214 



Harmon's journal. 



Friday, December 13. On the 20th ult. I set 

 off, accompanied by twenty of my people, for the 

 goods which were stopped by the taking of the 

 ice in Peace River, the last October. We all re- 

 turned this evening accompanied by Mr. M c Dou- 

 gall, who has come to pass the holidays with us. 

 Our goods were drawn on sledges by dogs. Each 

 pair of dogs drew a load of from two hundred, to 

 two hundred and fifty pounds, besides provisions 

 for themselves and their driver, which would 

 make the whole load about three hundred pounds. 

 I have seen many dogs, two of which would draw 

 on a sledge, five hundred pounds, twenty miles, in 

 five hours. For a short distance, two of our stout- 

 est dogs will draw more than a thousand pounds 

 weight. In short, there is no animal, with which 

 I am acquainted, that would be able to render 

 half the service that our dogs do, in this country, 

 where the snow is very deep in the winter season. 

 They sink but little into it, in following a person 

 on snow shoes. 



Wednesday, January 1, 1812. This being the 

 first day of the year, Mr. M c Dougall and I dined 

 with all our people, in the hall. After our re- 

 past was ended, I invited several of the Sicauny 

 and Carrier chiefs, and most respectable men, to 

 partake of the provisions which we had left ; and 

 I was surprised to see them behave with much de-~ 



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