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284 OUTHIER’S JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO THE NORTH.
was not long before we needed ; it rained, with thunder, till nine in the morning : our
foldiers fheltered themfelves from it as well as they could with the fails of their boats.
Immediately after the rain we began felling the trees, which was continued all day
Iong. While our men were fo occupied, I went down the mountain with M. Helant to
drink, in the afternoon, at the lake, and to fetch water for ourfelves and the foldiers.
We faw for a long time from the fide of the lake a large animal, which was {wimming a
great diftance from us: our failors told us it was probably a large pike ; they were not
fo vifionary as a number of the inhabitants, who take them for fpirits, called by them
Haltios: others fay they are bears, who fwim towards the boats for the purpofe of over-
turning them, and devouring the men inthem. Scarcely had we re-afcended the moun-
tain, when we faw M. de Guilingrip with fix boats crofling the lake: he was going
into thefe loft countries in fearch of mountains containing iron.
We faw a fingular appearance in the tky at feven o’clock, as the fun fhone from the
N. W. there appeared in the rain which was falling in the S. E. three rainbows, the
colours of the internal and external of which were vivid; of the middlemoft, which
was parallel to the internal one, and which bifected the external, the colours were not fo
lively.
On the twenty-eighth, at night, it rained heavily with thunder, after which we con-
ftruéted the fignal, and continued {tripping the mountain till four in the afternoon.
We defcended and re-embarked, and after two hours which it took to crofs the lake,
we again entered the river. Fortunately we arrived by eight o’clock in the evening at
the houfe of Lohi Jerfwi, where we fheltered ourfelves from the rain, which fell in
abundance throughout the night, accompanied by dreadful thunder. We flept upon
heaps of new-mown hay, the beft bed we had met with fince we left Torneo.
We did not leave this place till near ten in the morning, to continue our journey
towards Avafaxa, where we expected that M. de Maupertuis yet remained. Our provi-
fions failing, we proceeded to the houfe of Portimo, on the lake of that name, to try
what we could find to eat: we met with bread, or rather dry barley-cake, made half of
ftraw ; extreme hunger made this appear delicious. We reached the top of Avafaxa
at ten o’clock, as thofe gentlemen were returning from the houfe of M. Brunniuy
The length of my voyage had given them time to make their obfervations : they had
not been able to fee the fignal on Ketima, and waited for our return, in order to deter-
mine on the courfe we fhould take.
Mount Avafaxa is fituated in the beft peopled and fineft part of the river: its bed,
above all, towards the fouth, for the fpace of four or five leagues, is extremely wide,
and offered the moft proper {pot we could defire for an excellent bafe, whofe ‘extremi-
ties would be vifible from Cuitaperi and Avafaxa. This bafe could not be meafured
at any other time than in winter over the ice ; but it fuited to fix upon it, and ereét fig-
nals at its extremities, to join it to the triangles, and to make the neceflary abfervations
before winter came on.
Monday, the thirtieth, fhortly after noon, we all came down from Avafaxa : Meffrs.
Clairaut and Camus took upon themfelves to determine the direction of the bafe, and
its extremities’; and M. de Maupertuis with the reft of his-party embarked in five boats
to go to Pullingi. “At nine at night we landed to get up the cataraé of Kattilla, which is
interfected by the polar circle : our feamen took us to Hiougfing, on the weftern fide of
the river, to a good houfe,’ where we fupped ; we found there good barley-bread, dry
fith, milk, cream, butter, and cheefe, and were feryed in a very cleanly manner.
We left-this houfe at eleven o’clock, and inftead of going to Lambifen at Pullingi by
land, we went on in the boats to the little village of ‘Turtula, and from thence to the
5 mouth
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