The Land of the Long Night

antly Upset at First.-Going Down Hill with Reindeer.-Thr

uld be driven, but I said nothing. But when harnesses for the reindeer were brought out I found that harnessing a reindeer was very unlike harnessing a horse, and far more simple. A collar was put on, and at the lower part of the collar a stron

emed very restless and several time

ter how well trained a reindeer is, as soon as he is harnessed he wants to go; besides, he is easily sca

g against the end of the sleigh. Then he got out and said, "Now you get in." I found the position a very uncomfortable one; but this is the only way one can si

"Now, if you upset, the reindeer cannot run away without you! After a while he will stop whe

is plenty of snow, no harm ca

angled and your wrist or shoulder be dislocated. If you upset, let the rein go. If you want the reindeer to stop, throw the rein to the lef

dangerous for a man who is not accustomed to it to ride that way. Sometimes accidents happen even among the most expert, and some Lapps get seriously injured. Here is a stic

ver you. Do not mind if you upset often; do not be discouraged; a beginner has to

very restive and they were held with diffi

d not keep my equilibrium long without being thrown out, and I was right. Each reindeer wanted to go faster than the others; they kept

t out of t

thirty seconds I was once more shot out of my sleigh. This time the rein slipped from my wrist, as I had not secured it well enough, and the animal sped awa

hey feel frisky. To-day is the right sort of weather for them. The mercu

he sleigh. I got up half stunned, covered with snow. Fortunately I had twisted the rein so well round my wrist t

often that I began to tire of counting the number of times I upset. It must have

ck, and I began to improve and had fewer upsettings. The third day I did better. I gradua

el ground, and I could guide my sleigh with a stick

are many steep hills, and mountains. So you must learn how to drive down steep hills. This is often very exciting. The weather is beautiful,

rface. You must put your stick deep into the snow to slacken the speed and guide your sleigh. Don't be frightened at the speed, which is very great, and be careful not to be thrown out when you reach the bottom of the hill; this is the most

ng, and our reindeer followed each other in good

ld overtake him. Then, when within hearing distance, he called

a terrible pace, railway speed in fact, and as the animal reached the bottom of the hill he made a sudden sharp curve. F

it in. I had been thrown out with great force against the

f an eye and followed the track made by Jon, and we rode quietly

eady Jon shouted: "Paulus, look out; we are going to have another descent." The pace of my reindeer was tremendous as he went down. The animal seemed to know that if he did not go fast enough the sleigh would strike against his le

d snow in my face-they were like small stones striking it with great force. It

d to me to ask what was the cause of this curious noise. My Lapp replied, "Every time the hoof of the reindeer touches the snow it spreads wide apart, broadening in this way and keeping t

my body in the opposite direction when the reindeer made his sharp turn. This difficulty conquered,

sun's lower rim tou

th its church, Sattajarvi, and came to the hamlet of Pajala, in latitude 67° 10'. The h