THE MUSK-OX HUNT n j 



On the ninth day we traversed the largest lake seen north of 

 the Great Slave Lake, which I think must be the Rum Lake of 

 Franklin; it was called Ko-a-ka-tcai-ti by my companions. 

 Away toward the northern end of the lake, four or five peaks 

 were visible; two of these were lofty cones, standing pure 

 white in their snow mantles; identical in size and shape, with 

 almost perpendicular sides. 



We crossed two gravel ridges, trending southeast and north- 

 west, and again encountered the hills of naked granite, strewn 

 with great angular boulders, which necessitated constant watch- 

 fulness to prevent our sleds from being broken. These vehicles 

 were the common birch flat sleds of the north, fifteen inches in 

 width and seven feet in length. They soon became grooved 

 from end to end by the sharp points of rocks lying just below 

 the surface of the snow, which plowed across the bottom, 

 ordinarily as smooth as glass, and made the sled much harder 

 for the dogs to haul. Still Jimmie's old gray blanket led the 

 way, straight over the hills, never swerving from a northeast 

 course. Sometimes we would ascend for an hour, and then 

 go pell-mell down a steep incline for two or three hundred 

 feet, holding back our sleds with all our strength, yet landing 

 in the drifts at the bottom, with the sled-dog dragging under 

 and the rest of the team tangled in the harness. 



The caribou were now quite abundant, and we had little diffi- 

 culty in killing enough for men and teams. My dogs were keen 

 hunters and were always ready to dash after the herds of gray- 

 hued caribou, which swept over the snowy slopes like the shad- 

 ows of swift-flying clouds. The only way that I could restrain 

 them was to overturn the sled. In the evening, when they were 

 released from the harness, they would pursue any caribou which 

 might appear near our camp, which caused me considerable 

 anxiety, as the dismal howl of the never-distant wolves gave 

 warning of their certain fate if they left the camp. One of the 

 giddes was lost in this way. 



On the tenth day Johnnie, with three other Indians and my- 

 self, separated from the others and turned a little more to the 

 northward. We were now in what the Dog Ribs designated 

 the Musk-ox Mountains. After running about ten miles, Esyuh, 

 who was in advance, suddenly turned and began to make 

 frantic gestures. Over the hills, a mile away, appeared a black 



