584 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
There is an amusing story told of Old Sturge’s first inter- 
view with a moose, which is worth giving before we dismiss 
him. It was soon after he came to the country from ‘down 
east,’ and when he was somewhat green upon the subject of 
‘wild varmints’ in general. 
Some one had shown him how to set his traps at Louis 
Lake, and one morning when he went to visit them, rifle in 
hand, he saw a huge black beast lying in the place of one 
of his traps. He said he thought it was the Old Harry 
himself, with a bundle of pitchforks, and iron-wooden shovels 
on his head—but though mortally frightened, and very much 
disposed to run back home, he concluded finally, that to save 
his manhood he must take a shot at it ally how. It had not 
seen him, and he was quite close, so he blazed away. Whether 
he shut his eyes or not, he does not know, but the creature 
paid no attention to him, and did not even turn its head. 
Finding himself alive after this desperate venture, he took 
courage, hid behind a tree, and loaded again. He fired 
again with the same result. He began now to think that 
it surely bore a charmed life, and said that when he 
looked along the barrel at it, it grew as large as a meeting 
house, and that when in spite of his fear he aimed right at 
the middle of this great pile, the ball would go clear through, 
and it would close up again. He says he got madder and 
madder, and worse and worse scared every time he shot, 
until he supposed he had been at it an hour or two, when, as 
his last load was fired, the great black beast got up and gave 
one tremendous bound. He heard his steel trap fall clashing 
back against the stones, and it was gone. 
After he had sufficiently recovered from his trepidation, 
he went up to the trap, and found there, between its saw-like 
teeth, the veritable ‘split hoof,’ for which the old gentleman 
he took it for is so famous! He swears to this day that 
there was a strong smell of sulphur in the woods, which 
remained for weeks afterwards. 
