PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY, 27 



Swedish travellers adopt a very useful plan, they 

 have a kind of large leather " reticule " attached 

 to the neck by a strap, with a snap lock ; this holds 

 their loose change, tobacco, etc., and very useful it 

 is, for when a man is tightly enveloped in a huge 

 skin cloak, he can't well get at his pockets. 



As my object in visiting Lapland was to obtain 

 a good insight into the natural history of the 

 country, and to collect, I determined to leave 

 nothing to chance. I therefore took up one of my 

 best collecting lads as servant ; and as three can 

 travel as cheaply as two, as far as posting goes 

 (for two must have two sledges, and three require 

 no more, one driver sufficing to bring back the two 

 empty sledges), I also had a young Swede as com- 

 panion, to help me in any difficulty on the road. 

 In this respect I acted foolishly, for I could have 

 managed just as well by myself; and when he got 

 up to Lapland he was seized with such a fit of 

 home- sickness, that I was obliged to send him 

 home by the first open water, thus entailing a 

 great and unnecessary expense. And here let me 

 give a bit of advice to any naturalist visiting 

 Lapland. If he must have a guide or interpreter, 

 let him take a regular travelling servant from 

 Stockholm. Such a man knows his work, and 

 keeps his place as a servant. I may, however, 

 mention that at most of the towns, if he wishes it. 



