52 The Musk-ox 



tainly will never be through their killing by white 

 men or Indians. If any great value attached 

 to the hide, it might be another story; but the 

 truth is that the musk-ox robe is not a valuable 

 fur, is sought after, indeed, but very little. It is 

 too coarse to wear, and the only use to which it 

 seems admirably adapted is as a sleigh-robe. 



There is no difficulty in getting Indians for 

 the summer hunt, for then the labor is slight as 

 compared with snow-shoeing, and there need be 

 no considerable worry about provisions. Nor 

 would there be but very little trouble in secur- 

 ing Indians for the early autumn. The great 

 difficulty I encountered in organizing my party 

 was due solely to the time of year in which I 

 made the venture. I was not particularly seeking 

 hardship, but I had to go when I could get away 

 from my professional duties, and that brought 

 me to Great Slave Lake the first of March. 

 February and March are the two severest months 

 of the entire year in the Barren Grounds. It is 

 the time when the storms are at their height and 

 the thermometer at its lowest. No one had ever 

 been into the Barren Grounds at that period, 

 and the Indians, who are very loath to venture 

 into an unknown country or at an unusual season, 



