210 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



was formed, strong enough, as was observed, to 

 carry a house. The ponderous burden was soon 

 hoisted on the shoulders of eight powerful men, 

 who marched off with it in triumph. 



An hour's rest had enabled us to enjoy our 

 dinner and our pipes, and as soon as the beaters 

 returned, we arranged the last drive for a fresh 

 tract, and a certain one. This was the widest 

 drive of all, but the beaters had not to go so far 

 as ourselves. We walked through the forest for 

 about four miles, till we came to a large swamp, 

 at the end of which was a forest lake. Several 

 wooded rises ran out into the swamp in tongues, 

 and had the trees only been different I should 

 have fancied myself again in Australia for it 

 gave me a very fair idea of an Australian bush 

 scene, and was precisely the sort of ground we 

 should have drawn for kangaroo in that country. 

 From the tracks it was evident that the elk were 

 continually coming down these tongues of forest 

 to save the swamp, and on each of these rises we 

 left one or two guns. My post was at the ex- 

 treme end of the swamp, to guard a favourite pass 

 by the side of the lake. It was certainly the 

 surest stand, and was assigned to me out of com- 

 pliment, as a stranger, on account of the nature 

 of the ground. Our line stretched, I should say, 

 a mile and a half, and I was at least half a mile 



