Hunting Musk-Ox with the Dog Ribs 



After running about ten miles I was re- 

 called by the signalling of another searcher. 

 Johnnie had been found by his brother, 

 safely and snugly rolled up in a couple of 

 musk-ox skins which he had secured, where 

 he had been warmer than if in the lodge; 

 and with plenty of frozen marrow to eat 

 he had been quite comfortable. 



On the sixteenth day we continued the 

 journey northward. With the field-glass 

 I discovered a band of fourteen musk-ox 

 on the summit of a high hill, so far away 

 that it was impossible to distinguish them 

 from the surrounding bowlders with the 

 unaided eye. In a couple of hours we 

 were within half a mile of them, and re- 

 leased the dogs, which soon disappeared 

 over an intervening ridge. My compan- 

 ions had concluded, from the way that I 

 had run, or failed to run, on the two pre- 

 vious occasions, that I could not run very 

 far, and that their best plan to keep me 

 from bringing a magazine-gun into com- 

 petition with their muzzle-loaders, was to 

 give the musk-ox time to get far enough 

 away so that they could plant me in the 

 race. I had prepared for this occasion by 

 taking off some of my clothing, and only 

 carrying the ammunition actually required ; 

 so that when they did begin to run at a 



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