National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1867-03-22
A Dog Team.

dogs and IA fine sledge. The ami
mails are in most excellent condition,
every one ot them strong and heal
thy, and they are very fleet. They
whirl my Greenland sledge over the
ice with a celcrity not calculated
for weak nerveS.-I have actually
ridden behind them over SiX meas
ured miles in twenty-eight minutes !;
and without stopping to blow the
team have returned over the track
i'll thirty three. Sonutag and had
a race, and | beat him by four min
utcs. | should like to have some of
my friends of Saratoga and Point
Breeze up here. to show them IL new
style OF speeding animals. Our ra-
GERS do not rcqnlre amy blanketlng
after the heats. nor sponeing either:
We harness them each with Il sin
ole trace, and these traces are OF a
length to suit the fancy of the dri-
ver-the longer the better, for they
are then not SO easily tangled, the
draft OF the outside dogs Is more III
rect, and. If the team comes upon
thin ice. and breaks thr' ugh. Your
chances of escape rom immersion
are i'll proportion to their distance
from YOU. The traces are all OF the
same length. hence the dogs run
side by side, and. when properly
harneSSed. their heads are in a line.
Ny traces are so measured that the
shoulders of the dogs are Just TWEEN
tv feet from the forward part of the
runners.
The team is guided solely by the
whip and voice. The strong est
dogs are plared on the outside, and
the whole team is swayed to right
and left according as the whip falls
on the snow to the one side or She
other. or as it touches the leading
dogs. as it is sure to do if they do
not obey the gentle hint with sut1i-
cient alAcrity. i he voice aids the
whip. but in all emergencies the
whip is the onl Y real reliance. Your
control over the team is exactly in
proportion to your skill i'll the use
of it. The lash is about four feet
longer than the traces. and is tipped
with a " cracker" of hard Sincw,
with which Il Skillful driver can
draw blood if SO inclined and he
can touch either one of his animals
on any particular spot that may
sui his purpose. Jensen had to-
day a Young refractory dog in the
team, and, having had his patience
quite exhausted, he resolved upon
extreme measures. y on see dat
beast said he, Il takes a pcice ont
of his ear and sure enough crack
went the whip, the hard Sinew
wound round the tip Of the ear ana
shipped ii off as nicely as with n
knife. The long lash, which is bnt
Il thin. tapering strip Of raw seal
skin. is swung with a whip stock
only two and a half tect long. 1t is
very liglt and is consequently hard
to handle. The peculiar turn of the
wrist necessary TO get it rolled out
to its destination is most difficult
undertaking. 1t requires long and
patient practice. have perseveret
and nay perseverance has been re
wardcd and if az obliged to tnri
driver on emergency, feel equal to
the task but ] ferfeDtly hope that
the emergency may not arise which
requires me to exhibit my skill.
1t is the very hardest kind of har,
work. That mcrciless lash must b,
mercilesS or il is of no avail. The
dogs are quick to detect the least
weakness of the driver, and measure
him on the instant. If not thor.
oughly convinced that the sound
ness Of their skins is quite at his
mercy, they 20 where they please.
If they see a fox crossing the ice. ol
come upon Il bear track, or wind a
seal, or sight a bird, away they dasl
over snow dliits and hummocks
pricking up their short ears and cur
ling up their long hushy tails for ;
wild, wOllish race after the game
II the whip lash goes out with ;
fierce snap. the ears and tail drol
and they 90 Oh about their propf
business but wo be unto you j
they get the control. ! hDvc seel
my own driver only to-day Sorcl.
put to his metal, and not until III
had brought Il yell of pain from al
most every dog in the team did h
conquer their obStinacy. The.
We're running after "A fox, and wcr
taking us toward what was unsai
ice. The wind was blowing hard
and the lash was sometimes drive
back into the drivers face, henc
the difficulty. The whip, however
finally brought them to reason, an
in full view of the game, and with
a few yards Of the treac!icrous jc,
they came first down into limpiD
trot and then stopped, most nnwi
lingly. OF course this made thci
very cross and general fight
fierce and angry--now followed
which was not quoted until The Dir
yer had sailed III among them an
Knocked them to right and left wit
his hard hickory whipstock..-Fro
Or. Hdyes Ne,c Work, "The Up,
Polar Sed."