THE ESQUIMAUX DOG. 



The sledge-drawing Esquimaux dog can be regarded as littl« 

 less than a canine barbarian. Despite its long hair and bushy 

 tail, it has the oblique eyes and elongated muzzle of the wolf. 

 It is not a large dog, measuring but twenty -two inches from toe 

 to shoulders. Tet the work it is compelled to do is dreadfully 

 heavy, six or eight of them attached to a heavy sledge fre- 

 quently accomplishing sixty miles a day, for several days in suc- 

 cession. The Esquimaux is, as a rule, as untamed a savage as 

 his dog ; so it may be easily understood that there occasionally 

 occurs a roughish tussle between the seasoning and unreasoning 

 brute. Says Mr. Hooper, ia his " Tents of the Tuski," " When 

 ordinary modes of chastisement have failed, the proceedings then 

 instituted are very curious indeed. The driver gets off his sledge, 

 seizes the dog which has misconducted himself, and makes a nice 

 little hole in the snow, in which he arranges the unfortunate 

 wretch's nose vrith the greatest care and attention to its suit- 

 able position. Having thus made due preparations, he pounds 

 away at the snout of his victim with the butt-end of his whip, 

 which is generally a piece of heavy flat ivory, in the most re- 

 morseless manner. I used at first, particularly on viewing 

 this novel punishment, to be under great fear that the noses of 

 the poor beasts must inevitably be broken or crushed ; but no 

 such consequence ensued, nor had our remonstrances any effect. 

 If the snow was too soft for the purpose (of forming a ledge on 

 which the dog's nose might be rested), the driver's foot was 



