6a Duck-shooting in Wermland^ Sweden, 



strong, and I durst not try to swim over in my long boots and shooting- 

 coat), and slipped in to swim over to these boats, and row back 

 for my clothes. It was a stiffish swim, for tlie current was powerful. 

 However, I got well over. We have a plan here of locking up the 

 oars on an iron bar, which comes out at the back of the punt j and, 

 as every boat was locked, I had to break a pair of oars off with a 

 stone. This was a longish job, as Swedish iron is proverbially tough, 

 and tliese peasants do their work pretty strong. The night was not 

 too warm, and it was rather chilly work, as I stood in purls natura- 

 lilms for about a quarter of an hour tinkering away at this old iron 

 bar. But I got the oars free at last, soon rowed over for my clotlies, 

 dressed, and was at my friend's house by midnight. He belonged 

 to the ** Peep-o'-day Club," so we had a couple of my ducks roasted, 

 and made a very jolly night of it. I walked home next morning, and 

 thought no more of my little adventure j but I had not seen the 

 end of it yet. Three nights after I came home from shooting, and 

 all at once my head began to throb as if it would split, and every 

 ioint in my body ached. I knew what was up, for I had felt this 

 before. I turned in directly, took a hot cup of coffee and brandy, 

 and in half an hour was shivering like an aspen leaf, my teeth chat- 

 tering like castanets. I had a touch of our Swedish " frossa," or 

 ague — one of the nastiest sicknesses I think it is possible for a man 

 to have, and one against the attacks of which not the strongest is 

 proof. The fit lasted two hours. I was all right next morning, 

 and had only to wait to see whether the fit w^as to come on every 

 day, or every second, third, or fourth. My next fit did not come on 

 t;ll the third night, so now I knew that it was the tertian ague, and 

 as the fit always comes on precisely at the same hour, I knew when 

 to look out for it -, and as, luckily, my first fit came on at night, it 

 does not cause me much inconvenience, for I just turn in an hour 

 Defore I know it will come on, take a good dose of coffee and 

 brandy, and wait for the shivering fit. It is a horrid complaint, for 

 X pulls a man down so j and although, except just when the fit is 

 on you, you can work as usual, a kind of low, listless feeling hangs 

 over a man the wdiole while the aa^ie is on him. It often hangs 



