effort to mount up the catarad of the river, though i t feemed to
mock our defign, and to be the ne plus ultra of our navigation.
To facilitate our afcent, I placed the Laplanders in different fitu-
ations with ropes in their hands, fattened to the boat, and one
tied round my waift, in order to aid my efcape in cafe the boat
fhould founder or be overfet. In fad , it was on the point of
being funk, and had not the Laplander who held the rope fattened
to the poop drawn it back in good time, we mutt have
gone to the bottom. T h e dangers and hazards incurred on thefe
catarads wer.e not the effed either of a fpirit of adventure or of
neceffity, but, paradoxical as it may feem, of lazinefs. W e found
ourfelves feated tolerably at our eafe in the boats ; but if the farther
navigation of the river fhould, after our utmoft efforts, prove
impradicable, then fhould we again be doomed to traverfe a
dreary chain of mountains, at the expence of an irkfome and fatiguing
journey on foot, and at the hazard o f lotting ourfelves in
the deferts. The farther we mounted up into the country by the
river, the ihorter would be our route by land. Should we be able
to overcome this catarad, the river was likely to be fmooth and
even for a confiderable courfe, when we might make ufe of our
oars, Thefe circumftances invited us to make the a ttem p t: it
was made, but proved fruitlels.
W e therefore took again to the mountains, making new tra-
verfes in order to avoid the lakes and rivers. It was not long before
we found ourfelves in another climate: the thermometer fell
to four degrees of Celfius. Some clouds patting over our heads
covered
covered us with fnow or fleet. For twelve hours we travelled
without intermiflion, except when we found it neceflary to take
fome refrefhment, before we regained the river Alten. The fear
of a change of the weather, or of a ftorm, accelerated our march ■
nor did we indulge ourfelves in either long or frequent paufes,
during a journey th a t could not be lefs than fifty Enghfh miles.
W e arrived at laft at the fame place where we left the Laplanders
of Kautokeino with their boats, and who waited in order to
conduit us back to Kautokeino. W e had fent a meflenger to
apprize them of our return, and to engage them to come there
to meet us againft that day. A northerly breeze faved our boatmen
the trouble of rowing againft the current. Some branches
o f the birch-tree, at th a t feafon in full leaf, fet up in the poop,
fiipplied the want of a fail.
Having arrived at Kautokeino, we were under the neceflity of
making another long journey on foot, as far as Enontekis, which
place we wiihed to take into our route. T h e way was not then
known to be pracfticable, never having been attempted before.
The mountains which feparate Enontekis from Kautokeino, are
not half fo high as thofe which divide Alten Gaard from Matt ;
b u t we were deftined to encounter as great difficulties here as on
thofe of Norwegian Lapland. W e had to ford rivers; we were
infulated by morafles ; we were bewildered in deferts. Our good
Laplanders knew no more the place in which they were than we
ourfelves: their opinions on this point were divided ; and, but for
the diredlion of our compafs, we fhould have incurred the rifk of
Vox.. II. & wandering