Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-09-11
a mUsK-ox HUNT.

Lieutenant Schwatka, the leader of the
overland Arctic expedition of 1879, de.
cri6es, ia the September Century, musk
OK hunt. He says of their first chase after
the game "Great fears were entertained
by the experienced hunters that the musk.
oxen had heard our approach, and were
now probably doing their level best to
escape. The sledges were Immediately
stopped and the dogs rapidly unhitched
from them, from one to three or four
being given to each OF the eleven men or
boys, white or native, that were present,
who, taking their harnesses in their left
hands or tying them in slip -nooses around
their waists, started without delay upon
the trail, leaving the two sledges and a
few of the poorerdogs in charge of the Innuit
women, who had come along for that pur-
pose, and who would follow on the trail with
the empty sledges as soon as firing was
heard. The dogs, many of them old
muskox hunters, and with appetites
doubiy sharpened by hard work and a
constantly diminishing ration, tugged like
mad at their sealskin harness lines, as they
half buried their eager noses in the tum-
bled snow of the trail, snd hurried their
attached human being along at flying
rate that threatened broken limb or neck
at each of the rough gorges and jutting
precipices OF the broken, stony hill-land,
where the exciting chase was going on.
The rapidity with which an agile native
hunter can run when thus attached to two
or three excited dogs i8 astonishing
Whenever steep valley was encountered
the Eskimos would slide down on their
feet, in q sitting posture, throwing the
loose snow to their sides like escaping steam
from Kissing locomotive, until the bot.
tom was reached, when, quick as thought,
they would throw themselves at full
length upon the snow, and the wild, ex-
cited brutes would drag them up the other
side, where, regaining their feet, they
would run on at constantly accelersting
gait, their guns in the meantime being
held in their right hand or tightly lashed
upon their back. We had hardly gone
mile in this harum-scarum chase before it
became evident that the musk-oxen were
but a short distance ahead on the keen
run, and the foremost hunters began leos-
ening their dogs to bring the oxen to bay
as soon as possible and then, for the first
time, these intelligent creatures gave
tongue in deep, long baving, as they shot
AOA 6Au lint A4IOhS3 anu ulsdpp6dI6u ONct
the crests Of the hills amidst perfect be-
wilderment of fying snow and futtering
harness traces. The discord of shouts and
howlings told us plainly that some of the
animals had been brought to bay not
far distant, and we soon heard rapid
series OF sharp reports from the
breech-loaders and magazine guns of the
advanced hunters. We white men arrived
just in time to see the final struggle. The
oxen presented most formidable. looking
appearance, with their rumps firmly
wedged together, complete circle OF
swaying horns presented to the front, with
great blood-shOt eyeballs glaring like red
hot shot amidst the escaping steam from
their painting nostrils, and paving and
plungipg at the circle of furious dogs that
encompassed them. The rapid blazing of
magazine guns right in their faces-so
close, often, as to burn their long, shaggy
hsir-added to the striking scene Woe
to the over. Jealous dog that was unlucky
enough to get his harness line under the
hoofs of a charging and infuriated musk
OK; for they viii follow up leash along
the ground with rapidity and certainty !
that would do credit to tight. rope per. |
former, and either paw the poor creature
to death or fling him high in the air with !
their horns"