4 6 
TRAVELS 
gage, a circumftance which would leave us in a very unpleafant 
fituation. We left it to them to divide our baggage into feven 
parcels, one for each, including the girl, wdio was to be made to 
carry her proportion. We remarked a degree of equity in the 
diftribution of the burthens, which imprelfed us w 7 ith no unfavour¬ 
able idea of the character of thefe people. We obferved that they 
gave the lighted: packets to fuch as appeared unequal to a heavier 
load. To excite in them an attention to juftice, and to each 
other, we gave each of them a glafs of brandy when they fet about 
making the divifion, promifing them another when it w T as made. 
On beginning their march they aiked for a third, and though w r e 
feared this third glafs would intoxicate them, yet we durft not 
difpleafe them by a refufal. In order to induce us the more rea¬ 
dily to comply with their requcft as to a third glafs, they quoted 
a Lapland proverb as their authority for it, which fays, “ Before 
e ‘ a journey take a glafs for the body’s fake; at fetting off take 
“ another for courage fake.” At length we began our march, 
each of our Laplanders with his load of baggage, one of them 
taking the lead, and the reft following one by one in fingle file. 
This was the firft time during our whole journey that we had 
travelled in this manner, and we were wonderfully delighted with 
the fingular appearance which our caravan made. We kept ih 
the rear of the line of march, in order that we might fee that no 
part of our baggage was dropt or loft, and moreover to obferve the 
conduct of thofe that went before. The pleafure we had in re¬ 
viewing this proceffion was deftroyed by the intolerable ftench 
which thefe filthy Laplanders left behind them, when they began 
to 
