DAYS IN CAMP 281 



that between the two halves stretched the width of the 

 sandy platform on which we were camped. Then, while 

 the mother and calves galloped across from one side to 

 the other, Uano pronounced which calf he would have 

 caught. Immediately all eyes were fixed on the victim. 

 It was a fine grey-coloured calf, and ran nobly with his 

 head well up. 



Then every man gathered up his di-zha and crept away, 

 half-crouching, like a stage conspirator. It was very 

 difficult to take this calf, because he kept in the thick of 

 the crowd, and more than once the wrong animal was 

 caught and then set free. 



At last Mekolka, creeping behind a group of bucks, 

 with a sudden rush and a toss of the di-zha had the 

 calf by the horns, for he had velvety horns some foot in 

 length. Even then he took a lot of holding, but a second 

 di-zha was thrown round him, and the men advanced on 

 him, hand over hand. At once he was hit between the 

 eyes with an axe-head and stunned. Then, with a 

 rapid movement of the knife, the axis and atlas vertebrae 

 were separated, and the poor creature's heart stuck under 

 the lifted leg, so that no blood escaped. 



After the women had flayed him, which was the work 

 of a few minutes only, the ribs w r ere cut away, and then 

 every person in the camp came round to a dinner party 

 of raw reindeer. 



I can't say I admired the performance, though it would 

 make a very striking picture done in colour. You can 



