THE GIANT MOOSE 247 



sign had been made since the last snowfall, and the 

 moose were still in hiding. The rain and snow con- 

 tinued, but the air grew dryer later in the day as we 

 made ready to pack our stuff down to the cabin at the 

 lake. My old trousers which had served well for three 

 weeks were now worn out and I had been wet below the 

 hips all day long. 



All our remaining food except a httle sheep and bear 

 meat we left in the cabin with a notice written on a 

 smooth stick, '^Help yourself," and blocked up the 

 doorway with the logs which had been cut to fit it. In a 

 hard snow storm we started across the mountains to the 

 lake and with frequent halts for rest tramped our way 

 through snow, which was three or four feet deep in 

 drifts, to the summit of Bear Pass. The wind whistled 

 through the draw in the mountains with greater force 

 here and almost blew us down the steep hill on the lake 

 side of the pass. Nevertheless Bill managed to shoot a 

 ptarmigan with the .22 rifle before we went over the 

 ridge, and when we reached the timber below added a 

 grouse to the supper. Alex forged ahead and reached 

 camp a half hour before the other men. Fritz, wearing 

 shoe pacs, took many a tumble on the shppery hillside, 

 but we did the eight miles in time to get a good midday 

 lunch at the lake and to weigh the packs which the men 

 had carried. Fritz had ninety-five, Alex ninety. Bill 

 seventy and I sixty pounds. 



We resalted all the skins and I then read through a 

 catalog of sporting goods, the only reading I had done in 

 the month. 



We had been gone just twenty-five days and we now 

 took stock of all our provisions to see exactly what we 

 had consumed. 



