Book: Good Cheer Stories Every Child Should Know

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Just then, however, their other horse neighed long and shrill from the
top of the bank, calling to its mate. The frightened horse beside them
neighed back in reply.

These equine salutations produced an unexpected result. Another hoarse
snort and a splash of the water was the response from across the
stream.

"He's coming again!" exclaimed Jonathan. "Have you got the
powder-horn, Nat? Give it to me quick, if you've got it!" Nathaniel
had had the powder-horn up on the bank, but had dropped it there, or
lost it out of his pocket in his scramble down the bluff.

There was no time to search for it. The moose was plunging through
the narrow stream, and a moment later sprang ashore and came bounding
up the gully toward the horse.

The boys shouted to frighten him off. The crazy creature appeared
neither to hear nor heed. Jonathan hastily took refuge behind a rock;
Nat jumped to cover of a tree trunk.

In his rush at the horse, the moose passed close to them. Again Nat
hurled the axe at the animal's side. Jonathan, snatching up a heavy
stone, threw it with all his might. The horse, too, wheeling in the
narrow bed of the gully, kicked spitefully, lashing out its iron-shod
hoofs again and again, planting them hard on the moose's front.

For some moments this singular combat raged there. Recovering the axe
and coming up behind the animal, Nat now attempted to deal a blow. The
moose wheeled, however, as if struck by sudden panic, and went clear
over Nat, who was thrown headlong and slid down into the water.

The moose bounded clear over him, and again went splashing through the
Little Androscoggin to the other side, where it turned as before,
shaking its antlers and rending the brush with them.

Nathaniel had caught hold of a bush, and thus saved himself from going
fully into the swift current. Jonathan helped him get out, and the two
young fellows stared at each other. The encounter had given them proof
of the mad strength and energy of the moose.

"Oh, if we could only find that powder-horn somewhere!" Jonathan
exclaimed.

The horse up on the bluff sent forth again its shrill neigh, to which
the one beside them responded.

And just as before, the moose, with an awful bellow, came plunging
through the little river and bounding up the gully.

"My soul! Here he comes again!" Jonathan fairly yelled. "Get out o'
the way!"

And Nat got out of the way as quickly as possible, taking refuge
behind the same rock in the side of the gully.

Again the place resounded to a frightful medley of squeals,
bellowings, and crashes in the brush. This time Jonathan had caught up
the axe, and approaching the furious melee of whirling hoofs and
gnashing teeth from one side, attempted to get in a blow. In their
wild movements the enraged animals nearly ran over him, but he struck
and stumbled.

The blow missed the moose's head, but fell on the animal's foreleg,
just below the knee, and broke the bone. The moose reared, and
wheeling on its hind legs, plunged down the gully, falling partly into
the river, much as Nat had done.

A dozen times it now struggled to get up, almost succeeding, but fell
back each time. With the ardour of battle still glowing in him,
Jonathan rushed forward with the axe, and finally managed to deal the
moose a deathblow; with a knife they then bled it, and stood by,
triumphant.

"We've muttoned him! We've muttoned him!" Nat shouted. "But I never
had such a fight as that before."

The horse, as it proved, was not seriously injured, but they were
obliged to cut away the alder brush in the gully to get the animal
back up the bluff, and were occupied for fully an hour doing so.

The body of the moose was a huge one; it must have weighed fully
fourteen hundred pounds. The boys could no more have moved it than
they could move a mountain. Moreover, it was now beginning to snow
fine and fast.

Jonathan had a fairly good knife, however, and by using the axe they
succeeded in rudely butchering the carcass and dismembering it. Even
then the quarters were so heavy that their full strength was required
to drag them up the bluff and load them into the wagon. The head, with
its broad, branching antlers, was all that they could lift to the top
of their now bulky load.

The task had taken till past four o'clock of that stormy November
afternoon. Twilight was upon them, the wintry twilight of a snowstorm,
before they made start; and it was long past midnight when they
finally plodded home.

There were corncake and moose venison for Thanksgiving dinner.

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