THROUGH LAPLAND. 
47 
to perfpirc. It was beyond what I am able to defcribe; and 
were I ever fo equal to the talk, I am fure the reader would not 
thank me for the perufal of fo ill-favoured a compofition. 
The degree of heat was twenty-nine in the fhade, and forty-five 
in the fun. The ground burned our feet; and the few fhrubs we 
met with in our way afforded us little or no fhelter. We were 
almoft fuffocated with heat; and to add to our fufferings, we were 
under the neceffity of wearing a drefs of thick woollen cloth, as 
a fecurity from the infefts, and to cover our faces wdth a veil, 
which in a great meafure prevented our drawing breath. This 
extraordinary degree of heat foon operated moft powerfully upon 
our Laplanders, who had already fwallowed three glaffes of brandy 
each. They laid themfelves dowm to reft at every fhort diftance, 
and were calling out every moment for more brandy. We foon 
difcovered that w T e had no longer to do with Finlanders, who are 
a fober, robuft, adtive, and hardy race of people. We had now 
to deal w r ith a fet of wretches who cared only for fermented li¬ 
quors, and were unwalling to work. In this manner we went on 
for fix miles from the beginning of our journey, in w'hich diftance 
they flopped to take reft about fifty times, and as many times 
each of them afked for brandy. If w e had not come to the refo- 
lution to deny them when they afked, we fhould have made no 
progrefs that day. They were dying with thirft, and the firfo 
fpring they came to they dipped their heads in, like fo many pigs, 
and drank full as large draughts. We were at very confiderable 
trouble throughout the whole of this journey, both in making 
our Laplanders go on and in keeping them from ftraggling. 
When 
