Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-11-03
EVENING SHORT STORY.
THE PHANTOM MOOSE

especially IL u0 cuJO9 . bhN
ries told by the old-timers, has heard
of the phantom moose which makes
his home at the mead of Wise river.
and has defed the efforts of all the ?
hunters of Montana to STAY him.
Just recently the hunting fever was
developed in Butte by the unnatural
rold weather which prevailed, and
around a steam register in a popular
resort a crowd had gathered and
among other things the story of the
famous moose of the head Of the Wise
river came up for discussion, and u
was up to a man who bag been a resi-
dent OF Montana for. over 40 years 70
tell the following story concerning the
famous animal.
when bannack was first founded,
when the gravel bars and rimrock
along G~rasshopper creek were turning
out thousands of dollars every day, |
saw an opportunity of making my
livelihood with my rife II forsook
the diggings of the goldseekers and
established a camp near the warm
springs which are at the head of the
Grasshopper.
81 had scarcely made more than one
or two hunts in the mountains which
divide the head of the G~rasshopper
from the Wise river until | found
the track of a big bull moose, which,
made a track in the soft ground as
big as an ordinary work OK of those
days.
Zone day when | was the least ex-
pecting it l found the big bull and
his consort wallowing in a swamp less
than 100 yards away Taking as good
aim as possible with my old muzzle-
loading rifle. which. by the way, was
loaded with a bullet patched with
buckskin, | pulled the hair trigger.
and when the smoke rolled away there
was an animal ~floundering in the
marsh, and when | ran to it with a
cry of exultation L found it was the
cow, who at the instant | had pulled
the trigger had interposed her bulk
between me and my quarry. She gave
up her life to save the one who had
lorded it over her. MA NEggS
1.-TWO lays later l was al the swamp
where | had killed the COW, hiding in
the willows less than 100 yards away,
for the signs told ME that the old bull
had returned and was grieving aroltpd
the offal which was all that remained
of his companion of many a wandering
through the timber and swamps of the
Wise river.
TFor fully six hours | waited i'm
r.. A1.o Ia t,.lfLk a -ooDna M
the trysting place, and when my pa
thence was almost gone far in the dis
lance came the plaIntiye cry of a
moose calling for its mate. Nearer
and nearer came the sound, and with
it's approach l trained my rifle upon
a clump of bushes through which |
felt morally certain the bull would
come as he approached the swamp.
Presently I could hear the swapping
of twigs and the gooseflesh fairly
raced up and down my back an in
slant later as the biggest moose | had
ever seen in my life pushed his way
through the willows, calling piteously
all the while, and stood for a moment.
b~roadside on, less than 100 yards
away. Olll1 " q IiOiiAthA NfN -
hesitate and then stepped forward to
where the skull of his mate was lying
and he licked it fondly with his
tongue, as if he could bring life back
into the senseless brainpans .ThRR 1t
was that realized that was there
to shoot this monarch of the forest
and | pulled the trigger.
HTrtn;+i0n fo16 mo that QonQthinU
was wrong. All that egpldy see was
a lash of fire and a roar ofo artillery.
Consciousness faded away and | knew
nothing for a space which seemed an
eternity. Finally Iobefame conscious
of an intense pain II dywhepaI opened
my eyes there was darkness oil .evcry
hand and through the trees above me
a glimmering of starlight told me that
night had fallen upon the earth. My
right arm was useless by my side
and my head was torn and painful
and dried blood upon it showed that
I had Deer sorely hurt. With extreme
difficulty | moved myself and found
that my right arm was broken at the
elbow. there was a lump under my
right ear big as an apple, my right
eve was nearly torn from its socket
and my gun had been through an ex-
plosion-it had been burst from muz-
zle to breech. Every cartridge in the
magazine had exploded at the time
when l attempted to shoot the old
moose, with disastrous results TO my
self.
Just two years ago I took my last
hunt after the animal. | found where
he had been wallowing in the swamp
where he and | had met 40 years ago.
and there | resolved | would meet
him again and have out the grudge
which | had cherished so long against
his big carcass. 1t was in the time
of the harvest moon. when the nights
were flooded with a brilliancy that was
almost equal to the day. In the same
thicket of willows where ! had hid
den many years ago I took my stand,
Att 4;~oo boino armnd with a 20-20