uddenly saw two wolves skulking in the distance.
Fortunately we discovered them before the reindeer did. We threw out our
skees, and then the Lapp with his bludgeon and I with my gun jumped out.
We were hardly out when our reindeer scented the wolves and plunged
wildly in their efforts to escape, and we had to let them go, for we
could not hold them.

The Lapp in an instant was on his skees armed with his bludgeon. He made
directly for the wolves at tremendous speed. He seemed to fly over the
snow, and before I knew it he had slain a wolf by giving him a mighty
blow on his skull. Then like a bird of prey he made for the other wolf.
The animal stood still, ready to bite him, but the Lapp passed by him
like a flash and gave him a terrible blow on his mouth which broke his
teeth. Then after he had stopped the speed of his skees, he turned back
and gave him his deathblow.

After he had taken breath, he said to me, "Paulus, wait here, for you
cannot 'skee' fast enough. I must go after our runaway reindeer and our
sleighs," and off he went. He followed the tracks they had left behind
them.

I waited one hour, two hours,--I thought he would never come back.
Finally I saw a little black speck over the snow. It was my Lapp, and
soon he was by my side with reindeer and sleighs.

In the afternoon we came to a tent, where we were kindly received, and
there we slept. The next morning the owner of the tent said to me, "The
snow is very fine for sleighing, for it is crisp and well packed. The
weather is cold and travelling with reindeer could not be better, for
the animals will feel fine. Some of my people and I want to go and visit
my brother and his family. Will you come with us?"

"Yes," I replied, "I shall be very glad to go with you."

A short time after this five reindeer made their appearance; they were
all males, and splendid animals,--Samoyeds, the finest and largest I had
thus far seen. Their antlers were superb.

"These reindeer," said their owner, "are the fastest I have, and are in
their prime for driving, for they are between six and eight years old,
the age when they are the strongest. They have not been used for two
weeks, so they feel very frisky; and it being so cold they will run at a
rate that will perhaps scare you, and I am sure they will go as fast as
they ever did. No reindeer that I know of can keep pace with them. I
have taken great care in training them."

I was delighted at the thought of travellin