6 4 
TRAVELS 
tobacco. It happened once that having taken a falfe direction, or 
courfe, on a part of the river where it was rough and fhallow, they 
were fo entangled among large {tones, as not to be able to move. 
On this the Laplander w 7 ho plied the oars rofe up from the bench 
on which he fat, and by the ferious and decided air he put on, we 
judged that his intention could be no lefs than to make Tome pow 7 - 
erful effort for our extrication from the prefent embarraffment: 
He began, however, immediately to loofen a part of his drefs, and 
was fo unpolite as to give w 7 ay to a very preffing want of nature * 
in our prefence. I will not tire my readers at prefent with any 
farther details on the manners and habits of thofe people. What 
has been already mentioned may fuffice to give a tolerably juft 
idea of their charatfter and deportment. We w ere every inftant 
on the point of lofmg all patience with them. But for w 7 ant of 
geographical information, and from the need we had of them, we 
were, in a great meafure, under their power, and therefore obliged 
to put up w 7 ith all their ftupidity, lazinefs, and beaftlinefs. 
Before we come to Kautokeino, I cannot forbear giving fome 
account of the pleafant amufement of the chafe, which we enjoyed 
on this river. Our Laplanders had taken a dog with them, and 
as the animal was not admitted into one of the boats, he was 
obliged to follow us as well as he could. This poor creature, by 
his a&ions, and the means he ufed for keeping up with us, {hewed 
a great deal'more activity, fenfe and contrivance than the human 
beings of this country. When tw’O ways lay before him, he never 
failed to make choice of the beft: he had lakes to crofs, iflands to 
traverfe. 
