The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-04-23
WHOLE NUMBER SIS
Bayard Tayler in Laplp nd.

My beard, mustIchs, cap and for collar
were soon one undivided lump Of Ice. Our
eyc.lashes became snowy white and heavy
with frost, and il required constant, motion
to keep them from freezing together. We
saw everything through visorsB barred with
ivory. Our ys,brows and hair were as hosry
as those OF an -oetogenarian, and our cheeks
mixture Of crimson aud orange, SO that
we were scarcely recognizable by each oihs
er. Every one we met had snow white
locks, no matter .how youthful the face; and
whatever was the color Of our ,horses at the
star'iag, we plN aye drove milk-whlte stsedS
at the close Of the post, The irritation Of
our ROstrils occasioned the, greatest ,incon.
venience; and as the handkerehisls frozs
instantly, it soon becamea matter Of pait
and difficulty to use them. You might IS
well attempt to blow your nose with pop
lar chip. We could not bare oSr hands .
minute, without feeling an iron grasp Of
cold. which seemed to squeeze the flesh like
a vice, and turn the very blood TO ice. Id
other respects, We were warm and jolly, and
| have rarely been in higher spirits. The
air was exquisitely sweet and pure. and
could open my mouth, Gas far as its icy graf
ing permitted,) and inhalc full drafts into
the lungs, with delicious sensation of re-
freshment and exhiloration. 49,, 49,,
This is arctic travel, at last. BY Odin.
it is glorious! The smooth, firm road, crisp
and pure as alabaster, over which our sleigh
runners talk with the ripling, musical .mura
mur Of summer brooks; the sparkling,
breOthless armament; the gorgeous, rosy
flush of morning, slowly deepening, until
! the orange disc of the sun cuts the horizon;
the golden blaze Of the tops Of the bronze
fir; the glittering Of the CLASSY birches; the
long, dreary sweep OF he landscape; the icy
nectar of the perfect air; the tingling Of
the reused blood, in every vein, all alert
to guard the outposts Of life against the be-
seising cold--it is superb. The natives
themselves spoke Of the cold as being upti:
sually severe, ,and we congratulated ourselves
all the more on our easy endurance Of IT,
Had we judged only by our own sensations.
we should not have believed the tempera.
ture to be nearly SO low. - ! 80
The sun rose little after ten, and Ihave
never seen anything iner, than the illumin-
alton Of the forests and snow. fields. ia his
4 level, orange beams-for, even at midday.
| he was not more than eight degrees above
the horizon. The tops of the trees only
were touched!-still and solid as iron, and
covered with sparkling frost-crystals, tleir
trunks were changed to blazing gold, and
their foliage to Gery orange brown. The
delicatelpurple sprays Of the birch, coated
with lee, glittesed like wands Of topaz and
amethyst, and the slopes. Of. virgin snow.
! stretching towards the sun, shone with the
fairsst saffron gicsms. There is, nothing
. equnl to this in the South--nothing so trans.
cendcntly rich, dazzling and glorious. Ital-
!; ian dawns and twilights cannot surpass
those We see every day, not. like those.
fading rapidly into the ashen hues Of dusk,
7 but lingering hour after hoar with scarce
/. decrease Of splendor, Strange that Nature
should repeat these lovely eriai effects, Ia
e. such widely different zones and seasons. =
} 1 | thought to find in the Winter, landscapes
> of the for North, a sublimity of death and
"a dcsol ,tion-a wild, dark, dreary monotony
Is OF pxpression-but have, in reality, the
T. constant enjoyment of the rarest, the ten
'r dercst, the most enchanting beauty. az
Is The weather became worse as we sdvanc.
u cd. traversing the low broad hills, through
u wastes Of dark pine forest. The, winas eu'
d like sharp sword in passing the hollows
'e and the drifting snow began to fill ,th,
tracks. we were full two hours in making
# the ten miles. to Frostkage,. and the dal
of seemed scarcely nearer at hand. The lead
!. en-. lowering sky gave out no light. the Ior
d ests were black and cold, the snow q. dusk
~ grey-such horrible dismal scenery hay!
y rarciy beheld. y y q The storm grev
~ . worse; the wind blewifercey over the lbs
~ hills. loaded with PARTICLES of snow, as I'M
he as the point Of d needle and as hard as cFys
'1 tai, which struck full on our eyt.b4llsi In
~ stuns them so that We could scarcely Zee
us had great difficulty in keeping my DC
'se from freezing, dnd my companion found hi
cheek touched. vi +a7* There was n0tl
.e ing bua lorg drifts and waves. Of spoties
snow, some dim, dark, spectral fir trees .
either hand. and beyond thata wild chAc
nd of storm. The snow came fast and blint
au' ing, beating full IN our teeth. 1t was In
( possible 10 see; tho fine pafticIes SO stun
lily our eyc.balls that we could aotiook Rhes!
TED My eye.lashcsl were load ed mithsnowsaE aElic
n.y.. immediately turned toaice ndfrSzs TIL hd
tu- together, ualessiI kept thean fnfEcnstai
a,Iimotion. The storm shummed and sbtEzk'
ID through the black forests; We sMerss
av. alone ON i,heroad, for even the pieus saas
anoo would not thrn,oAt to chasch1on such ia
'he III was terribly sublime andsdesolate. 81
'ca' enjoyed il amsziggy. We kept iwssassaa
ssns 9 though there wassa rsust ofies aaquast
ton of an inch thick on our rbseksa auditAesi
inc in our boards pregensed usfrom opsainsfo
aah mouths. AT ons Dscloeks Tive Iseachedls
4secend astationY liefseg nrseglsnizAbiss i
he.,o near stFricBdss aOnEs aeyssl zes -
\. All y, .ls.s esnit NJ g g szHae