Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/239

 Another fit followed soon afterward; and then they came one after another in rapid succession, until finally its misery was relieved by death, which occurred in less than twenty-four hours from the incipience of the attack. Meanwhile I had watched it closely, hoping to discover some clew to the cause, and to establish a cure. But I could obtain no light whatever. Dissection revealed nothing. There was no apparent inflammation either of the brain, the nerve centres, the spinal cord, or the nerves themselves; and I was wholly at a loss to understand the strange phenomenon. That it was not hydrophobia was shown by the fact that the animal rather desired than shunned water. Many of the symptoms attending that disease were, however, manifested; but it did not, like hydrophobia, appear to be communicated by the bite; for those dogs which happened to be bitten were not more speedily attacked than the others.

This case had scarcely reached its fatal termination before another was reported, and it was relieved of its misery by a bullet. Seven died during four days, and I saw with consternation my fine teams melting away and my hopes endangered; and while this was in progress I could only look on and wonder and experiment, but could never stop the contagion nor arrest the evil.

Among the first dogs attacked was a superb beast that I have before named. He was the best draught animal of my best team, the second leader,—Karsuk. I have never seen such expression of ferocity and mad strength exhibited by any living creature, as he manifested two hours after the first symptoms were observed. Thinking that confinement might do good, and desiring to see if the disease would not wear itself