Twelve miles away, at Northwest River, the dogs
one winter night when the Inlet had frozen sniffed the air blowing
across the ice. They smelled the cow. Like a pack of wolves they were
off. They trailed the scent those twelve miles over the ice to the
door of the stable where Malcolm's cow was munching wild hay. They
broke down the stable door, and before Malcolm was aware of what was
taking place the cow was killed and partly devoured.
For generations untold, Labradormen have kept dogs for hauling their
loads and the dogs have served them well. They were not willing to
substitute reindeer. They knew their dogs and they did not know the
reindeer, and they refused to kill their dogs. To educate them to the
change it was evident would be a long process.
In the meantime the herd in Newfoundland was growing. In 1911 it
numbered one thousand head, and in 1912 approximated thirteen hundred.
Then an epidemic attacked them and numbers died. Following this,
illegitimate hunting of the animals began, and without proper means
of guarding them Doctor Grenfell decided to turn them over to the
Canadian Government.
Pages:
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264