TDRNEK.l THE DOG SLED. 243 



suffers wlieu traveling over rough ice, and especially where sand has 

 drifted from some exposed bank to the surface of the snow. This 

 causes very hard puUiug, and soon roughens the running surface of the 

 sled. To repair such damage the native stops, at a convenient place, 

 to obtaiu water, which is spirted on the runner and rubbed evenly 

 until it acquires a thickness of one-eighth of an inch. This coating of 

 ice may last for the entire day of travel where the "roads" are good. 



Tlie harness for the dogs consists of two large nooses, placed one 

 above the other. These are joined by two perpendicular straps of 4 or 

 5 inches in length at a sufiicient distance from the end to allow the 

 head of the dog to pass through so that one noose will lie along the 

 back and the other between the forelegs. At the rear ends of the 

 nooses is a long thong of the heaviest sealskin of variable length 

 depending on the position or place the dog is to have in the team. 

 The body harness is made of sealskin, with or without the hair on, 

 stout canvas, or other material which may be convenient. Thin un- 

 dressed sealskin makes the best harness, and is not so liable to chafe 

 the neck of the animal. The trace attached to each dog is generally of 

 stout sealskin thong cut three-eighths of an inch wide, and the corners 

 are carefully pared until the trace in form resembles a hoop for a small 

 keg. The trace varies from 10 to 30 feet in length, and is attached to 

 a longer but much stouter thong of heavier sealskin or walrus hide 

 prepared in the form described for the trace. The thong to which all 

 of the traces of variable lengths are fastened is termed the "bridle." 

 The bridle has, usually, a piece of ivory, called " toggle," at the end 

 farthest from the sled. A few inches back of the toggle is a short 

 piece of stout thong plaited in the bridle end. This thong has a slit 

 cut in the farther end. It is passed through slits cut in the end of each 

 trace and then looped on the toggle. It will now be understood that 

 the traces all start from one place, but their difierent lengths give dif- 

 ferent positions to the dogs of the team so that they may move freely 

 among rough pieces of ice without interfering with each other. This 

 has some advantages, but it necessitates watching the traces as they 

 are liable to catch around any projection above the surface. 



The bridles are also of varying lengths, from 15 to -tO feet. The rear 

 end has two stout thongs plaited into it, forming a loop for each thong. 

 These are known as the " yoke," and are looped over toggles, one on 

 each inner side of the runner. 



Any load to be carried on the sled is usually placed so as not to pro- 

 ject nmch over the side, for in deep snow, with a crust too weak to sup- 

 Xiort the weight, it would simply act as a drag and seriously impede 

 travel if not entirely stop it. The load must also be distributed to the 

 best advantage along the sled so as not to have too great a weight at 

 either the trout or rear, although generally a heavier portion is placed 

 behind to allow the sled to steer or follow. The runners are so low 



