one of whom, apparently the owner, spoke a little
Norwegian. He knew who we were, and asked me many questions about
America. He was most anxious to know what was our religion, and what
course the Government took with regard to different sects. He seemed a
little surprised, and not less pleased, to hear that all varieties of
belief were tolerated, and that no one sect possessed any peculiar
privileges over another. (It is only very recently that dissenters from
the Orthodox Church have been allowed to erect houses of worship in
Norway.) While we were speaking on these matters, an old woman, kneeling
near us, was muttering prayers to herself, wringing her hands, sobbing,
and giving other evidences of violent religious excitement. This
appeared to be a common occurrence, as none of the Lapps took the
slightest notice of it. I have no doubt that much of that hallucination
which led to the murders at Kautokeino still exists among the people,
kept alive by secret indulgence. Those missionaries have much to answer
for who have planted the seeds of spiritual disease among this ignorant
and impressible race.

The night was cold and splendidly clear. We were obliged to leave the
river on account of rotten ice, and took to the open plains, where our
deers sank to their bellies in the loose snow. The leading animals
became fractious, and we were obliged to stop every few minutes, until
their paroxysms subsided. I could not perceive that the Lapps themselves
exercised much more control over them than we, who were new to the
business. The domesticated reindeer still retains his wild instincts,
and never fails to protest against the necessity of labour. The most
docile will fly from the track, plunge, face about and refuse to draw,
when you least expect it. They are possessed by an incorrigible
stupidity. Their sagacity applies only to their animal wants, and they
seem almost totally deficient in memory. They never become attached to
men, and the only sign of recognition they show, is sometimes to allow
certain persons to catch them more easily than others. In point of speed
they are not equal to the horse, and an hour's run generally exhausts
them. When one considers their size, however, their strength and power
of endurance seem marvellous. Herr Berger informed me that he had driven
a reindeer from Alten to Kautokeino, 112 miles, in twenty-six hours, and
from the latter place to Muoniovara in thirty. I was also struck by the
remarka