138 FARTHEST NORTH 



thinner, and by May 27th it was notliing but scattered 

 underwood. After this came quite small bushes and 

 weeds, and then at last the interminable tundra came in 

 sight. Not to be without fuel on the tundra, they felled 

 some dead trees and other wood — eight sledge loads. The 

 day after they got out on the tundra (May 29th) the cara- 

 van set off at full speed, the Syrianes being anxious to 

 get c|uickly past a place where a whole herd of reindeer 

 had perished some years before. The reindeer-drivers 

 take good note of such places, and do everything possi- 

 ble to avoid them, as the animals may easily be infected 

 by gnawing the bones of their dead comrades. God help 

 the herd that this happens to! The disease passes rapid- 

 ly from animal to animal, and scores may die of it in a 

 day.* 



"In this region there are many bogs; the low land 

 forms one continuous morass. Sometimes we had to 

 walk up to the waist in water; thus on June 5th we 

 splashed about the whole day in water, in constant fear 

 of the dogs catching cold. On the 6th a strong north- 

 east wind blew, and at night the cold was so severe that 

 two reindeer-calves were frozen to death ; and besides 

 this two grown ones were carried off by wolves." 



The caravan had often to cross rapid rivers, where it 

 was sometimes very difficult to find a ford. They were 

 frequently obliged to construct a bridge with the help of 



* This disease is probably anthrax, or something of the same nature. 



