188 
TRAVELS 
dreaded, on account of the flownefs of their motions, and the in¬ 
aptitude of their members to a folid element. 
After confiderable fatigue, and many adventures, having, re- 
frefhed our horfes about half way on the high fea, we at length 
touched at the fmall ifland of Signilfkar. This ifland prefents to 
the view neither wood nor lawn, and is inhabited only by fome 
peafants, and the officer of the telegraph which is Rationed here 
for keeping up a correfpondence with that of Griflehamn. It 
is one of thofe little iflands fcattered in this part of the gulf, 
which collectively bear the name of Aland. The diflance 
from Griflehamn to Signilfkar, in a flrait line, is five Swedifh 
miles, which are nearly equal to thirty-five Englifh; but the 
turnings we were obliged to make, in order to find out the mofl 
practicable places, could not be lefs than ten Englifh miles more. 
All this while we were kept in anxious fufpence concerning the 
fate of our fugitive horfe, and entertained the mofl uneafy appre- 
henfions that he was either loft in the immenfity of the icy defert, 
or buried perhaps in the watery abyfs. We were preparing to 
continue our journey through the ifles on the ice, and had already 
put new horfes to our fledge, when we fpied, with inexpreffible 
pleafure, the two fledges returning with the fugitive. The ani¬ 
mal was in the mofl deplorable condition imaginable : his body 
was covered all over with fweat and foam, and was enveloped in 
a cloud of fmoke. Still we did not dare to come near him ; the 
exceffive fatigue of his violent courfe had not abated his ferocity; 
he was as much alarmed at the fight of our pelices as before; he 
fnorted 
