THROUGH FINLAND. 
359 
to give them our aftiftance in drawing their nets, and by a great 
exertion of courage, we got over aim oft one third of the palifade, 
but if one of my companions had not defifted in time, his head 
becoming giddy by the motion of the water under his feet, he 
muft have dropt into the river. The children and even the men 
themfelves are fometimes too confident of their agility, fo that 
fcarce a year paffes without fome of them falling in and being 
drowned, the current being too ftrong for a boat to be of any ufc 
to them. 
The addrefs with which the Finlanders drive their ftakes into 
the bottom of the river, at places where the current is extremely 
rapid, deferves like wife to be noticed, as an operation highly dan¬ 
gerous as well as difficult, and to which thofe poor people fome¬ 
times fall victims. 
In getting to this part of the river we went nearly an Englifh 
mile out of the road, where we left our horfes. Our guide, who 
led us acrofs a fmall wood of firs by narrow footpaths, was upon 
his return to vifit his cow-houfe, w 7 hich ftood in the midft of the 
w 7 ood. We could not avoid feeling interefted for this man. He 
was feventy-five years of age, and had ferved in the war of Pome¬ 
rania, or, as it is commonly called, the feven years w 7 ar: he fpoke 
German a little, had been feveral times wounded, and, as an in¬ 
valid, had a piece of ground aftigned to him. In this fpot, fepa- 
rated from the world, his induftry had improved his little fortune 
fo as to enable him to live comfortably w ith his wife and chil¬ 
dren, and to feed eight cows, w'hofe good condition afforded him 
infinite pleafure. 
