The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-06-09
Laplnnd and Its Ways,

In Lapland, the sun never goes down
during the mouths Of May, June and July;
)ut in winter, for two months he never
rises at all. His place, however, is some
what supplied by the wonderful Northern
Lights which flash and flicker IN the cold
gray skies, They look like fires of thou
sand shapes and colors. Now like crowns,
and now like domes; now like fishing nets,
and now like banncrs-thosc welcome
guests make a Lapland night beautiful.
AS long as the unwearicd sun goes around
and around the sky III summer, the Lap
landcrs live In the tents made OF poles and
skins; tut when Jack Frost approaches
with a scowl on his brow, the house of
thick sods becomes very snug home. The
Laplander creeps in on all fours, along a
sort of tunnel. A hole in the roof lets in
little daylight, or rather moJnlight, and
lets out what smoke there is from the sooly
lamp. The lamp is made of stone, and
filled with seaLoil; and it. answers many
ends. 1t cooks food, dries wet clothes,
keeps the house warm, and affords light
Trees arc plentiful Of certain sorts; and
the soil of the forest is carpetcd by rem
deer moss, sort Of liahen, which grows
on stones, trees and earth. This moss will
flourish where hardly any other sort OF
grass will; and it affords gluten, or starch,
which is very wholesome and tlourishmg
The reindeer will root under the snow for
the moss, as pig roots in the field. And
if the animal browscs on the moss which
sticks to the trees, without digging beneath
the snow, the Laplandcr takes 1t for grantee.
that the ground there produces none.
The reindeer when he casts his coat is
brownish- yellow. In the dog days, he be-
comes white. His ha r is close and thick.
The horns are large Al d beautiful, but fall
toward the end of November, and are
turned into spoons or glue. This wonder
ful creature has been known to go at the
rate of nineteen miles an hour, when yoked
to II light slcdge. Alter their most severe
journeys, these deer require no more moss
than can be held by man in both his
hands.
We're it not for this admirable animal,
who could live in IIapaDd! 1t Is mans all
in all there. cit feeds and clothes its mas
lcr," says Goldsmith. "With its skin the
Laplander covers his tents and makes his
bed; OF it's milk he makes cheese, and uses
the whey for his drink. Every part of this
valuable animal Is converted to some use CT
other. The sinews make bow-strings,
springs for catching birds, and threads for
sewing; the horns make glue; the tongue,
great dclicacy, is sold, and the money
comes back in luxurics. Yokcd to slcdgc,
the reindeer carries his master, who guides
it easily Dymcans ola cord fastened around
the horns; and it Is encouraged TO proceed
by the drivers voice. The scdgc is coy
cred with bears skin, and at the back are
two lcatEcrn girths, INTO which the trav-
e!er thrusts his arm so as to keep himself
steady. He has also pole to support the
slcdge, IN case it is IN dangcrof being over
turned"
The Laplandcr hunts the crmine and the
squirrel, the hare, the otter, and the sable.
Besides, he has fish III abundance in his
waters salmon, pike, tcnch, pcrah and
smelts. The birds which always live with
HIM are hcathcocks, woodcocks and hawks.
Other O.rds only stop awhile, such as swans
and wild geese.
"Nobody dies of Geld in Lapland," says
a French writer, except some person,
perhaps, who is bcwltlcrcd in the woods,
or who, being fatigucd with hunger or
long journeys, has not strength enough lcf:
TO return to his own homc."
The people have some curious customs.
When they have eaten n bear, and wiped
their mouths and fingers, they solcmnly
bury all the bones; for they think the bear
will rise again. They bury with the bones
some spoons and knife, for the bear Will
want TO cat his bread and milk in another
life. If hungry dog carries off bone,
he is killed, and one of his own bones is
put in the grave.
The master of the house always docs the
cooking Women arc not allowed to make
mcsses for the men. The Laplandcrs make
little toys for sale, also boxes and baskets,
snuff boxes, spoons of horn, shoes, CATERS
and gloves. The women make pewter
wire, and adorn with 1t the reindeer har-
ness. Ropes are made of tree roots, and
boughs of fir and birch, glued together with
glue MADE from fish skins. This glue is SO
strong tLat pieces of wood joined by it
never separate.