210 
FRANK FORESTER’S FIELD SPORTS. 
rienced. The novelty of the scene, the deep roar of the bull 
echoing from hill to hill, the death-like quiet, and then the tre¬ 
mendous rush of the powerful creature, as he caught the sound 
of the Indian’s call, wrought me up to a pitch of curiosity which 
was almost past bearing, and more than once did Howard pull 
me down, as I attempted to peer over our palisade. I was soon 
happily relieved by the bull Moose bursting forth into the open 
space before us. He gazed round, and throwing back his heavy 
antlered head, sent forth a roar that made me clutch my rifle 
with redoubled vigor. Echo after echo answered the cry, until 
it died away in a faint and distant whisper; then, to my sur¬ 
prise, another roar—which appeared quite near us—burst upon 
our ears. I looked at the bull before us—for a moment he 
stood, his head bent in an attitude of great attention ; but as 
soon as the bellowing was renewed, he uttered a shrill cry, and 
dashed the dry leaves and dust over his back, and almost in¬ 
stantly another bull rushed into the open. Adella’s call had been 
most lucky in luring two rivals for this shadow of a mate. I 
might moralize upon this—many a poor devil has been cheated 
with a worse imitation—but such is not my province. It was a 
noble sight to look upon these two majestic creatures, in the 
gray and silvery moonlight, surveying each other like two forest 
champions, measuring each other’s power. They stood near 
seventeen hands, and their many-tined antlers spread at least six 
feet in the span. Not long did they dally—a few preliminary 
shakes, as many scrapings of the dirt, and they dashed forward 
with a force and energy that would have surprised the oldest 
Spanish bull-fighter. I now pitched my rifle to my shoulder, 
having recovered from the surprise, but Adella held my arm, 
and signing me to be quiet, seized one of the small branches of 
our ambush, and throwing himself on the ground, commenced 
worming himself up to the Moose, who appeared pretty equally 
matched. Howard and myself, with our rifles firmly grasped, 
watched with much anxiety the motions of the Indian, and more 
than once I was inclined to risk a shot at the struggling ani¬ 
mals. At length Adella, having got within reach of his prey, 
