TRAVELS 
yi6 
CHAPTER XIV. 
Departure from Abo—Difficulty of Travelling without a fiffiicient 
Quantity of Snow—TraSi of Country between Abo and Yerven- 
kyle—Condition of the Peafantry : their Mode of Life , Drefs, and 
domejlic Comforts—Meet with an old Minfrel—Contrivance of 
putting a Sledge on Wheels—Defcription of an Aurora Borealis — 
Reach Yervenkyle—Account of this Hamlet—CataraA near Yer- 
venkyle : Appearance of it in Winter—Little Birds (Turdus Cine- 
tus, Linn.) near the Catara As in Winter—Dexterity of the Pea- 
fants in Shooting■—The Dwelling of a Peafant deferibed, and re- 
prefented by a Drawing. 
"1TT|'7’E quitted Abo the 20th of March to continue our travels 
towards the North. In order to be free for the future 
from the trouble of changing our baggage at every Rage, we had 
provided ourfelves with fledges of our own. We purchafed them 
at Abo, and they were of the fame defcription as thofe which the 
peafantry made ufe of. The winter had been extremely fevere; 
but there had not fallen a great quantity of fnow in comparifon 
of former years. A March fun, and fome days of thaw, had 
made it difappear entirely in many places. The fledge was often 
fuddenly Ropt, and the poor horfe made repeated efforts, without 
elfecR, 
