Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-04-05
A REMARKABLE RIDE.
Uncle Andrew HutohIns' Adventure with
Maine Moose. .. ~.

uncle AndroW HutohIn0' Adventure with
Maine Moose.
"You want a story, do you, boys?
Well, I'll tell you of ride 1 had once
on moose's back" The speaker was
Andrew Hutchins, of Gardiner, Me-,
and, taking q comfortable seat by the
fire, he commenced his yarn. cit was
while 1 was in the northern part of
Maine, on a hunting trip with a party
of men from Boston. They had had
good luck with small game, but they
wanted q moose. told tn en- that l
would show them one before long, and
did. One or two days after they began
asking me where the moose was, and
kinder got mo riled. 1 took my gun,
and told them that I'd get moose pref
ty quick if they wouldn't come racing
around like pack of steers. Of went,
and had gone about a mile when 1 heard
noise as if the devil had got loose. I
got up a tree as soon as possible, and
had just got fairly seated when two of
the finest moose / ever set eyes on came
right under the tree. Here was luck,
and took aim at the largest and pulled
the trigger"
Andrew at this point looked rather
sheepish, as if he didn't want to pro-
ceed, but, after considerable urging, the
Gardiner News says, he again contin-
ued. -. -
"The. truth of it was, boys, in my
hurry from the camp 1 forgot to bring
my cartridges, and didn't even have one
in my gun. Well, knocked my head
against a limb and tried to think how I
was going to get one of those moose,
who all this time were cycling each
other like cats and dogs. All of
sudden they started for each
other and came ker plunk to-
gether, then they backed off again and
tried it over. They kept at this for
quite time, and seemed to be getting
kind of tired out, and were walking
round and round till they got their
wind. The largest ono was right under
me, and could almost touch his antlers.
l never knew how it happened, but
down | won't, heels over head, and lit
right on that critters back. He didn't
seem TO like this sort of surprise party,
and just threw back his head and went,
tho other one following after; lucky for
mo the trees in that place were pretty
high, and there wasn't much danger of
being knocked off by the limbs.
'Well, sir, the time that it takes to
tell this, was enough for that moose to
go half milo, and tho smaller one
right behind all the time. was cling
ing to the sides Of that moose like a
coclroach to biscuit. 1t was all I
could do to breathe, and had lost my hat
long ago. l now noticed that we were
going toward tho camp, and we soon
hove in sight of it. gave a shout, and
as dad so felt something slip down my
throat. The boys heard the noise, and
looking up saw us coming. Down won't
the board they were playing cards, on,
and off they scudded like so many jack
rabbits. We were now right in the
camping place, and 1 wanted to stop
there, but didn't, no, sir. didn't stop
there, but just about a hundred yards
from tho camp the moose stopped sud
denly and | went over his head into a
brook. L WASH much hurt, ana scram-
bled ont like graSshopper out of o
knot-holc, and right in front of mo Law
those two moose. dead as herring. I
put on as straight face as could, and
walked up to tho camp as unconcorned
as possible. Here's tho moose prom
iscd you, boys l said, and we went back
and cut them up. The boys didn't say q
word till after supper, and then one of
them handed mo lool1ing-glass. As
sure as am what l am, my face, which
was covered by n heavy beard when 7
started, was as smooth as q bows, and
two OF my front teeth were conc. NV
hat | found on the smaller noose's
antlcr."