The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-09-07
rns rIAsH.licHr MUSTER.

WIN tfs h1lN " "Ni"s"fse t'N"A~
tIx game. 10, be wai gao u.hUslssiie cam
era hunter. IN uppsr MSssoka be picked
up guide. aud they went up the smoke
x ysr 10 t~o canoes. irAvslius slowly ard
mallug fr,qasBt hsl,s, while Eilis h-hed
or .illl-huuted with bis camera.
Bu, In that region the game had beer
hur,cd too much 20 be easily s'slked. and
they portsgcd over b.lsh, Of land to An
other systsm nf streams that carried then
into the Algot qulp National Park.
Ib this great fores, preserve, where hun'
log 10 strictly prohibited, game OF all sort
hs. multiplied exceedingly, aud here Ellls''
efforts we're more successful. He obtained
several good spap shots at deer, but ths
moose we're too wary for him.
Moose were plentiful enough In that dis
trlc,, 70 the great tracks At every pond-sidt
showed. IL WAS their season OF love and
battle, and the distant believing OF the
challenging bulls could be besfd almost
nightly.
Once Ells came upon spot in the for
est where the ground WAS torn and tram
Piled, and sprinkled with blood and wisp'
OF hair. He would almost have given
foger to have photographed that duel.
with his guides assistance, he tried
"Isck.llahting" on the small lskes, with
lantern 10 the bow Of the canoe, screen
behind It, aud the Gamers prepared with
rssb-light In the stern. He TINS secured
several excellent nssh.light photographs Of
deer, but no moose.
He Was one afternoon exploring the
wipdr gs of small and unusually tranquil
stream when he came out upon a beaver
pond. Ii WAS not the ntst he had seep ,for
beaver are growing plentiful once more in
the park. but he padded over 1t with much
curiosity.
He WAS at once struck by the fact that
some one had been meddllng with 1t. The
great rough dam, a rick OF mud and brush
had bee broker and was not yet complete
ly repaired. In the deepest water stood
the lodges, four OF them, like stacks Of
mud mastered bTushwood half above the
surfsc and as he padded alongside one
OF them he noticed that a great hole had
been torn In II, psrty under water, which
had not been repaired at ALL The other
lodges showed traces Of Injury, but bad
been made serviceabe again. Probably the
mIscbief was the work Of an Indian trap
per who had broken the dam to lower the
water and cut the lodges to get at the
beaver. although the fur was OF little value
at that season.
The beavers, or what was left OF them,
bad not deserted, however, and pieces OF
pnawed sticks scattered about the shore
showed that they had been working hard
TO repair the damage. They labor chiefly at
piph., and 1t occurred to Ellis that he
might ambush himself beside the dam till
dark, and obtain a fash light picture OF
beavers at work.
II was then nearly sunset, and he pushed
his canoe deep among the slders that firing.
ed the water and lay down 10 the stern.
The sun went slowly out OF sight, but the
long northern twilight still fingered AS
dusk came on, one or two beavers came out
OF hiding, sho wing their black heads beside
, he lodges; but these gimpses were insuf-
ticient 1t grew cold, ard Ellis shvered in
the crsmped canoe. There was no moon,
and the sky was cloudy. He could no long
er make out the beaver.houses or the dam,
but significant sounds began to arise
splashes and ripplipgs, and once swim
ming animal brushed the stern Of the
canoe.
Ellis was thinking Of setting ofi fash
light, and trusting to luck to catch some
thing in focus, when, Ike q sudden thun-
derclsp, there burst out the deep roar Of 3
bull moose from the other end Of the pond,
not two hundred wards away, The sound
was SO terrific that Ellis covered. The
very leaves Of the forest seemed to vbrate
at lite tremendous volume.
Almost Immediately the challenge was
answered by a sonorcus below In the same
direction, but apparently nearly mile dlf-
tant, to which the challenger responed will
a roar Of rage. Elis heard The great api.
msls threshing his sntlers against the trees
aud smashing up the underbrush. and he
thrilled st the possibility Of q duel aciusily
taking place in his presence, even II he
could not see H.
For some minutes the distant animal was
silent, while the nearer moore continued to
rip up the ssp'ngs q sshine bis teeth with
ALOUD cheppipa;no'se. Then Ellis heard
s,daeb stsrlled "Whoosh ~ There was =
below cut short ard rafting crash OF
lacking antlers Tnc disisnt enemy must
hsye ctept up suddenly, made circuit to
approach bis antagonist down wird, and
then charged.
la spite OF strsining his eyes. Ellis could
see nothing, but the noise WAS enough.
Trees and shrubs crashed apart as the Risnt
animals wrtstled ard swsyed through the
woods With stertorous sports and gssps for
breath. The huge protgs crashed together
continually. Ellis thought that the fight
.r. we're equally matched, but suddenly
one Of them broke away, ran down TO The
lead Of the pond, aud splssbed into the
~ater.
The other followed. with a terrific AID
tlumphsnt blast, ard the battle vas r'-
sumed ~ the shallow water, with Sou d.
lie The dyirg 4 rry u whale. E''is
could rtsst It 90 in ger. The ides o. Oh
ttiriny o. W que photograph wss TO 'euch
for hin. AID be sat up In ne ,s1oe atd
pu.h,d cut.
Tue slgat eurrent o. sir carried toward
hln, sbd The npis. Of the iis'i covered bis
m~y- nents. The 6is'a G, sss about bfty
wards, and the fceps oi hi. camera was hI-
ed for = hundred fee'.
Tse e,no. to,s, siJle ntly on the waves