86 BY ESKIMO DOG-SLED 



nearest to it would slink off to the other 

 side of the group. Meanwhile Johannes was 

 chopping a frozen seal into fragments. He 

 spread the pieces on the snow, and called 

 " Taimak " (ready). 



There was a pricking of ears and a lolling 

 of tongues : Julius quietly moved to one side, 

 and with a mighty pounce the dogs were on 

 top of their food. Yelping, snapping, snarling, 

 gulping, the wise ones bolted the frozen meat, 

 bones and all, as fast as they could pick it 

 up. Some showed a little more refinement, 

 but the dog that picked up a chunk and 

 wandered aside to eat it at leisure got only 

 a poor share. It was evident that the only 

 way to get enough was to be quick ; and it 

 was marvellous how soon that frozen seal was 

 demolished. It was the work of a few seconds. 

 One of the drivers always stood by to see fair 

 play, while the other carried the load off the 

 sled and piled it inside the snow house. 



I used to sit in my sleeping-bag to have my 

 supper, and the house was so cold that I had 

 to wear thick woollen gloves a new fashion, 

 you may well think, for the supper table ; but 

 then, you see, we had only a thin wall of snow 

 between us and the cold night air, and we 

 dared not have a fire for fear of melting the 

 house and bringing the whole of it tumbling 



