284 HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 



railway found an easy gradient to cross the watershed. 

 Lunch was served at Terrace, a paper town, the future 

 metropoUs of a farming region. Fabulous prices for 

 tovm lots and higher values on farms than obtained in 

 the tliickly settled Atlantic states were freely quoted and 

 gave a fictitious atmosphere to the cautious visitor. 



A large fish-packing factory was opened to our inspec- 

 tion on the water front of Prince Rupert. Thousands of 

 salmon and halibut were brought here daily by the fish- 

 ing boats, dressed and cooked in cans or frozen or mild- 

 cured in brine. We walked through the great refrig- 

 erating rooms where thousands of tons of fish were laid 

 up in shelves to await a favorable market. The manager 

 pulled a big hahbut out and dropped it on the cement 

 floor. *'It won't break," he reassured the ladies, as the 

 grotesque thing boimded on the pavement with a clatter 

 like a wooden bowl. 



One of the reception committee to welcome our party 

 at Prince Rupert was Frank Mobley, a tall man of few 

 words. He appeared to know all the game of North 

 America and after a time we asked if he had ever tried to 

 get musk-oxen. 



"Oh, yes," he replied, as though he would not have 

 referred to it unless it had been mentioned in the con- 

 versation. 'T was one of a party that made a trip for 

 musk-oxen. The trip took us a year. We went down 

 the Mackenzie River about 2,000 miles, employing native 

 guides. These led us purposely away from the game 

 until we discharged them, because they feared a curse if 

 we took the animals ahve out of the country, as there 

 was a tradition to this effect. Finally with our own 

 efforts we sighted a herd and set our dogs loose. The 

 musk-oxen were soon bayed up in a circle, their heads 



