MOOSE HUNTING. 99 



they were a young bull and a cow, those of the latter being 

 much longer and more pointed. Presently we came to 

 an opening in the forest, where the brook discharged 

 itself into a large circular swamp, densely grown up with 

 alder bushes and swamp maple, with a thick undergrowth 

 of gigantic ferns. Joe whispered, as we stood on the 

 brow of the hill overlooking it, " Maybe they are in there 

 lying down; if not, they are started;'' and, putting to 

 his lips the conical bark trumpet which he carried, he 

 gave a short plaintive call — an imitation of a young bull 

 approaching and wishing to join the others. No answer 

 or sound of movement came from the swamp. " Ah, I 

 afraid so,'' said Joe, as we passed round and examined 

 the ground on the other side. " I 'most all the time fear 

 they started ; they smell our fire this morning while Jem 

 was making the breakfast." Long striding tracks, deeply 

 ploughing up the moss, showed that they had gone off in 

 alarm, and at a swinging trot, their course being for the 

 barrens above. It was useless to follow them, so we went 

 off to another part of the barrens in search of fresh 

 tracks. The walking in the open was most fatiguing 

 after the luxury of the mossy carpeting of the forest. 

 Slipping constantly on wet smooth rocks, or the slimy 

 surfaces of decayed trees ; for ever climbing over masses 

 of prostrate trunks, and forcing our way through tangled 

 brakes, and plunging into the oozing moss on newly- 

 inundated swamps, we spent a long morning without 

 seeing moose, though our spirits were prevented from 

 flagging by constantly following fresh tracks. The moose 

 were exceedingly "yary," as Joe termed it, and we started 

 two or three pairs without either hearing or seeing them, 

 until the same exclamation of disappointment from the 



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