26 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



As a number of Lapps were at the time staying 

 at Eavna, we took the opportunity of inspecting the 

 apartment where they all " herded " together. In a 

 large but rather low room, with walls and roof of 

 rough-hewn planks, and with beams stretching from 

 wall to wall in every direction, were assembled at 

 least twenty-five persons of all ages and both sexes. 

 Most of them had taken off their skin blouses, and 

 hung them on the rafters near a huge wood-fire fit to 

 roast an ox at. The half-stewed garments and the 

 steam from the dirty persons of those in front of the 

 fire, caused a most unsavoury odour, which tempted 

 us to make our stay as short as possible. All round 

 the apartment, except near the door, were ranged 

 the sleeping-shelves, the major part of which were 

 already occupied, men, women, and children, all 

 indiscriminately mingled together, not distinguish- 

 able to the unpractised eye the one from the other, 

 and appearing like nothing else than mere animated 

 bundles of fur. From the group congregated round 

 the fire no cheerful laugh, no buzz of conversation, 

 no noisy merriment, emanated all were silent and 

 still ; perhaps they did not wish to disturb the 

 sleepers ; but judging from their solemn and lugu- 

 brious countenances, their gloominess seemed but too 

 natural, and very far from assumed or constrained. 

 "Well, in the joyless and monotonous life those poor 

 people lead, it is not surprising that all innate merri- 

 ment about them is soon stifled. 



