SECTION xr.
O f the Mode o f harneffng the. Rein-Deer, and the different Sledges
that are ufed hy the Laplanders— The Manner o f Travelling with
Rein-Deer and Sledgesi^
HJCH of the Laplanders as are rich make ufe of gek rein-deer
for their Hedges; they who are left wealthy content them-
felves with a fledge drawn by a hind, or female. I t requires great
pains to break thefe animals to the harnefs; and fome are never
to be taught at all, whilil others are brought to it by perfeverance,
and after a length o f time-
Th e gear, or harnefs of the rein-deer, is called by the Laplanders
baggie. They ufe only a rein or thong for guiding the deer,
which, like a halter for horfes, is fattened to the head of the
beafl, whilft the other end is held in the hand, being fixed by a
loop to the right thumb. Over the neck of the animal is put a
broad collar, made o f untanned rein-deer skin, to which a rope
is fattened of thongs cut from feal-skin, or the hide of an ox, and
twitted together: this rope paffes under the belly, betwixt the
fore and hind legs, and is made fait to the fledge | the rope is
covered with a foft skin, that it may not gall the animal’s legs,
• Another
Another collar is fometimes put on by way of ornament, although
the rope before-mentioned may alfo be fattened to i t : this collar
is made of kerfey cloth, and embellifhed with tinfel, having a ball
hanging from i t at the bottom.
A broad girth furrounds the body of the rein-deer, and is called
by the Laplanders aagotas. T h a t part of the girth which is under
the belly is of leather, the other, covering the back and fides, of
kerfey, ornamented with tinfel, and lined with f k in : but this
girth is not in general ufe, though it certainly appears to be of
fome fervice, inafmuch as it has an opening for the rope beforementioned
to pafs through, and by that means caufes the fledge
to proceed with fteadinefs ; whereas the cord being fattened to the
neck collar only, admits o f fhaking, and unfteady motion out of
the ftraight line, as the animal bounds from fide to fide in the velocity
and violence of his progrefs. This entire harnefs, befides
cither trappings which are only ufed occafionally, and not neceffary
to be here fpecified, is the work of the Lapland women.
Th e fledge is made exactly in the fhape of a boat, having a flat
item. It has a keel and thwarts (to fpeak the language of boatbuilding),
and the fide planks have their ends fattened with
wooden pegs. The fledge is caulked within, fo that no water
can enter through the fides. The rope by which the fledge is
drawn is fixed to the head-poft. The Laplanders have four
different kinds o f fledges. One called giet-kierres, that is to fay,
the portable fledge, is moil commonly u fed : this is entirely
open from head to item, and fo light that it may be taken u p and
D d 2 carried