Year: 1861

two drawbacks, of Q nature almost un-
bearable to Europeans-it is too crowd
ed, and it is shockingly smoky. But
Peter Wow, chief Of the village, was .
rich man in his way, and had q roomy
and commodious set Of caverns for has
dwelling, with furs and eider-down quilts
IA 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 mignonette troughs,
which were srak in the clay walls like
row Of sleeping bssths on board packet
ship. But /, as distinguished foreigner,
had a den to myself, such as hermit OF
especially austere aud self.mortifying
tendencies might have constructed, for it
was without window 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
and made a sort Of wooden shaft over
head. The floor was carpeted however,
with soft dried moss, softer and more
costly three-plied velvet that ever loom
wove; the bed was pile of dressed deer
skins, as supple and plant as silk, . cop
per lamp hung by chain from the roof;
had pillows and holsters stuffed with
the plumage of the cider duck and the
wild swan, two bearskin coverlets, and at
least dozen quilts of yielding elder
down; and crowning magnificence!-
there was an old-fashioned chest of oaken
drawers, with brass handles and key
plates, to which Peter Wow pointed
proudly, as to proof Of intercourse with
the civilized world OF modern Europe
1t was evidently some relic Of a wreck off
the North Cape, and had been dragged
many weary mile by the patient deer
that drew the sledgcs / Ifapcied the
scent Of the sea hung about it STILL


Scarcely were we snugly established in
our underground quarters, when, one fine
evening, was summoned to join sol
cmn procession which annually, accord


ing to immemorial custom, assembled q
neighboring hill to see the last of the sun
forth at year, and bid the orb ofday Good
by" 1t was strangely picturesque
sight, and not without it's touching
pathos, that asSembl0ge of villagers, Of
every age, from the wrinkled grandsire
who tottered on his staff, and with a
palsy shaken hand shaded his aged eyes
as he watched that fast declining sun
which was settling, not for night, but
for drcar winter, and which he might
scarcely hope to mark again, down to the
child whose wondering eyes noted the
scene for the first time since its reason
began to dawn. All were therc--the
maidcns and young men, the reverend
elders, the feeble crones, who shivercd
already in the strange ominous chill that
pervaded the air, the hardy hunters, the
no less hardy shepards, or rather deer.
hcrds-old and young were gazing with
common purpose and common intensity
Of feeling upon the sinking luminary.-
All kinds Of wild imaginings, all manner
Of poetic memories, rushed in upon my
mind as the sun approached the horizon,
and prepared for the final plunge. The
wild and mystic verses of Tcgner, per
haps suggested by that very spectacle Of
the death Of the northern sun, recurred
to me with boding clearness. l began
to wonder whether l had not been very
rash and absurd in wishing to step q
winter in Lapland, ike mole in its bur
row. began to sigh after Gloucester
shire, where the sun would shine out,
many day, on the crisp snow and frost
silvered boughs, when / should be left in
Cimmerian darkness. Plunge the red
sun had flashed down below the horizon.
A heavy twilight settled, as if by magic,
over the fair landscape, still gilded by
tho smiles Of summer. Alas! the good
fairy, so benefccnt, so bright, in her rain.
bow robe, studded with flowers, was gone,
and King Frost was to rcigon over her
devastated realms. Harkl the long wall.
ing cadcnees Of the sweet, sad chant
an old, old heather hunt, of the days
when Frcya was worshiped, Freya, at
onco Venus and summer Of this far re-
mote race-in which the Laplanders be-
wall the parting day! Now for the long,


long night Already, as we turned to
qui; tho hill, after straining our eyes un-
til the last faint glow had died away too
already an 10y breeze had sprung up
from tho dim northwest, and shiversd