VARIABLE WEATHER.--SNOWY DAYS.--AN UNINHABITED HOUSE OF REFUGE.--ANIMALS
CHANGING THE COLOR OF THEIR FUR.--MIKEL TELLS ME ABOUT A
BEAR.--KILLING THE BEAR.--HURRYING ON OVER SOFT SNOW AND FROZEN
RIVERS.--THE ICE BEGINS TO BREAK.--PASS THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.
Onward we went, sleeping one day in the tent of a nomadic Lapp, another
day in our bags, at other times in the _gamme_ of a river Lapp. The
weather was very changeable; one day it was clear, the next day the sky
was gray. Snowy days were not uncommon.
Midway between Nordkyn and Haparanda the snow was of great depth. Only
the tops of the birch trees could be seen, and strange to say the
branches were in bloom, for the trees felt the heat of the sun, and the
snow had prevented the freezing of the ground to a great depth. The snow
must have been eight or ten feet deep in some regions.
When we reached the summit of the plateau, the watershed that divided
the rivers falling into the Arctic Sea and the Baltic, the weather was
very stormy. Though it was the 13th of May, we met a furious snowstorm.
This was dangerous for us, and Mikel attached my sleigh to his by a long
rope, so that we might not become separated. The snowstorm seemed,
however, to give new strength to the reindeer, and they went faster than
usual, and besides the cold weather we had had the two previous
days--the thermometer marking 15 to 18 degrees of frost--had evidently
invigorated them. For a while there was a lull in the storm, and we were
glad when we came to a house of refuge.
The house was small and uninhabited, but clean inside. Some food was
hanging from the ceiling, belonging to some Lapp or some wanderer like
ourselves, who had left it to have it on his return journey. The food
was sacred and safe. No one would have dared to touch it, no matter how
hungry he was, for it did not belong to him, and the one who had left it
perhaps depended upon it to sustain his life on his return. We peeped
into the parcel--there was some hard bread, reindeer cheese, and a
smoked reindeer tongue, a coffee kettle and some coffee, and a few small
pieces of wood tied together, to make a fire to cook the coffee with.
This was one of those houses of refuge used only for shelter, without
people to keep them, built especially by the government for that
purpose, in case of sudden storm.
After a while I went out for a walk on my skees, to stretch my legs, for
I had been more than ten hours seated in my sleigh. I took my gun with
me. Soon I spied some hares, and succeeded in killing two. These were
also changing their fur coats; much of their fur was gray, and mixed
with white; the hares were to be gray during the summer months. As white
was their protection in winter against big white owls, foxes, and other
animals, so their gray color would protect them against their enemies in
summer.
"Strange indeed is nature," I said to myself. "In some cases the animals
change their fur so that they can approach their prey without being
seen; in other cases nature changes their fur to protect them against
their enemies."
When I returned I saw that Mikel had prepared our supper. He had fetched
some firewood he had in his sleigh, and a bright fire was burning under
our coffee kettle. Reindeer meat, tongue, and reindeer cheese had been
put on a wooden dish, and two tin cups were ready for the coffee to be
poured into them. We seated ourselves cross-legged on the floor, and
began our meal. What a nice cup of coffee we had! How deliciously it
tasted! How good was our coarse hard black bread and our reindeer
cheese, and smoked reindeer tongue!
After we had drunk our coffee and eaten our supper I noticed that Mikel
was very silent and thoughtful. I wondered if he was thinking of dangers
ahead--of the sudden stopping of our journey,--and just as I was on the
point of asking him why he was so thoughtful he broke the silence
himself and said: "Paulus, I know where there is a big brown bear--a
real big fellow. The Bear's Night is not over with him yet, and he must
be still sleeping under the snow at the place where I saw him last
autumn getting ready to go into his winter quarters."
"You don't say so, Mikel!" I exclaimed. "Is the bear sleeping near where
we are?"
"Not so very near," he replied with a twinkle in his eye. "A few hours
will bring us to his place."
He saw by my looks that I was ready to go after the bear. It was just
what he wished. So he continued: "Paulus, shall we go and kill the bear,
before he awakes and goes into the mountains and forests to commit his
depredations,--for after his long fast he will be very hungry--and are
you willing to lose two or three days and run the risk of having our
journey come to an end?"
When I heard this, I forgot all about the ice cracking over the streams
and lakes, about the snow melting and preventing people from travelling.
"Yes, Mikel," I replied, "let us go after the bear. Afterwards we will
travel as fast as we can and take very little sleep; perhaps we shall
have luck and the weather may be colder than usual for a while."
"All right," replied Mikel; "we will go after the bear."
"Mikel," said I "before we stretch ourselves on the floor and go to
sleep, tell me how you know that the bear is at the spot you suppose and
that he is spending his winter night there."
Mikel took a big pinch of snuff and replied: "Paulus, I think I am the
only one, that knows where this bear is sleeping, for I have kept it a
secret. I hope no other person knows where he is, for I want his skin.
Besides I shall get a premium in money if we kill him."
Then he added: "One day last fall as I was hunting for ptarmigans I saw
in the distance a huge brown bear walking about and getting ready for
his winter quarters. I knew that he was seeking his winter lodgings,
because he was going round and round a big cluster of pines before
entering it. I watched! After a a while he disappeared among the pines
and I saw no more of him. I knew that if he were not disturbed or
frightened away he would stay there. The bear assuredly had seen the
place during the summer and thought it was a good one for his long
sleep. This bear knew that a big snowstorm was coming, and he was not
mistaken, for that night snow fell very heavily and the storm lasted two
days.
"The Bear's Night will soon be over in this region," Mikel continued,
"and at any moment this bear may awaken, break through the snow that is
over him, and go away. Perhaps he is already gone. At this time of the
year the slightest noise will arouse a bear, for by this time he has
ceased to sleep soundly."
Then he added: "We have had very little sleep since we left the coast,
Paulus; we need a good rest before we go after the bear."
"Yes," said I, "my eyes ache for want of a good long sleep."
We stretched ourselves on the earth floor, and soon after I heard the
snoring of Mikel. He was an inveterate snorer,--I thought the champion
snorer of all those I ever had met.
I could not go to sleep, though I was so tired. I turned first on one
side, then on the other, then lay on my back. I was much excited, for I
thought of the big brown bear and of the hunt that was before us. At
last I fell asleep. Suddenly I was awakened by a shaking of Mikel, and
as I opened my eyes he said, "Paulus, what is the matter? You have been
shouting."
I was in a profuse perspiration. I had again had nightmare from lying on
my back. I was fighting with a big bear which had seized me, and we were
wrestling and I was getting the worst of it, and when ready to fall down
in his grasp I had given a big scream.
After our breakfast that morning, Mikel said: "We must go and tell some
of the folks who live in a little hamlet not far from here to come with
us."
"What do you call not far from here?" I asked.
I had begun to know what "not far" meant with the Lapps. "Two hours'
travel, or about fifteen miles," he replied. "I have friends there."
Before leaving the little house of refuge Mikel swept the floor, and
made it as clean as we had found it--for it is the custom of the people
to do this before they leave.
We then started eastward, and after two hours' travelling we came to a
few farms and entered a house. Mikel told the people about the bear. The
news soon spread and there was much excitement. During the day
preparations were made for the hunt.
The next morning men gathered, taking their guns and big long sticks,
with pikes at the ends to prod the bear with; and all the dogs of the
place followed us. Many men started on their skees, others in their
sleighs. According to Mikel the bear was about thirty miles away.
I was full of enthusiasm, and longed to come face to face with the big
brown bear of northern Europe.
About three hours after, we stopped. All the people took counsel
together and spoke in low voices. Then Mikel, pointing out to me a big
cluster of trees, said, "Paulus, the bear is there."
Slowly we made for the spot, and then entered the grove, and went in
different directions seeking for the bear's winter quarters. Soon after
we saw a heap of snow, or little hillock, that covered evidently some
boulders piled on the top of each other or a cluster of fallen broken
pine trees.
We looked at each other and pointed towards the spot--we knew that the
bear was under the snow there. Mikel whispered to me, "The bear sleeps
under that hillock of snow."
We surrounded the place, then on a sudden we shouted and made a terrific
noise. Two or three of the men fired their guns, the dogs barked
furiously.
[Illustration: "He sat on his haunches and looked at us, uttering a
tremendous growl."]
Then we saw the centre of the heap or hillock of snow tremble, as if
some live creature were moving slowly under it. Then the snow moved a
little quicker. There was no mistake, the bear was awakened, had
moved, and was on the point of rising; he was listening, and getting
ready to come out. The noise had frightened him. The snow trembled more
and more and rose higher and higher. Suddenly there was a great
upheaval, and great cracks appeared in the crusted snow. Then we saw
peeping out the head and back of a huge brown bear, then two legs, and
finally the whole animal.
He looked round him with amazement. He seemed to be dazed at the strange
and sudden sight before him. He sat on his haunches and looked at us,
uttering a tremendous growl. We could not tell whether he meant to fight
or to run. The dogs barked angrily around the huge beast, but did not
dare to approach near enough to attack him. In the meantime we had all
drawn together so that we could fire without danger of hitting any of
our party. The bear was getting ugly, gave a series of fierce growls,
and rose on his hind legs. At this moment Mikel and I fired. A grunt of
pain showed that the animal was hit. He ran a few steps towards us and
as we got ready to fire again the big beast fell, his blood reddening
the snow.
We gathered round and looked at him. He was a huge beast, but very thin
from his long fast, for he had been six months or more without food.
After the killing of the bear there was no time to be lost, for we had
deviated from our course and had gone eastward into Finland. So now we
had to go westward, and after two days' travelling we came to the river
Muonio, to a Finnish hamlet called Kuttainen, not far from Karesuando.
Now travelling became really dangerous. The frozen river was full of
treacherous cracks, and others were appearing all the time. Once in a
while we came to small open spaces, where we could see the swift water
of the stream rushing with great rapidity; this made me shudder. In some
places there were large pools of water.
It was getting really warm. Some days my "pesh" was comfortable, at
other times it was much too warm, the thermometer reaching 48 to 50
degrees in the shade and 86 to 88 degrees in the sun. The dripping from
the melted snow came into the river from the hills, and had succeeded in
many places in melting the ice on the banks. This travelling was no
joke. I followed Mikel, and watched him constantly, fearing that his
reindeer and sleigh would disappear under the ice. Travelling appeared
to become more and more perilous as we followed the Muonio southward. At
times I could hear the angry water under the ice striking against
boulders, and this became quite common.
At last I shouted to Mikel, "Let us travel on the land, for surely if we
do not we shall fall through the ice and be engulfed."
"We cannot," he shouted back, "the snow is too soft. Our reindeer could
not pull our sleighs. We can get along much better on the river, though
the ice is very bad. Trust in me, Paulus. I have made this journey over
the Muonio River many times before, but you must follow me very closely,
for sometimes I shall have to pass near rotten ice or open spots."
"I will follow you carefully, dear Mikel. Go on! Go on!" I said.
So I followed Mikel closely, as he had bade me, but what thumps our
sleighs would sometimes get on the now uneven ice of the river!
Fortunately they were very strongly built.
We slept at a place called Songamuodka. In the morning it snowed, but
the flakes were big and soft and melted as they fell on the old snow. I
met no more herds of reindeer, but since I had left on my journey
southward I had seen between sixty-five and seventy thousand of them.
Two days after I saw the church spire of Pajala, rested there, and on
the 24th of May, as I was travelling on the Torne River, I passed once
more the Arctic Circle. It was raining. I was told that it was the first
rain that had fallen for over seven months.
Here I said good-bye to the good Mikel and thanked him cordially for the
care he had taken of me.
I had now left the kingdom of the "Long Night," and the "Long Day" was
to rule over the land through which we have travelled together.
Now, my dear Young Folks, Friend Paul has come back, as you bade him,
and I hope you have enjoyed our travelling together in "The Land of the
Long Night." Good-bye. Do not forget your Friend Paul, who loves you
dearly, for once he was one of the Young Folks himself.
Paul Du Chaillu's Great Work
THE VIKING AGE
THE EARLY HISTORY, MANNERS, &
CUSTOMS OF THE ANCESTORS OF
THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING NATIONS
WITH 1400 ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAP
2 vols., 8vo, $7.50
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, Publishers
* * * * *
New York Tribune.
"These luxuriously printed and profusely illustrated volumes embody the
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Newark Advertiser.
"Their weapons, ornaments, ships, domestic manners and customs, art and
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London Athenaeum.
"What is really valuable in these volumes is the exhaustive digest which
they contain of the extant information respecting the manners and
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entire field of Scandinavian archaeology. In the main, we believe the
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Edinburgh Review.
"The subject of M. Du Chaillu's work is vast in extent and full of
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Springfield Republican.
"Mr. Du Chaillu is every whit as agreeable and entertaining as a student
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Chicago Inter-Ocean.
"Mr. Du Chaillu has certainly given to the literary world a work full of
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The Nation.
"While in Germany and in Scandinavia itself books have been written upon
the life of the ancient inhabitants of the North, no such comprehensive,
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Philadelphia Record.
"M. Du Chaillu's book is full of valuable information respecting the
manners and character of the ancient Norse people. It is, in fact, a
perfect museum of Northern antiquities, covering the entire field of
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must whet the appetite of students of Norse literature."
Boston Transcript.
"Mr. Du Chaillu's monumental work, 'The Viking Age,' upon which the
careful labor of over eight years has been expended, is one for which
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graves, finds, weapons, occupations, feasts, warfare, etc., are
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hundred illustrations."
* * * * *
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, Publishers
153-157 Fifth Avenue, New York
IVAR THE VIKING
A ROMANTIC HISTORY, BASED
UPON AUTHENTIC FACTS OF THE
THIRD AND FOURTH CENTURIES
12mo, $1.50
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The Nation.
"'Ivar the Viking' is to be thoroughly recommended. The story is
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Chicago Tribune.
"It is full of vigor, and seems to bear internal evidence of
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Philadelphia Press.
"Of the subsequent adventures of Ivar and his foster-brothers the
interested reader must gain knowledge in the pages of the delightful
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the documents and discovered the secrets of the Norselands."
New York Times.
"The reader who has begun with a blank mind closes the volume with a
tolerably clear impression of a very energetic, powerful, and wealthy
young Viking, capable of strong affections and disaffections, foremost
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Boston Transcript.
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"He has rendered a double service, for not only does he instruct the
reader in a most graphic and vivid manner, but he also develops a story
of adventure and daring which will be followed with breathless
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* * * * *
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, Publishers
153-157 Fifth Avenue, New York
Transcriber's Note
Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without
note.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Land of the Long Night, by Paul du Chaillu