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When baptized the sponsor, too, often gives a reindeer to the babe, and these animals, and the increase thereof, become the child's own property." This woman, pointing out her sister to me, observed: "When my baby had his first teeth, my sister here presented him with a reindeer. This is a custom among us Lapps."
He removed, leaving a certain number of reindeer bleeding upon the ground. Some of them were dead. In an hour dawn would be conspiring to show him up before the world, and he was not a beast sweet to look upon at that moment indeed, at any moment, but less so now. Now, it is surprising how far a wolverine can shift his clumsy-looking body over snow in an hour, especially if he has reasons.
All along this part of the coast, where Simpson Strait is narrowest, would soon swarm with reindeer waiting for the salt water to freeze, so they could continue their navigation southward. It is for this reason that we selected it as our permanent camp while we also awaited the freezing of the strait, so that we could cross with our heavy sleds.
He pointed to a bed in the corner, out of which rose a sick girl, of about seventeen, very pale, and evidently suffering. They placed some benches near the fire, removed the bedding, and disposed her as comfortably as the place permitted. We got some hot milk and hard bread, threw some reindeer skins on the vacant truck, and lay down, but not to sleep much.
Hard tack was soaked in water and mixed with reindeer suet. Tea from the ever present Russian tea kettle and seal oil from a sewed up seal skin took the place of drink and relish. The tea was good, the seal oil unspeakable, a liquid not even to be smelled of by a white man, let alone tasted.
Apparently the long conversation they had among themselves was to arrange a plan of campaign and to divide themselves into two packs." "That is so," replied he. "Wolves are very knowing, and by their tactics fool us very often." I replied, "We will try to fool them this time, and kill many of them. The reindeer must be protected."
He was a magnificent canoeman, no man in Porcupine City could equal him for endurance, and for his bow paddle he had the best Indian in the whole Reindeer Lake country.
Were it not for the long severe winters, this would be a capital stock country, equaling Texas and the prairies of the old West. From my outlook on the Defot ridge I saw thousands of square miles of this prairie-like region drained by tributaries of the Stickeen, Taku, Yukon, and Mackenzie Rivers. Le Claire told me that the caribou, or reindeer, were very abundant on this high ground.
We will smash their heads and break their legs." Towards dark, when they returned, they had seen no wolves nor their tracks. "The wolves are so cunning and their ways are so unknown to us that we must be on the lookout all night," said the Lapps to me. Then we partook of our reindeer meat, which had been kept between our clothing and our chests to prevent it from freezing.
The latter was curled up half asleep in a corner of the caboose of the "Reindeer Special" which had been bumping over the rails for some time. "Ya-a," he yawned. "Going north to trade, I s'pose?" Johnny was tempted not to answer. Still, he was not yet out of the woods. "Yep," he replied cheerfully. "Red fox, white fox, mink, squirrel, ermine, muskrat. Mighty good price." "Where's your pack?"
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