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OUTHIER’S JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO THE NORTH. 277
Tuefday, the third, and Wednefday, the fourth, we employed ourfelves in preparing
for travelling: fome bifcuits, a few bottles of wine, fome rein-deer fkins for our beds ;
four tents, which could contain no more than two perfons each; two quadrants, a plane-
table, a pendulum, thermometers, and all the inftruments neceflary or ufeful towards
the completion of our operations ; this was our baggage.
We went twice near the Fins’ church, in the ifland of Biorckholn, in order to re-
connoitre properly two or three mourtains perceivable from that fpot, and the belfry,
which we went up. Thurfday, the fifth, was the feaft of St. John, which they keep eleven
days later than. us, according to the old ftile: it was a grand folemnity, and we could
not depart that day, notwithftanding every thing was ready.
“riday, the fixth, by nine o’clock in the morning, our inftruments, our provifion,
and the few cloaths which we took with us, were embarked, and we departed in feven
boats, each boat manned by three men. We were all eight of us together, with five
fervants, the other two being left at Torneo: befides, we carried with us our hoft, M.
Piping, the young M. Helant, who M. de Maupertuis had met with at the governor’s,
and who ferved us an interpreter throughout the expedition. M. Piping and M. Helant
fpoke the Finnifh tongue, the only one in ufe among the foldiers, and throughout the
country beyond Torneo, and which is entirely different from the Swedifh ; he fpoke
Latin alfo. We landed, and walked along the banks, while the failors with great diffi-
culty got the boat up the cataracts of Wojackala and Kuckula.
The mountains which we faw from Torneo were Nieva and Kukama: the firft is
not far from the river, it is nigh fome houfes called Corpikyla; and it was on this
mountain that M. de Maupertuis wifhed to make his firft ftation, and begin the opera-
tions ; but for this purpofe objects to be feen were neceflary. Kukama prefented itfelf
as fit for this purpofe ; and the firft thing to be done was to conftruct a fignal there.
At fix in the evening, while all our flotilla was before the village of Karungi, I detached
myfelf, with Mefirs. Sommereux and Helant, two fervants and two boats; of the fix
men which manned thefe, one was left in care of them, and with the five others we un-
dertook to go to the mountain of Kukama. We met with dreadful roads; as the fnow
had but lately thawed ; the marfhes, which formed a great part of the road, were im-
paflable. The inhabitants, to pafs thefe marfhes, had joined together fir-trees end to
end, on which, by keeping a due balance, it were poffible to pafs, if the knots of thefe
trees, which are like fo many points, allowed of treading on them: and there was
nothing impoflible to our foldiers; they carried our provifions and their own, with
hatchets, the plane-table, with a part of our cloaths ; and when we could no longer walk
on the trees, we trudged through the marfhes: once I funk in up to the knee, and
with difficulty got out. We traverfed two lakes ; a boat which was in the firft of thefe
lakes not being on the fide neareft us, our. foldiers.gathered together fome pieces of
timber, upon which two of them got, to go to fetch the boat, on which they ferried us
over. On the fecond lake there was no boat ; in the fame manner as before, they fast-
ened together fix pieces of timber, on which we all ten embarked ; but as it funk a little
under our collected weight, two foldiers re-landed with our two fervants ; they joined
five pieces of wood together, on which they paffed, while we went over on the firft. On
all the road we found only a deferted mill, on the river Multa, and two barns for hay
near the lakes. We fuffered a great deal, not only from fatigue on the road, but from
the flinging of gnatsand the heat. Although it be no more than three French leagues
from Karungi to Kukama, we were eight hours in going, and did not arrive there before
two o’clock on Saturday morning.
Our
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