Nov. 4, 1898.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



888 



The smoke had not cleared from the muzzle of my 

 piece before Crawford was past me like aflash, and clearing 

 with one bound a ditch of soft black muck some 8 or 10ft. 

 in width, fired two shots from my revolver through the 

 bushes in the direction of the retreating moose. Crawford 

 is a fine specimen of an athlete, and his splendid jump 

 across the ditch must have aroused 

 within me a spirit of emulation. 

 However this may be, it is a fact 

 that while he cleared it at a 

 single bound, my attempt was a 

 most miserable failure. At a 

 single bound I landed plump in 

 the middle of it. I may be 

 wrong, but from the way I 

 settled down in that muck I 

 shall always believe it to be the 

 veritable channel leading to the 

 "bottomless pit." I think I 

 should still be settling in that 

 slimy ooze had not a frienly tree 

 trunk, which had fallen long 

 years ago into the inky channel, 

 offered me a little temporary 

 assistance, and over it I was 

 fortunate enough to hook my 

 right arm, in the hand of which 

 I still held my smoking rifle. 



Crawford heard the splash and 

 turned to see what had happened. 

 I am of the opinion that the 

 spectacle I presented struck him 

 as unsportsmanlike and undig- 

 nified, but to his credit be it said 

 he displayed no emotion of any 

 kind. He reached for my rifle, 

 and with the simple remark, 

 "Let me give him one or two 

 with this," quickly fired two shots 

 through the alders at what I think 

 we both feared was an escaping 

 moose. Then to lend me the grip 

 of his brawny hand was the work 

 of an instant, and the next mo- 

 ment I was once again on my 

 good pair of legs with compara- 

 tively dry land under my feet. I 

 say "comparatively dry land," but 

 the comparison refers only to the 

 ditch, for we had now advanced 

 toward the edge of the bog and 

 were in mire almost knee deep; 

 but with whole pocketsful of the 

 contents of the ditch, I was in no 

 mood to be critical or particular 

 about the spotlessness of my 

 clothing, and with all possible 

 speed we pushed and splashed 

 our way through the alders that 

 grew thickly along the edge of 

 the bog. 



Crawford was the first to 

 emerge on the other side and 

 after a single glance he turned 

 to me with the glad shout, "He's 

 down!" Sure enough, there he 

 lay in the grass a hundred yards 

 from where we stood. We ad- 

 vanced somewhat cautiously, for 

 as he had run some two or three 

 hundred yards after being shot 

 we were not certain that he 

 might not again take to his feet. 

 Crawford advised a bullet through 

 his heart from the revolver or 

 rifle to make sure, but I had by 

 this time approached his head 

 and looking into his eye saw he 

 was dead. Yes, dead; and as I 

 looked at the noble fellow 



stretched there upon the grass, helpless now, but a moment 

 ago so full of life, so magnificent in his strength. I confess 

 to a momentary feeling of regret. How handsome he was. 

 how mighty in appearance even in death. He had never 

 harmed me, not even in the remotest degree, and yet I 



had slain him in cold blood. Tricked him, too, and now 

 he lay lifeless at my feet. Yon will call it weakness, per- 

 haps, but I here confess that as I stood there in the 

 fading day, looking upon that noble form, my triumph 

 over this poor brute was not without a shadow of pain. 

 Examination proved that my first shot had been fatal. 



"SA.W HE WAS DEAD." 



The ball penetrated his right side, just back of the' fore- 

 shoulder, passing clean through his body but missing his 

 heart and lodging under his skin upon the other side, 

 where I found it when we were skinning him the next 

 morning. I have it in my pocket at this moment, and, 

 battered as it is out of all semblance to its former shape, 

 it is, to me, quite "a thing of beauty." 



Crawford suggested taking the antlers and head with us 

 to camp, but to this I could not consent, for, as I ex- 

 plained to him, for the amateur photographer here was a 

 subject of a lifetime, and I must "spoil some glass" on 

 this fellow in the morning, just as he lay, and in truth I 

 must say he was a worthy subject. His antlers, which 

 are the best balanced set I have ever seen, measure 3ft. 

 TJin. in spread, with 10 prongs on one and 13 on the 

 other. Crawford said he was a seven year old animal, 

 which is a full grown moose, and though thin in flesh, as 

 is usual during the rutting season, we eptimated his 

 weight as fully 1.200lbs., an estimate I should say rather 

 under than over the true figure. He stood full 7ft. high 

 at the shoulders by actual measurement. 



Next morning after an unusually early breakfast we 

 started out to photograph and "dress" my moose. We 

 were accompanied by Walt and his guide, and several 

 good pictm-es were secured, a few of which are inclosed 

 for your inspection, and for the better illustration of the 

 events, describe should you wish to use them. It is to 

 Walt I am chiefly indebted for the photographs; for while 

 we both carry our cameras upon all of our hunting trips, 

 on this particular occasion I had left mine many miles 

 below (we having come up to Line Lake "light"), anrl 

 not to have photographed '"my fii-st moose" would have 

 been a calamity second only to missing my shot. These 

 same pictures I fear, however, have cost my friend 

 Walt another moose. LTpon the night of the happenings 

 above narrated it ■will be remembered that Walt and Sey- 

 mour were oft" in another direction moose-calling, as were 

 Crawford and myself. I was fortunate enough to secure 

 my moose while there was yet daylight sufficient for ac- 

 curate marksmanship. Not so, however, with Walt. He 

 called a moose the same evening, but not until near 9 

 o'clock, and the darkness was such that accuracy of aim 

 was impossible. The result was a wounded animal whicl i 

 they followed as far as possible in the darkness, but pur- 

 suit of which was finally abandoned for that night. 



A return to camp followed, the intention being to re- 

 new the pursuit at daylightj the^f ollowing morning, i A 



natural desire, however, to see the moose I had killed, 

 together with my earnest request for his assistance in 

 photographing, caused Walt to first visit the scene of my 

 conquest, resulting of course in great delay to the re- 

 sumption of his hunt for his wounded animal, and it was 

 nearly 10 o'clock when he and Seymour arrived at the 

 spot where they had abandoned 

 the trail the evening previous. 

 Signs showed that Walt's shot had~ 

 broken, or at least injured, th 

 animal s right foreleg. This was 

 indicated by the absence of that 

 particular footprint. The trail 

 also showed considerable blood 

 upon the bushes on that side and 

 four separate and distinct pools of 

 the red fluid told where the 

 moose had lain down as many 

 times during the night. Walt's 

 theory is that the animal did 

 not move from where he last 

 laid down until daybreak, 

 which is probably correct, and 

 that if they could have been 

 there at that time, the chance 

 seemed favorable that they 

 could have readily bagged their 

 game. In this theory I am 

 certainly •inclined to share. At 

 all events I shall always feel 

 regret that circumstances were 

 as they were, and shall believe 

 that I might have closed this 

 sketch with a record of two 

 moose for the trip instead of one, 

 for although we had one or two 

 suitable evenings for calling after- 

 ward they were without result. 



Two black bear were shot by 

 Walt a day or two later, and I 

 had the pleasure (?) of seeing one 

 at a very long distance, but as I 

 was moose calling at the time, con- 

 sidered it unwise to pursue him. 



It took Crawford and me a 

 whole day to properly prepare 

 my moose head for shipment to 

 a taxidei-mist in the city, where 

 I am having it mounted, and a 

 large part of the work I did with 

 my own hands, for when one 

 secures a head such as the one of 

 which I write, it becomes very 

 precious to the owner. Upon om- 

 long journey back to Hurdman's 

 I found there was a sentiment 

 attached to those horns which 

 would hardly permit of their 

 being touched by "profane 

 hands," and certain it is that I 

 lugged them on my own shoul- 

 ders every inch of the way out. 

 Thus does sentiment ever attach 

 itself to trophies of the chase, 

 for who that has ever tasted the 

 delights of the hunt has not some 

 trophy in his possession upon 

 which his eyes love to linger as 

 he recalls days of freedom from 

 care spent in the pursuit of game? 

 Thoughts such as these I suggest 

 will, I am sure, often occur to 

 I me when I look upon the proud 



! head of the subject of this narra- 



— — i tive, and, imperfectly as I have 



related them, the mere recall of 

 the incidents connected with this 

 trophy has been to me a renewed 

 pleasure, and I will only add that 

 the primal object sought has been 

 attained if, by that recall, I have satisfactorily answered 

 your question of how I got "my first moose." L. C. I. 

 New York, Oct. :2. 



"I JvUeOBD THEM ON MX OWN SHOUUJfiRg." 



