NO LUCK 207 



were not yet frozen over, the timber slide of the adjoining 

 lumber dam was heavily coated with ice, and adorned with long 

 fringes of gigantic icicles. Snow had fallen, slightly thawed 

 and then frozen, making silent walking impossible ; the crust 

 broke underfoot, and the underlying leaves gave a hollow sound 

 to be heard a long way. A heavy fall of snow soon afterwards 

 made the woods exceedingly beautiful in their winter garb, but 

 very bad walking ; insufficient for snow-shoes it yet hid every 

 obstacle, and caused frequent falls, many bruises, and much 

 bad language, while the powdery snow fell in dense showers 

 upon us as we forced our way through the balsam thickets. It 

 was not by any means easy work this search after the coveted 

 moose head. Starting before daybreak always, while the stars 

 yet shone in the deep-blue heavens, and returning only with 

 dusk ; constantly sliding and slipping about, never certain of 

 our foothold, snow falling down our backs and filling our 

 pockets, it was no wonder that we were tired on arrival at our 

 shanty, and glad to rest in the warm glow of the huge 

 log fire. 



Exceeding stillness reigned in these woods, but rarely broken 

 by perhaps a raven's hoarse cry, or a partridge startled by our 

 approach from its shelter under a balsam bush, or the twitter 

 of a family of blue tits eagerly searching for food. Most other 

 birds had long since left for the south. 



Alas, no bull moose could we find; there were a few un- 

 interesting tracks of cow and calf but, as my hunter said, " all 

 too dam small." Moose were beginning to " yard " and no 

 doubt difficult to find, they did not now move about much 

 and were probably hidden in some dense balsam or cedar brake. 

 We, therefore, extended our trips in another direction and 

 eventually found the tracks of a big bull near a very dilapidated 

 shanty several miles distant from our camp. Too late to 

 follow them at once we determined to shift our belongings next 

 day in order to get more within reach of the coveted moose ; 

 but before our intention could be carried out a wagon arrived 

 loaded with camp kit, two American hunters and their men, 

 the whole outfit bound for " the shanty ! " Of course we could 

 say or do nothing, could only growl, and etiquette forbade our 

 going near their ground. All chance of the hoped-for moose- 

 skin gone, my hunters used language sufficient to curl the hair 



