The Land of the Long Night

inlander's Farm.-Strange Fireplace.-Interior of a Cow-h

e. The atmosphere was clear, and not a cloud was to be seen in the pale blue sky, turning into greenish as

anger of their getting frozen; rub them, and also your face, now and then with snow. Keep

ask for me just now, I want to breathe this pure invigor

ed, a fearfu

etimes it does not last long and is followed by furious gales, or great snowstorms; but

y tucked the sheepskin round me, and bad

ng to Pajala, which was about one hundred and ten miles further no

d it also very much, for it was so exhilarating, and I felt so well and so strong. I was ready, nevertheless, for all kinds of weather, and I was fully prep

ons of Korpikyla, Niemis, Ruskola, and Matarengi. I found that the Finnish lan

hard, and it increased in strength every minute until it blew a perfect hurricane.

curling and recurling upon itself and blinding us. Fortunately our robes were fastened very securely. I wore my hood, and it was so arranged that my eyes were the

arengi with its red-painted log church, two hundre

that time I found that the temperature

rcury marked 40 degrees below zero. There was not a breath o

proud and would dislike you. No man has ever made friends by being proud or conceited. It is, after all, very silly, and often very ill-bred. I have found that one gets along much better in the world by being polite and obliging. It is so much easier to be pleasant than sour and gruff. In the form

made, huge snowdrifts, which greatly impeded our progress. Towards noon the wind increased again, and

thought as we did; he had made up his mind to go no further, and preferred to be in a stable. He suddenly turned to the right, entered the yard, and stopped before the dwelling-hou

midst of a family of Finlanders, whose language is very unl

was about seven feet square, the inside oven-like in shape. They were just lighting a fire; t

e of the room was the usual trap-door leading into the cellar. There were two large hand looms upon which two girls were weaving. These t

number of bench-like sofas, used for beds. Two or three wooden chairs, and a la

t were gone, the sliding trap-door in the chimney had been closed, thus preventing the heat from escaping. The thick

ee days. The windows were all tight; none could be opened, and the on

timber of the log house, for I was so far north. The yard was enclosed by houses on three sides. The dwelling-house, the barn, and the cow-ho

hick mass of ice. From the well there was a trough going into the cow-house, which I entered. The cattle were small and well-shaped and in good order

sonry. She was putting coarse marsh grass into the pot, which was filled with water made warm by a fire underneath. "Much of the grass we gather

stable for themselves." This farm was one of the good farms, and there were a number qui

e, two wooden bowls of buttermilk, and fish were put on the table. This was a great repast, in my honor. There was no tablecloth, no napkin,

pulled out the sliding boxes, in one of which three of them were to sleep. The boxes were filled with straw and hay, and had homespun

eight, hiding everything from sight; the whole country was enveloped in a thick cloud; the huge snowdrifts were carried hither and thither. The storm lasted two days,

wife, and once more I was on my way to "The La

ake called Rukojarvi; and between these two I had crossed the Arctic Circle. But it was January, the sun sho