Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-19
MUSK OXEN AS LIFE SAVERS.
Times When They Kept Peary and His
Men From Starvation.

The latest installment of Peary's
story of his journey to the pole deals
with the hunting, by means Of which
the party's stock of provisions for the
winter was very materially helped out
At first game was so scarce tnat he
was q good deal worried.
Only a few hare and foxes were
secured and he began to fear that
he himself, on his latest previous ex-
pedition, had killed off the musk o..
upon which Arctic explorers have large
had better luck when with three Es-
kimos he made a weeks trip to ex-
plore Clements Markham Inlet.
''On the next march," he writes to
Hampton's, I'VE had gone only some
six or seven miles when rounding
a point on the eastern shore of the
inlet, Oob-loo-yah and l at the same
moment saw black dots on a distant
hillside.
"Oomingmusksue!" said Oob-loo-
yah excitedly, and l nodded to him,
well pleased.
ITO the experienced hunter with
one or two dogs seeing musk oxen
should be the same as securing them.
There may be travelling over the
toughest 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 sight
ing of those black forms has meant
to me the difference between death and
life. In 1899 in Independence Bay
the finding of a herd of musk oxen
saved the lives of my entire party
On my way back from 81 degrees
minutes in 1906 II had not found
musk oxen on Mares Land the bones
of my party would now be lying UP
there in the great white waste.
when Oob-loo-yah and 1 saw the
significant black dots in the distance
we headed for them. There were five
close together and another a little
way Off 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 black
dots and knew what they meant, and
as soon as the traces were unfasten-
ed they were off-straight as the
flight of a bee.
I'VE followed at our leisure, know
ing that when we arrived the herd
would be rounded up, ready for oul
rifles. A single musk OK when he sees
the dogs will make for the nearest
cliff and get his back against it, but
a herd of them will round up in the
middle of a plain, with tails to-
gcther and heads toward the enemy
then the bull leader of the herd vii
take his place outside the roundup
and charge the dogs. When the
leader is shot another takes his
place, and so on.
"A few minutes later / stood agar
as had stood on previous expeditions
with that bunch of shaggy black
forms, cleaning eyes and pointed
horns before me, only this time it die
not mean life or death.
Yet as 1 raised my rifle again
felt clutching at my heart that terri.
BILE sensation of life hanging on the
accuracy of my aim; again in my
bones l felt that gnawing for red
warm, dripping meats-the feeling
that the wolf has when he pulls dowl
his quarry. He who has ever beer
really hungry, either in the Arctic ol
elsewhere, will know what l mean
Sometimes the memory of it rushe:
over me in unexpected places.
have felt it after hearty dinner, II
the streets of a great city when
lean faced beggar has held out hi:
hand for aims.
Il pulled the trigger and the bul
leader of the herd fell on his haunch
es. | had found the vulnerable spo
under the shoulder, where one shoult
lalways shoot a musk OK. To aim a
the head is a waste of ammunition
AS the bull went down out from the
herd came a COW, and 1 also brough
her down with one shot. The 9th
ers. a second COW and two yearlings
were the work of q few minutes.