100 SOME WANDERINGS IN THE NORTH OF FINLAND. 



wlio were most of them away on the fells at that time 

 of the year, are much darker, and are easily recognised 

 by their curious dress, of which you have no doubt seen 

 pictures. 



The morning after we had arrived at Rovaniemi a large 

 number of men came down the river from the north, clearing 

 it of the timber logs which had caught on the shallows, and 

 sending them on their way to the coast. They had quite 

 a fleet of boats in which they dashed about the rapids, and 

 the river for that day was crowded with them. They 

 attacked one pile of timber after another, singing a curious 

 chant as they heaved at the logs. It was wonderful to see 

 how expert they were at moving about on floating logs, 

 and jumping from one to another — not an easy feat, and 

 I soon found myself in the water when I tried to walk out 

 to them. In the evening they were to be seen at the small 

 shops in the town, buying various garments, which one 

 after another tried on in the street. Next day they were 

 all gone with the logs, and the river flowed on unimpeded. 



We stayed a week at Hovaniemi, and a most delightful 

 week it was. We only had to go a few yards and sit 

 down by the river's side to see numbers of ducks and 

 divers floating almost like a procession down stream. As 

 soon as they reached the end of the rapid water they seemed 

 to fly up stream and float down again. Occasionally one 

 would rest on a rock quite close to us and preen its feathers. 

 Pintails, Mergansers, Golden-eye and Black-throated divers 

 were there in abundance. What a difference there is in 

 the way of diving between a true diver and a diving 

 duck ! The duck jumps out of the water and as it were 

 takes a header into it so that you see its feet, but the diver 

 seems to sink so gently that there is scarcely a break in 

 the water. 



