14:6 SHOOTING A MOOSE. 



haunches with his tail curled around his feet, just as you've 

 seen a cat do. He was too far off for us to shoot him, and 

 he saw us before we got within proper distance, and stole 

 away into the woods, and we passed on. As we rounded 

 the point just below the lake there, and looked out upon the 

 broad water, I saw the moose I spoke of, feeding. We sat 

 perfectly still, and permitted the boat to drift back down 

 the stream until we were out of sight. We then landed, 

 and I crept carefully and silently to that clump of fir trees. 

 I had my own and my companion's rifle both properly loaded. 

 Having got a right position, I sighted for a vital part, and 

 fired. The animal rushed furiously forward two or three 

 rods, with its head lowered as if making a lunge at an 

 enemy, then stopped, and looked all around, standing with 

 its back humped up, and its short stump of a tail working 

 and writhing at a furious rate. I sighted it again with the 

 other rifle, and pulled. The animal plunged furiously for- 

 ward again for a few rods, stopped a moment, and then 

 settled slowly down, and fell over on its side, dead. It was 

 a cow-moose and would weigh as killed five or six hundred 

 pounds. I was a pretty proud man then, as that was my 

 first moose, and about as big feeling a chap as was Squire 

 Smith the other day, when he brought down that buck. I 

 have shot two others here since, one at each visit I have 

 made." 



The season for moose hunting along the water pastures, 

 was nearly over. They go back upon the hills in August, 

 the food there being by that tune abundant. The tracks 



