1 64 LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [X. 



violence ; on they came in myriads, until I thought our 

 bleaching bones would alone remain to indicate our fate. 

 At last Sigurdr espied a log hut on the shore, where we 

 might at least find some one to put us into the right road 

 again ; but on looking in at the open door, we only saw a 

 Lapland gentleman fast asleep. Awaking at our approach 

 he started to his feet, and though nothing could be more 

 gracefully conciliatory than the bow with which I opened 

 the conversation. I regret to say that after staring wildly 

 round for a few minutes, the aboriginal bolted straight away 

 in the most unpolite manner and left us to our fate. There 

 was nothing for it but patiently to turn back, and try some 

 other opening. This time we were more successful, and 

 about three o'clock a.m. had the satisfaction of landing at 

 one of the wharves attached to the copper mines of Kaa- 

 fiord. We came upon a lovely scene. It was as light and 

 warm as a summer's noon in England; upon a broad 

 plateau, carved by nature out of the side of the grey lime- 

 stone, stood a bright shining house in the middle of a plot 

 of rich English-looking garden. On one side lay the narrow 

 fiord, on every other rose an amphitheatre of fir-clad moun- 

 tains. The door of the house was open, so were many of 

 the windows — even those on the ground-floor, and from the 

 road where we stood we could see the books on the library 

 shelves. A swing and some gymnastic appliances on the 

 lawn told us that there were children. Altogether, I thought 

 I had never seen such a charming picture of silent comfort 

 and security. Perhaps the barren prospects we had been 

 accustomed to made the little oasis before us look more 

 cheerful than we might otherwise have thought it. 



The question now arose, what was to be done? My 

 principal reason for coming to Alten was to buy some salt 

 provisions and Lapland dresses ; but dolls and junk were 

 scarcely a sufficient pretext for knocking up a quiet family 

 at three o'clock in the morning. It is true, I happened to 



have a letter for Mr. T , written by a mutual friend, 



who had expressly told me that — arrive when I might at 



