Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-09-28

of food free Of charge. Cloth. cloth
ing, traps. guns and ammunition are
also given to the fortunate apprentice,
who soon becomes q person Of conse-
quence In the community. For these
governmental favors the apprentice is
supposed to take care of his own deer
and to assist in caring for the gov
ernment deer.
The work Of the herder In q reindeer
camp is not arduous and seems to be
especially attractive to the carefree
native. Ordinarily the deer have a
way of taking care Of themselves that
suits the native. Every day an ap-
prentice drives the herd to some feed
ing ground where they feed while the
herder saunters about or hunts ptar-
misan or other game near at hand.
II the moss Is poor the deer may
feed for six hours, at the end Of which
time they are driven back to the vi
cinity of the camp and allowed to re-
main there until the next feeding time,
while the ease loving servants Of tEe
government sleep or whittle fine old
ivory into curios to be traded on ON
the ships for the tobacco which Uncle
Sam overlooked in ordering the ship
loads Of supplies which annually find
their way to the reindeer camps Of
Alaska.
True there is other work to be done.
Every spring along comes fawning
season and the deer herders have to
stand watch day and night by turns.
the Arctic wolf is heard through the
midwinter gloom and q constant watch
must be kept by well armed men.
The repeating rife made wolves SO
scarce, however, that dogs are by FAR
the greatest source Of danger.
1t seems utterly impossible to train
the malamoot dog to herd deer. At
sight Of q deer the tamest malamoot
becomes as uncomfortable as though
he had never known human restraint
and were once more plain wolf.
Besides guarding the herd occasion
ally from these dangers there are sled
deer to be trained, and every June
there is q kind Of roundup, when the
young fawns are marked, along with
all deer that have changed owners
during the year. In the ear Of each
government deer q little aluminium
button is riveted securely, but all
private owners and herders have a
mark which must be registered with
the local superintendent and also at
Washington. This mark is made by
cutting the ear.
So far the native in the far north
has made almost no use Of the won
derfully rich milk Of the reindeer.
This milk, which Is as white as the
Arctic SHOWS, is at least 80 per cent
cream. In fact It is practically all q
rich, snow white sugary cream. 1t is
the most nourishing milk in the world,
but the government has so far sup
piled the camps with condensed milk,
and the herders have preferred OPEN
ing cans to milking deer.
Unlike the Laplander. the Esquimau
does not make a pet Of his favorite
deer. When he wants to milk her she
is lassoed and thrown down. When
her legs are carefully tied with walrus
skin strings and her horns are safely
held by some stout friend the process
of milking begins. When the last drop
is extracted the highly indignant ami
NAL Is unlashed and allowed to get up
and go about her business.
Sometimes q horn is knocked or or
a leg broken before the struggling
understands that she Is to be
milked and not branded or butchered.
Under the circumstances the dairying
feature Of Arctic life Ia not very
prominent and the milkmaid's song is
not welcomed by the wise little ami
mails that have undergone the torture
Of one milking.