304 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



they were so tender that walking became extremely 

 painful. However, there was nothing to do but re- 

 cover the kuletar, and exercise was necessary to keep 

 my blood in circulation until I secured its protection, 

 which I finally did. 



The experience of the other hunters was similar to 

 ours. They had secured the smaller herd, but the ani- 

 mals were killed on a mountain-side, and two rolled 

 to the bottom with more or less injury to the skins. 



However, to my particular satisfaction, this party 

 captured two calves alive. One of the objects of 

 my adventure was to secure some live calves, in the 

 hope that I might eventually succeed in bringing 

 them home as a zoological contribution. With this 

 in view I had taken upon the komatiks a good supply 

 of condensed milk, as food for them, for I realized 

 that any animals small enough to capture alive would 

 still be suckling calves. 



It was a tedious journey back to camp. For fif- 

 teen consecutive hours I had been exerting myself 

 to the limit of my physical endurance, and during this 

 period not a morsel of food had I taken. Let the 

 hunter who passed through similar experiences pic- 

 ture, then, the satisfaction and anticipation with 

 which I rested and watched a pot of musk-ox meat 

 boil for supper, sniffing its appetizing odor. 



Imagine my feeling when Eiseeyou, who was 

 sitting near, sprang to his feet and began talking 

 earnestly and excitedly to the others. He spoke so 

 rapidly that I could make out but one word, Oming- 

 mong! Omingmong means musk-ox, and when the 



