had afcended four miles, the mountain began to afliime a flat-
tifh and naked afpeft, without a fingle tree. It was wholly covered
with the common moft of the rein-deer, fave where this
extenfive carpet was broken, and checquered with moraifes, ba-
fons of water, and lakes, altogether forming a landfcape the
moil dreary and melancholy conceivable. There was nothing
to engage our attention, to amufe our fancy, or to confole
and cheer our fpirits. A vail expanfe lay before us, which we
were to meafure with our feet, through moraifes in which we
were not without danger of being fwallowed up. On the ium-
m it of this chain of mountains we traverfed a fpace of not leis
than fifteen Engliih miles, fometimes wrapped in a cloud, and
Ibmetimes marching over the inow, though in the midil of ium-
mer. The temperature of the air, in this elevation, had undergone
a confiderable change. Our thermometer indicated a remarkable
difference o f degrees from that of the furface of the river
o f Alten. This climate was not very inviting to the mufquetoes.
I f we had not been obliged to puriue our way through a number
o f low ihrubs, we ihould have been but little troubled by them :
b u t the fwarms that we raifed from the buihes when we began to
climb, accompanied us faithfully during the whole of our progreft
through the mountains. Even when our route lay through heights
covered with fnow, our eternal foes purlued us ilill. Unfortunately
it was a perfect calm : not a breath of wind to drive away
thole peitiferous companions.
In the courfe o f our journey through thofe lofty and dreary regions,
gions, we ftarted a white hare, and fome birds of different forts:
but it was not without difficulty and trouble that we could fire a
ihot, on account of the infedls. The pleafure of ihooting any
thing was dearly purchafed by the pain to be endured in performing
th a t operation. In order to charge, level our pieces, and take
aim, it was neceflary to pull off our gloves, and put afide the veils
th a t covered our faces: but when all this was done, or while doing,
our enemies, ever watchful for a favourable moment o f attack,
allured by the fcent o f their prey, fell on the parts expoied without
mercy by millions.
W e began to be exceedingly fatigued; but as there was no
fuel at hand for making fires to drive away the mufquetoes,
which did not permit us either to take refreihment or repofe, we
puihed on in quell of fome trees, and made, by a roundabout
way, towards a cabin, which we were told by one of the oldeil of
our guides, had been ereiled in a plantation not far off by ibme
travelling merchants, for the purpofe of reiling and warming
themfelves in the winter feafon, while the Laplanders baited
their rein-deer, This, cabin is a fquare room about eight or ten
feet in diameter, conftrudled of wood, with a hole in the top for
letting out the fmoke of the fire in the centre. W e did not all
go into the cabin at once; but after the Laplanders had colledted
abundance of the withered branches of trees, one of them entered
alone and lighted the fire, having firil ufed the precaution of flopping
up the hole in the roof in order to keep in the fmoke. When
the chamber was fo completely filled with fmoke as almoil to pre-
V ol. II. N vent