e blazing open fireplace. How nice it was to jump into
a feather bed, and sink deep and be lost in it, and to cover myself with
a quilt filled with feathers or eider down!

When I found a pleasant station I would remain there a day or two to
rest, for it was hard to drive day after day, for ten, twelve, or
fifteen, and sometimes eighteen hours. It was interesting to see the
whole family at their daily occupations; to see the women spin, weave,
or knit; to see the men make skees, wooden shoes, etc., and the girls
and boys go to school and have fun and play together, throwing snowballs
at each other; making snow forts and defending them against other girls
and boys that came to attack them. I wished sometimes to join in the
fray, for I love fun.

The snow was deep, and the snow-ploughs, drawn by three horses, were
seen pretty often on the road. The streets in the little hamlets or
towns were often blocked.

[Illustration: "On the road were many snow-ploughs at work levelling the
snow."]

CHAPTER II

SNOW LAND.--A GREAT SNOWSTORM.--FEARFUL ROADS.--SNOW-PLOUGHS.--LOSING
THE WAY.--INTELLIGENCE OF THE HORSES.--UPSET IN THE SNOW.--DIFFICULTY
OF RIGHTING OURSELVES.--PERSPIRING AT 23 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.--HOUSES
BURIED IN SNOW.

After I left the town of Gefle the blue sky became obscured by clouds, a
few flakes of snow began to fall, then more and more came down, and soon
they covered the old snow, that was already of good depth.

I had never before had a post-horse that went so fast, and I wondered
why. The horse knew, but I did not: a big snowstorm was coming! He was
afraid of being caught in it, and wanted to reach his stable in time.
After a while the snow fell so thick that I could see nothing ahead. To
make things worse it began to blow hard. Then I dropped the reins and
let the horse go as he pleased. As he knew that the snowstorm was
coming, so he would know how to get home. Suddenly he gave three or four
loud neighs; this announced his arrival. Then he turned to the right and
entered a yard. He had reached home!

The next morning it was still snowing; nevertheless I started. On the
road were many snow-ploughs at work levelling the snow. These ploughs
were of triangular form, made of heavy timber braced with crossbeams.
They were generally from eight to ten feet in width at the back, which
was the broadest part, and above fifteen feet long. They were drawn by
four horses and attended by t