Winter Adventures of Three Boys | Page 6

And
so in after days he found it out when he made the attempt himself, and
in trying to transfer himself from one to the other ignominiously fell off,
with such force that he broke through the thin ice. Fortunately he had
presence of mind enough to seize hold of one of the poles, which was
in such a position that each end rested on the unbroken ice. His
frightened shouts soon brought help, and he was quickly rescued.
Nothing else occurred to cause delay on the route, and so before noon
the dogs, excited by the near approach to the spot where they had spent
their happy summer, sprang into a gallop and fairly flew over the good
ice that was found for the last few miles. Kinesasis and the Indian
drivers had all they could do to keep up with them.
With great delight did the boys spring out of their carioles, and then
and there declared that dog travelling was the most exhilarating of
sports and the very poetry of motion. Some time later they changed

their views. Immediately on their landing they were surrounded by a
crowd of dogs of all ages, and doglike they acted. The old fellows that
had done good work in other years and were now only kept for drawing
wood for the fires, or hay from the distant beaver meadows for the
cattle, were dignified and sedate, and yet manifested the greatest
affection for their old master, who was kind and gentle to all the
animals in his possession. This kindness was well repaid by the
intelligent obedience they all gave him. Eagerly the boys scanned the
young dogs, for from among them were to be selected the promised
trains which they were to call their own.
While the boys were discussing the dogs and indicating their
preferences, old Kinesasis had rekindled the fire in the large wigwam,
in which he had passed the summer, and, aided by the other Indians of
the party, busied himself in preparing the dinner out of the supplies
which had been brought along. Never did a dinner seem to taste better
than did that one in that leather tent to those boys, who had so enjoyed
the exhilarating twenty-mile trip.
After Mr Ross, Frank, Sam, and Alec had dined. Kinesasis and the
Indian dog-drivers soon had a hearty dinner, and then, after the
inevitable pipes, the work of preparation for the return trip speedily
began. It was the desire of all to reach home before dark. To
accomplish this would be no easy matter, as there were so many
untrained dogs. At first it was decided to harness up a number of these,
as harness had been brought for the purpose, but after some
consultation with Kinesasis about the thin ice Mr Ross decided against
it, thus leaving the young dogs to follow. Only the old dogs were
harnessed. This added a couple more trains to the party. The sleds of
these were loaded down with the tent, nets, and other things which had
made up Kinesasis's outfit during the summer.
At length everything was loaded up, and the return trip began. There
was some trouble in getting a number of the younger dogs to take to the
ice and keep up with the trains; numbers would persist in turning round
and hurrying back.
"We cannot blame them," Sam said afterward, and his Irish oratory

burst forth as he described what had been their happy condition. "Just
think," he said, "on that beautiful island in the pleasant springtime they
were born. There they have had a happy, careless puppyhood life.
There they have spent the pleasant summer time with plenty to eat and
nothing to do. On the sandy beaches and over the smooth rocks they
have gamboled together, and in the warm, rippling waters they have
splashed and battled. Now the cold weather has suddenly come and the
snow has covered their favourite romping grounds, and even their great
bathing places are hard with slippery ice."
There was, however, but little sentiment in the minds of Mr Ross and
the Indians. On the contrary, they were very much annoyed at the delay
the refractory young dogs were causing, and so had to adopt prompt
measures, or they well knew that the night would be upon them ere
home was reached. The younger puppies were packed in the carioles
around our travellers, and some of the more obstinate older ones were
led by ropes fastened to their collars and tied to the sleds, while the
great majority, coaxed by little pieces of meat occasionally dropped on
the ice, kept well up to the trains. Thus on they pushed until they
reached the rapid current in the lake where the thin ice had given them
so much trouble