One of my friends, an agent of the Hudson’s Bay Company, was once traveling with a native Labradorman driver along the Labrador coast, when his train of eight big huskies, suddenly becoming excited, gave an extra strain on their traces and snapped the “bridle,” the long walrus hide thong that connects the traces with the komatik.  Away the dogs ran, heading over a low hill, apparently in pursuit of some game they had scented.

[Illustration:  “PLEASE LOOK AT MY TONGUE, DOCTOR!”]

[Illustration:  “NEXT!”]

My friend, on snowshoes, ran in pursuit, while the driver made a circuit around the hill in the hope of heading the dogs off.  Ten minutes later the team swung down over the hill and back to the komatik.  From a distance the men saw them and also turned back, but to their astonishment they counted not the eight dogs that composed their team, but thirteen.  On drawing nearer they realized that five great wolves had joined the dogs.

The men’s guns were lashed on the komatik, and both were, therefore, unarmed, and before they could reach the komatik and unlash the rifles the wolves had fled over the hill and out of range.  The dogs, however, answered the driver’s call and were captured.

One winter evening a few years ago I drove my dog team to the isolated cabin of Tom Broomfield, a trapper of the coast, where I was to spend the night.  When our dogs were fed and we had eaten our own supper, Tom went to a chest and drew forth a huge wolf skin, which he held up for my inspection.

“He’s a big un, now!  A wonderful big un!” he commented.  “Most big enough all by hisself for a man’s sleepin’ bag!”

“It’s a monster!” I exclaimed.  “Where did you kill it?”

“Right here handy t’ th’ door,” he grinned.  “I were standin’ just outside th’ door o’ th’ porch when I fires and knocks he over th’ first shot.”

“He were here th’ day before Tom kills he,” interjected Tom’s wife.  “He gives me a wonderful scare that wolf does.  I were alone wi’ th’ two young ones.”

“Tell me about it,” I suggested.

“’Twere this way sir,” said Tom, spreading the pelt over a big chest where we could admire it.  “I were away ‘tendin’ fox traps, and I has th’ komatik and all th’ dogs, savin’ one, which I leaves behind.  Th’ woman were bidin’ home alone wi’ th’ two young ones.  In th’ evenin’[D] her hears dogs a fightin’ outside, and thinkin’ ‘tis one o’ th’ team broke loose and runned home that’s fightin’ th’ dog I leaves behind, she starts t’ go out t’ beat un apart and stop th’ fightin’ when she sees ’tis a wolf and no dog at all.  ’Twere a wonderful big un too.  He were inside that skin you sees there, sir, and you can see for yourself th’ bigness o’ he.

“Her tries t’ take down th’ rifle, th’ one as is there on th’ pegs, sir.  Th’ wolf and th’ dog be now fightin’ agin’ th’ door, and th’ door is bendin’ in and handy t’ breakin’ open.  She’s a bit scared, sir, and shakin’ in th’ hands, and she makes a slip, and th’ rifle, he goes off, bang! and th’ bullet makes that hole marrin’ th’ timber above th’ windy.”