He was sure that the game could not be much more than a mile ahead, and his soul was filled with the ardor of the chase.

He was confident that he was pursuing a big bull, as the fact was indicated by the size of the prints, the length of the stride, and the height at which the moose had browsed on the twigs.
There were other facts he had learned among the Iroquois, indicating to him it was a bull.

While the tracks were pointed, they were less pointed than those the cow generally makes, and the twigs that had been nibbled were those of the fir, while the cow usually prefers the birch.
The tracks now seemed to Robert to grow much fresher.

Tayoga, with his infallible eye and his wonderful gifts, both inherited and improved, would have known just how fresh they were, but Robert was compelled to confine his surmise to the region of the comparative.

Nevertheless, he knew that he was gaining upon the moose and that was enough.