wstorm! "Surely," I said to myself again, as I looked
over the country, "this is 'Snow Land.'" I wondered how long it would
take to cross it. The snow was nearly fourteen feet deep on a level.

I next came to a part of the country where thousands of branches of pine
and fir trees had been planted in two rows to show the line of the road.
I could not tell now when I was travelling over a river, a lake, on
land, or over the frozen Gulf of Bothnia!

As we were passing over one of the barren districts, a swamp in summer,
full of stones and boulders, without a house in sight, I said to my
driver: "When are we coming to the next farm?"

"At the rate we are going," he replied, "it will take us two hours at
least."

"Then let us stop and give a little of the hay you have brought with you
to the horse. After he has rested a while, we will start again."

After the horse had eaten his hay, we started. We had not gone long,
however, before we were upset. The horse had not kept to the road. We
had a hard time to right the sleigh and bring the horse back to firm
snow. It was such hard work that the perspiration was dripping from our
faces, though it was 23 degrees below zero.

"I have had enough of this travelling," I said to the driver; "the snow
is too deep and soft to go on. The snow-ploughs have not done much good
here. They evidently could not go far."

"I do not believe," he replied, "that horses will be given to you at the
next post station, even if we should reach there to-day. But I am sure
we cannot do it, and we shall have to stop at the first farm we meet and
ask the farmer for shelter until people can travel on the road again."

Two hours afterwards I saw in the distance a little hamlet, or a number
of farms close together. What a sight! Many of the small houses were
buried in the snow, and only their roofs or chimneys could be seen. From
some of the chimneys smoke was curling upwards. I was delighted.

Every one was busy digging and making trenches, so that the light and
air might reach the windows, or that communication could be had between
the buildings, especially those where the animals were housed. In some
cases the exit had first to be made through the chimney.

It was a very strange sight indeed! and I said to myself, "Surely I am
in 'Snow Land.'"

CHAPTER III

HALT AT A FARMHOUSE.--MADE WELCOME.--A STRANGE-LOOKING INTERIOR.--QUEER
BEDS.--SNOWED IN.--EXIT THROUGH THE CHIMNEY.--CLEARING PA