XI AWAY TO THE MOOSE-GROUND 209 



a sizable head. I judged it about 60 inches, and said to 

 Ivan, "What do you think?" He repHed, "Big horns all 

 right ; hurry up, shoot quick." The last four words he kept 

 repeating about every second, and growing furious, I cursed 

 him freely. There was I, not liking to risk a standing shot 

 at the distance, as I am a poor hand, when standing, with a 

 rifle, not able to see over the long grass when sitting or 

 kneeling, trying my best to get into a steady position, and 

 at the same time to keep the fool of a native quiet. Finally 

 I managed somehow to get off a shot, aiming where I 

 believed the beast's heart to be. It will give some idea of 

 the accuracy of my aim, and the steadiness of my position, 

 when I say that the exact measurement of this beast from 

 nose to tail in a straight line was about 9 feet ; he was 

 standing broadside on, and my first shot broke his hind-leg 

 just above the hock. Everything considered, it was fortunate 

 for me that I was shooting at a beast so big that it was hard 

 to miss some part of it. With his three remaining legs, the 

 moose made ofl" at a tremendous pace, followed by two more 

 bullets, neither of which touched him. Ivan dashed wildly 

 down the hill after him, shouting, " Come quick. Run." 

 Down I went, falling over logs, with a loaded rifle, expecting 

 every moment to blow a hole through Ivan or myself, but 

 it was no time for trifles of that sort to worry us. As we 

 followed the tracks some way into the high timber, we kept 

 stopping from time to time to listen. A wounded moose 

 will lead one through the thickest brush it can find, and 

 here we had a sample of this habit of the animal in its worst 

 form. Falling and crashing through the bushes, we made 

 noise enough to scare every moose for miles. Suddenly 

 Ivan, who was in front, shouted, " Come quick. He 

 run." Dashing ahead, I saw the hind-quarters of a moose 



