IN THE LAND OF THE GREAT SPIRIT 143 



head. Is he a travelling bull? If so, is it worth 

 while to follow him? How comes he so near our 

 camp? Have our shots or voices frightened him? 

 What pace is he going? Let us see." The Cree's 

 reflections evidently brought him to some such point 

 as this, for now he began following on the spoor. 



It took us straight to the middle of the muskeg. 

 Here was a large piece of open water, and this the 

 moose had crossed. That a creature of the moose's 

 enormous weight can easily cross the softest bogs has 

 always been a wonder to me. But he does it. His 

 great splay feet bear him up sufficiently. But you, 

 if by any carelessness you should step in a moose's 

 footprint, find your own leg dropped three feet 

 into a hole from which you have much ado again to 

 clear it. 



But there was nothing for it now but to retrace our 

 steps. " Nipi " (water), said the Cree, and there was 

 no denying that. So back we went, and round the 

 muskeg till we came at last on that point where the 

 creature had come out. And then away into the 

 forest the great slot led. He had stopped a little 

 further on, had done a little feeding on the kinikinik, 

 and then had moved on more slowly right through a 

 thick grove of larches. And here, right and left, and 



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