534 WILD SCEXES AND WILD HUNTEES. 



There is an amusing story told of Old Sturge's first inter- 

 view with a moose, which is worth giving before we dismiss 

 him. It was soon after he came to the country from ' down 

 east,' and when he was somewhat green upon the subject of 

 * wild varmints ' in general. 



Some one had shown him how to set his traps at Louis 

 Lake, and one morning when he went to visit them, rifle in 

 hand, he saw a huge black beast lying in the place of one 

 of his traps. He said he thought it was the Old Harry 

 himself, with a bundle of pitchforks, and iron-wooden shovels 

 on his head* — but though mortally frightened, and very much 

 disposed to run back home, he concluded finally, that to save 

 his manhood he must take a shot at it any how. It had not 

 seen him, and he was quite close, so he blazed away. Whether 

 he shut his eyes or not, he does not know, but the creature 

 paid no attention to him, and did not even turn its head. 



Finding himself alive after this desperate venture, he took 

 courage, hid behind a tree, and loaded again. He fired 

 again with the same result. He began now to think that 

 it surely bore a charmed life, and said that when he 

 looked along the barrel at it, it grew as large as a meeting 

 house, and that when in spite of his fear he aimed right at 

 the middle of this great pile, the ball would go clear through, 

 and it would close up again. He says he got madder and 

 madder, and worse and worse scared every time he shot, 

 until he supposed he had been at it an hour or two, when, as 

 his last load was fired, the great black beast got up and gave 

 one tremendous bound. He heard his steel trap fall clashing 

 back against the stones, and it was gone. 



After he had sufiiciently recovered from his trepidation, 

 he went up to the trap, and found there, between its saw-like 

 teeth, the veritable ' split hoof,' for which the old gentleman 

 he took it for is so famous ! He swears to this day that 

 there was a strong smell of sulphur in the woods, which 

 remained for weeks afterAvards. 



