140 My Dogs in the Northland 



We used up all the other sturgeon ere we 

 cast our hungry eyes on Cuffy's queer play- 

 mate. We let it live, and they enjoyed their 

 strange gambols together, until the winter 

 was close at hand and the water had become 

 so icy cold that it seemed cruel to allow 

 Cuffy to plunge into it. Then we feasted 

 upon it. But what an attraction it would 

 have made for an enterprising showman ! 



Living on fish, as we were obliged to do 

 in those days, for nearly all the winter 

 months, it was a. great pleasure to go off to 

 the goose hunt in the spring with the pros- 

 pect of returning with a number of those 

 splendid game birds. I will tell of Cuffy's 

 first encounter with an old goose, which, 

 although wounded, had still enough fight in 

 him to keep at bay for a time even the re- 

 doubtable Cuffy. 



As was but natural, I felt quite proud 

 when I saw my first wild goose drop, slowly 

 it is true, from the passing flock at which I 

 had fired, and light with a broken wing far 

 out on the distant ice-field. I had with me 

 one train of dogs. These I had ordered to 

 crouch low at my feet while I fired. Cuffy's 

 quick eye was the first to catch sight of the 

 wounded goose, even while it was high up 



