74 THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD. 



horn at all, but bone.) These antlers of 

 the reindeer are stuck upright in the 

 snow, singly or in groups, in such a 

 manner that a sled, when well guided, 

 can be run between them without knock- 

 ing any of them down, the number of 

 open spaces between the groups being 

 equal to at least the number of sleds. 

 The quantity of reindeer antlers they can 

 thus arrange will, of course, depend upon 

 their fathers' success the autumn before 

 in reindeer hunting ; but there are nearly 

 always enough antlers to give two or 

 three, and sometimes five or six, to each 

 fearless young coaster. 



The boys with their sleds, numbering 

 from four to six in a fair-sized village, 

 gather on the top of the hill, each boy 

 having with him two or three spears, or 

 a bow with as many arrows. They start 



