CHAPTER XI.
Breaking up a Moose-Pen.
On awaking the next morning, they found that the cabin was almostcovered with snow, and the woods were filled with drifts, thatrendered it impossible for them to resume their hunting. The two daysthat followed were passed in-doors, curing the skins of the animalsthey had taken, and listening to the trapper's stories.
On the third day, a heavy thaw set in, and at night the wind changedaround to the north, and covered the snow with a crust that wouldeasily bear a man. Early the next morning the hunters set out. Georgeand Frank accompanied the trapper, to assist in breaking up amoose-pen, which the latter had discovered a few days previous to thestorm, and Archie and Harry determined to again attempt the captureof the black fox.
The trapper led his young companions through the woods, and across thepond where George had met with his accident. About a mile further on,he came to a halt, and said, almost in a whisper:
"Now, youngsters, we are a'most to the moose-pen. You stay here,George; an' remember, don't go to movin' up on the game till you hearme shoot."
"I don't see any moose," said George.
"In course you don't," said the trapper. "But they are in the woodshere, an' me and Frank will go an' surround them. It'll take mightykeerful steppin', though," he continued, turning to Frank, "for moosehave got an ear like an Injun's. Be keerful now how you walk." Sosaying, the trapper shouldered his heavy rifle, and moved off throughthe woods, accompanied by Frank. About half a mile further on, thelatter was stationed on the banks of a deep ravine; and Dick, afterrepeating his instructions, continued on alone.
The stalwart form of the trapper had scarcely disappeared, when Frankheard a noise in the bushes, and presently a large moose appeared,leisurely wading through the deep snow, and cropping the branches ashe approached. As if by instinct, Frank's gun was leveled; butremembering the trapper's instructions, the weapon was lowered, andthe young hunter stepped back into the bushes, and watched the motionsof the animal. He was a noble fellow--very much like the one withwhich Frank had engaged in that desperate struggle in the woods--withantlers fully four feet in length. The animal appeared totallyunconscious of danger, and, after browsing about among the bushes fora few moments, walked back into the woods again, but almost instantlyreappeared, and made for the ravine at the top of his speed. At thismoment, the well-known report of the trapper's rifle echoed throughthe woods. It was followed by a crashing in the crust, and presentlyanother moose appeared, and, like the former, ran toward the ravine. Ashort distance behind him came the trapper, holding his rifle in onehand and his huge hunting-knife in the other, and rapidly gaining onthe deer, which sank through the crust into the deep snow at everystep. Frank and Brave immediately joined in the pursuit, and themoose had not run far before he was overtaken and seized by the dog.Frank, remembering his first experience in moose-hunting, halted at asafe distance, and was about to "make sure work" of the game, when thetrapper darted past him, exclaiming:
"Don't shoot, youngster. That's a young moose; an' if you can ketchhim, he'll be worth more nor all the stuffed critters you've got athome."
Here was an opportunity which, to Frank, was too good to be lost.Hastily dropping his gun, and producing a piece of rope from thepocket of his overcoat, he ran up to the game, and, after a briefstruggle, succeeded in fastening it around his neck. The dog was thenordered to let go his hold, when the moose instantly sprang to hisfeet and started to run. Frank was thrown flat in the snow, but heclung to the rope with all his strength. After a short time the youngmoose, wearied with his useless efforts to escape, ceased hisstruggles, and his captors led, or rather pulled, him along throughthe woods toward the place where the game had first been started.
"Now," said the trapper, "you've got a pet that is worth something.He's jest the thing you want. You won't have to drag your sleds homenow."
"Why not?" inquired Frank.
"Cause this yere moose can pull you four fellers further in one daythan you can travel in two. I knowed a trader at Fort Laramie that hadone o' them critters, and he used to hitch him up to a sled, an' thinknothin' o' travelin' sixty miles a day."
While they were talking, George came up, and, after the hunters hadcollected their game, Dick led the way toward home, while Frankbrought up the rear, leading the young moose.
Meanwhile, Archie and Harry were in hot pursuit of the black fox. Theyfound the trail, as before, in the gully, and Sport started off on it,and met with no difficulty until they arrived on the banks of a smallstream that ran a short distance from the cabin. Here the trail cameto an abrupt termination, and all efforts to recover it wereunavailing. This was the identical spot where they had lost it before.For almost an hour they continued, but without any success; and Harryexclaimed, as he dropped the butt of his gun to the ground, and leanedupon the muzzle with rather a dejected air:
"It's no use. We're fooled again. That fox has got his regularrun-ways, and we might as well call off the dogs, and go home."
"Not yet," said Archie; "I can't give up in this way; neither do Ibelieve that any fox that ever lived can fool Sport. Hunt 'em up! hunt'em up!" he continued, waving his hand to the dog, which was runningabout, tearing the bushes with his teeth, and whining, as if he, too,felt the disgrace of being so easily defeated. The obedient animalsprang upon the trail and followed it to its termination, and thencommenced circling around through the bushes again; and Archie walkedacross the stream and examined the banks for the twentieth time, butno signs of a trail could be found.
At length, Harry suddenly exclaimed:
"Look here, Archie; here's where the rascal went to;" and he pointedto a small tree that had been partially uprooted by the wind, andleaned over until its top reached within ten feet of the ground.
"You see," Harry went on to say, "that the tops of all the other treesare almost loaded down with snow, but this one hasn't got a bit on it.The fox must have shaken it off when he jumped up there."
Archie, who was ready to catch at any thing that looked likeencouragement, hurriedly recrossed the stream, and, after examiningthe top of the tree, climbed up on it, when he discovered the tracksof the fox in the snow that had fallen on the trunk. He descended tothe ground, and the boys ran along up the stream, carefully examiningevery log and stick that was large enough for a fox to walk upon, andfinally, to their joy, discovered the trail, which ran back toward thegully from which it had started.
The dogs immediately set off upon it, and the boys, who had learnedconsiderable of the "lay of the land," struck off through the woods,in an almost contrary direction to the one the dogs were pursuing,toward a ridge that lay about three miles distant.
Archie led the way at a rapid pace, now and then looking over hisshoulder, and exclaiming, "Hurry up, Harry." Half an hour's runbrought them to the ridge, and their feelings were worked up to thehighest pitch of excitement, when they discovered that the fox had notyet passed.
"We're all right now," said Archie, joyfully; "that black fox isours."
"Yes," said Harry, "provided this is his runway."
"O, don't begin to throw cold water on our expectations," said Archie."It'll be too bad if----. There they come, now; get out of sight,quick."
As Archie spoke, a long, drawn-out bay came faintly to their ears, andthe dogs appeared to be coming up the ridge. The young hunters hastilyconcealed themselves, and Archie had just cocked his gun, when theblack fox broke from the bushes, and, as if suspicious of dangerahead, turned off down the ridge. It was a long shot, but Archie,without a moment's hesitation, raised his gun to his shoulder andfired.
"I told you he was ours," he shouted, as the smoke cleared away, andthe black fox was seen struggling in the snow. A blow on the head witha stick stilled him, and the boys, after examining their prize, whichwas the finest of his species they had ever seen, started down theridge to meet the dogs, and soon arrived at the cabin with theirprize, and were delighted to find how successful their comrades hadbeen in capturing the moose.
Frank and Archie immediately set to work to break the young moose toharness. He proved very tractable, and soon learned to draw the boysin a sled, over the ice, with all the regularity of a well-brokenhorse, more than compensating them for all the care they had bestowedupon him.