190 
MOOSE DEER. 
the heart and liver, and the marrow-hones, are taken out, and a good 
large piece of the flesh is taken to ‘camp,’ and is speedily well cooked 
and placed smoking hot before the hungry hunters. After killing all 
the Moose of a ‘yard’ or that they can find near their camp, the party 
pack up their material, break up the camp, and return home. 
It not unfrequently happens, that a wounded Moose, or even one that 
has not been wounded, will turn upon the hunter, who then has to run for 
his life, and many instances of such incidents are related, including some 
hair-breadth escapes. One of these I will relate : Two Indians being on a 
hunt and having met with the game, one of them shot, and missed ; the 
Moose turned upon him, and he fled as fast as he could, but when about 
to reach a large tree, from behind which he could defy his opponent, his 
snow shoes hooked in some obstacle and threw him down. The Moose 
set upon him furiously and began trampling on him, but the Indian drew 
out a knife, and succeeded in cutting the sinews of the forelegs of the 
animal, and finally stabbed him so repeatedly in the belly that he fell dead, 
but unluckily fell on the prostrate hunter, who would have been unable' 
to extricate himself, had not his companion come to his assistance. The 
poor man, however, had been so much injured that he never recovered en- 
tirely, and died about two years afterwards. 
During some seasons the snows are so deep, and at times so soft, 
that the Moose cannot go over the snow, but have to make their 
way through it, giving a great advantage to the hunters, who, on 
broad snow-shoes can stand or run on the surface without much 
difiicult}^ On one occasion of this nature a Moose was seen, and 
at once followed. The poor animal was compelled to plough the snow, 
as it were, and the hunters came up to it with ease, and actually placed 
their hands on its back. They then endeavoured to drive it towards their 
camp and secure it alive. The Moose, however, would not go in the proper 
direction, and they finally threw it down, and attempted to fasten its legs 
together; but as they had no ropes, and could not procure any better sub- 
stitute for them than withes, the beast got away, and after a long chase 
they, being very much fatigued, shot it dead. When the snow is thus soft, 
the Moose deer has been known to evade the hunters by pushing ahead 
through tangled thickets, more especially hachnetack and briary places 
which no man can go through for any length of time without extreme labour. 
The Indians, however, will follow the Moose in such cases day and night, 
provided the moon is shining, until the animal is so fatigued that it can 
be overtaken and killed with ease. Instances have been known where as 
many as five have been killed in one day by two Indians. The Moose is 
not unfrequently caught in the following manner : A rope is passed over 
