Zurich Herald, 1929-03-28, Page 2La:
cc continued to a point where soon his
The
Story 'o Biro v. end would have been the usual one of
dogs not considered worth their feed,
a 10 :Qg of t o e Only a fortunate mix-up in the 1,
With DQg Derbys Over the
Tale of Bimbo Will be En-
joyed By All Who Love
a Dog
SAGACIOUS CANINE
•
ar-
messing d the team saved hiin. A
driver borrowed the dogs, a masher
unfamiliar with their position in the
team, • By chance, he placed Bimbo in :
the lead!
Immediately Bimbo's right to lead-
ership was apparent; and from that
time he- retained it. This honor en-
titled him to the freedom of the camps,
and thereafter he was .eldokit chained,
winter or summer.
A new dog in a team is always a
problem, we learn, but Bimbo was al-
ways equal to such occasions, Contin
wing:
A dog accustomed to taking orders
on'y from some shouting driver soon
learned, when placed in my team, that
the real erda'tis came from the lead -
dog. When the rest of the team were
straining at their collars to get the
heavily loaded sled up the steep grade,
and the Blusher had his hands full at
the gee -pole, was no time for any dog
to shirk. At such a time, a quick,
backward glance from the panting
Binibo night be of no special portent
to the shirker if he were a newcomer;
perhaps the' laggard might even re-
turn the look insolently, as if to say,
"Well, what ya goin' to do about it?"
A little more of this lagging and .he
would get Bimbos answer—at the
next stop for rest, or even at the end
of the day. For a moment he would
imagine, probably., that the whole team
had jumpedhint, as Bitnbo set upon
him and gave him the neatest trim-
ming he had ever experienced in so
short a time.
Usually one such lesson was suffi-
cient to make a "good soldier" of the
newest acquisition to the team. But
once Kobuck and Notack, dogs new
to the team, decided to "gang up" on
Bimbo to revenge initiatory troune-
ings each had previously received. We
had just completed a six -hundred -mile
trail journey, and were enjoying the
last few miles on a train of the partly -
completed government railroad. Half
a dozen other teams were crowded into
the box -car, and the cramped quar-
ters gave these two newcomers the op-
portunity, they thought, for retalia-
tion. •
The two Siwash dugs were chained
to the sled next to Bimbo. Soon they
began to edge into him, forcing him
to move over. • Not satisfies:, they
crowded him still farther until he was
at the end of his chain. Again they
pressed him. It was too much! Bimbo
struck!
In a moment half a hundred dogs
were at it, although in quarters too
confined for a' good free-for-all. Bimbo
handled himself in, a most masterly
'atyle, and the pair thrust have thought
they had been set upon by half -a -dozen
Bimbos, so quickly did he turn from
throat to leg or tail, or whatever part
of their furry hides presented itself.
By .the time I got a grip on Bimbo's
hind legs, the two bullies had been
soundly thrashed. Needlers to say,
Bimbo secured plenty of room, which
he made use of by stretching out full.
length and going to sleep.
A small lead -dog, however intelli-
gent, is sure to cut a sorry figure in a
team of powerful brutes if he has not
the weight and strength to hold them
in check. It is practically impos'hible
for oneman to harness and put in line
a large team of high-spirited dogs
without first lashing the towline and
sled to trees or stumps. A good leader,
first to be harnessed, will help con-
siderably in keeping the team in place
by lying down in the snow and digging
in his toes as the harnessing proceeds.
Even then he may he dragged about
By the other ogs.
When his ha=rness was soaped into
place, Bimbo would drop immediately
into the snow, face to the front. A tug
or two on the tow -line he would ignore,
refusing to look back.. A dog plight
.give a pull that would move him a
foot or so, which would be met with a
turn of the head. But a violent tug
that jerked him to his feet brought
swift retaliation from Bimbo, and for
the next few days the offender would
be too much occupied licking his
wounds to disturb his leader on a
harnessing or any other occasion.
The feet of the Northern malamute
and the husky are exceptionally tough,
and better adapted to hard going than
the feet of the "outside" dog of fine
breeding, yet they require the same
attention that the driver gives Itis own.
When the trail is gritty, and marks
on the snow indicate bleeding feet, the
The icy Alaskan river, plunging
through its snow -clad gorge, was not
frozen entirely over. Tn the middle
the channel was free, At this par-
ticular
articular place the gap was only three
or four feet across—an easy jump for
'the malamute dogs pulling the sled,
and negotiable by the sledge itself.
But Bimbo, the lead -dog, ordered to
cross the ice and make the jump, re-
fuse -id to leave the shore. Three tithes
the driver, Merle Howard Guise, who
tells Bimbo's stpry in "Bey's Life,"
urged Bimbo across to the opening,
and three times the canny canine re-
fused to budge, Then "on the third
attempt, as •we reached the channel,
he turned sharply up -stream and drag-
ged the disorganized team along the
glare. ice,. in :spite of the :act that I
dug in the brake. A short distance
up -stream he again turned, leapt the
gap and, when the entire outfit had
cleared the opening, dropped down
upon the ice and put his head between
his paws to receive his whipping.'
And Mr. Guise admits that he was
sorely tempted to punish his lead -dog,
but he remembered Bimbo's intelli-
genee, bravely and devotion. So, in-
stead, he went back to the place where
Bimbo had refused to cross. With a
stick he struck the ice, and to his con-
sternation it broke. It was only a thin
sheet, not several feet thick as he had
supposed. Bimbo had saved them all
from an icy death in the water, and
he had his reward in increased affec-
tion.
Bimbo showed his devotion in many
ways. As lead -dog he was a stern
disciplinarian to his fellows, and
guarded jealously his own privileges.
An instance or this is related by Mr.
Guise:
A low grow ... a snarl ... a yelp
e pain ... a heavy object rolling
down the rocky hillside!
The disturbance woke me, and I
raised myself to one elbow. A slight
brushing against the screen doer, then
silence, and I dropped back into bed.
Bimbo had gained his objective! The
post of lenor, the gunnysack that
served as welcome doormat in front
of my little log cabin, was his, nay
leader's, by right of might, and for the
rest of the night he would guard my
slumbers even if he had to slash the
throat of : every contending malamute
in the team to do it.
Poor Moose, undoubtedly it was his
one hundred and fifty pounds that had
tumbled down the slope, and he al-
ways took his dispossessing hard. In
harness, at the "wheel," he was a
veritable Red Grange. Dragging sled
and dogs, he fairly waded through
unfriendly teams that we chanced to
meet upon the trail. But to Bimbo size
meant nothing, for he had the knack
of upsetting his opponent at the first
onslaught.
Though a splendid fighter, Bimbo
was not a quarrelsome dog. In fact,
he avoided a fight when he could, and
many a bully would display his teeth
and utter contemptuous, low -throated
insults, without seething to arouse the
slightest interest. In the natter of
guarding my person against any ani-
mals, predatory or friendly, Bimbo
probably considered that, because of
his position in the team, he was en-
titled to this special privilege, and,
fortunately far him, he possessed the
fighting prowess to support him i
this contention.
No two dog mushers agree upon the
extent of the qualities that night rea-
sonably constitute the perfect lead
dog,' says the writer, adding, "but all
agree that, as with hien, pedigree is
not necessarily the measure of capac-
ity for real leadership. Many poten-
tial leaders are bred from selected,
pink -eyed Siberian wolf -hounds, or
from pedigreed setters trained to ser-
vice in the North, and a chosen few
tight set up speed and endurance
records in the great Nome Sweep-
stakes." Reading on:
Yet a Mackenzie River husky, born
in the humble environments of a
squalid Indian camp, and maintaining
an existence in spite of starvation ra-
tions and native abuse, might possess
the very qualities necessary to lead his careful driver halts and puts tnoc-
teani over the most perilous trails. s casins on the furred pads to protect
To me, Bitnbo was the ideal lead -
them from the sharp particles of ice.
British Boys Welcomed to Canada
W�.
Fifty British boys, arriving at Montreal over Canadian National Rail-'
ways to commence farm work in Canada, were given a hearty reception and'
were entertained at a luncheon by Dr. W. J. Black, Director of Agriculture
and Colonization for the Canadian National 'System, The boys are going to
Lindsay, Ont., where they will be placed on farms under the jurisdiction of
the Rotary Club of that city, which already has succeeded in its efforts to
place British boys' with Canadian farmers and give them a chance to establish
themselves in tate new country.
bo of the other dogse-bars cfiy= could I Henley in the Middle
make out the handle -bars of the sled .l
I get . ed,Then,three
whichabout
g r pEighteen Hundreds
1
o'clock, as we passed out of e storm.
zone just before night settled down,
there stood the government tripod
three sticks 'narking the summit of the
dangerous pass! As.I made my way
forward and rewarded Bimbo by rub-
bing the ice from his face; it was with
a feeling of e. under at an instinct that
to rhe seemed inspired.
The World Wat separated Mr. Guise
and Bimbo in this way:
It was at Seward that Bimbo had
been purchased, as a common work
dog, for that first long trip to the Yu-
kon. After many years c f trailing
throughout the vast interior of the
North • with hips, the war finally
brought me out. I was now on my
way to the Outside, and from Seward paddling along among the rushes and
I sent the team back to the Yukon— weeds, and cattle browsing in • the
all save Bimbo. Bimbo, now in his deep green; and farther on, some high -
twelfth year, had served me faithfully. lying stretches of rye-grass struck into
The thought of separating from him long and silvery waves by the morning
was unbearable, so I took hint out wind.
with rte, to live the, rest of his life on All the stir and motion of the new
a well-earned pension. ' day have conte upon us; and Henley,
At Settle, I installed Bimbo on the clean, white, and red, with its town -
spacious back porch of a friend's home hall shining brightly down its chief
on Capital Hill. I was certain that street and all its high clusters of old
his view of the down -town section of fashioned houses slacked by a fringe -
the city would be more appreciated
than the sight of Elliot Bay beyond,
for Bimbo had suffered much from
seasickness,.
Frequently I took Bim1Tykon'long
walks about the residential sections,
and observed his keen interest in city
life. Moreover, he thrived on his new
diet of beef scraps and other delicacies,
and did not seem to pine for his sal-
mon, tallow, and rice.
In the North, Bimbo had never play-
ed with other malamutes, for he al-
ways had held himself apart from
them, as he had been rejected by dogs
of breeding. Here, though, he seemed
to enjoy meeting the city -bred dogs
who dashed out at him from ack yards,
but refrained, fortunately for them,
from anything more bellicose than
bristling back and threatening growls.
Indian Hospitality
CuriouslY enough, the North Ameri-
can
mer i-
can Indians have always been highly
advanced in the art of hospitality.
While they were yet in . a state of
savagery they had customs of hospi-
tality which were an inspiration 'to
the white people who first cane
among them. . . Pew people were
so open-hearted and generous as they.
Their unaffected kindness and their
willingness to share a last morsel
astonished, the early white settlers
who came in contact with therm.
Some of the tales of English and
Indian intercourse, as recorded by
these early white people, are touch-
ing.
In the summer of 1584 an,expedi-
tion under the auspices of Sir Walter-.
Raleigh . landed on the Island of
Wococken, off Albeinarie Sound. They
invaded the land of the Algonquin
tribes and made themselves comfort-
able. Yet "there came down from all
parts great stores of people" bringing
ducks, hares, fish, ,fruits, nuts, and
many good things for the new -comers.
The wife of the chief, Granganimeo,
carie personally :aid invited the two
leaders of the expedition (Philip
Amidas and Arthur Barlow) into the
house. She washed them, and 'gave
'them every . comfort, • "and served
roasted fish,' and venison on a board
of the
that stood along the side
house."...
CaptaiClark, of the famous Lewis
and Clark expedition, wrote with en-
thusiasm of the hospitality which he
encountered. He told how the Indians
of the Columbis Valley boiled salmon
and served• it on' a platter of rushes,
neatly made. "It is the custom of all
the nations on the Missouri to offer
every white man food and refresh-
ments when- he first . enters their
tents." .. .
We have borrowed many things
from our Indian brothers, but noth-
ing more valuable than their custom
of generous hospitality. They paved
the way for the hospitality which has
become so peculiarly associated with
this country. We owe them, as we
owe all peoples of the world from
whose manners and customs we have
borrowed, a debt of gratitude....
The early pages in the history of
our country, darkened by the pathetic
struggles of the colonists to master
the conditions in which they found
themselves, are brightened here and
there by tales of jolly entertainments
and generous hospitality. We read
with quickening heart-beat of a
pathetic little wedding feast in
Plymouth. We read with a sudden
warmth of tenderness of a Thanks-
giving dinner in the wilderness. We
follow a train of covered wagons
westward and rejoice with the pio-
neers when they reach at last their
destination and every man? Woman,
and child gladly helps in clearing the
grounds for the great celebration.....
There were kind to one another,
generous, hospitable. They shared
alike the hardships and the pleasures
of their experiences. And they built
strong because they built together.
We have never wholly lost that
heritage bequeathed us by the early
colonists—a love of simple kindliness
and hospitality, a love of sharing with
our neighbors and having them share
with us.—Lillian Eichler, in "The
Customs of Mankind."
Early morning in Henley! From
over the wooded hills in the east there
comes a great flood of sunshine that
lies warmly on the ruddy side of the
old inn, on its evergreens ,and on the
slopes of sweet -scented mignonette,
and sweetbrier and various blossoms
that adorn the bank of the river. The
river itself, lying apparently inotion-
less between level and green mea-
dows, has, its blue surface marred
here and there by a white ripply of
wind; the poplars that stand on its
banks are rustling in the breeze;
there are swallows dipping and skim-
ming about the old bridge, and ducks
log; to others, perhaps, he was merely
u, splendid leader, With his uncanny
frail sense, he was easily the best that
had ever known. He was the kind
of dog that stood in one's mind for
ancestry, pedigree, blue bloody as if
bred from registered stock, antrain
sd from puppyhood to wear the jingle -
bells of a leader. And yet he was
limply ;one of the litter whelped in a
Siwash fish -camp on the coast .of
Alaska,and turned' loose as a puppy
to reach Maturity as best he might.
When Bimbo was about one year old
he bad been picked up 55 a common
young. work -dog for fifteen dollars,
and for weeks thereafter was thought
to be worth just fifteen dollars less
than the sura paid for him! He had
been bought at Seward to fill out a
team on the long mush north, to the
Yukon. At that time he answered to
some other name, It would be more
Correct to say that he responded to
no name at all and, placed in the
These moccasins, or, canvas sacks, if
not ripped off by the fangs of the
wearer, usually last for one or more
days' travel,
Bimbo, because of 'his strong, steady
pulling was unusually hard on shoes,
an inspection at the noon rest some-
times revealing his moccasins, espe-
cially those on his hind legs, worn
through the bottom. He wore out
twice as many moccasins as any other
dog in the teem, attesting to his con-
scientious work. He put his best into
the tow -line until a word from the
driver or a slowing down of the sled,
indicated that the other dogs must
have time out for a "blow."
A sledge -dog, should be a good trail.'
er, and Bimbo 'was.- One of the best
pieces of trailing he ever did was to
lead Mrfl uise over Rainy Pass, on the
ridge of the high Alaska Range, in a'.
driving blizzard. This is hew Bimbo
handled the 'situation
When the store broke we were toe
"run," sulked the entire journey. This far up the mountain; ide to turn back,
stubbornness persisted in spite of fre- There was nothing to do but stagger
gt,ciit lashings by the Jap who drove blindly ahead—and leave the outcome
the team. e to Bimbo.
E ou the Yukon this ; ullenness . 1 Cenlelglut see Elia-
Even ,Por three hotti � � ...
of dark -wooded hills, shows as much
life and briskness as are usually seen
in a quaint, small, old-fashioned Eng-
lish town. But where the silence and
the stillness of the morning=dwell is
away up the reach of the river. Stand-
ing on the bridge, you see the dark
blue stream, reflecting a thousand
bright colors underneath the town,
gradually becoming greyer in hue until
it gets out amid the meadows and •the
woods; and then, with a bold white
curve that is glimmering like silver in
the north, it sweeps under the line of
low, soft green hills that have grown
pearly and grey in the tender morning
mist. Bell is standing on the bridge,
too. The Lieutenant has brought out
his sketch -book, and has placd it on a
stone parapet before her. But some-
how, she seems disinclined to begin
Trout Fishin'
HOW a withered old man who n;s ; It
have been the very shade of Izaak
Walton explained the peuliarities of
"procrastinating" trout is told by Ray
Bergman in the April. issue, Of "Field
and Stream", ¶?his old fellow ambled
up to a fisherman who hadn't been
having the best of luck and casually,
said, a twinkle in his faded blue eyes:
"Guess ye ain't had inuah'spea'ience
wi' these liege 'ch'astinatirh' trout, have
ye? Tain't nothin' unus'al. They
ofteu git that -a -way, an! ye must have
had some 'sperieece wi' 'em, for ye
cert'nly 'ply do a lot o' trout fishin'.
Yer shoes is all worn f'om the rocks,
them wadin' pants o' yourn Is all
patches, yer rod is 'hand-trade—Olh,
everythin' ye got shows 'sperience an'
use. But say d" ye ever. study the
game like ye orta? I mean the way
trout feel 'bout it. They's a lot like
ourselves.
"They's three things does it," con-
tinues this sage old angler. "Trout
as are slightly willin', continual
castin' over the same spot and these
here bivisible flies. See how they's
made? Good stiff hackles, a stiff tail
to make 'em ride high, without the
hook point penetratin' the water, an'
white on the top so's ye know where
yerself. An' say, don't get so
peevish an' disgruntled 'cause ye .ain't
gettin' fish.. Chances is, it's yer own
fault, an' ye'll never learn that -a -way.
Try an' think like a trout does, an'•
ye'll get better flshin'. S'Iong."
Soon Now
"Skunk cabbages poking their noses
upthrough the' earth, restless anglers
fumbling among flies books and lines
are all signs of approaching spring.
In the same paper Seth Briggs starts
the season with a few suggestions to
fishermen.
"The best wayto catch fish," he
says, "is to keep your Iine wet and
not think too much about the lure
you are using or going to use. It is
seldom possible to take trout on a dry;
By during a snow storm or when tate
water freezes on your line, but the
man who fishes consistently, con-
scientiously and intelligently with any
lure with in reason, usually' comes
borne with a good catch of fish.
"Here is a suggestion to those who
in the past have twiddled .their
thumbs until the first of May. Get
out this year on the opening day with
a good selecjon of wet flies and try
your luck. Take a few each, of Hare's
Bar, Coachman, Cahill, Cowdung,
March Brown and Queen of the
Waters. Put on one or at most two
different flies of the above assortment
on your leader and fish them hard
for a while before you change to a•
different fly."
Particularly was he amused at a little work thus early ,on our journey; and,
puff -ball lap aristocrat that conte spilt -
and
her eyes are looking blankly
sniffling and wistfully at the r_ch, green mead
tering out from a parlor and,
and snarling feebly, strutted around ows, and the red cows; and the long
him and under his belly, as though white reach,ofthe river shining' palely
daring him to knock the blue-ribbon beneath the faint green heights in' the
bow off its neck. When a young woman north.
in maid's apron and cap came to the "Is Henley the prettiest town in the
door and stamped for "Wiki-Wik's"
return. Bimbo seemed hurt at the little
fellow's being taken away.
world, I wonder?" she said.
"Yes, if you think so, Mademoiselle,"
replied von Rosen, gently.—From "The
Strange Adventures of a Phaeton," by
William Black.
A Texas man says it's his ambition ��—
to have a suit of clothes for each day. The public always fall for a man
Most of us hate that now, but it's the who can make crime spectacular.—
same one. Professor Raymond C. Moley.
Famous Father Has Lovely Daughter
COINN!S MACK'S DAUGHTEFR POLI-OW3 H13 LE p
Mary Mack,daughter of the "Athletics' " fatuous 'manager, Connie Mack,
14 a loader tit sporting events at Mt. St. Joseph's Academy in Philadelphia.
The Old Way of Warmth
Manchester Guardian (Lib.) It is
interesting to notice that in these days
of frigid travel some passengers are
calling out for old tin foot -warners
which used to be the most comforting
of railway companions. There are
two nmai'n •schools of thought about
the proper strategy in campaigning
against cold—the European and the.
American. The American practice is
not to heat the person but to heat the
room, and this method is often carried
to what English taste finds intolerable
stuffiness.... Perhaps, if the cold
continues, the American habit of tak-
ing iced drinks as a defenet against
the hot dryness of steam -heated rooms
will give way to the consumption of
mulled wines and the neguses which
Englishmen drank before the days of
the cocktail and central heating. The
real argument for supplying local
heat by means of a fire or foot -warmer
was that you could keep your feet
warns and your head cool; in a cen-
trally heated room or carriage it is
possible to have only a stuffy head
while one's extremities grow unpleas- 1
aptly chilly.
Jamaica's Red
On exchanging Kingston for the
country, one soon 'realizes that the
color of Jamaica is red. Green, of
course, prevails—the green patches of
the mountains, the green covering of
the hills, the green of the great leaves
of the bananas, the green of palms
and ferns and grass. And yet it is
red that remains on the retina: the
red of the hibiscus, the red of the
poinsettia; the red of the Flame of the
Forest, the red and purple red of the
bougainvillea, and, iiy no means least;
the red of the clothes: the old wom-
en's handkerchief turbans, the young
women's dresses—So many of them
crude crimsons conflicting with every,
natural bloom. There seems•to be nq
sense of prismatic: harmony in the
negro temperament.
The green you take for granted; the
red is the surprise; and if I, were :o
be asked what color came next l
should say white; the white of teeth
usually smiling,- the white os eyes
turned lazily upon the passer-by. For
every one is looked at in Jamaica, not
with the insolent Latin stare, of even
inquisitively, but with , mild and en-
gaging and genial curiosity; and the
spectacle of the passer-by is, next to
gossip, the island's principal amuse -
'tent, for you see no games,—E. V.
Lucas, in "A Fronded Isle."
Love
Old as the ages,
Bright. as the clay
Love is immortal,
'IIappy and gay..
Rare as red roses
In a deep shade
Blooming forever
Never to fade! •
Old as dim Egypt,
Love's in her prune!
Stronger than Troy,
Outlasting time!
Pearls for a princess,
All in a sea!
Gold for a ruler-
Love still, for me!
—p'; Howell Wobdring in the
finder.,
Path -
do not deprecate fora moment
the value of the spirit of self-sacrifice.
---Will 1Y. Hags.
1vents may follow a sinuous course;
but in the Marxist school I learned
to; foot• at hlstdry,--•Leoa Trotsky.
"The average tourist ' IS not 50
much interested du the bridge of size,,
but the average dentist is."
Probably when ulud twanged one,
in the direction of Lindy . he palled,
that old one about "the higher the;,
fly the harder they fall."
I noticed your wife sitting by the
window sewing this morning. );
thought you told me she was ill?"
"So she was; but to day ele's on the
mend;" -'