East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-01-03

like frightened chile left alone In the
dark and | regretted my whim for stay
ing among the Laps
But that night there were high revels
held among the dwelcrs in caves Peter
Wow, as chied Of the village, entertain
ed all the beauty and wealth (all the ug-
illness and poverty as wclI) of Bublitz in
his hoslitable halls underground. Torch
es blazed and sputtered; lamps, fed by
seal oil and deer's fat, were lighted and
hung to every bracket and projection
through all the subterranean dwelling;
aud at very early hour, the monotonous
but inpatient beating Of the Lapland
drum summoned the guests. All Kublitz
was there, young and old, in holiday garb.
There were games and sweet-ineats for
the children, dancing for the lads aud
lasses, and abundance Of tobacco, gossip
and strong liquors for the seniors Of the
village. A pet reindeer-a lovely milk
white creature, almost hidden by the
flowers with which it was garlanded-
was led through tho rooms by rope Of
roses held by six young maidens. Six
young hunters followed, each with a
drawn sword, with which they were pres.
emily to figure in the ancient sword dance
of Scandinavia. The orchestra, COM
posed Of the strangest looking instru-
ments, still nianaged-for the Laps are a
very musical people-to discourse sweet
sounds, now almost maddeningly gay aud
exciting. Such hearty, vigorous, agile
dancing never beheld. Even in the
gayest circles Of Stockholm primitive
capital, in which the elegant world has
not yet become too languid for enjoy
ment, those Lapland dancers would have
been wonders, and yet there was nothing
boisterous or ungainly in their move
ments. Indeed, these were as sprightly
and almost as small as fairies, aud had
something Of the fawnlikc elasticity and
grace of childhood in all their motions.
Indeed, it was a marvellous sight, that
assembly Of small folks under the level Of
the earth and it put ME in mind Of what
| had heard Of the Dalose Shcah of the
Scottish legends, and their revelry with
in some haunted hill. / could hardly
help fancying | was really q captive or a
guest of a troop of carousine gnomes, or
that like the Rhymer, l had been borne
away to Fairylsnd, and had but faint
prospect of revisiting the real daylight
world again.
The next morning, had surprise in
deed A shout from the upper earth
aroused me, and scrambling to the outer
air, ] beheld the rocks, the black pine
copse, the illimitablc moorlands, one
dazzling, all pervading sheet of binding
snow. All gone! the fair flowers, the
song birds, the uncultured fruits that Of.
fered their profusion every where, bloom
ing heather and green grass, all gone
buried until next summer brought
backths daylight, beneath . spotless,
unvarying cloud Of virgin snow
To my great relief, it was not as ]
had expected. A sort of hazy, SHIN
mcring light prevailed, like moonbeams
through mist. The northern wind blew
keen; aud even as l gazed, the binding
snow fakes came wbirlng down again,
and seemed to bury tho dead summer
deeper at every instant.
We all laid by our summer clothes,
put on our manifold wraps Of fur and
woolen, and betook US to winter avoca.
tons. And now camo . strange season,
when it was hard to say whether it was
day or night, or both, or neither. The
lamps were never suffered to go out; the
fddles and drums, the bone flute and the
musk ox's horn, were never silent for
three consecutive hours; aud there seemed
no regular times for meals or sleep, or
work, or recreation. On the contrary,
music, and such simple labors as could
be performed under ground, and dancing
and cooking, to say nothing Of eating,
drinking and gossiping, went on in .
promscuous fashion through the twenty
four hours Of what would, down south,
have been q legal day. II any one felt
tired or sleepy, he or she went to sleep; ;
the hungery ate, the thirsty drank; the
perpetual fires constantly cooked the
most outlandish messes; the fiddles and
drums went on as if self-scting; the rein.
deer were fed, tended and MIXED; birched
bowls were carved, horn trinkents chislcd,
and stories related to gaping listeners, all
At once and oil forever. left of look
ing at my watch at all, exoep. mechani-
cally. i went about 80 sleep walker
walker might, ! dreamed standing. l
passed . great part of that wonderful
winter not unplessantly, but in . sort Of