146 cruise OF THE NEPTUNE 
the dog-sled on the east coast of Hudson bay, where drift- 
wood is abundant, varies in length from twelve to twenty feet, 
sixteen feet being an average length. The runner is usually 
formed of one piece the length of the sled, but in the north, 
where wood is very scarce, the sled is shorter, and the runners 
are frequently formed of two or more pieces spliced and lashed 
together with seal line. where wood cannot be obtained, whale- 
bones form a substitute, and even ice is sometimes used as sled- 
runners. 
The runners vary from two to three inches in thickness, and 
are four to eight inches deep. They are placed about fifteen 
inches apart, thus forming a long narrow sled. They are joined 
by a number of cross-bars, which vary from three to six inches 
in width and are about an inch thick. They are placed close 
together when possible, and cover the space between the runners 
extending from the rear end for two-thirds the length of the 
sled. These cross-pieces are securely lashed to the runners with 
seal-line, no nails being used in the construction of the sled. 
The ends of the bars project a short distance outside the 
runners, and are there nicked for the lash-line with which the 
load is secured to the sled. The runners are shod with ivory, 
bone from the jaw of the whale, or with hoop iron or steel. 
Shoeing made of pieces of walrus ivory is most prized. The 
ivory is cut into slabs about a half an inch thick; holes are bored 
through the slabs at intervals of about an inch, and the slabs 
are attached to the runner by wooden pegs through these holes. 
The slabs are rarely more than eight inches long, and a great 
deal of ingenuity is often displayed in the fitting of them to 
cover the bottom of the runner. An ivory-shod sled is one of 
the most valuable possessions of an Eskimo. 
When whalebone is used it is attached to the runner in the 
same manner as ivory; that is, with small wooden pegs, but the 
slabs of bone are usually several feet in length. Iron or steel 
