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450 ACCOUNT OF DANISH LAPLAND BY LEEMS. i
the river Alten, accuftomed to agriculture at home, cultivate a few acres of ground,
_ whence they have, on fome years, no defpicable crop.
It is the cuftom of certain Laplanders, whofe condition is fuperior to the reft, to
bury their wealth, efpecially money, fo cautioufly in the ground, that their heirs fhould
not have the leaft hope of enjoying it. That thefe people fhould do fo Iam not
furprifed, if having no lockers, no inclofures to fecure it, and where in fafety, and with-
out the fear of thieves, they could lay up what treafures they have; but for the maritime
Laplander, who has but his hut, and the mountain Laplander but his cot, which he puts
up and takes down according to the feafon, I confefs that the reafon altogether efcapes
me, why at the hour of death he does not choofe to tell where he has hidden his riches,
that the heirs fhould convert them to their ufe after the death of their parents. It has
been related that a certain very rich Laplander, of the name of Henry Jonfon, living in
Ozejok, being afked the reafon when near his death, why he fo ftudioufly concealed his
riches, that his furvivors fhould have no hope of finding them? his anfwer was, that un-
lefs he did fo, that he would ftand in need of the neceflary means of fupporting himfelf
after death.
They fufpend dogs for the purpofe of killing them from a tree, and when ftrangled,
take their fkins, from which, if they are black, they make bordersand fillets, to be fewn
on garments and gloves.
It is a cuftom with the Lapland peafants of the Findland people, fome of whom dwell
on the river Alten, to wafh themfelves often with warm water, and to fprinkle themfelves
with water tinged with the boughs of trees.
And this is enough for the prefent on the manners of the nation. To thofe who
wifh to know more on this fubjeét, I refer them to the various Chapters of this Book,
where thefe things are exprefsly treated of.
Cuap. XVI.—Of the Marriages of the Laplanders.
IT very feldom happens that a young man of the Norwegian provinces marries a Lap- -
land young woman, and a young Laplander a Norwegian young woman : in the diftrict
I have been miffionary i in, this never happened while I was engaged in the holy office.
The Laplander, when going to pay his addrefles to the girl, takes certain of his rela
tives united in the next degree to hian, one of whom is to be his advocate with the lad
for him: the lover provides for himfelf brandy, to drink to the health of his future
{poufe, and her parents and friends ; befides, he brings a fmall prefent for the lady
herfelf, which is a filver belt, a ring, or other things of this kind, as his ability can
furnifh, When they come to the houfe in which the lady lives, all come.in except the ~
lover, who ftays out until invited in. When all are within, the advocate of the young
man_ offers a cup of fpirits to the father, which if he refufes, it is a fign that he
rejects the terms; but if he accepts it and drinks, that the nuptial condition is not
difpleafing to him. ‘Then the above-named advocate drinks to the health not only of
the father and mother, but of the future fpoufe, and her friends who are prefent; which
drinking bout goes on ftep by ftep, with a requeft of courtfhip. This prelude being
clofed, he approaches the bufinefs a little nearer, and courts. her under the fhape of a
lover concealing it yet from the eyes of the world: he now draws out his long formal
phrafes, efpecially thofe of the fineft quality. Some time after the lover himfelf is
introduced, and placed in a fpace which is infide the door between the two birchen
ftocks that lie on the floor, and of which we made mention in Chapter V. If he ob- -
tains the confent of the girl, and of her parents and friends, he gives the prefent bs
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