Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-08-08
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Wild MOmerhOOd.
BY CHARLES q. d. ROBERTS.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

anu udIhlf SOllSQ WIN uudHy uayS VI
occupancy. The young spruce and
birch trees which dotted the trodden
space were cropped of all but their
toughest and coarsest branches, and
the wall of loftier growth which
fenced the yard was stripped of its
tenderer twigs to the utmost height
of the tall bulls neck. The available
provender was all but gone, and the
herd was in that restlessness which
precedes a move to new pastures.
The herd of moose was a small one
three gaunt, rusty-brown, SLOUGH
ing cows, two ungainly calves of
lighter hue, and one huge, high
shouldered bull, whose sweep of
palmated antlers bristled like for
est. Compared with the towering
bulk of his forequarters, the massive
depth of his roughmaned neck, the
weight of the formidable antlers, the
length and thickness of his clumsy,
hooked muzzle with its prehensile up
per lip-his lean and frayed hindquar-
tiers looked grotesquely diminutive.
Surprised by three days of binding
snowfall, the great bull moose had
been forced to establish the yard for
his herd in an unfavorable neighbor-
hood; and now he found himself con-
fronted by the necessity of a long
march through snow of such softness
and depth as would make swift move
ment impossible and fetter him in the
face of his enemies. In deep snow
the moose can neither flee nor fight,
at both of which he is adept under
fair conditions; and deep snow, as he
knew, is the opportunity of the wolf
and the hunter. But in this case the
herd had no choice. 1t was simply
take the risk or starve.
That same night, when the moon
was rising round and white behind
the firtops, the tall bull breasted and
trod down the snowy barrier, and led
his herd off northward between the
hemlock trunks and the jutting gran
lite powders. He moved slowly, his i'm
mense muzzle stretched straight out be-
fore him, the bony array of his antlers
laid back level to avoid the hindrance
of clinging boughs. Here and there
hollow under the level surface
would set him plunging and wallow-
ing for a moment, but in the main
his giant strength enabled him to
forge his way ahead with steady
majesty of might. Behind him, in
dutiful line, came the three COWS;
and behind these, again, the calves
followed at ease in a clear trail, their
muzzles not outstretched like that of
the leader, but dropping almost to
the snow, their high shoulders work
ing awkwardly at every stride. In
utter silence, like dark, monstrous
specters, the line of strange shapes
moved on; and down the bewildering,
ever-rearranging forest corridors the
ominOus fingers of long moonlight
felt curiously after them. When
they had journeyed for some hours
the herd came out upon a high and
somewhat bare plateau, dotted sparse
" with clumps of aspen, stunted yell
low birch and spruce. From this
tableland the streaming northwest
winds had swept the snow almost
clean, CARRYING it off to fill the neigh
boring valley. The big bull, who
knew where he was going and had
no will to linger on the way, halted
only for a few minutes browsing,
and then started forward on a long,
swinging trot. At every stride his
loose-hung, wide-cleft, spreading
hooves came sharply together with a
flat, clacking noise. The rest of the
line swept dutifully into place, and
the herd was off.
But not all the herd. One of the
calves, tempted little aside by a
thicket of special juciness and SAVIOR
took alarm, and thought he was 60
ing to be left behind. He sprang
forward, a powerful but clumsy
stride, careless of his footing. A
treacherous screen of snow-crusted
scrub gave way, and he slid sprawling
to the bottom of little narrow gull
ly or crevice, natural pitfall. His
mother, looking solicitously back
ward, saw him disappear. With a
leave of her shoulders, a sweep OF
her long, hornless head, an anxious
flick of her little naked tail, she
swung out of the line and trotted
, swiftly to the rescue.
There was nothing she could do
The crevice was some ten or twelve
feet long and five or six in width
with sides almost perpendicular. The
calf could just reach its bushy edges
r. with his up-stretched muzzle, but he
could get no foothold by which tc
Chamber out. On every side he es
sayed it, falling back with hoarst
bleat from each frightened effort;
while the mother, with head dowr
and piteous eyes staring upon him
ran round and round the rim of the
trap At last, when he stopped ant
stood with palpitating sides and wide
nostrils of terror, she, too. halted
!; Dropping awkwardly upon her knees
J, in the snowy bushes, with loud, blow
II ing breaths, she reached down he
head to nose and comfort him will
p Der sensitive muzzle. The calf Leaned
T up as close as possible to her caresses
y Under their tenderness the trembling
of his gaunt, pathetic knees present.!
ceased. And in this position the TIVE
, remained almost motionless for al
e. hour, under the white, unfriendl.
Is moon. The herd had gone on withou
g. them.
In the VOLTS cave in the great blu
- and white wall of plaster rock, mile
IL back beside the rushing of the river
d. there was famine. The she vol
heavy and near her time, lay agoni2
ing in the darkest corner of the cave
" licking in grim silence the raw Stun
&c of her right foreleg. Caught in
T. steel trap, she had gnawed off he
= own paw as the price of freedom
- 81. could net hunt; and the huntir
D. was bad that winter in the forests
e. the blue and white wall The wapi
g deer had migrated to safer range