gs flashing in the air, a bump of the
light sled that volplanes an instant in a shower of snow, a quick leap
and a grab for position back on the sled, the thrilling act is over, and
the Eskimo has not shown a sign of excitement in his Indian-like stoic
face. On we skim at unbroken pace. We soon reach the place.

One of the views shown in this volume is that of a characteristic
reindeer team and sled. Another shows the home of the North Russian
branch of the Eskimo family. The writer vividly recalls the sight of a
semi-wild herd of reindeer feeding in the dense pine and spruce woods.
They were digging down through the deep snow to get the succulent
reindeer moss. We approached on our Russian ponies with our, to them,
strange-looking dress. What a thrill it gave us to see them, as if at
signal of some sentry, raise their heads in one concerted, obedient look
for signal of some leader, and then with great bounds go leaping away to
safety, flashing through the dark stems of the trees like a flight of
grey arrows discharged from a single bow. Further on we came upon the
tented domiciles of the owners of this herd. Our red-headed Russian
guide appeased the clamors of the innumerable dogs who bow-wowed out
from all sides of the wigwam-like tents of these North Russian nomad
homes, while we Americans looked on in wonder. Here was the very
counterpart of the American Indian buck and squaw home that our grandads
had seen in Michigan. The women at last appeared and rebuked the ragged
half-dressed children for their precipitate rushing out to see the
strangers. For a little tobacco they became somewhat talkative and
willingly enough gave our guide information about the location of the
hidden still we were going to visit, where pine pitch was baked out and
barrelled for use in repairing the steamboats and many fishing boats of
the area. We studied this aborigine woman and questioned our guide later
about these people. Like our Indians they are. Pagans they are and in
this volume is a picture of one of their totem poles. Untouched by the
progress of civilization, they live in the great Slavic ocean of people
that has rolled over them in wave after wave, but has not changed them a
bit. Space can not be afforded for the numerous interesting anecdotes
that are now in the mind of the writer and the doughboy reader who so
many times saw the reindeer and their Russian Eskimo owners in their
wilds or in Archangel or other cities and villages