MOOSE-HUNTING IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 25 



The coat of this Moose was almost black. Along the 

 back, however, was a brown tinge, where the coat had begun 

 to fade from exposure to the weather. The Moose, in his 

 best form, is black; but I have never found one over two 

 years old which did not carry some faded tufts of his 

 old coat till his new coat became rusty from wear. 



A hunter, whom I timidly dispute, not because I do not 

 know him to be wrong, but because his records of hunting 

 adventures are widely read, tells of killing Moose with a 

 hand-ax, after running them down in the deep snow. 

 This may have been done in Maine or Canada, but if so, 

 it proves to my mind that the Moose there do not possess 

 the same wild, savage, pugnacious natures as those found 

 in the Rocky Mountains, for surely no sane man would 

 dare to attack one of our vicious mountain Moose, single- 

 handed, with any weapon short of a repeating-rifle, and 

 before doing that he should be sure that he can control his 

 nerves perfectly in the face of danger. In one instance, 

 some men attacked one of our wild bulls without a rifle, 

 but it cost two of them their lives. 



A few years ago, a party of river-men wounded a large 

 Moose near the bank of Clear Water River, in Idaho, and it 

 took to the water. The eager, but unskilled, hunters rushed 

 upon the wounded animal with a bateau. It was a large boat, 

 and was manned by six strong and fearless men. They were 

 either without a gun in the boat, or scorned to use one, 

 but determined to kill the Moose with axes, cant-hooks, 

 and other woodsman's implements. They bore down by 

 the side of the swimming Moose, which was kept in the cur- 

 rent by walls of rocks, and dealt him a blow. This inter- 

 ference made him more desperate, and he turned to light. 

 The men were brave, in a bateau that would stem the rapids 

 of Clear Water River with a cargo of three tons aboard; so 

 they rushed to the battle with shouts of defiance. The 

 Moose struck the boat with his antlers, and raised it 

 clear out of the water, turning it uj)side down so quickly 

 that the men were all frightened and stunned, and two of 

 them were either killed or drowned. Tlie other four were 



