44 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AXD SPORT. 



started again for the river, passing now and again 

 a few huts which were wretched in the extreme. 

 The inhabitants of these mud-pies looked at us in an 

 apathetic sort of way as we passed, and even the 

 dogs barked at us in a solemn, half-hearted sort of 

 style, sometimes not even taking the least notice of 

 our presence. 



The river was reached after a rather stiff hill, 

 and the impetus given us in the descent took us a 

 good bit out on its surface ; and shortly we reached 

 the spot where we were to pass the night viz., 

 Seilnaes. There was but one bed in the house, and 

 much as we would have liked to have slept in one, it 

 was thus left without a tenant all night, as each of 

 us, with extreme politeness, and I may say unself- 

 ishness, insisted that the others were more entitled 

 to the honour of being done to death by fleas. 

 During the night a change took place in the wea- 

 ther, which, though still fine, became suddenly dis- 

 agreeably mild. The frost, of course, still held, but 

 there was more of the English element in it, i.e., the 

 thermometer standing at 15 to 20 Fahr., or some- 

 thing like 12 to 17 of frost a considerable differ- 

 ence from the 66 we had so lately experienced. 

 This comparative warmth told upon our reindeer 

 in two ways : firstly, they stopped more frequently 

 to lap the snow ; and secondly, the snow being softer, 

 did not support them well, and also retarded the pro- 

 gress of the poolk by adhering more easily to its sides. 



