80 LINNAEUS 
on the thigh that it was painful for a month 
afterwards. 
Next day the frontier between Sweden and Norway 
was passed, all covered with snow. A violent storm 
set in with sleet and hail, which stuck like an icy crust 
on his back, and the force of the wind was such that 
the travellers were not only driven forward, but often 
blown down and driven on some distance. Once he 
was rolled over a distance equal to a musket-shot till 
he brought up against a projection. Happily the 
wind was easterly, but had it come from the opposite 
direction progress would have been impossible. 
After tramping about twenty miles, a change took 
place. The streams from the melting snow ran west¬ 
ward, bare rocks stood out, and soon the sea was seen. 
The landscape seemed to be a miniature garden when 
thus viewed from the heights. When at last they 
came to lower regions, Linnaeus welcomed the change 
from the frozen fells to the warm valley, where he 
sat down and ate wild strawberries. Instead of snow, 
green plants and flowers were seen; in place of violent 
wind there came a beautiful scent of flowering clover; 
Linnaeus was able to drink cow’s milk and to refresh 
himself with food, and to sit on a chair. But at the 
same time he could not fail to see that the two Lapps 
who accompanied him showed no sign of fatigue, but 
on the contrary, began to run and play. To explain 
this, he propounded the query, “ Cur lappones adeo 
pedibus celeres?” i.e., Why are the Lapps so swift 
of foot? and in his diary he set down his answer, 
giving as reasons—“ shoes without heels, exercise 
from childhood, meat diet, moderation in food and 
drink, small stature, etc. He accounted also for their 
good health by the pure air, well cooked food, pure 
water, peaceful lives, and absence of fermented 
liquor. 
It was Sorfjorden in Norway which was reached by 
Linnaeus, where in its innermost bay he busied himself 
by investigating the sea animals and plants. On the 
