Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1860-11-15
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER Is, 1860.

P'l' VI ihe country CUISlStS. tat away to
the south might tc seen. on a clear day.
rising dimly above the vast purple lnoors.
!lae Of blue peaks that fairly dotted The
distant horizon. These are the Kohl
Mogntains, the mighty scandinavian Alps
which divide Norway iroEl Sweden, and
whose northernmost SUBMITS have often
seemed to me, IS | thus gazed on them
from the l4apiaud wastes, the very outpoSts
Of European civilization 10 the north a
line ct low hills broke the distans skyline
tine last range, vas told, between tatr
hu4litg and the grim icebcrgs Of the lou.
y Arctic Sea. There, among those lis,
the northern bear roamci unmolestcd in
his shaggy strength, the unlimited wolf
hoWled along the deep ravincs, the maYtca
clang 10 the pine branch, and Tie elk rang
Cd the brakes, free rom any fear Of iutrg-
size man. Nothing would have tempted
my kindly LaY!aud hosts to explore that
mountaineering guarded by thousand
supersutlous iugcuds, and named in their
Eguratiye tongue, the Witches Hills.
but let me ny 10 describe hUb,itz itself,
as saw II first, b1skiug in The shur.-!iyed
slAes OF the arctic summer, when nature
seems 70 compensate by wondroas law
-lA4ass Of love and care ior the eyhcmer-
a! character oi The enjoyment. All that
rocky glen whore the village nestled, ali
those yerdant pralries that encircIcd it, those
shrubby woods that bclted the meadows,
and were und.d in their earn by the
tracklesa moogo, had biuss0med Ike a gar
den n talryllnd. Fruitund flowers. cyery
where fruit aad flowers I he gray rocks
that rose above the houses blusheG literally
crimson with the Wild trawberries-thosc
wonurous strawberries that spring up ey-
erywhere IN Laplm.d, whose prvIuslon IS
such that they sta;u The boots Of the rein
ceer ana the sledge Of the traveller, vet
are so delicious and matchless in flavor.
that the Gar himself sends for them, by
eytuiatfgs, all the iong, long way to the
Summer palace Of Tsar2koy-Chele. But
strawberries are not tie only gifts that
bountcous summer hings with full hands
upon Lapland. The crags, the meadows.
the thicketS, glow and blossom with
thousand many hued flowers; the meres
and pools are white with lilies; the woods
are full OF strange fruits, and Joyous songs
OF birds the grass springs up luxuriantly;
the ferns, mosScs, lichens, have all their
varied tiuts OF deeper OF brighter green;
the moors are carpcted with red and pur-
pie hcaths ; and even the dangerous quag-
mires are ruddy With the tempting fruit Of
the cranberry.
One never knows what q summer really
IS, never knows with what exuberant mirth
the world can rejoice at bursting from the
chains of winter, until one has seen lap
land And the people! Well all | can
say is, | liked them and they me. neY-
er met a young face or an old ore among
these simple folks that had not a pleasant
smile for the stranger: ! never went into
Lapland hut without finding kindly wei
come, for my worthy little hosts would
hustle to eli the biggest bowl with milk.
and the largest basket with berries, and to
produce great piles Of smoke and dried
fish from the sea coast, and luxury unpur-
allcled, perhaps, even a great black Leaf
brought all the way from Norway dor Lap
land has 40 bread) to do honor to the for
eign guest. How could | help growing
fond Of these queer, elfn looking, soft
hearted people? | had heard ugly stories
OF them among the Swedes and Nurwcg;ans,
they were called sava@es, idolaters, enchan
terS, even cannihais; but can only say that
they only did net e4t me, but even abstain
cd trOm tieecing me, as nations much aore
polished and accomplished are in the hab-
it Of doing to waytarers
The village Of kubIitz was built of
green boughs and wattles, the posts alone
which supported each cottage being Of pine
timber. In fact, the huts were not Gotta
ges, they were leaty booths, such as the
rowing Tartar sometimes constructs and
these summer palaces Of living vcrdure ad
ded to the holyday air Of the place, and
were suggestive Of a perpetual picnic But
the true houses were under the earth, not
above its surface. The green tents have
been describing #ere mere temporary paw
lions 4ad hspeath them, with only low
chimney, like mngni4ied mole hill. peep
ing above ground, we're the true homes Of
the Laplanders, the eaEerned store houses /
for all their worldly wealth and their own
dwellings for more than niue months Of
the year.
And now the time was coming when Il
green booths were to be deserted, and the
sun to vanish, and the strange underground
life, like q .mole's, was to begin again for
the long iron bound arctic winter Peter
Wow, the chief man OF the village, in
whose wi@wam dwelt, warned me that the
daylight would speedily cease, and that he
lad ,etter prepare tie boat to convey me
down the river southwards, SO that lmight
reach Norway 'hefqre It got dark y
strange idea seized me-wis@t if | were to
stop behind / have been here through
he daylight, the long three months day,
hat po2zIe1 me 50 terribly at frst ana RIB
led me OF nv sleen- and ..l.lte ...- L..nt.