LAPLAND JOURNEY 69 
the fir tops, emulating the nightingale, the master 
singer.” 
These extracts from the first pages of his diary show 
the fresh and hopeful feeling of the spring in the 
breast of the solitary horseman. 
The first, and also the last part of the narrative, has 
little of interest to detain us; we therefore pass on to 
his arrival at Gafle, with a fresh passport from the 
Governor there, and thence through Gastrikland. 
The most noteworthy fact met with was that at 
Hamrange everybody spoke of a rare tree which grew 
in a croft by the road, seen by many, but recognized 
by none. Some said it was an apple tree, cursed by 
a vagrant witch. Linnaeus hastened next morning by 
sunrise to see this rarity, which to his astonishment 
was only an elm, showing that Ulmus was not a 
common tree in those parts. 
Passing through Halsingland and approaching 
Medelpad, he fell in with some of the people he 
expected to meet on his journey, namely seven Lapps 
who were driving sixty to seventy reindeer. In reply 
to the question how they came to be in the low country 
they answered, speaking good Swedish, that they had 
been born by the sea, and hoped to die there. 
Hardly had Medelpad been entered when he 
received new tidings from the fells, namely that two 
ptarmigan were seen by the roadside, but not within 
range of gun, so he contented himself with a sight 
of them through his telescope. Next he noticed great 
quantities of Aconitum septentnonale , which seemed 
as abundant as heather. He was tempted here to 
leave the high-road for a time in order to ascend the 
highest hill in Medelpad, called Norbykullen. Hav¬ 
ing tethered his horse to a runic stone, and accom¬ 
panied by a guide, he went up on the western side, 
mostly on his knees. Up here the natives had 
a “ look-out ” for the Russians, with an extensive 
view over the sea. Here was also a beacon ready to 
be lit, whenever the enemy should come in sight. 
