172 Thirty Years 
gave way, and three men were precipitated into the 
water, but were rescued without further 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 aside 
and getting upon an elevated piece of ground. In the 
mean time some people came from the tents, and it 
took to 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 to the woods in winter. They 
seem to be less watchful than most other wild ani- 
mals, and when grazing are not difficult to apprcach, 
