34 A SPORTING PARADISE 



" Soon after starting up this valley we entered 

 a beaver-meadow of considerable size. It was 

 covered with bush and rank grass, and the stream 

 wound through it rather sluggishly in long curves, 

 which were fringed by a thick growth of dwarfed 

 willows. In one or two places it broadened into 

 small ponds, bearing a few lily-pods. This 

 meadow had been all trampled up by moose. 

 Trails led hither and thither through the grass, 

 the willow-twigs were cropped off, and the muddy 

 banks of the little black ponds were indented 

 by hoof-marks. Evidently most of the lilies had 

 been plucked. The footprints were unmistakable ; 

 a moose's foot is longer and slimmer than a 

 caribou's, while, on the other hand, it is much 

 larger than an elk's, and more oval in shape. 



" Most of the sign was old, this high Alpine 

 meadow, surrounded by snow mountains, having 

 clearly been a favourite resort for moose in the 

 summer ; but some enormous fresh tracks told 

 that one or more old bulls were still frequenting 

 the place. 



" The light was already fading, and, of course, 

 we did not wish to camp where we were, because 

 we would then certainly scare the moose. 

 Accordingly we pushed up the valley for another 



