TEEED BY A MOOSE. 321 



shoulder, and expressin' his astonishment in a low, quick 

 bark, at every jump, at something he seemed to regard as 

 mighty onpleasant on his trail. I didn't have to wait long 

 to find out what it was, for about the biggest bull moose I 

 ever happened to see, came crashin' like a steam-engine after 

 him. He wasn't more than two rods behind the dog, and if 

 I ever saw an ugly looking beast, that moose was the one. 

 Every hair seemed to stand towards his head, and if he 

 wasn't in earnest I never saw an animal that was. He was 

 puttin' in his best jumps, and the way he hurried up Crop's 

 cakes was a thing to be astonished at. The dog didn't see 

 me, and seemed to be principled agin stoppin' to inquire 

 my whereabouts. He dashed under the log where I stood, 

 and the moose after him like mad. He seemed to be 

 expectin' aid and comfort from me, as the papers say, and 

 was wonderin', no doubt, where me and my rifle was all this 

 tune. I called after him, but he was in a hurry and couldn't 

 stop, for there was a thing he didn't care about shakin' 

 hands with, not three rods from his tail. He heard me, 

 though, and took a circle round a great boulder, and the 

 moose after him, and as he got straightened my way, I 

 called him again, and he saw me. He leaped onto the log 

 and came runnin' up to where I stood, and was mighty glad 

 to be out of the way of them big hoofs and horns that were 

 after him. He was safe now, and he opened his mouth and 

 let off a good deal of tall barkin' at his enemy. The moose 

 saw us, and his fury was the greater because he couldn't get 

 at ua. He kept chargiu' back and forth under the log 



