de.

On they went through the forest, with every sense alert to detect the
proximity of their prey.

Presently La Tour stopped short, and bent his gaze intently to the
right. Raoul looked in the same direction, but at first could not make
out anything, yet from his uncle's action, it was plain that he must
have sighted a moose, for he began to creep forward stealthily, with
his gun held in readiness to fire.

Raoul, holding his breath, kept close behind, and at last his eyes fell
upon a dark form scarcely distinguishable from the thick evergreen
against which it stood.

"There he is! I see him!" he whispered to himself, while his heart
throbbed wildly.

Just then La Tour levelled his gun, and the silence was shattered by
its startling report.

A moment later the evergreens were violently agitated, and out of them
rushed a huge bull moose, made furious by the wound, which at once
charged fiercely down upon the hunters.

CHAPTER VI

IN THE NICK OF TIME

As it happened, the snow did not lie very heavily at this particular
place, and the great creature was able to move with tremendous speed.

"Look out, Raoul!" shouted La Tour, as he darted aside to evade the
moose's onset. "Get behind a tree, and then fire at him."

This was precisely what Raoul had in mind to do, and he made a gallant
effort to accomplish it, but unfortunately in his haste he caught his
snow-shoes together, and over he went headlong into the snow with such
violence as to nearly bury himself.

Confused by the fall, and blinded by the snow, he lay there helplessly,
while the bull moose, infuriated by its wound, and seeing only the
prostrate boy to account for it, bore down upon him with murderous
intent.

He fully realized his danger, and yet felt powerless to avert it, for
to regain one's feet after a tumble with snow-shoes on is no easy
matter.

In the meantime La Tour had rushed out from behind the tree, and by
waving his arms and shouting, strove to attract the attention of the
animal to himself until Raoul should have time to get upon his feet
again, and find a place of safety.

But the moose was not to be thus diverted from its victim, and kept on
until it was within ten yards of Raoul, whose fate now seemed to be
sealed.

La Tour, quite forgetting himself in his anxiety for the boy, made a
desperate effort to get in between him and the animal, and groaned
aloud as he saw that it could not avail.

Then, suddenly, Raou