mfort in smoking our pipes before the
familiar iron stove.

The trip to Kautokeino embraced about all I saw of Lapp life during the
winter journey. The romance of the tribe, as I have already said, has
totally departed with their conversion, while their habits of life
scarcely improved in the least, are sufficiently repulsive to prevent
any closer experience than I have had, unless the gain were greater. Mr.
Wolley, who had been three years in Lapland, also informed me that the
superstitious and picturesque traditions of the people have almost
wholly disappeared, and the coarse mysticism and rant which they have
engrafted upon their imperfect Christianity does not differ materially
from the same excrescence in more civilised races. They have not even
(the better for them, it is true) any characteristic and picturesque
vices--but have become, certainly to their own great advantage, a pious,
fanatical, moral, ignorant and commonplace people. I have described them
exactly as I found them, and as they have been described to me by those
who knew them well. The readers of "Afraja" may be a little disappointed
with the picture, as I confess I have been (in an artistic sense, only)
with the reality; but the Lapps have lost many vices with their poetic
_diablerie_, and nobody has a right to complain.

It is a pity that many traits which are really characteristic and
interesting in a people cannot be mentioned on account of that morbid
prudery so prevalent in our day, which insults the unconscious innocence
of nature. Oh, that one could imitate the honest unreserve of the old
travellers--the conscientiousness which insisted on telling not only the
truth, but the whole truth! This is scarcely possible, now; but at the
same time I have not been willing to emasculate my accounts of the tribes
of men to the extent perhaps required by our ultra-conventionalism, and
must insist, now and then, on being allowed a little Flemish fidelity to
nature. In the description of races, as in the biography of individuals,
the most important half of life is generally omitted.

CHAPTER XIII.

ABOUT THE FINNS.

We remained but another day in Muoniovara, after our return from
Kautokeino, and this was devoted to preparations for the return journey
to Haparanda. My first intention had been to make an excursion across
the country to the iron mountains of Gellivara, thence to Quickjock, at
the foot of the Northern Alp, Sulitelma, "Queen of Sno