UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 215 



the women, bringing their bowls from the tent, 

 began the operation of milking, which, as some 

 hundreds of deer were assembled, was likely to 

 take up a considerable time. In this both the 

 men and women were busily employed. Before 

 each deer was milked, a cord with a noose was 

 thrown round the horns, by which it was secured 

 and kept steady. The Laplanders are extremely 

 expert at this ; and it was surprising to see the 

 exactness with which the noose was thrown from 

 a distance ; hardly ever failing to light upon the 

 horns of the deer for which it was intended, though 

 in the thickest of the herd. The cord for this 

 purpose was made of the fibres of the birch, very 

 neatly plaited together, and exceedingly strong. 

 During the short time the animal was milking, 

 this cord was either held by one of the women, 

 or made fast to a birch shrub ; some of the 

 thickest having been stripped of their leaves, 

 and left standing for this purpose. Many of 

 the deer, instead of being tractable, as I had 

 imagined, were very refractory, frequently even 

 throwing the women down, and hurting them 

 with their horns. They seemed very little to 

 mind this ; but, strong as the Laplanders are, 

 they appeared to have little power over these 

 animals, for when one had the cord round 

 its horns, and refused to be milked, it dragged 

 the holder with ease round the fold. The quan- 

 tity of milk that each deer gave scarcely ex- 



