XI.] 
A REINDEER CHURCH ENCAMPMENT. 
17 
■ “ Our proposal to purchase reindeer was immediately declined, 
although we offered in exchange bread, tobacco, rum, and even 
guns. As a reason for this refusal they stated that the reindeer 
at this season of the year are too lean to be slaughtered. We 
saw about fifty reindeer pasturing on an eminence at a distance 
of several thousand feet from us. 
“ In the afternoon Kjoilman and I were invited into the tent, 
where we passed an hour in their sleeping chamber. On our 
entrance the lamp, which was filled with seal oil, was lighted; 
a sort of moss (sphagnum) was used as a wick. Our hostess 
endeavoured to make our stay in the tent as agreeable 
as possible; she rolled together reindeer skins for pillows 
and made ready for us a place where, stretched at full length, 
we might enjoy much needed repose. In the outer tent 
the other women prepared supper, which consisted of boiled 
seal’s-flesh. We received a friendly invitation to share their 
meal, but as we had no taste for seaPs-flesh, we declined their 
offer under the pretext that we had just had dinner. They 
took their meal lying with the body in the inner tent, but with 
the head under the reindeer-skin curtain in the outer, where the 
food was. After the meal was partaken of, their heads were 
drawn within the curtain; our host divested himself of all his 
clothes, the trousers excepted, which were allowed to remain. 
Our hostess let her pesh fall down from her shoulders, so that the 
whole upper part of the body thus became bare. The reindeer¬ 
skin boots were taken off, and turned outside in; they were 
carefully dried and hung up in the roof over the lamp to dry 
during the night. We treated the women to some sugar, which, 
in consequence of their want of acquaintance with it, they at 
first examined with a certain caution, finding afterwards that it 
tasted exceeding well. After the meal our host appeared to 
become sleepy; we accordingly said good-night, and went to our 
own tent, where it was quite otherwise than warm, the 
temperature during the night being about—11° C. 
“ After for the most part a sleepless night, we rose at half-past 
six next morning. When we came out of the tent we saw all 
the reindeer advancing in a compact troop. At the head was an 
old reindeer with large horns, that went forward to his master, 
who had in the meantime gone to meet the herd, and bade him 
good-morning by gently rubbing his nose against his master s 
hands. While this was going on the other reindeer stood 
drawn up in well-ordered ranks, like the crew in divisions on 
board a man-of-war. The owner then went forward and saluted 
every reindeer; they were allowed to stroke his hands with their 
VOL. II. c 
