ce.
His name was Jon. We were soon friends.

The people asked me whither I was bound, and I told them that I was
going as far north as the Arctic Ocean, as far as Nordkyn. Then they
said to me, "You cannot go further without learning how to drive
reindeer, for you must give up horses. The snow is too deep and we do
not use dogs in our country. We will teach you how to drive reindeer and
use our sleighs; then, when you know, some of us will take you where you
want to go, either north, east, or west."

I bought a very pretty sleigh with the forward part decked over, where
some of my things could be stored. The back was cushioned and covered
with sealskin made fast with broad rounded-top copper nails. This was a
really "swell" sleigh.

The next day Jon said to me, "Let us go together where my herd of
reindeer is, and lasso those I want to use, for I am going to teach you
myself how to drive," adding: "I own over one thousand reindeer."

He called two other Lapps, and we put on our skees and started, and soon
after we were out of sight of the house. After an hour's travel we
reached the reindeer. I noticed that the snow was not very deep.

"In this herd I have over sixty reindeer that have been broken to
harness," said Jon.

"How can you find them out of such a great number?" I asked. "To me so
many of them look alike, in fact they would all look alike if it were
not that with some the horns are not as big as those of the others."

"I know them all," he replied. "I could even tell the ones that are
missing."

Then I remembered that I had heard that a shepherd knew every sheep of
his flock.

"Stay where you are," said Jon. "Many of the reindeer are shy, and do
not come to us when we are trying to lasso them."

Jon and the other two Lapps let their skees slip off their feet, so that
they could have a stronger footing, looked round so as to recognize the
deer they wanted, and then with their lassos in their hands, ready to be
flung, walked very carefully towards two reindeer somewhat apart from
the others. When they were near enough, some ten or fifteen yards from
them, which is about the distance one can lasso with a chance of
success, they stopped and threw their lassos over the horns of the
animals. One made no effort to escape, for he had been used to this for
more than five years; but the other cut up any amount of pranks, though
in his efforts to get away the rope got tighter and tighter at the base
of his h