MISSING A BIG MOOSE 71 



Now, I must say that at this point I was about " all 

 in " from the exertion of the long-continued climb, as 

 well as from the heat and the high altitude. At his 

 signal I made a quick step forward, and, not looking at 

 where I was stepping, my foot crushed and snapped a 

 small twig. Then the opening was reached, the curtain 

 of alders was raised, and Henry simply said : " There's 

 your moose ! " 



The noise of the breaking twig had warned him that 

 something was wrong, and he had just commenced to 

 swing around when I first saw him. He was standing 

 among some high grass and reeds, broadside on, not 

 farther away than the width of a street. His head was 

 crowned with a freak set of antlers, having a fairly wide 

 spread, with very narrow blades, both ends of the ant- 

 lers being somewhat like a man's open hands, with the 

 fingers of the hands representing the points. 



He appeared to be a sturdy young bull in good con- 

 dition, for his hide was sleek and glossy, while his legs 

 from the knee-joints down were strikingly white. 



All of this was noted at a glance and before even 

 raising the rifle to shoot. There was no time to be lost, 

 however. I aimed as well as my breathing apparatus 

 would permit for the point behind his left shoulder, 

 which was an easy, and ought to have been a fatal, 

 shot, as he swung around. 



He didn't stop, or fall, or jump, or give any sign that 

 he was hit ; so, pumping another cartridge into the bar- 



