The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-01-08

In his lecture uPoa Lsplani, nayard
Taylor describes reindeer travel, graphical
ly as follows:
A more bleak and dismal region than the
greater part OF Lap'and could not be IHag-
med, eX rpt when the noond1y sky 81 win
ter covers II with 4 mantle Of crimson and
god. Here, however, Go! has made the
nome of an animal, without wnlch human
lie would ne lnp">>ip (. W hat TIE camel
i 10 the Arab the reindeer Is to the Lap
II. WAS create'i especially ior service III the
SNOW as Tie camel Was for journeys over tue
sand lie Is not rnuch bigger Khan large
New fauuuland dog, and u strong man couc
aasilv lit him. HIS Muscular strength Il
not great, We, he has a vast deal 81 .ndur-
ce lis nooi Is divided into two compait-
,nents. Ike that OF the camel, taat il
>preaI Is out and covers a large surface wncu
he puts it down, the parts c"n!". together
as he lifts it up again. Tni, pecuLarIty,
combined with hi lgLtness OF body, prs
ven : him from sinking into the SNOW.
From this animal the Lap obtains his
clothes. tent, thread, needles, meat milk,
butter. cnerSt, the handles of his knives, in
fact. over, thiu- he uses except lis musle
and lItti5 coffee.
But of all prrverse, obstinate, stupid ami
n!.is. the reindeer stands al the head. Al
tno0 h ne has been so long domcSt cate u,
he has not increased in sagaCity. Ine com
,unn deer and the gaZeite may become IA
Millar with the resencs OF man, but they
never show the least desree OF affection for
hinI; aud thu same Is tue OF the reiGdeer.
All he knows is to Jump and run when he
is harneSsed, md turn round and stand still
Whenever he chooses to do so. His speed
has been greatly exaggerated. There are few
reindeer in Lspland :aat will travel fifteen
miles in an hour but there are great many
that will 90 one hundred and twenty miles
I in twenty four hours.
! To drive a reindeer in the little canoe like
+ sledyes is like undertaking TO drive a stur-
/ gesn in a rough sea. 1t Is no easy matter
/ 10 retain ones balance. Ii you are new
! hand. your first sensation is perfect bank,
! for you find yourselves head downward In
a snow-drift. Laughter and app ause -
] After a series Of such experiments, you at
last succeed in keeping your balance, even
wien asleep, and guiding the annual, but
YOU cannot prevent him from Jumping
round, and staring at you with most pro-
| vukiug coolneSS as much as 10 say, w Sat
are you going to dc about 1t: There Is
nothing to do but to turn him around, star,
! MIN again, anu tdhe yOoi SuohSS VI JouiP'he
into the sledge as he runs. The animal
shows no recognition of his master, except
that he will allow him TO approach him more
easily than he will any body else. This i:
the extent Of his affection.
The sagacity with which the deer pick Gu
the hidden path under the snew was aston
ishing. On those exposed plains every vino
fills up the burrows, and the traveller Is
drifting on a painless sea. Tina leading
deer driven by careful Lap, picks Out 'h'
concealed trail as easily as pointer ioiio"'
the track, Or, if he loos S it now ana men
crosses backward and forward until i h'
strikes it again. Behind him sl'des the lit
tie caravpn in single file, silent and strange
es a procession of phantoms. THERE'S moth
ing to be heard but the breathlny OF th'
deer. and the slight crunchins sound OF th'
s,edrs upon the snow; and as you sit II
, ,h. Uncertain twil'gh. strange and subtii
.nebantment seems to come over you, an,
, vou almost doubt your own identity. "Ar
i" YOU ask, "the man who once lecture
before literary societies, to large and inicll
:. gen, audiences? Laughter and applause
De l inhahit the same earth where steam
4 b ,ats exist and oysters are opened, [rene~
. ed laugh:er,l and where women's right
| conventions ere hsld?"