HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS. 77 



animals, but he was not in luck that day. The shots did not seem 

 quite to take effect, and I thought I had better help at the 

 shooting down of the last of the animals. When the whole herd 

 had been done for we went up to it and began to count heads. Tt 

 is often quite a difficult matter to count the number of animals in 

 a square of the kind, particularly when, as then, there are young 

 animals among them. They stand so close, and are so long in the 

 hair, that the whole herd looks like a single shaggy mass. In 

 the end, however, we ascertained that eleven oxen had been killed. 



But on the field of battle kiy, unhappily, twelve animals. To 

 my great regret I found ' Basen ' lying among his fallen enemies, 

 on the farther side of the square. On looking closer we discovered 

 that a bullet which had first gone through one of the oxen had 

 afterwards struck the dog, penetrating both shoulders, so that he 

 must have fallen on the spot. I lost in ' Basen ' a good and 

 faithful dog ; we had been great friends the whole time, and 

 above all I was sorry to lose him in such a manner. On journeys 

 like ours, where so much depends on the dogs, relations spring 

 up of such mutual confidence and affection that one comes to 

 regard one's team as a band of friends. 



We set to work at once to open the animals, but before we 

 began on the skinning we fetched the sledges, pitched the tent, 

 and had something to eat. It did not take many minutes to make 

 some coffee, and still fewer to drink it and eat some sandwiches, 

 and after that we went back to our work with redoubled energy. 

 By evening there were only three animals still unskinned, and 

 they had to wait till next day. The oxen had not been shot 

 till four in the afternoon, so that we had every reason to be 

 satisfied with our day's work. 



It was arranged that the mate and Fosheim should drive to 

 Peder's camp next day to fetch some of the meat, and also bring 

 him back with them, so that each load might have its driver. 

 Meanwhile I undertook to skin the three animals which had not 

 yet been done. 



During the course of the afternoon all three returned ; Peder's 

 face radiant with delight at our good luck, though I am sure he 

 must have felt disappointed at never being with us when there was 



