MY WIFE'S MOOSE. 



i'3 



HEAD OF MOOSE KILLED BY MRS. BEMIS. 



thought he was lost. Up to this time I had 

 not seen him. I stood up in the canoe, in 

 my anxiety to get a shot, and to this day I 

 wonder how Fred kept it from upsetting. 



All was still. A brook emptied into the 

 dead water at this spot, very shallow, with 

 a mud bottom. Slowly the guide paddled 

 up the brook, my wife throwing the light 

 on shore; but we could not see anything of 

 our game. Turning and coming back, clo^e 

 to the shore, Fred lost his paddle and the 

 canoe grounded in the soft mud. Fifteen 

 feet from the bow, the moose suddenly 

 loomed up like a huge spectre, and charged. 



In my dreams I even yet sometimes hear 

 the guide's shrill command: "Fill him ! Fill 

 him!" I can hear my wife's last shot, 

 which broke the animal's leg and brought 

 him down. I can see her throwing out 

 imaginary shells for several minutes after 

 her magazine was empty, the shot that 

 broke his leg being her last. 



Using the moose horn for a paddle, the 

 guide finally succeeded in getting the canoe 

 off and we floated into deep water. After 

 some minutes, all being quiet, Fred, pro- 

 testing meanwhile, took us ashore. With 

 jack in hand, we went carefully over the 

 marsh until we came upon the moose, dead. 

 Only 2 shots hit him; the first through the 

 shoulder, and the last, a fortunate one, 

 broke his leg. 



Rock ledge, on the Indian river, Florida, 

 is a favorite place for Northern sportsmen. 

 Quail and ducks abound; alligators are 

 numerous and there is plenty of other 

 game. 



The best sport, however, is fishing. The 

 favorite in this line is trolling for weakfish 

 or sea trout. A dozen fish in an hour, 

 weighing iy 2 to 2 l / 2 pounds, is an every 

 day affair; though occasionally a trout is 

 taken weighing up to 10 pounds. 



The aim of most anglers is to secure one 

 or more channel bass — for which the place 

 is famous. Stopping at the New Rock 

 Ledge hotel you can always find genial 



companions, who have made a practice of 

 going there, for years past, to indulge in 

 their favorite sport. The channel bass 

 usually run from 15 to 20 pounds; but 

 specimens up to 30 and even 40 pounds 

 have been landed. 



The channel bass shown in the accom- 

 panying photograph weighed, x /z hour after 

 landing, 28 pounds and measured 44 inches. 

 The bait used was dead mullet, the tackle 

 was rod and reel, and nearly one hour was 

 required in which to boat the big fish. Mr. 

 Jos. L. Arguimbau, of Hackensack, N. J., 

 was the fortunate angler. 



J. G. Ackerson. 



