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A488 ’ ACCOUNT OF DANISH LAPLAND BY LEEMS.
But the great incoveniences that the Lapland miffionary has to ftruggle with may
be eafily judged, from the reception he meets with in the hut of the maritime inhabitant
where he puts up; from his living among his cattle; annoyed with their naftinefs ;
the difagreeable and offenfive {mells excited from it. What this is may be eafily in-
ferred by thofe who, from their early days have not been ufed to this fituation.
Nor is he better off with the mountain Laplander. His habitation is no better than
a fmall boughed cot, {full of rents, which are not even in the middle of winter, ftopped
up.
He is ever annoyed with thick black fmoke: from the inftant the fire is lighted the
whole cot is filled, from the vent-hole in the roof to the bottom, with an abundance of
the fouleft {moke, that the eyes can {carcely be opened without injury. As the fire
kindles up it decreafes a little, that, fhould a traveller fit even on the ground, yet he
cannot get out of the {phere of it; but never is he more plagued than when the wind
vehemently blows all over the cot ; then it rages with allits fury; that, enveloped ina
thick mift of it, he is furrounded, not without a fignal injury to his eyes.
To this is added the further moleftation, equal to the former, namely, the vapour
that afcends from the wood frefh cut and moift, when laid on the fire. The foul va-
pour of this is fometimes even worfe than the fmoke itfelf.
To the other incommodities is added, and with reafon, that infufferable cold, which
attacks this quarter of the world beyond the conception of any man, and even pene-
trates with eafe into the open tents of the Laplanders For it often happened to my-
felf while among the mountaineers, that, on waking in the morning, I could perceive
under the blanket of fkins that covered me, my breath turned to a hoar froft. When
fitting to write on the floor of the cot, on the defk placed between my legs, though the
inkftand was placed near the hearth, heated with a conftant fire, yet it has happened
more than once that the ink froze, while writing, in the pen. When took a place at
the fire to warm myfelf, my feet, as turned to the hearth, were warmed even to fcorching,
while my back, which was from the fire, trembled almoft through cold. But the excefs
of the cold in winter how great it is in the Lapland mountains will appear from this ac-
count of mine from experience. A fire is kept continually burning, as is the cuftom of
this people, piled up in the middle of the tent, recruited with frefh fuel perpetually put
onit. ‘The covering is at the diftance of three ells from the fire-place. This, when
ftated, who couid imagine that a blazing fire, and burfting out into high flames, could
not prevent its freezing within, or at leaft that it would thaw and prevent the cold
from hardening froft in the tent? Bnt the very contrary is the effet. For, when
fitting before the fire, I well remember what exceeds belief, I found that part of the
wall which, by reafon of the fhade of my body did not receive the heat of the fire,
frozen, and retain on its furface as it were my likenefs painted in white.
Nor was there a {mall inconvenience from the want of good and wholefome beverage :
for whether in the tent of a mountain or marijime Laplander, there was nothing to
quench the thirft but cold water, fometimes mingled with {now ; and on failure of this,
the {now alone was melted in a kettle over the fire.
Nor muft a miflionary expeét, in hofpitable receptions of this fort, a foft and downy
bed, in whofe place is fubftituted a rough rein-deer’s hide, on the bare ground, or at
leaft on a few plained pieces of wood, with the traveller’s cloaths placed under his head
as a pillow. When laid down to repofe, he well nigh touches the fnow with his head,
removed at leaft from it by a palm’s {pace; for he lies on the ground, his feet toward the
fire, and his head againtt the wall, which, as. obferved above, is on the extremity, fur-
younded with perpetual {nows, and intrenched as if by a rampart.
In
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