232 BIG GAME SHOOTING IN ALASKA chap. 



no moose ; and I brought back a contribution for the pot in 

 the shape of one large porcupine, which I was fortunate enough 

 to find in a low tree so that I could knock it down with a stick. 

 During that afternoon I walked almost on top of a small bull 

 moose lying in a patch of stunted spruce-trees. On seeing 

 me he jumped up and stood looking at me as I remained 

 perfectly still. The wind being directly towards me, he was 

 unable to smell danger, and evidently regarded me as some 

 strange animal, since he remained for more than a minute 

 staring at me in the open. Then turning he leisurely walked 

 away, stopping every now and again to look back over his 

 shoulder. This bull had the finest bell I ever saw, and when 

 standing with his head raised, the tag at the end of the 

 bell reached well down to the level of his knees. He 

 carried a small but very graceful head with about 7 points 

 on each antler. 



On October i, as I was prowling about alone in the 

 dense forest, I suddenly heard two bulls fighting in some 

 thick alders quite close at hand. The crash of their horns 

 as they rushed together was terrific, and I could distinctly 

 hear their hard breathing and blowing as I pushed my way 

 towards the spot where they stood. I expected every 

 moment to get a view of them, but unfortunately one bull 

 seemed to be driving the other before him, and they kept 

 moving on in front as I pushed forward. Here and there I 

 came on places where the moss and turf were rooted up and 

 the bush beaten down, but in spite of all my efforts, the 

 moose moved too fast for me to get a sight of them. They 

 were evidently following a cow, as I could hear the soft call 

 of the cow at intervals between the crash of horns. She was 

 evidently moving fast, and had it not been for her presence, I 

 should inevitably have overtaken the bulls, since they certainly 



