142 THE REIN-DEER. 



slightly touching the deer with his thong, the whole 

 of them started off like lightning. 



" The want of light rendered it difficult to distin- 

 guish the direction which we were going in, and 

 1 therefore left it entirely to my deer to follow the 

 rest of the herd, which he did with the greatest ra- 

 pidity, whirling the pulk behind him. I soon found 

 how totally impossible it was to preserve the balance 

 necessary to prevent its overturning, owing to the 

 rate we were going at, and roughness of the surface 

 in parts where the snow had drifted away, the pulk 

 frequently making a sudden bound of some hundred 

 yards, when the deer was proceeding down a smooth 

 slippery declivity. In the space of the first two hun- 

 dred yards I was prostrate in the snow several times, 

 the pulk righting again by my suddenly throwing 

 my weight on the opposite side. My attention was 

 too deeply engrossed by my own situation, to ob- 

 serve particularly that of my fellow-travellers, or to 

 be able to assist them. The deer appeared at first 

 setting off, to be running away in all directions, and 

 with their drivers alternately sprawling in the snow. 

 As I passed Mr Heinchen's deer at full speed, I ob- 

 served, to my great wonder, the former turned com- 

 pletely over in his pulk, without appearing to sus- 

 tain any damage, or his deer at all to relax its pace. 

 My turn was now arrived ; and as we were descend- 

 ing a trifling declivity, and about to enter the fir fo- 

 rest, a sudden jerk threw the pulk so completely on 

 itt> broadside, that I was unable to recover it, and I 



