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curiously inlaid. We, according to custom, laid down with the family on bears skins, our landlady alone being obliged to conceal herself till we were gone.

Early the next morning, our host got ready our rein-deer and sledges, when having stowed our bales, our cattle set off, and in two hours carried us six leagues. As we were passing between two hills, we saw a Laplander going a hunting, who came up to us, skaiting on the snow as fast as we rode in our sledges, for the snow seldom melts there till Midsummer. His skates, which were made of the bark of a tree, were seven feet and a half long, four fingers broad, and flat at the bottom. He was dressed like the other Laplanders, in a garment made of the skin of a rein-deer, and an arrow in one hand, a bow in the other, and a large quiver hanging at his back, and was followed by a black cat. He kept company with us about half a league, and we parted at the foot of the next mountain.

We continued our route three days, stopping at the same places where we lay before, and meeting with nothing extraordinary; our entertainment, our way of travelling, and every thing else being the same as before: and on the 21st of May, about nine o'clock at night, we arrived safe at Varanger, having every where been received with great civility, and suffered no injury in our whole journey.

From observing the manners and dispositions of the Laplanders, I am enabled to affirm, that, notwithstanding their ignorance and superstition, they are remarkable for their honesty, and are unacquainted with theft or fraud. They throw the dart with such dexterity, as easily to hit a mark of the size of a crown piece, at the distance of thirty paces;

and are so expert in the use of the bow and arrow, that they can shoot their game in what part they please; and yet are so averse to war, that whenever the kings of Denmark or Sweden, or the czar of Muscovy, have occasion for soldiers, they leave their dwellings and fly to the woods, for fear of being pressed into the service.

They have plenty of geese, ducks, pullets and other sorts of fowl, which they feed with the grain of which they make their drink, and when that is scarce, give them dried fish. Here is also a bird of prey, of a deep pearl-colour, much bigger than an eagle: his head is like that of a cat, and his eyes red and sparkling: his claws and beak resemble those of an eagle, and he feeds upon hares and other small game. Most of the beasts of Lapland are white, as the wolves, bears, foxes and hares; even the crows may be compared to the swan for whiteness, and have nothing black about them but their bills and feet. They have a kind of dogs, a foot long, and only four inches high; their hair is an inch long, of a yellowish white, rough, and standing up like a hog's bristles; the head and snout resemble those of a rat; they have straight ears like a wolf, with a curled tail, and are very ready at catching mice, which they watch, and eat like our cats; on which account the Laplanders, notwithstanding their ugliness, set a high value upon them. The fish, which, when dried, serves them for bread, is called raff, and is firm, substantial, and, excepting the fat, has a very good taste. They have plenty of other sorts of fish; and though they have such an antipathy to salt, yet they boil all their meat in salt water, if they are near enough to the sea to get it conveniently,

Within two or three days after our return to Varanger, the captain had repaired the ship, and taken in his lading and ballast; in the mean time our crew treated the inhabitants with brandy and tobacco, to keep them in good humour; for fear lest, if they were not bribed to be our friends, they should, in revenge, plague us with contrary winds. We set sail from Varanger on the 26th of May, with a gale as much in our favour as we could possibly desire, which the sailors ignorantly attributed to the friendship of the Laplanders; but this breeze soon shifting, we were obliged to cast anchor under the shore, opposite the island of Wardhuys; when being observed by the governor of the castle, he came off to us in a shallop, and was entertained in as obliging a manner as possible; after which he returned to the castle very well satisfied with his reception. The next day the wind settling, we proceeded again to sea, and held our course northnorth-east, and in three days got into a latitude where there was no night, we never losing sight of the sun, which was always above the horizon.

On the 31st day of May we saw the mountains of Greenland, at which time a north wind blew with such violence, that we could not keep to sea, and were obliged to steer to the east-south-east, in order to make the shore, that we might be sheltered from the weather. We continued our course for several days, and at length cast anchor in a good harbour on the coast of Borandia.

We had scarce entered this harbour before we espied two ships that were at anchor about a musket shot from us, which we found were the two ships in our company, that had been separated from us in the storm that drove us into Varanger. We

were extremely glad at finding them, and accordingly fired three guns, and hung out our flag in the stern, as a signal of our arrival. They were filled with equal joy at seeing us safe, answered our guns by twice as many, and hung ont all their flags and pendants: we did so too; but though we wished for an opportunity of sending our long-boat to them, to learn the particulars of their escape, the wind blew so stiff, that we durst not attempt it till twenty-four hours after. They were no less impatient to know how we escaped, and, as soon as the wind slackened, a boat came off from each of them on board us, when we embraced each other with extraordinary joy and affection, as people who had found friends whom they thought buried in the deep.

They told us, that the storm drove them on the coast of Juhorskt, near an island, where they had like to run ashore in three fathoms water, and were forced to tack about immediately, for fear of running upon the rocks; when by the favour of a north-north-east wind, they got out to sea without much difficulty, and in three days reached the bay where we found them. We in our turn told them the dangers we had encountered, and our being forced to enter the port of Varanger to refit our ship; and informed them of our journey through Danish, Swedish and Muscovite Lapland, and of our traffic and adventures. This account encouraged them to go ashore, to try if they could get any body to trade with them; when a council being held, it was resolved, that a captain, a supercargo, two accomptants, who understood both the language of the North and the Russian, with twenty seamen and myself, well armed, should land, and take with

us several days provisions, and some goods for traffic.

Pursuant to this resolution two long-boats were got ready, and, having landed, we ascended a hill, to see if we could discover any habitations; but perceiving none, we marched to a neighbouring mountain, at half a league's distance, where we observed five or six persons among some bushes of thorns and briars, who came towards us, till they perceived us advancing, and then turned their backs and fled away so fast, that we lost sight of them in an instant. However, imagining that their track would lead us to some village, we followed it, and after a march of two hours, as we descended a mountain, we observed some huts in the valley below; and advancing towards them, perceived thirty or forty men, armed with darts and arrows, prepared to give us battle; for seeing so strong a body of us, they took us for enemies. We halted for some time, in order to consult whether we should retreat to our ships, or attack them; and being sensible that nothing was to be got by defeating them, were inclined to retire; when one of our accomptants offered to go to them by himself, and to let them know, that we were friends and merchants, who were come with a view of trading with them, if they had any thing to exchange with us.

This proposal being approved, he approached them, carrying two rolls of tobacco, and a small keg of brandy. When he came within hearing, one of them, who seemed to be their chief, called to him in the Muscovite language, asking who we were, and what we would have; and on being answered that we were merchants, come to trade with them, they seemed satisfied, and made signs to him

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