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» ) THROUGH FINLAND. : 235
norfe of the water, the rapidity of the current, which fhewed ie
felf at two openings, and by the apparent fragility of the cruft of
ice which was to fupport us in the midft of the ftream. With
exemplary difcretion we embraced the wife expedient (which
made our Finlandifh peafants laugh immoderately) of creeping
upon our knees, pafling a hillock of ice that obftruéted our way in
that humble pofture, and of fliding on our feat to the oppofite fide,
where we joined our fledge, which waited our arrival. This ridi-
culous {cene was highly entertaining, and converted into mirth
the terror of all our dangers. |
Having crofled the river at this place, our guides informed us,
that we had no farther occafion for them, and that we might pur-
fue our journey without the fmalleft apprehenfion. They inftantly
left us without waiting for any fort’ of recampence for their fer-
vices; and when we called them back and offered them money,
they feemed aftonifhed that we fhould think of rewarding them.
One of them remained deaf to all our importunities, refufed our
money with firmnefs and dignity, and went away without it. Our
narrow minds, that are filled with notions of what is called refine-
- ment, are at a lofs to conceive how thofe people, who appear fo
“poor and low in our eyes, merely becaufe they have not a coat cut
after the model of our’s, fhould refufe money, and fubmit to fo
much toil only for the pleafure of being ufeful to others, and for
the infipid fatisfa@tion of doing good. Such examples, but too
rare and too little known in the polifhed circles of great towns, are
not fo in thofe places which are far removed from a metropolis,
2 Hh 2 where
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