90 My Dogs in the Northland 



other side of the fire, the Indians and my- 

 self watched his marvellous movements. 

 To say that we laughed until we cried, is 

 putting it very mildly. But little cared 

 Jack for our laughter. It was serious busi- 

 ness with him, and seriously and thor- 

 oughly did he attend to it, until every bit 

 of the ice was melted, and all that cold 

 water was dried off from his now glossy 

 coat. During all the time he had been at- 

 tending to this work, not once had he con- 

 descended to notice any one of us, or even 

 apparently to look at us. And of course we 

 were so pleased to see him so able to do the 

 work without us that we took very good 

 care not to bother him in any way. When 

 he was satisfied himself, that he was all 

 right, we speedily harnessed him again in 

 his place, and the journey was resumed. 

 Jack was none the worse for this ducking, 

 but he was ever afterward a little cautious 

 where the ice seemed insecure. This adven- 

 ture, with Jack's marvellous cleverness in 

 hopping around that fire in the woods to 

 melt off that icy coat of mail and so thor- 

 oughly dry himself, was one of the principal 

 camp fire stories among the Indians for 

 many a year. 



