The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-09
LOST HIS BEARD IN A WILD RIDE.


The remarkable Experience of a Drum
mer ON the Back of Moose.
Several evenings since u party Of con-
vivial spirits had assembled, as was their
wont, in certain place-which shall be
nameless-within the limits of this city's
business district. There was one of the
number who usually reserved his story un-
al the latter part OF the evening, and on
o. occasions those constituting the party
NO. and departed slowly homeward after
the story was finished, agreeing to II man
that for stories told in good faith as actual
experiences of the relator they must he
awarded the palm The tale was told as
follows:
at was while was in the northern part
of Maine on hunting trip with a party OF
men from Boston They had good luck
with small game, but they wanted moose.
| told them that | would show them one
before long, and | did. One or two days
after they began asking me whore that
moose was and kinder got me riled. / took
my gun and told them that Pd get a moose
pretty quick if they wouldn't come racing
round like a pack OF steers. or went,
and had gone about mile when heard
noise got Up a tree a. soon as possible,
and had just cot 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"
At this point the narrator looked rather
sheepish, as if he had no particular desire
to proceed, but after considerable urging
he continued.
'"The truth of it was, boys, in my hurry
from the camp forgot to bring my car
tridges, and didn't even have one in my
gun. Well, | knocked my head against a
limb and trie to think how was going to
get one of I'll Jse moose, who all this time
were eying each other like cats and dogs
All of a sudden they started for each other
and came kerplunk together. They then
backed off and tried it over. They kept at
this for quite time, and seemed to be get
ting kind o. tuCkered out and were walk
ing round and round till they got their
wind. The largest one was right under
me and could almost touch his anters. |
never knew how it happened, but down
went head over heels 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, the other one following
after.
Lucky for me the trees in that place
were rather high, and there wasn't much
danger Of being knocked off the limbs.
Well, the time that it takes me to tell this
was time enough for that moose to go half
Il. nd ,;.r1,t l,,l ;,1
all the time. | was clinging to the sides of
that moose like a coclIroach to biscuit; it
was all | could do to breathe, and had
lost my hat long before. | noticed that we
were going toward the camp and we soon
hove in sight of it. gave a shout, and us
did so felt something slip down my
throat. The boys heard the shout, and
looking up, saw us coming. Down went
the board they were playing cards on and
oil they scudded like SO many jack rab-
bits. We were now right in the camping
place and wanted to stop there, but just
about hundred yards from the camp the
moose stopped suddenly and went over
his head into a brook Iwasn't much hurt,
and scrambled out like grasshopper out
of knothole, and right in front of me lay
those two moose, dead as herring. put
on as straight face as could and walked
up to the camp as unconcerned as possible
Here's the moose promised you, boys,
said, and we all went out to cut them up.
The boys never said a word until after sup
per, when one of them handed me a small
mirror. ! really did not know myself. Just
as sure as am telling this, my beard was
gone, worn off by the rapid progress had
made through the air, and two of my front
teeth had been knocked out from the same
cause.
Both moose had run themselves to
death. "-Bangor News.