an uninhabited country, he was in no danger of harm from any
living creature, except the bear, which in the fummer is far from
being ferocious. He might, indeed, have fallen down a precipice,
or loll his way in the woods, and fo have been unable to recover
the boat. The fiiliermen were preparing to fet out in fearch of
him, and we began to defpair of being able to proceed any farther,
when, to the great fatisfaclion of all of us, he made his appearance.
He related to us, that having been difappointed in meeting
w ith Laplanders on the nearell mountains, he was unwilling
to go back without effeiting the object of his million, and went
onwards, until at length he fell in with two families, whom he
conducted with him to the banks of a rivulet called Reltijoki,
where he had left them waiting until we joined them.
This intelligence was the lignal for our departure from the
illand. Our tent was taken down and packed up, and bidding
adieu to our filhermen we fet forward.
W e loon reached the mouth of the rivulet, on the banks of
which the rendezvous was appointed. W e afcend'ed it through
all its windings, and were impatient to join the Laplanders, left
they ihould think us long in coming, and grow tired of waiting
for us, for we had conceived no high opinion either of their patience
or their complaifance. At length we arrived where they
were. T h e party was compofed of fix men and a young girl.
W e found them feated under a birch-tree, on the branches of
which they had hung up the provifions for the journey, which
confilted of dry filh. They lay along the ground in different poftures,