238 THE SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE; 



object which attracted my attention was the cheerful blaze 

 of the wood fire, after which my eyes fell on the bull 

 moose's head lying just outside of the hut. It was now 

 plain that the captain's hunt had been rewarded by killing 

 a moose. After inspecting, by the moonlight and the light 

 from the fire, this head and the antlers, I entered the hut, 

 where I saw hanging on the wall an abundance of moose- 

 meat. A single glance at the captain's face convinced me 

 that he was happy. He greeted me pleasantly, and I 

 promptly inquired of him in regard to the sport of the day. 

 He briefly detailed his doings ; informed me that he had 

 seen several moose after he parted from me in the morn- 

 ing, but had killed only a single animal. He was inclined 

 to think that he had not been as successful in killing game 

 as was demanded by the circumstances of the case. I 

 inquired in regard to the number of shots that he had fired 

 during the day, and he replied, "I don't know ; the number 

 is less than thirty." He furthermore added that he had 

 shot eighteen times at the bull which he killed before the 

 animal ceased to show signs of life. The reader may 

 here find himself inclined to think that the captain should 

 be classed among amateur sportsmen, but I will only say 

 that it would be a very difficult task to find an expert that 

 could kill as much game in these woods as my old guide. 

 The repeating-rifle has brought about a change in the 

 methods of killing game. The sportsman no longer re- 

 fuses to fire a shot unless he is certain that his bullet will 

 enter some vulnerable point in the animal, but shoots 

 away, and trusts by this means that, should he fail to kill 

 promptly, he will at least succeed in effecting a change in 



