THE MUSK-OX HUNT 



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They held a split stick over the affected ankle while a second 

 stick was turned through one revolution, tightly squeezed in the 

 split. They insisted that I should do this for myself which 

 seemed to afford them great satisfaction, especially as the pain 

 left me soon afterward. 



On the fifth day we traveled eighteen hours and reached Rae 

 after one of the hardest day's travel of the whole trip. The 

 snow was rapidly melting, enabling us to find drinking water on 

 the ice beneath the snow crust, through which we frequently 

 broke with our snow-shoes. 



As my weary dogs crept over the hill into Rae and dragged 

 the load of five complete skins and heads of musk-ox in front 

 of the door which they had left two months before, they sank 

 down utterly worn out. I lifted them out of the harness and 

 prepared my evening meal with slow and exhausted movements, 

 but sustained by a devout feeling of thankfulness that the jour- 

 ney had been successful. 



I had worn goggles constantly to avoid snow-blindness, 

 which causes great suffering among those natives who are not 

 so fortunate as to have protection of some sort for their eyes. 

 Wooden protectors, such as are used by the Eskimos, are un- 

 known by the Dog Ribs. Goggles of smoked, blue, or green 

 glass are in demand, though enough for all have never been 

 brought in by the traders. The smoked glass is the best. Veil- 

 ing is used when glasses are not to be had. I never heard of 

 a Dog Rib blackening his face to prevent snow-blindness. 

 While in the Winnipeg region I saw a pair of "horsehair gog- 

 gles," which were superior to any other protectors for the eyes 

 that I ever met with. They were made entirely of hair, woven 

 in a loose mesh, convex over the eyes. I should advise any- 

 one intending to travel in the North to provide himself with 

 them, in preference to glass which is coated with frost at every 

 change of temperature, is always cold to the face and liable to 

 be broken. 



From the experience gained during that eight hundred-mile 

 trip, and from conversation with Mr. Mackinlay, at Resolution, 

 I am satisfied that Resolution is a much better post from which 

 to hunt musk-ox than Rae. The Dog Ribs now trade at both 

 stations, and Beniah, one of the most enterprising of that tribe, 

 for the last five years has killed musk-ox within two days' 



