g with such fast animals, and
I replied, "I am sure I shall enjoy the drive."

Then everybody got ready for the start. My host, pointing to one of the
biggest reindeer, said to me, "This one will be yours, and you will
follow me."

We were hardly ready when the reindeer started at a furious rate and in
the wildest way. The Lapps held their reins as hard as they could and
threw themselves across their sleighs and were carried in that way for a
little distance. It was a most ludicrous sight, the like of which I had
never seen! But they all succeeded in getting in--they were masters of
the situation.

How they succeeded in getting in I could not tell, it was certainly a
great feat of gymnastics. My reindeer had started with the rest and was
ahead of them all, but soon the Lapps overtook me.

We went on at a tremendous rate. These were indeed the fastest reindeer
I had ever travelled with. It was a good thing that I had learned how to
balance myself in those little Lapp sleighs. I did not mind any more
their swinging to and fro. I rather liked the excitement. And it was
exciting enough! We went so fast that things appeared and disappeared
almost before I had time to look at them.

We sped with such rapidity that I fancied I was travelling on the
Pennsylvania railroad, as I often had done on the Limited to Chicago on
the way to see my Scandinavian friends and others. I was thinking of
that splendid train with its luxurious cars--of the observation cars
with their comfortable chairs, sofas, library; of the bath room,
stenographer, and barber, and polite employees, and all the comforts
travellers had. Suddenly I thought of its fine dining-room cars, and as
I was hungry I imagined I was seated before one of its tables, with
snowy-white linen, and enjoying a glorious meal,--oysters, capon, roast
beef, vegetables of several kinds, and puddings and fruits; the ice
cream I dismissed, for I did not feel like having any, it was so cold.
Then I thought of its comfortable beds--when suddenly a tremendous
bumping, which almost threw me out, reminded me that I was not on that
luxurious train. I had struck a snag or boulder. This made it clear at
once that I was dreaming and was not on the Chicago Limited, but that I
was travelling in "The Land of the Long Night."

The air was so rarefied, the drive so exciting, that I shouted with all
my might, "Go on, reindeer, go on. This is fine, I never had such a
drive in my life."

After t