LAPLAND. 



195 



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to remain there during winter, ant! serve as a supply 

 for their families in the following spring, on their pro- 

 gress to the coast. In spring and autumn, when the 

 earth is free from its covering of snow, the natives tra- 

 vel on foot, and convey their tents and baggage on the 

 backs of the rein-deer ; but, in the winter excursions, 

 sledges are used for transporting themselves and their 

 furniture. The sledge is made of birch wood, and 

 formed like a boat with a flat stern. The ends of the 

 ide planks are fastened with wooden pegs to the round- 

 ish board, which forms the back, and their points, 

 brought together at the front, are bound fast with a 

 rope. The tledgcs are caulked within, and frequently 

 pitched also on the outside to keep out the water. The 

 kind most commonly used for travelling is so light, as 

 to be easily carried in the arms, and is no larger than 

 to admit the legs and thighs of the Laplander. It is 

 open from head to stern ; but has occasionally a seal 

 skin fixed to the head, which covers the legs and knees 

 of the passenger, to which is joined a rug, spreading 

 over hii lap, and fastened by leather loops to the side, 

 to defend him from the snow. The hirger sledges, em- 

 ployed for convey ing provisions and baggage, have ge- 

 nerally a convex ileck from head to stern, with a hatch 

 behind, which is railed by a projecting bolt, when any 

 thing is to be drawn out, or stowed under the deck. 

 The sledge* are drawn by the female, or by gelt rein- 

 deer ; and it requires great perseverance to break these 

 animals to the harness. In yoking them to the sledge, 

 a broad collar of untanned deer skin is put over the 

 neck, from which a rope made of thongs, cut from seal 

 kin or the hide of an ox, passes under the belly be- 

 tween the fore and hind legs, and is fastened to the 

 tledge by a bole in the fore part of the keel Another 

 collar, or kersey cloth, and embellished with tinsel, is 

 occasionally put on by way of omanur.'. A broad 

 girth u sometime* brought round the body of the deer, 

 with an opening below the belly to let the rope pass 

 through, and to keep it steady in pulling the vehicle. 

 A rein, or thong like a halter, is fastened to the head of 

 the deer, ami, while the animal is standing still, hangs 

 on the left tide. The Laplander, when placed in the 

 ledge, ties the end of the halter about the thumb of 

 his right hand, and then shaking it with violence from 

 <ide to side, the animal springs forward at great speed, 

 but in an irregular and serpentine course. When the 

 driver wishes to keep to either hand, he pulls the rein 

 to that side. When going down hill, he regulates the 

 sliding of the sledge by the movement of his body ; or, 

 if the descent is very steep, he ties a rein-deer by the 

 horns to the back of the sledge, which the animal is 

 trained to keep steady by drawing backwards. When 

 he wi*hes to urge the rein-deer to its utmost speed, 

 which i< at the rate of ten miles an hour, he places him- 

 self on his knees, and encourages him by certain sounds 

 and movement* ; and when he is desirous to stop, he 

 shift* the rein from the right side to the left, upon 

 which the animal immediately stands still. In trans- 

 porting baggage or provisions, a train of four or five 

 ledges may be conducted by one man, who scats him- 

 self in the foremost, while the rein of each deer is at- 

 tached to the stem of the preceding sledge ; and one 

 deer tied to the back of the hindmost, to act as a check 

 upon their velocity in descending the declivities The 

 (ledge*, when not in use, are frequently lodged under a 

 wooden shed ; but, in general, they arc merely turned 

 upon the snow, with the keel upwards, and in this po- 

 sition they serve the purpose of repositories for veni- 

 son, Ac. ' For travelling on foot in winter, the Lap- 



landers employ snow shoes, which are about six feet Laplmd. 

 long, and six inches broad in the middle, tapering to a v 

 point at both extremities. The upper part of the shoe jJJ*? 

 is flatfish, the edge on each side sharp, the under part " \ji" ' 

 convex, and furrowed lengthwise ; and in the middle 

 of the broad surface is a place for the foot, with a band 

 to fasten it firmly about the ancle. Many of the fami- 

 lies in removing from one station to another, follow the 

 sledges on foot, driving the herds of deer. In this way, 

 they frequently travel by night as well as by day over 

 an entire surface of snow, without the slightest vestige 

 of a track to guide their way, and with the snow drift- 

 ing in all directions ; yet, by observing the stars, or 

 the course of the wind, they rarely happen to miss 

 their route. In these cases, they fix bells to the col- 

 lars of the rein-deer, in order to keep together by the 

 sound, when they can no longer see one another. They 

 are always provided with a steel, flint, and matches, to 

 light their pipes, or kindle a fire if requisite ; and when 

 obliged to stop, in consequence of the severity of the 

 weather, or the length of the way, speedily erect a small 

 travelling tent, and take their repose as occasion or ne- 

 cessity may demand. 



The principal employment of the Laplander, espe- 

 cially in the winter season, is hunting, in which he 

 makes much use of traps and other snares, some of 

 which are sufficiently ingenious. In order to take par- 

 tridges and ptarmigans, they form a low hedge or fence 

 of brushwood in the thickets, with small openings about 

 a fathom from each other, just large enough to let the 

 birds pass through them. In these, they place a fork- 

 ed birch twig, in such a manner as to form a sort of 

 arch, with the cleft stuck in the snow, and, in this arch, 

 is suspended a noose of packthread, or horse hair, by 

 which the birds are taken as they come running along, 

 and attempt to pass through the open spaces. They 

 frequently catch the pelicans, cormorants, and other 

 sea fowl on the rocks, by means of baited hooks fas- 

 tened to ropes. They take also in snares, foxes, hares, 

 ermines, martins, &c. ; and even the wild rein-deer are 

 often caught by nooses suspended in the narrow passes, 

 or by driving them into enclosed alleys. When the 

 snow has fallen in large quantities, and the wild rein- 

 deer, by sinking deep, are unable to run fast, the na- 

 tives pursue them on foot in their snow shoes, and 

 knock them on the head with clubs. But, in hunting, 

 the Laplander makes much use also of the rifle gun ; 

 with which, and the assistance of his dog, he rouses and 

 shoots the wild deer even in the summer and autumn 

 seasons. The hunting of the deer is attended with ex- 

 cessive fatigue, on account of the animal's acute percep- 

 tion and extreme shyness ; and the hunter, upon per- 

 ceiving one at half a mile'* distance, takes a circuit to 

 leeward, creeping on his hands and feet till lie comes 

 within gunshot. In this way, a single hunter frequent- 

 ly assails the bear in open day, especially in the au- 

 tumn, when the animal is more fearless, and is conti- 

 nually prowling about in quest of the berries which 

 abound at that season. The Laplander, taking his dog, 

 with a cord tied around its jaws to prevent it barking, 

 and holding the other end in his hand, advances to the 

 retreat of the bear, and endeavours to keep on the lee- 

 ward side, that the animal may not discover his ap- 

 proach by the scent. Should he miss his aim, or only 

 wound the bear, his life is exposed to no small danger 

 from the enraged animal. In his flight, however, he 

 generally contrives to drop his knapsack, which the 

 wild beast commonly seizes, and tears in pieces; so 

 that the hunter either makes his escape in the mean 



