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Updated: July 5, 2025
"You see," said he, "you've been looking at pictures which were made some time ago perhaps. Or perhaps they were made in the winter-time, and not in the summer. At this season all the fur packets have gone down the trail, and they don't need dog-trains and blanket-coats. You ought to come up here in the winter-time to get a glimpse of the old scenes.
The other minor games also gave great satisfaction, and afforded any amount of amusement. We reserve for the next chapter the story of the great race of the rival dog-trains, which for long years after was talked about in many a wigwam and at many a camp fire. Winter Adventures of Three Boys by Egerton R. Young And now for the races with the dogs.
Among them, Jack and Cuffy, the gifts of Senator Sanford of Hamilton, were never equalled. Through the kindness of James Ferrier, Esquire, of Montreal, five beautiful Saint Bernards were obtained from Mrs Andrew Allan. Dr Mark of Ottawa, and other friends also remembered me, with the result, that soon I had some of the finest dog-trains in the land.
Travelling with dog-trains in half-melted snow, or even when it is just soft enough to stick, is very heavy, laborious work. However, as soon as the sun ceases to shine upon it, at this season, it hardens up again very quickly. Arrangements were made for a three or four days' trip, so a regular camp outfit was taken along on the dog-sleds.
Alec had been warned to guard against running into some of the vicious dog-trains, as some of them had teeth like wolves, and one fierce attack might easily disable one of his lighter dogs. Without mishap Alec reached the fort, and found that five trains were there ahead of him. In a minute or two most of the others arrived.
During five days our course lay through vast expanses of stiff frozen reeds, whose corn-like stalks rattled harshly against the parchment sides of the cariole as the dog-trains wound along through their snow-covered roots. Bleak and dreary beyond expression stretched this region of frozen swamp for fully 100 miles. The cold remained all the time at about the same degree 20 below zero.
Between St Petersburg and the Pacific lay six thousand miles of mountain and tundra. Caravans, flat-boats, and dog-trains must be provided to transport supplies; and the vessels to be used at the end of the land journey must be built on the Pacific. The explorers were commissioned to levy tribute for food and fur on Tartar tribes as their caravans worked slowly eastward.
Thus, with varied success, several days were spent at the goose grounds. Two or three times the boys succeeded in each bringing down four geese with the four barrels of the two guns. This was considered very clever shooting on the part of young fellows on their first spring's hunt. In due time the dog-trains returned from Sagasta-weekee.
After this long waiting it is no wonder that a great shout was raised when far away in the distance the long-expected, heavily-loaded dog-trains were seen that for several hundred miles had carried the precious messages of love and the tokens of good will from dear ones far away. This year an extra train well loaded with much-needed supplies for the mission was among the arrivals.
The result was, that while in winter, with our dog-trains, we could go anywhere the terrible ice-king freezing everything solid from the lakes and rivers to the great quaking bogs in summer, we were confined to those trips which could be only made by the birch-bark canoe: in no other way could the Gospel he carried to these people.
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