tobacco. It happened once th a t having taken a falfe direction, or
courfe, on a part of the river where it was rough and ihallow, they
were fo entangled among large ftones, as not to be able to move.
On this the Laplander who plied the oars rofe up from the bench
on which he fat, and by the ferious and decided air he put on, we
judged that his intention could be no lefs than to make fome powerful
effort for our extrication from the prefent embarralfment:
He began, however, immediately to loofen a part of his drefs, and
was fo unpolite as to give way to a very prefling want of nature
in our prefence. I will not tire my readers at prefent with any
farther details on the manners and habits of thofe people. W h a t
has been already mentioned may fufflce to give a tolerably juft
idea of their character and deportment. We were every inftant
on the point of loiing all patience with them. But for want of
geographical information, and from the need we had of them, we
were, in a great meafure, under their power, and therefore obliged
to put up with all their flupidity, lazinefs, and beaftlinefs.
Before we come to Kautokeino, I cannot forbear giving ibme
account o f the pleafant amufement of the chafe, which we enjoyed
on this river. Our Laplanders had taken a dog with them, and
as the animal was not admitted into one of the boats, he was
obliged to follow us as well as he could. This poor creature, by
his a ¿lions, and the means he ufed for keeping up with us, ihewed
a great deal more adlivity, fenie and contrivance than the human
beings of this country. When two ways lay before him, he never
failed to make choice of the b e lt: he had lakes to crofs, iflands to
traverfe,
trav e jf^ .a p d tracks to chufe,. |n d 't^ r in g .t^ .y v d r^ > Q £ 'th e route
waS'Un$e;f;£,COjnflant .necefljty of. obierving, ¡comparing, and dec
id in g ; , three, oppratiqn.s. o f th e _Wt.h,whic{i^the Laplanders
Wprs4>ut (little,acquainted., In th e cp u rfe p f his rq nnlpg along th e ,
banks, p f th e rivpr, through ihrubs.apd brufhwood, he flirte d fome
game,, w h ich , in thofe, .parts, during, th e fummer feafon^is very
plentiful. , .We fhot fome, ducks o f a fpecie^ peculiar fo jh p f e .rf-
gioijs, th e .anas nigrq o f Linn^us,,fome geefe (anas albifranus, Lin,,)
a n d a great numbe^ p f groufe, which, are here very common, and
which, rifing all o f a fudden very near th e boats, prefent an excellen
t mark to th e fportfman.
, T h e riy e r of Pepojovaivi does not pafs clofe to the village of
Kautokeino, but at the diftance of about a mile. T h a t mile we
were, obliged to walk on foot, and to have our luggage carried by
land. In. walking over this ipace, I fell in with fome birds, particularly
the curlew (fcolopax arquata, L in.) which, to my aflonifh-
ment, I found in this country very fearlefs and familiar, although
in.other parts, and even at Uleaborg, it is not to be approached
without the grqatefl difficulty., I killed, two of thefc^birds without
turning,! afide from my path : I brought down alfo fome
pluyer,:
iW b 61? -Ve Arrived.at Kautokeino, which was about an hour after
midnight, we were furprifed.ta find th e vyhoje village in a ftate of
alarm.. All the, women were a t the, d°Pr,s. o f their houfes in their
ihifts,,and.th£..men. in th e ftrccts or rather Janes. T h e ir terror
waStjOcrrafioned by the reports of,,pur fowling pieces; and it was
V o l . II. K n o t