In
ten minutes the natives had picked the deer's bones so clean that
even the hungry dogs disdained to gnaw them a second time. Dunn and
myself made our breakfast on a choice slice cut from the spine, and
found it so good, the windpipe in particular, that at dinner-time we
preferred the same food to our share of the preserved meat which we
had saved from the preceding night.
"As we sat I observed the moschetoes to be very numerous, but they
were lying in a half torpid state on the ice, and incapable of
molesting us. Soon after noon we set forward on our return, and,
without seeing any object but the flat and decaying ice, passed from
land to land with our former celerity, dashing through large pools
of water much oftener than was altogether agreeable to men who had
not been dry for above thirty hours, or warm for a still longer
period. Our eleven dogs were large, fine-looking animals, and an old
one of peculiar sagacity was placed at their head by having a longer
trace, so as to lead them over the safest and driest places, for
these animals have a great dread of water. The leader was instant in
obeying the voice of the driver, who did not beat, but repeatedly
talked and called it by name.
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