The Land of the Long NightDu Chaillu, Paul B. (Paul Belloni)
General
The Land of the Long Night
Du Chaillu, Paul B. (Paul Belloni)
Lapland -- Description and travel -- Juvenile literature
When I returned Mikel was stretched on his back on the snow with his
arms spread out, and was snoring like a good fellow. Oh, what a noise he
made! He had succeeded in frightening our reindeer, which had moved
away as far as the rope would allow them. I did not wonder that they did
not like Mikel's snoring.
After looking at Mikel I stretched myself on the snow, but quite a
distance from him, not to be disturbed by his snoring. Now we did not
require any masks on our faces, and during the day slept without being
obliged to get into our bags.
Soon I fell asleep, and dreamed that I was attacked by a big pack of
wolves--I jumped up and looked round, but there were no wolves. I had
had the nightmare from sleeping on my back. Mikel was still snoring, and
I looked at him and thought I would let him snore a little more.
Towards four o'clock in the afternoon, as it was beginning to freeze
again and the snow was fit for travelling, I awoke him. Soon after we
started, and we had not driven an hour when we saw a tent in the
distance and made for it. The Lapp family who owned it received us with
great hospitality. Coffee was made and we were invited to spend the
night. I looked forward with great pleasure to the prospect of a good
warm meal of reindeer meat and good reindeer broth.
These people were great friends of Mikel, and they agreed to give us
some of their reindeer that were not as fagged out as ours. I was
delighted.
How I enjoyed the warm reindeer meat and the reindeer broth! It was
fine! I was so hungry. After this meal we were presented with a lot of
cooked reindeer meat for our journey, and one of the Lapps was to go
with us, for he wanted to see some of his friends further south.
Towards three o'clock in the morning we started. We saw many herds of
reindeer--they were moving westward towards the mountains that stretched
to the Arctic Sea. It was a grand sight. I saw more than thirty thousand
reindeer that day, in herds from one thousand to two or three thousand.
The Lapps on their skees, with their dogs, urged the animals onward, and
the dogs brought those which were trying to go astray, or lagged behind,
into the ranks.
Many of the reindeer had already dropped their horns, and the calving
season had begun. How pretty were the tiny baby reindeer; they were put
on special sleighs and driven in them, their mothers following, uttering
a queer kind of grunt.
The baggage of the family and tents went with them, led by women who
carried their young children in their cradles slung on their backs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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