



the poor little tots would do if they scented one of those highly 

 painted and perfumed "ladies" that parade up and down 

 Piccadilly, Fifth Avenue, or Yonge Street? 



After following the trail for about fifteen minutes, we came 

 to where the moose had been lying down, and the hunter whis- 

 pered: 



"My son, I am glad I did not smoke, but I am sorry that we 

 camped so near." Then he added as he pointed to the im- 

 pression of a moose's body in the snow: "A moose seldom lies 

 twice in the same place in the snow, as the old bed would be 

 frozen and hard as well as dirty." 



But as we had not made much noise, nor cut any big wood 

 to make a fire, he was hopeful that our chances were stiU good; 

 and at sunrise he concluded that it was time we should leave our 

 sled behind and begin to track our quarry more cautiously. 

 From then on there was to be no talking — not even in a whis- 

 per. Soon we came upon yesterday's tracks, then farther on we 

 saw where the moose had circled before lying down again for the 

 night, with their eyes guarding their front while their scent 

 guarded their rear. 



At last we came upon still fresher signs that told that the 

 moose might be within a hundred paces or less. At a signal 

 from the old hunter I imitated him by shpping off my snow- 

 shoes, and standing them upon end in the snow, and Oo-koo- 

 hoo leading the way, began to circle to our right as a gentle 

 wind was coming on our left. Now our progress was indeed 

 slow, and also perfectly noiseless. It seemed to take an age 

 to make a semicircle of a couple of hundred paces. Again we 

 came upon the tracks of the moose. The signs were now 

 fresher than ever. Retracing our own tracks for a fittle way 

 we started on another circle, but this time, a smaller one, for we 

 were now very near the moose. Silent ages passed, then 

 we heard the swishing of a pulled branch as it flew back into 

 place; a few steps nearer we progressed; then we heard the 



