THE MOOSE. 253 



eyes snapping with rage. It happened that 

 just there tlie snow became shallow, and the 

 moose gained so rapidly that the man, to 

 save his life, sprang up a tree. As he did so 

 the cow reared and struck at him, one fore- 

 foot catching in his snow-shoe and tearing it 

 clear off, giving his ankle a bad wrench. 

 After watching him a minute or two she 

 turned and continued her flight ; whereupon 

 he climbed down the tree, patched up his 

 torn snow-shoe and limped after the moose, 

 which he finally killed. 



An old hunter named Purvis told me of an 

 adventure of the kind, which terminated 

 fatally. He was hunting near the Coeur 

 d'Alene Mountains with a mining prospector 

 named Pingree ; both were originally from 

 New Hampshire. Late in November there 

 came a heavy fall of snow, deep enough to 

 soon bring a deer to a standstill, although not 

 so deep as to hamper a moose's movement. 

 The men bound on their skees and started to 

 the borders of a lake, to kill some blacktail. 

 In a thicket close to the lake's brink they 

 suddenly came across a bull moose ; a lean 

 old fellow, still savage from the rut. Pingree, 

 who was nearest, fired at and wounded him ; 

 whereupon he rushed straight at the man, 

 knocked him down before he could turn round 

 on his skees, and began to pound him with 

 his terrible forefct't. Summoned by his com- 

 rade's despairing cries, Purvis rushed round 

 the tliick(?ts, and shot the squealing, trampling 

 monster throuuh the bodv, and immediatelv 

 after hnd to swiiii^ hiui^rll up a small tree to 

 avoid its furious rush. The moose did not 



