had darted ahead of her calf,
seeming to shoulder it back, and in another moment the two were racing
swiftly into the North, the mother this time in the rear instead of
leading.

"I love moose," said Wabi, his eyes glowing. "Do you notice that I
never shoot them, Rod?"

"By George, so you don't! I never thought of it. What is the reason?"

"There are a good many reasons. Of course I have shot them, when in
very great need of meat; but it's an unpleasant job for me. You call
the lion the king of beasts. Well, he isn't. The moose is monarch of
them all. You saw how the mother moose acted. She led her calf when
approaching, because if there should be danger she wanted to meet it
first; and when she found danger she drove her calf ahead of her in
retreat, so that if harm came to either of them it would come to her.
Isn't that the human mother instinct? And the bull is glorious! In the
mating season he will face a dozen men in defense of his cow. If she
falls first he will stand between her body and the hunters' rifles,
pawing the earth, his eyes glaring defiance, until he is riddled with
bullets. Once I saw a wounded cow, and as she staggered away the big
bull that was with her hugged her close behind, never for a moment
leaving her exposed to the fire, but unflinchingly taking every bullet
in his own body. So beautiful was his courage that you would not have
known he was wounded until he fell dead in his tracks, literally cut
to pieces. It was that sight that made me swear never to kill another
moose--unless I had to."

Rod was silent. The mother and the calf had disappeared when he turned
to Wabigoon.

"I'm glad you told me that, Wabi," he said. "You are teaching me new
things about this big wilderness every day. I've shot one moose. I
won't shoot another unless we need him."

They went back to their old camp, and by the time Mukoki returned with
his second load everything was in shape for the night, and a supper of
delicious bear steaks, coffee and "hot-stone biscuits," as Rod called
their baked combination of flour, water and salt, was soon ready.
After their meal the three sat for a long time near the fire, for
there was still a slight chill in the night air, and talked
mostly about Wolf and his adventures. Rod, in his distant home in
civilization had read and heard much that was false about wild
animals, was confident that Wolf would find they had returned into the
wilderness and would join them again, and to