Show circulating BY MARTIN come den ben let vis us have that moose charleyp charley here has baa not yarn of yours heard beard it the person addressed as ben was an old white hunter of the upper st maurice who wasat was at that moment quietly e enjoying n ma a glass of grog supplied to li him i m by so some ln 0 of his bis young acquaintances quain and admirers of the town of Three rivers old ben used to visit towns once a year regularly to dispose of his pelts have a good time and go back to the wilds with a fresh supply of bacon tea tobacco ammunition etc nothing definite was known of the early history of ben in fact the people of three rivers knew not his second name they conjectured ture d that like most men he had a family name but this ben kept to himself and he was known by one and all of his bis friends simply as den ben everyone agreed that he bad moved in good society in his younger days for his hi early scarly training would show out at times in spite of his assumed hunters english on the glasses being replenished by the young roan man called charley den ben told them the moose story somewhat as follows well look here boys I 1 had very little to do with that particular moose or the moose with me but I 1 had a good deal to do on that occasion to keep from freezing howsoever here it is just as it happened htwa it was toward the end of march 1805 1865 that I 1 was camped along with a Wab anake indian on one of the large s streams that fall into the west side of the upper part ot of the st maurice we had made our head camp there ther 0 in the fall and had done pretty well with beaver till the ice formed forme dafter after that we trapped for martens straight along through the winter once only we left our hunting grounds and that was on new years eve nicholas the Wab anake my chum said lets go into fort and see the indians feast and dance for on new years it is the custom of the hudsons Hud sons bay company to hold open house to all comers so wo we took a few marten skins shins to trade for tobacco and went and we saw big indians eat big much 1 I had made a bargain with nicholas before leaving three rivers to hunt together during the fall winter and spring and to go equal snooks on the furs after the trapping was over in the beginning of spring or rather I 1 should say the very last part of winter tor for it was the end of february my partner found a yard of moose says lie now den ben we will just let those moose put on fat till there is a good crust on the snow and then we are sure of killing them 1 I all right nick says 1 I just as you think best but as bad baalack would have it before rain or sunshine came to form a crust we trot cot news at one of the lumber shanties that there was a party of surveyors up running lines for timber limits I 1 made inquiries in what direction they were then working and found by what the shanty men told me that they would strike our moose yard the following day or the day at after t at furthest well I 1 just pegged home to camp a distance of about five miles and told the news to nick and maybe he was not just hopping however ben says hays he those beggars will frighten our moose tomorrow to morrow so 80 we may as well give them the wind ourselves and run the chance of killing one let us start at once and sleep at the foot of the mountain so as to be ready at the break of day to wind the critters with biscuit and pork in our blankets it we reached the base of the mountain before dark made a rousing fire cut plenty of green boughs bouff hs laid aown down smoked and told yarns the best part of the night for it was too blamed cold to sleep much 31 morning orning came at last and after a hasty breakfast we started we each shoved a biscuit in our shirt and f fastened a tin cup on our belt the tha cup was to melt snow in if pushed by thirst our blankets of course we left as we wished to be as light as possible we had almost reached the top of the mountain when nick said they are off 9 uis ills quick ear had bad heard a dry branch break we took no more precaution to pick our steps for now that they were offee oe we must hurry after them with all speed A moose when once started never stops to eat or drink as long as there is one step of run in him now with caribou its different if after a bhart run they bearno hear no one after them they begin to browse around and rest themselves for another spurt but a moose never lie he runs till he lie drops our moose there were two only run together tor for about the first mile and then separated nick and I 1 branched oil off each following his own moose the one I 1 was alter after was a three year old bull and the way lie he carried on all day uphill and downhill cross across t lakes and over swamps slow Sometime sl would get a glimpse of him but always too tar far for a shot the way those critters get through snow with no crust is wonderful in some places his trail looked as if a bag of flour had been drawn along the snow ho he fairly plowed the soft snow with his breast and yet he kept on toward night wo we were both getting pretty well tired out and do my best I 1 could not lessen the distance between Us as finally he came out to ti the largest lake we had struck that day anthe on the irethe ice the snow was beaten hard bythe by the wind and away lie he went across with a fresh spurt sol so as night was rapidly coming on I 1 saw it was folly to co continue u the chase farther and gave it up As lon long ns as the chance of getting the game kept me up I 1 felt no fatigue but now I 1 could hardly drag my lepa legs as I 1 5 slowly made my way across on the arna arm of the lake to a sheltered spot to pass the night I 1 was worn out from the heavy snowshoeing hoeing and the want of something to eat for I 1 had not even munched my dry biscuit and seemed full of tonne tongue my tor for 1 w lantri ant I drink the first thing n theres it ot to get a drink so on enter enteric 1 IN timber I 1 cut down a small si U n and u d started tar t t to 0 make e a fire ere dry t isa edin mini to melt B I 1 c cupful u p f 0 of f snow 0 w into t 0 water thi 11 this quicker than cutting through 1 4 I three feet ot of ice to pet get at water two think of my surprise prise bot boys searching my pockets to find i m match a te 1 i M my bo box x I 1 ha had d fo forgot r 0 0 t only t tot 0 0 out u t 0 of f our ey camp am p t the he n night agh t b before 1 ter f r 0 n bitis w 1 toot of tho the mountain n and it ILI there to this day amon amongst gt the thetis tag lung sapa 14 ol 01 branches we laid upon well I 1 thought this will do 0 the fire is started irvill tako take rant lar cure care it dont go out I 1 built part a w fire on two green billets lal laid on snow and puthy tin cup fu full of 0 1 on top to melt while waiting tom toy th t to take place perhaps I 1 didat r against a blamed tree that 1 gre grew nc where I 1 sat watching the fire and fe hi y r c dead asleep and never woke jo until Q lot il ii after the fire had burnt itself dradon and myself about froze to the heart s 4 a 3 the first I 1 did thing was to thank t god that I 1 had awoke ania again in ilk i world for tired as I 1 was it pulled to sleep this day how I 1 shook off that hei heir me 7 I 1 when I 1 had my senses fully 0 me I 1 j budged by the alij height of the moon t I 1 above the tree tops that it mout be somewhere about nine ana aad U e 6 way some big spruce pine pina and liri were cracking with the frost was enough to keep heep weak nerves on oil the v go some of the reports were as loud guns going off sly first move was to fl the fire was really dead out yes ye too t 1 t true there was not a spot re malBin well here I 1 was in a pretty mess S least twenty five miles from camp and in what direction I 1 could not tell tin the sun came out of course I 1 could locate myself at t that moment by the moon but what tired man would undertake to guide himself through the underbrush day 1 ing the night I 1 no 0 blanket no fire and nothing to eat cat except dry edry biscuit which looked and felt like a stone in that cold ell cli mate things looked dull I 1 knew ahne to fall asleep the second time wy will death sure so to keep my mood blood warm wana and to keep my eyes open I 1 tra tramped around a large pine tree first with MY BIT snow shoes on and after the snow lie be came well packed I 1 walked around in my moccas ined feet the rest ol of that blessed night and this is themay I 1 call this yarn circulating because I 1 circulated around that tree all night did I 1 say all night it appeared to me i like oil all month or all winter I 1 wa never saw a moon take such a time to crawl up into the heavens as the one on duty that night its a true saying everything hu ha an end even that bitter cold night might came to in an end at last and although a iwas I 1 was both hungry and sleepy I 1 coull could not the temptation to follow 11 couple of miles on the moose tract track just to see how the fellow got along after dark 4 1 I had walked about three miles anil f was just on the point of turning lack back i when I 1 perceived the trail led out to lo a rocky headland or cape well I 1 said laid tr to myself we will just see how hoir he slid down there and then for home you can imagine my mygland glad feelings when on spying down over the p areri red i pice which was about ninety feet high i to see my moose planted across the trunk of a pine tree that lay crosswise on some other fallen trees that hung up cp four or five feet from the ground 1 I was not a great while malting making my way around to the foot of the louii tain and there I 1 w was as made acquainted with the whole state of affairs as it the moose had told me the story himself in running away for dear life lic these are bens own words and not a pun of the author in his mad rush and in the flickering light of f coming night in the forest lie he jumped clean out over the cliff and planted himself to alie heart ona on 1 length of irl dry limb standing strai straight Ait u up iron irom the pine trunk and here I 1 found him dead asked ii Lh hailey ailcy why yes answered hen ben leal lead as a last laa year s corpse 1 I began to skin him and cut the meat up rough so it would not till we could come and acet ct it thus employed I 1 heard a z wt rol quite cloae to where 1 was I 1 r 3 halloo and who do you snored cred aby my chuta was making his way lac t Vs jya short cut and hid jul ju i at 1 t lt it partridge lie ile was jl jut AJ hungry as I 1 yas was so we just t ir to and cooked ft hi high pilo of C r ls si 0 1 steaks after stowing as this as was good for us we live hail 1111 a loca smoke and a sleep the rest of the mora ing after dinner by taking a fity stray wit road that nick knew of we rc our head camp just at dark hc biad a mik 1 over our e evening pipe pip C we jaw about our moose moo se cnut alto nick ick was not so fortunate limb itow wa find his bis moose on a pine lie he even see him once during tic the daia ay run T but tell roc me ben said he be after a 1 hall had told him my iny story and the D lus broud had passed why did you walk aroun the tree all WOW night frola 0 why I 1 ansi answered verea to keep freelin freezing I 1 had no matches 1 you had your gun you yo why darn it yes but I 1 never I 1 tim t thought hou ht of that w way ay to nial make e a 3 take nick hick I 1 said 1 I wish you would 1 me outside tile ca camp m p and kick kic only in good BUT bui he wo would uld not and ow laid back and laughed lau S Y bedget |