126 My Dogs in the Northland 



they were then transferred to an Indian 

 skiff, and in this primitive boat, packed in 

 with fur traders' outfits, they finished their 

 long journey aud reached our Mission none 

 the worse for their many adventures. One 

 thing that perhaps more than anything else 

 deterred unprincipled dog fanciers from 

 stealing either of them, was the pathetic 

 engraving on the brass plates on the collar 

 of each dog. It read as follows : — 



" A poor Missionary's dog, 

 Please don't steal him." 



This proved a sufficient deterrent, and so 

 my two valuable dogs reached me in safety. 

 Years after, I travelled over that same wild 

 route by which these dogs had come, and 

 was not a little amused by hearing the com- 

 ments of several persons, who admitted that 

 they had cast covetous eyes upon those mag- 

 nificent dogs, but had been restrained from 

 stealing them by the warning legend on 

 their collars. 



Cuffy was not only very beautiful in ap- 

 pearance, but she was also so affectionate 

 and docile in every way, that Mrs. Young 

 speedily claimed her as her special posses- 

 sion, and the claim was never after dis- 



