Indiana State sentinel., 1861-01-16
selrtt sflisrrllanp.
From Chambers Edinburgh Journal
A winter Under Ground.

4 winter Under Ground.
The short but glorious summer Of Laplanh was
drawing to a close and / remembered with regret
that the hour of my departure from Kublitz was
at hand Kublitz is place little known. 1t lies
in Swedish Lapland, about hundred and fifty
miles beyond the extreme limits of Norway; and
its silvery river and emerald pastures are sur
rounded by the farstretching moOrlands, of which
by far the greater part of the country consists.
And the peopleg / never met a young face or
an cid one among these simple folks that had not
a pleasant smile for the stranger; | never went
into a Lapland hut without finding a kindly vel
come, for INV worthy little hosts would h1stle to
fill the biggest bowl with milk, and the largest
basket with berries, and to produce great piles of
"smolk" and dried fish from the sea coast, and,
luxury unparalleled, perhaps even a great black
loaf brought ali the way from Norway (for Lap
land has no bread to do honor to the foreign
guest. How could help growing fond of these
queer, elfn-looking, soft hearted people?
The village of Kublitz built of green
boughs and wattles, the posts alone which sup
ported each cottage being of pine timber In
fact, the huts were not cottages-they were leafy
booths, such rs the rowing Tartar sometimes con-
structs; and these summer palaces of living ver-
dre added to the holiday air of the place, and
were suggestive of perpetual picnic But the
true houses were under the earth, not above its
surface. The green tents have been describing
were mere temporary paviOns; and beneath them
with only a low chimney, Like magnihed mole
hill peeping above ground, were the true homes of
the Laplanders the caverned stOre-h houses for all
their earthly wealth, and their own dwellings, for
more than nine months of the year. And now the
time was coming when the green booths were to
be deserted and the to vanish, and the strange
underground Life, like a mOle's, was to begin
again for the long, iron-bound, Arctic winter.
Peter Wow, the chief man Of the village, in
whose wigwam dwelt warned me that the day
light would speedily cease, and that he had better
prepare the boat to convey me down the river
southward, so that / might reach Norway "be-
fore it got dark
strange idea seized me-what if | were to
stop behind / have been here through the day.
light. the long three months day, that puzzled
me so terribly at first, and robbed me of my sleep
and made me blink ike an owl at the unwearying
sun that would shine at midnight, and upset all
the habits of my previous life / recollected
what a strange sensation that had been, how new,
fresh and pquant; and it is not often let me tell
you, that somewhat world-wOrn and world
wearied man, who has passed the high climac-
teric, can discover a sensation that shall be at
once new, fresh and piquant. / had promised to
spend Christmas with nv sister in Gloucester
shire, to be sure; but, ''pshawP' thought /, 81
can go next summer Maria Jane hasn't seen
IneSc
baby wait till Easter; and my nephews and
neices won't fret too much, i dare say, about the
non-appearance of an uncle they have never set
their juvenile eyes upon. My mind is made up.
III stay all night"
A pretty long night, too, reader-a night that
begins in early October and ends in June. Hav-
ing tried perpetual daylight, / was going to see
how liked its antipodes.
A Lapland winter hut has generally two draw
backs, of a nature almost unbearable to Euro
peans-it is too crowded and shockingly smoky.
But Peter Wow, chief of the village was a rich
man, in his way, and had a roomy and commodi-
Gus set of for his dwelling, with furs and
elder down quite in plenty, as became the owner
of five hundred reindeer. The family slept in a
quaint tier. of little box beds about the usual
length of migOnette troughs, which were sunk
into the clay walls like a row of sleeping berths
on a packet-ship. But /, who was distinguished
foreigner, had a den to myself, such as hermit
of fespecially austere and elfmortifyng tendence:
might have constructed, for it without a win
dow of any kind, and air was admitted by means
of the hollow trunk of an alder tree, which had
been thrust through the roof of the cave, an6
made sort of wooden shaft overhead. The
floor was carpeted, however, with soft dried moss
softer and more luxurious than the most costly
three piled velvet that ever loom wove; the bed
was pile of dressed deer skins, a supple and
plant as silk; copper lamp hung by chain
from the roof; had pillows and holsters stuffed
with the plumage Of the elder duck and the wild
swan, two bear skin coverlets, and at least
dozen quilts of yielding elder down; and-crown
ing magnifcence,-there was an old fashioned
chest of oaken drawers, with brass handles ant
key-plates, to which Peter Wow pointed proudly
as to proof of intercourse with the ciyilizes
world of modern Europe. Ii was evidently SOM
relic of wreck off the North Cape, and ha'
been dragged many weary mile by the patien
deer that drew the sledges. l fancied the seen
of the sea hung about it still
Scarcely were we snugIy established in our un
derground quarters, when one fine evening wa
summoned to join a solemn procession which an
nually, according to immemOrial custom, as
cended a neigflboring hill to see the last sun 70
that year and bid the orb of day good bye"
was a strange picturesque sight, and not withou
its touching pathos, that assemblage of villagers
of every age, from the wrinkled grandsire win
tottered on his staff and with a palsy shake
hand shaded his aged eyes as he watched the fas
declining sun which was setting, not for a night
but for a dreary winter, and which he Nigh
scarcely hope to mark again, down to the chill
whose wandering eyes noted the scene for th
first time since its reason began to dawn. A
were there-the maidens and Young men, tn
reverend elders, the feeble erones, who shivere
already in the strange OminOus chill that pei
vaded the air, the hardy hunters, the no les
hardy shepherds, or rather deer-herds-old an
young were gazing with common purpose an
common intensity of feeling upon the sinkin
luminary.
All kinds Of wild imaginations, all manner (
poetic memories, rushed in upon my mind as ii
sun approached the horizon, and prepared for Il
final plunge. The wild and mystic verses
Tegner, perhaps suggested by that very spectac
of death of the Northern Sun, required to m
with boding clearness. | began to wond'
whether | had not been very rash and absurd
wishing to stop winter in Lapland, ike mo
IN his burrow. began to sigh after Glouceste
shire, where the sun would shine out many da
or the crisp snow and frost siivered bouehs whe
/ should be left in Cimmerian darkness. Plung
the red sun had flashed down below the h0rizO
heavy twilight settled, as if by magic, over Il
fair landscape, still gilded by the smiles of sun
mer. Alas the good fairy, so benehcent,
brighl, in her rainbow robe, studded with flower
was gone, and King Frost was to reign over Il
devasted realms. Hark the long wailing c
dences of the sweet, sad chant-an old, o
heather chant, Of the days when Freya was VIC
shipped. Now for the long, long night Alread
as we turned to quit the hill, after straining o
eyes until the last faint glow had died away
already an icy breeze had sprung up from the di
northwest and shivered and wrapped my clio:
around me at the sudden sensation of cold g
passed down to the village; ''no more flowers
the lasses to braid in their hair this year.
| must confess that felt uncommonly like
frightened child alone in the dark, and regrett
nv whim for staying among the Laps.
But that night there we're high revels he
among the dwellers in caves. Peter Wow, as
chief of the village, entertained all the beau
and wealth (all the ugliness and pOversy as we
of Kublitz in his hospitable halls undergrour
Torches blazed and sputtered, lamps, fed by 81
oil and deer's fat, were lighted and hung to eve
bracket and projection through all the subter
mean dwelling; and at a very early hour the mC
otonous but inpatient beating Of the Lapla
drum summoned the guests All Kublitz v
there, young and old. in holiday garb. Tn,
were games and sweetmeats for the childr
dancing for the lads and lasses, and abundance
tobacco, gossip and strong liquors for the SCI
ors of the village. A pet reindeer Low
milk-white creature, almost hidden by the flow