146 CKUISE 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- 

 rnnners. 



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 



