6s 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 the 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 ; 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 these peasants do their work pretty strong. The night was not 

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

 libus 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 clothes, 

 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 5 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 was to come on every 

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

 till 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 

 before 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 

 it pulls a man down so ; 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 whole while the ague is on him. It often hangs 



