The Last of the Plainsmen 



his dogs over the smooth crust, and on the sixth 

 day, about noon, halting in a hollow, he pointed to 

 tracks in the snow and called out: &quot; Ageter! Ageter! 

 Ageter!&quot; 



The hunters saw sharply defined hoof-marks, not 

 unlike the tracks of reindeer, except that they were 

 longer. The tepee was set up on the spot and the 

 dogs unharnessed. 



The Indian led the way with the dogs, and Rea 

 and Jones followed, slipping over the hard crust 

 without sinking in and traveling swiftly. Soon the 

 guide, pointing, again let out the cry: &quot;Ageter!&quot; 

 at the same moment loosing the dogs. 



Some few hundred yards down the hollow, a 

 number of large black animals, not unlike the shaggy, 

 humpy buffalo, lumbered over the snow. Jones 

 echoed Rea s yell, and broke into a run, easily dis 

 tancing the puffing giant. 



The musk-oxen squared round to the dogs, and 

 were soon surrounded by the yelping pack. Jones 

 came up to find six old bulls uttering grunts of rage 

 and shaking ram-like horns at their tormentors. Not 

 withstanding that for Jones this was the cumulation 

 of years of desire, the crowning moment, the climax 

 and fruition of long-harbored dreams, he halted 

 before the tame and helpless beasts, with joy not 



unmixed with pain. 



17P 



