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THROUGH FINLAND. 359
to give them our affiftance in drawing their nets, and by a great
exertion of courage, we got over almoft one third of the palifade,
but if one of my companions had not defifted in time, his head
becoming giddy by the motion of the water under his feet, he
mutt have dropt into the river. The children and even the men
themfelves are fometimes too confident of their. agility, fo that
fcarce a year pafles without fome of them falling in and being
drowned: the current being too {trong for a boat to be of any ufe
to them.
The addref$ with which the Finlanders drive their ftakes into
the bottom of the river, at places where the current is extremely
rapid, deferves likewife to be noticed, as an operation highly dan-
gerous as well as difficult, and to which thofe poor people fome-
times fall victims.
In getting to this part of the river we went nearly an Englith
mile out of the road, where we left our horfes. Our guide, who
led us acrofs a fmall wood of firs by narrow footpaths, was upon
his return to vifit his cow-houfe, which ftood in the midft of the
wood. We could not avoid feeling interefted for this man. He
was feventy-five years of age, and had ferved in the war of Pome-
rania, or, as it is commonly called, the feven years war: he {poke
German a little, had been feveral times wounded, and, as an in-
valid, had a piece of ground affigned to him. In this fpot, fepa-
rated from the world, his induftry had improved his httle fortune
fo as to enable him to live comfortably with his wife and chil-
dren, and to feed eight cows, whofe good condition afforded him
infinite pleafure.
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