In my travels about the world I have made the acquaintance of a great
many children, and I might tell you many things about their dress,
their speech, and their habits of life in the different countries I
have visited. I presume, however, that you would rather hear me relate
some of my experiences in which children have taken part, so this shall
be the story of my adventure with a little postboy, in the northern
part of Sweden.
Very few foreigners travel in Sweden in the winter, on account of the
intense cold. I made my journey in this season, however, because I was
on my way to Lapland, where it is easier to travel when the swamps and
rivers are frozen, and the reindeer sleds can fly along over the smooth
snow. It was very cold, indeed, the greater part of the time; the days
were short and dark, and if I had not found the people so kind, so
cheerful, and so honest, I should more than once have felt inclined to
turn back.
But I do not think there are better people in the world than those who
live in Norrland, which is a province in the northern part of Sweden.
They are a tall, strong race, with yellow hair and bright blue eyes.
They live plainly, but very comfortably, in snug wooden houses, with
double windows and doors to keep out the cold; and since they cannot
do much outdoor work, they spin and weave and mend their farming
implements in the large family room, thus enjoying the winter in spite
of its severity.
Here there are neither railroads nor stages, but the government has
established post stations at distances varying from ten to twenty
miles. At each station a number of horses, and sometimes vehicles, are
kept, but generally the traveller has his own sled, and simply hires
the horses from one station to another. These horses are furnished
either by the keeper of the station or by some of the neighboring
farmers; and when they are wanted, a man or boy goes with the traveller
to bring them back.
I had my own little sled, filled with hay and covered with reindeer
skins to keep me warm. So long as the weather was not too cold, it was
very pleasant to speed along through the dark forests, over the frozen
rivers, or past farm after farm in the sheltered valleys, up hill and
down until long after the stars came out, then to get a warm supper
in some dark red post cottage, while the cheerful people sang or told
stories around the fire.
The cold increased a little every day, to be sure; but I became
gradually accustomed to it, and soon began to fancy that the Arctic
climate was not so difficult to endure as I had supposed. At first the
thermometer fell to zero; then it went down ten degrees below; then
twenty, and finally thirty. Being dressed in thick furs from head to
foot, I did not suffer greatly; but I was very glad when the people
assured me that such extreme cold never lasted more than two or three
days. Boys of twelve or fourteen very often went with me to bring their
fathers’ horses, and so long as those lively, red-cheeked fellows could
face the weather, it would not do for me to be afraid.
One night there was a wonderful aurora in the sky. The streamers of red
and blue light darted hither and thither, chasing each other up to the
zenith and down again to the northern horizon, with a rapidity and a
brilliance which I had never seen before.
“There will be a storm soon,” said my postboy; “one always comes after
these lights.”
Next morning the sky was overcast, and the short day was as dark as
our twilight. But it was not quite so cold, and I travelled onwards as
fast as possible. There was a long tract of wild and thinly settled
country before me, and I wished to get through it before stopping for
the night. Unfortunately it happened that two lumber merchants were
travelling the same way and had taken the post horses; so I was obliged
to wait at the stations until horses were brought from the neighboring
farms. This delayed me so much that at seven o’clock in the evening I
had still one more station of three Swedish miles before reaching the
village where I intended to spend the night. Now, a Swedish mile is
nearly equal to seven English miles, so that this station was at least
twenty miles long.
I decided to take supper while the horse was eating his feed. The
keeper’s wife--a friendly, rosy-faced woman--prepared me some excellent
coffee, potatoes, and stewed reindeer meat, upon which I made a
satisfactory meal. The house was on the border of a large, dark forest,
and the roar of the icy northern wind in the trees seemed to increase
while I waited in the warm room.
I did not feel inclined to go forth into the wintry storm, but, having
set my mind on reaching the village that night, I was loath to turn
back.
“It is a bad night,” said the woman, “and my husband who has gone on
with the two lumbermen will certainly stay at Umea until morning. His
name is Neils Petersen, and I think you will find him at the posthouse
when you get there. Lars will take you, and they can come back
together.”
“Who is Lars?” I asked.
“My son,” said she. “He is getting the horse ready. There is nobody
else about the house to-night.”
Just then the door opened, and in came Lars. He was about twelve years
old; but his face was so rosy, his eyes so clear and round and blue,
and his golden hair was blown back from his face in such silky curls,
that he appeared to be even younger. I was surprised that his mother
should be willing to send him twenty miles through the dark woods on
such a night.
“Come here, Lars,” I said. Then I took him by the hand and asked him,
“Are you not afraid to go so far to-night?”
He looked at me with wondering eyes, and smiled, and his mother made
haste to say:--
“You need not fear, sir. Lars is young, but he’ll take you safe enough.
If the storm doesn’t get worse, you will be at Umea by eleven o’clock.”
The boy had put on his overcoat of sheepskin, tied the lappets of his
fur cap under his chin and a thick woollen scarf around his nose and
mouth, so that only the round blue eyes were visible. Drawing on his
mittens of hare’s fur, he took a short leather whip, and was ready.
I wrapped myself in my furs, and we went out together. The driving snow
cut me in the face like needles, but Lars did not mind it in the least.
He jumped into the sled, which he had filled with fresh, soft hay,
tucked in the reindeer skins at the sides, and we cuddled together on
the narrow seat.
The night was dark, the snow blew incessantly, and the tall fir trees
roared all around us. Lars, however, knew the way, and somehow or other
we kept the beaten track. He talked to the horse so cheerfully that my
own spirits began to rise.
“Ho there, Axel!” he would say. “Keep the road,--not too far to the
left. Well done! Here’s a level; now trot a bit.”
So we went on,--sometimes up hill, sometimes down hill,--for a long
time, as it seemed. I began to grow chilly, and even Lars handed me
the reins, while he swung and beat his arms to keep the blood in
circulation. He no longer sang little songs as when we first set out;
but he was not in the least alarmed, or even impatient. Whenever I
asked, as I did about every five minutes, “Are we nearly there?” he
always answered, “A little farther.”
Suddenly the wind seemed to increase.
“Ah,” said he, “now I know where we are; it’s one mile more.” But one
mile, you must remember, meant _seven_.
Lars checked the horse, and peered anxiously from side to side in the
darkness. I looked also, but could see nothing.
“What is the matter?” I finally asked.
“We have got past the hills on the left,” he said. “The country is open
to the wind, and here the snow drifts worse than anywhere else on the
road. If there have been no snow ploughs out to-night, we shall have
trouble.”
You must know that the farmers along the road are obliged to turn out
with their horses and oxen, and plough down the drifts, whenever the
road is blocked up by a storm.
In less than a quarter of an hour we could see that the horse was
sinking in the deep snow. He plunged bravely forward, but made scarcely
any headway, and presently became so exhausted that he stood quite
still.
Lars and I stood up and looked around. In a few minutes the horse
started again, and with great labor carried us a few yards farther.
“Shall we get out and try to find the road?” said I.
“It’s no use,” Lars answered. “In these new drifts we would sink to the
waist. Wait a little, and we shall get through this one.”
It was as he said. Another pull brought us through the deep part of the
drift, and we reached a place where the snow was quite shallow. But
it was not the hard, smooth surface of the road; we could feel that
the ground was uneven, and covered with roots and bushes. Bidding Axel
stand still, Lars jumped out of the sled and began wading around among
the trees.
I shouted to him, in order to guide him, and it was not long before he
came back to the sled.
“If I knew where the road was,” said he, “I could get into it again.
But I don’t know, and I think we must stay here all night.”
“We shall freeze to death in an hour!” I cried. I was already chilled
to the bone. The wind had made me very drowsy, and I knew that if I
slept, I should soon be frozen.
“Oh, no!” exclaimed Lars, cheerfully. “I am a Norrlander, and
Norrlanders never freeze. I went with the men to the bear hunt last
winter, upon the mountains, and we were several nights in the snow.
Besides, I know what my father did with a gentleman from Stockholm on
this very road, and we’ll do it to-night.”
“What is it?”
“Let me take care of Axel first,” said Lars. “We can spare him some hay
and one reindeer skin.”
It was a slow and difficult task to unharness the horse, but we
accomplished it at last. Lars then led him under the drooping branches
of a fir-tree, tied him to one of them, gave him an armful of hay,
and fastened the reindeer skin upon his back. Axel began to eat as if
satisfied with the arrangement.
When this was done, Lars spread the remaining hay evenly over the
bottom of the sled and covered it with the skins, which he tucked in
very firmly on the side towards the wind. Then lifting them on the
other side, he said:--
“Now take off your fur coat, quick, lay it over the hay, and then creep
under it.”
I obeyed as rapidly as possible. For an instant I shuddered in the icy
air; but the next moment I lay stretched in the bottom of the sled,
sheltered from the storm. I held up the ends of the reindeer skins
while Lars took off his coat and crept in beside me. Then we drew the
skins down and pressed the hay against them. When the wind seemed to
be entirely excluded, Lars said that we must pull off our boots, untie
our scarfs, and loosen our clothes. When this was done and we lay close
together, I found that the chill gradually passed out of my blood. My
hands and feet were no longer numb; a delightful feeling of comfort
crept over me, and I lay as snugly as in the best bed. I was surprised
to find that, although my head was covered, I did not feel stifled.
Enough air came in under the skins to prevent us from feeling oppressed.
In five minutes, I think, we were sound asleep, and I dreamed of
gathering peaches on a warm August day at home. In fact, I did not wake
up thoroughly during the night; neither did Lars, though it seemed to
me that we both talked in our sleep. I remember that his warm soft hair
pressed against my chin, and that his feet reached no farther than my
knees.
Just as I was beginning to feel a little cramped and stiff from lying
so still, I was suddenly aroused by the cold wind on my face. Lars had
risen up on his elbow, and was peeping out from under the skins. “I
think it must be near six o’clock,” he said. “The sky is clear, and I
can see the big star. We can start in another hour.”
I felt so much refreshed that I was for setting out at once, but Lars
remarked, very sensibly, that it was not yet possible to find the road.
While we were talking, Axel neighed.
“There they are!” cried Lars, and he immediately began to put on his
boots, his scarf, and heavy coat. I did the same, and by the time we
were ready, we heard shouts and the crack of whips. We harnessed Axel
to the sled, and proceeded slowly in the direction of the sounds, which
came, as we presently saw, from a company of farmers, out this early to
plough the road. They had six pairs of horses geared to a wooden frame,
something like the bow of a ship, pointed in front and spreading out to
a breadth of ten or twelve feet. The machine not only cut through the
drifts, but packed the snow, leaving a good solid road behind it. After
it had passed, we sped along merrily in the cold morning twilight, and
in little more than an hour reached the posthouse at Umea. There we
found Lars’s father prepared to return home. He waited until Lars had
eaten a good warm breakfast, when I said good-by to both, and went on
towards Lapland.
Lars was so quiet and cheerful and fearless, that although I had been
nearly all over the world and he had never been away from home, I felt
that I had learned a lesson from him, and might probably learn many
more, if I should know him better.
--BAYARD TAYLOR.