deep in the mofs, that we thought we ffiould be immerfed in it
up to our necks. W e fometimes met with places fo deep and
boggy, that it was highly dangerous to fet a foot upon them. The
branches everywhere intercepted our paffage, while the veils we
wore on our faces, to proteit them from the ftings of infe&s,
caught hold of the branches, and were in danger of being torn in
pieces by every twig. Tall fir and pine-trees, which the wind
had levelled with the ground, and which time had almoft converted
into duff, lay fcattered in the woods. W e wiihed to
efcape the embarraffment of the mofs, by ftepping along the
trees that lay in our w ay ; but we found their fubftance generally
fo rotten and decayed, th a t now and then they fuddenly gave
way under our feet, and we could with difficulty fave ourfelves
from falling.
In this manner we had travelled about two Engliih miles, when
notice was given us that the cataradts were become fo formidable,
th a t there was no chance of carrying the boats farther up the
river. To proceed without our boats was not to be thought of,
it being impoffible to get to Muonionifca but by croffing the
river Muonio; and befides, there was another fmaller river at the
oppofite fide. T h e only expedient we had left was to haul the
boats on ihore, and to drag them about two miles through the
woods, where we would come to a part of the river more quiet
and practicable for failing on. Simon was the firft to embrace
this refolution; and without knowing that we had travelled on
the fea drawn by horfes, he propofed that we ffiould travel
over
over the land through a thick wood in a boat. We were not inhuman
enough, however, to take advantage of Simon’s magnanimity,
and to place ourfelves in the boat, for its continual fricftion
againft-the mofs and trees rendered it fo weighty, that it required
the whole force of our four boatmen to draw a fingle boat at once
without any thing in it. At length we got to the end of two
miles, and we were very glad to repofe while our men returned
for our baggage and the other boat. In the courfe of this journey,
being invited by an uncommon noife of the river, we drew near
to have a view of the famous cataract of Muonio-koiki; and
though we judged it impoffible to defcend with fuch a current,
we were, neverthelefs, bold enough to attempt and accompliffi it
on our return. As this cataradl is the moft dangerous that we
paffed in the whole courfe of our river navigation, I ffiall endeavour
to give the reader a defcription, as near as I can, of the manner
in which the paffage is performed.
L e t him imagine a place where the river is fo hemmed in by
narrow banks, and fo compreffed with rugged and ffielving rocks,
that the Current is doubled in its rapidity; let him moreover re-
prefent to his mind the formidable inequalities in the bed of the
river, occafioned by thofe rocks, which can only be paffed by a fort
of leap, and confequently make the water extremely turbulent;
let him conceive that, for the fpace of an Engliih mile, this river
continues in the fame fta te : and let him, after all this, confider
the hazard to which a boat mult be expofed that ventures itfelf
on fuch a furface, where both the nature of the channel, and the
V o l . II. C amazing