“It’s better to have too many than too few,” said Jack Heaton.
Then they went out and took a look at the dogs and they were of all the kinds used in Alaska. Among the lot that were offered the boys were some genuine Eskimo dogs or malamutes as they are called, a number of huskies, which are a mixture of various breeds of dogs that have been brought into Alaska, with the native Indian dogs; a few Siwash, or common Indian dogs and the rest were outside dogs of various breeds.
“It’s like buyin’ a necktie in a department store—any of ’em would do but when you see ’em all together you don’t know which one you like the best,” confided Bill. “Now if they was hawses⸺”
“Leave it to me Bill,” broke in Jack; “it’s been a month of Sundays since I’ve had anything to do with dogs and dog teams but I’ll pick out the best of the bunch with Mr. McQuesten’s help. The malamute was the only kind of dog we used in the Arctic and we’ll buy all of them there are here—what, only four?—not enough for even one team. Can’t you get us three more of these malamutes, Mr. McQuesten, so that we’ll have at least one team of them?” asked Jack.
“These are all that I know about. It’s a great day when you see any one with a matched team of any kind of dogs. The husky is just as good a dog, or better for these parts, and there are five of them. You’ll have to make out with outside dogs for the others.” Then he whispered in Jack’s ear, “I wouldn’t take any of those Indian dogs if I was you, for they are the worst kind of thieves and will keep your teams in bad blood all of the time. But I will say they are good work dogs.”
“You’re in the know, Mr. McQuesten, and I’ll take your tip,” replied Jack.
This buying of dogs was an entirely new phase of business to Bill and he took in every word that the pair of Jacks, by which I mean Messrs. McQuesten and Heaton, were saying and to the remarks, arguments and laudations that the owners of the various dogs made and were having by and between themselves. It must be admitted that Bill stood at the foot of the pass when it came to knowing anything about these work dogs.
“Tell me this, Jack,” Bill whispered so that no one might learn of his profound ignorance, “what’s the diff’ ’tween a malamute and a husky?”
“More than there is between a broncho and a mustang, though the dogs of a dog team are always called huskies, regardless of the kinds of dogs it is made up of. See those handsome, alert-looking fellows over there with their ears sticking straight up?” Jack nodded toward them; “well, they are the malamutes.
“Their pointed ears are in that position for keeps, their noses are black and as sharp as a collie’s, while they have slitted eyes from which I shouldn’t wonder if the Eskimo got his idea for making his eye shades. Their pointed ears, keen eyes and sharp noses make them look as if they were ready to jump out of their hides. They’re the Ford motors of the Arctic region all right. Their close hair is about the color of a silver fox, and look at their tails! two of them stand up like wireless masts and those of the other two look as if they had been put over their backs with a curling iron.