260 i Thirty Years , 
but also hazardous in the highest degree; for the 
sides of the hills, as is usual throughout the barren 
grounds, abounding in accumulations of large angular 
stones, it often happened that the men fell into the 
interstices with their loads on their backs, being de- 
ceived by the smooth appearance of the ee snow. 
If any one had broken a limb here, his fate ‘would 
have been melancholy indeed ; we could neither havd 
remained with him, nor seen him on. “We haligt 
at-ten to gather tripe de roche, but it.was so frozen,” 
that we were quite benumbed with cold before a suffi- 
ciency could be collected even for a scanty meal. Qn- 
proceeding, our men were somewhat cheered, by obs 
serving on the sandy summit of a hill, from whence 
the snow had.been blown, the summer track of a man ;* 
and afterwards by seeing several deer tracks on the 
snow. About noon the weather cleared up a little, ' 
and, to our great joy, we saw a herd of musk-oxen 
grazing in a valley below us. The party instantly 
halted, and the best hunters were sent out ;.they ap- 
proached the animals with the utmost caution, no less” 
than two hours being consumed before they got within ° 
gun-shot. In the meantime we beheld their proceed- 
ings with extreme anxiety, and many secret prayers 
were, doubtless, offered up for their success, At 
length they opened their fire, and we had the satisfac- 
tion of seeing one of the largest cows fall; another | 
