Page:Narrative of the Discoveries on the North Coast of America.djvu/363

Rh keep out of the way; but, when they perceived me alone, they soon bounded up, seized my coat or gloves, and nothing delighted them more than a roll with them in the snow. I began early to break them in to the sledge. Moscow—the male—was very strong, and at first tolerably willing: one of the females was all fire; but the other,—the tamest of the three,—when tackled, threw herself obstinately down upon the snow, and suffered herself to be dragged for miles in that state by the dogs before she would condescend to haul like them. At last Moscow, finding his own strength, grew so vicious that we were reluctantly obliged to destroy him. After devouring their brother, the two females betook themselves to the fishery on the south side of the island, where one of them got lamed by an Indian, with whose net she was taking undue liberties.

From that time, poor Noma, the solitary survivor, was usually kept chained at the house. She continued gentle, though very timorous; but a most arrant thief when let loose: having on one occasion filched a shoulder of venison off a sledge coming to the house; on another, snatched a goose out of the hands of one of the women while plucking it; carried off several baited lines set through holes in the ice to catch trout; and played various other tricks of the same kind,