124 MEMORIES OF MY LIFE 



sportsman, and had been sent to England to push his 

 way to fortune as he best could. His capital where- 

 with to begin consisted of a crate of live capercailzie, 

 two bear cubs, and the skin of one of their parents. 

 He was then so naive that, seeing an auctioneer's 

 placard about a forthcoming sale of farm stock, in 

 which was included " 20,000 Swedes," he, not knowing 

 that in the language of farmers " Swedes " meant 

 " turnips," confessed afterwards to a thrill of terror 

 lest they should be his compatriots, and lest he him- 

 self might be pounced upon and sold as a slave 

 together with them. 



I was most fortunate in securing Andersson, be- 

 cause a second in command proved at times to be a 

 necessity, and he always did his part admirably. He 

 was remarkably strong and agile. When on board 

 our full-rigged sailing-ship he began for amusement 

 to climb the rigging. A sailor followed him, as is 

 the wont of sailors, with a piece of twine to lash his 

 feet as soon as he had gone as high as he dared, and 

 to keep him bound there until he had consented to 

 " pay his footing." Andersson perceived the game, 

 and completely vanquished the sailor by descending 

 from the maintop to the deck, hand over hand down 

 the mainstay, which was too daring a feat for the 

 sailor to emulate. Consequently Andersson became 

 highly respected by all the crew. 



One of the effects of association with the leading 

 members of the Royal Geographical Society was to 

 show me that the world of English interests was very 

 much wider and more earnest than that of the coteries 

 among which I had chiefly lived, and that many men 

 were thoroughly able to understand and criticise 



