HOW THE LAPPS AND FINNS TRAVEL.--STRANGE-LOOKING SLEIGHS.--DIFFERENT
VARIETIES.--LASSOING REINDEER.--DESCRIPTION OF THE REINDEER.
After leaving this hamlet where I had such an odd bath, I came to a farm
where I saw sleighs the like of which I had never seen before. To many
of these were harnessed reindeer with superb horns, while others were
without animals.
These sleighs looked exactly like little tiny boats, just big enough to
carry one person and a very small amount of luggage, but not big enough
for trunks. They were all made of narrow fir-tree planks, strongly
ribbed inside just like boats, about seven feet long and two and
one-half feet in width at the end, which was the broadest part. The
forward part of some was decked. They all had a strong leather ring to
which the traces were fastened. They had holes pierced in their sides
for strings to pass through from one side to the other to keep
everything fast. They had keels like sailing boats; these were very
strong and about four inches wide, and varied some in thickness or
height; many of the keels were much worn from constant use.
As I was looking at these sleighs, strange-looking people of very small
stature came out of the farmhouses. These were Lapps, and they were
dressed as I was. We saluted each other and began to speak together in
Swedish, and they wondered where I came from.
One of them said to me, "You are looking at our sleighs as if you had
never seen such ones before."
"You are right," I replied, "I have never seen such sleighs before, and
if these had been on the shores of a river or lake, I should have taken
them to be boats."
Then the Lapp explained: "The higher the keel is the quicker the sleigh
can go and the faster we can travel. The keel acts like a runner, and
when the snow is well packed and crisp, the sides of the sleigh hardly
touch it; but this makes it the more difficult for a beginner to remain
inside, for the sleigh rocks to and fro."
Then pointing to a sleigh, he said, "This kind is called 'Kerres.' They
are used to carry merchandise or people." Then pointing to another,
"This kind is called a 'Lakkek.'" These were somewhat larger than the
other, and had decks like a vessel, with a sort of hatchway. These were
used as trunks; two had their decks covered with sealskin to make them
more surely water-tight.
"In these," said the Lapp, "we carry our woollen clothing, our fine
handkerchiefs, our jewelry, our silver spoons, our prayer-book and
psalm-book--everything that is precious. In them we also carry our
provisions, our coffee, our sugar, salt, and everything that has to be
protected against snow or dampness."
Another kind was called "Akja," especially built for fast travelling,
and had keels about two and a half to three inches thick. The forward
part of these was over-decked to about a third of the length, and
covered with sealskin. The decked part was a sort of box or trunk to
keep provisions or other things necessary for a journey which required
to be protected. The backs of most of these were leather-cushioned.
After I had looked carefully at all the sleighs, I went to the farmhouse
with the Lapps and was welcomed by the Finlander who owned the place.
His name was Jon. We were soon friends.
The people asked me whither I was bound, and I told them that I was
going as far north as the Arctic Ocean, as far as Nordkyn. Then they
said to me, "You cannot go further without learning how to drive
reindeer, for you must give up horses. The snow is too deep and we do
not use dogs in our country. We will teach you how to drive reindeer and
use our sleighs; then, when you know, some of us will take you where you
want to go, either north, east, or west."
I bought a very pretty sleigh with the forward part decked over, where
some of my things could be stored. The back was cushioned and covered
with sealskin made fast with broad rounded-top copper nails. This was a
really "swell" sleigh.
The next day Jon said to me, "Let us go together where my herd of
reindeer is, and lasso those I want to use, for I am going to teach you
myself how to drive," adding: "I own over one thousand reindeer."
He called two other Lapps, and we put on our skees and started, and soon
after we were out of sight of the house. After an hour's travel we
reached the reindeer. I noticed that the snow was not very deep.
"In this herd I have over sixty reindeer that have been broken to
harness," said Jon.
"How can you find them out of such a great number?" I asked. "To me so
many of them look alike, in fact they would all look alike if it were
not that with some the horns are not as big as those of the others."
"I know them all," he replied. "I could even tell the ones that are
missing."
Then I remembered that I had heard that a shepherd knew every sheep of
his flock.
"Stay where you are," said Jon. "Many of the reindeer are shy, and do
not come to us when we are trying to lasso them."
Jon and the other two Lapps let their skees slip off their feet, so that
they could have a stronger footing, looked round so as to recognize the
deer they wanted, and then with their lassos in their hands, ready to be
flung, walked very carefully towards two reindeer somewhat apart from
the others. When they were near enough, some ten or fifteen yards from
them, which is about the distance one can lasso with a chance of
success, they stopped and threw their lassos over the horns of the
animals. One made no effort to escape, for he had been used to this for
more than five years; but the other cut up any amount of pranks, though
in his efforts to get away the rope got tighter and tighter at the base
of his horns.
The man had to use all his strength before the animal was subdued. Once
or twice he was pulled by the reindeer and almost fell. In his efforts
to get away the reindeer entangled his legs in the lasso and fell
powerless. In the mean time Jon had come gently towards his reindeer and
knotted the cord of the lasso round his muzzle.
"We always do this," said he to me, "as a measure of precaution. When
thus corded the reindeer move with far more difficulty if they wish to
run away."
The other reindeer, which fought so desperately for freedom, had only
been used twice during the winter and was not accustomed to being
lassoed.
These two animals were tied to trees, and then Jon and the Lapps went to
capture two others. Jon missed the second reindeer, a splendid bull, on
the first throw, the lasso falling on his back; but the next throw
caught him. At the same time the other man had succeeded in lassoing the
fourth one.
[Illustration: "The man had to use all his strength."]
Then Jon, pointing to the second reindeer he had lassoed, said: "Paulus,
I wanted this one especially for you. He is thirteen years old. He is
one of my favorites and has been often under harness. He does not go
quite as fast as he did formerly, but he is just the reindeer for
you, for he is more easily managed than any others I own."
I looked at the reindeer. I noticed that the animal had much stouter
legs than the common deer, or even than the elk, and the hoofs were
particularly large. They are smaller than our own big elks, and looked
very much like our caribou. The hair of the majority of the reindeer was
gray, very coarse and thick, and almost white under the belly. Some of
the animals in the herd were white.
Then we went homeward. Two or three times one of the reindeer made a
light show of resistance and had to be pulled for a minute or so, and
the wilder one was even less easy to manage; he struggled hard several
times, and twice the Lapp who held him was almost thrown down.