DEER KIND. 35? 



The rein-deer of this country are of two kinds, 

 the wild and the tame. The wild are larger and 

 stronger, but more mischievous than the others. 

 Their breed, however, is preferred to that of the 

 tame ; and the female of the latter is often sent 

 into the woods, from whence she returns home 

 impregnated by one of the wild kind. These are 

 fitter for drawing the sledge, to which the Lap- 

 lander accustoms them betimes, and yokes them 

 to it by a strap, which goes round the neck, and 

 comes down between their legs. The sledge is 

 extremely light, and shod at the bottom with the 

 skin of a young deer, the hair turned to slide on 

 the frozen snow. The person who sits on this 

 guides the animal with a cord fastened round 

 the horns, and encourages it to proceed with his 

 voice, and drives it with a goad. Some of the 

 wild breed, though by far the strongest, are yet 

 found refractory, and often turn upon their 

 drivers, who have then no other resource but to 

 cover themselves with their sledge, and let the 

 animal vent its fury upon that. But it is other- 

 wise with those that are tame : no creature can 

 be more active, patient, and willing ; when hard 

 pushed they will trot nine or ten Swedish miles, 

 or between fifty and sixty English miles at one 

 stretch. But in such a case the poor obedient 

 creature fatigues itself to death, and if not pre- 

 vented by the Laplander, who kills it immediate- 

 ly, it will die a day or two after. In general, they 

 can go about thirty miles without halthfg, and 

 this without any great or dangerous efforts. 

 This, which is the only manner of travelling in 



