CHAPTER XVII
THE BIG MOOSE
"A bull moose, you say, Will?" echoed Bluff, his face lighting up withsudden energy.
"That's what I mean," replied the other. "I know what you're thinking,Bluff, and that I wouldn't know a bull moose if I saw one. But you'reaway off in your guess. I've so longed to meet up with one when I hadmy camera with me that I've been picturing how he'd look. And, Frank,believe me, it _was_ a beaut--a regular monster!"
"How did it happen, Will?" asked Frank.
"I was sitting as still as anything," the other related, "after I'dgot two dandy snaps at that funny squirrel family playing around thetree where they have their home, and was hoping for another whack atthem to complete the set, when all at once I heard a whiffing sound."
"Gee! what wouldn't I give to have been alongside, with my gun!"sighed Bluff; "but go on, Will; what happened next?"
"Oh, I looked up to see what had made that queer sound, and there hewas, just standing and looking straight at me! I was nearly scared todeath at first, for he looked nearly as big as a barn. Then I knew itmust be a bull moose; and the next thing I found myself taking hispicture."
"Did he run away then?" asked Frank.
"Turned and trotted off, as if he didn't care whether school kept ornot," Will continued. "I even had the nerve to shoot him again as hewas going. And don't I hope that first picture turns out good! It wasa remarkable pose, if only the focus was right."
He started toward the cabin door as though anxious to develop his rollof film and discover what success his labor had resulted in. Bluffcaught him by the arm.
"Wait just a minute or two, Will," he pleaded. "Tell us some more.Where did all this happen?"
"Frank knows where that squirrel colony have their nest in the treethat's got a hole in the trunk about thirty feet up," the otherreplied.
"But you're dead sure, are you, it wasn't just a big buck deer yousaw?" continued Bluff, who apparently could not bring himself tobelieve a mighty moose had wandered that near the camp.
"If only you'll hold your horses until I can develop this film, youshall see for yourself whether I know a stag from a bull moose," hewas told by the indignant photographer, as the latter broke away andvanished inside the cabin.
Bluff turned to Frank.
"Let's all take a look," he suggested.
"I was just going to say the same myself," Jerry added, beingevidently quite as much interested as Bluff.
Frank was more than willing. He did not feel that they could entirelydepend on the evidence of Will, who may have been so startled by thesudden coming of some animal that his imagination worked overtime.
"I hope it wasn't just a mule that strayed away from some lumbercamp," he told the others, as they hurried off; but not before Bluffand Jerry had darted inside the cabin and reappeared, carrying theirguns.
"They do say a moose has the same sort of a head as a mule," Bluffadmitted; "but then Will vows it had horns--terribly big horns--whichno mule I ever saw could boast of owning."
"Well, chances are it was a bull moose," Frank admitted; "but we'llsoon know."
"That light snow falling last night was in our favor, for the trackswill show up well," suggested Jerry.
"Here's the place," Frank told them, a short time afterward. "You cansee the tree with the hole in it over there, and I think I even saw asquirrel frisk out of sight as we came up."
"Yes, and here's where Will made himself a seat," added Bluff. "Hefixed it so he could sit comfortably, and not have to frighten thefamily of bushy-tails by moving. Now, he didn't say he turned hishead; just looked up when first he heard that queer noise."
"Yes," said Jerry, "which would make it over there that the thingshowed up. Let's take a look at the ground, and see if Will wasdreaming or not."
Before half a minute had passed, Frank was pointing to certain marksplainly seen in the inch and more of snow that had fallen on theprevious night, perhaps as a sort of forerunner of the coming storm.
"There you are, fellows!" he announced.
All stared hard at the monstrous tracks. Bluff even got down on handsand knees in order to see better.
"It was a moose, all right, Frank!" said Jerry.
"From the prints made by its big split hoofs, I'm pretty sure ofthat," Frank asserted; "I'm beginning to believe Will was not so farout of the way, after all, when he said it might be the giant of allMaine moose!"
Bluff got up again, shaking his head.
"Oh, the meanest luck that ever was!" he lamented. "Why couldn't Ihave taken a notion to step out here with Will, to watch the way hetook the pictures of that squirrel family? I'd have had my gun acrossmy knees, with buckshot in every shell, of course. Think how easy Icould have dropped him, with such a short distance between. It'scruel, that's what it is!"
Jerry clapped him on the shoulder.
"Tell me what's to hinder a couple of us going after the old chap,Bluff?" he asked, in an eager voice.
"You'll have to count me out of that deal," Frank told them. "Youremember that I sprained my ankle yesterday, and a long walk would layme up. If anybody goes, it will have to be you two."
Jerry looked at Bluff.
"I dare you!" he said.
"No need of that," came the reply, "because I'd be willing to startafter that moose alone, and follow him for a week, if I thought Icould get a fair crack at him in the end."
"Then it's a go, Bluff?" cried Jerry, greatly pleased, for up to nowhe had not been given much of a chance to bring down any big game onthis trip, and was secretly chafing.
They shook hands on the bargain, and so it was ratified.
"When ought we make the start?" asked Jerry impetuously.
"The sooner the better, so as to keep his lead cut down as much as wecan," he was told by Bluff, after which they both turned toward Frank,for, after all, it would be from this quarter that the signal to startmust eventually come.
"No need of rushing off as though you were crazy," Frank told them."Will says the moose didn't act as though it was badly frightened byseeing him, so it isn't likely it will cover a great many miles beforestopping again. Lunch must be nearly ready. You must stop long enoughto eat a lot, because there's no telling when you may get anothersquare meal."
Bluff glanced quickly at Frank.
"Oh, we won't get lost!" he said loftily. "Both of us have been aroundsome in the woods; and, besides, I always carry a compass."
"I wasn't thinking so much of that as the chance of a blizzard comingdown on you," Frank continued. "Be sure to take along an extra supplyof matches. I'll see to it that each of you has something to help makeout a meal or so. It won't weigh heavy; but if you do need it you'llthank me for it."
Bluff and Jerry may have considered Frank a bit too old-womanish,making all that fuss over just going off on a little chase after awandering moose.
Frank, however, understood what a blizzard meant up there in Maine. Hehad been in one or two himself, and would not care to repeat certainexperiences that had come his way, unless well provided against hungerand bitter cold.
The three soon reached the cabin. It chanced that just then the callto the midday meal came. Will was too busy working at his developingtank to sit down with the rest.
"Plenty of time when I get through with this," he told them. "Give mefive minutes more to get this film in fresh water and then I'll come."
Bluff and Jerry were hurrying as fast as they could. Frank hadredeemed his promise to see that there was something put up in smallshape that would help out for supper, in case they were delayed. Healso thrust several small boxes of safety matches into each of theircoats, and made sure Bluff had his compass.
"Well," said Will, stepping forward and holding up a dripping film,"take a peep at this, will you, and tell me if I know what I'm talkingabout or not!"
As soon as the boys saw the splendid negative, in clear-cut lights andshadows, they burst into a chorus of cries.
"It's a moose, all right, Will!" Frank told th
e proud photographer.
"And sure a whopper, just as you said!" added Bluff.
"We take it all back," Jerry vowed. "After this, we'll own up that youknow a bull moose from a mule or a buck deer every time."
"That's going to be a prize picture, all right!"
Those last words from Frank made Will very proud.
"I believe myself that I never got such splendid effects!" heexclaimed. "Why, I warrant you can see every hair on his head. Justlook how I got him square in the middle of my plate! It's better to beborn lucky than rich, any day."
"I'm done eating," announced Bluff.
"Couldn't cram another bite down, after seeing that picture!" Jerryproclaimed, as he darted over to the corner where his rifle stood, andbegan to buckle on the webbed belt filled with cartridges.
"Wear your sweaters, and be sure your woolen gloves are in yourpockets," cautioned weather-wise Frank.
He hovered about the pair, and constantly warned them againstcarelessness.
"I hope you get that big moose," he told them, as they all pushedoutdoors, "but don't take too big chances. We would feel pretty sorryif anything happened to mar our holiday up here."
"Frank, you can depend on us to be careful," Bluff told him earnestly."But for goodness' sake don't worry about us. We're not the 'Babes inthe Woods,' you know. If I do say it myself, we've had our eyeteethcut for some time. There never was such a bully chance to get a bigmoose, and we want to do our level best. Look for us when we come. Ifwe don't show up by night, why, chances are we found ourselves so faraway that we concluded to make camp."
Bluff and Jerry shook hands gravely all around, even with Teddy.
"Good luck, and I hope you get him!" said that individual, meaningevery word, for he had already come to care a great deal for thesejolly boys who had been the means of helping him over a very roughplace in the road.
"Got everything now?" asked Bluff.
"I should hope so," grunted Jerry. "We'd be pack horses if we tried tocarry any more truck along."
"Of course," Frank told them, laughingly; "but if you should have tostay over to-night you'll miss your blankets the worst way. Well,so-long, boys, and we all wish you success."
Turning, Bluff and his chum started for the spot where the trail ofthe big moose was to be taken up.