

526 THE ESQUIMAUX DOG. 
with a less number, a single dog being sometimes made to 
do duty alone. On the other hand the Russian traders, and 
more rarely the Esquimaux, occasionally put eight and nine 
dogs in a single team. The pups, as soon as they are able 
to travel, are fastened up with the older dogs, and learn their 
business very rapidly. Once in a while one breaks down on 
à journey, and is then often inhumanly abandoned where he 
drops; but they generally get along marvellously well, 
allowing for their tender age. 
The Alaskan Esquimaux sled is a rather heavy looking. 
affair, nine or ten feet in length by about two in breadth, 
with thick, strong runners, often shod with pieces of solid 
whalebone. To the front.of this is attached a strong raw- 
hide thong or rope, eleven or twelve feet in length, to which 
the dogs are fastened by a simple harness, consisting in its 
most elaborate form, of a breast band and another strip 
passing over the back, and underneath the dog immediately 
behind his fore legs. The continuations of the breast band, 
passing backward on each side, join over the back, and from 
this junction is continued a short trace, by which the dog is 
fastened to the above mentioned rope, usually in equal num- 
bers on each side, and one at the end. By this arrangement 
4 great deal of the strength of the dog is wasted in side 
draft ; notwithstanding this, it is probably the best that can 
be made, since it allows of no such irremediable snarling of 
the lines as would inevitably result were any more compli- 
cated arrangement adopted. A team of dogs will frequently 
stop when under full headway to engage in a general fight ; 
and on being brought to order by an energetic use of the 
Whip, both lash and stock, will jump to their places and 
proceed as before, without any confusion or entanglement 
whatever. 
The amount of load carried on these sleds varies of course 
.. With the number and condition of the animals, but perhaps 
A Seventy-five pounds to a dog is a little above, rather than 
below the average. The greatest feat of this sort which came 







