58 THE SAMOYEDES 



The scene became quite exciting : the reindeer were 

 wheeling round and round in circles. The dogs tied to 

 the sledges barked furiously and evidently wished to have 

 a share in the sport. The dogs selected by the Samo- 

 yedes to help them to get within lasso range of the deer 

 rushed frantically about at the command of their masters, 

 whose loud cries added to the excitement of the scene. 

 Sometimes a herd of reindeer ran over a place where 

 the snow was unable to bear their weight ; and it was 

 interesting to watch them snorting and plunging. As 

 the number caught increased, the difficulty also increased 

 of identifying and catching the remaining few of the fifty 

 that belonged to the Russian, and the Samoyedes with 

 the lassos were driven about in sledges at a rapid pace to 

 get within reach of the animals they wanted. The deer 

 kept together ; if one ran out of bounds a dog was sent 

 after it and soon brought it back again. In one respect 

 the reindeer resemble sheep ; wherever one goes, the rest 

 try to follow. 



In this herd the greater number were females (vah f 

 shinka), with good horns ; these they do not cast till they 

 drop their young. A few were males (horre), their new 

 horns just appearing. Those chiefly used in the sledges 

 were cut reindeer (buck), also without horns. Some of 

 the hornless animals leaped right through the lasso and 

 others were caught by the leg. 



The lasso is a cord about 100 feet long, made of two 

 thongs of reindeer-skin plaited together, so as to make 

 a round rope three-eighths of an inch in diameter. 

 The noose is formed by passing the cord through a small 

 piece of bone with two holes in it. The lasso passes 

 freely through the hole, while the end is fastened to a 

 little bone peg with a bone-washer to prevent it slipping 

 through the other hole. 



