TRAVELS 
§4 
fprings were at four or five degrees of Celfius, which wasa great 
difference in comparifon of the lakes, which were at nineteen, 
and of the atmofphere, which was at tw r enty-five. It was a 
more delicious refrefhment to us, than all the iced creams in the 
great cities of the fouth of Europe to the moft confirmed epicure. 
The river of Alten, after fpreading into feveral lakes, and again 
contracting itfelf within its banks, w’hich are here and there fringed 
with trees, and confifl fometimes of rocks and fometimes of bare 
fand, precipitates itfelf all of a fudden from between two rocks 
about forty feet in perpendicular height. There it forms a mag¬ 
nificent cataract; and the agitated w 7 atcr fends up a cloud of va¬ 
pour to the ikies, through which is feen a beautiful and majeflic 
rainbow. This cataract, of courfe, interrupted our navigation, 
and our boats were drawn over the land for nearly the fpace of 
an Englifh mile, to a place where the river again became paflable.. 
On the borders of this cafcade, the Laplanders, who accom¬ 
panied us from Kautokeino, had a magazine of fifh drying in the 
air. After exploring the beauties of the waterfall, we lighted up 
a fire in this place, and had fome of thofe fifhes drefied; a part 
boiled, and fome broiled. The Lapland faihion of broiling, is by 
fixing a fifh on a flick, and then holding it to the fire. 
After our repafl we purfued our voyage; and as we proceeded, 
had a fine view, and took a drawing of a very beautiful cataradl 
made by the falls of a tributary flream belonging to the Alten, 
which defeends on the right bank of that river over a number of 
fhelving rocks, difpofed like fleps of flairs, as if they were the 
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