Hunting the Giant Moose 



we made camp. The scrubby woods were very 

 thick, and extended up the sides of the mountains 

 for some distance; then came a broad belt of thick 

 alders, and beyond that the high open tablelands, 

 which rolled back to the base of the sheep hills. In 

 all directions deep game trails, traveled by the 

 moose for many years, wound through the forest. 



In the afternoon my man and I took our first 

 hunt. Fresh tracks were seen in the much-used 

 runways, which were often worn two feet deep by 

 constant travel. Late in the afternoon I saw 

 five sheep feeding on some low hills at no great 

 distance, and as there were no lambs among the 

 lot, we supposed that this was a band of rams, but 

 we had not time to reach them before dark. 



We were just about to return to camp when 

 Hunter saw glistening in the sun among the thick 

 alders, just above the timber line, the massive 

 antlers of a moose. There was no time to be lost 

 if we meant to come up with him, and so my man 

 and I raced the entire way through the woods, and 

 then up the steep ascent, but failed to reach him. 



When I started on this hunt I had a thorough 

 understanding with Hunter and my native that no 

 one was to carry a rifle but myself, for I was deter- 

 mined not to allow my natives to molest the game. 

 Indians do not like to wander through the forests 



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