68 THE JUDGE IN A FIX. 



" A Judge and his Skrifvare" that is, his clerk or 

 amanuensis thus runs the story, " were not long since 

 journeying between the several places of session in Lulea 

 Lapmark. They were accompanied by two other govern- 

 ment officials, one of whom was the chief civil officer 

 of the district. It being winter time, the party travelled 

 with rein-deer, each one having, as usual, his own deer 

 and little Akja, a sort of sledge. 5 * It happened one day 

 that the hero of the tale was provided with a very ill- 

 trained and unsteady animal, which was constantly swerving 

 to the right and left of the track, and otherwise so 

 misconducting himself, that his master was always the last 

 of the party ; and as a not very unnatural consequence, the 

 unfortunate Lapp who provided the deer, and who acted as 

 guide on the occasion, received maledictions out of number, 

 not only deep but loud. 



"The party having just crossed a lake, were ascending 

 by a path-way a rising ground, covered with pretty close 

 young wood. Rein-deer, as is known, are managed with a 

 single and long leather thong, which for the most part is 

 twisted several times around the right arm and hand of the 

 driver. Desirous of keeping up with his comrades, the 

 Judge, as well for the purpose of steering the deer, as to 

 make him quicken his pace, kept casting the thong from 

 side to side, lashing the animal with it as it were. In 

 his anxiety, however, to go ahead, he swung the rein some- 

 what wide of the deer, and as ill-luck would have it, on to 

 a Raf-tana that stood by the side of the path ; and as the 

 animal continued to advance, the traveller's arm was soon 

 fast in the notch. 



* A drawing of this vehicle is inserted at page 219 of this volume. 



