THROUGH LAPLAND. 
53 
the rein-deer and a little meal: the whole formed a curious kind 
of mefs. While the pot was Rill on the fire, all the Laplanders 
fat around it, each with a fpoon in his hand, for the purpofe of 
tailing when the foup was ready: when fufficiently boiled, they 
began to partake of the mefs out of the fame pot altogether. When 
any one had taken as much as fatisfied him, he fell afleep, and 
when he awoke he immediately began to eat again while others 
ilept; then thefe would awake, and again eat, while the former 
elapfed into his flumber; and thus they alternately eat and ilept 
till they were fatisfied with the one, and incapable of taking more 
of the other. There did not appear to be any kind of rule or 
order among thofe people ; no beginning of any thing, and no 
end. Their only regulator and guide feemed to be appetite and 
inllinct. 
When they were not occupied with either eating or fleeping, 
they fmoked tobacco. With one or two who preferred fmoking 
to fleeping we had an opportunity of holding fome converfition, 
in the courfe of which they afked us fome queilions. They en¬ 
quired if any one of us was the king, or a fon of the king, or a 
commiflary of the king ? They defired to know, why we came 
into their country ? and what we were going to do there ? I dif- 
covered that thele people entertained fufpicions that we were 
emiflaries from government, fent to fpy their fituation and con¬ 
dition, their wealth, and their condudh From a great deal of 
jargon in a language, but little of which was intelligible even to 
our interpreter, we found out their objedl was to convince us of 
their 
