278 LABRADOR 
man killed (also in 1906) was driving home, and had badly 
fed, savage dogs. He was apparently beating them, 
when they fell on him and nearly tore him to pieces. Each 
of the two children fell down in the midst of a pack that 
had begun fighting. 
The dogs will kill almost any kind of domestic animal 
quite naturally. I was passing a house one day into which 
an elderly lady was driving a goat. I heard a shout and 
noticed my leading dog was calmly proceeding on the way, 
dragging the unfortunate goat in his mouth by the hind leg. 
Our traces, harness, and all fastenings are made of sealskin, 
and these the dogs love to eat, but most will readily learn 
not to do so. I have had dogs which would not eat their 
skin shoes that we put on them to save their feet against the 
cutting of the ice crust. At the same time my sealskin 
whip has often been eaten, a deed which one scarcely knew 
whether to attribute to bad taste or to great sagacity. 
There is nothing an Eskimo dog likes more than a fight. 
The moment the noise of a fight breaks the silence, every 
dog in hearing will fly off at full speed to the spot and “ chip 
in.” Members of one team will, as a rule, stick together; 
a whole team will saunter out, and try to lure passers-by 
into a mélée. As arule, however, all dogs will bite the first 
to fall, and if one has the misfortune to be thrown on his 
back, it is nearly certain his fate is sealed. It is marvellous 
how soon they can kill the enemy. I have known it done 
in two minutes, a great fang finding a billet in the carotid 
artery. I had purchased a fine dog for a leader one year, 
and on the first trip left him tied with the team in harness 
while I went to pay a visit. He was dead and partly eaten 
when I returned. 
