San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-10-04

IA
rbs leader of the overland Arctic
edition of 1879 describes, in the
s nr.,yv. "a Musk-Ox Hunt" He
.ss al their first chase after the game /:
sG,eat fears were entertained by the
s"srienced hunters that the musk
s,en had heard our approach, and
s ~sre now probably doing their level
s s' to escape. The sledges were
;mmediately stopped and the dogs
andy unhitched from them, one to
. 'Sree OF four being given to each of
.hs eleven men and boys, white or
native, that were present, who, taking
.heir harnesses in their left hands or
wing them in slipnooses around their
waists, started without delay upon the
,rail, leaving the two sledges and q
iew of the poorer dogs in charge of
tbe Innuit women, whe had come
along for that purpose, and would
toIlow on the trail with the empty
sIedges 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, tuggsd
like mad at their-skin harness lines,
as they half buried their eager noses
IN the tumbled snow on the trail, and
hurried their attached human being
along at o flying rate that threatened
broken limb or neck at each of the
rough gorges and iutting precip,ces 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 astonish-
ing. Whenever steep valley was
encountered the Esquimos would
slide down on their feet, in a sitting
posture, throwing the loose snow to
their sides like escaping steam from
q kissing locomotive, until the bottom
was reached, when, quick as thought,
they would throw themselves at full
length upon the snow, and the wild,
excited brutes would drag them up
the other side, where, regaining Their
feet, they would run on at constant
ly.accelerating gait, their guns in the
meantime being held in the right
hand or tightly dashed upon the back.
I'VE had hardly gone a mile in
this harumscarum before it became
evident that the musk oxen were but
q short distance ahead on the keen
run, and the foremost hunters began
loosening 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 ar
rows, and disappeared over the cresb
of the hills amidst perfect bewildeHs
ment Of flying snow and fluttering
harness traces. The discord of shouts ,
and howlings told us plainly that
some of the animals had been brought
70 bay not far distant, and we soon {
heard rapid series of sharp reports {
rom the breech- leaders and magazine {
,uns of the advance hunters. We !
White men arrived just in time to see
he final struggle. The oxen present ,,
d the most formidable looking ap- ,
earance, with their rumps firmly
7edged together, a complete circle Of S
waying horns presented to the front, q
Ike red-hot shot amidst the escaping S
team from their painting nostrils, and t
awning and plunging at the circle of t
lrlous dogs that encompassed them. ;
he rapid blazing Of magazine guns ,
ght in their faces-so close, often, as =
, burn their long, shaggy hair-add- s
1 to the striking scene. Woe to the t
Ver-zealous dog that was unlucky q
,ough to get his harness line under /
lie hoofs of a charging and Infatuated 1
usk-ox; for they will follow up
ash along the ground with rapid
and certainty that would do credit 7
tight-rope performer, and either +
wv the poor creature to death or {
ng him high in the air with their J
'rns." fl