KTAADN. 
57 
anciently bounded the earth in that direction. Setting 
the compass for a northeast course, which was the bear¬ 
ing of the southern base of the highest peak, we were 
soon buried in the woods. 
We soon began to meet with traces of bears and 
moose, and those of rabbits were everywhere visible. 
The tracks of moose, more or less recent, to speak liter¬ 
ally, covered every square rod on the sides of the moun¬ 
tain ; and these animals are probably more numerous 
there now than ever before, being driven into this wilder- 
\ 
ness, from all sides, by the settlements. The track of a 
full-grown moose is like that of a cow, or larger, and of 
the young, like that of a calf. Sometimes we found our¬ 
selves travelling in faint paths, which they had made, 
like cow-paths in the woods, only far more indistinct, 
being rather openings, affording imperfect vistas through 
the dense underwood, than trodden paths; and every¬ 
where the twigs had been browsed by them, dipt as 
smoothly as if by a knife. The bark of trees was stript 
up by them to the height of eight or nine feet, in long, 
narrow strips, an inch wide, still showing the distinct 
marks of their teeth. We expected nothing less than to 
meet a herd of them every moment, and our Nimrod 
held his shooting-iron in readiness; but we did not go 
out of our way to look for them, and, though numerous, 
they are so wary that the unskilful hunter might range 
the forest a long time before he could get sight of one. 
They are sometimes dangerous to encounter, and will 
not turn out for the hunter, but furiously rush upon him 
and trample him to death, unless he is lucky enough to 
avoid them by dodging round a tree. The largest are 
nearly as large as a horse, and weigh sometimes one thou¬ 
sand pounds ; and it is said that they can step over a five- 
3 * 
