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169 REGNARD’s JOURNEY TO LAPLAND.
D’un cété l’on voit des poiffons,
Qui, fans craindre les hamegons,
Quittent leurs demeures profondes ;
Et pour prendre un plaifer noveau,
Las de folatrer dans les ondes,
S’ élancent et fautent furs l’eau.
Tous ces édifices détruits,
Et ces ref{pectables débris,
Ju’on voit fur cette roche obfcure,
Sont plus beau que les batimens
Oi Vor, l’azur, et la peinture,
Forment les moindres ornements.
Les temps y laiffe quelques trous,
Pour la demeure des hiboux ;
Et les bétes d’un cri funefte,
Les oifeaux facrés ala nuit,
Dans lhorreur de cette retraite,
Trouvent toujours un fur réduit.
We left thefe forges on Thurfday, to go to others which are diftant from them about
eighteen Swedifh miles, which are equal to nearly fifty French leagues. We kept al-
ways in the fame road, there being no other inthe country, and purfued our journey
to the northward, on the banks of the river. We learnt, that it had here another
name, and that it was called by the inhabitants. Wilnama Suanda. We pafied the
whole night, upon the water, and we arrived next day, being Friday, at the poor hut
of a peafant, which, however, we found to be empty. The whole family, confifting
of five or fix perfons, were gone out; fome were in the woods, and others had gone
to fifh the pike. This fifh, which they dry, ferves them for nourifhment during the
whole year. ‘They do not take it by means of nets, as others do ; but by lighting a
fire on the prow of their little bark, they draw the fifh to the light of this flame, and
harpoon them with along ftick, pointed with iron, in the fhape of a trident. They
catch great numbers of this fifh, of an extraordinary fize; fo that nature like a
bountiful mother, denying them fertility of foil, furnifhes them with the abundance of
the waters.
The farther one advances in this country, the mifery is the greater ; the inhabitants
are ignorant of the ufe of corn; fifh-bones, ground with the bark of trees, are ufed
inftead of bread, and notwithftanding this horrid diet, thefe people live in perfect health.
As they are deftitute of phyficians, it is not furprifing, that they fhould be alfo igno-
rant of difeafes, and fhould live to fuch an advanced age, that they generally furvive
till they are a hundred years old, and fome of them, a hundred and fifty.
We made little progrefs on Saturday, as we ftopt the whole day in a fmall houfe,
which is the laft that one meets within this country. We had various amufements while
refiding in this cabin. The firft was to employ ourfelves, every one at different
exercifes as foon as we arrived. One cut a dry tree in the neighbouring wood, and
drew it with difficulty to the place of its deftination, another, after having {truck a light
with a flint, blew with all his {trength to lighten a fire ; fome were engaged in preparing
a lamb, which they were going to kill; and others, poffefling more forefight, left thefe
petty employments, and went to procure from a neighbouring pond, which was full
of fith, fomething for to-morrow. This pleafure was followed by another, for no
fooner were we feated at table, than we agreed, on account of our prefling neceflities,
to order a general hunt. Every body made preparations for this purpofe ; and having
taken two little barks and two peafants with us, we abandoned ourlelves on the river to
our
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