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330 TRAVELS
avery rare thing at a feftival of Binlendih peafants, where they -
generally regale themfelves pretty liberally with brandy. ‘This
party of pleafure apparently infpired fo little mirth, that one could
not help believing that the people danced from a fenfe of duty.
In the number of fix or feven women, which the female fociety ©
was compofed of, there was not one tolerable, or capable of ex-
citing the fimalleft fenfation of tendernefs. They had coarfe and
vulgar faces, with fhapes ill-turned; and did not fuggeft the
flighteft idea of any thing pleafing or graceful. The long waift
of their clothes, with very fhort petticoats, contributed {tll more
to render their figure difagrecable.
After having looked at their manner of dancing for fome time,
I took out my port-folio to note down the mufic. Scarcely ‘had
they feen me begin to write when they left off dancing, and came
to fee what I was doing. ‘The blind fidler was unable to guefs
the caufe of thofe mterruptions, which diverted their attention
from his mufic, and made them forget their dance. They at lait
let him into the fecret, and we afked him to play usa couple of
Finlandifh dances, the moft truly national in his colle@ion. He
gratified our curiofity, and I fucceeded in taking down the tunes,
which the reader will find in the Appendix.
After making.a {mall prefent to the blind man, we withdrew
from the ball-room, and mounted upon our waggon to profecute
our journey. The blind fidler, however, was fo fenfibly touched
with our {mall prefent, that he got up, and under the conduct
of all the dancers; not only followed us cut of the houfe, but a
- good
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