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NORWAY
NORWAY
‘ A man is at all times entitled, or even called upon by occasion, to speak, and write, and in all fit ways utter, what he has himself gone through, and known, and got the mastery of; and in truth, at bottom, there is nothing else that any man has a right to write of. For the rest, one principle, I think, in whatever farther you write, may be enough to guide you: that of standing rigorously by the fact, however naked it look. Fact is eternal; all fiction is very transitory in comparison. All
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LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 1882
LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 1882
---- ---- On the Top of Glopit. Returning from Rus Lake Death of the ‘Stor Bock’ at the Iceberg Lake, Tyknings Hö Good Sport, Bad Weather. The Skipper’s two ‘Stor Bocks’ Norwegian Arrangement of Dishes at Table Midnight Study of Stockings at Dalbakken Desperate Conflict between Esau and the Mosquito Sæter Girls in a Boat on Sikkildals Lake Old Siva carrying a Canoe up the Sikkildals Pass The Skipper returns to Camp disgusted with life The Skipper takes Miss Louise for a Cruise at Gjendesheim Joh
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PLATES
PLATES
On the Top of Glopit. Returning from Rus Lake Death of the ‘Stor Bock’ at the Iceberg Lake, Tyknings Hö Good Sport, Bad Weather. The Skipper’s two ‘Stor Bocks’...
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WOODCUTS IN TEXT.
WOODCUTS IN TEXT.
Norwegian Arrangement of Dishes at Table Midnight Study of Stockings at Dalbakken Desperate Conflict between Esau and the Mosquito Sæter Girls in a Boat on Sikkildals Lake Old Siva carrying a Canoe up the Sikkildals Pass The Skipper returns to Camp disgusted with life The Skipper takes Miss Louise for a Cruise at Gjendesheim John returns from fishing in Summer Costume The two ‘Meget Stor Bocks’ (very big Bucks) on Memurutungen The Skipper about to astonish the Reindeer Ola and Andreas capturing
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MAP.
MAP.
---- ‘Canadian canoes are the only boats that will do’ was our conclusion after a thorough inspection of every existing species of boat, and long consultation with ‘Sambo’ of Eton about a totally new variety, invented but fortunately not patented by one of our number. Our party consisted of three men, who shall be briefly described here. First, ‘the Skipper,’ so called from his varied experience by land and sea in all parts of the world, but especially in Norway, whither we were now intending to
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HISTORY.
HISTORY.
Lastly, ‘John,’ so called for no better reason than the fact that he had been christened Charles: he had never yet visited the wilds of Scandinavia. John is an Irishman, whose motto in life is ‘dum vivimus vivamus:’ he is tall and straight, with a colossal light moustache. He generally wears his hat slightly tilted forward over his forehead when engaged in conversation; and the set of his clothes and whole deportment convey an idea that he is longing to tell you the most amusing story in the wor
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GEOGRAPHY.
GEOGRAPHY.
The map of Norway, apart from Sweden, presents an outline something like a tadpole with a crooked irregular tail. The Jotunfjeld is an extensive range of the highest mountains which are to be found in Northern Europe: before 1820 A.D. they were totally unexplored, and at the present time they are still perfectly wild and desolate, their summits covered with eternal ice and snow, and even their valleys uninhabited. That part of the Jotunfjeld which we intended to make our goal and headquarters is
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LANGUAGES.
LANGUAGES.
It is customary when writing a book on any foreign country to scatter broadcast in your descriptions words and phrases in the language of that country, in order to show that you really have been there. We propose to depart from this usage in the course of this work; but if at any time the exigencies of narrative seem to demand the use of the foreign tongue, we have little doubt that the English language will provide an equivalent, which shall be inserted for the benefit of the uninitiated....
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MATHEMATICS.
MATHEMATICS.
Foreigners have a curious prejudice which leads them to adopt different systems of coinage and measurement from those in favour in England. But shall a Briton pander to this prejudice by making any use of their ridiculous figures? Decidedly not. What matters it to us that a Norwegian land-mile contains seven of our miles, and a sea-mile four? we speak only of the British mile. What care we that the Norwegian kröne is worth about 13½ d. ? Shall that prevent us from always calling it a shilling? N
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EXTRA SUBJECTS.
EXTRA SUBJECTS.
Some of the statements that will be found in these pages may strike the reader as being, to say the least of it, improbable. We therefore wish to explain that all the incidents of sport and travel are simple facts, but that here and there is introduced some slight fiction which is too obviously exaggerated to require any comment. ---- At ten P.M. on the platform of the Hull station might have been seen the disconsolate form of Esau, who had arrived there a few minutes before. To him entered sudd
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CHAPTER I. THE VOYAGE.
CHAPTER I. THE VOYAGE.
Then in the hotel the Skipper related his perilous adventures; how he had crossed London in a four-wheeler with the canoe on the quarter-deck, and himself surrounded by rods, guns, rugs, tents, and ground-sheets in the hold, amid the shouts of ‘boat ahoy!’ from the volatile populace, and jeers from all the cabs that they met (there are many cabs in London); how the station-master at King’s Cross—may his shadow never be less!—had personally superintended the packing of the canoe on a low carriage
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CHAPTER II. CHRISTIANIA.
CHAPTER II. CHRISTIANIA.
We reached Christiansand about six, and set sail again at eight. There was what the mariners called a nice breeze with us. Esau declared it to be a storm, and was prostrate at lunch, owing as he said to attending church service, which was conducted under considerable difficulties, members of the congregation occasionally shooting out of the saloon like Zazel out of her cannon, or assuming recumbent postures when the rubric said, ‘Here all standing up.’ However, we came along at a great pace, and
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CHAPTER III. BY RAIL AND LAKE.
CHAPTER III. BY RAIL AND LAKE.
We were engaged till late at night putting the finishing touches to our packing. The last thing we did was to put our most gorgeous apparel, and any articles not likely to be needed during our camp life, into two portmanteaus, with strict orders to the Boots to keep the same until our return. This morning, after an early breakfast, on descending to the courtyard we found these portmanteaus roped down on the roof of the omnibus which was to take all the luggage to the station en route for Lilleha
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CHAPTER IV. BY ROAD.
CHAPTER IV. BY ROAD.
We arose pretty early, wishing to get over thirty-eight miles of ground before evening, which with the canoes would be a long day’s work; as we had the natives to contend with, who by reason of their dreadfully lazy habits are most difficult to ‘bring to the scratch.’ We have decided, after long experience, that nothing that you can do has any effect in hurrying them; but that it is quite possible to make them slower by losing your temper, or taking any vigorous measures of acceleration. They se
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CHAPTER V. THE FIRST CAMP.
CHAPTER V. THE FIRST CAMP.
We slept well, and at eight o’clock the Skipper, always first to wake, got up, and looking out of the window saw thence the four bad men who had taken the rooms before us and hung their socks out of the window, just starting on their journey, and looking as if they did so with an easy conscience. Some men can carry with a light heart and gay demeanour a weight of crime that would wreck the happiness of less hardened ruffians. Then he turned his gaze in the opposite direction, and oh, joy! our lu
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CHAPTER VI. MISERY.
CHAPTER VI. MISERY.
It rained all night again and all day. This was dreadful, and not at all like Norway. We have always made a rule that we may fish on Sunday, but not shoot. Some people draw an even finer distinction, and say it is allowable to shoot with a rifle, but not with a gun: this we have always thought too subtle. Now yesterday was Sunday, and Esau having observed two divers on the lake while the Skipper was out fishing, went and secreted himself with a gun where he expected them to come over, hoping tha
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CHAPTER VII. HAPPINESS.
CHAPTER VII. HAPPINESS.
This was a really fine day, such as we consider proper to Norway; no uncertain half-and-halfness, but a day when an untiring sun shone down from an immaculate sky; and everything looked lovely. Our tent was on a nice bit of turf close to the Vinstra River, which is about as broad as the Thames at Eton, but with probably twice the volume of water, and certainly three times its rapidity; it rushed past our door at such a pace that no boat could stem it; and as far as we could see up the reach it c
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CHAPTER VIII. FLY SÆTER.
CHAPTER VIII. FLY SÆTER.
The morning was again beautifully fine, and the coffee at the sæter was passing delicious, even for this country, where coffee is always good. No doubt the chief reason of this is that it is never roasted and ground till just when it is wanted, not only at the hotels, but at the smallest sæters. The grinding of coffee and the frying of trout are grateful sounds to the wearied traveller, and if the walk across the fjeld has failed to give him an appetite, he has still the chance of obtaining one
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CHAPTER IX. SIKKILDAL.
CHAPTER IX. SIKKILDAL.
We arose soon after seven; not because it is our nature to get up at that time, still less because we think it our duty to do so; but because the sun made the tent so intolerably hot that there was no pleasure to be derived from staying in bed any longer. Naturally after this we were very cross, which the Skipper says all really pious people are on Sunday morning; and he abused Esau shamefully, because the latter wanted the eggs buttered and the Skipper wanted them fried. Esau laid down the axio
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CHAPTER X. BESSE SÆTER.
CHAPTER X. BESSE SÆTER.
Our two men arrived while we were at breakfast this morning, and brought two sleighs in the boat with them; these they deposited on the shore, and then one of them departed into some secret haunt of his own in search of a horse. The last we saw of him was a wee dot struggling up over the mountain crest; and we began to feel what a hopeless sort of task was before us. When we had finished our breakfast there were certain remnants of food, and these we offered to the other man, because he seemed t
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CHAPTER XI. GJENDIN.
CHAPTER XI. GJENDIN.
The morning appeared rather fine, so we packed the rest of our baggage, and climbed the track which leads over the shoulder of the mountain between Sjödals Vand and Gjendin (pronounced ‘yendin’). It is rather steep, but nothing approaching the villany of the tracks near Sikkildals Sæter, so the transit did not take long, and we got to Gjendesheim about twelve o’clock. Gjendesheim is a very good two-storied wooden building, with a large dining-room, and about eight tiny cupboards of bedrooms; it
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CHAPTER XII. THE CAMP.
CHAPTER XII. THE CAMP.
The Skipper won the toss (he always does, chiefly because the device on Norwegian coins is ‘sorter indifferent like,’ and when Esau has called heads or tails, he looks at it carefully, and gravely declares it to be the opposite), and was away eight hours wandering about the mountains without seeing a living creature except two buzzards, and hardly any ‘spoor.’ He returned to camp very tired and rather cross, to find a delicious meal nearly ready cooked by Esau, for the man whom we ironically cal
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CHAPTER XIII. GJENDESHEIM.
CHAPTER XIII. GJENDESHEIM.
Such a lovely morning at last that we were quite tempted to stay, but nobly stuck to our resolve, heaped everything we possessed except rods, guns, and a change of raiment, into the inner tent, and covered them with a ground-sheet; then packed the selected weapons into the canoes, and sailed from these inhospitable shores. Not far from camp we saw some fish rising under a cliff, and though it was a dead calm, and the sun as bright as sun could be, we stopped to try for them. Esau soon tired of c
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CHAPTER XIV. JOHN.
CHAPTER XIV. JOHN.
We began another day by catching a beautiful bag of fish, and about midday were just starting to shoot our way over to Besse Sæter, when a man came in sight stumbling down the mountain track towards the rest-house. He was red and sunburnt, with a beard of about three days’ growth. He was coatless, collarless, and apparently exhausted. On his nearer approach we saw he was an Englishman, and presently when a few yards from us we recognised—John! Not the smart young beau we have always seen him in
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CHAPTER XV. BACK TO CAMP.
CHAPTER XV. BACK TO CAMP.
The morning was again very wet, but we are men of great decision and firmness; what our friends call ‘obstinate’ if they are civil, and ‘pig-headed’ when they want to be disagreeable, as friends usually do. Therefore we started for the camp after lunch: that is to say, the Skipper and Esau started, as John remained to await the arrival of his baggage, for which Ivar had been despatched. At present his wardrobe is not very extensive, and he will perhaps be more comfortably fixed after the arrival
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CHAPTER XVI. TROUT.
CHAPTER XVI. TROUT.
Last night at sunset we ‘could not see a cloud, because no cloud was in the sky;’ the distant mountains looked as black as coal, and the heavens were yellow-ochre colour; whereupon Öla committed himself to the statement that the fine weather would now be a permanent institution. Consequently our life has once more resumed its proper phase of perpetual picnic, and we roam about without coats or waistcoats, or any other garments that seem superfluous unto us; and to John all garments except a land
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CHAPTER XVII. REINDEER.
CHAPTER XVII. REINDEER.
We wonder whether our friends in Scotland and Yorkshire have such a day as this: if they have, it is rough on the grouse. There is not a breath the bottle-green wave to curl, and the sun shines as if Odin had redeemed his other eye. The Skipper and Öla went forth to pursue, and walked over an enormous distance into the previously unknown region of Memurutungen. Up on the mountains life on a day of this kind is bliss; there is more air there than in the valley, and it is delightful to be far away
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CHAPTER XVIII. SUCCESS AT LAST.
CHAPTER XVIII. SUCCESS AT LAST.
This was a most eventful day in our quiet life, and one fraught with episode. For the first time there was a breeze, so the Skipper went out fishing, and John to practise canoeing in a wind, which is an art requiring considerable dexterity in these Canadian canoes. They are beautiful sea boats, and beat the ‘Rob Roy’ hollow for any purposes where room for baggage is required. In our two, which are only small, we have transported between 800 and 900 lbs.; but their worst feature is decidedly exhi
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CHAPTER XIX. GJENDEBODEN.
CHAPTER XIX. GJENDEBODEN.
Still the same beautiful weather. We spent the morning fishing and bathing. Esau distinguished himself by falling into the lake off a cliff, just as he had finished dressing after a bath; nearly swamping his canoe, full of fish, rugs, and other valuables. There was such a sun that he merely hung his things on the rocks and went on fishing without them until they were dry, which took a very short time. He always had savage tendencies, and would like to live without clothes, but we consider this i
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CHAPTER XX. A FORMAL CALL.
CHAPTER XX. A FORMAL CALL.
This was the day appointed for our visit to the Thomas’s at Rus Vand, but though we told Öla as usual to call us at 7.30, he never came until about half-past eight. His watch is a curiosity among bad watches; he sets it by one of ours every night, and it has always gained or lost several hours before morning: on one occasion it actually lost nearly a fortnight while we slept. The Skipper says it ‘ain’t worth a smothered oath;’ and this morning, as we specially wished to get up early—and did get
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CHAPTER XXI. FISHING.
CHAPTER XXI. FISHING.
The first thing this morning we sent Öla to Gjendesheim with some venison for the people there, who have been very kind in sending milk, eggs, rice, onions, &c. to us. We have more meat than we shall be able to eat if the weather continues as fine and hot as it is at present. We three walked over the mountain to spend the day at Rus Vand, taking our lunch with us. We got there about half-past ten, and the fish were then rising well, so we separated and commenced fishing, the Skipper and
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CHAPTER XXII. MEMURUDALEN.
CHAPTER XXII. MEMURUDALEN.
We woke up this morning with a bright sun shining through the canvas of the tent, and making it intolerably hot inside; and as we threw open the door of the inner compartment, the fragrant aroma of the ‘boss pie’ was wafted to us on the morning air. We spent the morning in quiet Sunday fashion, chiefly in lying under the shade of an awning made with rugs which we call the ‘sycamine tree,’ and eating wimberries and cream. Besides this we perpetrated a great deal of high art; every one was seized
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CHAPTER XXIII. A PICNIC.
CHAPTER XXIII. A PICNIC.
There is a brood of ryper on the brow of the mountain above our camp, which we always put up when we walk over Glopit armed with rods, but never when we take a gun. There were originally eight of them, but one has succumbed to a merlin which hunts up there; and they are remarkably tame, so that when we put them up we throw stones at them, and fully expect to kill them by that means, but somehow they have escaped with their lives until now. This conduct has become unbearable, and we have sworn ‘t
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CHAPTER XXIV. THE SKIPPER’S RETURN.
CHAPTER XXIV. THE SKIPPER’S RETURN.
At breakfast-time the drover who had accompanied us to shoot ryper at Gjendebod arrived here on his way towards lower and more genial regions for the winter. We always feel that we are killing more game than we really need, and here was an outlet for our superfluous meat, so we gave him half a deer, and he went homewards rejoicing greatly. We had sent Ivar up to the drover’s den in Memurudalen at daybreak to see if our missing ones had found their way to it and spent the night there, but he now
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CHAPTER XXV. THE GJENDE FLY.
CHAPTER XXV. THE GJENDE FLY.
This was the hottest, most windless and cloudless day that has yet been made. The Russian and F—— went out with Esau and the Skipper to shoot ryper, accompanied by a pointer, which the Norwegians call a bird-hound. A brood was soon found and rose in front of Esau, who with his usual promptitude got a right and left; whereupon the Russian took off his hat, and bowing profoundly, advanced and solemnly shook hands with him, protesting that he had frequently seen marvellous shooting, but never, neve
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CHAPTER XXVI. DISASTER.
CHAPTER XXVI. DISASTER.
We have got quite tired of writing ‘Another beautiful day,’ and in future shall bring notebooks to Norway with these words ready printed at the top of each page. The Skipper paddled away to Gjendebod, to bring home the deerskin which he had left there to dry. He returned with a splendid bag of the best trout that ever came out of Gjendin, and that means the best in the world; but he was in a state of great indignation because he had been charged 5 s. 6 d. for beds, dinners, and breakfasts for hi
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CHAPTER XXVII. A CHANGE.
CHAPTER XXVII. A CHANGE.
‘ Forty below Nero’ was the probable position of the thermometer during the night. Esau declares that his back is quite well, but it is suspected that he only does this in order to avoid the administration of further remedies by John. However, we consider this such a successful cure that we here give our recipe for strained backs to an expectant world, not as a sordid advertisement, but from pure philanthropic motives. ‘Take the patient and place him on a grassy spot in the sun, and lubricate wi
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CHAPTER XXVIII. RAPID-RUNNING.
CHAPTER XXVIII. RAPID-RUNNING.
To -day the Skipper and Esau determined to try to run the canoes down the river to Sjödals Lake, where we intend to leave them during our stay at Rus Vand. All things being ready, the Skipper started about eleven o’clock on his perilous voyage, closely followed by Esau. The river is full of impracticable falls, some of them twenty or thirty feet high, but between these places there are splendid rapids, and the excitement of running them is delightfully fascinating. When we came to a bad fall we
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CHAPTER XXIX. RUS VAND.
CHAPTER XXIX. RUS VAND.
This morning we crossed the fjeld to Rus Vand in a gale of wind. Waving a ‘Farvel’ to the kindly folk at Besse Sæter, we have a stiff climb up by the side of the torrent which comes gadareneing * down from Bes Lake, high above our heads, and presently we stand on the open fjeld above the sæter. Below lie the green waters and birch-clad banks of Sjödals Lake; far away to the east the great fall and larger trees that mark the outlet of the lake; and still further, glimpses of lower Sjödals Lake, w
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CHAPTER XXX. LUCK.
CHAPTER XXX. LUCK.
The Skipper caused great sorrow this morning at breakfast by announcing his intention of leaving Rus Lake on the day after to-morrow, which ought to be a Sunday, according to our reckoning. It seems that his conscience upbraids him for leaving a brother to be married without his assistance, and the House has sadly approved his decision. While Esau was having a great day with the trout in the river, the Skipper went after deer, and came back cursing Fortune and all her emissaries and signs, which
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CHAPTER XXXI. NOT LOST, BUT GONE BEFORE.
CHAPTER XXXI. NOT LOST, BUT GONE BEFORE.
When John returned to Rusvasoset a little before dinner-time, we found it necessary to bake bread and a pie, our invariable rule ‘when in doubt.’ This was not a case that admitted of any hesitation, for the Skipper had taken all the food that he could annex for his sustenance on the journey, as he did not expect to find any people in the sæters on his path. The evening was spent in general tidying, and mending various articles which had gone wrong; holes in landing-nets, rents in trousers and co
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CHAPTER XXXII. A LAST STALK.
CHAPTER XXXII. A LAST STALK.
The morning did not belie its fair promise, but opened as brightly as the most exacting hunter could require. Off! A Reindeer recollecting an engagement Esau and Jens made a last laborious and fruitless stalk, trying not only the whole Rus Valley, but crossing the mountains northwards into Veodalen and traversing all the slopes of Glitretind, a most splendid sight just now with his towering pyramid, 8,140 feet high. Such a walk would have been impossible but for the snow, which had been reduce
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CHAPTER XXXIII. HOMEWARD BOUND.
CHAPTER XXXIII. HOMEWARD BOUND.
Our ears were gladdened by the sound of Ivar’s hoarse cachinnation some time during the night or early morning, and on turning out he informed us that he should have been here yesterday, but his cart had been smashed on the road beyond Hind Sæter: however, he had patched it up and got it to the sæter; so we distributed our goods on the two ponies, after seizing our last chance of a ‘square meal,’ by eating an enormous breakfast of venison pie, cutlets, and trout. All our stores came to an end ye
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CHAPTER XXXIV. BJÖLSTAD.
CHAPTER XXXIV. BJÖLSTAD.
Bjölstad is an ancient Norwegian homestead, and consists of several separate buildings surrounding a central rectangular court. The house that we slept in bears the date of 1818, and is the most modern as well as the largest of the group; it is really a suite of state apartments for the use of the king on the rare occasions when he visits this part of his dominions. On the left-hand side of the courtyard as we stand at the door of our state apartments, is a very quaint and picturesque old house
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CHAPTER XXXV. DOWN TO CHRISTIANIA.
CHAPTER XXXV. DOWN TO CHRISTIANIA.
The steadily improving weather of our homeward journey is very pleasant, and already we are beginning to almost forget those ‘Miseries in Cold and Grey’ which were so conspicuous during our last few days at Rus Vand. To-day we noticed that the whole population of the country appeared to be engaged in the seductive pastime of potato-digging. One family that we passed consisted of papa, mamma, and eight children of different ages, all absorbed in this pursuit. The parents had gardening tools, the
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CHAPTER XXXVI. HOME AGAIN.
CHAPTER XXXVI. HOME AGAIN.
Here Esau, who had his deck shoes on, seeing what sort of a mood John was in, stole away quietly towards the cabin, and left him prosing on to the German Ocean. He paused, however, a moment before descending the companion stairs, and caught a few more words which, as the moon had now set, John was confiding to the darkness. ‘A couple more days, and we shall be back in England, where, y’know, I think civilisation is overdone. My existence there is a perpetual state of toadying and being toadied:
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