Though I had no förebud in this instance, I was fortunate enough to find horses in readiness at the different stations; and the roads being in good order, I got on pretty rapidly. By about two o'clock on the succeeding day, having then accomplished upwards of a hundred miles, I reached Arboga, the town of which I have made mention. I of course saw little of the scenery on this occasion, my journey having been principally made in the night-time; but I should think the country was of too level a character to be particularly interesting.

I dined at Arboga, and from thence I retraced the route by which I had proceeded from Wermeland. Without making a single halt, other than such as were absolutely necessary, I now pushed on at once for Lapp-cottage.

As we advanced to the northward, however, and particularly after leaving Philipstad, our course was much impeded by the snow which had recently fallen. Though in the vicinity of Stockholm there were hardly more than a few inches, the ground in this part of the country was covered with it to the depth of two feet or more.

The ice besides, on the several lakes which lay in our route between Philipstad and Sunnemo, were now in a bad, if not dangerous state. This is generally the case after a deep fall of snow, and more particularly if the weather should be at all mild. The weight of that covering seems to assist the operation of the air confined beneath the sur

face of the ice; for an unusual number of windvaks now make their appearance. Independently of the danger of falling into these holes, partially concealed as they are by the snow, so much water exudes from them, as often to take a man half way up the leg. The quantity of snow above prevents this from congealing, and consequently it remains in a liquid state on the surface of the lake, or river, for a long while.

Though the ice, generally, was at this period more than two feet thick, there were several of these windvacks on the very track that we were pursuing, and in consequence we were obliged to make considerable detours to avoid them.

Though I made the most expedition I was able, for the above reasons, it was eight o'clock in the evening of the second day, after leaving Stockholm, before I reached my quarters. I had passed forty-eight hours in my sledge; but, from being well protected with clothing, I suffered little inconvenience from the cold.

Here I found that Elg, agreeably to my directions, had preceded me by a few hours; but it was with regret that I learnt from him that he had been unable to get a bear on foot during my absence. This was little to be wondered at, as immediately after my departure for Stockholm, so great a quantity of snow had fallen in Wermeland, that it was not easy to explore the forest: independently of the view being obstructed, the snow was

in so loose a state, that neither man nor dog could move with any thing like facility.

He informed me, however, that a bear was reported to be ringed near to Malung in Dalecarlia ; and two others, though at some distance apart, in the vicinity of Granberg, a hamlet situated at near fifty miles to the north-east of my quarters.

Though we had not much reason to believe any of these bears were actually encircled, we determined, pour passer le temps, to reconnoitre the rings forthwith.

On the evening of Wednesday, the 13th of April, I therefore dispatched Elg with the dogs and baggage-sledge to Warnäs, a village situated on the eastern bank of the Klar, at about thirtyfive miles to the northward of my quarters; this was about ten miles distance from Granberg.

On the following morning, the 14th, a little before nine o'clock, when the quicksilver was sixteen degrees below zero, I followed myself in the same direction.

Both the track by land, and the ice on the Klar, along the bed of which river we kept for a very considerable part of the way, were now in excellent order for sledging, and I therefore got on as expeditiously as I could wish; the faster probably, as, from the coldness of the temperature, the peasants, for their own sakes, felt little inclined to loiter on the way.

At Fastnas, the last post-station, where I procured a fresh horse, the people were complaining of the ravages of the wolves. A drove of those ferocious beasts, indeed, had destroyed and devoured, during the preceding night, a dog that was chained immediately near to the house: we saw their tracks in the little enclosure, or rather court-yard, in front of the building.

At Warnäs also, where I arrived at about three o'clock in the afternoon, and where my people had preceded me by several hours, the wolves had been very very troublesome during the winter. But the inhabitants of that hamlet had fortunately succeeded in destroying one of those animals in a pitfall, either on that or the preceding day. We saw his skin extended to dry.

The distance from Warnäs to Granberg was about ten miles; but, owing to the track through the forest being entirely blocked up by the great quantity of snow that had recently fallen, and the evening being advanced, we were unable to procure a horse and sledge to our baggage, to that place. nevertheless, to reach it as determined on taking only those things along with us of which we stood absolutely in need, and on forthwith setting off on foot.

convey us, or rather As we were anxious, soon as possible, we

The forest was, at this time, smothered with snow, the ground being covered with it to the

depth of from three to four feet.

From this cause we were necessitated to make use of our skidor, or snow-skates.

These are depicted in the annexed woodcut; also a pair of skarbogar, of which I shall presently have occasion to make mention, and a bear-skin. I have introduced the latter, to show the manner in which the skin is usually taken from the bear in Scandinavia.

Snow-skates are, it is well known, very com

monly made use of, during the winter season, in the Northern parts of Europe: when a person is conversant with them, nothing can answer the required purpose better.