The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1918-05-31
Ger SNOW AND lei:
Nothing Monotonous About Travel
in Greenland.
Passenger on Dog Sleigh Likely to Be
Furnished Sufficient Thrills in
Days Journey to Carry Him
for Some Time.

GAS last novelty 1 was treated to
q sleigh drive, when the earth had been
covered by snow" A. RiiS Christensen
says in 1.-TWO Summers in Greenland"
''T'he administrator prided himself On
having the best team in Greenland.
and indeed they were spirited lot to
behold as they tore away over the
ground with ;heir tails curved over
their Daclls. Neither rocks nor holes,
no obstacle, indeed. under a steep wall,
would have checked them. Two young
ones, Ajax the First and Second, had
never been harneSSed before, ana
looked peculiarly stupid on finding
themselves captured. When the team
started, all for one and one for all, the
two recruits at first tried to make their
escape, but i'll the effort they rolled
over and over, humping from rock to
rGck as they We're dragged along, IN
til they finally took their places i'll the
pack and learned that their most SenSi-
bic course was to work with their COM
panions.
THE amount of knocking about
which a sleigh can endure without be-
ing smashed is incredible. The low
runners. some six feet long, are lash
ed with sealskin thongs TO the cross
pieces that form the seat, and affor,
elasticity. The two upright poles give
a hold 10 the driver il he has to fol
low on foot and steer the sleigh from
behind. The dogs are partly guided by
tie whip and partly by the voice, but
IN many instances The dogs know b@J-
ter how to find their way than doe
their driver. On smooth ice 10 mile
may be done in an hour, hJst on rugged
ground a pace of four Or five miles i,
called good. and 50G pounds is c0nSid-
cred load for EIGHT dogs.
"Where the ice was broken, as oftc
was the case near land, az in crosSiG-
large assures, great Skill WAS require
To get dogs and sleigh across.
When uncertain vyhcre to 90 and y"v
had to leave it TO the dogs - find IL,
way, you might I've always sure thu
their instinct would keep theLI fro.
running into real peril. In case q.
danger ahead the boss dog would stoi
and growl, sniff, and turn in som
other direction.
ut was impossible TO drive 81 teaTA
without having a boss as the dog IS
called that has absolute control OvcT
all the others. He leads the way. en-
cou:a"es, Furnishes offenses, settles dis
putes and has to be used with the great
est care.
sThere was great excitement whom
the ground was steep. Sometimes the
driver would fasten I'll the rogs he
hind, perhaps tie up one of the feet %
cacl animal, and himself take hold Of
one of the poles and act as Il brake. -
oiher times he would Let he sleigh -
backward in front of the dogs. Again,
he would take his sleigh and let the
>Ici=h hurry down, with the dogs fo!-
Inwin@ as hest they might, some gettin..
rntangIad AMI being dragged behinG.
;rd finally Ill landing in the drop snoH
below. If there was any possibility
of reaching q human dwelling, tueJ
generally Inadc for il, bit OtherwiS
they would cncamp III the ice. The
boarskin sleeping bags would be spread
and tie travellers would creep into
thom. With as many dogs as possible til
the top"