Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1905-03-18
STRENGTH OF HEREoITY.
What Happens in Siberia When Dog
and Reindeer Meet.

and Reindeer Meet.
The strength of heredity, both in wild
and in domesticated animals, Is brought
into clear light by an incident related
In recent book, "In Search of 81
berlan Klondike" The authors of the
book were travelling by dog-tean
through the wilds of Siberia.
At O'clock in the afternoon the dogs
suddenly broke into a swift run, and
we knew they had scented something
that interested them. We soon per
ceived that we had struck deer trail
and that we were nearing an cncamp
ment. We turned bend in the road
and there, a hundred yards ahead OF
us, we saw the cause Of the dogs eX
element.
A team of reindeer were running fol-
their lives. Their fungus driver was
lnshing them with the whip, and was
urging them with all his might, for he
knew as we'll ms we that If our dogs
overlook them before the camp was
reached, we seven men would be utter
~ pOwerless to prevent the dogs from
tearing the deer to pieces. Our driver
put on the brake with all his might
but 1t mad not the least erect. The
fourteen dogs had become wolves in
the turn Of a hand, and no brake could
stop them. There were many stumps
and other distinctions along our way
and my driver had great difficulty III
preventing q smash-up.
For n short time the deer held thcil
own, and in fact gained on us; but be
fore the yurta (yillage) came in sight
we were gaining rapidly, While We
were still at some distance the people
of the village, warned by the cries OF
the dogs comprehended what was the
matter, and arming themselves witt
sticks and spears, came running toward
us. AS they came on they spread out
in fan-like formation across the trail
When the terrified deer reached the
line, the men spread out and let the
team through, and instantly closed
again to dispute the passage Of oul
dogs,
Our driver was nowise minded to lei
the natives club his dogs, and perhaps
injure the valuable animals, so he re
sorted to the last expedient, Giving
shout of warning to me, he suddenly
by deft motion, turned our sledge
completely over, landing me in snow
drift on my head. In this position the
sledge was all brake, ana the dogs
were forced to stop, They were leap
ing in theip harness and yelling like
fiends incarnate,
sat up in the snowbank and
laughed, The other drivers had fol
lowed our example, and the struggling
tangle of sledges, harness, dogs an6
men formed scene that to the novice
at least was highly ludicrous. The
drivers and the village people were be
laborlng the dogs, and the entire hero
of reindeer belonging to the village was
escaping in all directions up the hills
The reader mny well ask how the ma
tives can use both dogs and reindeer, II
the sight Of q deer has such madden
ing effect on the dogs. The explana
ton is simple, The two never go to
gethev. There is the dog country ano
the deer country, but they do not over
lap. Confusion is often unavoidably
caused by travelling with dogs through
deer country, but the natives do moi
lake it in III part, knowing that il
they themselves have to travel will
deer through dog country they vii
cause quite as much Inconvenience.