172 Thirty Years 



gave way, and three men were precipitated into the 

 water, but were rescued without farther damage than 

 a sound ducking, and the canoe fortunately (and nar- 

 rowly) escaped being crushed. Perceiving one of the 

 Indians sitting on the east bank of the river, we 

 landed, and having learned from him that Akaitcho 

 and the hunters had gone in pursuit of a herd of musk 

 oxen, we encamped, having come twenty-four miles 

 and a half. 



In the afternoon they brought us the agreeable 

 intelligence of their having killed eight cows, of which 

 four were full grown. All the party were immediately 

 despatched to bring in this seasonable supply. A 

 young cow, irritated by the firing of the hunters, ran 

 down to the river, and passed close to me when walk- 

 ing at a short distance from the tents. I fired and 

 wounded it, when the animal instantly turned, and 

 ran at me, but I avoided its fury by jumping a: ide 

 and '.retting upon an elevated piece of ground. In the 

 mean time some people came from the tents, and it 

 took tn flight. 



The musk oxen, like the buffalo, herd together in 

 bands, and generally frequent the barren grounds du- 

 ring the summer months, keeping near to the banks 

 of the river, but retire \n the woods in winter. They 

 seem i" 1"' less watchful than most other wild ani- 

 and when grazing are no 1 difficult to approach. 



