DOGS AND SLEDGES 101 



The word " husky " is Northland slang for Eskimo, and is 

 generally applied to that arctic denizen himself, as well 

 as to everything belonging to him. Their dogs (hitched 

 abreast instead of in single file) are properly called huskies, 

 and thus it has come about that all dogs used to drag a 

 sledge are ignorantly so called. The genuine husky is a 

 distinct species, larger, more powerful, and faster, and is 

 not easily to be had, since the Eskimos, like the Indians, 

 are somewhat indifferent to their breeding, and good dogs 

 are highly prized. Moreover, there is no communication 

 between the Eskimos and the more southern Indians, so 

 that a genuine husky is a rara avis below the arctic coast. 



The Indians say their dogs are descended from the wolf, 

 and certainly appearances do not belie them. Names are 

 more plentiful than dogs, and the most commonly heard 

 are Castor, Cabry, Soldat, Caesar, Cabrel, Coffee, Milord, 

 the popular ones being those of two syllables, with an R 

 that may be rolled out to the whip's accompaniment. 

 Nearly every post has a Bull and a Whiskey only the 

 name of that civilized stimulant can be found in all this 

 land, though occasional hilarity is developed by some 

 poor stuff made from sugar, and called beer. Whiskey 

 was invariably the most forlorn-looking dog in the pack, 

 while the laziest brutes I encountered were Bulls. 



One would suppose that in a country literally depend- 

 ent on dogs for winter transportation, quantity and at 

 least some degree of quality would be kept up. And yet 

 such is not the case. Not only is quality wanting, but 

 the quantity is limited. The Hudson Bay Company, 

 strangely enough, seems to have made no effort to im- 

 prove or even establish a breed, and at their more impor- 

 tant posts rarely maintain more than one train, and never 

 more than two. Throughout the length of my trip I saw 

 just seven trains of dogs that could be called first class 



