THE ELK' IN NORWAY. 139 



'Moose passing through here two hours ago,' (the 

 Indians are very partial to the ' present participle '). 

 ' Here moose lying down,' ' Moose biting this only one 

 half-hour since,' then very softly, ' Put on cap, we close 

 to moose ;' and accordingly in a few minutes (about 

 two hours after we had commenced to follow the tracks) 

 he stopped suddenly and pointed, but without saying a 

 word. A fine bull moose was lying down within thirty 

 yards of us. I was standing a little to the right, 

 and unluckily some thick young spruce prevented my 

 seeing him. H , who was to the left, had a fine 

 chance, but his rifle missed fire, and away went the 

 moose, crashing through the forest without giving 

 me even a second's sight of him. After a pipe of 

 consolation for our ill-luck we got on the track again, 

 and after following him for an hour more came up with 

 him among some burnt wood. I got a shot at about 

 sixty yards and hit him ; he fell, but immediately rose 

 and went off, and we still followed him perseveringly. 

 This time, however, he seemed determined to wear 

 us out, as he kept almost entirely in the burnt forest, so 

 that we had perpetually to climb and scramble over the 

 fallen and half-rotten timber for some two hours. Joe 

 said the moose was evidently hard hit; but as he 

 was leading us away from our camp, and the day 

 was advancing, we judged it better to give him up, 

 and to make the best of our way back. 



