letters from high latitudes-第32部分

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　looked　upon　thence　forth　as　the　most　fortunate　of　men。　As　long　as　the　chase　is　going　on；　the　women　are　not　allowed　to　stir　abroad；　but　as　soon　as　the　party　have　safely　brought　home　their　booty；　the　whole　female　population　issue　from　the　tents；　and　having　deliberately　chewed　some　bark　of　a　species　of　alder；　they　spit　the　red　juice　into　their　husband's　faces；　typifying　thereby　the　bear's　blood　which　has　been　shed　in　the　honourable　encounter。

Although　the　forests；　the　rivers；　and　the　sea　supply　them　in　a　great　measure　with　their　food；　it　is　upon　the　reindeer　that　the　Laplander　is　dependent　for　every　other　comfort　in　life。　The　reindeer　is　his　estate；　his　horse；　his　cow；　his　companion；　and　friend。　He　has　twenty…two　different　names　for　him。　His　coat；　trousers；　and　shoes　are　made　of　reindeer's　skin；　stitched　with　thread　manufactured　from　the　nerves　and　sinews　of　the　reindeer。　Reindeer　milk　is　the　most　important　item　in　his　diet。　Out　of　reindeer　horns　are　made　almost　all　the　utensils　used　in　his　domestic　economy；　and　it　is　the　reindeer　that　carries　his　baggage；　and　drags　his　sledge。　But　the　beauty　of　this　animal　is　by　no　means　on　a　par　with　his　various　moral　and　physical　endowments。　His　antlers；　indeed；　are　magnificent；　branching　back　to　the　length　of　three　or　four　feet；　but　his　body　is　poor；　and　his　limbs　thick　and　ungainly；　neither　is　his　pace　quite　so　rapid　as　is　generally　supposed。　The　Laplanders　count　distances　by　the　number　of　horizons　they　have　traversed；　and　if　a　reindeer　changes　the　horizon　three　times　during　the　twenty…four　hours；　it　is　thought　a　good　day's　work。　Moreover；　so　just　an　appreciation　has　the　creature　of　what　is　due　to　his　own　great　merit；　that　if　his　owner　seeks　to　tax　him　beyond　his　strength；　he　not　only　becomes　restive；　but　sometimes　actually　turns　upon　the　inconsiderate　Jehu　who　has　over…driven　him。　When；　therefore；　a　Lapp　is　in　a　great　hurry；　instead　of　taking　to　his　sledge；　he　puts　on　a　pair　of　skates　exactly　twice　as　long　as　his　own　body；　and　so　flies　on　the　wings　of　the　wind。

Every　Laplander；　however　poor；　has　his　dozen　or　two　dozen　deer；　and　the　flocks　of　a　Lapp　Croesus　amount　sometimes　to　two　thousand　head。　As　soon　as　a　young　lady　is　bornafter　having　been　duly　rolled　in　the　snowshe　is　dowered　by　her　father　with　a　certain　number　of　deer；　which　are　immediately　branded　with　her　initials；　and　thenceforth　kept　apart　as　her　especial　property。　In　proportion　as　they　increase　and　multiply　does　her　chance　improve　of　making　a　good　match。　Lapp　courtships　are　conducted　pretty　much　in　the　same　fashion　as　in　other　parts　of　the　world。　The　aspirant；　as　soon　as　he　discovers　that　he　has　lost　his　heart；　goes　off　in　search　of　a　friend　and　a　bottle　of　brandy。　The　friend　enters　the　tent；　and　opens　simultaneouslythe　brandyand　his　business；　while　the　lover　remains　outside；　engaged　in　hewing　wood；　or　some　other　menial　employment。　If；　after　the　brandy　and　the　proposal　have　been　duly　discussed；　the　eloquence　of　his　friend　prevails；　he　is　himself　called　into　the　conclave；　and　the　young　people　are　allowed　to　rub　noses。　The　bride　then　accepts　from　her　suitor　a　present　of　a　reindeer's　tongue；　and　the　espousals　are　considered　concluded。　The　marriage　does　not　take　place　for　two　or　three　years　afterwards；　and　during　the　interval　the　intended　is　obliged　to　labour　in　the　service　of　his　father…in…law；　as　diligently　as　Jacob　served　Laban　for　the　sake　of　his　long…loved　Rachel。

I　cannot　better　conclude　this　summary　of　what　I　have　been　able　to　learn　about　the　honest　Lapps；　than　by　sending　you　the　tourist's　stock　specimen　of　a　Lapp　love…ditty。　The　author　is　supposed　to　be　hastening　in　his　sledge　towards　the　home　of　his　adored　one：

〃Hasten；　Kulnasatz！　my　little　reindeer！　long　is　the　way；　and　boundless　are　the　marshes。　Swift　are　we；　and　light　of　foot；　and　soon　we　shall　have　come　to　whither　we　are　speeding。　There　shall　I　behold　my　fair　one　pacing。　Kulnasatz；　my　reindeer；　look　forth！　look　around！　Dost　thou　not　see　her　somewhereBATHING？〃

As　soon　as　we　had　thoroughly　looked　over　the　Lapp　lady　and　her　companions；　a　process　to　which　they　submitted　with　the　greatest　complacency；　we　proceeded　to　inspect　the　other　lions　of　the　town；　the　church；　the　lazar…house；　principally　occupied　by　Lapps；the　stock　fish　establishment；　and　the　hotel。　But　a　very　few　hours　were　sufficient　to　exhaust　the　pleasures　of　Hammerfest；　so　having　bought　an　extra　suit　of　jerseys　for　my　people；　and　laid　in　a　supply　of　other　necessaries；　likely　to　be　useful　in　our　cruise　to　Spitzbergen；　we　exchanged　dinners　with　the　Consul；　a　transaction　by　which；　I　fear；　he　got　the　worst　of　the　bargain；　and　then　got　under　way　for　this　place；Alten。

The　very　day　we　left　Hammerfest　our　hopes　of　being　able　to　get　to　Spitzbergen　at　allreceived　a　tremendous　shock。　We　had　just　sat　down　to　dinner；　and　I　was　helping　the　Consul　to　fish；　when　in　comes　Wilson；　his　face；　as　usual；　upside　down；　and　hisses　something　into　the　Doctor's　ear。　Ever　since　the　famous　dialogue　which　had　taken　place　between　them　on　the　subject　of　sea…sickness；　Wilson　had　got　to　look　upon　Fitz　as　in　some　sort　his　legitimate　prey；　and　whenever　the　burden　of　his　own　misgivings　became　greater　than　he　could　bear；　it　was　to　the　Doctor　that　he　unbosomed　himself。　On　this　occasion；　I　guessed；　by　the　look　of　gloomy　triumph　in　his　eyes；　that　some　great　calamity　had　occurred；　and　it　turned　out　that　the　following　was　the　agreeable　announcement　he　had　been　in　such　haste　to　make：　〃Do　you　know；　Sir？〃This　was　always　the　preface　to　tidings　unusually　doleful。　　〃Nowhat？〃　said　the　Doctor；　breathless。　〃Oh　nothing；　Sir；　only　two　sloops　have　just　arrived；　Sir；　from　Spitzbergen；　Sirwhere　they　couldn't　get；　Sir；such　a　precious　lot　of　icetwo　hundred　miles　from　the　land…and；　oh；　Sirthey've　come　back　with　all　their　bows　stove　in！〃　Now；　immediately　on　arriving　at　Hammerfest；　my　first　care　had　been　to　inquire　how　the　ice　was　lying　this　year　to　the　northward；　and　I　had　certainly　been　told　that　the　season　was　a　very　bad　one；　and　that　most　of　the　sloops　that　go　every　summer　to　kill　sea…horses　（i。e。；　walrus）　at　Spitzbergen；　being　unable　to　reach　the　land。；　had　returned　empty…handed；　but　as　three　weeks　of　better　weather　had　intervened　since　their　discomfiture；　I　had　quite　reassured　myself　with　the　hope；　that　in　the　meantime　the　advance　of　the　season　might　have　opened　for　us　a　passage　to　the　island。

This　news　of　Wilson's　quite　threw　me　on　my　back　again。　The　only　consolation　was；　that　probably　it　was　not　true；　so　immediately　after　dinner　we　boarded　the　honest　Sea…horseman　who　was　reported　to　have　brought　the　dismal　intelligence。　　He　turned　out　to　be　a　very　cheery　intelligent　fellow　of　about　five…and…thirty；　six　feet　high；　with　a　dashing　〃devil…may…care〃　manner　that　completely　imposed　upon　me。　Charts　were　got　out；　and　the　whole　state　of　the　case　laid　before　me　in　the　clearest　manner。　Nothing　could　be　more　unpromising。　The　sloop　had　quitted　the　ice　but　eight…and…forty　hours　before　making　the　Norway　coast；　she　had　not　been　able　even　to　reach　Bear　Island。　Two　hundred　miles　of　ice　lay　off　the　southern　and　western　coast　of　Spitzbergen（the　eastern　side　is　always　blocked　up　with　ice）and　then　bent　round　in　a　continuous　semicircle　towards　Jan　Mayen。　That　they　had　not　failed　for　want　of　exertionthe　bows　of　his　ships　sufficiently　testified。　As　to　OUR　getting　there　it　was　out　of　the　question。　So　spake　the　Sea…horseman。　On　returning　on　board　the　〃Foam〃　I　gave　myself　up　to　the　most　gloomy　reflections。　This；　then；　was　to　be　the　result　of　all　my　preparations　and　long…meditated　schemes。　What　likelihood　was　there　of　success；　after　so　unfavourable　a　verdict？　Ipse　dixit；　equus　marinus。　　It　is　true　the　horse…marines　have　hitherto　been　considered　a　mythic　corps；　but　my　friend　was　too　substantial…looking　for　me　to　doubt　his　existence：　and　unless　I　was　to　ride　off　on　the　proverbial　credulity　of　the　other　branch　of　that　amphibious　profession；　I　had　no　reason　to　question　his　veracity。　Nevertheless；　I　felt　it　would　not　become　a　gentleman　to　turn　back　at　the　first　blush　of　discouragement。　　If　it　were　possible　to　reach　Spitzbergen；　I　was　determined　to　do　so。　I　reflected　that　every　day　that　passed　was　telling　in　our　favour。　It　was　not　yet　the　end　of　July；　even　in　these　latitudes　winter　does　not　commence　much　before　September；　and　in　the　meantime　the　tail　of　the　Gulf　Stream　would　still　be　wearing　a　channel　in　the　ice　towards　the　pole；　so；　however　unpromising　might　be　the　prospect；　I　determined；　at　all　events；　that　we　should　go　and　see　for　ourselves　how　matters　really　stood。

But　I　must　explain　to　you　why　I　so　counted　upon　the　assistance　of　the　Gulf　Stream　to　help　us　through。

The　entire　configuration　of　the　Arctic　ice　is　determined　by　the　action　of　that　mysterious　current　on　its　edges。　Several　theories　have　been　advanced　to　account　for　its　influence　in　so　remote　a　region。　I　give　you　one　which　appears　to　me　reasonable。　It　is　supposed；　that　in　obedience　to　that　great　law　of　Nature　which　seeks　to　establish　equilibrium　in　the　temperature　of　fluids；a　vast　body　of　gelid　water　is　continually　mounting　from　the　Antarctic；　to　displace　and　regenerate　the　over…heated　oceans　of　the　torrid　zone。　Bounding　up　against　the　west　side　of　South　America；　the　ascending　stream　skirts　the　coasts　of　Chili　and　Peru；　and　is