Success and Failure 



capturing of the calves was a ridiculously easy piece 

 of work. The cows tossed their heads, watched the 

 dogs, and forgot their young. The first cast of the 

 lasso settled over the neck of a little fellow. Jones 

 hauled him out over the slippery snow and laughed 

 as he bound the hairy legs. In less time than he had 

 taken to capture one buffalo calf, with half the effort, 

 he had all the little musk-oxen bound fast. Then he 

 signaled this feat by pealing out an Indian yell of 

 victory. 



&quot; Buff, we ve got em,&quot; cried Rea; &quot; an now for 

 the hell of it gettin em home. I ll fetch the sleds. 

 You might as well down thet best cow for me. I 

 can use another skin.&quot; 



Of all Jones s prizes of captured wild beasts 

 which numbered nearly every species common to 

 western North America he took greatest pride in 

 the little musk-oxen. In truth, so great had been 

 his passion to capture some of these rare and inac 

 cessible mammals, that he considered the day s work 

 the fulfillment of his life s purpose. He was happy. 

 Never had he been so delighted as when, the very 

 evening of their captivity, the musk-oxen, evincing 

 no particular fear of him, began to dig with sharp 

 hoofs into the snow for moss. And they found moss, 

 and ate it, which solved Jones s greatest problem. 

 He had hardly dared to think how to feed them, and 



175 



