THE JOURNEY UP. 35 



rate inn, we discovered that my lad had lost his 

 gun on the road, and I had to send him back to 

 look after it. He returned at midnight, but with- 

 out the gun, which had been left at Philipstad, 

 and I recovered it afterwards with a broken stock. 

 We left at five next morning, the air clear and frosty, 

 22 cold, Celsius (about 8 below zero Fahr.), and 

 we this day passed through the finest and prettiest 

 country we saw during our whole journey ; and 

 although now the landscape was covered with a 

 sheet of snow, it was easy to guess what it must 

 be in the summer. Fine, clean, well-built gentle- 

 men's seats, iron-foundries, and neat farmhouses 

 studded the whole face of the country ; and the 

 jolly " brukspatrons," or owners of the foundries, 

 and the well-fed, well- clothed peasants, whom we 

 met on the road, proved that we were now travel- 

 ling through one of the richest districts in Sweden. 

 We made about fifty miles this day, and at night 

 slept in a very comfortable inn at a little place 

 called Bomarsbo. We had now come into Dale- 

 carlia, a province renowned in past ages for the 

 loyalty, and at the present day for the industry 

 and honesty, of its inhabitants. This is, I believe, 

 the only province in Sweden which owns a national 

 costume. The people are great pedlars, and go 

 throughout the whole country with their goods ; 

 and no one can have travelled in Sweden without 



