Moose -Hunting in Canada. 191 



to describe the method by giving a slight sketch of the death of a 

 moose in New Brunswick woods last year. 



It was early in October. We had pitched our tents — for at that 

 season of the year the hunter dwells in tents — upon a beautiful 

 hard-wood ridge, bright with the painted foliage of birch and maple. 

 The weather had been bad for calling, and no one had gone out, 

 though we knew there were moose in the neighborhood. We 

 had cut a great store of firewood, gathered bushels of cranberries, 

 dug a well in the swamp close by, and attended to the thousand and 

 one little comforts that experience teaches one to provide in the 

 woods, and had absolutely nothing to do. The day was intensely 

 hot and sultry, and if any one had approached the camp about noon 

 he would have deemed it deserted. All hands had hung their blankets 

 over the tents, by way of protection from the sun, and had gone to 

 sleep. About one o'clock I awoke, and sauntered out of the tent 

 to stretch my limbs and take a look at the sky. I was particularly 

 anxious about the weather, for I was tired of idleness, and had de- 

 termined to go out if the evening offered a tolerably fair promise of 

 a fine night. To get a better view of the heavens, I climbed to my 

 accustomed look-out in a comfortable fork near the summit of a 

 neighboring pine, and noted with disgust certain little black shreds 

 of cloud rising slowly above the horizon. To aid my indecision I 

 consulted my dear old friend, John Williams, the Indian, who, after 

 the manner of his kind, stoutly refused to give any definite opinion 

 on the subject. All that I could get out of him was, " Well, dunno ; 

 mebbe fine, mebbe wind get up ; guess pretty calm, perhaps, in 

 morning. Suppose we go and try, or, p'r'aps, mebbe wait till to- 

 morrow." Finally I decided to go out ; for although, if there is the 

 slightest wind, it is impossible to call, yet any wise and prudent man, 

 unless there are unmistakable signs of a storm brewing, will take the 

 chance : for the calling season is short and soon over. 



I have said that an absolutely calm night is required for calling, 

 and for this reason : the moose is so wary, that, in coming up to the 

 call, he will invariably make a circle down wind in order to get scent 

 of the animal which is calling him. Therefore, if there is a breath 

 of wind astir, the moose will get scent of the man before the man has 

 a chance of seeing the moose. A calm night is the first thing neces- 

 sary. Secondly, you must have a moonlight night. No moose will 



