DAYS IN CAMP 281 
that between the two halves stretched the width of the 
sandy platform on which we were camped. Then, while 
the mother and calves galloped across from one side to 
the other, Uano pronounced which calf he would have 
caught. Immediately all eyes were fixed on the victim. 
It was a fine grey-coloured calf, and ran nobly with his 
head well up. 
Then every man gathered up his di-zha and crept away, 
half-crouching, like a stage conspirator. It was very 
difficult to take this calf, because he kept in the thick of 
the crowd, and more than once the wrong animal was 
caught and then set free. 
At last Mekolka, creeping behind a group of bucks, 
with a sudden rush and a toss of the di-zha had the 
calf by the horns, for he had velvety horns some foot in 
length. Even then he took a lot of holding, but a second 
di-zha was thrown round him, and the men advanced on 
him, hand over hand. At once he was hit between the 
eyes with an axe-head and stunned. Then, with a 
rapid movement of the knife, the axis and atlas vertebrae 
were separated, and the poor creature’s heart stuck under 
the lifted leg, so that no blood escaped. 
After the women had flayed him, which was the work 
of a few minutes only, the ribs were cut away, and then 
every person in the camp came round to a dinner party 
of raw reindeer. 
I can’t say I admired the performance, though it would 
make a very striking picture done in colour. You can 
