THE DOGS LET LOOSE 145 



certainly be a proper shindy when all this pack got 

 loose. But before we gave them their liberty we were 

 obliged to disarm them, otherwise the inevitable free 

 fight would be liable to result in one or more of them 

 being left on the battle-field, and we could not afford 

 that. Every one of them was provided with a strong 

 muzzle; then we let them loose and waited to see what 

 would happen. At first nothing at all happened; it 

 looked as if they had abandoned once for all the thought 

 of ever moving from the spot they had occupied so long. 

 At last a solitary individual had the bright idea of 

 attempting a walk along the deck. But he should 

 not have done so; it was dangerous to move about 

 here. The unaccustomed sight of a loose dog at once 

 aroused his nearest neighbours. A dozen of them flung 

 themselves upon the unfortunate animal who had been 

 the first to leave his place, rejoicing in the thought of 

 planting their teeth in his sinful body. But to their 

 disappointment the enjoyment was not so great as they 

 expected. The confounded strap round their jaws made 

 it impossible to get hold of the skin; the utmost they 

 could do was to pull a few tufts of hair out of the object 

 of their violent onslaught. This affair of outposts gave 

 the signal for a general engagement all along the line. 

 What an unholy row there was for the next couple of 

 hours! The hair flew, but skins remained intact. The 

 muzzles saved a good many lives that afternoon. 



These fights are the chief amusement of the Eskimo 



VOL. I. 10 



