112 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ing tlie winters it was dragged home bj the dogs. Here it was 

 cut into the proper lengths for the stoves and piled up in the yard. 

 AVhen required, it was carried into the kitchen and piled up in a 

 large wood box. This work was generally done by Indian men. 

 When none w^ere at hand the Indian girls had to do the work, but 

 it was far from being enjoyed by them, especially in the bitter cold 

 weather. It was suggested one day that Jack could be utilized 

 for this work. With but little instruction and trouble he was in- 

 duced to accept of the situation, and so after that the cry, " Jack, 

 the wood box is empty! " would set him industriously to work at 

 refilling it. 



To us, among many other instances of dog reasoning that came 

 under our notice as the years rolled on, was one on the part of 

 a large, powerful dog we called Cajsar. It occurred in tlic spring 

 of the year, when the snow had melted on the land, and so, with the 

 first rains, was swelling the rivers and creeks very considerably. 

 On the lake before us the ice was still a great solid mass, several 

 feet in thickness. Near our home was a now rapid stream that, 

 rushing down into the lake, had cut a delta of open water in the 

 ice at its mouth. In this open place Papanekis, one of my Indians, 

 had placed a gill net for the purpose of catching fish. Li^dng, as 

 he did, all winter principally upon the fish caught the previous 

 October or November and kept frozen for several months hung 

 up in the open air, we w^ere naturally pleased to get the fresh 

 ones out of the water in the spring. Papanekis had so arranged 

 his net, by fastening a couple of ropes about sixty feet long, one 

 at each end, that when it was securely fastened at each side of the 

 stream it was carried out into this open deltalike space by the force 

 of the current, and there hung like the capital letter U. Its upper 

 side was kept in position by light-wooded floats, while medium-sized 

 stones, as sinkers, steadied it below. 



Every morning Papanekis would take a basket and, being fol- 

 lowed by all the dogs of the kennels, would visit his net. Placed 

 as we have described, he required no canoe or boat in order to 

 overhaul it and take from it the fish there caught. All he had to 

 do was to seize hold of the rope at the end fastened on the shore 

 and draw it toward him. As he ke])t pulling it in, the deep bend in 

 it gradually straightened out until the net was reached. His work 

 was now to secure the fish as he gradually drew in the net and 

 coiled it at his feet. The width of the opening in the water being 

 about sixty feet, the result was that when he had in this way over- 

 hauled his net he had about reached the end of the rope attached 

 to the other side. When all the fish in the net Avere secured, all 

 Papanekis had to do to reset tlie net was to throw some of it out 



