With Gun # Rod in Canada 



accurately as one could expect an Irishman to quote a 

 Scotchman ! 



The first intimation I had that there was a white 

 moose was one night in Ma-tee-o's wigwam, when the 

 old Micmac mentioned to Mossy that once he had caught 

 a black-and-white spotted " meskek nabesk " (large male 

 bear). I laughed at the idea, but to my surprise Mossy 

 took it quite seriously. To prove this story to me, 

 Ma-tee-o produced the skin of a very large bear's hind- 

 foot with the claws still attached, and two spots of white 

 fur, each about the size of a half-dollar, upon the 

 instep. 



It seems that this bear, according to the Indian, had 

 left his hind-foot in a trap, and Ma-tee-o had skinned it 

 and tanned the ragged trophy. Whether he kept it to 

 prove the existence of a spotted bear, or as a good-luck 

 token, I was unable to fathom. I have always taken it 

 as the latter, since it led immediately to the discussion 

 of a gigantic albino moose, the existence of which 

 Ma-tee-o seemed to stoically accept as a matter of 

 course, while Mossy claimed to have hunted and actually 

 fired at it. 



" Did you ever see it, Ma-tee-o ?" I awaited his 

 answer with great interest. 



" T'ree, four time." Ma-tee-o shrugged his shoulders 

 nonchalantly. 



" Where ?" I quizzed. 



" Little Red Lake Bog Granite Falls Dunraven 

 Bog. Last summer, Little Tobiatic Lake," Ma-tee-o 

 answered, positively. 



" Did you shoot at him, Ma-tee-o ?" 



" What's the use ?" He seemed surprised at my 

 question. 



" Weren't the horns big enough ? What was the 

 matter ?" 



176 



