Page:Cornelia Meigs-The Pirate of Jasper Peak.djvu/88

 long reach of steady paddling while the river grew ever wider in its twisted course toward the  lake.

Hugh's blade rose and dipped with the weary regularity of a machine and his eyes were falling  to with sleepiness. But he was startled suddenly broad awake when they rounded a sharp bend and  came full upon a gigantic moose, its great shoulders, bearded chin and wide sweep of antlers  outlined sharp and black against the starlit water. The huge creature stood knee deep in the cool flood, a long string of wet lily pads still hanging  from its dripping jaw. It looked so big as to seem scarcely real and, for a second, stood as still  as though carved in stone. Then, with so mighty a splashing that the spent waves rocked  the canoe, the great beast plunged to the shore,  scrambled up the bank and was off through the  forest with a stamping and crashing that could  have been heard a mile away.

“Ah-h-h—!” sighed Hugh, letting out the breath that excitement had imprisoned within  him for a full minute.