Dogs follow the leader like a pack of wolves.
When the driver wishes the dogs to go forward he shouts "oo-isht," and
to hurry "oksuit."[E] If he wishes them to turn to the right he calls
"ouk!", to the left "rah-der!", and to stop "Ah!"
In Newfoundland "Hist!" means "Go on"; "Keep off!" "to the right";
"Hold on!" "to the left." The dogs are harnessed in a similar manner
to that used in Labrador, and the sledges are of the same form, though
of the widest type.
When the dogs are put in harness in preparation for a journey they are
always keen for the start. They will leap and howl in eagerness to be
off unless the menace of a whip compels them to lie down. When the
driver is ready he shouts "oo-isht!" to the dogs, as he pulls the nose
of the komatik sharply to one side to "break" it loose from the snow.
Immediately the dogs are away at a mad gallop, with the komatik
swinging wildly from side to side. Quickly enough the animals settle
down to a slow pace, only to spurt if game is scented or on
approaching a building.
The usual dog whip is thirty or thirty-five feet in length, though I
have seen them nearly fifty feet long.
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