522 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 



its old position. The bruised and crippled hunter who had 

 been thus summarily tossed, seized his gun, limped up close 

 to the moose, and shot it dead in his rage, just as if he had 

 any right to have expected any other treatment for his folly. 



This party was thoroughly satisfied with their single experi- 

 ment, and have very safely promised their anxious mothers 

 and sweethearts, never to make another such. 



But crust hunting is by far the most destructive method 

 of pursuing the deer known in this region. The deer form 

 "yards" on the bleak northern sides of the mountains, and 

 thfee are sometimes five or six miles in extent, and containing 

 a great number of deer. They have deep roads or paths 

 leading in every direction, through the snow, and will never 

 leave these unless forced by the dog to do so. The deer 

 seldom runs far, but stops to fight until the hunter comes 

 up and kills it with his rifle, and sometimes with a club 

 or axe. 



There is a well authenticated instance in illustration, that 

 I will relate. My guide has been a famous hunter in his 

 day. When he was about sixteen his father lived upon & high 

 hill, in sight of my shantee. In a valley half a mib from 

 the hut, he had a small sugar camp. One bright morning, 

 early in March, when a slight snow had fallen over night, 

 upon the old crust, which was thin and melted through 

 in places, Clark, who was a stout y^uth, started to the 

 sugar camp to clean and set the troughs, as it promised to 

 be a fine day for the sap to run. He said he would be back 

 in time for breakfast, and followed by a noble hound, he was 

 soon out of sight. 



'i^e family waited and waited in vain for his return, until 

 noon, when his father, overcome by uneasiness, started in 

 pursuit of the boy for knowing that he had no kind of 

 weapon, not even a pocket-knife, with him, he could not 

 but fear that some accident had happened. He met him 

 returning, panting up the hill. 



