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the most expert, and some Lapps get seriously injured. Here is a stick
to guide your sleigh, and to prevent your reindeer from going too fast
push the stick deep into the snow. It will not be as good as feet, but
it is much better than nothing.

"I will take the lead, you will follow, and two Lapps will come behind
to watch over you. Do not mind if you upset often; do not be
discouraged; a beginner has to upset many times before he knows how to
drive a reindeer and keep in his sleigh."

In the mean time our reindeers had become very restive and they were
held with difficulty. Suddenly Jon gave the order to start.

We started at a furious speed, and my sleigh rocked to and fro. It was
awful. I swayed first one way, then another. I knew that I could not
keep my equilibrium long without being thrown out, and I was right. Each
reindeer wanted to go faster than the others; they kept on at a terrible
gait. I was shot out of the sleigh, heels over head, and rolled over and
over in the snow. Finally the animal stopped.

[Illustration: "I was shot out of the sleigh."]

The Lapps behind me came to the rescue. After brushing the snow from my
face I got in again, and my reindeer started off at a fearful speed, and
in less than thirty seconds I was once more shot out of my sleigh.
This time the rein slipped from my wrist, as I had not secured it well
enough, and the animal sped away, leaving me on my back, blinded by the
snow. The Lapps went on their skees after my reindeer, which in the mean
time had stopped, and brought it back to me.

Then they said to me with a laugh: "Often reindeer start that way when
they feel frisky. To-day is the right sort of weather for them. The
mercury marks 40 degrees below zero. The starting is the most difficult
part."

I thought so! I got into my sleigh, and the animal started at a furious
speed, and once more I was shot out of the sleigh. I got up half
stunned, covered with snow. Fortunately I had twisted the rein so well
round my wrist this time that the reindeer could not run away without
me, and he stopped after I had been dragged a few seconds.

I was not disheartened--so I kept on driving and being thrown out. It
happened so often that I began to tire of counting the number of times I
upset. It must have been nearly one hundred times that day. It had been
a very hard day's work for me.

The second day I took more lessons, and began to learn how to balance
myself. It is a knack,