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204 REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND.
to fpeak to, we continued our journey by roads which no one can conceive the difficulty
of except thofe who have paffed them. We believed that we were very near the polt-
houfe, and we travelled till four o’clock without feeing a fingle individual to direé us
on our road, or any roof to cover our heads. To add to our misfortune, the rain fell
in fuch quantity, that it made up this night for the three preceding months, during
which not a fingle drop of water fell. The hope with which we flattered ourfelves that
we would meet with fome peafant’s hut, enabled us, notwithftanding the dreadful fa-
tigue with which we were affected, to continue on our journey ; but at length the rain
fell fo plentifully, and the night became fo dark, that our hortfes difheartened, not hay-
ing eaten any food, like ourfelves, during the whole day, {topped on a fudden, and we
found it impoffible to make them advance one ftep.
Behold us then forrowfully remaining in the’middle of the wood, without having any
thing in the world to cover us, except the belly of our horfes; and one might do fo
without danger, for the poor animals were fo fatigued that they paffed the night without
ftirring, and without eating, as well as their mafters. Our only confolation was a good
firethat we made, which warmed us a little; but nothing could be more amufing than
to fee us in this plight, all extremely fad and overcome, like men who had not eaten for
twenty-four hours, and who languidly bowed their heads to receive the rain which it
pleafed heaven to pour down plentifully upon us. And what tended to make our ad-
venture {till more curious was, that next morning, by the break of day, we were no
fooner on horfeback than we difcovered, at a diftance of about two gun-fhot, a little
houfe which we had fo anxioufly inquired after, and to which we repaired to drink
fome milk. Misfortune is good for fomething, they fay; for this wandering enabled us
to reach Coperberyt the next day, which was Sunday, where we fhould not otherwife
have arrived till the day after: we difcovered that town by means of the {moke which
iffued from it, and which refembled more the fhop of Vulcan than any thing elfe: no-
thing was to be feen on every fide but furnaces, fires, coals, and frightful cyclops. It
is neceflary to defcend to the town through holes. * To give you an idea of the frightful-
nefs of it, they conducted us firft into a chamber to change our clothes, where we took
a {tick fhod with iron to fupport usin the moft dangerous places: we at length defcended
to the mine, which is aftonifhingly wide and deep. We fearcely perceived the workmen,
fome of whom were raifing ftones, others throwing earth, and others making fires to
loofen the mine, and every one, in fact, at his feparate employment. We defcended
this pit by a number of roads which led to it; and we now began to find that we had
as yet done nothing, and that this was only a beginning to more ferious labours. Our
guides lighted their flambeaux, which were fcarcely fufficient to difpel the thick dark-
nefs which reigned in thefe fubterraneous regions. One fees nothing on every fide,
and that too by endangering the fight, but fubjeéts of horror, by the aid of fome glim-
mering lights which are only fufficient to enable one to diftinguifh them ; the fmoke
blinds, and the fulphur choaks one: add to this the noife of the hammers, and the
view of thefe fhades, thefe wretches, who are ftark-naked, and black like devils, and
you will be of my opinion, that nothing can be a better reprefentation of hell than this
living picture, painted with the blackeit and moft fombre pictures that can poflibly be
imagined. We defcended more than two leagues into the earth by frightful roads,
fometimes on trembling ladders, fometimes on thin planks, and always in continual ap-
prehenfions. We obferved on the road a number of pumps to raife the water, and very —
curious machines which we had not leifure to examine; we only faw numbers of thofe
wretches who wrought atthe pumps. We penetrated to the very bottom with great diffi-
* This defcription is preferved, though nearly a repetition.
2 culty 5
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