The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-09-29

ters beside himself, not counting two
nearly full grown Eskimo boys, who
killed nearly thirty apiece, and the
four white men. While the latter
were armed they did but little hunt
ing. I tried to discourage it, as it
interfered with more important duties,
except when absolutely necessary, or
in occasional leisure moments to sat-
fly their desire for sport. In the way
of other game he even excelled this
proportion, killing more than half
the muskoxen, all of the Polar bears,
seventy out of eighty odd seal, and
others in the same ratio. After our
return, and before our departure for
the United States, the Eskimo in the
vicinity had again secured about four
hundred reindeer. In this contest, as
in the others, Toslosah held his rank
as the mightiest Nimrod of them all.
Modesty Interferes with the Count.
1t was, however, on the sledge trip,
where accurate game scores were kept
of everything larger than ptarmigan
or elder duck, and where nearly all
the incidents passed directly under
our eyes, that the most interesting
hunting adventures were noted; for
in all others Toslosah's modesty was
so great that we were left in igno-
rance if they savored the least of self
laudation. For the first few days
out from the seashore, cutting across
country for the Arctic Sea, we did not
kill much game, as it was very scarce
and exceedingly shy from having
been so constantly hunted by the ma
tives along the coast, but here Tos
losah killed nearly all that was Sc
cured. | considered this record even
better than one later, when the game
was more abundant and easier of ap-
proach. Toslosah's sledge was al
ways in flont, as he was the best
sledgeman and dog driver as we'll as
the best hunter. To him fell the
duty of selecting the way through a
country as strange and unknown to
the Eskimo, after getting back fifty
or sixty miles from the coast, as it was
to the white men.
Sample Hunting Excursion.
One stormy day we remained over
in camp, as we had plenty of food.
The numerous signs of reindeer in
the vicinity, however, made Toslosah
nervous; SO he sailed out in the blus
tering weather, taking his usual sup
ply of ammunition, the eight charges
in the magazine of his Winchester.
In an hour or two he came back to
get the dogs and an empty sledge,
saying that he had killed seven rein
deer with the eight shots in his Win
chester. He verified the report by
bringing in eight deer, having secur-
ed the eight while Oh the second trip
to bring in the seven. On this occa-
sion he killed two reindeer at one
shot, and during the whole sledge
trip this feat was performed by him
just dozen times. Once he killed
three with one ball. / do not mean
that he would kill one and only
wound another, but the two every
time would be shot so that no furth-
er firing was needed.
Killing Two Reindeer with One Ball.
There was one of these occasions
that was particularly striking, and it
happened on our return winter
journey during some terribly cold
weather when we were almost desti-
tute of provisions. When the ice
formed on the salt water all the many
reindeer we saw on the island of King
Williams Land migrated southwark.
The last drove was seen by us the
first of October. We had journeyed
third of the way home, when on the
twelfth of December two reindeer
were reported ahead on the western
side of Baed's Great Fish River on
the ice where we were sledging. They
were in plain sight, and a most well
come one it was, SO long had we been
deprived of it. AS they moved down
from the hillside to the river ice they
disappeared behind an island, both
ends of which were in sight. The
sledges were stopped, and the Eski-
mo hunters, five in number, started
forward, Toslosah gaining the upper
end of the island first. Running like
a racehorse ne soon disappeared
around it. In few seconds more we
heard shot that was very distinct in
the confined valley. We waited pa
tiently for second as we were over
anxious to get both animals, but we
heard none, and more singular still
saw nothing of the other reindeer