ther's waists, which is the universal manner of
greeting in Finland. They only shake hands as a token of thanks for a
favour.

We started again at noon, taking our way across a wilderness of lakes
and snow-covered marshes, dotted with stunted birch-thickets. The road
had entirely disappeared, but Eric of Palajoki, who accompanied us as an
extra guide, went ahead with a strong reindeer and piloted us. The
sagacity with which these animals find the track under a smooth covering
of loose snow, is wonderful. They follow it by the feet, of course, but
with the utmost ease and rapidity, often while going at full speed. I
was struck by the sinuous, mazy character of our course, even where the
ground was level, and could only account for it by the supposition that
the first track over the light snow had followed the smoothest and
firmest ridges of the marshes. Our progress was now slow and toilsome,
and it was not long before my deer gave up entirely. Long Isaac, seeing
that a change must be made, finally decided to give me a wild, powerful
animal, which he had not yet ventured to intrust to either of us.

The deer was harnessed to my pulk, the rein carefully secured around my
wrist, and Long Isaac let go his hold. A wicked toss of the antlers and
a prodigious jump followed, and the animal rushed full tilt upon
Braisted, who was next before me, striking him violently upon the back.
The more I endeavored to rein him in, the more he plunged and tore, now
dashing against the led deer, now hurling me over the baggage pulk, and
now leaping off the track into bottomless beds of loose snow. Long Isaac
at last shouted to me to go ahead and follow Eric, who was about half a
mile in advance. A few furious plunges carried me past our little
caravan, with my pulk full of snow, and my face likewise. Now, lowering
his neck and thrusting out his head, with open mouth and glaring eyes,
the deer set off at the top of his speed.

Away I went, like a lance shot out from the auroral armoury; the pulk
slid over the snow with the swiftness of a fish through the water; a
torrent of snow-spray poured into my lap and showered against my face,
until I was completely blinded. Eric was overtaken so quickly that he
had no time to give me the track, and as I was not in a condition to see
or hear anything, the deer, with the stupidity of his race, sprang
directly upon him, trampled him down, and dragged me and my pulk over
him. We came to a stand in the de