At his fall his hat was blown from his head, and was left
on this spot.

Not far from this point the suburbs of Stockholm make their appearance,
being spread round one of the broad arms of the lake. With increasing
curiosity we gazed towards the town as we gradually approached it. Many
of the pretty villas, which are situated in the valleys or on the sides
of the hills as forerunners of the town, come into view, and the suburbs
rise amphi-theatrically on the steep shores. The town itself closes the
prospect by occupying the whole upper shore of the lake, and is flanked
by the suburbs at either side. The Ritterholm church, with its cast-iron
perforated towers, and the truly grand royal palace, which is built
entirely in the Italian style, can be seen and admired from this
distance.

We had scarcely cast anchor in the port of Stockholm, when a number of
Herculean women came and offered us their services as porters. They were
Delekarliers, {52} who frequently come to Stockholm to earn a livelihood
as porters, water-carriers, boatwomen, &c. They easily find employment,
because they possess two excellent qualities: they are said to be
exceedingly honest and hard-working, and, at the same time, have the
strength and perseverance of men.

Their dress consists of black petticoats, which come half way over the
calf of the leg, red bodices, white chemises with long sleeves, short
narrow aprons of two colours, red stockings, and shoes with wooden soles
an inch thick. They twist a handkerchief round their head, or put on a
little close black cap, which fits close on the back part of the head.

In Stockholm there are entire houses, as well as single rooms, which, as
in a hotel, are let by the day. They are much cheaper than hotels, and
are therefore more in demand. I at once hired one of these rooms, which
was very clean and bright, and for which, with breakfast, I only paid one
riksdaler, which is about one shilling.

CHAPTER X

As my journey was ostensibly only to Iceland, and as I only paid a flying
visit to this portion of Scandinavia, my readers will pardon me if I
treat it briefly. This portion of Europe has been so frequently and so
excellently described by other travellers, that my observations would be
of little importance.

I remained in Stockholm six days, and made as good use of my time as I
could. The town is situated on the shores of the Baltic Sea and the
Malar lake. These two waters are c