situated in latitude 71 deg. 5' north." We sailed as far as North Cape, on
the island of Mageroe, rising majestically to a height of nine hundred
and eighty feet above the sea, and in latitude 71 deg. 10'. At the top of
the cape there was evidently a gale, for the snow was flying to a great
height.

As we were sailing along the shore, I saw some strange-looking
weather-beaten logs, covered with barnacles. The captain said to me,
"Some of these logs come probably from the coast of South America, from
the Amazon and Orinoco rivers; the Gulf Stream has brought them here. It
has taken them a long time to reach this place, for they are covered
with barnacles."

Instead of doubling North Cape, we sailed through the narrow Mageroe
Sound which separates the island from the mainland.

[Illustration: "We sailed towards North Cape."]

We had hardly entered the sound when I was astonished by the view that
met my eyes, for now there were fishing settlements coming suddenly into
view, with comfortable, white-painted houses, ships at anchor,
glittering churches shining in the sun, and school buildings.

We sailed across the Porsanger Fjord. Far off was Nordkyn, upon the
summit of which I had stood. The coast looked dreary indeed! We sailed
across Laxe Fjord and doubled Nordkyn.

The following day we entered a fjord and came upon a number of fishing
boats that were returning from the open sea. Some of these boats rowed
towards us, and soon were alongside of our craft, and we engaged in
conversation.

These people appeared very strange; they were dressed like the nomadic
Lapps, with the noteworthy exception, however, that the fur of the
reindeer skin was on the _inside_ of their garments. They were Sea
Lapps.

I looked at the crews of the boats, and was more astonished still, for
some of the boats were partly manned by women, and big girls; other
crews were entirely composed of women with a man for captain. One boat
was entirely manned by women, the captain included. I could not easily
distinguish the men from the women, for the features of the women were
coarse from exposure to the storms of the Arctic Sea. They wore reindeer
trousers like the men, as indeed do the women of the nomadic Lapps. They
rowed quite as well as the men, too. They were distinguishable by their
long shaggy hair. It was of a dark chestnut, with a reddish
tinge--almost black in some. They wore it hanging over their shoulders.
It was indeed a strange sig