MEMOIR OF LINKEU8. 70 



dread ; but though a fury in aspect, she addressed 

 me with mingled pity and reserve. " O thou poor 

 man, what hard destiny can have brought thee 

 hither, to a place never visited by any one be- 

 fore ? This is the first time I ever beheld a 

 stranger. Thou miserable creature ! how didst 

 thou come, and whither wilt thou go ? Dost thou 

 not perceive what houses and habitations we have, 

 and with how much difficulty we go to church ?" 

 I inquired how far it was to Sorsele. " That we 

 do not know (said she) ; but in the present state 

 of the roads it is at least seven days' journey from 

 hence." 



" My health and strength being by this time ma- 

 terially impaired, by wading through such an extent 

 of marshes laden with my apparel and luggage, 

 by walking for whole nights together, by not 

 having for a long time tasted any boiled meat, 

 by drinking a great quantity of water, as nothing 

 else was to be had, and by eating nothing but fish 

 unsalted and crawling with vermin ; I must have 

 perished but for a piece of dried rein-deer's flesh 

 given me by my kind hostess, the clergyman's wife, 

 at Lycksele. How I longed once more to meet 

 with people who feed on spoon-meat ! 



u I inquired of this woman whether she could 

 give me any thing to eat; she replied, "Nothing 

 but fish/' I looked at the fresh fish, as it was 

 called, but perceiving its mouth to be full of 

 maggots, I had no great appetite to touch it ; but 



