The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-01-26
CIRCULATING.
M MARTIN HUNTER.

old white hunter of the Upper st.
Maurice, who was at that moment
quietly enjoying glass OF grog, sup
piled to hin, by some Of his young ac-
quaintances and admirers of the town
of Three Rivers.
Old Ben used to visit towns once n
year regularly to dispose of his pelts,
have n good time, and go back to the
wilds with fresh supply OF bacon,
tea, tobacco, ammunition, etc.
Nothing definite was known OF the
early history of Ben; In fact, the peo-
pie of Three Rivers knew not his sec
ond name. They conjectured that,
like most men, he had n family name;
but this Ben kept to himself, and he
was known by one and all of his friends
simply ms Ben.
Everyone agreed that he had moved
I'm good society in his younger days, for
his early training would show out Mt
times in spite of his assumed hunters
English.
On the glasses being replenished by
the young man called Charley, Ben
told them the moose story somewhat
rs follows:
"Well, look here, boys, l had very
little to do with that particular moose,
or the moose with me; but / had
good deal to do on that occasion to
keep from freezing. Howsoever, here
1t Is just as it happened:
sit was toward the end of March,
1865, that was camped, along with
Wabanake Indian, on one of the large
streams that fall into the west side OF
the upper part OF the st. Maurice. We
had made our head camp there in the
fall, and had done pretty well with
beaver till the ice formed, after that
we trapped for martens straight along
through the winter. Once only we
left our hunting grounds, and that was
on New Years eve. Nicholas, the
Wnbanake, my chum, said: Let's go
into Fort Weymontachinguc and see
the Indians feast and dance;' for on
New Years it is the custom of the
Hudson's Bay company to hold open
house to all corners. So we took few
marten skins to trade for tobacco and
went, and we saw big Indians eat big
much
81 had made bargain with Nicholas,
before leaving Three Rivers, to hunt
together during the fall, winter and
spring and 10 go equal snoolss on the
furs after the trapping was over. In
the bcginn,ng of spring, or rather,
should say, the very last part of win
ter, for it was the end of February, my
partner found yard of moose. Says
he: Now, Ben, we will just let those
moose put on fat till there Is good
crust on the snow, and then we are
sure of killing them
"'All right, Nick says I; Just as
you think best
"But, as bad luck would have it, be-
fore rain or sunshine came to form n
crust, we got news at one of the lum-
Der shantics that there was party of
surveyors up, running lines for timber
limits l made inquiries in what di-
rection they were then working, and
found by what the shanty men told
me, that they would strike our moose
yard the following day or the day aft
er, Mt furthcst. Well, / just pcggcd
home to camp, n distance of about five
miles, and told the news to Nick; and
maybe he was not just hopping.
"Ilowever, Ben,' says he, those beg
gars will brighten our moose tomorrow.
So we may as well give them the wind
ourselves, and run the chance of kill
ing one. Let us start at once, and
sleep at the foot of the mountain, SO us
TO be ready at the break of day to wind
the critters
"With biscuit and pork in our blank
cts, we reached the base of the noun
tain before dark, made n rousing fire,
cut plenty of green boughs, laid down,
smoked and told yarns the best part Of
the night, for it was too blamed cold
70 sleep much. Morning came at last,
and, after hasty breakfast, we start
ed. We each showed biscuit in our
shirt and fastened tin cup on our belt.
The cup was to melt snow in, II pushed
by thirst. Our blankets, of course, we
left, rs we wished to be as light as pos
sible.
1--WE had almost reached the top of
the mountain, when Nick said: They
are off, His quick car had heard
dry branch break. We took no more
prccaution to pick our steps, for now
that they were off we must hurry after
them with all speed. A moose, when
once started, never stops to eat or
drink as long rs there is one step of
run in him. Now, with caribou it's
different. If, after short run, they
hear no one after them, they begin to
browse around and rest themselves for
another squirt; but a moose, never; he
runs till he drops.
'Our moose there were two) only
run together for about the first mile,
and then separated. Nick and
branched of, each following his own
moose. The one / was after was q
three-ycar-old bull, and the way he
carried on all day, uphill and downhill,
across lakes and over swamps, warn't
slow. SometimcsI would get n glimpse
of him, but always too far for n shot.
The way those critters get through
snow with no crust Is wonderful. In
some places his trail looked as II bag
of flour had been drawn along the
snow; he fairly plowed the soft snow
with his breast, and yet he kept on.
Toward night we were both getting
pretty well tired out, and, do my best,