16 BEASTS AND MEN 
and the profits on my business somewhat decreased. Some 
remedy for this state of affairs had to be found, and the said 
remedy eventually came through the chance suggestion of a 
friend. In 1874 I happened to be importing some reindeer, 
and my friend, Heinrich Leutemann, the animal painter, 
remarked that it would be most picturesque if I could import 
a family of Lapps along with them. This seemed to me a 
brilliant idea, and I therefore at once gave orders that my 
reindeer were to be accompanied by their native masters. 
The Lapps, conducted by a Norwegian, arrived at Ham- 
burg in the middle of September, and Leutemann and myself 
went on board to welcome the little expedition. The first 
glance sufficed to convince me that the experiment would 
prove a success. Here was a truly interesting sight. On 
deck three little men dressed in skins were walking about 
among the deer, and down below we found to our great 
delight a mother with a tiny infant in her arms and a dainty 
little maiden about four years old, standing shyly by her 
side. Our guests, it is true, would not have shone in a 
beauty show, but they were so wholly unsophisticated and 
so totally unspoiled by civilisation that they seemed like 
beings from another world. I felt sure that the little 
strangers would arouse great interest in Germany. 
The reindeer and the Lapps were safely disembarked, 
but on the way up to Neuer Pferdemarkt a rather fortunate 
accident occurred. The deer were, of course, unaccustomed 
to crowds, and two of them took fright and galloped away 
through the town, finally taking refuge—not inappropriately 
—in the Zoological Gardens. My Lappic exhibition could 
scarcely have had a better advertisement than was afforded 
~_by this escapade. 
My optimistic expectations were fully realised; this first 
of my ethnographic exhibitions was from every point of view 
a huge success. I attribute this mainly to the simplicity 
with which the whole thing was organised, and to the com- 
plete absence of all vulgar accessories. There was nothing 
in the way of a performance. The Laplanders themselves 
