328 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



that tliey had climbed to a steep snow furrow on the 

 outer slope of the roof-shaped mountain. As we knew 

 that by following them we should only hasten their flight, 

 we sat down and took some refreshment. It did not 

 escape us, however, that the oxen had ceased to mount, 

 and had withdrawn to the north-west side of the moun- 

 tain. Here the ground was very uneven; deep rifts, 

 alternating with stony hills. We now distinctly saw 

 that one of the bulls was less active than the other, and 

 as the unharmed one seemed resolved not to leave his 

 comrade, they went but slowly forward. We waited 

 until they were out of our sight behind the hills, and then 

 followed as quickly as the stony nature of the ground 

 permitted. We now passed quickly, but cautiously, one 

 hilly range after another, and, at every open spot where 

 the oxen might perceive us, we looked carefully to see if 

 they were not in the next hollow. Thus we had passed 

 several hills, and had begun to fear that our prey had 

 escaped us again, when at that moment we espied the 

 back of one. It was grazing, and coming straight 

 towards us. I fell back at once, and, after drawing 

 Wagner's attention, dropped upon hands and knees, and 

 thus approached the unsuspecting beast. Before they 

 suspected anything, we were alongside of all three. 

 Wagner's Austrian breech-loader and my double-barrelled 

 gun made it possible to give them the three shots in as 

 many seconds ; one of the oxen was quite incapable of 

 combat. Wagner looked after the other, with which it 

 seemed that he would have enough to do. The poor 

 terror-stricken cow tried to blunder down the slope, and 

 I ran after her. In two or three minutes I stood but a 

 few steps from her and fired, aiming at the head. It was 



