THE NAMES OF THE MOOSE 235 



moonlight. The silvery disc of the orb of night, 

 shining down through the trees, seemed larger and 

 brighter than ever. The stars were gleaming 

 with unaccustomed brilliancy, for nothing can 

 equal the splendor of a night in the northern woods. 

 Everywhere bright lights and dense shadows 

 made the snowy picture seem unreal, and the 

 silence, unbroken silence, added to the impression 

 that it was only a picture, after all. 



The guide soon brought into the cabin a small 

 board taken from a condensed-milk box, and with it 

 a number of pieces of iron of various shapes found 

 in the hut which had served the logging crew as a 

 blacksmith shop. He thrust the ends of the irons 

 into the fire, and while the irons were being brought 

 to a red heat the letters were penciled on the 

 improvised signboard. Soon the smoking wood 

 was receiving, letter by letter, the name which 

 should distinguish the camp. 



While the amateur sign-writer busied himself 

 with his branding irons, the gathered wisdom of city 

 and forest discussed the origin of the moose^s 

 name, and the history of his discovery by the 

 early European explorers. Conflicting views were 

 entertained regarding the origin of the names of 

 the now familiar animals and birds of the North 

 American woods, and from the study suggested 



