to the one side he escaped himself, the sudden jerk threw the people out of the sledge into the opening, where they all met a watery grave.

The shoes of our horse were at this time roughed, or turned up, which was universally the case with all these animals thereabouts. This was done so effectually, that were the ice as slippery as glass, which was oftentimes the case in the winter-season, they could proceed even at the gallop with the greatest possible safety.

For the greater part of the distance to Tönnet we kept the winter-way (winter vägen). This was so called in contradistinction to those commonly made use of in the summer season. Independently of this being more level, it was the less circuitous of the two. When it happened to lie along the course of a river, lake, morass, or extensive waste, it was distinctly marked out by branches of the pine, or by the tree itself, being placed in an upright position at intervals of some forty or fifty paces apart from each other. This precaution was very necessary, as it enabled the traveller as well to keep the route either during, or immediately subsequent to a snow-storm, as to avoid springs and other dangerous places.

Routes similar to the above are usually to be met with in all the northern parts of Scandinavia during the winter; and when the morasses, rivers, lakes, &c. are firmly frozen over, these often cross the country in almost as direct a line as the crow

flies, which is of no little advantage to the traveller. In many instances, in fact, during that season, the ordinary, or summer roads, are almost or altogether disused.

From the great quantity of snow that often falls in the northern regions at this inclement period of the year, the roads would soon be rendered impracticable were it not for ploughs of a very simple shape, that we made use of to remove it.

These are constructed of two broad and tolerably thick planks, forming nearly the two sides of a triangle, which are kept in their proper position by transverse bars.

In the woodcut depicting my sledge, &c. introduced at page 19, is the representation of a snow-plough, which will give a tolerable idea of those very useful implements.

On all the principal roads in Scandinavia, and on many of the minor ones also, these ploughs are kept at stated distances; and when there is a heavy fall of snow, the peasants in the surrounding districts are obliged to furnish horses to remove it. If the road be narrow, the ploughs are usually of a small size, and one or two horses in that case are commonly sufficient to work it; but if the road should be wide, and the plough, in consequence, of a larger size, then several horses may be requisite.

I have been surprised that these ploughs are

not made use of in England, in the event of a deep fall of snow, for they are constructed in an hour, and are worked with every facility.

Though the distance to Tönnet was only about fourteen miles, owing to the darkness of the night, and to the track being heavy from the new-fallen snow, it was near ten o'clock before we reached that place. Here we had expected to meet Jan Finne, agreeably to our appointment; but on our arrival we were much disappointed to find he had not at that time made his appearance. Thinking, however, that this would shortly be the case, we took up our quarters for the night with a peasant named Soned Larsson.

This man was in very good circumstances; indeed, it was said he was the wealthiest of his class, in the district of Elfvedal. He had a very good farm, and was possessed of abundance of horses, cows, sheep, &c. His father, a fine healthy old man upwards of ninety, was living with him. I believe, there were four generations of the family in the house.

In my wanderings through the forest I often met with people who had attained to a great age. I remember seeing one woman who was upwards of one hundred and two years of age, but whose sight was still so good that she was spinning without the use of glasses.

The succeeding morning, Wednesday 5th of December, was fine and frosty; but Jan Finne

not being forthcoming, and being careless of losing the advantage of such favourable weather, I struck into the forest to the eastward of Tönnet, in search of capercali.

My guide, on this occasion, was a peasant, named Per Jonsson, an excellent shot with his rifle, and the best chasseur to be found thereabouts. We had not proceeded far, however, before he halted so suddenly, and in so peculiar a manner, as almost led me to suppose he had seen either an apparition or a drove of wolves; but, on questioning him as to the cause of his panic, it turned out he had viewed in the distance a poor decrepit old woman, "outlived," as he called her, (utlevad kärring); and from this being the first human being that he had set his eyes upon since we had started, he drew the most unfavourable prognostics as to our chances of success. Indeed, he stated it next to useless for us to proceed, alleging as a proof of such being the case, that some few days before, when, on a like expedition, he had encountered a similar bad omen; and in consequence, though he fell in with a good many birds, and wasted no little powder and ball, he was never able, from their being "charmed," to touch a feather.

On another occasion, when I was travelling, I remember my driver pointing out to me a huge fragment of rock lying near to the road-side, on which, he stated, the impression of a hand and

that of an iron chain, were deeply indented. He accounted for these marks in a singular manner. An evil spirit, he said, once dwelt in a cavern near to the summit of a lofty hill in the vicinity; but feeling very indignant at hearing the neighbouring church bells chiming, as they were wont to do on Sundays, &c. he put this missile in a sling, and threw it with all his force at the steeple. The demon missed his mark, however, and the rock, passing a mile beyond the church, fell at the place where I saw it deposited. My informant seemed fully to believe this, as well as other similar stories, of which he had treasured up a sufficiency, that he narrated.

Mr. Greiff says, that "some of the peasants are so simple as to go twenty or thirty miles to find out a spring which runs to the north, in order to let the spring-water run through the gun-barrel, while they in the mean while say, 'Shoot westshoot east-shoot south-shoot north,' when the cure is effected. It is also considered a good cure for a gun that does not kill, to put a serpent into the barrel, and shoot it out; in doing which, it has also happened that many barrels have been burst. Several other such fooleries might be mentioned."

That gentleman states, "that the peasantry in general believe in witchcraft, and that a good and lucky sportsman can shoot as much as he wishes, and call to him beast and bird, as soon as he has