146 VIKINGS OF TO-DAY 



with soft mud, which at once freezes. This is next 

 frozen on to the wood, and then planed or chopped 

 smooth with an adze. As there are no reins, the 

 leading dog is trained to obey the voice. At the 

 shout "Auk" he goes to the right, and at "Ra" to 

 the left, and so on, the others all following him. If 

 those behind are not pulling well, the leader will 

 drop back among them and bite at them. They 

 always pull in the same place in a team. Thus three 

 dogs, the whole team of a poor man, were lent to 

 pull with six others. They were first placed in front, 

 but would not pull, being frightened at so many dogs 

 behind them. When, however, the leader was left in 

 front and the other two put last of all, the whole 

 team ran capitally. Mr. Young tells us he once put 

 a young dog in front of his old leader, a magnificent 

 old fellow on whom he always could rely in danger. 

 Before he had, however, mounted the komatik, he 

 found the pup scampering away loose the leader 

 had bitten through the traces. He refastened it three 

 times, always with the same result. At last he gave 

 his old leader a good whipping. The old dog's spirit 

 was completely broken by this treatment, and it so 

 felt its double disgrace, it was never, to the day of 

 its death, the same brave, trusty dog. 



The dogs greatly enjoy their work, and when 

 harnessed in get tremendously excited, at times even 

 turning on their own drivers. To correct them a 

 short whip, with an enormously long lash, all of 

 walrus hide, is so dexterously used that an expert 



