ÅNGERMANLAND. 53 



to explore, but the people told me it was 

 impossible. With much difficulty I pre- 

 vailed on two men to show me the way. 

 We climbed the rocks, creeping on our 

 hands and knees, and often slipping back 

 again ; we had no sooner advanced a little, 

 than all our labour was lost by a retrograde 

 motion. Sometimes we caught hold of 

 bushes, sometimes of small projecting 

 stones. Had they failed us, which was 

 very likely to have been the case, our lives 

 might have paid for it. I was following 

 one of the men in climbing a steep rock ; 

 but seeing the other had better success, I 

 endeavoured to overtake him. I had but 

 just left my former situation, when a large 

 mass of rock broke loose from a spot which 

 my late guide had just passed, and fell ex- 

 actly where I had been, with such force 

 that it struck fire as it went. If I had not 

 providentially changed my route, nobody 

 would ever have heard of me more. Shortly 

 afterwards another fragment came tumbling 

 down. I am not sure that the man did 



