380 THE ADIRONDACK. 



meadow. What I had seen, explained one thing that 

 had always been a mystery to me. The full-grown 

 moose I knew could travel where he liked — the rocky 

 ground would not injure his hard hoof nor the fallen 

 timber obstruct his progress ; but where the calves could 

 be reared puzzled me. The deer with their fawns 

 keep along the river-banks and around the soft shores 

 of the ponds and lakes, and are often visible to the 

 hunter. Not so the moose. With her young she keeps 

 in inaccessible places, but it was evident those could 

 not be rough mountain gorges. Now the mystery 

 was solved. This vast soft meadow was one of 

 their chief feeding and breeding-grounds. Here the 

 mother could find food enough without travelling far, 

 and yet be safe from the hunter; for, except in case 

 of a freshet, no boat could easily reach this desolate 

 spot ; and here, too, the young calf found a carpet for 

 its tender hoof softer than the smoothest lawn. 



Our story of the moose-tracks set F wild and he 



determined to get sight of him that night, if possible. 

 So Charlie rigged up a jack, and after dark they started 

 and did not return till midnight. They found the out- 

 let from our description of it, and had entered it but a 

 little way when they actually came upon the moose — but 



