LAPLAND. 89 



the bed of death. Doubtless this has been so 

 ordained by a kind Providence, who " tempers the 

 wind to the shorn lamb;" for were sickness as 

 rife in this wild land as in more civilized districts, 

 I do not know what they would do, for no medical 

 assistance is at hand here. Now and then, how- 

 ever, they get a terrible mauling from a bear, and 

 I used to see an old cripple who occasionally 

 stumped down to Quickiock, with a straight leg. 

 He was caught one cold December night in a wolf- 

 trap, which broke the bone of his leg, and he had 

 to lie through the bitter, cheerless, long winter 

 night (unable to extricate himself) till the next 

 afternoon, when the owner of the trap came to see 

 what he had caught. Yet with a broken leg he 

 managed to crawl to the hut (three English miles 

 distant), where they set it; and the best proof of 

 their skill in surgery is, that he was left a cripple 

 for life. Poor as they are, and seldom as they 

 see money, I do not believe any men can be more 

 greedy after it ; and yet they never seem to make 

 any use of it — they never part with it. What few 

 luxuries, such as coffee, sugar, tobacco, they may 

 require, they obtain by barter for their reindeer 

 skins. The reindeer cheese they seldom part with, 

 for they eat it with their coffee, of which, as well 

 as spirits and tobacco, they are passionately fond. 

 These cheeses are very dear. I paid 2s. 6d. for 



