ANECDOTES ABOUT DOGS 341 



a horse and sledge the journey would scarcely have 

 amounted to five! 



" On rough ground, as on hummocks of ice, the 

 sledge would be frequently overturned, or alto- 

 gether stopped, if the driver did not repeatedly 

 get off and by lifting or drawing it on one side, steer 

 clear of those accidents. At all times, indeed, except 

 on a smooth and well made road, he is pretty con- 

 stantly employed, thus, with his feet, which, together 

 with his never ceasing vociferations and frequent use 

 of the whip, renders the driving of one of these vehicles 

 by no means an easy or a pleasant task. 



" When the driver wishes to stop the sledge, he 

 calls out ' Wo, woa,' exactly as our carters do, but the 

 attention paid to this command depends altogether on 

 his ability to enforce it. If the weight is small and the 

 journey homeward, the dogs are not to be thus delayed, 

 the driver is obliged therefore to dig his heels into the 

 snow, to obstruct their progress, and having thus suc- 

 ceeded in stopping them, he stands up with one leg be- 

 fore the foremost cross-piece of the sledge, till by 

 means of gently laying his whip over each dog's head, 

 he has made them all lie down. Even then, he takes 

 care not to quit his position; so that, should the dogs 

 set off, he is thrown upon the sledge instead of being 

 left behind by them. 



" With heavy loads, the dogs draw best with one of 

 their own people, especially a woman, walking a little 

 way ahead, and in this case they are sometimes enticed 

 to mend their pace by holding a mitten to the mouth 

 and then making the motion of cutting it with a knife 



