THE ESQUIMAUX DOG. 



209 



and in carriage. Indeed, those Dogs which are thus kept to their work during the entire year 

 are comparatively happy, for their work is not nearly so heavy as in the winter, and their food 

 is much better. 



The Esquimaux Dog is rather smaller than the Labrador, being only twenty-two or 

 twenty -three inches in height. There is something very wolfish about the Dog, owing to its 

 oblique eyes, bushy tail, and elongated muzzle. In its full face the Esquimaux Dog presents 



ESQUIMAUX DOGS. 



a ludicrously exact likeness of its master's countenance. The color is almost invariably a 

 deep dun, marked obscurely with dark bars and patches ; the muzzle is black. 



When harnessed to the sledge, the Dogs obey the movements of their leader, who is 

 always a faithful and experienced old Dog. There are no means of guiding the animals in 

 their way, for each Dog is simply tied to the sledge by a leathern strap, and directed by the 

 voice and whip of the driver. The whip is of very great importance to the charioteer, for by 

 the sounds which he elicits from the lash, and by the ably-directed strokes which he aims at 

 refractory Dogs, he guides the canine team without the aid of bit or bridle. 



