42 TRAVEL, ADVENTUEE, AND SPORT. 



The clean-cut terraces were covered with trees, 

 chiefly Coniferae. These had now taken the place of 

 the birch which almost entirely predominates on the 

 other side of Karasjok; and though as yet leafless 

 and melancholy-looking, the pines produced a highly 

 picturesque effect, with their sprays and branches 

 crested with pure white snow such white snow as 

 is never seen elsewhere than in the arctic regions. 

 But, holloa! What's the matter? The foremost 

 Lapp suddenly stops, jumps up and puts his face close 

 to the ground, examining something very carefully. 

 He calls the others towards him, and a short conver- 

 sation ensues, the result of which is given us by the 

 forstmester, who had also joined in the " confab." It 

 seemed that the marks just discovered proved that 

 not ten minutes before our arrival a deer had passed 

 by hotly pursued by a wolf. That the chase was in 

 its last stages was evident from the fact that the 

 deer's strides were so short that the wolf had made 

 use of them to follow in the same footsteps ; it was 

 consequently calculated that by following the track 

 for half an hour or so we would be sure to come up 

 to the scene of slaughter. Some eager souls still 

 hoped to be able to save the poor deer, and were for 

 starting at once ; but the majority decided that, as 

 we had a pretty long road to travel before reaching 

 our night-quarters, it would be necessary to leave it 

 to its fate, which was accordingly done. 



As formerly mentioned, the wolves are the great 



