A REINDEER RIDE THROUGH LAPLAND. 5 



They had left their reindeer in the wood close to 

 the town, as these animals, being very timid, do not 

 tolerate the presence or neighbourhood of strange 

 men and beasts, and would consequently, if kept in 

 the town itself, have become utterly unmanageable. 

 It was impossible to escape a slight conversation with 

 the Lapps ; but this being got through, we found our 

 way quickly to the hotel, or rather lodging-house, 

 where we were to spend a few hours before starting 

 for the interior. This hotel was a very bad specimen 

 of its kind ; the only commendable thing about it 

 Avas the ventilation, which, however, was entirely un- 

 controlled, for it came chiefly through holes and 

 fissures in the plank-walls of the building; and 

 ventilation, be it ever so desirable and healthy gen- 

 erally, has decidedly its drawbacks at a temperature 

 of 3 below zero of Fahr., as the thermometer this 

 evening registered. 



In order to pass the spare time before our depar- 

 ture, two of us procured snow-shoes, and set off for a 

 walk to Bugten, lying on the other side of a pretty 

 thickly wooded and high peninsula north of Bosekop. 

 We covered the distance to Bugten in a very short 

 time, and on our arrival were much struck by the 

 wonderful size and beauty of the trees about the 

 place. Some Scotch firs we computed to be fully 

 sixty feet high ; while we were told that the birch in 

 some few cases attains a height of fifty feet in this 

 neighbourhood. Returning by another road, we 



