192 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINN&US 



1 The next day I was conducted to the river of 

 Calatz, to see the manner of fishing for pearls,' from 

 the then nearly exhausted bed of pearl-mussels. He 

 carried thence the germ of an idea of pearl-making with 

 him, brooding over it for years. 



6 July 28. Several days ago the forests had been 

 set on fire by lightning, and the flames raged at this 

 time with great violence, owing to the drought of the 

 season. In many different cases, perhaps in nine or ten 

 that came under my notice, the devastation extended 

 several miles ' [Swedish] i distance. I traversed a space 

 three quarters of a mile ' [Swedish] ' in extent which was 

 entirely burnt ; so that Flora, instead of appearing in her 

 gay and verdant attire, was in deep sable a spectacle 

 more abhorrent to my feelings than to see her clad in 

 the white livery of winter. The fire was nearly extin- 

 guished in most of the spots we visited, except in ant- 

 hills and dry trunks of trees. After we had travelled 

 about half a quarter of a mile across one of these scenes 

 of desolation the wind began to blow with more force 

 than it had done, upon which a sudden noise arose in 

 the half-burnt forest, such as I can only compare to 

 what may be imagined among a large army attacked by 

 an enemy. We knew not whither to turn our steps. 

 The smoke would not suffer us to remain where we were, 

 neither durst we turn back. It seemed best to hasten 

 forward, in hopes of speedily reaching the outskirts of 

 the wood ; but in this we were disappointed. We ran 

 as fast as we could in order to avoid being crushed by the 



