n't know you--but you
are something more than you seem to be: you are a political character."
Just then Braisted came in with the thermometer, and announced 24 deg. of
cold (Reaumur). "Thousand devils!" exclaimed Brother Horton (and now I
was convinced that he was not a clergyman), "what a thermometer! How
cold it makes the weather! Would you part with it if I were to give you
money in return?" I declined, stating that it was impossible for us to
procure so cold a thermometer in the north, and we wanted to have as low
a temperature as could be obtained.

This seemed to puzzle the iron-master, who studied awhile upon it, and
then returned to the subject of my political mission. "I suppose you
speak French," said he; "it is necessary in diplomacy. I can speak it
also"--which he began to do, in a bungling way. I answered in the same
language, but he soon gave up the attempt and tried German. I changed
also, and, finding that he had exhausted his philology, of which he was
rather proud, especially as Brother Horton knew nothing but Swedish,
determined to have a little fun. "Of course you know Italian," said I;
"it is more musical than German," and forthwith addressed him in that
language. He reluctantly confessed his ignorance. "Oh, well," I
continued, "Spanish is equally agreeable to me;" and took up that tongue
before he could reply. His face grew more and more blank and bewildered.
"The Oriental languages are doubtless familiar to you;" I persisted, "I
have had no practice in Arabic for some time," and overwhelmed him with
Egyptian salutations. I then tried him with Hindustanee, which exhausted
my stock, but concluded by giving him the choice of Malay, Tartar, or
Thibetan. "Come, come," said Brother Horton, taking his arm as he stood
staring and perplexed--"the horses are ready." With some difficulty he
was persuaded to leave, after shaking hands with us, and exclaiming,
many times, "You are a very seldom man!"

When we awoke, the temperature had risen to 2 deg. above zero, with a
tremendous snow-storm blowing. As we were preparing to set out, a
covered sled drove in from the north, with two Swedish naval officers,
whose vessel had been frozen in at Cronstadt, and who had been obliged
to return home through Finland, up the eastern coast of the Bothnian
Gulf. The captain, who spoke excellent English, informed me that they
were in about the same latitude as we, on Christmas day, on the opposite
side of the gulf, and had e