TRAINING THE DOGS. 181 



distance can be seen ahead before the chffs shut the view in that 

 direction. The scene is one of a vast inland lake, enclosed on all 

 sides by cliffs and hills. 



Returning home I had a full view of the ridge across which the 

 portage here runs. Like many, which I saw in various other 

 places about the region, it is without doubt of glacial origin, and 

 was perhaps formerly of equal height with the surrounding elevations 

 on either side, but was worn down by the abrasion of some local 

 arms of the glacier entering the river — perhaps the course of the 

 former main glacial stream — at this point. 



In the evening I visited the Mission, and found a young folks 

 party in progress. It pleased me to see the effectual way that 

 the teachers had taken to reach the juvenile hearts, and promote, 

 for a couple of weeks to come, scholarly attainments in the reci- 

 tation room. 



Sunday the 13th. It snowed hard all day. Monday was no 

 better. It was St. Valentine's day, which is here rigidly kept like 

 the majority of other Saints' days and holidays, as a " fete day ;" 

 no one did any work, and while the women " slicked up," the men 

 got "set up " — if they could find anything to get set up with — and 

 spent the most of their time in smoking and sleeping. It snowed 

 steadily until Wednesday morning, when it stopped, for a short time 

 only, as if to ascertain the results, to begin again with renewed force 

 and violence. Sunday was about one of the most uncomfortable 

 days I experienced during the winter. The wind was cold and 

 piercing, strong and penetrating. The ground was covered deep 

 with snow, and the mist in the air — if I remember right — heavy 

 and wet. Monday the little puppies, now nearly two-thirds grown, 

 were broken into the komatik ; it was a most curious sight. The 

 process, though it appears brutal, is the only one that seems effect- 

 ual. The young dogs are taken and tied tightly into a harness, 

 an extra thong is passed into the mouth and then tied above and 

 around the whole muzzle as tightly as it can be drawn ; this is 

 done principally to prevent the animal from biting the thongs and 

 freeing itself. The other end of the harness is then fastened to 



