294 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 
Sunday, August 12th—To-day I went down to 
Scharok with Uano. We each drove a team of five. 
As I think I have never properly described a reindeer 
team I may do so now. 
First the names. Reckoning from left to right you 
have Niasminta, Niasminta Gei-o-hu, Yierrkha, Warrii 
Gei-o-hu, Warrii. 
There is only one driving rein, and that is attached to 
the head-band of the Niasminta. The off-side of this 
deer’s head-band is then attached to the near side of the 
girth of the next, and so through the rest of the team.’ 
From this it is clear that the Niasminta gives the cue 
to all the others, and should be the best trained deer. 
As a matter of fact, he is not only this, but always the 
finest that can be found. 
Driving is a comparatively simple matter. Let us 
watch a Samoyed off. 
Whenever the driver leaves his sleigh he throws the 
long driving pole down in front of the team, and turning 
the team itself round till it is facing the back of the 
sleigh, fastens the Niasminta’s head by the rein to the 
side bar of the sleigh. 
This driving pole, which is some ten or twelve feet 
long, is called by the Samoyeds the ‘toorr,’ and by the 
Russians the ‘hareh.’ It has a button of reindeer horn 
at the point. 
Now the driver unfastens the long rein (the ‘ moi-ty- 
1 This arrangement is sometimes reversed, so that the Niasminta has more freedom, 
