30 TKAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



quickly followed by all the rest, their speed enhanced 

 by seeing the figures of those who had got out stand- 

 ing at the side of the road. My turn comes, and with 

 tremendous velocity we sweep down the hill. Here 

 is no talk of trying to regulate the speed. No. 

 Speaking vulgarly, you must simply "go for it." 

 The worst bit comes. The road bends at a sharp 

 angle. The occupant of the poolk before me is thrown 

 out, and a like fate seems to threaten me. I hold 

 on to the poolk with grim determination, and am 

 hurled right forward, poolk and all, as the deer turns 

 the corner ; then, for an instant, the poolli stops, only 

 immediately to continue its mad race downhill at the 

 heels of the deer. Thus was passed the, in Finmarken, 

 celebrated " Karasjok bakken." Though keeping up 

 a hard pace, all danger is now past, as the declivity 

 leads straight down to the river's bed ; and soon, with- 

 out accident, we are drawn up on the frozen river a 

 mile from Karasjok, which place, all beflagged and 

 adorned in honour of the amtmand's visit, we see 

 directly in front of us. When our less adventurous 

 companions come up to us, the word to start is given, 

 and in a short time we find ourselves in the midst of 

 a Lapp crowd, " the cynosure of twice a hundred 

 eyes," in front of the principal house in the place 

 viz., that of the resident trader. That worthy is of 

 course there to bid us welcome, which he does with an 

 evident sincerity which promises well for our inter- 

 course with him during our sojourn in Karasjok. 



