Hunting Mnsk-Ox with the Dog Ribs 



bles, but fewer bowlders. Wherever the 

 wind had swept the surface clear of snow, 

 the reindeer moss (Cladonia rangiferina) 

 and tufts of low grass appeared. Toward 

 evening we passed a few old musk-ox 

 tracks. 



On the ninth day we traversed the lar- 

 gest lake seen north of the Great Slave 

 Lake, which I think must have been the 

 Cogead Lake of Hearne, and called by 

 my companions Coahcachity. Away to- 

 ward the northern end of the lake four 

 or five peaks were visible. Two of these 

 were lofty cones, standing pure white in 

 their snow-mantles, identical in size and 

 shape, with almost perpendicular sides. 



We crossed two gravel ridges trending 

 southeast and northwest, and again en- 

 countered the hills of naked granite strewn 

 with great angular bowlders, which neces- 

 sitated constant watchfulness to prevent our 

 sleds from being broken. 



These vehicles were the common birch 

 flat sleds of the North, fifteen inches in 

 width, and seven feet in length. They 

 soon became grooved from end to end by 

 the sharp points of rocks lying just below 

 the surface of the snow, which ploughed 

 across the bottom, ordinarily as smooth as 

 glass, and made them much harder for 



310 



