The Land of the Long Night

Prepared.-What are the Twigs for?-I Ascertain

count of the big drifts of snow, that I decided to stay a few days in the place. The following day was Saturday and the afternoon was the b

ve a bath with you." Of course they did

will show you how we work out a steam bath in our country. You see the bath house stands awa

rs piled upon each other without any cement whatever. Along the walls were three rows of seats, made simply from the branches of trees and rising one above the other, just like seats at a circus, the first one being near the ground. The people had brought wood beforeh

smoke. And the fire was kept up all day, boys co

, and a big vessel put next the oven was filled with water. Slender boughs of birch trees were broug

room and come to the bath room with nothing on, for there is no pl

"it is 30 degre

se by-just a stone's throw from your place, and you will find it w

aw men and boys without clothes on running towards the

Oh! wasn't it cold on the way! But as soon as I was in I could feel the great he

ull of steam. I could not stand it. It was too hot for me. "Don't stand up, Paulus," they said; "sit on the lower seat." Even that was too high for me. I sat

h my back, and soon I cried, "Enough, enough, enough!" Soon all were switching one another, and the one who had switched me said, "Paulus, give me a good switching-harder

out with a few of the men, when, lo! they rolled over two or three times in the snow, calling out to me to do likewise; that it felt so go

fore you have stopped perspiring." So I walked up and down in my room f

or pesh. The men wear long overcoats, lined with woolly sheepskin. The women's dress is composed of a body of black cloth,