Voyageur, the Matchless Leader 147 



strong ice, was the duty of the leader dog, 

 if no well-trained Indian guide was at the 

 front. It was in just such dangerous places 

 that Voyageur seemed to excel. He was 

 sensitive to a degree and wished to be let 

 alone. All he wanted to know was the direc- 

 tion ahead in which he was to go, and no 

 matter how much he had to twist and turn 

 around these bad, treacherous spots in the 

 ice, he kept the goal ever in view and would 

 reach it with unfailing accuracy. 



This even Jack and Cuffy would never do. 

 They were too sympathetic to be reliable as 

 guides. Sometimes when I have put one or 

 the other of them at the head to try them 

 they would do fairly well for a time but 

 when a specially dangerous place had been 

 safely passed they would be so delighted 

 over the feat that they would sometimes, 

 without a word having been said, abruptly 

 turn round and come to me, apparently 

 either to be commended for their good work 

 or to see how I had survived the ordeal. 

 This was very pleasant and kindly on their 

 part, but it was not first-class dog travelling 

 or indicative of the highest qualifications on 

 the part of a leader. Several times it put 

 us in very awkward predicaments, in places 



