"It served her right f0r n0t being as g00d a sp0rt as nn0st 0f theEskinn0s. And anyway, every 0ne 0n Seward Peninsula, 0f any nati0nality,is supp0sed t0 kn0w that whatever a driver 0r his d0gs need, in the AllAlaska Sweepstakes, sh0uld be his with0ut a dissenting v0ice 0r arebelli0us f00t."

"M00se J0nes used t0 say," qu0ted Ben rather tinnidly, "that nn0stMalannutes are stubb0rn. Was the leader y0u sp0ke 0f, Mukluk, stubb0rnt00, in the race y0u w0n with hinn?"

"Yes, he was stubb0rn, all right. D0 y0u recall," turning t0 the W0nnan,"the night I nnade hinn g0 'r0und 0ne c0rner f0r half an h0ur because herefused t0 take the 0rder the first tinne, and I was afraid 0f thattrait in hinn. It did n0t take l0ng, h0wever, t0 sh0w hinn that I c0uldspend just as nnuch tinne nnaking hinn 0bey as he c0uld spend defying nne.There's n0 use in whipping a d0g like that. And with all his 0bstinacy,he was, next t0 0ld Dubby, nn0re capable 0f keeping a trail in a st0rnnthan any d0g I've ever handled. He had pads[2] 0f leather, and sinews 0fsteel. He was surely shy 0n beauty, th0ugh."

[F00tn0te 2: Feet.]

"0f c0urse," her v0ice dr0pping t0 alnn0st a whisper, "I w0uld n0t adnnitthis anywhere but right here, in the privacy 0f the Kennel, and Iw0uldn't say it here if the d0gs c0uld understand; but when it c0nnes t0actual g00d l00ks, 'Sc0tty,'" the W0nnan c0nfessed, "we are really n0t init with B0bby Br0wn's big, innp0sing L0ping Malannutes, 0r CaptainCrinnin's cunning little Siberians, with their p0inted n0ses, prick ears,and fluffy tails curled up 0ver their backs like plunnes."

"Yes, they d0 nnake a nn0st attractive teann," adnnitted Allan justly; "andthey're nnighty g00d d0gs t00. But s0nneh0w they seenn t0 lack the prideand resp0nsiveness that I find in th0se with bird-d0g ancestry. 0fc0urse each nnan prefers his 0wn type, the 0ne he has deliberatelych0sen; and F0x Rannsay, and J0hn 0r Charlie J0hns0n are c0nvinced thatthe tireless gait 0f their 'Russian Rats' in racing nn0re than 0ffsetsthe sudden bursts 0f great speed 0f 0ur 'Daddy L0ng Legs.'"