*2.. T R A V E L S'- I N T O S W; E D' E M
f o o k until midnight, the. gale hourly increafing when, at length:
Vv ° ‘ -Ky a. fortunate tack' and ineeftant rowing,, we gpt- under, the-
lee of a high coaft :• weinftantly hauled down the fails, and
rowed for a confidcrable time, though-ftill’without being;
able, on account of the breakers, to find a proper place for
landing. After feveral frnitlefs attempts,, we at 1-aft drove-,
the boat upon, ibor.e, and difembarkmg,- after much pains,,
upon a fhelving hilt:of ice,, we crawled ujjon our hands and.
knees, and gainedi the land, though with much difficulty.
We here efeaped a danger, which at the time we-
did not apprehend, as we were afterwards informed that thefe:
ihelves o f ice are frequently full of large holes, into, which,
had we fallen we muft inevitably, have perifhed. Having
providentially efcaped.thefe and.other perils, we procured a
guide from an adjacent cottage, and proceeded.: to Griftehaven,,
about the diftance o f three miles: we walked-through woody
and rugged ways, ha lf melted ice,fometimes above our ancles-
in water, repeatedly falling- down,-, but exceedingly happy
that we were upon land : for we heard, the. wind, blowing,
very boifteroufty, and.the breakers roaring-with increafing.
violence., About three in the.: morning we-arrived at the-
inn ; and at five t-heoffier. bark,, containing,out, fervants and-
baggage, landed with ftill greater difficulty than we. had experienced;
and after having narrowly ejcaped being;wrecked,
upon the recks :- the failors were fo-terrified'that they/cried
and our courier was incefiantly employed in croffihg him-
felf, and exclaimihg, “ t&mine, non. Juin. dighus tnori
4( Lord, I am not worthy to die.””
Feb. i-8.' As the fnow had totally difappeared,. the dragging
o f our fledges over the bare ground was a work of fuck
difficulty and labour; that; notwithftanding we began our.
journey
J O U R N E Y T O S T O C K H O L M . .
journey about ten in the morning and travelled till duik, we CHAp-
were fcarCely able to reach the village o f Staby, which was > ■
diftant only 20 miles- from Griftehaven, although half the
route lay over large lakes and flooded marflies, where we ftill1
found the ice fufficiently ftrong..
The experience o-f this day’s journey convinced us to what
a wretched fituation we fhoukl have been reduced,, i f we:
had purfued our courfe towards Lapland.;, and reminded us-
how much we were indebted to the falutary remonftrances-
of the governor of Louifa.
We paffed the night at Staby 4 and, as we found it impracticable
to proceed any longer in fledges, continued;
our journey the next morning ih open carts,, the only carriages
we were able, to procure. In this manner we journeyed
to Stockholm,, where, on account o f various delays,, we did
not arrive until the following evening.
The diftance from Griflehaven, the place o f our difem-
Barkation, to Stockholm is above eighty miles ; yet the country
was f© thinly peopled, that we did not pafs through one-
town. The villages were few and fmall, but very pitftu-
refque, being, moftly fituated upon the points o f thè craggy
rocks, and.frequently overhanging a lake. Many {haggling;
cottages and houfes were pleafantly fcattered over the face
a£ the country,, which was in general,hilly, rocky,.and!
covered with forefts, corn, and pafture. After the drearv-
fcenes- which; we had long been aecuftomed to,- the herbage,,
jpft recovered from the fnow under which it had been buried»
during the whole winter,, was a grateful object;./ and it was-
remarkable,.. that both the grafs and blades- o f young corn,,
had contracted a yellowifh hue, and appeared, as i f they had:
keen parched, by a burning fun.. .
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