des. Though the guide tried his powers in persuasive summons every
night at various calling-places, he could not again succeed in getting
an answer.

At last, on a certain evening, after supper, a solemn camp-council was
held around an inspiring fire, and Herb Heal suggested that if his party
were really bent on seeing a moose again, before they turned their faces
homeward, they had better rise early the following morning, shoulder
their knapsacks, and set out to do a few days' hunting amid the dense
woods near the base of Katahdin.

"I killed the biggest bull-moose I ever saw, on Togue Ponds, in that
region," said the guide meditatively; "and I got him in a queer way. I
b'lieve I promised to tell you that yarn."

"Of course you did!"

"Let's have it!"

"Go ahead, Herb! Don't shorten it!"

Thus encouraged by the eager three, the woodsman began:--

"It is five years now, boys, since I spent a fall and winter trapping in
them woods we were speaking of--I and another fellow. We had two
home-camps, which were our headquarters, snug log shelters, one on Togue
Ponds, the other on the side of Katahdin. As sure as ever the sun went
down on a Saturday night, we two trappers met at one or other of these
home-camps; though during the week we were mostly apart. For we had
several lines of traps, which covered big distances in various
directions; and on Monday morning I used to start one way, and my chum
another, to visit these. Generally it took us five or six days to make
the rounds of them. While we were on our travels we'd sleep with a
blanket round us, under any shelter we could rig up,--a few
spruce-boughs or a bark hut. When the snow came, we were forced to
shorten our trips, so as to reach one of the home-camps each night.

"Well, it was early in the season, one fine fall evening, that I was
crossing Togue Ponds in a canoe. I had been away on the tramp for a'most
a week; and though I had a rifle and axe with me, I had nary an ounce
of ammunition left. All of a sudden I caught sight of a moose, feeding
on some lily-roots in deep water. Jest at first I was a bit doubtful
whether it was a moose or not; for the creature's head was under, and I
could only see his shoulders. I stopped paddling. I tried to stop
breathing. Next, I felt like jumping out of my skin; for, with a big
splash, up come a pair of antlers a good five feet across, dripping with
water, and a'most covered with green roots and stems, which dangled from