GLAND AND GOTHLAND 119 



another and another church makes one suppose all the 

 villages are near the shore ; the fact is, the island is so 

 narrow at this end that they lie near the seashore on 

 either side. The coastline reddens and rises to the north- 

 ward, forming a sort of low cliff; then it becomes more 

 broken, but gradually gets lower and lower till it melts off 

 into the horizon, and of land nought is to be seen but an 

 islet with a lighthouse on it, and a blue mountain island 

 that looks huge on the sunset side of the vessel. This 

 is the weird and terrible-looking island of Bl&kulla, the 

 very home of legend, rising blue and mountainous in 

 startling contrast to the low yellow coastline of Oland ; 

 suggesting not only a distinct geology, but all manner 

 of fantastic terrors. Linnaeus thus describes the in- 

 terior : 



' June 16. Obliged to stay in Gaxa to-day till the 

 wind changed, so that the barque which had arrived from 

 Gothland could sail back. We picked up all sorts of in- 

 formation upon ceconomics until the time came to watch 

 the bats and hear the nightingales. 



1 June 17. The skipper went aboard early to pre- 

 pare for the hoped-for change of wind. Meanwhile we 

 rode from Gaxa by Hogby to Boda, and so on further 

 up the east coast of Oland. The road lay between di- 

 minutive oaks and hazel bushes, with a sprinkling of fir 

 woods. We passed several bury ing-places on the way. 

 We had the pleasure of visiting the island which forms 

 a breakwater opposite Boda, making a commodious 

 harbour for several vessels. The channel between Boda 



