Yard by yard, through snow less than knee-deep, they made for the trees, seeing the animals more plainly as they went. There was no doubting it—a moose bull and several cows were in that bunch of trees, browsing about.
Within a hundred yards the boys saw a great bull lift his head, hold it high, seeming to sniff, and then turn directly toward them. He saw the boys coming. Instantly he trotted off toward the right, the cows all following on a gallop. It was the Old King Moose himself!
The boys ran as hard as they could toward that end of the grove, and the bull turned back. He stopped to look at his enemies. The boys closed in. The big bull moose pawed the ground with his fore feet, and the lads knew he was angry.
His head went up, a loud bellow came from him, and he charged straight for them!
CHAPTER XXIV
THE VICTORIOUS HUNTERS
“Scatter away out!” yelled Frank. “Get away from him and get to those trees! Keep your guns ready!”
The boys had stopped at the first evidence of the moose’s charge, but now they scattered still further, so that the big fellow could charge on but one of them at a time.
The one he chose for his first victim was Frank, who was at the center of this string of boys.
As he came straight for Frank, the boy started moving in a circle off to the right, the moose changing his own path so that he would meet Frank. His red eyes, flashing fire, his head tossed back, snorting, he made directly for the boy!
As the big bull came bearing down on Frank at full speed, the young fellow stopped like a dead weight, changed his path and darted past the moose to his left as the big animal threw out its forefeet to strike Frank down.