THE LINDEN-TREE OF LINNHULT 7 



medium-sized and two small persons, with cushions 

 of home-grown and home-tanned hides. One of these 

 was now brought round to take us to K&shult. 



The sandy road to RSshult meanders about the rail- 

 way-line like the serpent round the rod of ^Esculapius. 

 The railway men ply swiftly to and fro between the 

 stations on the line, paddling their little tricycle trucks, 

 or six of them more arduously pumping along their 

 i Sociables.' This is much quicker travelling than the 

 train. 



Whortleberries, juniper shrubs, and wild straw- 

 berries form the undergrowth beneath the pines and 

 among the grey boulders set in wood anemones, among 

 which as we passed lay a snake curled up like one of 

 the twisted cakes used as the sign of a baker's shop. 

 Three flaxen-haired, dark-blue-eyed girl children dressed 

 in shades of pink and grey and rosy scarlet greeted us 

 from their cottage garden gate with wondering but 

 modest gaze. 



The people are polite, the wayside greetings are 

 very courteous, yet everyone minds his own business, 

 and a pushing crowd never gathers round an artist as 

 in Belgium and elsewhere. There is no fear of pick- 

 pockets, or other robberies or disagreeables. 



I will here give part of Linnaeus's own characteristic 

 description of the scenery, taken from his diary. 



4 Stenbrohult, a parish of Sm&land, is situated on 

 the confines of Sk&ne, in a very pleasant spot adjoining 

 the great lake Moklen, which forms itself into a bay 



