THE MOOSE 87 



visit to his line of traps, when, walking rapidly over a 

 little rise of ground, he suddenly came upon an im- 

 mense bull-moose lying down in the forest. A shot 

 from his gun, which was loaded with heavy buck-shot, 

 brought the moose stunned and wounded to the 

 ground. Drawing his hunting-knife, the guide sprang 

 forward to cut the animal's throat, "when, presto! 

 like a dash of cold water, the prick of the cold 

 steel apparently revived the moose, who jerked back 

 his head, and in a moment, as if that immense corpo- 

 rosity had been filled with powerful springs of steel, 

 regained his feet. Pete jumped suddenly backward, 

 and Mr, Man and Mr. Moose were thus brought 

 by this unique introduction face to face. A snort 

 followed as a blast evidently betokening war, and 

 without waiting for Pete to get ready for defence, the 

 moose in his anger, doubtless goaded by pain, rushed 

 to the spot where the guide had, more quickly than 

 ever before, gained a perpendicular position. Reader, 

 did you ever see a full-grown bull-moose? The bulls 

 of Bashan, the war-horses of the Orient, the excited 

 Amazons of fable, cannot surpass his really terrible 

 look. But let him be infuriated, his bristly hair stand- 

 ing up in a frightened way along that immense spine, 

 his most ungainly snout below, those mammoth horns 

 above, those eyeballs of most spiteful fury, and making 

 mighty lunges straight for you ! How would you 

 'comport yourself,' as the French say? 



" Pete himself had never taken moose in this way 

 before. A few hunters have, but others have told the 

 tale." 



Pete sprang to one side as the moose charged him, 



