St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-02-28

had come to Mil brook hollow, Wnere
there is deep ravine on one side OF
the road, and a high bank covered
with thick hemlock trees on the other.
Just at the narrOwest portion of this
pass, where the road turns round the
base of projecting ledge, they met an
enormous moose, coming at full trot
along the road from the other way
Luke had his horse at IA round trot,
and the moose was within twenty yards
of the horses head when Luke first
saw him.
1t was scare on both Sides The
horse, badly frightened, leaped out of
the track on the upper side, eapsizing
the pung and tumbling both Luke and
'Niry into the snow; while the old
moose, with a tremendous snort, went
out of the road on the other side at a
single bound, and disappeared in the
ravine below.
Luke crawled out, got his horse by
the bits and quieted him. Then he
pulled 'Viry out and righted the pung.
Neither of them were injured in the
least; the snow was soft, and 'NiFy
was well covered in wraps. She
laughed, and said she thought it was
Mr.. Beckwith coming.
But Luke. with a hunters instinct,
wanting to see where the moose had
gone, gave 'Niry the reins to hold
while he got on the log railing, on the
lower side of the rOad-Over which the
moose had iumped-to look for him.
Glancing down through the bushes
into the gorge beneath, he saw at first
only the deep trail where the animal
h.,A MI ha lrif tnnn-
dered downward. Then he saw some
down. 1t was the antlers of the
moose just his horns - protruding
from the soft deep drift. The creature
had literally buried itself over its back.
1t tlOundered on, but only went deeper.
The drift there was fifteen or twenty
feet in depth-all light, soft snow.
"'Niryr' - cried Luke, in great eX-
citement, ''here's that moose, stuck
like fly in cup of molasses! +! If |
can only kill him, he's wuth $50 To u.s."
And seizing the snOwshOvel which he
had put in the pung, Luke, with that
weapon alone, started after the animal.
"Hold on to Jack now !" he called to
'Viry.
'Viry on her part was desirous to
have the moose secured, but she felt
some alarm. "Oh, do be careful ~ she
pleaded. Don't let him hurt you,
Luke!n
Luke, eager and determined, wal
lowed down into the ravine. He at
tempted to approach the animal on
one side. But the moose, hearing him,
plunged frantically through the snow,
and in IA moment Luke slumped shOul-
der deep in the soft drift and the moose
was completely buried.
At length the young man approached
within striking distance, and struck
the animal with his clumsy weapon.
The blow had no serious effect on the
creatures thick neck; but served to
make it rear up, aud its hind hoofs
catching on log or rock, the animal
rose almost out of the drift, gnashing
its teeth, and with outstretched fore
hoofs. came furiouslv down upon its
rash aSSailant.
In an instant Luke was beaten into
the snow, which, luckily for him, was
soft and yielding. For some moments
| he struggled to rise, or crawl out from
under the brute. But the moose, feel
| ing him move, and seeming to realize
| that it had the advantage, kept tread
ing upon him, gnashing its teeth and
snorting, apparently determined to
keep him down. Luke's condition was
now a serious one. He was jammed
down into the snow three or four feet.
though thus far the moose had not
bruised him much. But he knew the
animal might kill him, if once i'll could
fairly bring its fore hoofs to bear on
his body.
And there was 'Niry up in the road
i If he called to her, she could do moth
ing in such drift. He dreaded tC
frighten her. 1t was IA ''bad fix" a.
Luke expressed it, and how to get out
of it was more than he, in his crampet
and snowy condition, could conceive.
Meantime 'Viry, sitting ill the puns
and holding the horse, was full o
anxiety. From where she sat, sh'
could not see the struggle that wa!
going on below; but she heard thu
moose snOrting, and at length, hearln!
nothing of Luke, she got out of th'
pung, and, holding fast to the reins
waded through the snow to the 10!
l railing and looked over.
| Fifty or sixty feet down the steel
. bank she saw the moose in the drift
but could not see her lover. Thor
/ oughly frightened, she now called out
"Lnke. o Luke! Where are you
Has he killed you ?"
! To this appeal Luke, from deep II
: the snow under the moose, replied ii
. mulfied tones:
"NO, Niry; no-nOt yet"
h Immediately the moose, hearing hi
y voice under it, plunged abont, snOrtin
furiously again, and tramplng hir
down.
4 Imagine the horror of poor 'Niry
+ Again she cried out IN trembling tones
: go Luke Luke Has he killed yOuT
q And again Luke, from deep in tn
IS snow, replied, "No, no, 'Niry -nC
IF yet ~
If Again the moose, hearing his voic'
J. stamped and trod upon the poor tello
d furiOusly.
Ii All this, though amusing, perhap
to the reader, was serious tragedy
= poor 'Viry. Several times she repeate
a her terror inspired inquiry; and the
a made desperate at the sight of h'
= lovers peril, she hitched the horse
~ the log railing and went down Il
steep bank, through snow waist dee
Iv to attack the moose.
ii Weapon she had none, not so muC
a as stick, but she had plan of a
proach and attack nevertheless-ar
n not bad one.
L She took the buffalO-skin and one
Is the large blankets from the pun
n First she threw one of these on t
no soft snow in front of her, then ere
he forward upon it. This partially su
I'M tanned her weight. Then she spre
lis the other one ahead-and so work
her way down into the ravine.
.lv ''I'm coming, Luke" !" she called
mn him.