How the world travels . Lapland, the most northern country ofEurope, the natives keep large herds of reindeer,and they use these animals to draw their sledges,which are shaped like boats, being flat at the backand with high-pointed prows. The reindeer areharnessed by leather traces fastened to theircollars, and the reins are tied to their horns. Theharness is hung with small bells which jinglemerrily as the sledge flies across the hard writers say that these animals were so swiftthat they could carry their masters for two hun-dred miles in a single day. This, of course, ismerely a tra
How the world travels . Lapland, the most northern country ofEurope, the natives keep large herds of reindeer,and they use these animals to draw their sledges,which are shaped like boats, being flat at the backand with high-pointed prows. The reindeer areharnessed by leather traces fastened to theircollars, and the reins are tied to their horns. Theharness is hung with small bells which jinglemerrily as the sledge flies across the hard writers say that these animals were so swiftthat they could carry their masters for two hun-dred miles in a single day. This, of course, ismerely a travellers tale, but they can really gofifty or sixty miles in twenty-four hours. Sledges are used in other European countriesand especially in Russia, where the winters arelong and hard. The Russian sledges are verypicturesque, with their four horses harnessedabreast and their drivers wearing great paddedcoats and fur gloves to protect them from theintense cold. Sledging in Russia is, however, not 90 HOW THE WORLD TRAVELS. LNDIAN TRAPPER ON SNOW-SHOES. THROUGH ICE AND SNOW 91 without its dangers, and there are many storiesof travellers who have been frozen to death, andof others who have been overtaken and killed bywolves as they drove across the snow-coveredplains and through the forests. A writer of fifty years ago tells us of an ex-citing experience which he and a fellow-travellerhad when journeying in the Volga district after aheavy snowstorm. It was early morning when they started, andthe road was a very lonely one. They had notgone far when six large wolves were seen, andalthough these animals were frightened away bya handful of burning hay being flung among them—for wolves cannot bear the sight of fire—theysoon returned. Others joined them, and beforelong the sledge was tearing across the snow witha whole pack in close pursuit. The horses wereterrified and the position seemed a hopeless one,but fortunately the travellers were armed, andwhen they had managed to shoot fo
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjecttravel, bookyear1922
