ALONG THE GREENLAND COAST 155 



There were nine of us, Henson, myself and seven 

 Eskimos. Clark and Pooblah and Panikpah had not 

 reached camp when we started. Less than half-way- 

 over Henson dropped out and went back. I should 

 have been glad to, but the musk-oxen meant too much 

 to us. I felt the safety of the party resting on me, we 

 had scant cartridges, could not afford to waste one, 

 and I could not trust my excited men. 



When within a couple of miles of the animals I began 

 to worry. We were in plain sight of them and it 

 seemed as if our snowshoes made a noise like thunder. 

 Then I feared the few things of hair and bone which 

 we called dogs would not have strength to round up our 

 quarry. 



When within a mile I put two Eskimos in advance 

 with two dogs and followed close behind with my 

 carbine. 



When the gray dog saw the musk-oxen and was 

 loosened, my fear came on again; had he strength 

 enough to overtake them and then to dodge their horns? 



The shore here was a steep bank like a railway fill, 

 with a slope of about 30 degrees and three hundred 

 feet or more in height. The animals were just a little 

 back of the crest of the bank. 



Like a thin shadow the gray dog went straight up the 

 slope, the little black bitch following, and I saw the 

 musk-oxen start to run, then round-up together. 

 Then as the crest of the slope hid them from me, I 

 saw the body of the poor bitch go into the air from the 

 horns of the bull. Poor thing, she had been very 

 faithful but her courage was greater than her strength, 

 and the sharp horns had been too quick for her. 



