THE HUMAN BEAST OF BURDEN. 259 



snow. Runners are occasionally added, the freight held in place by 

 lashings. 



When a canoe or other heavy burden requires to be transported over 

 the land, the Indian has discovered that however much a piece of rein- 

 deer-skin may be used it will stretch a little more when again strained 

 with the weight it is to support. The skin of a seal will not, when dry, 

 sensibly lengthen after it has sustained a load for a length of time. 

 This valuable quality renders the skin of the seal a matter of conse- 

 quence to the people, who are unable to procure it for themselves, and 

 must necessarily rely upon their Innuit neighbors to furnish it in ex- 

 change for other value. 



The strap is employed to sustain the weight carried on the shoulders 

 while the person may be traveling on snow-shoes, or when carrying a 

 burden over a portage to the next landing place. It is generally placed 

 over the forehead and shoulders, the muscles of the neck supporting the 

 entire strain, while the hand carries the gun, spear, or staff. 



Turner says that he has seen the Ungava natives place a barrel of 

 flour on their shoulders and carry it up a hill-side so steep as to require 

 one not burdened to pick his steps with care. 



Day after day, with plenty of food or none at all, whether pack on 

 back, trapping in the woods, treading out a path with snow-shoes in 

 the deep snow for the sleigh dogs, or running after them at a racing 

 pace from morning to night, when there is a well-beaten track, they will 

 travel 50 or 60 miles a day for a week together without showing any 

 sign of fatigue. (Northwest Passage, Fitzwilliam, p. 43.) 



"The Indian packers over these mountain passes usually carry 100 

 pounds, although one I had walked along readily with 127 pounds, 

 and a miner informed me that his party employed one that carried 160 

 pounds. The cost of carriage of a pack (100 pounds) over the Chilkoot 

 trail for miners has been from $9 to $12, and the Indians were not in- 

 clined to see me over at any reduced rates, despite the large amount of 

 material required to be transported, some two tons. By giving them 

 two loads, or doubling the time over the portage, a slight reduction 

 could be had, not worth the time lost in such an arrangement, and I 

 made contracts with enough of them to carry my effects over at once. 

 Mr. Spuhn was also very energetic in his efforts to secure for me better 

 terms, but without avail, and after I had crossed the trail I in no way 

 blamed the Indians for their stubbornness in maintaining what seemed 

 at first sight to be exorbitant, and only wondered that they would do 

 this extremely fatiguing labor so reasonably." (Lieutenant Schwatka, 

 Eeconnaissance in Alaska, 1883.) 



Fig. 8 of the Eeconnaissance is a view on Payer Portage, and repre- 

 sents a Chilkat Indian, with two ammunition boxes, going over the port- 

 age. The amount some of these packers will carry seems marvelous, 

 and makes estimates for pack-mules or trails therefor seem superfluous. 

 Their only packing gear is a couple of bands, one passing over the fore- 



