A SURVEYOR'S LIFE, AND SHOOTING. 265 



so then I plodded up to the place where I had last seen the oxen. 

 A while afterwards I saw my companion with the dogs, and went 

 a little slower, so that he might catch me up ; but I need not have 

 done this, as he had not gone far before he came to the conclusion 

 it was not good enough, and returned to camp. The dogs were 

 some distance in front of me, and somewhat to the right. I could 

 see they had winded game, but I did not think very much of it, 

 as there were countless fresh polar-ox tracks in all directions. The 

 country was now rather more broken, and by this I knew it could 

 not be long before I reached the place where I had seen the 

 animals. I therefore kept a sharp look-out forward, but there 

 was not a living thing to be seen except the dogs, which were 

 about a good half-mile away from me. Just by chance I happened 

 at this time to look to one side, to the left, and there, in a hollow 

 of the valley, saw not, indeed the four or five oxen I was after, 

 but a whole herd of something like thirty animals. 



' To make the situation clear, I give a sketch of the country on 

 the next page. 



' Point 1 shows where I was when I caught sight of the herd. 

 Point 2 the herd, which was lying down. 



' My companion could not have gone very far back by this, so 

 I fired a shot to attract his attention. The report was not loud, 

 and did not reverberate as it would between mountains, but it 

 was loud enough to bring the animals to their feet. This was 

 tiresome, but it was more tiresome that my companion did not 

 seem to have heard the shot, for I saw nothing of him. 



' It would cost least time and trouble, I thought, to go straight 

 at the herd and shoot an animal ; possibly I should then get the 

 dogs back, and perhaps the other animals would go off if they 

 were left alone. No sooner thought than started on ; but I had 

 not gone far before the whole herd turned round and ran, one 

 after the other, slantwise up the side of the hill, and took their 

 stand at point 3. Here they had a good position of defence, but 

 as the land behind them rose still higher, in small terraces, 

 I could not be certain they would remain where they were. I 

 thought I had better try to cut them off from ascending this hill, 

 and so went round to point 4, according to the dotted line. As I 



