520 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



attack one of those ferocious creatures. An Esquimaux seldom uses any other 

 weapon than his spear and panna in this encounter, for which the readiness of 

 the dogs may be implied from the circumstance of the word "nennook" 

 (bear) being often used to encourage them when running in a sledge. In- 

 deed the only animal which they are not eager to chase is the wolf, of which 

 the greater part of them seem to have an instinctive dread, giving notice at 

 night of their approach to the huts by a loud and continued howl. There 

 is not one dog in twenty among them that will voluntarily, or indeed without 

 a great deal of beating, take the water if they think it is out of their depth, 

 and the few that would do so were spoken of as extraordinary exceptions. 



The Esquimaux in general treat their dogs much as an unfeeling master 

 does his slaves ; that is, they take just as much care of them as their own 

 interest is supposed to require. The bitches with young are in the winter 

 allowed to occupy apart of their own beds, where they are carefully attended 

 and fed by the women, who will even supply the young ones with meat and 

 water from their mouths as they do their own children, and not unfre- 

 quently also carry them in their hoods to take care of them. It is probably 

 on this account that the dogs are always so much attached to the women, 

 who can at any time catch them or entice them from the huts, when the 

 men fail. Two females that were with young on board the Fury in the 

 month of February brought forth six and seven at a litter, and the former 

 number were all females. Their feeding which, both in summer and winter, 

 principally consists of kcww, or the skin and part of the blubber of the walrus, 

 is during the latter season very precarious, their masters having then but 

 little to spare. They therefore become extremely thin at that time of the 

 year, and would scarcely be recognised as the same animals as when regu- 

 larly fed in the summer. No wonder therefore that they will eat almost any 

 thing however tough or filthy, and that neither whipping nor shouting will 

 prevent their turning out of the road, even when going at full speed, to pick 

 up whatever they espy. When at the huts they are constantly creeping in 

 to pilfer what they can, and half the time of the people sitting there is 

 occupied in vociferating their names, and driving them by most unmerciful 

 blows out of the apartments. The dogs have no water to drink during the 

 winter, but lick up some clean snow occasionally as a substitute ; nor indeed 

 if water be offered them do they care about it unless it happens to be oily. 

 They take great pleasure in rolling in clean snow, especially after or during 

 a journey, or when they have been confined in a house daring the night. 



