3
Nov. After noon I went with Ensign Ståhlberg from Pajakka
some 4 km to Kuhmoniemi, then another 5 km to Häkkilä. I continued
alone from there to Tuhkiniemi, from where I rode 7 km to
the house of the surveyor in Lammasperä. No one had yet crossed
the ice this autumn; it was only three days old and one could
hear it groaning.
....
5 Nov. From surveyor Kähköinen's to Kesseli, first
5 km on foot to Maalinen then another 10 km by sledge. Everywhere
one can see signs of Kekri, which was celebrated last Friday.
The beer was not good. Pies. Foods with fish, swedes and potato
everywhere. There were many avid readers everywhere, and the
poems I had with me were always very welcome indeed. There
were certain passage in particular that people enjoyed and
that made them burst out laughing. And amazingly, the same
things that excite people in one place, excite in another.
6
Nov. Yesterday I hiked 30 km from Kesseli to Kolvasjärvi
under the most appalling conditions. There was 8 cm of snow
on the ground and I was slipping constantly. I stopped for
the night at the Huotari's, that is Martiina's.
7 Nov. We covered 15 km yesterday by horse from Kolvasjärvi
to Repola. We went overland, not across the lake, because
the ice was still too thin. We fell five times, the last in
a real muddy spot, too. The vicar of Repola was away, over
in Roukkula.
9 Nov. I came 10 km from Kolvasjärvi to Kesseli yesterday
on horseback and then covered 20 km on foot in snow 20 cm
deep. I spent yesterday morning in Kesseli, where it was amusing
to see people at a church service sitting in a long row on
the last bench. Everyone joined in in beautiful song, hymnals
in hand. The only unpleasant thing in this beautiful scene
was my Russian guide who had had a few drinks too many and
tried to yell now and then. In the afternoon I went 5 km to
Korkiavaara, where I recorded a few poems sung by an old,
blind man. I spent the night there.
11 Nov. Yesterday I went 5 km from Korkiavaara to
Selkävaara and rode 2½ km to Malinen, where I continued on
horseback 5 km to Lammasperä and another 15 km to Kuhmoniemi.
I rode along Lake Lammasselkä again in the beginning.
12 Nov. Spent the morning with Ensign Ståhlberg, who
also came to Pajakka in the morning. We played cards until
the evening.
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