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MOOSE HUNTING. 00 



tlioy were a young bull and a cow, those of tlie latter being 

 raueli longer and more ])ointed. Presently we came to 

 an opening in the forest, where the brook discharged 

 itself into a large circular swamp, densely grown up with 

 alder bushes and swamp maple, with a thick undergrowth 

 of gigantic ferns. Joe whispered, as we stood on the 

 brow of the hill overlooking it, " Maybe they are in there 

 lying down; if not, they are started;" and, putting to 

 his lips the conical bark trumpet which he carried, he 

 gave a short plaintive call — an imitation of a young bull 

 approaching and wishing to join the others. No answer 

 or sound of movement came from the swamp. " Ah, I 

 afraid so," said Joe, as we passed round and examined ;| 



the ground on the other side. " I 'most all the time fear |,''; 



they started ; they smell our fire this morning while Jem |; 



was making the breakfast." Long striding tracks, deeply ' fj 



ploughing up the moss, showed that they had gone oft' in , f!, 



alarm, and at a swinging trot, their course being for the . §];■ 



barrens above. It was useless to follow them, so we went 

 off" to another part of the barrens in search of fresh 

 tracks. The walking in the open was most fatiguing 

 after the luxury of the mossy carpeting of the forest. 

 Slipping constantly on wet smooth rocks, or the slimy 

 surfaces of decayed trees ; for ever climljing over masses 

 of prostrate trunks, and forcing our way through tangled 

 brakes, and plunging into the oozing moss on newly- 

 inundated swamps, we spent a long morning without 

 seeing moose, though our spirits were prevented from 

 flagging by constantly following fresh tracks. The moose 

 were exceedingly "yary," as Joe termed it, and we started 

 two or three pairs without either hearing or seeing them, 

 until the same exclamation of disappointment from the 



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