Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-01-29

way softly, followed at some distance by
Lsrks and myself.
We had gained the summit of high
ridge, and were now descending into the
valley beyond. The shrubs along the
trail had nearly all been cropped,-all
save the spruce; moose never touch
spruce boughs. We followed this trail
( for half a mile. perhaps, when Lewey, who
WAS considerably in advance stopped,-we
saw him making signs and whispering to
Ben, and stole gently up to them. Right
in front were the fresh tracks of moose
huge footprints stamped deep into the
snow.
st, boys whispered Ben Were
close upon 'em! Stay here; don't STIR
Lewey and he worked slowly forward
drawing their heavy snow-shoes carefully
after them. Watching breathlessly, we
saw Lewey pause and cautiously raise the
hammer of his rifle 1t clicked family
despite his care. Instantly there was
heard Il hoarse snort, accompanied by a
great crashing among the brush.
There they gor' shouted Ben. Lewey
had sprung forward like Il cat,-too late to
get a shot, however. The moose were
gone. We could hear them tearing along
down the valley, and on coming to the
i
it empty.
No help for it now, muttered Ben
gazing Il little grimly at the gnawed
saplings along the now deserted paths
Nothing to do but chase them down
/ Think you can stand three days tramp,
/ Larks?''
/ Very long hunt" remarked Lewey
But Larks had great faith in his legs
+ sim tE., f,,.t tl.,- 10
of the yard showed us where the moose
had left it; and tightening our straps, we
shouldered our guns and started in pursuit
Don't you ever use hounds to hunt
them with?' Larks inquired.
Not often replied Ben. Some do,
bat we don't. We have better luck with
out dogs than with them A moose isn't
like fox A fox will run round and
round from hill to hill; but moose keeps
straight ahead We've found that our
best way is to keep steady after them till
they get tired enough to let us get up with
in shooting distance.
Lewey then told us that he once followed
one fortnight before getting near enough
to shoot him. But when there is crust
upon five feet of snow. the moose, going
through to the ground at every plunge
can't hold out over twenty-fOur hours il
followed rapidly.
All this time we were going forward as
fast rs we could walk. For the first six OF
eight miles the moose seemed to have run
at full speed, scattering the snow and
clearing the brush with prodigious bounds
In some places they had thrown out with
their hoots the old dried leaves, deep buried
since autumn.
About three o'clock in the afternoon we
crossed the former path of Il tornado. which
in its terrific course through the forest hao
torn down nearly all the trees along a
defined belt,-only few rods in width
but stretching away east and west rs fal
as we could see The PROSTATE trunks lay
piled across each other in the widest con-
fusion. Over these the moose had bounded
in Il manner almost Incredible; running
without the least apparent regard for the
: snow-buried logs, and making a bee-lint
across the windfalls. One leap especially
astonished us Three large bass-wood<
had fallen in Il rick. the topmost lying fully
seven feet above the surface of the snow
which lay from four to five feet all about
them. This formidable abattis one of the
/, moose had cleared at Il jump, landing
among the logs nearly a rod beyond.
The short February afternoon rapidly
waned. 4 "snow-bank had risen in til,
, southwest.
Another snow-storm by tomorrow,
said Ben.
1t was growing dusk. Presently the for
est lightened ahead. and in Il few minute;
we came ont on a broad white eXpansC
stretching away to the northward
Lake Cauquomgomac," remarked
) Lewey Then, looking through his hands
} " Yonder they GO
Straining our eyes in the deepening twi
light, we could Just make out some dark
objects far out on the lake, one-two-
!, three, YES. three of them. They were
three or four miles from the shore. and
making directly towards small island
situated near the upper end of the lake
When chased, moose will frequently run
off to IN island, or high hill. which com.
mands a good outlook of the country
around.
They'll haul up at that island tc
Breathe said Ben. Spend the night
there. like enough. If they don It catch sight
of rs on the lake"
dark?' 1 hazarded.
Not without first getting their consent,
said Ben. laughing. Then. turning to
Lewev, What to be done?
Two of Us stay hcre-two Of Us 90
round lake-abovc island, replied Lewcv
- Head off moose"
And so scare them from the island and
then shoot ut them from an ambush. "
questioned Ben. Lewey nodded.
g" Not tonight, I hope" said LarkS, upon
whom our long DAYS tramp was begin
ming to tell.
Ben turned to look 1T him. : No. not
tonight, | guess, = said he at length. Then
to Lewey. I" Wen camp here, | reckon. =
with nod of his head toward Larks and
myself Lewev assented. merely mutter-
inc. :. No fire: not make fire on shore
90 back.
Back we accordingly went to Il little IA
vine in the woods. Il number of rods from
the lake. By this time it had grown very
dark; but collecting brush as best we
could, and breaking off slivers and bark
from an old hemlock trunk, we soon had 4
cracking blaze.
A hunters knapsack is not quite 50 orna-
mental as n soldiers but handler. think.
: 1t consists of large, deep pocket in OF
rather on the back of his hunting frock
, In these we had packed away two DAYS
} rations of beef and corncake, and now we
proceeded after taking off our snow-shoe.
and loosening our belts, to make thor
! ough dinner, moistening the same with
snow-water melted in the palms of oul
hands.
This over with, we broke off great arm.
fuls of fir boughs, and spreading them or
: the snow. lay down with our feet to the
) tire-to sleep. How the fiickering blaz,
lighted up that savage little glen, with it.
dark, wild trees, as we lay there looking
up, with cold noses and colder fingers
while from the lake came those fearful
sounds,-said to precede storm,-th.
f moaning and roaring of the ice; phe
nomenon common enough to frozen wa
ters, yet always startling, and especially
so by night.
In spite of these sounds, we fell asleep
7 to shiver through a frigid delirium O
, chilly dreams and visions of giganti,
2 moose. 4 pull at my coat-sleeve rouset
r