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1861 Mon Mar. 4th least one that we could but imagine ourselves eating venison! Those who had guns seized them. Being among the anxious for a Feast I unsheathed my Rifle loaded it & placed it in the hands of my Innuit friend Que-jes-se! Giving him spare Balls, caps & powder I bid him: Go forth & bring back a deer. Though possessed of short pedals, yet he out stripped all! A crowd of interesting souls stood on deck looking over the larbored gunnels for the eventful moment of Que-jes-se's 1st shot. The wind favoring, blowing from the N., gave Innuit a fair chance - [[underlined]] that is, [[/underlined]] left him to, or nearly to the leward of the "snuffing" game. The deer, by our glasses, were coming down the Bay. [[underlined]] Two [[/underlined]] were all we could "spy", though some "black" peering out from the mountains of white in the back ground, made some of the men declare they could plainly perceive large numbers following after! One excited to a very "high pitch", a few minutes after, said there were vast numbers coming down the mountain's side, that would cover the whole Harbor! With all my care with my "Marine", I could see only TWO. But all were not possessed of glasses. Such as were minus, cheeringly anticipated that days would find them luxuriating on abundance of captured "deer of the snowy regions". One thing of these noble caribou, [[underlined]] Tarandus rangifer, [[/underlined]] I noticed: that one had only one horn. By this, I concluded the missing antler had been shed, they (the antlers) being deciduous, falling off annually. Fifteen minutes found Que-jes-se carefully "breasted" by a small Island. Toward this, Rein-deer approached. When within Rifle shot, Que-jes-se drew trigger! The "sharp crack" was [[underlined]] music [[/underlined]] to all aboard; but when we saw the game wheel around & dart away, the echo was jargon. Instantly, following the Rifle report, my "Greenlander" dog, "Bar-be-Kark", bounded away toward the "battle ground", followed by all my other Greenlanders. This dog-manoeuvre was [[end page]] [[start page]] 1861 Mon. Mar 4 deeply regretted by all as it promised to put an end to gaining another opportunity of firing at the game. Bar-be-Kark was soon on the track of retreating deer, the others a few moments in rear. Capt B. reasonably anticipating the end of this chase, said I might make up my mind never to see my "Greenlanders" again, as they would follow on for hours, & ultimately get lost. I began to feel sad - but I soon arrested this drift of my thoughts when I reflected: "Bar-be-Kark" understands what he is about. [[underlined]] He will return, [[/underlined]] & if he returns, of course, he will navigate his Company saftely back. I have seen too much of this "Knowing dog" (possessing almost a genius) to think he does not understand "Navigation"! At length, "Bar-be-Kark" sighted the pair. Instead of following tracks circuitous, flexuous, Mazy in course, he struck a direct line, thus exhibiting true Geometrical Knowledge - "the shortest distance between two points is in a straight (Right) line". The other dogs followed deer tracks, thus they fell far behind. On "Barbekark" went - his adoption of the anxiom stated above - leading him almost to the sorry heels of the fleet, proud antler sporters before him. Seeing how closely they were pursued, Rein-deer changed course from N.W. to S.W., the Knowing Chaser (B.) doing likewise. thus, for near 2 hours, did we see the contested race - first this way then that - now in a circle - Zig-Zag - now direct - then at right angles. All the dogs kept in pursuit. Barbekark's [[underlined]] Intelligence (?) [[/underlined]] his [[underlined]] Geometical evolutions [[/underlined]] made him [[underlined]] the [[/underlined]] lead. Rein-deer & dogs were finally
