146 THE REIN-DEER. 



to the commencement of the descent on the opposite 

 side of the mountains. Hitherto we had considered 

 ourselves fortunate in the clearness of the weather, 

 but we were now about to experience a striking re- 

 verse. Our guides, with the usual caution of these 

 people when crossing the mountains, on looking tcr 

 the westward, discovered a small misty appearance, 

 "which slightly obscured that quarter, and seemed to 

 be approaching us. I probably never would have 

 discovered it nfyself. The Laplanders, however, 

 know too well by experience what these mists por- 

 tend, and are toa fully aware of the danger of meet- 

 ing with them, not to keep a constant look-out. In 

 an instant we were in confusion, our guide quickly 

 made known the approach of our enemy in the rear, 

 and the immediate necessity there was of pushing 

 forward at the utmost speed to which we could put 

 the deer. 



" The guide coming to me, and whispering in my 

 ear with a seeming mystery, gave me a piece of ad- 

 vice of some importance. The fog, said he with 

 earnestness, would shortly overtake us, and when 

 that happened, he briefly counselled me to halloo on 

 my deer as fast as it could gallop, to mind no other 

 person, and never to be in the rear. My deer, in- 

 deed, was one of the best and fleetest of the herd, 

 and I was now so expert in the management of both 

 animal and pulk, that I felt tolerably confident I 

 should not be the hindmost, except some accident 

 occurred. Fastening, therefore, the end of the rein 



