THROUGH LAPLAND. 
7 
cafe one of the men threw himfclf into the water, fwam up to 
them, and fet them afloat again. At laft we came to a place 
where the extreme force of the cataradt, the depth of the water, 
and the obftrutftions from the rocks, rendered it to appearance al¬ 
together impoffible to continue our progrefs. Our brave Simon 
was the only perfon who thought every thing poffible. The reft 
feemed difpofed to find fault with his daring projects, which they 
never leffened; but, on the contrary, magnified through their 
fears. But he w 7 as always the firft to fet an example of the moil 
unwearied patience and a&ivity ; he conftantly charged himfelf 
with the execution of the moft arduous and laborious part of the 
undertaking, and never propofed a thing in which he did not 
referve for himfelf the moft difficult and hazardous offices it 
impofed: in fhort, no perils could daunt his fpirit, no toils fet 
bounds to his exertions. He hauled the boat, he difengaged it 
when it fluck faft ; he was the firft to leap into the water w hen¬ 
ever occafion required, and feemed to do every thing himfelf 
alone. 
While our Finlanders were difplaying the moft heroic perfeve- 
rance on the river and on its banks, the utmoft we could do was 
to keep up with them in the adjacent wood. It was not always 
poflible to follow them clofe to the river, as we were not, like them, 
able to jump from one rock to another. The current too fome- 
times produced a giddinefs in the head, and we were unwilling to 
wet our legs by wading through the water. Another fpecies of fa¬ 
tigue ftill awaited us in the wmods: we funk here and there fo 
