The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-20
HUNT FOR A"DAMMER" MOOSE
STORY or THE CAPTURE or A
SET or Big ANTLERS.

Luke Belongs First Sight OF b Prize
Tho woodoraft OF the New Bruno
wick Indian-On the Trail-The
secret Abraham Peter Didn't Tell.
Luke Bedding paused at the top OF the
brew and glanoing back over bis shoulder
quietly but ~fervently swore.
According to his creed and the wisdom
Of the blessed ahonorab!es' who frame
game laws In New Brunswick there
wasn't anything else to do, for he was
unarmed.
Some fifty yards behind him a wild
eyed figure in gabardine. knee high lar
rigans and corduroy cap was e~ndeavoring
to part the rebelllous. branches OF an alder
thicket with the carved stock Of a Mann
licher rife. Sore Of foot. bloodshot OF
eye and with a face smarting from coming
in contact with the whiplike underground.
he presented anything but an admirable
appearance, especially to his companion.
Finally after much stumbling and gasp
ing he stood beside the lean backwoods-
man and in quick and uneven gasps
muttered. 1Where?'
Some hundred yards below them lay
a glistening deadwater in which two
about, their brown outline silhouetted
against the frost draped meadow grass
as 1t lay %twinkling beneath the first rays
Of the October sunshine.
Firmly grasping the biceps OF the hunt
er's left arm, the nettled guide pointed
with a brown foreinger to the nearer
Of the two moose and whispered: Wait
till he raises his head. Now-behind the
shoulder
The sharp report echoed from every
glade Of the silent forest, a soft nosed
bullet cut a furrow In the background
Of leafess alders and Bedding this time
swore aloud as a badly handled shell
jammed In the chamber of the expensive
rife. As II awaiting a long expected signal
the forest at n accord sprang into life.
From the PUSHES to the south a startled
buck raped his antlers against a partly
hidden deadfall. A beaver slapped his
tail on the unrufied surface OF his pond.
A dozen birds awoke like a well trained
file. An eagle glided majestically from
his lofty perch. A meadow hen rose
almost silently from the marsh.
% The nearer OF the two moose held the
woodsman's attention. He wore again,
not at the city man. but at the immense
spread Of the bulls antlers.
Already the huge withefs OF the COW
were vanishing owe the ridge on the far
side OF the deadwater, and as tho tiny
wavelets Tapped against the shore the
bull crashed through the underground.
Several times the clang Of his antlers
could be heard as they rasped against the
tree trunks. Then all sounds died away
and the forest, it seemed. ono moro re-
gained its own.
By this time the rebellious shell had
been elected and though it a OF but
little use the two men crossed over an old
dam and took up the bulls track.
Several times Belding glanced up at
the trees between which the track led.
with a puzzled expression on his face,
Finally he paused and gazed, with for
each Of which hung q broken branch.
Closely examining each tree trunk he
found the signs for which he had been
looking and his wonderment grew. I'm
questionably the bark on each tree was
rudely SCARED. yet how in he'll
Retracing his steps he cut an alder
some eight feet in length, trimmed it OF
its branches, and handing the butt to his
companion. stretched the alder between
the two frs. marking the tip with his
sheath knife. Digging in his hip pocket
he produced a dilapidated rule and COM
menced to measure the now shortened
alder.
Three feet. six feet-six foot four
inches-seventy-siS inches!' then he
looked at his companion. but nothing
further did he say aloud. What was the
good Of wasting it on that-but it would
have broken the Provincial record. Damn
those forrin guns anyway was what he
said to himself.
Back at camp that evening when the
cook had cleared away the dishes and
mopped the oilcloth covered table and
the thumb soiled cards were being shufled
Belding enlightened the head guide and
packer as to the manifold qualifications
Of that .dammer' moose.
Later In the week he managed to pad
die the Mannlicher and it's owner within
range OF q good sized fve-year-old bull.
J MS Time inc HIot BLU VI tuc With, Bull
feed.
Parties came and went that fall. but
none Of their number again drew bead on
the big bull. True, the packer saw him
once, but as packers carry nothing but
22s. at the most the season closed with
out his capture.
Luke Bedding thought long and
deeply as he went the rounds OF traps
that winter. perhaps next fall he kept
saying to himself.
Meanwhile the big bull selected
his yard. and then as the spring ap-
preached rubbed the hair put Of his coat
and sought solitude till his antlers should
have grown for the tenth season.
Occasionally a solitary fisherman or
some woodsman overhauling his bear
traps would carry tales to the settlements
OF having seen him while wading some
rips or crossing some heath. and many
an ardent Nimrod awaited impatiently
the opening Of the season that he might
match his cunning against this father OF
all moose, for cunning it certainly re-
quired.
All things considered Abraham Peter
was q .wuthless Injun.' Yet he never
had a chance.
He had been one OF a litter OF dirty
brown Micmacs who inhabited Whis-