The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1910-07-07
MUSK OXEN AS LIFE SAVERS

MUSK OXEN AS LIFE SAVERS.
An instalment of Peary's story of
his journey to the pole deals with the
hunting, by means Of which the par
ys STOCK OF provisions for the win
Ter was very materially helped out.
AT nrst. game was so scarce that he
was good deal worried.
Only few hares and foxes were So
cured and he began to fear that he
himself on his latest previous expe-
dition had killed off the musk OK. on
which Arctic explorers have largely
depended for fresh meat. But he had
Detter luck when with the three Es-
kimos he made a weeks trip to ex-
plore Clements Markham Inlet.
"On the next march" he writes IN
Hampton's, I'VE had gone only some
SIX or seven miles when, rounding
point on the eastern shore of the in
let, Ooh-loo-yah and 1 at the same
moment saw black dots on distant
hillside.
Oomingmukane,' said Ooob-loo-
yah excitedly, and nodded to him.
well pleased.
10 the experienced hunter with
one or two dogs seeing musk oxen
should be the same as securing them
There may be travelling over the
roughest kind of rough country. with
WIND In the face and cold in the
blood, but the end should always be
the trophies of hides, horns and
juicy meat.
For myself / never associate the
idea OF sport with musk oxen-too
often In the years gone by the
sighting OF those black forms has
meant to me the difference between
death and life. In 1899 in Independ-
ence Bay the finding of a herd of
musk oxen sa' ID the lives of my en-
tire party. On my way back from 81
degrees b minutes in 1906 if l had
not found musk oxen on the Mares
Land the bones of my party would
now be lying up there in the great
| white waste.
| When Oob-ioo-yah and l saw the
slgnifcant black dots in the distance
we headed for them. There were
nve close together and another a little
way on. When We got within less
than a mile two of the dogs were
loosed. They were wild with excite
ment, for they also had seen the
| piack dots and knew what they
meant, and as soon as the traces were
untastened they were off-straight as
the flight Of bee.
| we followed at our leisure. know
Ing that when we arrived the herd
| would be rounded up, ready for our
| rlnes. A single musk OK when he
| sees the dogs will make for the near
est CHI and get his back against II.
Dut herd Of them will round up in
the middle of a plain, with tails to-
gether and heads toward the enemv
Ihen the bull leader of the herd will
take his place outside the roundup
and charge the dogs. When the lead
er Is shot another takes his place and
go on.
few minutes later stood again.
as had stood on previous expedi-
tlons, with that bunch of shaggy
piack forms, cleaning eyes and
pointed horns before me-only this
time II did not mean life or death.
Yet as ] raised my rifle again
1elt clutching at my heart that terri
Die sensation Of life hanging on the
accuracy OF my aim; again in my bones
l felt that gnawing hunger of the
past, that savage lust for red, warm.
dripping meat-the feeling that the
woif has when he pulls down his
quarry. He who has ever been really
hungry, either in the Arctic or else
where, will know what mean. Some
times the memory of it rushes over
me In unexpected places. have felt
1t after a hearty dinner, in the streets
OF great city when a lean faced beg
gar has held out his hand for aims
| Il pulled the trigger and the bulI
leader of the herd fell on his
hauIches. / had found the vulnera-
Die spot under the shoulder. where
one should always shoot a musk OK.
TO aim at the head is a waste of am
rpunition. AS the bull went down
out OF the herd came a COW. and T
also brought her down with one shot
The others, second COW and two
| yearIingS were tho worl 90 - g.