GREAT SKILL OF THE LAPPS WITH THEIR SKEES.--LEAPING OVER WIDE GULLIES
AND RIVERS.--PRODIGIOUS LENGTH OF THEIR LEAPS.--ACCURACY OF THEIR
COASTING.--I START THEM BY WAVING THE AMERICAN FLAG.
I was once more travelling westward, and two days afterward fell in with
another company of nomadic Lapps. We became, as usual, good friends.
One day they said to me: "Paulus, the snow is in a very fine condition
for skeeing, and we are going to have some fun among ourselves, and run
down steep hills on our skees and try our skill in making leaps in the
air across a chasm there is over yonder, with a river beyond, and find
out who can make the longest leap and be the champion. We want you to
come with us, for there will be great fun."
I replied, "I am certainly coming, for I have never seen such a game
before, and I like fun. Yes, boys, I like fun." They laughed heartily
when they heard me say this.
We made ready, and started on our skees, and after a run of about four
miles the Lapps stopped near the edge of a long and very steep hill, at
the foot of which was a plain.
There they said to me: "There is a wide gully, which you cannot see,
before reaching the bottom of the hill, and further down is a river. We
will go down this hill and leap over both the gully and the river on our
skees. Of course, the greater our speed, the longer the leap we make.
The danger is in not being able to reach the ledge on the other side;
but this makes the fun more exciting. It is very seldom, however, that
accidents happen, for no one undertakes these dangerous leaps unless he
is very sure of himself."
"What happens then," I asked, "if the leap falls short?"
"Then," he answered, "you may break your leg, or arm, or your neck; but
I do not know of any such misfortunes happening, though we hear once in
a great while in the mountains of an accident which results in death.
One of the great dangers in skeeing is that of striking a boulder hidden
under the crust of snow, or of falling over an unseen precipice. When we
are small children we learn to leap forward in the air and come down on
our skees, beginning by making small leaps from insignificant heights,
increasing the leap gradually as we have more practice, and so becoming
stronger and more agile and skilful in going down a hill."
Thereupon the Lapps took up their position along the brink of the hill
and stood in a straight line about ten or fifteen yards from each other.
It was a fine sight. At a given signal they started on their skees,
holding in one hand their sticks to be used as rudders to guide them.
They slid down at tremendous speed; suddenly I saw them fly through the
air, and then land below on their skees. They had leaped over the gully.
Then they continued their course faster than before, on account of the
momentum of the leap, and as they reached the bottom of the hill they
made another leap in the air, which took them over the river to the
plain beyond. After going a little further, for they could not stop at
once, they came to a halt. Then returning they examined the leaps, to
see who among them had made the longest one.
After they had ascertained who was the champion in the first contest,
they continued to ascend the hill in zigzags on their skees, and after
this tiresome task they came to where they had left me.
I said to them, "Friends, I am going down the hill, for I shall then be
able to see better your great leaping feats, and how wide and deep is
the space you leap over, for from the top of the hill it cannot be seen.
Wonderful, indeed, are your skill and daring! Such tremendous leaps as
you made can never be accomplished by man except on skees. I wish I
could have been brought up to go on skees like yourselves, from my
childhood, then I should enjoy this greatly, and compete for the
championship. It is far better fun than skating." "Certainly," they
shouted with one voice, "there is ten times more fun in skeeing than in
skating. It is like all sports, the more danger there is in them the
greater are the excitement and the interest."
"But," said I, "I must go down this hill in a roundabout way, for I do
not want to fall into the hollow over which you leaped."
"It would not hurt you," they cried; "you would find plenty of snow at
the bottom if you should fall in." It was agreed that one of the Lapps
should go with me and show me the way through a less steep descent to
the chasm. We made the descent successfully, and came to a good position
from which I could see the men make the great leap.
Looking up, I saw all the Lapps in position ready for the descent and
waiting for the raising of the little American flag I always carried
with me,--a custom which dates from the time of my travels in Africa--as
the signal to start. As I unfolded it, I kissed it with great affection.
How beautiful the stars and stripes looked as they waved in the breeze
and over the snow!
At this signal the Lapps started. Suddenly I noticed that one of
them--the last one in the row--bore down directly upon me. "Goodness!" I
said to my companion, pointing out to him the Lapp above, "suppose this
man as he comes down should happen to strike me."
The Lapp heard me with a smile, and replied: "Paulus, do not be afraid;
he will guide his skees as skilfully as a skilful boatman steers his
boat. I think perhaps he intends to touch you with his hands as he
passes by you, so do not be frightened; do not move an inch; he is one
of the most skilful among us."
[Illustration: "Suddenly I saw them fly through the air."]
He had hardly finished these words when the Lapp with railroad speed
and dangerously close bore down upon me, and before I could realize it
passed in front of me within three feet, without however touching me, as
my companion had predicted. Still it took my breath away; my heart beat
so quickly. Down he went. Before I had time to recover I saw the Lapps
in the air, over the chasm, then in the twinkling of an eye they had
alighted on the other side. Their momentum was very great, and in less
than a minute they had leaped over the river, and continued their
forward course, which they could not stop, on the plain below; then
lessened their speed gradually with the help of their sticks, the ends
of which were thrust deep in the snow.
It was a grand sight. As they leaped over their legs were somewhat bent,
and as they struck the snow they righted themselves. While in the air
they maintained their skees parallel, as if they had been on the snow,
and when they alighted the skees were on a perfect level with each
other; no man seemed to be more than two or three feet ahead of another.
I had followed their motions with great curiosity. They seemed to give a
spring as they came near the brink of the chasm, bending their bodies
forward, straightening themselves as they struck the snow, and
continuing their way as if nothing had happened.
On their way back, as they neared me I shouted, "Good for you, boys!
Good for you! It was splendid." I shook hands with every one of them.
They were very much excited over the sport.
The hollow over which they leaped seemed to be about ninety-five feet
wide, and the place from which they sprang was about twelve or fifteen
feet above the bank on the other side. They told me that some of the
great leaps in the country had been over one hundred and twenty-five
feet.
"Is it possible!" I exclaimed; "it seems incredible."
Then the Lapp who had passed so near me said to me, "You were afraid I
would strike you on my way down. We can pass an object far below us
within a few inches when we like. We will show you how we do by and by."
The Lapps once more ascended the hill, and I took a new position by the
river and waited for them to come down. They started in the same way as
before and came down with very great speed, leaped over the gully, and
in an instant, seemingly, they were in the air over the river--a leap of
about sixty or seventy feet.
I shouted again, "Well done, boys! Well done!" I was terribly excited
myself.
Then they came to me and said: "Now we are going to have a new game."
They planted several sticks in the snow in different positions on the
declivity of the hill, and said, "Paulus, we are going to show you how
near we can come to those sticks; we will almost touch them with our
skees."
When they were ready I raised my flag. They came down the hill almost
with the same rapidity as before, but pushed their guiding sticks deeper
into the snow; and most of them came within a few inches of the sticks.
After passing one they would change their direction and move to another,
either on the left or right, further down.
This terminated the day's sport. We returned to our encampment. I had
had a day of great delight.