HER FIRST MOOSE 



By MRS. JOHN F. VAN SAUN 



O words can better 

 express a love for 

 nature than Byron's 

 when he sang: 



"There is a pleasure in the 



pathless woods, 

 There is a rapture on the 



lonely shore, 

 There is society where none 



intrudes, 

 By the deep sea, and music 



in its roar, 

 I love not man the less, 



but na f *ii"^ more." 



Many people be- 

 lieve the serious 

 side of life should 

 be brightened by the thrilling, whole- 

 some outdoor sports. The sound of the 

 rifle, the voices of the woods and the 

 purling of the water from the bow of 

 the canoe, are all music to the ear. 



The picturesque woods and winding 

 waterways of Northern Maine are 

 among nature's richest treasures, and 

 one trip into that country will give 

 more health, strength and memorable 

 joy than a lazy, expensive and seasick 

 voyage to Europe, or three months' 

 dawdle at a fashionable watering place. 

 The invigorating air quickens the 

 blood, readjusts the nerves and in- 

 creases the appetite. The far distant 

 mountains standing out against the gor- 

 geous colorings of the sky, the tall, 

 silent evergreens, the mirror lakes, the 

 rushing brooks ; are not all these ex- 

 pressions of God's love? 



We (Jack, my husband, and Mc- 

 Ginty., the guide), started out one of 

 those bright, glorious October morn- 

 ings, when to breathe the air fills one 



with divine inspiration, and every 

 touch of the wind against one's face is 

 a caress ; you at once have a sense of 

 companionship, for it is a day that 

 loves you. 



Our start was from "The Inn," not 

 far from the railroad station, which 

 was nearest our chosen hunting 

 grounds. Here we changed our trav- 

 eling clothes for hunting garb, and all 

 signs of civilization were left behind. 

 The men were in the usual hunting suits 

 while I wore a common-sense outfit, 

 extremely comfortable and unconven- 

 tional consisting of woollen knicker- 

 bockers (wool being the most desir- 

 able for all kinds of weather in camp), 

 no skirts to hang one's self, bright red 

 flannel blouse, a color not mistakable 

 for the fawn, soft hat, red bandanna 

 handkerchief, heavy woollen stockings, 

 moccasins and an eelskin topcoat. For 

 rainy weather and canoeing I carried a 

 pair of hip rubber boots. My rifle was 

 a .30-. 30 Winchester. 



A buckboard was our means of 

 transportation from The Inn to the 

 "Flats" (a distance of ten miles), 

 where saddle horses were in waiting. 

 The "Flats" derives its names from its 

 abearance, being a level tract of 

 cleared land. On this tract are a num- 

 ber of cabins where the many hunters 

 going in and out of the woods can 

 spend the night ; it is a general meeting 

 place for the various guides and sports 

 coming out of the woods. One party 

 meeting another going in. 



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