TRAVELING WITH REINDEER AND DOGS.
Comparatively few of the readers of this volume are likely to have any
practical use for information concerning the modes of traveling with
reindeer and dogs, and therefore the subject will be treated very
briefly. The use of these animals for riding or driving purposes is
confined to the Arctic Circle, and regions adjacent to it, rarely
going below the fiftieth parallel of north latitude.
In Lapland, and in some portions of Northern Siberia, the reindeer is
employed to the exclusion of the dog, while in Greenland and that part
of North America bordering the Arctic Ocean the dog is the only beast
of burden. The American and Greenland dogs are of the variety known as
Esquimaux, and closely allied to the familiar and treacherous Spitz.
In Kamchatka and Northeastern Siberia both dogs and reindeer are
employed for drawing sledges, and the reindeer for a saddle animal.
The Kamchadale dog is quite like the Esquimaux in appearance,
character, qualities, and uses, and the description of one will answer
in general terms for both.
The sledge used for the reindeer in Lapland is a sort of box, not
unlike a coffin in general appearance, and it has the faculty of
overturning very easily. The animal is harnessed with a broad collar
of deerskin, and a stout thong extends between his legs to the front
of the sledge. A single rein is fastened to one of his horns, and by
means of this he is guided. Sometimes there are two thongs or traces,
one on each side of the deer, and when two deer are employed together
they are harnessed side by side. In that case a rein is fastened to
the horn of each.
In Kamchatka and Siberia the sledge is higher and broader than that of
Lapland; the latter has frequently but a single runner, like a broad
plank turned up at the ends, while the former has a pair of runners,
each about six inches wide. Generally the occupant of the sledge is
his own driver, especially if he has but a single deer, but with a
fine turnout of a pair of trotters the driver sits on the forward part
of the vehicle while the passenger is wrapped in his furs and takes
things comfortably. The ordinary deer is not a fast animal and his
speed does not exceed five or six miles an hour, but the fancy team is
quite another thing. It has been known to make fifteen or sixteen
miles an hour and to travel a hundred and forty miles without any rest
beyond a few brief halts. A ride behind a fast reindeer has the
disadvantage that the driver and passenger are pelted with balls of
snow, thrown by the animals hoofs, unless the weather is so cold that
the snow will not unite.
In Northeastern Siberia the reindeer is much oftener used under the
saddle than with a sledge. The saddle is placed directly over the
animal's withers, as the back is not strong, and will give way under
the weight of an ordinary man; it is nothing but a flat pad without
stirrups, and the rider, who is passing his novitiate, has no easy
task. The first time he gets on he generally tumbles off on the other
side at once, and even after he has succeeded in balancing himself the
first step of the deer is pretty sure to send him to the ground. It is
customary to carry a long stick with which to preserve the balance,
and some riders provide themselves with two sticks, one on each side.
The stick is absolutely necessary in mounting, as the deer is liable
to be thrown down if mounted as one would mount a horse.
A hundred pounds is considered a sufficient load for an ordinary deer,
and it is only the very best of the animals that can sustain the
weight of a good sized man. Nature has made the inhabitants of the
country of small stature and slender figures, probably in an effort to
adapt them to the carrying capacities of their beasts of burden. A
native rides one deer and leads a pack train of any number up to a
dozen, the halter of one being fastened to the tail of his
predecessor. The one that he rides is guided by a halter around the
neck, and a line which is fastened to the nose in case the animal is
without horns.
In Kamchatka and the Arctic Regions generally, where dogs are employed
for drawing sledges, they are broken to their work while quite young.
Their training begins when they are six months old, but they are not
put to actual labor till three years old, unless in times of great
distress and a scarcity of dogs. One mode of training is to fasten
them to posts or trees, with thongs of green skin, and then place
their food just beyond their reach. By reaching for it they stretch
the green thong; in this way they learn to pull steadily for some
minutes at a time, and the muscles of their necks are strengthened.
Occasionally they are harnessed to carts or sledges and made to run
for short distances, and are thus gradually trained to the work they
are to perform.
Dogs are driven without reins and generally without a whip. The driver
has a stick, called an ostoll, with one end pointed with iron; this he
uses for stopping his team when he wishes to bring it to a halt, and
checks its speed when descending hills. Occasionally he punishes a
refractory dog with it, but not often as the hard stick is apt to
inflict permanent injury on the slender bones of the animal. The most
important dog in the team is the leader, whose position is indicated
by his name. He is selected for his superior intelligence and
docility, and his training requires much care and attention. An
ordinary team dog is worth from eight to twelve dollars, while fifty
or even a hundred dollars may be refused for a good leader. The leader
obeys the voice of his driver and turns to the right or left,
according to directions. When the team is weary and moves at a slow
pace, the leader has been known to put fresh life into their movements
by suddenly pretending to have fallen on the track of an animal, by
putting his nose to the ground or snow and barking violently. Away
they go in pursuit, and only the leading dog and the driver are aware
of the ruse that has been played.
A team may consist of any number of dogs up to twenty, but the large
teams are only used for carrying freight, and rarely travel faster
than a walk. A team of running dogs for traveling purposes usually
consists of five or seven; the number is almost always odd, as it
consists of one or more pairs of dogs and a leader. The sledge is long
and narrow, and the size and shape are varied, according to the way it
is to be used. The driver sits sidewise on the sledge and clings to it
with one hand, while he manages his ostoll with the other. The
traveling sledge is as light as possible, and just large enough to
support the driver and a very little cargo. It is made of wood,
fastened together with thongs of deerskin, and the runners are usually
shod with polished bone.
A good team will travel from forty to sixty miles a day with favorable
roads. Sometimes a hundred miles may be made in a single day, but such
performances are rare. The news of the declaration of the Crimean war
was carried from Bolcheretsk to Petropavlovsk, one hundred and
twenty-five miles, in twenty-three hours without change of dogs. A
good team can average forty miles a day, and even fifty miles for a
week or more, but they must be lightly laden, and have favorable
roads.
The comparative merits of dogs and reindeer in the countries where
both are used may be set down as follows:--
The reindeer seeks his own food; he lives on moss that grows beneath
the snow, which he scrapes away to reach it. Thus he may travel any
length of time and be in good condition, provided he has sufficient
time each day for feeding.
The food for dogs must be carried on the sledge, unless the traveler
is certain of finding it along his route. The maximum supply that can
be carried by a team for its sustenance is for one week. Consequently
where dog food cannot be procured every five or six days those animals
are useless.
A forced journey can be made with dogs, but not with reindeer. Dogs
may be driven till utterly exhausted, and they will travel an entire
day, or even more, after their food has given out. But when the
reindeer is weary and hungry he stops and lies down, and no argument
that his driver can use will induce him to move on. He may be pounded
with sticks, or prodded with goads for hours, but all to no purpose.
He wants his food and will have it at whatever risk. When a reindeer
team thus halts there is no alternative but to turn the animals out to
feed, and wait till they have eaten all they wish.