62 
REIN DEER* 
from a state of nature ; this he cultivates, propa- 
gates, and multiplies, and from this alone derives 
every comfort that can soften the severity of his 
situation. 
When the Laplander sets out upon a journey, he 
is strapped into a sledge, which is made very light, 
and shod at the bottom with the skin of the rein 
deer. The animal is yoked to the carriage by a 
collar, from which a trace passes under the belly, be- 
tween the legs, to the fore part of the sledge, where 
it is fastened. The driver guides the animal with 
a cord fastened round the horns, with which he 
strikes him gently on one side or the other, accord- 
ing as he wishes him to turn to the right or left ; 
and when he flags, the Laplander encourages him to 
proceed with his voice. Thus he is carried across 
the country with incredible swiftness, and trans- 
ported over frozen snows, where a horse would be 
of no service. In general, the deer can travel about 
thirty miles without halting, and this without any 
great effort ; but when hard pushed they will trot 
sixty English miles at a stretch ; though when so 
driven the poor creature is almost broken-hearted, 
and, if not killed immediately by the Laplander, will 
die in a few days. 
This mode of travelling, though very expeditious, 
is both inconvenient and dangerous ; for, if the 
traveller does not balance himself properly in his 
sledge, he may chance to be overturned; and, if 
the animal proves refractory, which is sometimes 
the case with the wild breed that are used to draw. 
