questioned him as to why he had turned aside for the last time, just
before he fired, and he answered:

"My son, I did it so that in case I should miss, the report of my gun
would come from the right direction to drive the moose toward home and
also toward our sled; and in case, too, that I hit the moose and only
wounded it, the brute would run toward our sled and not take us farther
away from it. Also, my son, if I had merely wounded the beast, but had
seen from the way it flinched that it had been struck in a vital spot,
I would not have followed immediately, but would have sat down and had
a smoke, so as not to further disturb the wounded animal before it had
time to bleed to death. Besides, a mere glance at the trail would tell
me whether or not I had mortally wounded the moose--whether the brute
was hit high or low, and whether the blood was dark or light. If hit
high, the blood would be upon the branches as well as upon the snow; if
the blood was black it would mean that an artery had been severed and
that the moose was mortally wounded. If the latter had happened, then
would be the time for me to get out my pipe and have a smoke."


SKINNING ANIMALS

As we were to be busy for the rest of the day, we made a suitable camp
and started a fire and by that time the moose had stiffened enough for
proper handling while removing the skin. As usual the hunter's first
act was to cut the eyes, then to cut off the head, which he at once
skinned and, removing the tongue, hung the head beside the fire to cook
while we went on with our work.

But while we propped up the moose and got it into good position, three