Phil Bradley's Snow-shoe Trail Part 10

Lub and X-Ray gave them a parting cheer.

"Make it moose for supper to-night, fellows!" called the latter.

"Variety is the spice of life, you know!" Lub told them; "and since I've got my hand in so well at cooking, nothing scares me these days. Why, I'd as soon try a steak of elephant meat, a piece of a giraffe, or perhaps a monkey roast. So-long, boys, and good-luck to you all!"

CHAPTER VIII

AGAIN ON THE TRAIL

"Here's about where I stood when I heard something rushing off, and looked just in time to get a peek at the moose."

As he said this Ethan pointed down to where the marks of his snow-shoes could be plainly seen.

"Now lead me to where you saw the moose, which I take it must have been over there in that direction," remarked Phil.

"As sure as you live," declared the other; "and I guess you knew that from the way my tracks set, eh, Phil?"

"Just what I did look at the first thing," confessed the other.

Presently they were bending over the trail in the deep snow which showed where the alarmed moose had gone plunging off.

"It's a moose, all right," Phil admitted, without much delay.

"Can you tell if it was a bull?" asked the other.

"Well, not from the tracks. Did you happen to notice any horns on the beast?" was what Phil inquired.

"I can't just say I did; but then it all happened so quick I couldn't be dead sure either way. It's a good-sized critter anyway, I think, Phil."

"Yes, no doubt about that, Ethan. But let's get started on the trail."

That pleased Ethan, for he was full of eagerness. The love for hunting ran full and strong in his veins. Phil used to be built in the same way, but since discovering the peculiar fascination of hunting with a flashlight camera he seemed to be losing much of his former liking for killing game. He would much rather spend his time playing his skill and brains against the natural caution of the wearers of fur, in endeavoring to photograph them in their native haunts.

For a while they continued to move along. Sometimes they could make pretty good speed, where the going was easy; and then again it became necessary to push through thickets where the branches were so thick as to hold them up.

"Have you any idea yet whether it's a bull or a cow?" asked Ethan, after they must have been going fully two hours.

"Not absolutely," returned Phil; "but I've got an idea we're going to find it the latter."

"Tell me what you base your judgment on, please, Phil."

"I may be all wrong at that," replied the other, who never set himself up as infallible. "There have been a few places where the chase led us through thick woods, with the lower limbs of the trees hanging down under their snow burden just so far. If the moose had big horns, which would be the case in a bull, no matter how far back on his shoulders he laid them they would be apt to break some of the twigs loose above, and we'd have seen them lying on the snow."

"Then I take it from what you say there were none of these signs, eh, Phil?"

"Not that I could see, and I looked carefully, not once but several times. I'm afraid, Ethan, your moose is going to turn out a big cow after all."

"And we promised ourselves we wouldn't shoot a cow moose even if we had to go without such big game, didn't we, Phil?"

"That's where I have the bulge on you, Ethan," laughed the other.

"As how?" demanded the eager hunter; "you sure subscribed to that rule with the rest of us, Phil."

"Yes, but only so far as my gun went," he was told; "I can shoot that cow with my camera, and never injure a hair of her hide, you see."

At that Ethan shrugged his shoulders, and made a grimace.

"Yes, that's a fact, you have got the jump on us, Phil. But I suppose, then, we can keep on the move, and take our chance of catching up with the cow, so as to let you get in a snap-shot of the same?"

"We'll keep going up, to a certain limit," figured Phil; "I wouldn't care to tramp beyond that. We'd want to be able to make the home camp by night, you know."

"As for that," said Ethan, indifferently, "what should we worry about even if we had to stay out a night? Fact is, I'd rather enjoy the experience in your company. So don't count me in when you're figuring things, Phil. I c'n take pot-luck any old time."

As on the previous day Phil could readily tell that they were gaining on the animal they followed. He had shown Ethan where the moose spent the previous night and it seemed as though the animal could not have been very greatly alarmed by seeing the young hunter, for it had not gone more than two miles after that before stopping to browse upon some tender branches of a certain tree, and stop until another day dawned.

The trail did not always keep on in a direct line, but there was more or less of a zigzag movement about it. From this Phil drew the conclusion that the moose must be scouring the bush in hopes of meeting up with others of its kind, so as to keep company with them for the balance of the long winter.

It began to get along toward high noon.

Ethan felt hungry, since they had been on the tramp a long while now.

Still he did not dream of stopping to build a fire, and waste time with such foolishness, thus losing most of the advantage they had gained.

"We can chew at something as we keep right along, eh, Phil?" he remarked, after mentioning the subject of lunch.

"Yes, unless we come up with our game before the sun is at the zenith,"

the other replied. "Of course, after we've met the moose we needn't be in such a hurry, and an hour's rest would make both of us feel a heap better for the return journey."

Apparently Ethan was quite content to let it go at that, for he did not mention the subject again.

A short time afterward Phil whispered that the trail was so fresh he would not be surprised if they came in sight of the moose at any moment.

He had slung his gun to his back and held his camera ready for instant use in case the chance came.

Of course they could never have come so close to the animal had the wind been blowing from them toward the moose; but the animal followed the habit of most of the deer tribe in advancing into the wind, so as to be able to detect any danger ahead.

Then all at once Ethan gave a low cry.

"Look, Phil!"

There was a snap, and Phil had secured a picture of a big animal not unlike a hornless domestic cow standing there staring at them. He even had time to roll the film and get his camera in condition for business again before, with a sudden plunge the unwieldy beast went off through the drifts.

"Got two beauty shots at her, didn't you?" queried Ethan; "oh! what a dandy chance for me to pull trigger, if it had only been a big bull with ma.s.sive horns. But I'm glad for your sake there was so fine a picture.

It ought to make a dandy showing, with the snow woods for a background, and those dark firs on the right."

Of course now that the excitement was all over the boys began to feel somewhat tired after such tedious walking with the clumsy snow-shoes; so when Phil suggested that they find a good place, make a cheerful fire, and sit around in comfort while they ate their lunch, there was no objection from his companion.