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392 TRAVELS
fours. Remaining conftantly in the fame attitude, he begins to
dance, and by his leaps and jumps, ftudies to keep time with the
mufic, which is extremely gothic, and which the reader will find
inferted in the Appendix. The execution of this dance 1s attend-
ed with great labour and fatigue, infomuch that it is very dif-
ficult for the peafant to go on with it above three or four mi-
nutes, without falling into the moft violent perfpiration. It is
however a fort of exercife which is good for ftrengthening the
mufcles of the arms, and therefore highly ufeful to the natives of
this country, whofe laborious exertions in afcending the cataracts
in fummer require very great vigour and mufcular power. Ad-
drefs and bodily ftrength are the qualities in the higheft repute
among the peafantry in this part of Weftrobothnia; and befides
this dance, they have other exercifes which demand a furprifing
degree of activity and firmneds in their limbs.
While we fat in our tent on the fummit of the hill, a number
of Finlandifh girls, induced by curiofity to fee us, furrounded the
tent. We foon recommended ourfelves to their acquaintance,
and invited the handfomeft of them to enter the tent; an eee
tion which they were not fhy of accepting. We oftered them
wine, but they difliked it; punch, but they had no greater relifh
for it: we ordered them beer, but they could as’ little drink this.
At length we found out that thofe girls were accuftomed to no
other beverage than milk and water. ‘There was among them a
native of Kollare, who merited a more than ordinary fhare of our
attention, and who immediately attracted our notice by her fta-
ture,
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