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64 TRAVELS
tobacco. It happened once that having taken a falfe direction, or
courfe, on a part of the river where it was rough and fthallow, they
were fo entangled among large ftones, as not to be able to move.
On this the Laplander who plied the oars rofe up from the bench
on which he fat, and by the ferious and decided air he put on, we
judged that his intention could be no lefs than to make fome pow-
erful effort for our extrication from the prefent embarraf{ment :
He began, however, immediately to loofen a part of his drefs, and
was fo unpolite as to give way to a very preffing want of nature
in our prefence. I will not tire my readers at prefent with any
farther details on the manners and habits of thofe people. What
has been already mentioned may fuffice to give a tolerably jutt
idea of their character and deportment. We were every inftant
on the point of lofing all patience with them. But for want of
geographical information, and from the need we had of them, we
were, in a great meafure, under their power, and therefore obliged
to put up with all their ftupidity, lazinefs, and beaftlinefs.
Before we come to Kautokeino, I cannot forbear giving fome
account of the pleafant amufement of the chafe, which we enjoyed
on this river. Our Laplanders had taken a dog with them, and
as the animal was not admitted into one of the boats, he was
obliged to follow us as well as he could. This poor creature, by
his actions, and the means he ufed for keeping up with us, fhewed
a great deal more activity, fenfe and contrivance than the human
beings of this country. When two ways lay before him, he never
failed to make choice of the beft: he had lakes to crofs, iflands to
traverie,
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