CHAPTER XIX.

Journey to Dyngsjö; thence to Aspberg.

ON Monday the 10th of March, intelligence was brought to me at Lapp-cottage, that a large bear (all those animals being monsters, in regard to size, in the estimation of the peasants,) was safely ringed at Aspberg, a Finnish settlement at about ninety miles to the north-west of my quarters.

As we, however, had vague intelligence of another of those animals at Dyngsjö, the hamlet of which I have more than once spoken, which from circumstances it was desirable to see after in the first instance, I despatched Elg in the course of the afternoon to that place. I gave him instructions, that if he found such report to be correct, there to await my arrival, on the following evening; but if the contrary should be the case, that he should at once head back to Lapp-cottage, and thus save me an unnecessary journey.

On the afternoon of the following day therefore, Tuesday, 11th March, not having heard

from Elg, I set off in my sledge for the same destination. In this instance, instead of keeping to the high road, as had been the case during the preceding summer, when on my way to the skall at Dalecarlia, I held to the winter-vägen, or winter-way; this, which was much less circuitous than the former, passed in the immediate vicinity of Geijersholm and Gustafsfors, two of the forges belonging to the Uddeholm Company. As the route in places was very indifferent, and the night dark, I did not reach Dyngsjö until nine in the evening.

Here I learnt, to my mortification, that the report of a bear being ringed was altogether without foundation; and that Elg had only preceded me to that place by about a couple of hours. The poor fellow had been unable to procure a horse during the preceding night, and he was therefore necessitated to make the best of his way on his skidor: from not knowing the country, however, he had taken the wrong track, and lost himself in the forest, and in consequence had wandered many miles out of the right road.

This was unfortunate, for, had he arrived at Dyngsjö at an early hour in the morning, as I fully anticipated would have been the case, on finding the report we had heard to be incorrect, he would have had time to return to Lapp-cottage, and thus would have saved me a useless and trou

blesome journey. There was now no help for it, and we had therefore only to make the best of our way to Aspberg; where, as I have said, we had intelligence of a bear.

We had the choice of two roads to that hamlet: the one by the way of Malung, in Dalecarlia; for at Forss, the first post-station to the northward of that place, there is a practicable and much frequented track in the winter-time, directly across the forest into Wermeland; the other, by heading back the way he came, and thus getting on to the line of the Klar. As there was a difficulty, however, in obtaining a horse to carry us to Malung, and as, besides, there was said to be a good deal of snow on the track between Dyngsjö and that place, we decided upon taking the latter route.

On the following morning, therefore, Wednesday the 12th of March, when the weather was fine, we retraced our steps as far as Gustafsfors, then at near fourteen miles distance. From thence, and after being delayed near three hours to procure a fresh horse, we set out for Näs, the hamlet situated upon the Klar, at about ten miles to the northward of my quarter.

On this occasion, we did not take the regular route, which would have carried us back, in the first instance, almost to Lapp-cottage, and, in consequence, would have been very circuitous; but we benefited by a track made use of by the pea

sants during the winter, for the purpose of conveying coke to the forge at Gustafsfors, that led us almost a direct line across the forest.

Though the distance to Näs was not more than fourteen miles, the track was in so wretched a state, that it was long after nightfall before we reached that place.

From hence we proceeded to Fästnas, the nearest post-station to the northward, a distance of about eight or nine miles; but on the way, owing to its swerving to one side, our sledge passed over the foot of my dog Hector, who, along with two others, was fastened to the after-part, and crushed it most dreadfully. This, as I shall by and by have occasion to show, was the greatest of misfortunes that could have happened to us. Though contrary to our original intention, we were now necessitated to pass the night at Fästnas, that we might dress the poor animal's wound, and render him such other assistance as he stood in need of. Here I met with a comfortable room; and, what was better, the peasants were remarkably civil and obliging.

On the succeeding morning, Thursday the 13th of March, which was mild, we proceeded on our journey; but as Hector's foot was most cruelly injured, and, from its then state, I thought he would never have recovered the proper use of it, we were necessitated to leave him behind us.

Our route, which principally lay along the

Klar, was, at this time, in very tolerable order for sledging. Though we had no förebud, we met with little delay in obtaining horses, and, in consequence, we got on pretty expeditiously. About the middle of the day we reached Likenäs, a rather large hamlet in the parish of Dalby. Here resided the brother of the man who had the bear ringed near to Aspberg, and who, by previous agreement, was to accompany us to that place.

Here we dined; when, after a delay of about a couple of hours, during which our new companion was making some needful preparations for the journey, we again set forward. The mountains on either side of the Klar, along whose bed our route principally lay, now rose to a very considerable altitude on either hand, and the landscape, in consequence, assumed a much bolder and imposing aspect.

Towards evening, and a little before we reached Sysselbäck, our peasant, who was following in his own sledge, at some little distance in the rear, fell in with a wolf. The animal approached so near, that had he been provided with fire-arms, he could easily have killed him. Elg and myself, however, were not fortunate enough to see the beast, or we might probably have given a good account of him, as we had two rifles, and my double gun lying ready loaded in our vehicle.

At Sysselbäck, which is situated at about four