38 The Musk-ox 



fresh sledge-dogs and men and provisions at every 

 post, which carried me to the next post north, 

 whence men and dogs returned to their own 

 post, while I continued north with a new supply. 

 Although there was comparative plenty at the 

 time of my trip, so carefully are the stores 

 husbanded that I never could get supplies more 

 than just enough to carry me to the next post; 

 and these were invariably skimped, so that for a 

 five days' journey I habitually started with about 

 four days' supplies. 



Thus it is easy to see why there were no pro- 

 visions at Great Slave Lake for me to draw on ; 

 and, as I have said, had there been an abundance, 

 it would have been impossible for me to carry 

 them (and would be equally so for any one else 

 venturing into the Barren Grounds at the same 

 season of the year) simply for lack of transpor- 

 tation, which, after all, is the great problem of 

 this North Country. One would think that in a 

 land where the only means of travel for most 

 of the year, where almost the very existence of 

 the people depends so largely on sledge-dogs, 

 there would be an abundance of them and of the 

 best breed; yet the truth is that sledge-dogs of 

 any kind are scarce even on the river thorough- 



