I 52 My Dogs in the Northland 



is total blindness. On this special journey 

 a number of the best Indian guides suffered 

 very severely, and so with bandaged eyes 

 they were only able to keep up by each hold- 

 ing on to a, rope fastened to the hind end of 

 the dog sleds. 



One night while they were in their camp, 

 there was a heavy fall of snow. In that cold 

 land the snow does not pack hard upon the 

 land or ice, but is light and is very easily 

 lifted up by the first high wind that comes 

 along. These winds, when they are fierce 

 and strong and follow soon after a downfall 

 of snow, constitute a blizzard. 



A real blizzard should not be confounded 

 with an ordinary snow storm. The blizzard 

 is the after storm, and generally takes place 

 when there is not a cloud in the sky. It is 

 really only a high, fierce wind that lifts up 

 the light,, dry snow, that may have fallen 

 days before, and drives and whirls it along 

 with such fury that the air is at times thick 

 with it, while every road or trail is simply 

 obliterated. The falling of this additional 

 quantity of snow, to which we have referred, 

 did not much disturb either the whites or 

 Indians of our travelling party. In fact, as 

 it came down upon them after they were 



