306 FRANTIC EFFORTS. 



working with my arms and legs against the sides of 

 the cleft, just as a sweep ascends a chimney ; but I was 

 so much shaken and bruised from the pommelling I 

 had received that I was hardly equal to the task. At 

 length, however, I stood upon the summit, which was 

 fully twenty feet above the ground below. I was now 

 much amused to observe the rage into which my escape 

 had thrown the musk-ox. He plunged round below, 

 making frantic efforts to spring up the rock ; and find- 

 ing this impossible, he seemed to challenge me to 

 descend, by making threatening motions with his head 

 and feet and then glaring savagely at me. I soon 

 began to wish the affair ended. I had no weapon, 

 except my rifle, and that lay among the stones at the 

 foot of the boulder, and directly in front of my enemy. 

 To regain it before being again assailed would be im- 

 possible. 



" On crawling to the very verge of the rock, I saw 

 the rifle underneath. Fortunately, it seemed to have 

 met with no injury, and was favourably placed for 

 recovery, if I had anything long enough to reach it. 

 On searching my pockets I found some deer -hide 

 thongs ; but on attaching them together I found they 

 would only reach half-way. I therefore sacrificed a 

 moccasin, and with the strips of hide thus obtained I 

 fashioned a kind of lasso, furnished at one end with a 



running noose. 



" After several fruitless attempts, which were re- 

 garded by my friend below as a covert attack on him- 



