322 NORWEGIAN LAPLAND. 



perpetual snow, the surface of which was, 

 for the most part, frozen quite hard. 

 Sometimes we walked firmly over it, but 

 it occasionally gave way, crumbUng under 

 our feet like sand. Every now and then 

 we came to a river taking its course under 

 the snowy crust, which in some parts had 

 yielded to the force of the currents, and 

 the sides of each chasm exhibited many 

 snov/y strata one above another. Here 

 the mountain streams began to take their 

 course westward, a sign of our having 

 reached Norwegian Lapland. The de- 

 liglitful tracts of vegetation, which had 

 hitherto been so agreeably interspersed 

 among the alpine snows, were now no 

 longer to be seen. No charming flowers 

 were here scattered under our feet. The 

 whole country was one dazzling snowy 

 waste. The cold east wind quickened our 

 steps, and obliged us to protect our hands 

 that we might escape chilblains, I was 

 glad to put on an additional coat. As we 

 proceeded across the north side of this 



