carried in the arms: it is fo fhort, that a L aplander fitting in the
item, touches the head with his feet, its width ju ft admitting of
room for his legs and thighs clofed together, and fo low that
with his hands he can fcoop the fnow on either fide of him. T h e
fecond kind of Hedge, or the raido-kiems, anfwers the purpofe of
a cart, and is calculated to tranfport goods. It exceeds the giet-
kierres in length, breadth and depth, and is without a deck, like
the o th e r; but in order to keep out the fnow, when loaded, it is
covered over with ikins, which are faftened to the fides by means
o f the twilled finews of the rein-deer, for which purpofe loops of
leather are placed there. The third fort of fledge, called pulle, is
Iikewife employed as a travelling carriage: it is payed on the out-
fide with pitch, and differs from the firft kind only in having a
feal-fkin fixed to the head, which covers the legs and knees o f the
paffenger. T o this feal-fkin is joined a rug, which fpreads over
his lap, and defends him from the fnow: this Iikewife is faftened
by leather loops fixed to the. fides, fp th a t only, the upper part o f
the body of the traveller is uncovered, who is befides feated on
ikins placed in the, bottom, as in the fledge called giet-kicrres.
The fourth fpecies of fledge, denominated Iok-kierres, is Iikewife
payed on the outfide with pitch, and. ferves for tranfporting provi-
fions : it, is larger than the.pulke and giet-kierres, and has a. convex
deck over it from head to item : from the ftern there is a projecting
bolt, by which they raife the hatch when any thing is to
be drawn out or flowed under the deck. The Laplanders keep
their tents under a wooden covering, called bildagak, where the
fledges
fledges Iikewife may be lodged which are not in u fe ; in general,
however, they turn them upon the fnow, keel upwards, and in
this pofition they anfwer the purpofe o f repofitories for their ve-
nifon.
Before the Laplander enters the fledge, he puts on his gloves,
which have the fur on the outfide; afterwards he places himfelf
in it, taking the rein, or halter, faftened to the rein deer’s head,
and tying it about his right thumb. In the mean time the deer
ftands Hill, and the rein hangs on the left fide. When the man
is ready to fet off, he fhakes the rein with violence from fide to
fide, and the animal fprings forward at great fpeed. T h e driver
direds the courfe of the deer, which is irregular and ferpentine,
by pulling the rein on the fide he would have him go. When
the Laplander would travel at the fulleft fpeed which the reindeer
is able to make, he places himfelf on his knees, encouraging
him by certain founds or other movements to mend his pace;
and when he would have him flop, he fhifts the rein from the
right fide to the left, upon which the animal immediately ftands'
ftill.
If it happen that a rein-deer prove reftiff, or inclined to run
away, the; Laplander, if in company with others, gives up his rein
to the driver o f the fledge immediately before him, who ties it to
his fledge, and thus the unruly animal is checked in his violent
fpeed by the more fober rein-deer harneffed to the fledge which
precedes. As, in defcending fteep hills, the fledge is apt to glide
forward, and.prefs upon the; hinder legs of the animal; a fecond-
2 rein