The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-14


ind. particularly as we were usually ready
TO so before daylight. Two or three of
US would take a candle each and start out
TO hunt him. or course we called but that
had no effect until he saw that he was
discovered. Then he would come trotting
out and looking very much ashamed. as
* he had been detected in a fraud.
think that some time in his life Wood
enhead had caught bird At least good
part OF the time he spent looking at one
shore or the other OF the frozen river for
the fiutter OF n wing IL a raven croaked
OF a butcher-bird flew over he would
swerve from the trail and look and fan
the air with his nose for scent OF the
game As birds were not infrequent he
retarded the team about as much as he
helped. This was a very trying thing TO
Towser, and the way he looked back at
the driver was full OF feeling. II was an
appeal emphasized by an expression OF
disgust. Now. wouldn't we get over the
road IL we were ell like that Siwash?"
Towser seemed to say. Cant you touch
him up a little?"
We had also bought OF the Pelly river
Indians a Gordon setter named Don, an
the matter OF coming to the north don
savvy white man. savvy Injun. all same.
Fuil hi-yu, was the character his Indian
owner had given him and he more than
proved II. The poor fellow would pull too
hard At word of admonition intended
for less conscientious dog he would throw
himself against the collar and do much
more than his share. We recompensed him
with an occasional half-day's rest.
DIsLIRED TO WORK.
Two OF our dogs-Patsy and Timsy-were
brothers that were born in the country.
beins yellow and white St Bernards nearly
as big as Shetland pony A brindle boar
hound named Major. of about the same
stature, worked with them TO one sled.
while the four smaller dogs pulled the
other Major was silent and uncomplain-
Ing and always ready to do his best, and
that was a great deal. The three together
could pull thousand pounds thirty miles
In six hours. but Patsy and Timsy would
much prefer 10 not go that far. They
thought twenty miles were plr Ity for a
days work. and they generally did the last
two or three hours under protest. AT every
place that looked like good camp ground
Patsy, who was the leader, would attempt
to turn in. and then an argument would
ensue. Berry, their driver, would scold and
threaten. and Patsy would answer in a
language that was as plain as words. tell
ing how tired he was and that he could
rot possibly go another mile He expressed
himself in short. sharp pleading yelps that
sounded like words.
Patsy Berry would say. do you see
this whip"
And then Patsy would use his eyes and
voice again in the most eloquent pleading
i ever listened To. and often he carried his
point and We stopped hours short of the
day we should have made.
Feeding the dogs was the event OF the
day. After our supper was over Barrack
got out the big square kettle. and. filling
D. well toward the top with ice put it on
the stove. this being the only way of OBJ
tanning water. By the time the ice was
melted he had a quantity OF bacon cut into
small cubes. which were put in and boiled.
After while he added rice or corn meal
enough TO make a thick Cruel. All of the
dry food was weighed carefully, the al
lowance being based on two factors in the
case-the amount of food on hand and the
distance yet to travel During the thrill
ing time of preparing this feast Major-he
being the only dog that was permitted to
come inside the tent-sat just behind Bar
rack in a dark corner, never moving
muscle, but watching with intense inter-
est. The st. Bernards at the entrance
could not keep still. Sometimes Patsy's
massive head poked its way under the flap
OF the tent and his pleading eyes urged us
TO hurry just a little faster. Towser and
Don were there, too, and the Indian dogs,
who in the intensity of the occasion forgot
to fight. After the long time Of waiting
seven tin pans were filed with hot Cruel
and set in a row outside in the snow to
cool. It took a little bit of arranging at
this point to get each dog in his place. and
Berry was master of ceremonies. Here.
Tows." ne would say. you come over here
on the end. There. that's right Lie down.
Tows. Back little, Major, back" and SO
on until each one was In his place and
keeping as still and orderly as 1t was
within his power to be. There was still a
while TO wait. Even in the extreme cold
weather of that country the pans were a
long time in cooling, but each dog in a
manner had his own now, and he watched
1t with liquid eyes as the steam rose from
It. Then Berry took Majors pan and held
It for little while on his palm to test the
temperature.
mot quite. old boy" he said. as he put
Il down Hold on now-just a minute
longer. Whoa, there Tows. Back sir.
Tows moved back but looked as If his feel
ings had been hurt.
'sWin that do now, Berry," asked James.
1T think So" he replied. touching Major s
pan with the toe of his moccasin and CIV
ing IL q little push. "All right Major. Go
IN TO IL, boys"
Then the long suspense was over and
the poor fellows ate supper with the con-
seriousness. no doubt. that they mad earned
Il. They all respected each others rights.
Even Major would not disturb the Indian
dogs. for whom he had no love. in the en-
5oyment OF their own.
A notable difference between native dogs
and those from the outside is that the
former will at every stop rid their feet
OF the accumulation of ice balls and there
by keep from going lame The imported
members Of our team learned this trick
slowly or not at ALL IL was interesting TO
watch Coyote take up his paws contem-
pIatively one by one and pull off with his
teeth every adhering little bit of ice. The