Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-12-15
LIEUT.. sCHWATKA AS A MUsK-oX
HUNTER.

The leader OF the overland arctic cx-
petition of 1879 describes, in the Sep
TENDER Century, "A Musk-OX Hunt
with the aid of numerous illustrations.
He says of their first chase after the
game: '"Great fears We're 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 inn
mediately stopped and the dogs rapidly
unhitched from them, from one To three
or four being given to each OF the eleven
men and boys, white or native, that
were present, who, taking their harness
es in their left hands or tying them in
slip-nooses around their waists, started
without delay upon the trail, leaving
the two sledges and few OF the poorer
dogs in charge of the lnnuit women,
who had come along for that purpose,
and who would follow on the trail with
the empty sledges as soon as firing was
heard. The dogs, many of them old
musk-oX hunters, and with appetites
doubly sharpened by hard work and a
constantly diminishing ration, tugged
like mad at their seal-skin harness lines,
as they half buried their noses in the
tumbled snow of the trail, and hurried
their attached human being along ut a
flying rate that threatened Il broken
limb or neck at each of the rough gor-
ges 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 is astonishing. Whenever Il steep
valley was encountered the EsquimauX
would slide down on their feet in a sit
ting posture, throwing the loose snow
to their sides like escaping steam from
a kissing locomotive, until the bottom
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 a constantly ac-
celebrating gait, their guns i'll the mean
time being held in the right hand or
tightly dashed upon the back.
awe had hardly gone mile in this
harum-scarum chase before it became
evident that the musk-oXen were but n
short distance ahead on the keen run,
and the foremost hunters began loosen
ing 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 baying, as
they shot forward like arrows, and dis
appeared over the crests of the hills
amidst perfect bewilderment of flying
snow and fluttering 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 jus
in time to see the final struggle. The
oxen presented most formidable-look
ing 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 plunging at the circle of fu-
rious dogs that encompassed them. The
rapid blazing of magazine guns right in
their faces-so close, often, as to burn
their long, shaggy hair-added TO the
striking scene. Woe to the over-zealous
dog that was unlucky enough to get his
harness line under the hoofs OF a charg-
ing and Infatuated musk-ox; for they
will follow up leash along the ground
with rapidity and certainty that would
do credit to tight-rope performer, and
either paw the poor creature to death or
fling him high in the air with their
horns"