THE DOGS QTT 
In training a leader, a female is generally chosen as less 
likely to be damaged by the others fighting with her, — 
an accident which, at certain times, would cost a man his 
life. The ideal team is a clever mother followed by a dozen 
of her own pups. Mixed teams, however powerful, are 
never so good. The dogs soon learn to turn at the word of 
command. The whole team will sometimes learn to “turn”’ 
without waiting for the leader; but that is rare. The dogs 
get to know their own places in a team, and, if allowed to 
run loose for any cause, such as an accident or sickness, will 
nearly always come and run in their places. I have had 
so much trouble with a dog doing that and getting repeat- 
edly run over for his pains, that I have had to lash him on 
the komatik to save his life. 
There can be no question that the dogs love to be driven. 
They go perfectly wild with excitement when they are in 
harness. The komatik must be lashed to a stump or stone, 
and the line cut only when the driver is ready to go. The 
team then shoots off like an arrow from a bow. 
They are, of course, flesh eaters, and, by nature, purely 
carnivorous, only touching meal and farinaceous foods when 
compelled by dire hunger. During my years in Labrador 
they have killed two children and one man, and eaten 
another. In the case of the second man the evidence went 
to show that he was not killed by the dogs, though his dead 
body was devoured bythem. In that case (winter of 1906), 
a man, his wife, and son got lost. Their bodies were found 
only when the snow melted away during the following 
summer. Of the owner of the dogs only the bones were 
discovered. As the dogs returned in good condition after 
a fortnight’s absence, all of them were shot. The other 
