REIN DEER. 
185 
the wild and the tame. The wild are larger and 
stronger, but more michievous than the others. 
Their breed, however, is preferred to that of the 
tame; and the female of the latter is often sent 
into the woods, from whence she returns home 
impregnated by one of the wild kind. These are 
fitter for drawing the sledge, to which the Lap- 
lander accustoms them betimes, and yokes them to 
it by a strap, which goes round the neck, and comes 
down between their legs. The sledge is extremely 
light, and shod at the bottom with the skin of a 
young deer, the hair turned to slide on the frozen 
snow. The person who sits on this, guides the 
animal with a cord, fastened round the horns, and 
encourages it to proceed with his voice, and drives 
it with a goad. Some of the wild breed, though 
by far the strongest, are yet found refractory, and 
often turn upon their drivers ; who have then no 
other resource but to cover themselves with their 
sledge, and let the animal vent its fury upon that. 
But it is otherwise with those that are tame ; no 
creature can be more active, patient, and willing ; 
when hard pushed, they will trot nine or ten 
Swedish miles, or between fifty and sixty English 
miles, at one stretch. But, in such a case, the 
poor obedient creature fatigues itself to death, and 
if not prevented by the Laplander, who kills it 
immediately, it will die a day or two after._ In 
general, they can go about thirty miles without 
halting, and this without any great or dangerous 
Efforts. This, which is the only manner of travel- 
ling in that country, can be performed only in win- 
ter, when the snow is glazed over with ice ; and 
although it be a very speedy method of convey- 
ance, yet it is inconvenient, dangerous, and trouble- 
some. 
In drder to make these animals more obedient, 
and more generally serviceable, they castrate them ; 
Ybt, if " b b 
