Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-11-08

Lieut. Schwatka as a Susk-ox Hunter.
The leader of the overland arctic ex-
pedition of 1879 describes, in the Sep
tember Century, "a Musk-ox Hunt"
with the aid of numerous illustrations.
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 and 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 few
of the poorer dogs in charge of the In
mutt women, who had come along for
that purpose, and who would follow on
the trail with the empty sledges rs soon
as firing was heard. The dogs, many
of them old musk-ox hunters, and with
appetites doubly sharpened by hard
work and constantly diminishing ra-
ton, iugged like mad at their seal-skin
harness lines, as they malt buried their
eager noses in the iumbled snow of the
trail, and hurried their attached human
being along at flying rate that threat
ened broken limb or neck at each of
the rough gorgcS 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 astonish-
ing. Whenever steep valley was en-
countered the Eskimos would slide
down on their feet, in sitting posture,
throwing the loose snow to their sides
like escaping steam from Kissing loco
motive, 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 a constantly accelerating gait,
their guns in the meantime being held
in the right hand or tightly lashed upon
the back.
"We had hardly gone mile in this
harum-Scarum chase before it became
evident that the musk-oxen were but u
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 a perfect bewilderment of flying
snow and tiuttering 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 a rapid series of sharp
reports from the breech-loaders and
magazine guns of the advanced hun
tiers. We white men arrived just in
time to see the final struggle. The OK
en- presented d 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 plunging 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 hair-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-ox;
for they will follow up leash along the
ground with rapidity and certainty
that would do credit to tight-rope per-
former, and either paw the poor crea-
ture to death or fling him high in the
air with their horns"