44 HUNTERS AND HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 



thirty miles wide. The consideration that we 

 were imprisoned and helpless was not consoling. 

 We were in God's hands, however, and we 

 dismissed anxiety. 



Questioning our guide as to what sport 

 might be anticipated on the island, he pointed 

 out to me a valley in which he said he had 

 often seen musk-oxen, affirming that quite 

 recently he had succeeded in shooting four of a 

 herd of fifteen. This might well have been, 

 inasmuch as the musk-ox leaves its higher 

 fastnesses in the winter and comes to the water 

 near the shore. In the autumn it seeks the 

 shelter of the valley at the foot of the mountain. 

 As regards reindeer, our guide had not seen one. 

 He had come across several old traces just as 

 we ourselves had at French Island in 1905. 



Ptarmigan, which are very numerous here 

 in winter, disappear in the spring. Finally, he 

 told me that white hares were very numerous, 

 but were to be found in still greater numbers on 

 Walrus Island. 



The trappers had built a second hut on Cape 

 Herschell. Had we but followed our first in- 

 tention of landing there, we would undoubtedly 

 have found good sport. 



The hunters had captured alive one blue 

 and two white foxes. I particularly desired to 



