Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Pages ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
ai2 OU’THIER’S JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO THE NORTH:
the deck of thefe fledges is covered with boards, andon the edge of them a rein deer’s
{kin is nailed, which he who travels in the pulka draws over his breaft, and faftens with
cords round his body, to prevent the fnow, in which he is fometimes nealry buried, from
entering the fledge. The principal difficulty is to preferve a balance, the pulkas having
no more footing than the fkaits which are commonly ufed in France. M. Brunius who
accompanied us, accuftomed to this fort of conveyance, managed his fo well that he
preferved a perfect equilibrium ; M. de Maupertuis, and myfelf were continually over-
fetting when we attempted to raife ourfelves with a little {lick on one fide, we fell over
to the other ; M. de Maupertuis even bruifed his arm.
The rein-deer which drew us, are a kind of ftag whofe horns are large, with the
branches turned down before. ‘Thefe animals ferve for many purpofes: the flefh of
them is eaten, which is tender but infipid; the inhabitants, particularly the Laplanders,
dry and keep it for a long time; with the nerves of them they make thread, which is
ufed efpecially for fowing of the planks of boats together; they eat their milk, and
make cheefe of it, which is not good. ‘Their {kin ferves for drefles, particularly that
of the young ones, the hair of which is foft. ‘here is no inhabitant whatfoever, whe-
ther Fin, or Laplander, nor even Swede, without his coat of rein-deer fkin ;_ we as well
had each of us one of them: they are called Lapmudes, and are ufed inftead of great
coats. The hair is worn outfide, and it is lined with cloth, ferge, or another {kin with
the hair turned inwards. Of the fkin of the old rein-deer, ftockings or rather pliant
boots are made, the hair of which alfo is worn outfide; they are very warm and very
ferviceable for walking with on the {now when it freezes; when it thaws they are
Not worn. ;
Rein-deer are ufed for travelling in places difficult for horfes to pafs, or in countries
where there isa fearcity of fodder for horfes, as in the neighbourhood of Kengis, and
to the N. of it, that is to fay, in all the northern part of that continent. Some travel-,
lers have pretended that on being told in its ear, the place to which you were difpofed to
go, the rein-deer underftood you; this isa mere tale; they are very fleet, but not
ftrong; harnefled to a fledge, provided the road were well beaten, they might
travel thirty leagues in aday ; but when the road is not hard, and well beaten, and the
fnow refifts the fledge, the rcin-deer gets on with difficulty, and yery flowly. It has the
advantage of being able to find its food every where. When tired, his mafter, welt
wrapped up to keep himfelf from the cold, loofens the animal, who does not wander far :
he {cratches up the fnow, and at bottom finds a white mofs, which is almoft his only
food, fo that the traveller only carries provifion for himfelf ; he puts it on the head or
fore part of the fledge. A matter which will appear extraordinary is, that on a journey
to Wardhus, the traveller is obliged to carry provifion of wood, on account of pafling
over great extents of country entirely naked, and without trees.
From the houfe of M. Brunius we proceeded over the ice with dreadful rapidity,
there the road being beaten as far as Narki, at which place we were at the foot of the
mountain. It was entirely covered with fnow, there was no beaten track, and we had
to apprehend falling between rocks, where we fhould have been overwhelmed in the
fnow. A Fin, who had long and narrow boards faftened to his feet, walked flowly
before us to fathom the road; he led with a ftring the rein-deer of the firft fledge 5
this poor animal funk into the {now up to its belly, and had great difficulty, as well as
thofe which followed him, to draw us to the top of the mountain; we were frequently
obliged to ftop for them to reft, and take breath.
We however arrived, and immediately made ready our quadrant of eighteen inches,
for taking our obfervations, while two Laplanders and a Lapland woman who ferved
us
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
