SLEDGE DOGS OF THE NORTH. 181 



them, bringing you safely to tbe place even if 

 l)uried under the snow. 



They eat eacli other's flesh wolf -like with 

 gusto and will tear their fellows to pieces in 

 fight or injury, unless beaten, torn apart or sepa- 

 rated by a man of whom they are afraid. They 

 hate water in winter as much as tliey love it in 

 summer when they frequent the salmon streams 

 and support themselves b^^ fishing, pounce upon 

 ncaring fish of any size that approach them, 

 much as does the bear, two of them even tackling 

 an immensely big fish and fighting to secure and 

 bring it to shore. As bear, muskox, or reindeer, 

 dogs, a pack of them will invariably round up, 

 hold or drive anything sighted within reason- 

 able distance so long as the hunters will follow 

 on, needing but little urging, as they realize the 

 prospect of a ^'good big feast,'' hence get busy 

 to the end ; younger dogs often paying the pen- 

 alty with their lives but seldom older ones. 



As a rule, rawhide or seal harness is used 

 in the far north, Alaska and Greenland and by 

 the Esquimaux but with the explorers these con- 

 sist mostly of canvas collar like attachments 

 made of fourfold strips, two of which pass or 

 slip over the critter's back, the other two be- 

 tween the forelegs, the whole united to a trace 

 and this in turn fastened by a toggle, hook or 

 ring to the sledge or drag rope. The dogs are 



