GREAT MORTALITY OF DOGS. 197 



Another fit followed soon afterward ; and then they 

 came one after another in rapid succession, until finally 

 its misery was relieved by death, which occurred in 

 less than twenty-four hours from the beginning of the 

 attack. Meanwhile I had watched it closely, hoping 

 to discover some clew to the cause, and to establish a 

 cure. But I could obtain no light whatever. Dissec- 

 tion revealed nothing. There was no apparent inflam- 

 mation either of the brain, the nerve centres, the spi- 

 nal cord, or the nerves themselves ; and I was wholly 

 at a loss to understand the strange phenomenon. That 

 it was not hydrophobia was shown by the fact that 

 the animal rather desired than shunned water. Many 

 of the symptoms attending that disease were, how- 

 ever, manifested ; but it did not, like hydrophobia, 

 appear to be communicated by the bite ; for those 

 dogs which happened to be bitten were not more 

 speedily attacked than the others. 



This case had scarcely reached its fatal termina- 

 tion before another was reported, and it was relieved 

 of its misery by a bullet. Seven died during four 

 days, and I saw with consternation my fine teams 

 melting away and my hopes endangered ; and while 

 this was in progress I could only look on and wonder 

 and experiment, but could neither stop the contagion 

 nor arrest the evil. 



Among the first dogs attacked was a superb beast 

 that I have before named. He was the best draught 

 animal of my best team, the second leader, — Karsuk. 

 I have never seen such expression of ferocity and mad 

 strength exhibited by any living creature, as he man- 

 ifested two hours after the first symptoms were ob- 

 served. Thinking that confinement might do good, 

 and desiring to see if the disease would not wear itself 



