88 My Dogs in the Northland 



roused himself up and appeared to realise 

 that his life depended upon his quickly get- 

 ting to that distant shore, and so he sprang 

 to his work with an energy that won the 

 admiration of us all. He seemed to take the 

 rest of his train, as well as the cariole, and 

 his master, in that race for his life. No 

 other train was within a half of a mile, 

 when we dashed up from the lake into the 

 welcome forest, and so no shirt was won 

 that day. 



As rapidly as possible our axes were at 

 work, and as one Indian after another ar- 

 rived, dry dead trees were quickly cut down 

 and a good fire was soon burning on the 

 spot, from which the snow had been cleared 

 away. Before this bright fire a buffalo robe 

 was thrown down, and Jack, still encased 

 in ice, and about as white as the spotless 

 Koona, was placed upon it. I had feared 

 that it would require not less than two of 

 us to hold him near enough to the fire, in 

 order that the ice might be speedily thawed 

 off. 



When the temperature is forty or fifty 

 below zero out in the open air, there is not 

 much thawing power, except very near to 

 the blaze, and most dogs have a very 



