was enveloped in a thick cloud; the huge snowdrifts were carried
hither and thither. The storm lasted two days, and after it was over the
weather became calm, the temperature was 40 deg. below zero, and when the
atmosphere was very clear we had about three or four hours of twilight.

Then I bade farewell to the good farmer and his wife, and once more I
was on my way to "The Land of the Long Night," which was now very near.

The next day I came to a little lake the natives called Kunsijarvi, and
further on I came to still another lake called Rukojarvi; and between
these two I had crossed the Arctic Circle. But it was January, the sun
showed itself above the horizon at noon. Near the shore of Lake
Rukojarvi was a solitary farm, where I stopped.

CHAPTER VII

SKEES, OR THE QUEER SNOWSHOES OF THE NORTH.--HOW THEY ARE MADE.--LEARNING
TO USE THEM.--JOSEFF'S INSTRUCTIONS.--HARD WORK AT FIRST.--GOING DOWN
HILL.--I BID JOSEFF GOOD-BYE.

In the morning Joseff, the owner of the farm, said to me: "Paulus,
before you go further on your journey you must learn to go on skees;
otherwise you will not be able to travel, for the snow is very deep
further north. I will teach you how to use skees, but in order to learn
you must remain with us for some time."

Then pointing to the lake near by, he said, "This is the place where you
are to learn. It will be easy for you to walk with them, for the surface
of the lake is smooth and flat."

After saying this, he went into one of the outer buildings of the farm
and came out with several beautiful pairs of skees, and handed one of
them to me with these words: "I give them to you; when you wander
further north and walk with them, think of me." I thanked Joseff for his
gift and said: "I will always remember you, also your wife and your
children, without these skees." Then looking at them, I added, "How
beautiful they are! How proud I shall be when I walk with them."

These skees, or snowshoes of northern Europe, are made of wood from the
fir tree; at their thickest part, in the centre, they are between four
and five inches in width. Here, where the foot rests, there is a piece
of birch bark fastened, over which there is a loop, and through this
loop the foot passes. That part of the skee under the foot is concave,
and here it is thickest, so that where it supports the weight of the
person it cannot bend downward. The under part of the skee is grooved
and polished, and soo