never have been able to do it had I not
followed the track of those ahead. Though it was 43 degrees below zero,
I was in a profuse perspiration.

[Illustration: "Once in a while I gave a look towards the ugly
precipice."]

At times the poor reindeer panted; their tongues protruded. They would
fall down on their backs, breathing heavily. My reindeer was so
exhausted and breathed so hard, with protruding tongue and mouth wide
open, that I thought he was going to die. "Don't be afraid," said
John to me with a smile, as he saw my anxious face, "reindeer often act
like this when they are exhausted; yours will soon be all right."

John was not mistaken.

It was wonderful how quickly they all recovered, and after eating plenty
of snow they went on as if nothing had happened to them, until they
again became exhausted and powerless. When we reached the top of a
mountain, we waited for those of our party that lagged behind. I said to
John, "I hope we have not many more of these hills to ascend." "We have
none so steep; but, Paulus, now we have come to the most dangerous part
of our whole journey; we are going to run along the brink of one of the
ravines of which I spoke to you. Look ahead," said he, pointing to the
deep ravine.

When all the men of our party had arrived at the top of the hill, every
one began to make careful preparations for the descent, and I watched
with great earnestness what was done. Once in a while I gave a look
towards the ugly precipice. I did not like the sight a bit. The men were
anxious, and showed this in the care and pains they took in testing
every plaited leather cord, and those were especially strong that were
to be used for such an emergency. They knew how dangerous was the ride
and that no cord must snap.

A number of sleighs were lashed with mine by a very strong plaited
leather cord. When John was through he said to me: "This cord cannot
break."

Behind each sleigh a reindeer was fastened, the cord being attached at
the base of his horns. John said to me: "Reindeer cannot bear to be
pulled quickly, and make every effort to disengage themselves, and by
doing so act as a drag." All the sleighs had been lashed together by
fours, sixes, eights, or tens. We had plenty of spare reindeer with us,
and at the end of each set of sleighs two or three reindeer were made
fast to the last one. A man was in the front sleigh of the set to lead,
and another man in the last one. John was to lead the s