The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1874-01-30
UNDER THE MIDNIGHT Sun.
GIimDses of Life Among the North.
men.

Paul du Chailiu, author and traveller.
has just got back from sojourn in the
Arctic regions. Telling his story the
other night to Brooklin, n. Y, audi
ence, he SAID At last 1 got to the Land
of the Midnight Sun. | watched it
throughout tbs first night, and remained
there nearly seven weeks It bothered
me to know when to 60 to bed, my watch
being out of repair. [ discovered the
| birds retired at ii a, NJ, and got up at
a. m. Still further north, and then
mosquitoes: Talk about your New Jersey
specimens, pshaw! Why, they were so
thick that you couldn't see man three
feet off, Isaw log houses $50 feet long,
some of them 700 years old To heat
them wood fires are build il huge fire
| places having very thick walls. These
are kept up two or three days, and then
have no fire for week. Some of the
farms have as many as forty.fve houses.
There are houses for cheese, and for but
ter, and this thing and that thing and that
thing L don't know what all. Each
farm has two dwelling houses. one for
winter and another for summer. Houses
can be rented for S. a year. Carpenter
wages are forty-fve cents day, and yet
they strike. Everybody works. Each
house has its loom they weave cloth
and make their own garments. There
are no markets; nothing is sold. Who
ever has more than he wants for himself
he gives it to whoever needs it. The
people are healthy. They do not have
consumtion, and you never see an emaciat-
ed form. You never see beggar either
If too poor to live they are too proud to
beg, and not mean enough to steal. The
subsistence is sour milk, coarce bread
meat twice week, and fish.
Nearer yet to the cape, and the horses
and the cows and the reindeer live on FISH
eaten raw. Still nearer and cows have
nothing but boiled seaweed to eat. tn
degree sixty-eight farm houses are scarce,
the travelling unpleasant, and done on
foot, Or by boat, Iu the summer it is
wet. and the mosquitoes leave you no
peace.
At length reached II degrees so
inmates, the cape, the northern end of
Europe. The coast of Norway is magni-
fcent, its harbors lined with steamb boats;
its mountains, high and grand are cover
ed with glaciers, its waters so clear that
the bottom of the sea is discernible.
Sweden bears no comparison to it. In
going from the City of Tonjin, towards
Sweden, don sleep under the skins they
offer. Such feas, and such nun bers,
Grog shops are 100 miles apart up there.
They buy whiskey by the quantity. and
keep drunk while it lasts.
Many have the impression Lapland is
dark during the winter, but that is an
error. The country is illuminated by
Northern lights every night. wanted
to see the Laps, and drive reindeer.
They can go fifty miles an hour for two
hours daily The sleGges are narrow,
have an osciilatins motion, and one un-
accustomed to them will tumble out in all
directions. You drive with one line only,
that reaches from the animal horns, and
is tied around your arm. After you get
pitched out, the reindeer stops when he
is tired of dragging you through the
snow. Sometimes they bout face and
buck you out. ana not untrequently per-
form hat task by kicking | was keeIed
out by ID kick and $ilatched along 200
yards a. the rate Of nearir mile a min
ute. There were Laps AHEAD and Laps
! behind, ln.case OF accident, and they came
to the rescue pretty often. Learned the
business In four days beside tumb led out
the 5rst day 10 times the second, TO-
| the tlrd, 80; the fourth, 10; next day, no
times, and | thought that was bully. The
! cold was IS degrees below, yet I did not
suffer from 1t. The climate is dry and
healthy. We drove to an acquaintance
who owned 1909 reindeer. | went into
his tent, and found men, women, dogs
and other animals sleeping together. and
L found so many feas there thar [ look
| ny bag and went ont to sleep In "a snow
bank. All the Christians read and write
school attendance being compulsory.
Their mode Ofiocomotion Is funny, They
/ wear snow-shoes ten fees long and four
| feet wide and go sliding abous in "a CONT
cal manner.
The natives live on reindeer meat aud
coffee. All the mony gathered by selling
the smoked meat and skins of til cir AM
mails Is bartered for coffee. which they
drink continually. Their hair is faxen.
eyes blue, skin exceedingly white, cheek
bones high, and faces very red from ex
posure 10 the cold. They are Intelligent
and honest. | left a bag of gold, $500.
IN house, and the woman followed NE
tairty miles 70 bring it, I offered her
$40, which she Indignantly refused in
fact she would accept no present. So
kissed her At first she Was astonished
L kissed her again. and sh, not accession,