New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-11-12

ana the wild driver singing as he cheers on his ant
Tered team, that iy like the wind over the dazzling
white moor+lunds The worst of ii is, il takes
away your breathuncommonly and when waNed
confident, and ,c0aild drive personally, lwas run
away with of course, upset with awful purl into
drift five fathom deep, and dug outigHominiously,
amid much laughter of the little folks, who greatly
crowed over clumsy Gulver. Still the drives
were famous fan.
was ffost-bitten twioe, and revived by snow
rubbing; but worse, was struck with snow blind
ness, for had to pass fortnight in my CABIN N
absolute darkness, and not the happier for the
reflection that my own obstinaey in refusing to
wear snow speetaeles had brought this disagree
able ssclusion upon me. But the KIND little foiks
hustled about me- and told me the most wonderful
stories of gnomes, Witches genii, and so forth, all
with perfect childish belief and gravity, and sang
and played to me- and lightened my loneliness con
siderably. When l recovered was thankful for
the speetaces, and never suaereu from the glare
any more.
So the winter wore on. The Laps were always
kind, gentle and gay, in their strange semtpagan
way though Ttrembled lest should really be ILL.,
beYond cure of their simple remedies, and ahan-
doned to the wizard, a sort Of medicine man among
them who beats his magic drum, and mutters
spells over the sick, as among the American Ind
ans. Not that the Laps are idolateTs now, al
though in I700 Bishop Gunner f0und few heather
stiIl among them who worshipped a black stone.
On the contrary, we had pastor of the Swedish
church at Kubhtz. But he was a native Lap. o
meek little man, who had half forgotten his small
StQCk OF ledrUub dCuulTSu al ppsutd, tUu hiii
sure he put perfect faith in the wizard as the lat.
ter moved about, naughty and mysterious, in his
blue magic dress, and was not the sort of priest
to eradicate the superstitions which he avowedly
shared.
Besides the wizard, we possessed two witches,
impish crones, in pointed caps of white fox-skin,
who derived fees and much reverence from the
fears of the community. Yet my hosts looked on
themselves as civilized folks, compared with their
| more Northern neighbors. " All bad tribes up
North, = Peter Wow would say, in his broken Swed-
ish shoot you if you so there, for fear you come
/ for harml Gannibals up there and yon know the
| Lapland muskets never miss" Indeed they very
seldom do miss, at q moderate range.
But the merry dancers was going to omit the
most strange, splendid sight that ever astonshed
| my eyes, and to which whole Royal Academy OF
artists could never do justice The northern lights
the customary auforas and meteors, were unusually
| splendid abont mid winter; but once, as was re-
| turning from sledge excursion, an exclamation
| from my guide made me start. shall never forget
the scene. The heavensswere one vast pavilion OF
| many colored light blue, orange fiery red, deep
/ violet, now paved with fiery gold, now spangled
4 with lustrous gems. all blended in one glowing
mass while beneath, and touching the snowy
| plain wheeled and sparkled, as in fantastic dance
| q hundred colnms of prismatc fire that seemed
1 the creation Of some wild dream. These were the
merry dancers, the wondrous lights of the North.
4 All it was a pleasant winter; and protest tha
was half sorry when all went up the hill agair
and hailed the rising sun, and day and summer
4 came pouring in at once; and the boat was pre-
4 pared, and hade my snome hosts adieu, and wen
off to the daylight open air, Worcestershire work
again. [Chambers' Journal.