or to disable him.

On the left, though, there were trees close to him that offered some
sort of refuge. Phil, hearing the moose putting after him at full speed,
hastened to swing his body around the first of the trunks he came to. It
would offer a barrier against the attacks of the animal until he could
get his wits about him, and figure out some plan.

A minute later and the moose was chasing him around the tree in a merry
way. All the games Phil had ever played with his schoolmates in days
gone by were not a circumstance to the one he found himself engaged in
with that determined animal. The more he was disappointed at reaching
his supposed enemy the greater became the fury of the moose. He stamped,
and whistled, and butted his head against the tree; after which he would
start on another fast trot around it, the performance consisting of
perhaps a dozen or a score of circles.

Phil had the inner ring, and could of course move much faster around
than the enemy. Still, it was not long before he became heartily tired
of that continual and useless work. It began to make him dizzy, too. He
found himself wondering whether the moose meant to keep going in these
spirals until he had exhausted the boy; and how long it was possible to
keep this sort of thing up before he fell over.

It was in vain that he shouted in the face of the animal; the sound of a
human voice did not seem to have any effect, unless it was to make the
beast show fresh animation, as though spurred on to renewed vigor.

"However am I to get the better of the old fool?" Phil asked himself
between his puffs; for this happened after he had been chased another
dozen times around the well-worn path.

There was a breathing spell, as the moose halted for a brief time. Phil
did not cherish any hope or expectation that the beast meant to retire,
and leave him to himself. In fact he began to believe the big animal was
having the time of his life, and enjoying it immensely.

"Which is more than I can say I'm doing," Phil grumbled; "this
ring-around-the-rosy business is played out, and I've just got to find
some way to stop it."

Taking advantage of the breathing spell he cast a hurried look back of
him. Of course he did not dream that such a thing as help could come; on
the contrary his only expectation was that he might find some way by
means of which he could extricate himself from his dilemma.

"Bully! if I can only make that clump of small trees I ought