A REINDEER RIDE THROUGH LAPLAND. 7 



nomads are wonderfully sharp at a bargain, and are 

 quite capable of taking charge of their own interests. 

 But of them more hereafter. 



It being our last evening in a civilised place for 

 some days to come, we spent it at the hotel, retiring 

 to rest early, in order to be able to rise in good time 

 on the morrow, when our interesting journey was to 

 commence. Our Lapps did not fail to pay us a visit, 

 and were not at all backward in suggesting that a 

 "tram" oijugasta (brandy) would be very agreeable 

 in such cold weather. 



At the appointed hour our wapooses (as the Lapp 

 guides are called) arrived with their reindeer, and 

 after getting Kari (the goodwife) to stuff our reindeer- 

 skin boots well with a sort of dried grass, called senne, 

 we donned our travelling costumes, which I must de- 

 scribe. You keep on your ordinary habit, and over 

 that you generally put a thick woollen jersey or Shet- 

 land jacket. You next put on a pair of small skin- 

 boots, and cover these again with huge Wellingtons, 

 also of reindeer-skin, reaching far above the knee. 

 These being properly tied and fastened, you attire 

 yourself in the chief garment of the whole, which is 

 the blouse or peek. This is open only at the foot and 

 neck, and has a very high collar. On getting into it 

 you must of course creep from below, which is de- 

 cidedly an uncomfortable and difficult operation when 

 you are not accustomed to it ; and I, for my part, 

 would never have succeeded in getting through had 



