212 INVISIBLE QUARRY. 



About three hours after dark I was lying in 

 that semi-conscious state that precedes sleep, my 

 jaws having several times relaxed their hold of my 

 pipe-stem a pretty good indication that I was 

 approaching dreamland. The fragrant birch and 

 hemlock-boughs on which I lay were so yielding that 

 they invited me to repose, ' an invitation which I 

 was on the point of accepting, when I was recalled 

 to the realities of my position by the sound, in close 

 proximity to me, of breaking limbs. I at once 

 assumed that it was game feeding, and as the full 

 moon was shining brightly, I picked up my double- 

 barrel and stole towards the point from where the noise 

 proceeded. Without even the mishap of breaking 

 a rotten stick, I made a capital stalk towards the 

 invisible quarry, but reached an opening on the 

 edge of the wood without seeing the object of my 

 search. 



Listening, however, I detected a noise some way 

 in front of me, the cause of which could not be far 

 distant. I advanced towards it, therefore, but 

 although everything favoured my progress, the only 

 reward I received for all my trouble was that of 

 seeing looming before me the figure of a large bull 

 moose, as it hurried off in a direction that would 

 soon give the brute my wind. 



When in the woods at night, the ear is often 

 struck by a short metallic note, which on this even- 

 ing I heard with frequency and distinctness. For 

 many a day I was ignorant of the cause of this 



