284 My Dogs in the Northland 



meets with a recompense that pays him for 

 all his dangers in blizzard storms and in 

 frigid camps, even if the bitter cold has 

 nearly, if not quite, chilled him into that 

 exquisite but delusive delirium which, un- 

 less he be speedily aroused therefrom, is 

 quickly followed by death. 



When first he wends his way with his 

 dog-trains into the pagan regions he finds 

 that although the Indian men are most ad- 

 mirable hunters, yet the shot deer has to be 

 carried home on the back of the mother or 

 wife, while the man, with his gun on his 

 shoulder, stalks on ahead. When the pa- 

 tient woman has skinned and cooked the 

 venison, she has to go and sit apart with 

 the girls and dogs while the men and boys 

 fill themselves with the savoury meat. Then 

 what is left they are allowed to share with 

 the dogs. Often did the men amuse them- 

 selves by throwing the partially picked 

 bones to see them fought for by the dogs 

 and women. In some places in those days 

 it was a sin for a woman to grow old, for 

 then, when her strength departed and she 

 could neither snare rabbits nor catch 

 fish, she was cruelly put to death. But 

 the dog bells on the collars of the dogs 



