THE FIRST MUSK-OX 217 



wearily to the top of one of the many rocky ridges we had 

 been going up and down all day, almost dreading to make 

 the usual survey for the game we had looked for so often 

 and in vain during the last two days. One quick, eager 

 glance, that turned to despair as neither musk-ox nor 

 caribou was to be seen in any direction, and we sat down 

 to draw consolation and nourishment from our pipes. 



Suddenly keen-eyed Beniah jumped to his feet, and then 

 on top of a rock, where he stood excitedly pointing to the 

 northwest, and tremulously repeating "Ethcn! cthcn!" as 

 though to convince himself that his eyes were not play- 

 ing him false. We were all standing in a second, staring 

 into the horizon where Beniah pointed ; but I could not 

 discover anything, except what seemed to be a vapor com- 

 ing up out of the rocks four miles away, and that I did 

 not at once recognize as the mist which arises from a herd 

 of animals when the mercury is ranging between 60 and 

 70 below zero, and may be seen five miles away on a clear 

 day. A long look through my field-glasses told me the 

 " rocks" were animals of some sort, but not caribou ; and 

 as I handed the glasses to Beniah I said, " Ethen, ilia" 

 and motioned him to look. I think he was nearly as 

 much exercised by the power of the glasses as by the 

 prospect of game ; at all events, so soon as he got them 

 ranged on the vapor he set up a yell that I interpreted to 

 mean cjcri, and made a rush for his sledge. 



Instantly there was excitement enough on top of that 

 ridge to put life into eight hungry men. I never beheld 

 such agitation. The Indians for a minute huddled to- 

 gether, chattering and grinning and gesticulating, and 

 then each man rushed to his sledge and began slipping 

 his dogs from the harness. I knew then we had sighted 

 musk-ox. Of course I had suited my action to the Ind- 

 ians', and began unhitching my dogs also, but my harness 



