62 THE SAMOYEDES 



across the forehead. To the other ends of the pieces of 

 bone, plain thongs of leather are attached, one passing 

 behind the horns, the other under the neck. Through 

 the third hole, in the long side of the bent piece of horn, 

 passes a thong fastened to the single rein, either with a 

 simple tie or with an intervening swivel made of horn, 

 called by the Samoyedes the siirnye. The head-pieces 

 of the other deer are slightly different. The bone pieces 

 under the horns are slenderer, but slightly curved, and 

 both alike. They are tied together across the forehead,, 

 as is the head-piece of the leading deer, but the other 

 ends are tied to the apex of a piece of bone or horn, . 

 shaped like an isosceles triangle, with the angles cut off 

 square, the angle at the apex being very obtuse, and the 

 basal line slightly concave. These triangular pieces are 

 placed nearly over the jugular vein, and are fastened at 

 one end under the neck, and at the other at the back of 

 the head. The bridle-rein is attached at one end to the 

 thong passing at the back of the head, and the other to- 

 the saddle of the deer to the left or nearside. The wood 

 or bone blind pulley through which the traces run is 

 called pate-chay, it is so arranged that any deer not doing 

 its fair share of the pulling drops behind against the 

 sledge. The animals are urged on by a long pole, with 

 which they are hit or poked ; it is called the toor, and the 

 bone button at the end of it the toor-mahl. Behind each 

 sledge, on each side, there is a thong of leather passing 

 through a hole pierced through one end of a bit of bone 

 about nine inches long. A second thong of leather forms 

 the link connecting this to a second bone, which can be 

 fastened to the head-piece of the deer of the following 

 sledge, which thus requires no driver. This rude chain 

 is called the pooinye. The swivel is occasionally a 

 brass one, bought from the Russians. Now and then a 



