THROUGH LAPLAND. 
4i 
and they were fo nimble in their flight, that if a fifli was thrown 
up into the air, they would dart down upon it, and catch it in its 
defcent before it reached the water. As the fifhermen appeared 
to be apprehenfive that they would leave them if a gun was to be 
fired off, I made a trial of taking them by means of a hook and 
line. Accordingly I contrived to bury a hook in the body of a 
fifli, and holding the other end of the firing, to throw the bait at 
feme diflancc from me : but this contrivance was attended with 
no fuccefs ; for fuch is their keennefs of fight, that they difeovered 
the device, and though they feized the fifli, they would not gorge 
it when they found it was made fail to a firing. 
It has been already mentioned that we remained three days on 
this ifland; and we made this flay in order to prepare and take 
proper meafures for purfuing our journey. Every thing depended 
on the chance of meeting with wandering Laplanders, who might 
affifl■ us to crofs the mountains with their rein-deer, and fhew us 
the paffages through which we might continue our route. In 
order to afeertain the probability of this, we lent forward one of 
the fifhermen from off the ifland to engage any he might meet 
with, and appoint a place where we might join them. Our envoy 
had full power to treat, and make them fuch propofals as he fliould 
judge would be accepted. He fet off, and promifed to be back 
in four and twenty hours. On the fecond day after his departure 
we became uneafy ; but when the third day palled without his 
returning, the fifhermen, his comrades, grew alarmed, and were 
at a lofs to account for this delay. Alone as he was, and croffing 
Vol. II. G 
an 
