The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-03-22
CIRCULATING.
by MARTIN HUNTER.

yarn Oh yours Cnurley, mere, nus not
heard it."
The person addressed us Ben was an
old white hunter of the Upper ST.
Maurice, who was at that moment
quietly enjoying glass of grog, sup
piled to him by some of his young ac-
Qunintances and admirers of the town
of Three Rivers.
Old Ben used to visit towns once u
year regularly to dispose of his pclts,
have n good time, and go back to tho
wilds with q fresh supply of bacon,
tea, tobacco, ammunition, etc.
Nothing definite was known OF the
early history of Ben; in fact, tho poo
pie of Three Rivers knew not his sec
'ond name. They conjccturcd TINT,
like most men, he had family name;
but this Ben kept to himself, and he
was known by one and all of his friends
simply as Ben.
Everyone agreed that he had moved
in good society in his younger days, for
his carly training would show out at
times in spite of his assumed hunters
English.
On the glasses being rcplcnishcd by
the young man called Charley, Ben
told them the moose story somewhat
as follows:
"Wcll, look here, boys, had very
little to do with that particular moose,
or the moose with me; but l had Il
good deal to do on that occasion to
keep from freezing. lIowsoever, hero
it is just as il happened:
cit was toward the end of March,
1865, that was cnmpcd, along with q
Wabannlic Indian, on one of the largo
f,,1l 4
tbs upper part of the St. Maurice. Wo
Ind made our head camp there in tho
fill. and had dono pretty we'll with
beaver till the leo formed, after that
we trapped for martens straight along
Through the winter. Once only wo
aeft our hunting grounds, and that WIS
on New Years owe. Nicholas tho
IWaamnalse, my chum, said: Lots 90
into Fort Observation-Disclosures and sec
--he Indians feast and dnnco;' for ON
New Years 1t Is tho custom of tho
Tiudson's Bay company to hold open
lquse to all oomers. So we took few
Imnrten skins TO trado for tobacco and
went, and wo saw big Indians cat big
,much.'
ST had mado bargain with Nicholas,
before leaving Three Rivers, to hunt
together during tho fall, winter and
lspring md to go equal snool1s on the
furs after tho trapping was over. IN
the beginning 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, VIC will just let those
moose put on fat till there is n good
crust on the snow, and then we arc
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
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-
rcction 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
cr, at furthcst. Well, l just pcgged
home TO camp, q distance of about five
miles, and told the news to Nick; and
maybe he was not just hopping.
However, Ben, says he, those beg
gars will brighten our moose tomorrow.
So we may as we'll 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 as
to be ready ut 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
TO sleep much. Morning came at last,
and, after hasty breakfast, we start
ed We each showed Il biscuit in our
shirt and fastened Il tin cup on our belt.
The cup was to melt snow in, if pushed
by thirst. Our blankets, of course, we
left, as we wished to be as light as pos
sible.
I'VE had almost reached the top of
the mountain, when Nick said: They
are of His quick car had heard IL
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 as there is one step of
run in him. Now, with caribou it's
different. II, after n short run, they
hear no one after them they begin to
browse around and rest themselves for
another squirt; but 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 L
branched off, each following his own
moose. The one / was after was o
three-year-old bull, and the way he