COMPLETELY DEFENCELESS. 63 



Luckily for our hunter, his last shot was now begin- 

 ning to tell on his antagonist, so that he was able to 

 reach the tree in time to swing himself upon a branch 

 which grew some ten feet from the ground, just as the 

 moose with a rush passed beneath. 



Panting with his exertions, and vexed at the result 

 of his morning's hunt, Pierre climbed higher into the 

 tree, which indeed was so slight as to afford but pre- 

 carious sanctuary from his powerful foe, should the 

 latter try to overturn it. The branches were weak, 

 and bent beneath his weight as he carefully drew him- 

 self upward, while the tree itself inclined slightly to 

 one side. 



Apparently the moose perceived this ; for instead of 

 plunging round and round below, it now applied its 

 broad forehead to the slender trunk, and pushed heavily 

 against it. A further inclination of the tree was the 

 result of this manoeuvre. 



Fearful of the consequences, should the infuriated 

 animal succeed in overturning his place of refuge, 

 Pierre descended to the lower branches, and endeav- 

 oured to distract the attention of the moose from his 

 task. In his first scuffle with the animal, his revolver 

 and knife which he usually carried about with him had 

 fallen from his belt, and he had not time to pick them 

 up. He was therefore now completely defenceless. The 

 moose, in no way distracted from his efforts to uproot 

 the poplar, horned and pushed so violently that the 

 elastic tree swayed to and fro, and if the hunter had 



