fours. Remaining conftantly in the fame attitude, he begins to
dance, and by his leaps and jumps, ftudies to keep time with the
mufic, which is extremely gothic, and which the reader will find
inferted in the Appendix. The execution o f this dance is attended
with great labour and fatigue, inlbmuch that it is very difficult
for the peaiant to go on with it above three or four minutes,
without falling into the mofl: violent perfpiration. It is
however a fort o f exercife which is good for {Lengthening the
mufcles o f the arms, and therefore highly uieful to the natives of
this country, whofe laborious exertions in afcending the catarads
in fummer require very great vigour and mufcular power. Ad-
drels and bodily {Length are the qualities in the higheff repute
among the peafantry in this part o f Weftrobothnia; and befides
this dance, they have other exercifes which demand a furprifing
degree o f adivity and firmnefs in their limbs.
While we fat in our tent on the fummit o f the hill, a number
o f Finlandiih girls, induced by curiofity to fee us, furrounded the
tent. W e loon recommended ourfelves to their acquaintance,
and invited the handfomefl: o f them to enter the ten t; an invitation
which they were not fhy o f accepting. W e offered them
wine, but they difiiked i t ; punch, but they had no greater reliih
for it : we ordered them beer, but they could as little drink this.
A t length we found out that thofe girls were accuftomed to no
other beverage than milk and water. There was among them a
native o f Kollare, who merited a more than ordinary lhare o f our
attention, and who immediately attraded our notice by her ftature,
ture, her gaiety, and by a {harp and decided manner in her deportment.
She had fuch {Length o f arms, that when we were
difpofed to toy with her, and feek perhaps to be a little too familiar,
{he would repulfe us with a blow that forced us back four
or five paces. Her limbs were adive and agile, ihe was remarkably
tall, and in fliort would have been a very fine woman, had
not a long waift with very ihort petticoats, disfigured her perfon.
Her face was not extremely delicate, but her features were well
formed; her hair chefnut, her eyes lively, and her complexion full
o f health and vigour. She was dreffed entirely in white o f rather
a fine linen cloth, which Ihe had probably bought at Tornea o f
fome travelling merchant: all her companions were perfedly clean,
and every thing upon them was either new or recently waihed.
W e fpent about an hour in the company o f thele girls, all
which time we kept conftantly talking without underftanding
each other:" we exchanged many heavy blows, enough to make
one half ferious; but this is a kind o f affedionate carefs among
peafants in all parts o f the world. The girl o f Kollare was fo
{Long, and made fuch imprefiion with her Herculean arm, that
ihe had driven us to a man almoft o ff the field. Our interpreter
hinted to us that we muff take care how we offended this young
woman, as ihe was to give tis lodging at Kollare, a place we muff
pafs on our route. She feemed pleafed when ihe learned that we
ihould be at her houfe next day, and promifed that Ihe would
do every thing in her power to have her dwelling comfortable for
us at our arrival.
V o l . I. 3 E This