+-------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the | | original document have been preserved. | | | | Errata listed on Page viii have been | | corrected in the text | | | +-------------------------------------------------+

[Illustration]

 A

 YACHT VOYAGE

 TO

 NORWAY, DENMARK, AND SWEDEN. 

 BY

 W. A. ROSS, ESQ. 

 Ver erat: errabam: Zephyrus conspexit: abibam: Insequitur: fugio. 

 OVID. _Fast. _, Lib. V. 

 Second Edition. 

 LONDON:

 HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 

 1849. 

 LONDON: PRINTED BY T. R. HARRISON, ST. MARTIN'S LANE. 

 TO

 AN AMIABLE AND A GENEROUS FRIEND, ROBERT, LORD RODNEY, I DEDICATE THIS VOLUME, IN TOKEN

 OF ADMIRATION, GRATITUDE, AND

 AFFECTION. 

CONTENTS. 

 CHAPTER I. 

 Departure from Greenwich--The History of the Iris Yacht --Sheerness--Harwich--Under Weigh--The North Sea--Sail in Sight--The Mail Overboard--Speaking the Norwegian 1

 CHAPTER II. 

 Foggy Weather--First View of Norway--Christiansand Fiord --Arrival at Christiansand--Description of the Town--The Toptdal River--Excursion Inland--The Enthusiastic Angler--Rustic Lodgings--Hunting the Bear--The Trap--The Death--Norwegian Liberality 13

 CHAPTER III. 

 Departure from Christiansand--The Pilot's Pram--Skaw Point --Delinquencies of Jacko--Expensive Cannonading--Elsineur --Hamlet's Walk--The Minister, Struensee--Story of Queen Caroline-Matilda--Legend of the Serf 46

 CHAPTER IV. 

 The Pilot--Tempestuous Weather--Distant View of Copenhagen --Lord Nelson--The Battle of the Baltic--The Harbour-Master --Interest excited by the Yacht's Arrival--The Artist--The Angler--We go Ashore 58

 CHAPTER V. 

 Copenhagen--The Cape--The Dilemma--The Guard--Compliment to England--Description of the Harbour and Fortifications-- Delinquent Sailors--The City on Sunday--Negro Commissionaire --A Walk through the City--Notices of the various Public Buildings 74

 CHAPTER VI. 

 The Casino--The Royal Family of Denmark--Succession to Holstein--The English Consul--Visit to the English Ambassador --Colossal Statue of Christian the Fifth--Anecdote of Belzoni --Trinity Church--Extraordinary Feat of Peter the Great --Ducking an Offender--Palace of Christiansborg--The Exchange --The Castle of Rosenberg 91

 CHAPTER VII. 

 Dinner at the Embassy--Manners and Customs of the Danes--The Spanish Ambassador and the English Exile--The Citadel--Story of the Two Captives--Joe Washimtum, again--A Danish Dinner --Visit to the Theatre--Political Reflections--Festivities on Board the Yacht--Merry Party at the American Ambassador's --The Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein 106

 CHAPTER VIII. 

 The Exile's Souvenir--The Disappointed Artist--Departure from Copenhagen--Arrival at Elsineur--Description of the Town--The Castle of Cronenborg--Hamlet's Garden--Esrom Lake--The Legend of Esrom Monastery--The French War-Steamer --Sailing up the Cattegat 140

 CHAPTER IX. 

 Arrival at Falkenborg--The Storm--The Yacht in Danger--Safe Anchorage--Visit to Falkenborg--Ludicrous Adventure--A Drive into the Interior--Great Scarcity experienced by the Inhabitants--Description of the Country--The Disappointed Anglers--Kongsbacka--The Yacht runs aground--Gottenborg 154

 CHAPTER X. 

 The Casino at Gottenborg--Awkward Dilemma--The Watchman and the Northern Star--Swedish Artillery--The Grove--An Old Man's History--The Alarm of Fire--The Carriage overturned--The River Gotha--Washing in the Stream--The Narrow Streets--Description of Gottenborg--Its Decayed Commerce--The Herring Fishery 172

 CHAPTER XI. 

 Return to Norway--Sail up the Gulf--Approach to Christiania --Its Appearance from the Water--Anecdote of Bernadotte-- Description of the City--The Fortress--Charles the XIIth --The Convicts--Story of the Captured Cannon--The Highwayman --Prospect from the Mountains--The Norwegian Peasant Girl 204

 CHAPTER XII. 

 A Drive into the Interior--Extensive and Sublime Prospect --Norwegian Post-Houses--Repair of the Roads--Preparations for Departure 215

 CHAPTER XIII. 

 The Yacht under sail--Jacko overboard--Fredricksværn--The Union Jack--Scenery on the Larvig River--Transit of Timber --Salmon Fishing--The Defeated Angler--Ludicrous Adventure with an Eagle--Result of the Angling Expedition--The Bevy of Ladies--Norwegian Dinner-Party, Singular and Amusing Customs 240

 CHAPTER XIV. 

 Another Fishing Excursion--Landing a Salmon--The Carriole-- Boats rowed by Ladies--Departure from Larvig--Christiansand Harbour--Return to Boom--Sincere Welcome--Angling at the Falls--The Forsaken Angler--A Misunderstanding--Reconciliation --St. John's Day--Simplicity of Manners 260

 CHAPTER XV. 

 Sailing up the Gron Fiord--Dangerous Swell--Excursion Ashore --Trout-Fishing--Mountain Scenery--Ant-Hills--Hazardous Drive--The Scottish Emigrant--Miserable Lodging--Condition of the Peasantry--A Village Patriarch--Costume of the Country People--Arrival at Fædde 287

 CHAPTER XVI. 

 Return to the Yacht--Poor Jacko--Ascending the Stream-- Description of the Fædde Fiord--Adventures of an Angler--Sail to the Bukke Fiord--The Fathomless Lake--The Maniac, and her History--The Village of Sand--Extraordinary Peculiarities of the Sand Salmon--Seal Hunting--Shooting Gulls--The Seal caught--Night in the North 303

 CHAPTER XVII. 

 The Dangerous Straits--British Seamanship--The Glaciers of Folgefonde--Bergen--Habits of the Fishermen--The Sogne Fiord--Leerdal--Arrival at Auron--A Hospitable Host-- Ascending the Mountains--The Two Shepherdesses--Hunting the Rein-Deer--Adventure on the Mountains--Slaughtering Deer--The Fawn 336

 CHAPTER XVIII. 

 The Sick Sailor--The Storm--The Lee-Shore--"Breakers a-head"--The Yacht in Distress--Weathering the Storm--Return to Bergen--The Physician--The Whirlpool--The Water-Spout --Homeward Bound--Scarborough--Yarmouth Roads--Erith-- Greenwich Hospital--Conclusion 397

ERRATA. 

 Page 79, line 14, _for_ "Nelson, " _read_ "Gambier. " 92, omit "to the eye. " 100, line 12, _for_ "Nelson's, " _read_ "Gambier's. " 145, last line, _for_ "Braggesen, " _read_ "Baggesen. " 165, line 31, _for_ "they had endured, " _read_ "each of them had endured. " 201, line 9, _read_ "as here at Gottenborg. " 239, line 33, _for_ "immovably, " _read_ "immoveably. " 243, line 6, _for_ "jibbed, " _read_ "jibed. " 286, line 18, _for_ "everywhere, " _read_ "ever where. " 327, line 10, _for_ "than me, " _read_ "than I. " 338, line 31, _for_ "jibbing, " _read_ "jibing. "

 A YACHT VOYAGE TO NORWAY, SWEDEN, & DENMARK. 

CHAPTER I. 

 DEPARTURE FROM GREENWICH--THE HISTORY OF THE IRIS YACHT--SHEERNESS--HARWICH--UNDER WEIGH--THE NORTH SEA--SAIL IN SIGHT--THE MAIL OVERBOARD--SPEAKING THE NORWEGIAN. 

I believe the old Italian proverb says, that every man, before he dies, should do three things: "Get a son, build a house, and write a book. "Now, whether or not I am desirous, by beginning at the end, to end atthe beginning of this quaint axiom, I leave the reader to conjecture. Mybook may afford amusement to him who will smile when I am glad, andsympathise with the impressions I have caught in other moods of mind;but I have little affinity of feeling, and less companionship with himwho expects to see pictures of life coloured differently from those Ihave beheld. 

At three o'clock on the boisterous afternoon of the 1st of May, 1847, Ileft Greenwich with my friend Lord R----, in his yacht, to cruise roundthe coasts of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; and, although the period ofthe year at which I quitted London was the one I most desired to remainin it, and join, as far as I was able, in the pomps and gaieties of OldBabylon, I did not like to miss this opportunity, offered under suchfavourable circumstances, of seeing countries so rarely visited byEnglishmen, more particularly as the invitation had been pressed upon meso unaffectedly and kindly, that I could not, with any reason, declineit. 

Dropping down with the tide, we arrived the same evening alongside theguard-ship at Sheerness; and, being desirous of making ourselves snug, and of landing two unfortunate friends whom we had originally promisedto send ashore at Gravesend, we made fast to a Government buoy, andremained in smooth water till the following morning. 

The "Iris" cutter belongs to the R. Y. S. , and is the sister-vessel of the"Corsair. " She was built by Ratsey for the late Mr. Fleming, with whomshe was a great favourite, and for whom she won many valuable prizes. From England to the Mediterranean, she safely bore her first master manytimes; but with flowing canvass and with rapid keel at last enticed himonce too often from his native shore; for, during a cruise in theMediterranean, after many months of pain, he died while gazing on her. Passing through several hands, serving all equally well in gale or calm, she came at last into the possession of Lord R----, who has travelledfarther, and made more extraordinary voyages in her than any member ofthe Squadron; and in spite of all improvements adopted of late years inyacht-building, there are but few, if any, vessels of seventy-five tons, that can surpass her in speed and symmetrical beauty, or in the buoyantease with which she has encountered the fiercest storms. 

Her crew consisted of seven or eight regular seamen, a sailing-master, mate, cook, steward, and a boy to assist him. A fine Newfoundland dog, called "Sailor, " and a droll little ring-tail monkey, called "Jacko, "also joined in the mess for'ard. Lord R----, with Captain P---- andmyself, made up the entire complement. 

On Sunday morning, the 2nd, at eleven, as the church bells of Sheernesswere chiming a merry peal, we commenced preparations for our departure, by sending our two friends off in the jolly-boat, in which they musthave got pretty wet; for a sea was running sufficiently high to causethem some little discomfort. After a gloomy day's work, we reachedHarwich, and at nine in the evening rested again in five fathoms water. 

We rose betimes the following day, and strolled about the town in searchof stores. We collected on board every kind of preserved meat andvegetable one could think of; and every kind of wine, from champagnedown to cherry cordial, the taste of man could relish. We had milk, too, in pots, and mint for our peasoup; lard in bladders, and butter, bothfresh and salt, in jars; flour, and suet, which we kept buried in theflour; a hundred stalks of horseradish for roast beef; and raisins, citron, and currants, for plum-pudding. 

We had rifles and guns to shoot bears and wolves; and large rods, largeas small maypoles, to catch salmon, and small rods to secure the bait. We had fishing-tackle which, when unwound, went all the way into theafter cabin, and then back again ten times round the main cabin. 

We had water-proof boots, reaching up to the hips, for wading therivers; and India-rubber pilot-jackets for keeping the chest and backsecure from the spray of foss, or wave. Indeed, we had all that theheart of man could wish, and all that his judgment could devise. 

I contrived, before the day had passed, to become very sick of Harwichand myself; for of all dull holes in this kingdom of England, does notthis one claim the superlative degree? Tuesday, the 4th, still found meon the same spot, gazing on the two lighthouses; and, to enhance mygaiety, R---- and P---- went to Ipswich to see a schooner yacht, beingbuilt for an old friend of R---- and at that moment on the stocks. Theyreturned laden with turnips, carrots, radishes, and cabbages. Theluckless schooner was rated in great style--berths too numerous, andcabin not lofty enough. A fiddle also was bought to-day for Jerome, asailor, who, though self-taught, had some idea of music and afterwards, wiled away, in Norway, and on the ocean, during the calm evenings, manya weary hour, by playing to us some of Old England's most plaintiveairs. 

The following day came and went in the same monotonous fashion as itspredecessor, since I find its events recorded thus:--"Fine day--nothingnew. Went ashore. Bought fish, mutton, and beef. Eat all the fish, andsome of the beef. Wind E. S. E. "

Thursday dawned beautifully calm, and not a cloud was visible betweenearth and the blue Heaven. As I paced up and down the deck, yet dampwith dew, I thought the serenity of the morning emblematic of our futurewanderings--and was I wrong? As the sun gained altitude and power, thewater became rippled with a light air, and nine o'clock found us fairlyunder weigh. 

There was not a heavy heart on board; even Jacko chirupped, and, swinging by his tail from the bowsprit shroud, revelled in the warmsunshine. Being desirous of showing the exuberance of our spirits, R----, who had observed an old dame and her maid plying in a wherryround the cutter--probably to take a nearer view of our beautiful craftand her adventurous crew, or, perhaps to breathe the morning air, I knownot which--ordered the two quarter swivels to be loaded, and watchinghis opportunity, when the cautious wherry came rather near, fired bothof them right over the old lady's black bonnet, and sent the wad fizzingand smoking into the servant-girl's lap. I need not describe the alarmof the old woman, nor the shriek of the young one; but the grin of thewell-seasoned tar who rowed, coupled with his efforts to keep the fairfreight quiet where he had stowed it, were worth our whole cargo. 

We shipped from this port a man named King, who was to act asinterpreter. He had been in Norway, and was well acquainted with thepeople and language, having been for many previous years of his lifeemployed in the lobster fisheries. He proved a most willing, honest, good-tempered servant, and a most useful linguist. 

The wind being light, the Iris found it tough work in stemming thestrong tide which sets into Harwich; but we contrived at half-pasteleven to pass Orfordness Light. At six, the breeze having eastern'd alittle, and increased till it became what sailors term "pleasant, " welost sight of Lowestoff; and lastly, being this day's work, as well asfor the information of all nautical men, we sounded at half-past sevenon Smith's Knoll, in seven fathoms. 

Friday morning, the 7th, dawned upon our glorious craft dashing throughthe water in great style, with a moderate breeze from S. To S. S. E. As Icast my eye round the horizon, and descried no land, thoughts of olddays crowded to my recollection, when I left home for the first time, and England for the West Indies. How all the high hopes of youth hadvanished; and how unaltered my condition _now_ from what it was _then_!Had an angel come down from Heaven and told me, twelve years ago, whenI, a boy, stood on the hencoop of a West Indiaman, gazing at the Lizard, that I should be the same creature in feeling and condition, I shouldhave questioned the prophecy. But the wind is fair, and this is no timefor sorrowful thoughts. 

"Hard-up the helm! Dick, " said D----. 

"Ay, ay, sir. "

"Steady!--So. "

"Steady, sir. "

"Some man there, heave the lead!" and down it went, rushing, infive-and-twenty fathoms on the Silver Pits. At nine, the vessel was hoveto, and we tried our lines for fish, but did not succeed. We filled onher again, and stood away, as before, to the N. E. At two o'clock, whilewe were trying our lines for the second time, I felt, suddenly, squeamish; and, in spite of the splendid weather and pure air, wishedmyself most heartily in the middle of Bond-street, or any, the mostignoble alley in the neighbourhood of Leicester-square. I closed my eyesand fancied myself seated on a bench in the Green Park, watching thesheep browsing round me, and listening to the rumbling of carriages asthey passed along Piccadilly. I opened my eyes; the vision fades, and, lo!

 "Nil nisi pontus et aer. "

However, I plucked up courage, and remained on deck until half-past six, when the gaff-topsail was unbent and the top-mast struck; D----, thesailing-master, anticipating no good from the calm, and the dense fog, which had succeeded a fine wind and cheerful sunshine. 

Early in the morning, about four o'clock, I was awakened by a good dealof laughing and shuffling of feet on deck, and by an occasional thump, as if a cargo of pumpkins was being taken on board. 

I leaped out of my berth, and, putting my head above the companion, sawall the men who composed the watch hard at work with theirfishing-lines, and the main-deck covered with several large codfish. Witnessing the pugnacity of one or two fish when they were hauled out ofthe water, I turned in again: for it was no easy matter to stand, theswell increasing as we got more on the Dogger Bank. 

While we were at breakfast, eating cods' sound and talking of smokedsalmon, the sailing-master came below and told us a small vessel was insight, and, by running down to her, we might speak her and send lettershome by her. Of course, all the married men commenced scratching ingreat style both paper and their pates, and in a shorter time than couldbe imagined, made up a small mail. The more strenuously, however, weendeavoured to approach the vessel, the more she bore away; and, being along way to the eastward of us, and going before the wind with hersquare-sail set, it was doubtful whether we should fetch her. At last, we fancied she mistook us for pirates; for, I must confess, we lookedsuspicious; and the squadron ensign flying at the peak made our cutterappear more warlike and determined than she really was. By eleven, notwithstanding our friend's manœuvring, we were pretty close to her, and, lowering the dingy as quickly as possible, two men were ordered topull to the strange smack, and, ascertaining her destination, to deliverthe letters. This last action on our part took the poor craft bysurprise; for it was curious to observe the pertinacity with which thislittle vessel avoided our boat, although we used every stratagem devisedby seafaring men to allay the consternation of the weak: such as thewaving of our caps, the hoisting of pacific signals, the lowering of ourgaff-topsail, &c. , &c. ; nor could she be persuaded of our amicableintentions before poor King had shouted, at the top of his lungs, thatwe were Englishmen in search of pleasure, and destined for no maraudingpurpose. 

She turned out to be, what our glasses had anticipated at daylight, aNorwegian, laden with dried fish, and bound to the coast of Holland;and, therefore, our letters were brought back. 

Scarcely had the incident I have just mentioned come to a conclusion, than another sail, just emerging from the horizon, was discovered on ourweather bow. We rubbed our hands, plucked our caps over the forehead, and walked up and down the deck more briskly than ever; for there is noman who has not been to sea can imagine the feelings of sailors when, far from land, a sail is seen. 

Every minute now brought us closer, and at two P. M. We had comewithin hail. There was little wind, but a nasty short sea was running;and it was comical in the extreme to observe each man endeavouring tosteady himself, and place his hands to his mouth for the purpose ofhailing, when a sudden swell would send him rolling over Sailor's hutch, or seat him gently on the sky-light behind. After a little trouble, thespeaking-trumpet was found and brought on deck, and by its assistance acommunication was opened with the vessel. She was a large Norwegianbark from Christiansand, and bound to London. To our request that theywould take charge of some letters, the captain, leaning over theweather-quarter, assented in a loud Norwegian dialect. The questionwhich now arose was, how were we to get the said letters on board; butnecessity, being here established as the mother of invention, gave aprompt answer. P----, holding the letters in his hand, desired that apotato might be brought. The largest from the store was presented. Itwas then lashed with a piece of twine to the letters, now transposedinto a tidy brown-paper parcel, which P----, balancing in the palm ofhis left hand, suggested was not of sufficient weight to reach the ship. We were not long at a loss, for the cook appeared, grim and smiling, with a tolerable-sized coal exposed to view and approbation, between histhumb and forefinger. Side by side, like a fair-haired youth with hisswarthy bride, the coal and potato were placed; and P----, poising forthe second time the precious parcel, rolled up his shirt-sleeve, and, throwing himself well back, hurled, with all the elegance of a Parthian, coal, potato, and parcel toward the Norwegian captain's head. But, horror! the potato and coal combined proved rather too heavy, and, retaining their impetus longer than intended, carried the lucklessbrown-paper bundle over the lee-side and into the North Sea. 

The ship immediately backed her main-yard, and, lowering one of herstern boats, sent her off in search of the unhappy letters; but havingrowed about for some time without catching a glimpse of coal, paper, orpotato, the search was abandoned, and the boat came alongside of us. After delivering another packet of brown paper, and presenting each man(there were four) with a bottle of brandy, we parted company with mutualgood wishes conveyed through our interpreter, King, not omitting sundrywell-meaning gesticulations telegraphed between the fat Norwegiancaptain on the weather quarter and ourselves. This was the firstspecimen we had met with of northern kindness; and, although we hadheard a great deal of their unaffected goodness of heart, this act ofcivility made no slight impression upon us. At four o'clock, while ourNorwegian bark was just _hull down_, the gaff-topsail was taken in, astrong S. E. Wind with rain having arisen. The wind still increasing, atseven the first reef in the mainsail was also taken in, jibs shifted, and the bowsprit reefed. 

During the rest of the evening I was a martyr to all the miseries ofsea-sickness, and, stretched at full length on the cabin sofa, I closedmy eyes, and, allowing my thoughts to wander where they would, hoped tocheat myself out of my present discomfort; but nausea, like no other illto which we are subservient, is not to be pacified, and I lay the wholenight sensible of the keenest pain. 

CHAPTER II. 

 FOGGY WEATHER--FIRST VIEW OF NORWAY--CHRISTIANSAND FIORD--ARRIVAL AT CHRISTIANSAND--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN--THE TOPTDAL RIVER--EXCURSION INLAND--THE ENTHUSIASTIC ANGLER--RUSTIC LODGINGS--HUNTING THE BEAR--THE TRAP--THE DEATH--NORWEGIAN LIBERALITY. 

Sunday, the 9th, dawned on us, tossed about on a troubled sea indeed;for a strong wind was blowing from E. S. E. However, at eight o'clock, just before breakfast, we sounded in thirty-five fathoms. We hadscarcely concluded this cautious operation before the wind began tolull; and after conjecturing, both from our calculations and soundings, that land was not far away, we were confirmed in this opinion by a thickfog rising above the horizon on our lee beam. We went to dinner in greatglee, and, in spite of the hazy atmosphere which now surrounded us, compensation was felt and accepted by us at the hour of six, when aperfect calm prevailed; and our peasoup and curry were threatened, forthe first time this week, to be demolished in that gentlemanly andcollected mode which the usages of society had rendered familiar to ourobservation in England. 

At eleven o'clock at night the haziness cleared away, and in about halfan hour afterwards a light was seen. It was imagined to be the light atthe mouth of the Christiansand Fiord, the name of which, amidst thebustle and joyousness of the moment, I could but indistinctly learn, andcannot now remember. As midnight approached, our old friend the foggathered density, and effectually deprived us of the slightest glimpseof the light; and we retired to rest ill at ease, plunged into the valeof anxiety in the same ratio as we had been exalted on the peaks ofexpectation and joy. 

Sunday at sea retains all the monotony of the shore; for the waves seemto show deference to the day, and move their crests with more solemnityand order; while the sailors gather round the vessel's bows, and, in agroup, listen with wrapt attention to the sublime and poetic sentencesof prophetic Isaiah. 

I cannot, in all my wanderings at sea, call to mind a tempestuousSabbath, nor the sailors who would profane it. Mark them! How solemnlythe shadow of thought hangs over their countenances; and how, with cheekcradled on the hand, with pipes unsmoked in their mouths, leaning overthe bulwarks, their eyes intently riveted on the clear distant horizon, as, carried away by the inspiration and fervour of the great prophet, amessmate, who reads with energy of gesture, ever and anon raises hisvoice, which, by its tremulous intonation, tells the deep feeling of hisheart, and the quickness with which its pulse vibrates in answer to theburning words he utters aloud!

Monday, the 10th, the most lovely of May mornings, fanned by the softestof south winds. Land in all its grandeur of mountain and of cloud laybefore me, the towering peaks of the mountains, capped with everlastingsnow, and piercing an atmosphere of the intensest blue. 

I sat down on the after-lockers, and looked with swelling heart on thesublime scene. As far as the eye could reach inland, mountain overmountain, extending round half the horizon, the land of old Norway, Ihad read of in my earliest years, expanded itself. On my left hand theNaze hung, frowning, over the Northern Ocean. How memory, in a moment, rushed back to the quaint schoolroom at Ditton, and its still quainterlittle bookcases huddled up in one corner, where and whence I firstbegan to pronounce and find the "Lindsnes!"

Just at this instant, poor old "Sailor, " who had been poking his noseover the vessel's side, and snuffing and whining, rushed up to me, and, placing his head in my lap, turned his eyes towards my face, and lookedas much as to say, "Are we not near our journey's end; and don't I smellthe land?" Little Jacko, too, came out of his crib, and chirped, andchattered, and scratched himself, and rolled about on the deck in thesunniest corners; and then, all of a sudden, up he would jump, and, seizing hold of "Sailor's" tail, pull it as if he was hauling taut theweather runner. How everything was replete with life; and how happiness, without the heart's reservation, was written on every face! I cannotconceive anything more exhilarating than a beautiful morning at sea, andland in sight; I could have passed the remaining portion of my lifewithout a pang of sorrow, or a gush of joy, but with equanimity, on thisdark blue wave, surpassed only in its dark dye and eternity by the domeon which it looked. 

When I returned upon deck after breakfast, the first object thatattracted my attention was the helmsman. He smiled as soon as his eyemet mine, and raised, in recognition, his Spanish-looking hat. He was astout, tall, fair-complexioned man, with a mild expression ofcountenance, blue eyes, a long, straight-pointed nose, high cheekbones, and light flaxen hair flowing down almost to his shoulders. He made someobservation to me in a dialect which sounded as being a mixture ofGerman, Celtic, and English; but the sense of it was incomprehensible. 

"Norway?" I said in reply, pointing to the land now not three miles fromus. 

"Ja, ja, " he answered; and, turning to King, our interpreter, begged, inthe Norwegian language, that some of the sails might be trimmed. 

I need not say he was the pilot who had come on board to take us up toChristiansand. His dress differed not from the ordinary costume of ourown pilots; but I could not help gazing on him with a feeling of mysteryand interest which cannot easily be described. His whole appearance borea close resemblance to all I had read and seen in pictures of theEsquimaux; and now I have formed their acquaintance personally, I feelassured that the Norwegians are a branch of that family. 

The scenery, the nearer we approached the shore, heightened in grandeur. Though we were now not a mile from the most bold and formidable rocks, no harbour or creek of any kind could be seen where we might findshelter; yet our northern guide continued to point out with his fingerand explain as well as he could in his strange but harmonious idiom, themouth of the Fiord, up which we were to proceed to Christiansand. 

The rocks along this coast of Norway are terrific, the sea breaking andrushing upon them with tremendous noise and fury. Nor do the waves everrest peaceably here: for the tides of the North Sea and of the Cattegatboth meet together at this point of the "Sleeve, " and cause a fearfulswell, which, when aided at times by the wind, rises to such a greatheight that vessels are obliged to run for protection into some of thesmaller fiords abounding in this quarter. 

It was now mid-day, and the sun shone with more heat than I had felt inthe tropics. Indeed, everything around us reminded one so vividly of atropical climate, that it required some resolution to keep imaginationin subserviency. The thermometer was at 80 on deck; and ourgood-tempered pilot told us it was "manga varm" in August. 

At one o'clock, the gallant Iris might be seen gliding along, with heraccustomed speed and elegance, in smooth water, up the ChristiansandFiord. As we sailed along we would now and then catch a glimpse of largeand small vessels in all directions, in full sail, wending their waythrough the tributary fiords to some town in the interior. On each sideof us rose from the surface of the water, perpendicularly into the clearsky, mountains of solid stone, covered to their very summits with noother vegetation than the fir, which springs out of the crevices of therocks. We pursued our course for many miles amidst the grandest scenery, changing like a panorama, at every point of land round which the vesselwound, and amidst the most profound silence, which is a peculiarity ofthese fiords. Ever and anon the gulls, in flocks of thousands, wouldsoar into the air, only the flapping of their wings echoing throughthese silent mountains. 

At three o'clock, as we sailed round an enormous rock about a mile high, with not a tree or shrub of any sort on its surface, the town ofChristiansand burst upon the view. 

We had no sooner anchored, and the sails were not yet furled, whenCaptain P----, who was an inveterate sportsman, went ashore to gatherwhat intelligence he could about the salmon fishing, it being for thatamusement Lord R---- had been induced to visit Norway. 

During the absence of P----, R---- and I lay down on the deck, andfeasted our eyes with the beautiful prospect around us. The novelty ofevery object which met the view acted in broad contrast to England. Thecutter was soon surrounded by boats without number, of the mostprimitive construction and fantastic form. One old man, wearing abear's-skin cap and a black frock coat, rowed off to us in the family"pram, " for the purpose of recommending his hotel to our notice, thecleanliness and comfort of which, he said, were unquestionable; since, to test the verity of his assertions, he handed to us a piece of paper, not larger than the palm of my hand, containing the names of thosepersons who had lodged under his roof; and the Earl of Selkirk, Sir JohnRoss, Sir Hyde Parker, and one or two other eminent men stood in boldrelief and large Norwegian type. This was the only deed approximating toBritish we had yet witnessed. 

Christiansand is considered as a tolerably important town, and is abouthalf the extent of Dover. The houses are all painted a pure whitecolour, which has a fine effect when brought so immediately in contrastwith the surrounding scenery. There being no ebb or flow of the sea inthis part of the earth, no beach exists, and the houses are built onpiles close to the water's edge, ships of 500 or 600 tons being mooredat the very doors of the warehouses. 

I could discover only one church within the precincts of Christiansand, and close to it a dancing academy; for the Norwegians, though they arepious, are as partial to the recreation of a dance as any of our Gallicneighbours; and, during the long and dark days of winter, the merchantsand other persons employed in business of any description, close theiroffices, and devote their time to sleighing and dancing. The town isclean and romantically situated, being girt on the E. And the S. By thepicturesque fiord, dotted with islands, which bears its name, and on theN. And W. By mountains rising one above the other until the eye losesthem in the mist of distance. 

The sun had already sunk beyond the mountains, when P---- returned onboard; and, near as the day seemed to its end, it was determined tostart for the Toptdal River, and proceed as far as Boom, a small villageabout twelve miles from Christiansand, where a merchant of some note hadgranted us permission to fish. 

Fishing-rods and fishing-books, and gaffs, and landing-nets, andeverything piscatory, were pulled from their cupboards and packed up, that is to say, tied together in three distinct bundles by the mate; andthe steward removed from the custody of the cook a large iron pot, whichhe filled with potatoes, as well as a smaller copper pot for stewing, but which, for the present, received a mustard-pot, some salt in paper, some black pepper, three teaspoons, and a similar number of knives andforks. A good-sized game-basket, cocked hat in shape, was then, after adiligent search, found, brought forth, and replenished with biscuits(for we had not, and could not buy, any bread), three pots of preservedmeats, three bottles of champagne, the same of claret, one bottle ofbrandy, one of Twining's chocolate tin cases filled with tea, both greenand black, and a like, though larger, one concealed from the inquisitivegaze some white sugar. 

About six o'clock, these items were stowed at the bottom of the gig, under the immediate superintendence of the steward, and the men, withtheir oars raised aloft in the air, showed all was prepared to convey uson our excursion. After taking leave of one or two Norwegian gentlemenwho had come on board to welcome us, with their characteristickindheartedness, to their country, and, with their usual unaffectedhospitality, to invite us to dine with them, we started. 

We had proceeded some distance when P----, after lighting hismeerschaum, and looking the ideal of comfort and delight, commencedrummaging the baggage of pots and baskets; and he had not given up hisenergies to that occupation more than a few seconds when his pipe almostdropped, paralyzed, from his mouth, and, with much vehemence of mannerand voice, he exclaimed, "Hang that fellow! Just like him; he has forgotten the pot. "

"What pot?" said R----. 

"Why, the copper one, of course, " retorted P----. "The knives and forksare in it, and the tea and sugar. "

"Avast pulling!" said the Coxswain. 

"We must go back, " said R----. 

"Very good, my Lord. Easy, starboard oars, " again said the Coxswain; andin a quarter of an hour, we were taking the copper kettle into the gig, which P---- placed quietly away, within his reach and sight, in thestern sheets. 

As we rowed on, our fingers (bringing to my recollection my school-days)would occasionally be thrust over the boat's side into the water to testits temperature; for it had been hinted to P---- at Christiansand, thatthe rivers might yet be too cold for the salmon to leave the sea andenter them. 

The Toptdal River is narrow, shallow, and swift of current; so that itis no facile task to contend with its rapidity and force. When we hadproceeded about half-way, the boat and its crew were left to contendwith the stream, and we commenced walking. 

It was now seven o'clock; and, though we were sheltered from the sun'srays by the huge mountain-shadows, the air was warm, and I felt in ashort time as greatly fatigued as if it were a dog-day in England. 

P----, who, as I said before, was excessively fond of fishing, led thevan; and, as we toiled along the bank of the river, would, himselfinsensible of weariness, scramble down declivities to its edge wheneverthe projecting rocks formed a kind of pool, and, scrambling up to usagain, would assert with emphasis, the convincing proofs the rivershowed of containing much fish. He would, likewise, plunge his hand intothe tide, and deem it temperate in the extreme. 

"There now, " he said, as we turned a point of land, and saw below us asmall bay formed by the indentation of the river, --"there now; do youmean to say there's no fish there?"

"I should think there were a great many, " replied R----. 

The river flowed on, and brought on its surface the foam of someneighbouring foss, floating unbroken in small lumps like soap-suds;which, borne by the eddying stream, revolved round and round a piece offallen rock elevated a little above the water. P----, with the eye of afisherman, gazed on the little bay; and it was with difficulty we coulddissuade him from putting his rod together and having a cast. However, we did eventually dissuade him; but he had barely gone on in front, withhis usual velocity of motion, when, at the suggestion of R----, I hurleda good-sized stone into the centre of the pool which had so rivetedP----'s fancy. 

"By Jove!" he shouted, and, starting back, "did you hear _that_? It wasa rise. Holloa!" and he hailed the boat which was struggling against thestream on the opposite bank. He seemed now determined to throw a fly;but the night was so near at hand, and Boom was yet so distant, that weexhorted him to mark the spot for our return on the following day. 

"Why, my dear fellow, in two minutes I shall have a bite. Walk on, I'llfollow. "

"No, no;" and, after a little consideration, he assented to what wesaid. 

The stars now began to show themselves, and shone forth with greatbrilliancy in the deep blue Heaven. The roar of the first foss, or fall, where we intended to fish, could be heard distinctly; and, about teno'clock, we arrived at Boom. 

We presented, on our arrival, a letter our merchant friend had writtento an old and confidential servant, to whose care he recommended us, anddesired that every facility should be afforded us in the attainment ofour sport. Although it was almost dark, we walked about with the oldNorwegian, who, in order to obtain our kind thoughts and inclinations, told us, that he had, in his youth, been apprenticed to a carpenter atHull. He spoke English sufficiently well to understand what we said, andmake himself understood by us. 

The first check P---- received to his ardour, was the Norwegian'sassertion, that the river was still too cold for angling; and that nosalmon had yet been seen or caught in the neighbourhood. He thenrecommended us to leave Norway and go to Copenhagen, or some othercapital in the south, and enjoy ourselves until the snows in theinterior had melted, and return to Christiansand about the end of thefirst week in June, when he guaranteed we should have salmon-fishing inall its phases to our heart's content. 

After a slight allusion to the letter we had delivered to him, and whichhe still held crumpled and soiled in his hand, he said, that hismaster's house was being painted, and he could not accommodate us as hehad been commanded; but, if we had no objection, he would lodge us forthe night at a cottage hard by. Many Englishmen, he added, had sleptthere, and found the people to whom it belonged, clean, attentive, andhonest. We replied, that we were content and wearied enough to rest anywhere, and were prepared to take in good part any abode he could offerus for the night. 

We strolled on; and, in a few minutes, a cottage, with thatched roof, and standing lonelily at the base of one of the high mountains, by whichwe were surrounded, loomed through the grey tint of evening. 

Its outward appearance at first, I must confess, staggered my sense ofcomfort and cleanliness very wonderfully; and its internal arrangementsdid not at all help to quiet my apprehensions. In one corner of the roominto which we were shown, stood a bedstead. Implements of cookery werescattered negligently about the floor, and on a huge hob bubbled a hugesaucepan. The presence of salt-herrings and other dried fish, the commonNorwegian diet, could, by no art, be concealed. The ceiling was so low, that I could hardly stand upright with my hat on; and the floor beingstrewed with juniper leaves, the smell of which, though not ungratefulin itself, aided by the villainous compound of stale tobacco smoke, inno way prepossessed me in favour of the cottager's nicety; and, finally, to consummate the discomfort, the small windows were closed as tightlyas a coffin, while the evening teemed with all the sultriness of anoriental latitude. 

R---- and P---- enjoyed my long face, and each, seating himself on theonly two deal chairs, laughed immoderately at my doleful complaints. Thegaunt Norwegian, the owner of this humble dwelling, made such comicalgrimaces, and winked his little eyes so frequently and eruditely, inendeavouring to fathom their mirth, that I could not restrain myself, and took a conspicuous part in the joke. After arranging, through King, who had come with us, as forming one of the boat's crew, where and howwe should sleep, we went into the open air, and R---- and P----, lighting their cigars, again entered into conversation with theAnglo-Norwegian regarding the sports of the country. He told us, withbrightening eyes, that, at the top of the mountain, which towered in therear of our cot, a large bear had been seen for some weeks past, and hisdepredations had been so extensive, that the peasantry many miles roundwere terrified out of their wits. This was something to hear; but theold man went on to say, that a bait, consisting of a dead horse, hadbeen laid, and he doubted not, but that in a day or two a shot might behad at the brute. After this narrative our sporting curiosity hadreached its zenith; and mutually promising to meet at a certain hour onthe morrow, we parted with our voluble informant. 

Some bread and cheese, and Bass's stout, formed our supper, andreconciled us to our dormitory; and, while we smoked our pipes at thenow opened window, we wandered back to old England, and talked offriends and fair ones left behind. 

It was near midnight. Descending from the hills, the smell of theevening air, impregnated with the sweet odour of a thousand wildflowers, refreshed us, jaded as we were by a long journey, and addeddelight to the novelty of our situation. The lofty mountains, too, oneither hand, seemed, with their summits, to touch the stars; and, exceptthe roar of a cataract, no sound interrupted the silence, which, amidstsuch vast natural creations, almost amounted to pain. 

Notwithstanding my many antipathies, I went to bed, and slept soundlytill the next morning, having awaked but once during the night to throwoff my eider coverlet. The Norwegians hold the eider in greatestimation, and, invariably, whether it be in summer or winter, place iton the bed of a stranger; but I would recommend those who travel in thatpart of Europe, as we did, during the three summer months, to declinethis domestic attention. The eider appears very much like a feathermattress, but is so light, that, when used as a coverlet, you canscarcely feel the difference between its weight and that of an ordinarylinen sheet. 

At six o'clock the following morning, we were up and on the banks of theriver, which flowed within sight of the cottage windows. Our oldNorwegian, punctual to his appointment, was walking by our sides in thejoint capacity of spectator and mentor. Captain P---- threw the firstfly, and continued throwing fly after fly, various as the tints of therainbow, but with the same result as the Norwegian had anticipated. Isoon became grieved at seeing the river well thrashed, and left P---- topersevere in his sport, and R----, like Charon, standing bolt upright ina punt, rod in hand, and tackle streaming in air, to be ferried about insearch of some quiet nook for his particular diversion. Besides, it wasnow nine, and I felt interiorly that breakfast would be more pleasantthan loitering on the banks of a river, pinched exteriorly by theeagerness of a N. E. Wind; for the climate of Norway, in the early partof summer, is influenced by the same fickleness as the climate ofEngland; and the wind, during the night, will visit the cardinal pointsof the compass, breathing as it did last night, from a warm quarter, andwill blow as it does this morning, from the opposite extreme. 

I had scarcely made myself a cup of coffee, and not yet added the cream, which encouraged the spoon to stand upright in its thickness, when R----and P----, tired with their angling, came in. After demolishing nearly adozen eggs amongst us, and two capital salmon-trout, which our fastfriend, the Anglo-Norwegian, had filched from a large cistern, wherethey are placed during the winter, for the benefit of his master'stable; and after imbibing cauldrons of coffee--so delicious was itsflavour--we showed and expressed great anxiety to pay Bruin thecompliments of the season, and as strangers and Englishmen to testify tohim, as loudly as we could, the repute his fat had obtained in England. 

Our cicerone raised no objection; and, turning to one of his countrymenwho had entered the room to gape at us, for I could not then, and Icannot now conceive the nature of his business, addressed him in hisnative language. The man immediately disappeared, and in half an hourreturned with two rifles over each shoulder, and one pistol in hisbreeches' pocket. The rifles were larger and heavier than thefowling-pieces formerly used by our regiments of the line, and thepistol was of the horse genus, and had a rusty muzzle and a flint lock. However, we were going to annihilate a ruthless foe; and the clumsinessof our accoutrements was of little moment. A few good-naturedobservations passed between us and the Norseman concerning thesusceptibility and quality of the powder, for its grains were coarserthan those black beads of which ladies in England make their purses. Thesaid powder for security, was poured into an empty porter-bottle, andcorked down. 

We started; but we had barely proceeded three-quarters of a mile beforeour little Anglo-Norwegian, who had abided by our good or ill fortuneconstantly from the beginning, suddenly remembered that some importantbusiness required his presence in the low lands where dwelt industryand peace, and accordingly recommending us to the skill of two guides, shook hands cordially with us, and in a few minutes his ominous face andoval form were hidden from our sight by the shrubs and stunted firswhich covered the mountain's side. 

The waning of his courage did not darken ours; for, like all Englishmen, we instantly commenced a political discussion, which terminated, afteran hour's duration, in the British fleet attacking, fatally, theNorwegian gun-boats at Christiansand, nemine contradicente, and the twoboors grinning from ear to ear. 

At length our guides, by signs, signified that silence was requisite. Aquarter of an hour more elapsed when one of them motioned us to keepclose, and going down on his hands and feet, intimated the proximity ofour game. 

We were now five and thirty yards from the brow of the mountain, and, crawling with the stealth and silence of a cat, the principal guidereached the summit, at the same moment levelling his gun, which made usimagine that Bruin was in full view; but gradually lowering his piece, till the butt reached the ground, and leaning on it with both hands, theman turned towards us, shook his head, and smiled. We were instantly byhis side. 

Round a hollow piece of table-land, tending to a swamp, we saw, standingat equal distances from each other, three sheds, constructed of long firpoles driven into the earth and tapering, like a cone, into the air, covered scantily with the branches of the pine or fir, and having anonly inlet by which a man, crouching, might reach the interior. In thecentre of this swamp the carcass of a horse lay, mangled and scatteredin every direction. The trunks of trees, which had been felled for thepurpose, were piled on the dead body; and this was done that the bear, finding it too troublesome, for he is economical of labour, to removethe body nearer to his den, would satisfy his hunger on the spot, andoffer an opportunity to overtake him at his meals; besides, the bear, being quick of sight and shy, and so sensitive of scent that he cansmell a man at the distance of a mile or more if he approaches _with_the wind, will frequently leave his food and as frequently return to it;and, therefore, the Norwegians conceal themselves in the kind of sheds Ihave described above, and remain for days and nights under suchprecarious roofs in order to circumvent and destroy the animal. 

We felt rather disappointed at not having even seen old Bruin, but agood laugh in some degree compensated us for the fatigue we hadundergone. For my own part, armed as I was with the rusty horse pistol, and intent on the manufacture of my own bear's grease, I had heard somany pleasing anecdotes of the bear's noble nature, that I did notregret his retreat had been commenced in time. These animals, unlessseverely pressed by hunger, will never attack any living creature, andwill even avoid with much care those parts of the mountains where cattleare wont to feed; and it is beyond the recollection of the oldestinhabitant, or, indeed, the reach of tradition, when a child has been, in the slightest degree, hurt by the Norwegian bear. On the contrary, itis well known that these animals have met children in their track, and, though at the time much oppressed by thirst and famine, have passed themharmlessly by. 

We sate down on a large rock, about twelve feet square, slightlyelevated above the ground, and entirely overgrown with moss. A small firtree, not ten inches high, grew in its centre, and the symmetry of itsdiminutive trunk, rendered more beautiful by the regularity with whichits little branches sprung forth and drooped around first attracted ournotice to the spot as one where we should rest. 

It was so situated that we could see for many miles around us in onedirection; but were excluded from any prospect at the other points. Abog, filled with animalculæ of all forms sporting about in the water, which was black from long stagnation, surrounded three parts of therock, leaving but one approach to it, which was the side least raisedabove the level of the earth. The bog, therefore, acted as a moat; andit was with that, or some similar feeling of security, we stretchedourselves at full length on the soft moss, and basked in the sun. P----, as usual, drew forth his pipe, and soothing himself with itsfumes, exemplified absolute comfort and contentment in the placidity ofhis countenance. R---- dangled his legs over the edges of the rock; andI, assuming the same attitude, gazed with him on the mountains toweringand straggling, at a great distance above and beneath us. 

"What a bore it is" said R----, "fagging all the way up here, and notgetting a shot at that brute. "

"Why, yes, " I replied, "but bears, you know, are as likely to deceivepeople now-a-days, as will-o'-the-wisps did monks of yore. "

"That's all very well, " observed R----, "but I am no monk, and I thinkthose Norwegians tell a good many lies; and this dead horse has beenonly pulled about up here by a herd of famished dogs, and no bear. Thesefellows say there _are_ bears to make their country appear finer than itis. "

"No, no, " answered P----, "the fact is, we are too late; the day is hot, as you feel, and these animals disliking the heat, feed at daylight, andthen retire into the heart of the forest, where they can escape theoppression of the mid-day sun. "

"Always?" R---- asked. 

"Of course, " replied P----. 

"Oh! of course;" R---- reiterated, "that may be natural philosophy, butmy way of thinking seems as natural; and I take it, that, when animals, like men, know where food is to be found and eat for the mere walking, sunlight and moonlight, heat and cold are alike to them. "

"I know, " answered P----, "these Norwegian fellows tell enormouscrammers; but you may depend upon it, if we wish to get sport we mustget up earlier. "

"Well, " R---- replied, "all I can say to the bears and sporting animalsin general is, that if they don't breakfast a little later, or indulgein luncheons, they won't hear much of _me_. Fun is fun, and sport issport; but catch _me_ out of bed at half-past 2 A. M. "

"I abide by R----, " I said, "I hold his logic in high repute, since itsprinciple is good. "

P---- replied not; but, removing the pin from his silk neckcloth, stirred up with its sharp point the smouldering ashes of his pipe. R----looked in silence at the surrounding scene, and then broke into anexclamation of rapture. 

"Is it not beautiful?" concurred P----, turning his eyes in thedirection of the mountains. "There is nothing in the world to becompared to the sublimity of this scenery, defined as the outlines areby the clearness of the atmosphere and its deep blue tint. " After ashort pause he continued, "When we can see at one glance such animmensity of space, and know that this vast tract of mountain and ofvalley must be full of animal life, is not this silence awful?"

We made no answer, but tacitly complied with his observation. 

The rustling of dried leaves and the sharp crack of a breaking twig nowcrept upon the ear; and P----, a sportsman at all points and at alltimes, had already turned in the direction whence the interruption came;and, as I was about to speak, he grasped me convulsively by the arm, and, without any other intimation of danger, began slowly to raise hisrifle from the ground. R---- and I immediately started up, utterly at aloss to know the cause of his dismay. 

"For God's sake!" P---- whispered, without removing his eyes from thequarter where they had been fixed, "don't speak: here he is!"

"Here is what?" in imitative whispers, breathed R----; but, at the sametime, cocking the trigger of his rifle, "I don't see him. "

"Don't fire!" again whispered P----; "take your time. "

"'Don't fire!' and 'take your time, '" said R----; "but _what_ do yousee?"

"Look _there_! don't you see him--close to that old stump?"

"Oh! ah! _now_ I do. By Jove! he's a wapper!"

"Where are those fellows?" asked P----, glancing round. I guessed towhom he alluded, and beckoned to our guides, who were sitting at someshort distance, in ignorance of our plight, but had been watching ouractions with all the attention, and listening to our conversation withall the comprehension of persons who did not understand our language. Aninstant sufficed to range them at our elbows. 

P---- pointed to the spot he had already suggested as the focus ofattention, and they both saw, with the quick-sightedness of menaccustomed to live by the chase, the cause of his excitement. 

"Ja! ja!" they exclaimed simultaneously, their countenances radiant withjoy, "goot. "

P---- bowed his head in the affirmative; and we could not help admiringthe courage of the Norwegians, which seemed to merge into enthusiasm, the more imminent the risk and danger of our sport became. 

An enormous bear, apparently fatigued by long travel, and panting loudlywith protruding tongue, slowly stalked forth from a mound of earth whichhad accumulated round the stump of a beech-tree grown to maturity, butnow decaying in the midst of rushes and briars of every sort. Bruin, nodoubt, overheard our voices, for he stopped on his way, drew in histongue, ceased his violent respiration; and, raising his head on high, snuffed the air on all sides, and then placing his nose close to theground, kept it there for some little time. He was eighty or ninetyyards from the spot where we stood. As again his head was lifted up, his small tuft of a tail moved quickly from right to left, revealing histurbulence and hesitation. 

"Don't let us all fire together, " hinted P----, in an under tone; "butlet those Norwegians blaze away first, as we don't know anything abouttheir skill. "

"Then, I'll follow, " said R----. 

"And my pistol next, " I interceded. 

"Very well; and I will try my luck last, " said P----. "Are all ready?"

"All right, " we both answered, and the two Norwegians assented with anod. 

The bear kept moving gradually near and nearer to the bait, andapproached within a very short space of the rock where we lay hid, thickly surrounded by the branches of the fir and beech. 

"Fire!" breathed P----, lowly. 

One guide, elevating his gigantic rifle, pulled the trigger. Atremendous report was one result, and the total disappearance of theNorwegian was the other; the fowling-piece having kicked him completelyoff the edge of the rock into our natural moat, the bog. We heard thesplash of the man's body below, and thought, at first, he was killed bythe bursting of his rifle; but when his companion, who had leaped downto his assistance, helped him, reeking and muddy, from the dominions ofthe tadpole, and placed him, uninjured, though stunned, on his legs, wecould not resist a burst of merriment at his countenance of unmitigateddisgust, as the liquid filth oozed from the tips of his dependentfingers. 

The sound of our laughter alarmed Bruin, and revealed us to his sight, and, rising immediately on his hind-legs, he commenced moving towardsthe Norwegians, and hissing like a hot coal dipped in cold water. 

"Hang the mud, jump up!" exclaimed P----. 

"Grin and _bear_ it, old fellow, " and, saying so, R---- quietly levelledhis rifle, with some misgiving, for it was of Norwegian manufacture, andfired at the animal. Poor Bruin received the ball in his left fore-leg;and, with a piteous moan, he instantly assumed his natural position onall fours, and hissed and growled, and licked the blood which streamedfrom the wound. The animal, nothing daunted, even in this extremity, still moved towards us with great ferocity; and, as he came within fortyfeet, P---- lodged a second bullet in his loin. The pain exasperated himto the quick, and he rushed furiously towards the rock. 

"Where's the powder?" shouted P----. 

"I don't know, " echoed from every one. No powder could be found; theNorwegian having taken possession of the porter bottle, and placed it inhis pocket, had doubtlessly fallen with it into the quagmire; and theyhad now absconded. 

"Don't let him get up!" continued P---- emphatically. 

"Not to my knowledge, " R---- replied, assuming a long recognisedattitude of great military defence. 

I now presented my rusty old horse-pistol at Bruin's head, at aninterval sufficient under the circumstances, of three yards, and firedit; when, whether from having received its contents, or from alarm atits loud report, the bear rolled over on his back; but, recoveringhimself in a moment, he made an awkward spring, short of the rock, andreceived, in commemoration of his false agility, a blow on the head fromthe butt-end of R----'s rifle. The shock removed R----'s glazed cap fromhis head, and it fell, bounding from the rock, close to Bruin's nose. Mistaking, no doubt, this ingenious covering for R----'s especial skull, the bear, infuriated, flew at it impetuously, and seizing it in hismouth, shook it as an angry dog would have shaken a rag. 

The blood was now fastly trickling down his tongue, which hung from hismouth, and through his side at every pulsation, spouted, smoking, thewarm element of life. Gradually, slowly, yet reluctantly, his headdrooped towards the ground, and, faint from loss of blood, the animal, tottering from side to side, sate, weakened as he was, upright on hishaunches, showing his teeth, and growling until the coagulated blood, accumulating in his throat, would make him cough, and threatenedsuffocation. 

Descending from the rock, we came near to the dying creature, and, striving to reach one of us, he lifted his paw, and, as he did so, losthis balance, and tumbled over on the earth. Although, as we supposed, onthe point of death, the gallant brute still growled, and attempted torise again and renew the fight, but complete exhaustion denied what hiscourage prompted. 

The Norwegians now reappeared, and one of them knelt down to removeR----'s cap from the bear's clutches; but the undaunted Bruin, as ifdesirous of giving his countryman a final embrace, seized him round theneck, and drew him tightly to his clotted breast. We were, of course, alarmed a second time for the man's safety, and by great exertions triedto release him from his perilous condition; but our efforts were not alittle crippled by the legs of the Norwegian, which he flung violentlyabout at every possible tangent; and one arm, moving with the rapidoscillating motion of a steam-engine, brought the fist in sharp contactwith the other Norwegian's chest, and threw him, head over heels, intothe identical pool whence he had himself but lately escaped. 

The accident was so ludicrous, that in the ecstasies of mirth, we forgotthe man lying prostrate and kicking in the arms of the bear; until, bydint of his own exertions, he released himself, and, standing uprightbefore us, showed his face plastered from forehead to chin, and ear toear, with a multitude of withered leaves, which adhered to the blood hehad borrowed from the animal's wounds. 

The poor bear was now dead; and, behaving bravely as he did to the last, we could not help regretting his end. Though young, he almost reached anAlderney cow in height and standard, and great power was developed inthe sinews and breadth of his chest. His coat to the touch and sight wassoft and glossy as silk. 

After standing over his body for a few minutes in silent observation, R---- wiped the gore from his cap, and placing it, shattered as it was, on his head, we all left the bear, for the present, where he lay; andwandering through the forest for some time, enjoyed the coolness of theair at this great elevation, pursuing, by a circuitous route, ourdescent to the cottage. 

Our fame, unlike the

 "Fama malum, " &c. , &c. 

of Virgil, did, certainly, precede us with great velocity, but withbeneficial effects; for the women came forth to meet us, and looking upin our faces, found out our eyes were beautiful, and our noses bettermoulded than their own, and called us handsome "Ingerleesh;" and themen, grasping us by the wrists, said we were brave and "gootIngerleesh. "

One little blue-eyed girl, the elegance of her light form unaided by thecare of art, attracted my attention; and, with finger in her mouth, sidling coaxingly to me, took my hand gently in hers, and begged in thesweet idiom of her country, and in the earnest tones of her own sweetervoice, that I would carry her with me to "Ingerlaand, " where she wouldserve me, like a slave, till she died. 

The sun had long passed the meridian before the felicitations on oursuccess were at an end; and then, having recommended the bear's carcassto the custody of our ancient and well-tried friend, theAnglo-Norwegian, who promised to preserve the skin for us till ourreturn, (and who, by the way, was the first to meet us and thank hispagods for our safe issue out of the skirmish, ) and having made atrifling present to our host, we packed up our pots and pans, and, seating ourselves in the gig, were again floating on the Toptdal River. 

P----'s first love, the pool, was not forgotten, for he gave it awistful glance in passing; but the wind drawing aft, our sail was set, and stopping was beyond all question. We continued our course withoutany interruption until we arrived at the mouth of the river, when asudden puff took a fancy for R----'s renowned cap, and, forcing it fromhis head, raised it high in its embrace, and kept it there for a secondor two; then, as if suddenly relaxing in its caresses, tossed itvehemently away into the water. 

We all witnessed the gyrations of the cap, and saw it fall; but, beforewe could row to the spot, the great _tile_ sank from repletion, and--forever!

The same puff in its subtlety nearly capsized us, and completely carriedaway the step of the mast. No other incident befell us; and we jumped onboard the Iris as the church at Christiansand was striking six. 

Wednesday, the 12th, did us the kindness of showing the aspect of OldNorway under the effect of a different atmosphere than we had yetinhaled; for it rained the whole day with all the accumulatedsteadiness, rheumatic rawness, slowness, and obstinacy of a Scotch, orEnglish November mist. We did not, however, heed the weather, but rowedround the Bay, and strolled on the islands in its vicinity, stimulatedby the hope of getting a shot at some animal, fish or bird; but no suchluck overtook us. We returned on board, wet through, after being absentfor three hours, and while removing our damp boots, concluded that wewere deceived on our first arrival, and, that Norway was the same"humbugging" sort of a place as the rest of Europe; and, indeed, thatthe whole world was subject to the identical changes of shower, fog, andsunshine. 

Some Norwegian gentleman, just at this nick of time and temper, sent onboard a salmon, a brace of black cock, and a cock of the north, aslarge as a turkey, and we immediately admitted the generosity offoreigners, particularly these Norsemen, but shut out the drizzle ofWednesday, the 12th of May, from any kind of sympathy. 

CHAPTER III. 

 DEPARTURE FROM CHRISTIANSAND--THE PILOT'S PRAM--SKAW POINT--DELINQUENCIES OF JACKO--EXPENSIVE CANNONADING --ELSINEUR--HAMLET'S WALK--THE MINISTER, STRUENSEE-- STORY OF QUEEN CAROLINE-MATILDA--LEGEND OF THE SERF. 

Thursday broke without a cloud. The wind breathed softly over themountains from the West. We had no object to detain us longer, for thepresent, in Norway, and so the cutter was got under weigh. The windgradually increased, and, at eight o'clock, we passed the Oxoe Light, atthe eastern extremity of the Fiord. 

The pilot, unaccustomed to the speed of an English yacht, was muchalarmed about the safety of his boat towing at the cutter's stern; for, now and then, the antiquated pram would dip its nose so deeply into thewater, being drawn swiftly through it, as to threaten instantsubmersion; and his attention divided between the tiller of a vessel, which flew up in the wind's eye with the slightest negligence, and hisanxiety for the well-being of his own boat, --the countenance of theNorse tar was a book on whose leaves the student might have seen howtruly "the ridiculous and sublime" can be united. 

"Now then, my man, " said D----; "mind your helm, or you'll have her upin the wind in a minute. "

"Ja; but luke at moin praam--moin Got!"

"Curse your pram, --she won't hurt; haul her on board, " said D---- tosome of the sailors. 

"Nej, nej, " exclaimed the Norwegian; "zare--luke zare! Moin Got! luke atmoin praam!"

"Her timbers are good, ain't they? If they're good, and will holdtogether, this lop wont hurt her, " observed D----. 

"Ja, --goot; but ze vater _ville_ come into moin praam. Moin Got!"

The fellow was glad to take his dollars and his leave, and, as soon ashe did so, we shaped our course for the Skaw Point, the most northerlyheadland of Denmark. The wind now blew strongly from W. S. W. , and theIris tore furiously along, revelling with her favourite breeze, threepoints on the quarter; and, bounding from wave to wave, she seemed todally with their soft white crests, which curved half playfully, halfreluctantly, as her proud bows met and kissed them lightly, then threwthem, hissing, in her wake. 

At noon, the latitude observed, was 57. 54; and at five o'clock we madethe Skaw through the crevices of a fog. 

We had run nearly one hundred miles in nine hours, and the reader mayeasily understand the alarm of the pilot for the safety of his boat. Atsix o'clock, the fog cleared away, and we discerned with our glassesfive vessels which had run ashore during the thickness of the weather. These mishaps frequently occur along this part of the Danish shore, forit is very low, and invariably shrouded in mist. 

We did not lack society; as hundreds of vessels of all shapes and sizes, from the lumbering Dutchman to the trim American, were scattered overthe surface of the water. We amused ourselves by signalling, first toone ship, and, then, to the other brig, and so on, in rotation, fromschooner to smack; and, thus occupied, the afternoon wagged on. 

Jacko was convicted of a few misdemeanours to-day, and the principalwitness against him was his particular friend, Alfred, the boy. Jackowas seen to descend into the cabin, and, entering my berth, to takethence my best London-made and only remaining tooth-brush; and, afterpolishing his own diminutive teeth, and committing other pranks with it, such as the scrubbing of the deck, and currying of Sailor's back, leftit to batten on the fish-bones in the said Sailor's hutch; and was, moreover, seen by the aforesaid complainant to remove R----'s smallivory box of cold cream from the dressing-case, and, ascending thedeck, --not as human creatures do by the companion-stairs, but along thecompanion-banisters, carrying the purloined article in his tail, --toanoint, in the first instance, his own pugged nose; and, in the secondinstance, to transfer the obligation to Sailor's (always Sailor!) shaggyears and shaggier coat; and then, that his guilt might be concealed, till the day of judgment for ring-tailed monkeys should come, the littlebox itself was sent overboard through one of the scuppers. Jacko wasfound guilty of these two charges by the steward and helmsman, (whosepipe Jacko had also committed to the waters of the Scaggerack, ) andordered to the mast-head; and there he remained for three hours sittingclose to the jaws of the gaff, and chattering, without cessation, hisannoyances to the gaff halliard blocks. 

At midnight, the Trindelen light-ship bore west, distance six or sevenmiles. Although Cronenborg Castle had been in sight all day, we did notanchor off the town of Elsineur (the wind being so light) until sixo'clock on Friday evening. Immediately on our arrival, a boat was sentashore to deliver the vessel's papers; for, though the ancientprivileges of Cronenborg are not held with such paramount sovereignty asthey used to be of yore, some form, and merely form, is, however, observed. For instance--in passing the castle, the ensign of thecountry to which the vessel belongs must be hoisted at the peak, or atthe fore, according to the character of the vessel; and, should thisregulation be encroached upon, a gun from the citadel is immediatelyfired, and is followed by others until the flag is hoisted, andcontinues to be fired until the flag is seen at its proper place; and, when the commotion is at an end, an artillery officer, or his deputy, boards the refractory vessel and demands payment, (every gun, fired, atso much) for the powder expended in bringing the crew to their senses. Many droll scenes occur between the Castle and the Dutchmerchant-vessels going up the Baltic; for the Dutchmen, either fromtheir unwieldiness, or from the confused cargo they carry, cannot alwaysbe made, on the instant, to conform to some of these regulations; andthe artillerymen, being desirous of profiting by the apparentnegligence, knowing well the cause, open an unremitting cannonade on thepassive Hollanders, and, in the course of a few minutes, will run up atolerably long bill. 

The night was most beautiful, and the sea calm as death. The fine oldCastle of Cronenborg, casting a dark shadow over the water even to thevessel's side, made me dream of days and legends gone by as I remainedsilently gazing on its elegant tower. My mind, filled with melancholyfancies, flew to centuries long past, when the philosophic Hamlet mused, perhaps, on calm evenings like this, pacing to and fro the veryramparts I was looking on, or sought, on that night of "a nipping and aneager air, " the coming of him whose

 "Form and cause conjoined, preaching to stones, Would make them capable. "

Those old walls, too, are full of poor, Struensee's fate, --he, whosegreat soul, sundering aristocratic power, first gave liberty to Denmark, and added to her natural blessings the moral beauty of our own dearEngland. And how does history speak?

On the 16th of June, 1772, a masked ball was given at the Court ofDenmark, surpassing the imaginary brilliancy of an Oriental tale. Athousand tapers threw their splendour over a scene already glitteringwith the beauty, youth, and power of Copenhagen. The mean and dailyfeelings which give impulse to the actions of political men, seemedabsorbed in the joyousness of the moment; and the gravest senators mighthave been seen on this night, unravelling the mazes of the dance, withthe speed and light-heartedness of the youngest girl. The king himself, throwing aside the apathetic reserve of his state, danced acountry-dance with the queen; and, at its conclusion, he having retiredto play at quadrille with General Gahler and Counsellor Struensee, theyouthful queen gave her hand to Count Struensee during the remainder ofthe evening. At one end of the room, apart from all, and apparentlylost in their own thoughts, stood the Dowager-queen, and her son, Prince Frederick. While his royal mother shone with the dazzlingbrightness of numberless precious stones attired in all the outward pompof her high position, the Prince was habited in the splendid uniform ofa Danish regiment of horse; and the most honourable Order of theElephant, surmounted with a castle, set in diamonds, and suspended to asky-blue watered ribbon, passed over his right shoulder; a white ribbonfrom which depended a small cross of diamonds, and an embroidered staron the breast of his coat denoted him to be also a Knight of the mostancient Order of Daneburg. 

Keeping their eyes intently fixed on the beautiful Caroline-Matilda, asshe moved through the dance with Count Struensee, they wouldoccasionally, in whispers, make an observation to each other, but intones so low, that their nearest attendants could not catch its purport. The young Queen, fatigued at last, retired at two o'clock from theball-room, followed by Struensee and Count Brandt. About four the samemorning, Prince Frederick got up and dressed himself, and went with hismother to the King's bed-chamber, accompanied by General Eichstedt andCount Rantzan. As soon as they had reached the lobby of the royalchamber, the page was roused, and ordered to awake the King; and, in themidst of the surprise and alarm that this unexpected intrusion excited, they informed him, that his Queen and the two Struensees were at thatinstant busy in drawing up an act of renunciation of the crown, whichthey would immediately afterwards compel him to sign; and, that the onlymeans he could use to prevent so imminent a danger, was to validate byhis signature those orders, without loss of time, which they had broughtwith them, for arresting the Queen and her accomplices. The Kinghesitated for some time, and, it is said, was not easily prevailed uponto sign these orders; but at length complied, though with reluctance andexpressions of great grief. Count Rantzan and three officers weredispatched, at that untimely hour, to the Queen's apartment, andimmediately arrested her. She was hurried into one of the King'scarriages, and conveyed at once to the Castle of Cronenborg, where sheremained until May, when the King of England sent a small squadron ofships to carry her to Germany. The City of Zell was appointed her placeof residence, where she died of a malignant fever on the 10th of May, 1775, at the early age of twenty-three. Some most unjust charges, inconnection with the Queen, Caroline-Matilda, were brought againstStruensee, and, on the 28th April, 1772, he was, together with his oldfriend, Count Brandt, beheaded, his right hand being previously cutoff. 

Caroline-Matilda was the sister of George III. ; and her infant son, thelate King of Denmark, Christian VIII. , was at this period taken from hismother, though only five years of age; and this separation from herlittle son, on whom she doted, hastened to an untimely grave thisinnocent and unfortunate queen. 

The Danish traditions say that for many ages the clang of arms, andgroans of human beings, as if in torture, were occasionally heard in thedismal vaults beneath the Castle of Cronenborg. No human creature knewthe cause of these strange noises, and desirous, as all people were, tolearn the mystery, there was not in all the land of Denmark a man boldenough to descend into the vaults. The sentinels, as they kept watch bynight, would be driven by superstitious terror from their posts, norcould they be induced to resume their duty. On stormy nights, when therain descended, and thunder and lightning disturbed the face of nature, these unearthly sounds would begin, at first by low moans, to join theuniversal din; then, increasing loud and more loud, add horror to theraging elements. At last, a poor serf, who had forfeited his life, wastold that all the errors of his youth should be regarded no more, andhis crimes be forgiven, if he would descend and bring intelligence tohis countrymen of what he saw and found in these vaults. Oppressed bythe ignominy of his fate, he went down, and following, carefully, to animmense depth, the winding of a stone staircase, came to an iron door, which opened, as if by a spring, when he knocked. He entered, and foundhimself on the brink of a deep vault. In the centre of the ceiling hunga lamp, which was nearly burnt out, and, by its flickering light, hesaw, below, a huge stone table, round which many warriors, clad inarmour, sate, resting, as if in slumber, their heads on their arms, which they laid crossways. He who reclined at the farthest end of thetable--a man of great stature--then rose up. It was Holger, the Dane. When he raised his head from his arms, the foundations of the vaultshook, and the stone table burst instantly in twain, for his beard hadgrown through it. He beckoned the slave to approach; and, when he hadcome near, said, "Give me thy hand!"

The slave, alarmed, durst not give him the hand he had required, but, taking up an iron bar from the ground, put it forth; and Holger, grasping it, indented it with his fingers. This friendly response (forHolger perceived not the difference between flesh and iron, ) to thefeelings of Holger made a deep impression on his heart, unaccustomedthough it had been for centuries to the sympathy of his kind, andsmiling, he muttered to the trembling slave, "It is well! I am glad that there are yet _men_ in Denmark. "

The serf returned to earth as soon as permission was obtained, and, relating the story exactly as I have repeated it, received his freedomand a pension from the king. 

The Castle of Cronenborg was commenced by Frederick II. In 1574, andfinished by Christian IV. 

The boat returned at eight o'clock, and brought off some bread; but itwas so hard and heavy, we could not touch it, though some Danes, who hadaccompanied our men from the shore, assured us it was the best breadbaked in Elsineur, and eaten by the native nobility. It was darker incolour than the brown bread in England; and so acid, that the sailors, who were cormorants at food, and ostriches in digestion, declined theloaf as a gift. Sailor ate it, and had the cholic for three weeks. 

Earlier than the sun I arose on Saturday morning. From the spot wherethe yacht lay at anchor, the town of Elsineur had an imposingappearance; and, besides the number of fishing-vessels which keptpopping out of the harbour, one by one, round the pier-head, at thisearly time, amidst the shouts and merry laughter of their crews, betokening the light hearts with which they went forth to their dailylabour, --the wind-mills on the tops of the neighbouring hills, outvyingeach other in velocity, showed that the inhabitants entertained, atleast, habits of industry, and were not, perhaps, unacquainted with theadvantages of traffic. But, since we did not land to-day, I will revertto this celebrated little town on our return from Copenhagen, when, Ihope, to make myself more familiar with it. 

CHAPTER IV. 

 THE PILOT--TEMPESTUOUS WEATHER--DISTANT VIEW OF COPENHAGEN--LORD NELSON--THE BATTLE OF THE BALTIC --THE HARBOUR-MASTER--INTEREST EXCITED BY THE YACHT'S ARRIVAL--THE ARTIST--THE ANGLER--WE GO ASHORE. 

At twelve o'clock the pilot stepped on board, and, in a few minutes, with a freshening wind from the westward, we were on our way to theDanish capital. To a warm, unclouded morning, a wet dark day succeeded;and, except between the chasms of flying clouds, the sun wholly withheldits light. The rain fell, at intervals, in torrents; and, concealingmyself under the lee of the gig, which was hoisted on the davits, Iendeavoured to enter into conversation with the pilot. The silvery handof time, or heavier one of toil, had tinged his hair; and though (tojudge from his sad and thoughtful mien, ) life seemed protracted longerthan he wished, his career, I learned by hints, had not been withoutexcitement to himself, and could not be recited without interest andinstruction to others. The old man was short and stout, and little grayeyes twinkled beneath an intellectual forehead, scarred by a sabrewound. After I had watched him with attention for some time, hisfirmly-compressed lips and sombre countenance showed the solidity of hischaracter, and no weak point at which I might attack him with anobservation. Sailor, who had been reclining in his hutch, disliking towet his hide, and who was still labouring from the ill effects of theDanish brown bread, now came forth to stretch himself; and, seeing aman, unknown, standing by the compass-box, approached, and, with all thediffidence of his tribe, determined to form no friendship, withoutpreviously ascertaining whence he came, and what his business was. Sailor therefore walked with resolution up to the man, and smelt hiscoat. The dog also applied his nose to a little bundle tied with a darksilk handkerchief stowed unintrusively away between the pumps; and then, turning round, he looked up at me, and wagged his tail. I could almostsee a smile upon his face. The old man laughed, and said, half nettledby Sailor's contemptuous way of smelling his whole wardrobe, "Dat is vonvine dog. "

Though the allusion to the dog's well-proportioned form, or extremesagacity, was one which answered itself, I replied, "Yes; and that is the way he makes friends. "

"I know, I know, " he answered, "if von maan's schmell vosh as goot, veshoult schmell de tief vary shoon. "

"True; but if we are fond of sweet scents, and had to judge virtue andvice by smell, we should very soon leave off smelling, or leave theworld. "

He did not seem to comprehend my meaning, for a vague expression ofneither assent nor dissent passed over his countenance. He now, however, became talkative, and told me he commenced life by entering the Danishnavy, and had been present in many engagements. Travelling from one endof the world to the other, though seated together under the gig's keel, and wrapped in tarpaulin, we contrived to meet in the West Indies; andthe old sailor's heart opened towards me as I spoke of scenes and thingsfamiliar to him in his youth. I told him how I had been going "up anddown on the earth, " and "walking to and fro on it;" and he took my handin his and shook it, because I, like him, had been a wanderer. And so wewhiled away the time, and heard and felt neither wind nor rain. 

P---- had gone below to arrange his flies; and I could occasionally hearR----'s voice, above the whistling of the wind through the shrouds, modulating "Buffalo Gals, " "The Great Plenipotentiary, " and otherfavourite ballads. We were now half way between Elsineur andCopenhagen, and rising above a cape of level land on our starboard bow, the high buildings and steeples of Copenhagen could be distinguished. Iformed, from this view, a grand idea of the Northern Capital, and, had Inot done so, I might have been less disappointed, beautiful though thecity is, when I found myself the following day walking through itsstreets. But the same event happens to man's works as to man himself. The nearer I view a picture, the harsher become those lines which, at adistance, seemed so soft; and had I seen Cæsar, I should not now worshipthe deity I have raised on the pedestal of Imagination. I desire tofoster the poetic feeling which, like a mountain mist, surrounds theordinary habits and character of great men, and so I stand aloof andlook on them. I exist on the Pagan creed, "Omne ignotum pro magnifico. "

The pilot, pointing with his finger, showed the spot where Nelson landedsome of his men the day before his action in 1801; and, as the Danereminded me of the crafty manner in which the officers of the Englishfleet imposed on the credulity of the good folks at Elsineur, the soundof distant thunder was heard. He ceased to speak, and listened to thelow, rumbling peals, as they swelled, now loudly on the tops of the farmountains of Sweden, then sank faintly in the valleys. The old man wenton to say, he remembered the action well; and, with bitterness, regretted that it ever occurred. This was the first time I had heardEngland spoken of discreditably, and the arrow pierced deep, and deeper, as familiar intercourse told, that the Danes, a brave and noble peoplethemselves, always remember this battle with a sorrowful resignation, and grieving, feel, without vindictiveness, that, though Time may healthe outward wound, the moral pain remains for ever. 

The scenery all along this coast of Denmark is very beautiful, the royalforests, extending nearly from Elsineur to Copenhagen, contributing withtheir masses of trees, and their rich green tints, to relieve theoccasional gloomy aspect of the Swedish shore. These forests arestrictly preserved, and are full of game; and, reared above the loftiesttrees, the roof of one of the king's hunting-palaces may be seen. Withits usual bounty, the wind increased to a gale, and we enteredCopenhagen harbour at three o'clock, with a reef in the mainsail, andploughing up the water in furious fashion. 

The Harbour-Master came on board as soon as we had anchored, andrequested, with much civility, that we would move from the berth we hadtaken, since we obstructed the free passage between the docks and theharbour; and the cutter, he hinted, might be injured by merchant-vesselsbeing warped from one to the other place. R---- made no demur; butturned round, and rated in good English the old pilot for his stupidity;while the old pilot, in unintelligible Danish, roared at his countrymanfor not coming off before the anchor had gone. When the little stoutpilot was pacified, and unanimity restored, the Harbour-Master, a man ofimmense stature, and great personal beauty, came up to me, and said, with an excellent dialect, in the English language, "I could perceive, Sir, your vessel was an English one, the moment sheweathered that point; for none but a British vessel could dash along insuch style as yours did. "

I bowed, and thanked him for the compliment. 

"I only hope, Sir, " he continued, "that the Crown Prince will returnbefore you leave Copenhagen; for this yacht would soon disgust him withhis own. "

"Is the Prince then away from Copenhagen?" I asked. 

"Yes, Sir; he is gone for a cruise towards the Baltic, and that is thereason you have not met him on the passage here. He is partial to theEnglish; and so are we. He would have chased you; but, Sir, his yacht isno better than a fisherman's smack. "

After a multitude of other aspirations, that we might encounter theCrown Prince, now, by the way, king, to disgust him with his property, the Dane took his leave; and, although his bland, Saxon face, with hisseemingly open disposition, drew me towards him, I was not sorry to bealone. 

The sun seemed at last to have gained its desire, by lulling the wind, and, instead of bursting, fretfully, through squally clouds, now shoneforth with warmth and unblemished splendour. Many ladies and gentlemenwalked up and down on a promenade, evidently a favourite and fashionablelounge, within the ramparts of a citadel, bristling with guns oftremendous calibre, not a cable's length from the Iris; so, that, Icould see, without being much observed, the gaiety which was in vogue, and could almost hear, did I understand the language, the anxietyexpressed to know what and whence we were. The ladies in their Frenchpink bonnets, and English dresses, pointed, gathering in knots, to thewhite Ensign and red cross of St. George, --which drooping, dipped, likea swallow, to the water's surface, then floated lazily in the air, --andconcluded at once in their sweet minds from what part of the sunny Southwe came, and what the errand was which had brought us so far from hometo Denmark. I could almost tell, by the fervour of their manner, how themen viewed with admiration the slight downward curve of the cutter'sbowsprit, her burnished copper, and low, raking hull. Boats of all sizesand shapes, each containing a cargo, varying from four to thirteenpersons, put off from the shore, and each individual whispering one tothe other, that we were English, paddled round the cutter. Removed at ashort distance from the little fleet, like the leading drake of a flockof ducks, a boat, rowed by a sailor and carrying two gentlemen, one withspectacles, standing, and the other quietly seated, steering, describedcontinuously an elliptical circle round and round the vessel. Now andthen, the gentleman, who stood, would make an exclamation to hiscompanion, but whether of admiration or dislike, I had no other means ofconjecturing than from the frequency with which he arranged, disarranged, and re-arranged his spectacles, first, fixing them tightlyto the bridge of his nose, then, unfixing them, with a pettish jerk, towipe them with his handkerchief, and, at last, refixing them with muchprecision, by removing the hat from his head and clasping it between hisknees, till the yielding pasteboard crackled again. Thiscircumnavigation continued for some time, much to my amusement, but moreto the annoyance of Sailor, who leaped from stern to bow, following themotion of the boat, and barked, till the echo of his voice strucksharply against the bastions of Fredrikshavn, then flew, bounding, backagain. 

At last, the boat was pulled boldly to the gangway, and the excitablegentleman in spectacles, seizing hold of the after-braces, bowed andhanded me a card, and begged, in bad French, that he might be permittedto come on board. Permission was soon obtained from R----, and, with hatin hand, on board the Dane, as I fancied, jumped, accompanied, ofcourse, by the other gentleman. The whiteness of the deck attracted hisattention, and turning to me he made, smiling, an observation in alanguage which I did not understand, but could not help desiring to hearits silvery sounds again. 

"Vous n'êtes pas Français?" he then asked. 

"Non, je ne suis pas. "

"Mais la langue, ne la comprenez-vous pas?"

"Pas beaucoup, " I replied. 

"Dat is pitty; for I have been for shome toime past in Ingerlaand, but Inot learn ze langwage. Ze Ingerleesh varry difficolt. "

"You seemed, " I replied, "to have overcome that difficulty, and youspeak it with a pretty good accent. "

"No, Zare, you varry goot to say so; but I feel I can at all not--at allnot, --qu'est que veut dire, 'exprimer?'--ach! ach!" he exclaimed, putting his finger in his mouth, and pressing it, meditatively, betweenhis front teeth, "I can at all not speak moin feeling in ze vay I shoultvish. "

"How long were you in England?" I said. 

"En fjor--une année, " he replied. 

"If then, Sir, " I went on, "after being one year in Denmark, I can speakthe language so correctly as you do the English, I should think myselfno deficient scholar. "

"Oh! Zare, you too goot. I am not Dane, zough; I am fromSweden--ffrān Svenska landet; but I come to Kjobenhagen for zepainting. Zare, " he said, turning round, and looking from stem to stern, and from the burgee at the top-mast head to the brass belaying pins, "dish Engelskt skepp varry--ach! ach!" again he exclaimed, stamping hisfoot and thrusting his finger in his mouth, "fy!--vat you call 'skönt'?"

"Fine, beautiful, " I said, assistingly. 

"Ja; jag tackar. Det är skönt!" he exclaimed to his companion, who bowedin assent, and observed in the Swedish tongue, "Det ser ut som en fregatt;" which, being interpreted, meant that theyacht was like a frigate. 

"Ja, " answered my friend; and, after allowing time that they mightadmire everything, which they did, walking to and fro the deck, lookingdown the pumps and up the rigging, I requested that they would followme, and I would show them below. The compactness of the cabin, thecomfort of the berths, the height between decks, the combination of easeand elegance in the furniture, the copper-plate drawings, the swingingtable, the pantry with every drawer and cupboard exactly where theyought to be, and nowhere else, the forecastle, and, wonder upon wonder!the cooking apparatus with its moveable jack, and its particular copperfor hot water, --all these things, and a thousand others too minute totell, acted so impressively on their minds, that I could hear themextolling, in barbarous grammar, to the cook the singular sagacity of anEnglish mechanic, and the collective greatness of the English nation. They remained on board nearly three hours; and, after conversing withR----, P----, and myself as well as they could, they presented each ofus with their cards, and, begging that we would honour them with avisit, took their leave. I returned on deck with them; and thegentleman, whom I have distinguished from his fellow visitor by hisspectacles, before he stepped into his boat, said to me, "Zare, I can at all not say how mooch dish skepp delight me to look at. I am von artiste, and I should like varry mooch to draw dish skepp. "

"I am sure, " I replied, "Lord R---- will make no objection, for youcompliment him in expressing such a wish. "

"I tank you, Zare; I can at all not help eet, but I look at dish skepplike von--like von--ach! ach!--" and again the top of the forefinger waslodged in his mouth, "vat is 'skönt'?--bootifool?--jag tacker;--like vonbootifool flicka, gal, and ze odare skepps like old vomans. "

So saying, he raised his hat and gravely wished me good day. 

"Good dag, " he exclaimed again, standing upright in the boat--"Farväl!"

"Good dag. Farväl!" repeated his companion. And still, in an erectposition, the gentleman in spectacles kept his eyes fixed on the vesseluntil a projecting portion of the quay hid the Iris from his sight. Ithen joined R---- and P---- in the cabin. We were endeavouring to settlewhat could be done in the evening, and at what point we should commenceto see all the lions in Copenhagen, and regretting that we wereunacquainted with an Englishman resident in the capital, when thesteward gave a very small card, having a very large inscription on it, to R----, and said that a gentleman wished to speak to us. R---- desiredthat the stranger would walk below. 

"Gentlemen, " said a stout man about fifty-five years of age, who, with ared face, was standing uncovered at the threshold of the cabin door, "Ihope you will forgive the liberty I have taken in boarding your yacht. "

"Oh! yes, certainly, " said R----, "I am happy to see a countryman. "

"That is just my case, " replied the stout man, advancing farther intothe cabin. "I have been driven from my own country by adversity, andwhenever I see an Englishman I cannot resist forming his acquaintance, that I might speak to some one who has come from the land where I wasborn. Have you seen my card? My name is A--l--r C. "

"Won't you sit down?" said P----, offering him a chair. 

"I thank you, " answered Mr. C----, and sate down. "I suppose you arecome to fish. "

"We are, " P---- replied, "and should like to learn something about theart, and the places where it may be applied. "

"You can't fish so far to the south as Copenhagen, " said Mr. C. "Thereare no fish here. I suppose you know that?"

"Yes, we know that, " interposed R----, "we are from Christiansand, andthere we heard of fish, but caught none. "

"That's very likely; the rivers are yet too cold, and will continue sofor a month or more. I am an old fisherman, " exclaimed Mr. C----challengingly. "I have caught my sixty in a week;" and he slapped histhigh. 

P---- rubbed his hands with satisfaction, and R---- rose from the sofaon which he was reclining, and looked at Mr. C---- with curiosity. 

"Well, now, " proceeded Mr. A--l--r C----, "I would suggest, that, youthree gentlemen, being in search of pleasure or sport, should remain afew days where you are. After having worn out the enjoyments, and thereare many, of Copenhagen, coast it up to Gottenborg, Falkenborg, and soon till you reach Christiania; and at Falkenborg, or Kongsbacka, you mayget a few fish. Have you brought any tackle, or flies?"

"Lots of both, " said P----, rising at the same moment, and taking fromthe bookcase behind him his whole fishing apparatus. The fly-book wassoon opened, and Mr. C---- scrutinized tackle and flies with theattention of an angler. 

"This is too yellow, " he said of one fly, removing it from the book, andplacing it on the table for observation. "Here--here's too much red andblue, " of another; "there are no flies of that colour in Sweden, orNorway; and all this green on the belly is rubbish, --no fish will take_that_. What's this? Ha! The dragon-fly, --'t won't do. " After rummagingfor a little while, he said, "By the Lord Harry! come out!" seizing bythe wings a fourth fly about the size of a humming bird. "This'll do forthe coast of Greenland where whales are caught. Shall I tell you what?"asked Mr. C----, putting an end to his criticism, and looking round atus all. "Make your own flies. It's impossible for a fellow in the Strandto put a fly together which would suit fishermen like you. Observe theflies and insects of the country as they flutter under your nose, andimitate them the best way you can. "

"That's not a bad idea, " was the simultaneous answer of R---- and P----;but they liked not their London-made goods rated so lowly. 

"Now, " exclaimed Mr. C----, glancing steadfastly all round the cabin ateach of us, "I hear this yacht belongs to an English nobleman, and thename is familiar to me. Which one of you is Lord R----?"

P---- and I made no reply; and R----, quite _taken a-back_, resumedinstantly, with a comic air, his declining attitude sideways on thesofa, with his face turned next to the bulk-head. 

"_You_ are Lord R----, " continued Mr. C----, pointing to me. 

"As much as you have exalted me in the grade of society, so much has itpleased Fate at last to depress me, " I replied. "That is Lord R----, " Icontinued, pointing to R----, or, at least, towards the centre seam inthe back of his pilot-jacket. 

"I hope your Lordship, " said old C----, addressing R----'s back frontview, "will forgive the robbery of your due; but, had I observed yourface, I could not have mistaken you. "

R---- rose laughing, and told him no apology was requisite. 

"You are very like the pictures I have seen, when I was in England, ofthe Admiral. " Then, after a pause, "What can I do for you, gentlemen?"said Mr. C----. "How can I serve you? To-day is Saturday. Nothing isgoing on to-night; but if, after dinner, you will allow me to wait onyou, I will do my best to amuse in a stroll about the town. "

"But won't you dine on board?" asked P----. 

"I thank you; I have already ordered my own chop, " Mr. C---- replied, "and I would in that case beg you to permit my meeting you after I havedemolished it. Say half-past seven. "

"As you like, " said R----; "but I can give you a good bottle of claret. "

"Thank you, my Lord; but not to-day. " And Mr. C. Commenced a retrogrademotion towards the companion. 

"Have you a boat?" inquired R----; "because you can have one of mine, ifyou like. "

"If you will, I shall feel obliged, " replied Mr. C----. 

"Alfred!" shouted R----, at the top of his lungs. 

"Yes, my Lord, " echoed from the recesses of the pantry, and then thecause of the echo became visible at the door of the pantry. 

"Man the gig!" said R----. 

"Yes, my Lord, " and Alfred again disappeared as quickly as a fallingstar. A few minutes more, and Mr. C---- was over the gangway, in thegig, and ashore. 

CHAPTER V. 

 COPENHAGEN--THE CAFE--THE DILEMMA--THE GUARD--COMPLIMENT TO ENGLAND--DESCRIPTION OF THE HARBOUR AND FORTIFICATIONS --DELINQUENT SAILORS--THE CITY ON SUNDAY--NEGRO COMMISSIONAIRE--A WALK THROUGH THE CITY--NOTICES OF THE VARIOUS PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 

Punctual to our engagement, we met Mr. C----, after dinner at half-pastseven. After wandering over the town for some time without any definiteobject, I grumbled at the system of enjoyment we had adopted. Thestreets not being paved so well as the worst streets in London are, thestones, projecting with sharp points three or four inches above theground, wound and irritate the feet to a serious extent; and my ankleswere almost sprained several times in consequence of the high heels Ihad to my boots. I recommend thick shoes without heels to the travellerin _all_ the northern capitals. 

"You are always rusty, Bill, " said R----. "Come on. "

"Let us stop, " I replied, "and determine where we are going. "

We therefore stopped in a large square, at the base of an equestrianstatue, the beauty or imperfection of which I could not see at the latehour; and, with Mr. C---- in the centre, consulted what could be done. Being in ignorance of the habits of the people, and the haunts whereamusements existed, we three could only look at each other and be mute. 

"Come along, " at last exclaimed Mr. C----, as if a great idea had dawnedon his mind; "let's turn into this café, " directing our attention to aspacious building brilliantly illuminated. 

"Port your helm, Jack, " said R----, in a jesting tone of voice, andmoved quickly away towards the café. 

We entered, and to say that we saw anything at our first entrance beyondan atmosphere of tobacco smoke, so thick as to be palpable to the touch, would be out of the question. After opening and closing my eyes twice orthree times, and, wiping away the tears which the pungent tobacco smokeexcited, I began to take an observation. 

The room in which I found myself was literally crammed with men of alldenominations and all ages, and each having a cigar in his mouth in fullplay. Some, in this dense hot region, were reading books full of deepthought, (for I looked over their shoulders); some meditating over agame of chess, more chattering vehemently and loudly, and many playingat billiards. Mr. C----, R----, and P---- had seated themselves in thevicinity of a billiard-table, and, when I partially recovered my senses, I followed their example. The table was about half the size of thebilliard-tables in England, and the pockets were twice as large. Thefour balls, with which they played, were not much bigger than thosegenerally used at bagatelle. The queus were uncovered at the top withleather; and the player had the satisfaction of hearing the sharp twangof his bare-headed queu as each time it struck the little ivory ball. Nochalk was in the room. The Danes possess no word in their languageexpressive of that convenient mineral. In Denmark, credit is nevergiven. You must pay, or go to prison. Thank God, I am an Englishman. 

We remained an hour in this café; and after tasting, each of us, a glassof maraschino, which Mr. C---- would insist on paying for, we left theoven. We did not, I promise you, go into another during the week weremained at Copenhagen; and I would urge those "troubled and disquietedspirits, " who desire health and good lungs to pursue their wanderings onmeadow or mountain, strenuously to avoid these gasometers andreceptacles of tobacco smoke. 

As it was now nearly twelve o'clock, we took leave of Mr. C----, andwalked towards the harbour, when, on our arrival at the Custom House, wefound the gates, through which we had passed when landing, closed, andthus cutting off all communication between the yacht and ourselves. Whatwas to be done? The Heaven, decked out in its deep blue mantle, shonebrightly over our heads; and the poppy-dew of Sleep, descending on theSoul of Copenhagen, had lulled all into the profoundest silence. Lyingcalmly at anchor on the smooth water which reflected a thousand stars, our floating home, not a mile off, could be seen. The tramp of asentinel struck on the ear. 

"Hi! ho!" exclaimed P----, distinguishing the soldier's accoutrements. The Dane approached the iron gate, and, leering through the bars, seemedto doubt our gentility. We could not speak Danish; he did not speakEnglish; and what was to be done with a common soldier at dead of night?P---- went near to the gate. 

"Hi! ho!" a second time he exclaimed, as the soldier commenced walkingthe other way; "We English gentlemen want to get board jhat;" perseveredP----, endeavouring, by the adoption of a broken accent, to convey hismeaning. 

The Dane shook his head. 

"We are done, " said P---- calmly, "I wish we could get him to call theofficer on guard;" and, turning to the gaping sentinel again, "Officer, "he continued, "appelez officer, " speaking half French, half English. 

The man ducked his shakko, and departed. Almost immediately the officerof the guard came out, wrapped in the huge folds of a military cloak, and, gazing at us through the bars, uttered a sentence in Danish. Makingno reply to him, he then said, saluting us with much politeness, "Que voulez vous, Messieurs?"

"Nous sommes des Messieurs Anglais qui désirent passer d'ici jusqu'ànotre jhat, " replied P----. 

"Certainement;" so saying, a second time the officer raised his cap, and, turning to two serjeants who had followed him from the guard-room, gave directions that the gates should be unlocked, and we passedunmolested through. 

This was an act of courtesy and kindness which, we learned the next day, we were fortunate in receiving; for it was the stringent order of theGovernor of Copenhagen, the Prince of Hesse, that the gates of the city, particularly this one, should be closed at ten o'clock, and no onepermitted, on any pretence, to go in or out after this hour. Thesmuggling between the coast of Sweden and the town of Copenhagen beingcarried on to a great extent, render these restrictions very necessary;and we could only be indebted to our country for the exception which hadbeen made to us by the officer on guard. 

I rose betimes the following day, and went on deck before breakfast, inorder to take a view of the harbour, its position and defences. Themouth of Copenhagen Harbour opens to the eastward. In the centre of itsentrance is a small island, called Armager, well fortified; and to thesouth of it is another battery separated from Armager by a narrowchannel, which is so shallow, that, a reef of rocks may be noted by thefoam of the waves as they curl and break over it; while to the North isthe tremendous citadel of Fredrikshavn, and the only passage into theharbour is between this fortress and the Island of Armager. 

Gambier may have effectually bombarded Copenhagen in 1807, but, I think, such an achievement would be scarcely practicable now. However, I am nojudge of either naval or military tactics, but if the metal of guns, andthe strength as well as position of fortifications promise to a cityprotection from an enemy, be he ever so mighty, Copenhagen has thatpromise well guaranteed to her. 

In the midst of my political meditations, the steward popped his headabove the companion, touched his hair, as he always did when he had nohat on, and said, "Breakfast ready, Sir. "

My appetite soon clambered to the summit on which my mind had beenperched, and desired obedience to what I heard; and in justification ofmy health, I ate a good breakfast. I returned on deck, an hourafterwards, holding little Jacko in my arms, who was surfeited withcoffee, marmalade, fish, and egg, even to lethargy. 

It was ten o'clock. R---- and I sitting on the taffrail aft, P----having gone ashore, were basking in the bright sunshine of the SundayMay morning, and comparing the temperature, scenes, and manners ofCopenhagen, with the variable winds, the Primrose Hill, and theexuberant Sabbath spirits of London, when the sailing-master came, withrather a longer face than usual, to the spot where we were lounging, and, after his customary greeting of "Good morning, my Lord, " and "Goodmorning, Sir, " said, "I have a complaint to make, my Lord. "

"Well, out with it" R---- replied. 

"You know, my Lord, " D---- continued, "old Tom, Dick, and George wereallowed to go ashore yesterday, and, instead of behaving like decentfellows, as they ought to have done on arriving at a foreign port, theymust get drunk, and nearly drown themselves in trying to get off to thevessel. "

"The deuce they did; and when did this occur?" inquired R----. 

"They got drunk last night; but they nearly got drowned this morning, myLord, " D---- answered. 

"Where are the men?" asked R----. 

"On board, my Lord, " D---- said. 

"Send them aft. "

Away went D---- in search of the delinquent tars; and, as soon as he hadgot out of ear-shot, R---- observed to me, "Is not this like these English blackguards? I dare say they have kickedup the devil's own row ashore, and, by squabbling with the inhabitants, brought my vessel into disrepute. "

"Let us hear their story before we condemn them, " I said; and in twominutes more old Tom, Dick, and George, were arranged in a line beforeR----, who still continued sitting, cross-legged, on the taffrail, abaftthe tiller. They all three looked sheepish enough, and, if one mightjudge innocence and guilt from the countenance, they seemed criminal inthe extreme. 

"Well, Tom, " R---- commenced, "what is all this about?"

"The Cap'n, my Lord, " said Tom, twitching up his duck trowsers on theport side, "gave us leave to go ashore; and we had barely set foot ondry land, than a sort of fellow, neither fish nor man, comes to us, and, says he, in a rum kind of a lingo, 'My lads, I'll show you about thetown, ' You know, my Lord, as well as I does, ----"

"I don't want any of your palavering, " interrupted R----; "but I want toknow why the devil you went and made beasts of yourselves?"

"Wery good, my Lord, I'm coming to the sarcumstances; but we warn'tdrunk, my Lord--notottoll. "

"D---- saw you drunk, " said R----. 

"No, my Lord, no;" calmly said Tom, "the Cap'n carn't substanshate thatair. We warn't drunk, my Lord, --notottoll. "

"How can you stand there, " interrupted D---- warmly, "and try to humbugmy Lord in that kind of a way?"

"Not a bit of it, " said R----; "he can't humbug me; and don't fretyourself about that. "

"That's nothing more nor less than I would ax of your Lordship, "interposed Tom; and, edging in a piece of opportune sentiment, hecontinued, "I have sailed three seasons with your Lordship, and I havealways bore myself like a British sailor, as I be. We was joyful-like tostretch our timbers; but we warn't drunk, my Lord, notottoll. "

"If you were not at all drunk, " replied R----, "you were very nearlydrowned; and you don't mean to tell me, that you could ever capsize thatdingy without being drunk?"

"Notottoll, my Lord, " persisted Tom; "Dick, my Lord, took a broad sheerto starboard, and capsized the boat. We warn't drunk, my Lord, notottoll. "

"Do you intend to say you three had no spirits to drink the whole timeyou were ashore?" asked R----. 

"Sperits, my Lord! they ain't got such gear in this air place. "

"How do you know?" R---- said. 

"Bekase, I enkquired, my Lord. "

"Oh! did you inquire in the streets?" questioned R----. 

"No, my Lord; I axes in a cabbarette, as they calls it, " Tom answered. 

"Then you went into a cabaret, and drank nothing. _Very_, like, a, whale, " said R----slowly. 

"Notottoll, my Lord, we had a bottle of ordonnor_y_. "

"What's that?" asked R----, a little puzzled. 

"_Rot-gut_, my Lord, " ejaculated Tom, with emphasis; "and if, my Lord, aman wants to get the jandiss, I recommends vang ordonnor_y_;" and downwent Tom's fist, with a loud report, into the palm of his left hand. Iburst into a shout of laughter at the comicality of Tom's melancholyface, and the smacking of his lips, as he called to mind the acidity ofthe wine; and R----, judge as he was, could not resist the farce. 

"I tell you what, " said R----, "and I tell you _all_ plainly, if youfellows go ashore, and get into a row, and the police take you incharge; instead of defending you, as you fancy I will, I will appear_against_ you, and assist the law in punishing you; and, what is more, if you are sent to prison, I will up stick, and leave you there. "

"Thank you, my Lord, " they murmured, and old Tom assisting in thethankful murmurs of Dick and George, kept reiterating till the soundsdied away as he descended the fore-hatch. 

"We warn't drunk, my Lord, --notottoll;" and Tom was the most notoriousdrunkard on board. 

The story was simply this:--He and his two companions, after trudgingover the town, sight-seeing, till past ten, found, to their dismay, onarriving at the outer gates, that they were closed. In self-defence, allthree were compelled to take shelter for the night in some low cabaret, where, meeting with a few jovial Danes, unreluctant to shun the bout, they drank the night away. Feeling the weight of Danish grog aloft, Dick, a stalwart young fellow of six feet, lost his balance in steppinginto the boat next morning, and, falling athwart the little dingy'sgunwale, capsized it. Poor old Tom, out of the three, went like a24-pounder to the bottom; but the transparency of the water allowed somebystanders to observe his carcass stretched out among the cockles ascomposedly as in his hammock, and to raise him, after the lapse of ashort time, by applying a boat-hook to the hole of his breeches' pocket. 

P---- returned at one, and told us, that he called at the guard-room, and, making the harbour-master his marshal and interpreter, had huntedup the officer so civil to us last night; and expressed our gratitudefor the favour which we had received. To every one who travelsinconveniences must occur, or else travelling loses half its excitement. I would rather remain all my days at home, my mind compressed within itsnarrow precincts, and never see the sunny South, or mingle, as I do, with people whose warm hearts are softer than the genial air theybreathe, and feel, that extreme nobility of soul and sensitiveness ofwrong are entwined with the purest simplicity of thought and manners, than lack the slight annoyances of a Scythian life. P---- gave us tounderstand that he had inquired about _the gates_; and all theinformation he could collect was, that no respect could be paid to ourcondition; and, if we remained on shore after ten, we should run therisk of being kept out of our beds all night. The plan suggested was towrite to the Prince of Hesse, and, stating our position, beg that hisRoyal Highness would grant us permission to pass backward and forwardat any hour. Reconsidering, however, the matter, we determined not to doso; but to call on our Consul, and, through him, represent the hardshipof our case to the British Minister. This determination was adopted, andordered to be carried into execution the following day, this one beingthe Sabbath. Is it not strange how Englishmen long to break through allrestraint, and regard the laws of foreign countries as so manyimpediments in their path of pleasure?

As in England, many well-dressed people were walking about under theshade of the trees planted with great regularity along the ramparts ofFredrikshavn. We could hear children calling aloud, as soon as theycaught sight of the yacht, decked out with all the elegance of herwhitest ensign, and best Burgee "Engelskt! Engelskt!" with shrilltongues they cried; and, denoting with their little hands the object ofdelight, disturbed the stillness of the holy day. 

The French customs are generally followed, I fancy, in this country; forto-day, being Sunday, more entertainment is to be met with in Copenhagenthan on any other day of the week. The theatres are all open, and thecasino, sacred by the royal presence of Christian, lures, with its sweettones of operatic music, the prudish Englishman from thoughts ofParadise and the fourth commandment. Moses, Daniel, and the Chroniclesare quite forgotten; and, putting Ecclesiastes in our pocket, we aregoing to the casino to-night. 

"Do you know, " suddenly said P----, as he closed a large chart ofNorway, up and down the rivers of which he had been floating for sometime on the tip of his pen-knife, "I met old C---- ashore, and he stuckto me like birdlime. He is a bore; I wonder who he is!"

Like a black cloud, you sometimes see on sultry summer days, movingsluggishly across the purely azure sky; so this remark ofP---- overshadowed my mind with a misgiving feeling; and Horace's NinthSatire, seizing my memory with prophetic tenacity, made me involuntarilymutter, --

 "Ibam forte viâ sacrâ, sicut meus est mos, Nescio quid meditans nugarum, et totus in illis; Accurrit quidam notus mihi nomine tantum, Arrep----"

"A note, my Lord, " and the steward placed a most diminutive note inR----'s hand. It ran thus:--

 "My Lord and Gentlemen, "I will accompany you to the Casino this evening at 8. I feel it my duty to show you all the attention I can. 

 "Yours faithfully, "A--l--r C----. "

"Deuce take him!" said R----; "let us go at six. "

"From Mr. C----, I suppose, " remarked P----, taking up and glancing atthe piece of paper. "I see how it is. We must give him a civil hint; andif he won't take it, we must do the best we can. Poor old fellow! Ishould not like to hurt his feelings. "

When we had made an end of the treatment it was suggested Mr. C----should receive, I put on my best coat, and went ashore. Scarcely had I, for the second time, rested my foot on the soil of Denmark, than Icaught, riveted on me, two small pig-like eyes twinkling in the centreof an ebony face. 

"Me berry glad to see you, Sir, " said the owner of this countenance, and, accompanying the welcome voice, the removal of a high-crowned whitehat exposed to the African warmth of noon a head of true African wool. 

"Thank you, Solomon. "

"No, Sir; me Joe--Joe Washimtum, " replied the black man, proudly; "butme brudder name Dabid--him better dan Sarlaman. "

Deeming this the beginning and result of our acquaintance, I walked on, paying no attention to the sable Mr. C----; but I had anticipatedblacky's intentions wrongfully, for a few minutes were sufficient timeto place him on my left hand. 

"Hab you, Sir, no cumsidumration to see um town?" he inquired. 

"Not to-day, Joe, " I answered. "I have formed my plans; but some otherday we will navigate the town together. "

"Berry good, Sir. " And, again elevating his steeple white hat, awaymarched Joe, Commissionaire of l'Hôtel d'Angleterre. 

The day was very hot, and my feet, swollen by the heat, suffered morethan they did last night from the effects of the uneven stones. I limpedfrom one street to the other, and found the "Amalien-Gade, " not muchinferior in breadth and length to Portland Place. Palaces of greatsymmetry, though of immense size, rose before the eye at every corner;and the residence of the Prince of Hesse is one of the most beautifulstructures I have ever seen. The white colour, as at Christiansand, withwhich all these large buildings are painted, forces directly on thestranger's mind their lightness and elegant proportions. 

At the end of the "Amalien-Gade, " which is about a mile in length, is alarge odiously-paved square intersected by four streets; and, betweeneach of these streets, are four small palaces in the style of Italianarchitecture. They are inhabited by the royal family; and the old king, Christian, may be seen sometimes, of an evening, walking across to playa game of whist with the dowager-queen. Infantry and cavalry officers, gossipping in groups, and flashing in the sun's rays, their light-blueuniform embroidered elaborately with silver lace, remind you of theCourt's vicinity; and the eternal sound of a sentinel's challenge, asfiles of men march and re-march by him, proclaims, that, deference tokings is much the same in simple Denmark, as in pageant England. 

In the centre of this square stands an equestrian bronze statue ofFrederick the Fifth; and, though the horse's head is considered aperfect piece of statuary, I am obstinate enough to differ, from thegeneral opinion; and Monsieur Gorr, who executed it, will, with thepoliteness and generosity of his country, permit me to think as I do, and pardon me, if I be wrong. Since its foundation in 1168, three awfulfires in 1729, 1794, and 1795, nearly burned down the whole city ofCopenhagen; but Christiansborg, the colossal palace of the Danish kings, was levelled with the ground; and Christian, deeming, perhaps, thisabode of his ancestors doomed to be destroyed a second time, avoids itwith superstitious care; and has selected for himself and family thefour mansions, for they are nothing more, to which I have alluded. QueenCaroline-Matilda being taken from this palace to Cronenborg, her son, Frederick the Sixth, would never reside in it afterwards; and, I think, it is more from this mingled feeling of affection and painful regret, and a desire to obliterate from their memories the recollection of herfate, that his descendants have followed the filial example ofFrederick, than from any dread of sudden destruction by fire. 

While walking through the streets, I could hardly dissuade myself I wasnot in the tropics, for the capacious archways, and central court-yardswere quite oriental; and the large and numerous windows of the privatehouses, with jalousies thrown open, at cool of day, against the wall, reminded me also of the Antilles; and, had a black face but peeped outat me, the fancy might have seemed reality. 

CHAPTER VI. 

 THE CASINO--THE ROYAL FAMILY OF DENMARK--SUCCESSION TO HOLSTEIN--THE ENGLISH CONSUL--VISIT TO THE ENGLISH AMBASSADOR--COLOSSAL STATUE OF CHRISTIAN THE FIFTH-- ANECDOTE OF BELZONI--TRINITY CHURCH--EXTRAORDINARY FEAT OF PETER THE GREAT--DUCKING AN OFFENDER--PALACE OF CHRISTIANSBORG--THE EXCHANGE--THE CASTLE OF ROSENBERG. 

At seven o'clock, we went to the Casino; and, trusting that we haddeceived Mr. C----, renewed our acquaintance with the gentleman inspectacles. 

The room, an immense one, was lighted from the lofty ceiling with foursplendid chandeliers. The people sat in seats appropriated to them, andlistened attentively to some exquisite pieces of music, played asexquisitely, by a large band. There was no dancing; nor indeed was theroom adapted for such recreation. The king, the queen, and their niece, the beautiful Princess Louise, sat in a gallery, speaking to thosearound them, and watching with interest the group below. This is thatprincess whose hand the Crown Prince, Frederick, thrice divorced, hassought in vain; for, he failing heirs, Holstein passes from the presentdynasty to the Ducal House of Augustenburg. This political flaw is, while I write, being adjusted by the Danish Senate, as the impotency ofFrederick, now reigning Sovereign of Denmark, has been pretty welladmitted. The company took no heed of the royal presence, but walked andtalked, and stood with hats on; and when I observed to my late excitablefriend in spectacles, that the English behaved not so in the sight oftheir queen, he replied, "Zat is nuttin. Ze king is nuttin. "

"That is to say, though it be done, no feeling of disrespect is meant, "I continued. 

"Ja. "

We wandered through illuminated galleries and conservatories sweetlyperfumed with the most delicate flowers. Continually, on every hand, wasrevealed some marble statue to attract attention, or living beauty togratify the eye. Borne away by these delightful sights and sounds, andfeeling life only in the ideal, this lethargy of soul and body burst, convulsively, into common existence, as the indomitable Mr. C----issued, gaping in all directions, from behind a fluted column; and, whenhis glance fell on us, the face of Minerva looked not more luminous whenshe leaped from the brain of Jove. 

"Ah! gentlemen, " delightedly he exclaimed, "you gave me the slip; butthe guard below told me three Englishmen were here. "

P---- answered him with civility, and said that we had altered ourplans, and could not communicate with him, being in ignorance of hisaddress. He showed us great attention, and, by explanation, smoothed allthose excrescences of conventional usages which we did not understand. So far, Mr. C---- was useful; but, seeming a character of doubtfulrespectability by the cold indifference with which some Danish gentlemenreceived his warm advances, we did not like to be accompanied in publicby a man of whom we knew nothing. His companionship, therefore, hurriedus from the Casino; and, the cathedral clock was tolling midnight, as wewere rowed alongside the yacht. The closed gates again gave us trouble;and, we thanked the bright stars above us, that knowledge of the Frenchgrammar had survived the tenderness of Anacreon. Nevertheless, thisbrought the irksomeness of our situation to a climax, and P---- made uphis mind to call on the Consul in the morning. For my part, I believe, Ibecame feverish through the night, and in my sleep talked to thebinnacle about Magna Charta. 

At eleven o'clock on Monday morning, R----, P----, and I, formed adeputation, and started for the Consul's office. While R---- was givingdirections to the men when to return with the boat for us, I felt agentle tap on my left shoulder; and turning round, received a nod, and"good morrow, " from Mr. C----. His services were, however, required, andhis pertinacity in retaining our friendship was not so unwelcome. Wetold him the object we had in view; he appreciated our national conduct, and begged to take us the pleasantest and shortest way to the Consul's. Many people were abroad; and hardly one person failed to stop andrecognise us as Englishmen. I do not doubt that the population ofCopenhagen is upwards of 100, 000; but I judge from the multitudes which, in some parts, thronged the principal thoroughfares. The bee-likemovements of the males, --stopping, in the bustle of business, to greeteach other, then hurrying off again, --and the fondness of the femalesfor gazing in the shop-windows where fine wares lay exposed, frequentlyblocking up the small foot-pavement in the gratification of thisidiosyncrasy, assimilated them to my own countrymen and women. I lookedunder many a blue bonnet, and caught the sly glance of many a blue eye;but they were not the blue eye and bonnet of England. I gazed upon manya sweet, smiling face, and saw many an elegant form; but they had notthe pouting, red lip, and roundness of England. No! wander where Iwill--and I have wandered far--I never saw aught to match the purebeauty of England's Daughter. Stamped on her fair brow, the hand ofHeaven owns no other mould for loveliness; and the die was broken whensensibility of soul blended with her tender frame the strong feelings ofthe heart. 

Before I saw enough of life in the streets, we were under the greatgateway which led to the Consul's apartments; for the houses here, as inEdinburgh and Paris, are divided between several families, and have onecommon staircase. The Consul heard attentively our tale, and then toldus he could in no way interfere; but that we had better make a personalapplication to the Minister, Sir Henry Whynne. 

To Sir Henry we went; and the result with him was the same as with theConsul. Sir Henry said, he could with just as much propriety interruptfor our benefit the closing of the gates at a certain hour, as theDanish Minister in London could interrupt, for the benefit of threeDanes, the closing of the Horse Guards. He recommended us to makefriends with the officer on duty, and he doubted not every facilitywould be afforded us in our ingress and regress, to and from the town atnight. 

On the strength of that concession by the proper authority, Sir Henryasked us to dine with him the following day; we thanked him for hisinformation, and accepted the invitation. Before parting, he offered tointroduce us to the king, who, he assured us, entertained a partialityfor the English, and would be happy to see us and have a game of whistwith us every night at the palace. Mr. C----, who had waited for usoutside, now conducted us round the town, and gave us all theinformation he had mustered during a residence of many years inCopenhagen. 

In the centre of the second square, --better paved than the otherone, --where are situated the Theatre, Hôtel d'Angleterre, and severalother large hotels, stands another colossal statue of Christian theFifth, as devoid of admiration as its prancing fellow. Its remarkablesize has exceeded the bounds of elegance. The horse is about to trampleon a serpent with distended mouth and forked extended tongue, being thesymbol of Discord. Around the pedestal are many figures; and, amongstthem, Minerva's arms and legs are sculptured in prodigious relief: butit is to be hoped the Goddess of the Fine Arts will, some day, descendto Copenhagen, and prove to the Danes how symmetrical are her limbs, since, in this allegorical group, the neck of the wild bull of Cretemust have been a withe to her proportions. An anecdote is told ofBelzoni, when Feldborg showed this statue to him. 

"I hope this is not the work of a Danish artist?" demanded Belzoni. 

"No; oh, no, " replied Feldborg. "If you want to see statues executed byDanish artists, go to England, or your own country; don't come here. The statue you are now looking at was sculptured, and no doubtconceived, by a Frenchman, named Amoureux, who was sent here by LouisXIV. For the purpose, Louis being excessively anxious, in everyimaginable way, to promote the welfare of the Danish sovereign of thatday. "

"Well, the Frenchman who executed this statue has been a clever fellow, "observed Belzoni; "the only animation I notice in his work, is in thehorse's _tail_. "

We clambered up the Round Tower of the Trinity Church, which was foundedby Christian IV. In the year 1673, and finished five years afterwards. It is 115 feet high, and was used as an observatory about the time ofTycho Brahe. There are no steps, but the ascent is made by a gentlespiral plane; and, as we wound our way up, thinking of Peter the Great, who drove a carriage drawn by four horses to the top, and of the mannerthe Czar contrived to reach the bottom without backing; all the names ofall the families of Smiths, Smythes, and Joneses, deeply incised on thewall, pulled us, with a jerk, to vulgarities again. 

From the summit is a fine view of Copenhagen. Before we had finishedmoralizing about views and heights, the afternoon had slippedimperceptibly away. Where we stood, the cowherd's long whoop atintervals, and, in answer to his call, the faint low of cattle, couldbe heard; and, from some cottages beyond the city walls, the bark ofdogs, and noise of faggots being hewn, were interrupted only by the loudjests of fishermen, who sat at the cottage-doors, unravelling theirnets; while the dewy mist of evening kept rising till it reached theelm-tree tops, then hung there, like a girdle of thin white gauze. Itwas quite an English scene. 

We descended; and lagging behind, I followed my companions in silencehome. 

We remained on board during the evening, and played at whist. It wassome time before we could muster the ace of spades; but, after diligentsearch, it was found, torn in twain, and the fragments stuck upright, ina pot of marmalade. A small hole bored in the centre of the skin whichcovered the preserve, not exceeding the dimensions of Jacko's finger, proclaimed it to be his handywork. Jacko, fortunately, had retired forthe night to Alfred's hammock; and, out of humanity, the period andseverity of his castigation were deferred till the morrow. 

As soon as we rose on Tuesday morning, Jacko was placed in a canvassbucket, and thrice ducked in the sea; when his yells were caught up by aflock of little Danes dabbling in the water along the shore, who gaveshriek for shriek. 

Remembering Sir Henry Whynne's injunctions, we went, after breakfast, to the guard-room; and, through the harbour-master, held a longconversation with the officer in command of the _objectionable gates_;and, after a while, our names were written in a large book, and wereceived permission to go and come as we pleased. 

We went to-day to the palace of Christiansborg, which is not remarkablefor anything else but its magnitude. The stables, which are built in theform of a crescent, are filled with horses, some of them most beautifuland valuable. Eight cream-coloured ponies, and a similar number of greyhorses, were unsurpassed in colour and elegant proportions by those inpossession of the English sovereign. There were upwards of one hundredhorses; and what use King Christian, with his small Court, can find forso many steeds, may come within the corn-factor's reach, but it iscertainly beyond mine. 

For those who do not mind revolving to a great height by a backstaircase, the pictures in this palace may be a treat, since one or two, painted by the old Dutch masters, are worthy of attention. Passing fromroom to room, we stumbled on Mr. C----, who, with the keen scent of aspaniel, had tracked us to our present elevation. There was no shakinghim off, and so, making the best use of him we could, we beset him withquestions; in answering which, by the way, he never wearied, butchattered with all the perseverance of an old woman. 

The only pump in Copenhagen is to be found in a vault beneath thispalace. A Dane led us through numerous dark cloisters; and, arriving atlast in front of this pump, stood still, and, with brightening eyes, aswell as great exultation of manner, pointed to it. 

By the traveller who loiters along the streets of Copenhagen, half-buried in the walls of many houses, a cannon-ball may here andthere be seen. In remembrance of Gambier's action, the Danes preserve, like the apple of their eyes, these destructive missiles in the sameplace and position they were lodged forty years ago; and, that thestranger may not fail seeing these emblems of "British friendship, " asthe term goes, their visible sections are daubed all over with blackpaint, so that they stand boldly out from the snowy aspect of thehouses. 

The Exchange, opposite to the Palace windows, is an exquisite building, constructed in 1624, by order of Christian IV. It is four hundred feetin length, and sixty in breadth. The steeple is the most curious you canimagine. Three dragons, their throats resting on the roof, intertwinetheir bodies, and, tapering a hundred feet gradually upwards, point withtheir tails to the sky. At a little distance, their large heads andmouths opened to show some formidable teeth and tongues, have a verygood effect. 

From Christiansborg we went to the Castle of Rosenberg. In the middle ofa park, not larger than St. James's, rise the slender red towers ofRosenberg above the tops of the trees; and, as you catch a glimpse ofit, glancing in the sunshine, down an avenue of oak and elm, you wondernot how the Fourth Christian, two centuries ago, made this his favouriteabode. 

Crossing a drawbridge, we arrived at an arched door; and Mr. C----, taking hold of an antique iron chain, pulled it. The noisy tongue of ahollow-sounding bell roused not the bark of slumbering hound, but hadall the desolation to itself, and echoed loudly and longly, then slowly, stroke by stroke, through the deserted corridors. In a few minutes aman, courtierly and well dressed, grasping a huge bunch of keys in hisleft hand, opened the door; and, judging from our countenances--for Iknow not by what else he could judge--the nature of our visit, requested, in Danish, that we would enter. Mr. C---- replied, and toldhim we were Englishmen. He bowed, and addressed us afterwards in our ownlanguage. 

The hall in which we now stood was surrounded, near the roof, with theescutcheons of the old Kings of Denmark; and, in niches, three or fourfeet from the marble floor, were bright suits of armour belonging alsoto the ancient Danish Monarchs. From one anteroom to another, and frompresence-chamber to throne-room, we passed, and found in each one someremnant of chivalry to admire, and heard of some deed to regret. 

In the room where Christian IV. Used to hold his councils is a Throne ofstate, exceeding, by a great deal, the dimensions of a large arm-chair, and composed of solid silver, and carved at the back in the mostfantastic and beautiful fashion. Placed at intervals of a yard roundthis room, upwards of fifty feet long, are many other chairs, not solarge as the first one, but also of pure silver. In these the king'sprivy councillors sate. Along the walls is hung the most curioustapestry, worked by the hand nearly three centuries ago, andrepresenting battles with the Swedes, and the naval victories ofChristian. Walking along, you leave this magnificent room on the leftside; and, at the end of a long passage, a small door admits you, bytouching a spring in the panel, to a boudoir, about twelve feet square, entirely walled, ceiled, and floored, with mirrors, so that, the faceand back, the right and the left sides, the crown of the head and thesole of the foot, may be seen, simultaneously, at one glance. Theingenious and amorous Christian, being far advanced beyond the ideas ofhis time, conceived this room and its adaptation; for, in this BoudoirChristian's mistresses were wont to revel with their royal lord, afterablution in a bath close at hand. 

Adjoining this apartment is another boudoir, filed with jewels ofinestimable value, not to mention swords of gold, and spurs of gold, armour, and casques of gold. In a glass-case, which is kept locked, arethe entire accoutrements of a horse; and the saddle, even to thestirrup-straps and girths, was studded with pearls, emeralds, rubies, and torquoises. On the pommel, inlaid, were four emeralds, having a rubyfor their centre, each stone being little less than an inch square. Every day Christian must have dismounted his horse some hundred poundspoorer than when he mounted; and yet the eye could detect no flaw inthis precious saddle by the absence of a single pearl. It struck me atthe time as being very astonishing that, a small kingdom like Denmark, and not a rich one, could find a surplus revenue sufficient to collectsuch immensity of wealth, and the resources of the country not flag byits useless accumulation. Why, the sale of all the jewellery, and gold, and silver in the castle of Rosenberg would pay off half the nationaldebt of Denmark. 

The earthenware and china, manufactured many centuries ago, are alsovery curious and valuable. We visited a room literally crammed from topto bottom with vases, tumblers, and glasses of all sizes anddenominations; and, while we were almost speechless in the admiration ofa bowl sufficiently large to admit its being mistaken for a bath, andnot less delicate in thickness than the rice paper made by natives ofthe East, the Dane drew our attention to a rent in the ceiling, andasked if we would not regret that any accident should destroy acollection so curious, and the manufacture of which was now lost toscience. We replied altogether, with much indignation, that a man whoattempted the deed would be no better than an assassin, and might, without reference to an impartial advocate, be hanged from one of theportcullis' spikes below. 

"Do you think so, really, gentlemen?" inquired the Dane, with an oddkind of a smile. 

"We do, we do, " we all unanimously said; and Mr. C. Wound up withmonosyllabic emphasis, "Yes!"

"Well, then, " with measured tone, answered the Dane, "that rent you seethere was done some forty years ago, and a shell from Nelson's ship didit. "

He stopped to mark the effect this disclosure would have upon us; and, finding we regretted the policy of our country, but could not controlthe cannon-balls of our ships, he continued, smiling, "Never mind, never mind, he did no harm; and I hope no other Englishmanwill again. "

Leading us into another small room, the Dane approached a large ironchest, and raising, with difficulty, its heavy lid, shewed us thecoronation robes of Christian lying at the bottom. 

"In these robes, " he said, "Christian, the present King of Denmark, wascrowned; and they will never be removed hence until he is dead. "

"Why?" we asked. 

"It is an ancient custom still preserved in Denmark, " he replied, "thather kings be buried in their robes of coronation. "

He closed the lid. 

To me, woven with their greatness, the fate of kings is ever one ofmelancholy; and the incident I have just recounted so shadowed, in amoment, the cheerfulness which had accompanied me throughout the day, that I could not observe with attention any other object of interestwhich presented itself, my only wish being to leave Rosenberg asspeedily as I had entered it; nor could I forget the utter desolation ofa man's soul, who, standing in the midst of all earthly magnificence, knows himself clad as he will be for the coffin. How impotent must seemall authority! how wan all mirth! how false all the envied supremacy ofhis birth!

Finding it was five o'clock, we gave a small fee to the Dane, who stillkept chuckling at the capital trick he had played us with the splitceiling, and we left Rosenberg to prepare for dinner. 

The good people at Copenhagen generally dine at the early hour of ourEnglish forefathers; but Sir Henry Whynne had altered his dinner time tomeet our habits. 

Mr. C---- _would_, in spite of all the civilities we called to forbidit, see us to the boat; and, then, promising to "look us up" on themorrow, vanished as suddenly as Fortunatus would have done with hisinvisible cap. 

CHAPTER VII. 

 DINNER AT THE EMBASSY--MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE DANES--THE SPANISH AMBASSADOR AND THE ENGLISH EXILE--THE CITADEL--STORY OF THE TWO CAPTIVES--JOE WASHIMTUM, AGAIN--A DANISH DINNER--VISIT TO THE THEATRE--POLITICAL REFLECTIONS--FESTIVITIES ON BOARD THE YACHT--MERRY PARTY AT THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR'S--THE DUCHIES OF SCHLESWIG AND HOLSTEIN. 

At the Embassy we met, besides other guests, whose names I remember not, the Baron de B----, a Holstein noble, and the Spanish Minister, fromboth of whom, during the time we remained afterwards at Copenhagen, wereceived the most marked kindness and attention. These two noblemen hadpassed some brief period of their lives in London, as ambassadors to theEnglish court; and they ceased not telling us how great were thehospitality, and how sincere the friendship, which had been heaped uponthem by our countrymen; and they said, they could never, either byexpression or deed, show too much gratitude for the happiness they hadfelt. 

While watching Jacko's gambols on deck this morning, I heard some onehail the yacht; and, taking up a telescope, I discerned on the quay, theSpanish Minister waving his handkerchief. The gig was immediately sentfor him. He came for the purpose of conducting us over the town, andshowing us all the public buildings and offices we had not yet seen. After passing an hour on board, we all started with him for the shore. 

I observed to-day, that the houses in Copenhagen, like the houses inHolland, are inhabited by people equally inquisitive, and who desire toknow all that is going on in the streets, without being subjected to thetrouble of leaving their seats; for all the windows are supplied withreflecting glasses, which are so placed, that you may see from the topof one street to the bottom of another. This custom is peculiar, also, to Norway and Sweden; for, I remember, when I was at Gottenborg, payinga visit to a Swedish lady, she told me that she knew an Englishman wasin the town, although she had never met me in the streets, or even heardof me from her friends. I begged to learn the charm. She then took me toa window, and, directing my attention to a reflecting glass, requestedthat I would look in it. I did so; and could see upwards of a mile fromthe window while seated in an arm-chair. She had observed me, some daysbefore, standing on a bridge about three quarters of a mile from herresidence, looking at some Swedish washerwomen hard at their work. 

A beggar is rarely to be seen in Copenhagen, since the charitableinstitutions for the sick, the poor, and cripple, are very numerous. Nowand then, a little girl or boy, accosts an Englishman in a plaintivetone; but it is merely for the sake of gaping at him. At an early hourof the morning prisoners are made to clean the streets; and you may knowthem by the attendant soldier, and the heavy chain attached to theirlegs. After visiting several public museums, we walked towards theSpanish Minister's residence. When within a short distance of the house, turning suddenly round a corner, we met our old friend Mr. C----. Hisdelight in stumbling upon us so opportunely, as he was on his way to theyacht, was evident both by his ecstasy of manner and voice. The Spaniardthought him an acquaintance of ours; and, when we arrived at his gate, begged Mr. C----, who needed no solicitation, to enter. After we hadtaken off our hats, and not yet taken our seats, "Well, now, " began the voluble Mr. C----, "have you seen every thing?Have you been to the University Library, or the Church of Our Saviour?"

"No, we had not, " we said; "but at any rate we were too tired to goanywhere else to-day. "

"Bless me!" he exclaimed, "when I was as young as you are, I could walkto Elsineur, and back again; and did. Let's go to the ThorwaldsenMuseum, eh?"

"I don't think it is open, " replied the Spanish Minister. 

"I'll go and see;" and away started Mr. C---- to make inquiry. 

"Do you know who that is?" I asked, addressing myself to the SpanishMinister, as soon as Mr. C---- had left the room. 

"Why, yes; I do know a little about him, " answered the Spaniard; "but Ideemed him a friend of yours. " We then explained the origin of ouracquaintance. 

"Exactly, " replied the Minister, when he had listened to all. "He is aman who makes it his habit to introduce himself to all Englishmen whomay come to Copenhagen; and although he may, by his importunate bearing, torment them, he is, at the same time, of some service; and only desiresto be attentive. "

"Is he a respectable person?" I said. "By his dress he seems poor; butthat is not fatal to his respectability. "

"Why, no; you are right, " the Minister said. "Mr. C---- has no enemy inCopenhagen but himself. He came here without a friend some years ago, and received, in pity for his condition of poverty, a lucrativeappointment from the Danish Government. Mr. C---- could have held thatappointment till this moment; but his partiality for the society ofSilenus, and the punctuality with which he every day mounted his ass, caused him to ride at last out of the bounds of all moderation; and theGovernment was compelled to deprive him of his office. From that daytill this morning he has been known as an amiable, inoffensive man, andas _the_ drunken Englishman. "

"He is a man, then, " we all three said, "whose intimacy it were wise todrop. "

"Why, I think so, " agreed the Spaniard; "for, though no one can accusehim of a dishonest action, it is as well, for the sake ofappearance, --and society is made of appearances, --to be without him inpublic. "

"But how can we rid ourselves of him without giving offence, or hurtinghis feelings?"

"Allow me, " said the Spanish Minister, "to arrange that the best way Ican. "

We had scarcely spoken, and the Minister made an end of recounting thiserror in the life of Mr. C----, than he entered the room, hurriedly, panting with the information he had obtained. 

"It is open, " he uttered, breathlessly, --"it is open;--and I willconduct you. I have told--the authorities that you are three countrymenof mine, --and you will receive attention--depend upon it. "

"These gentlemen, " interceded the Spanish Minister, "do not desire to goto the Museum to-day; they have altered their minds. "

"Oh!--very well, " said Mr. C----, nothing daunted; "let's go elsewhere. Time's my own--time's my own. I suppose time is yours, my Lord, --andyours, and yours?" addressing himself to us individually, and noting us, as a shepherd would count his flock, with the tip of his forefinger. 

"Yes, certainly, " we replied; "yes, time is ours. "

"But, " again interposed the Spanish Minister, "if these gentlemen do goanywhere, I have offered to accompany them, and my services have beenaccepted. _Both_ of us are needless. "

"Of course, your Excellency, " replied poor old C----, "I yield; for youare, by your rank, abler than I am to secure for them that attentionwhich, as strangers, they merit. " He held his hand out to us, which wereceived with cordiality; and he took his leave, hoping that we mightfind gratification in everything we saw. 

When Mr. C---- had gone, the Minister showed us several curiosities inhis possession, and amongst them a beautiful Spanish dagger. The steelwas so hard, that, a Danish copper coin, about the size and solidity ofan English penny, was placed horizontally on a marble slab, and theSpanish Minister, with one blow, pierced the piece of money with thedagger's point without blunting it in the least. 

The cloudless sky and grateful warmth of the sun made us prefer the openair to the confined gases of museums, libraries, laboratories, cathedrals, and their vaults; and, wandering along the fortificationswhich surround the city till we reached Fredrikshavn, we passed througha private way and entered the fortress itself. As we sauntered along, conversing on various subjects, a culprit of some kind--for thisfortress is full of them--would occasionally cross our path, and addinterest to our discourse by the Minister's recital of some remarkableincident in the man's life, which had brought him to the condition of aslave. Although the inner ramparts, or citadel, of Fredrikshavn are notallowed to be approached by any one, the rank of the Spanish Ministerseemed to cause an exception in his favour; for, as we came near to thedrawbridge leading over the inside moat of all, the two sentinels, whowere on duty, recognised the Minister, and, instead of stopping us, presented arms. 

Within these ramparts, on a wooden bench, from which the Sound, spottedwith the white sails of many ships, --and, faintly, the distant mountainsof Sweden, --might be seen, two black men sat. Removed at a distance oftwenty yards from them, four sentinels stood, resting carelessly, withfolded arms, on the muzzles of their fire-locks; but, even in thisnegligence, paying much attention to the movements of these black men. We stopped and observed the strange group; and our sympathy was moved bythe dress and melancholy demeanour of the two men. The one nearest tous, who appeared the eldest, rested his chin on the back of his hands, which were clasped round the top of a large walking-stick; and in thatattitude kept his eyes fixed on the blue waters of the Sound; histhoughts, no doubt, wandering to his home, some pleasant spot, far away. His hat was brown by long use, and rent at the rims, beneath which hiswhite hair, here and there, straggled forth. His coat, once black, wasnow thread-bare and worn at the elbows; while his shoes, almost withoutsoles, kept sad unison with the other parts of his dress. The other oldman, whose clothes were equally squalid, sat more upright, and seemedlivelier, and of a lighter heart, misfortune not having yet touched soblightingly the natural volatility of his disposition; for, now andthen, he spoke in low tones to his companion, who sometimes smiled, butrarely made answer. 

"You are observing those black men?" said the Spanish Minister. "Theyare the most interesting objects in Copenhagen. "

"Who are they?" we asked. 

"Those two men, " continued the Spaniard, "were once men of note in theirown country; and their misfortune resolves itself into this simpletale. The man with grey hair, nearest to us, seemingly bent with excessof sorrow, was the king of some Danish colony in the East Indies; andthe other, his favourite minister. After having reigned for many yearswith equity and wisdom, and having seen his little island, cradled inthe lap of peace, put forth the strength of prosperity, the oldmonarch's bright day of happiness and glory was suddenly overshadowed bya cloud, which, though, by its insignificance, at first unobserved, gradually gained bulk and darkness, and replete, at last, with all theelements of storm and destruction, burst upon his head. A man murdered awoman, his wife; and, according to the criminal code of his country, wasarrested, tried, and convicted; and this king, by the advice of hisminister, ordered the assassin to be executed. The intelligence reachedthe ears of the Court of Denmark, and by command of Christian, the blackmonarch and his adviser were arrested, on the plea, that, the one being, though a monarch, a subject of Denmark, had no power to carry thestatutes of his own realm summarily into effect, without the previousassent of the Danish Government; and, that, the other, being theprincipal minister, was as culpable as his master in permitting such aninfringement of the law. They were both subsequently tried for theoffence, and being found guilty, were placed on board a Danish ship ofwar, and brought to Copenhagen, where, within this fortress, they aredoomed to pass, in solitary confinement, the small portion of life whichmay yet remain to them. "

The guns of the citadel, as I said before, are of immense dimensions;and I do not think I exaggerate when I state that the body of a child, nine or ten years old, may very easily be placed inside of them. I neversaw such heavy cannon either at Portsmouth, Plymouth, Dover, or anyother fortified port in England. The sentinels would not allow us totake a minute survey of these ordnance; but as soon as we walked roundfrom the muzzle to the breech, in order to examine their reallyherculean proportions, a bayonet, thrust before our eyes, would be sureto interrupt the stream of information which commenced flowing throughthem to the mind. I suppose the soldier had read or heard of England, and thinking the people who lived in it, or came from it, were wonderfulcreatures, deemed it not impossible we might put a few of the guns underhis charge into our pockets, and walk off with them; and unless that washis thought, I cannot conceive what mischief can arise from fourgentlemen looking at four dismounted guns. However, governments, likemen, have their whims; and it is of very little use trying to talk themout of their fallacies. It is as likely, that, when meeting a maniac inBedlam, who fancies himself Napoleon Buonaparte, or any other pagod, youwill be able to point out the delusion under which he labours, and toassure him that his social position, though respectable, was neverimperial. He will understand you as soon, and as soon assent to thetruth of your observations. 

Our scrutiny had been thus interrupted, when the Baron de B---- came upto us. We had expressed a desire to eat, for the mere sake of sayinghereafter that we had eaten, a real Copenhagen dinner, and the Baronoffered to show us an hotel, where we could gratify our wish to theutmost extent. Having made no arrangements to dine on board, we startedat once for the hotel; and it turned out to be the identical one atwhich my old acquaintance, Joe Washimtum, held the official post ofcommissionaire. Like those useful and diligent bees of the great hive ofmankind, Joe was standing, with his black hands in his black breeches'pocket, beneath the huge arch of the Hôtel d'Angleterre, chattering andlaughing with a few other bees of a similar calling, but of a differentcolour to himself. Joe raised his white hat five distinct times theinstant he saw our party, and, advancing towards us, he observed, stillwith doffed hat and bended body, "Good accummumdashum, gentlemen!"

"These gentlemen can dine here, can they not?" said the Baron de B. , appealing to the exquisite Joe. 

"No doubt at arl, sir, in de questchums, " replied Joe quickly, and withhis Æthiopian face shining like a bright boot. 

After the Baron de B. , and the Spanish Minister had seen that we werelikely to encounter no difficulties under the protection of Joe, theyleft us, expressing much regret they could not remain with us, beingobliged to dine at the Palace. When they had gone, "Dis way, gentlemen, dis way, " Joe breathed softly, and marshalled us his own peculiar way. Joe soon put the whole hotel in an uproar by his magnificent descriptionof our personal rank and appearance; and in about ten minutes everylacquey and scullery maid in the establishment knew that we were theidentical Englishmen who had come to Copenhagen in a yacht. 

Joe had ascertained, somehow or other, there was a nobleman among us;but his sagacity failed on this occasion, and he could not make outwhich was the substantive Briton. Joe, however, was not to be done, andso, after awhile, he addressed us all, as "my Lard;" and, though quiteout of his province, he _would_ stand at the door of the room where wedined, and see that the waiters attended properly, and were sufficientlyagile in their movements. Joe, moreover, acted as interpreter. 

"Waiter, some bread?"

"Es, my Lard, " Joe would reply to me, and transfer the command in Danishto the waiter. 

"Hock, waiter;--bring some hock. "

"Suttinlee, my Lard, " said Joe to P. ; then coming up to the table, and, leaning confidentially over it, observed. 

"Me would recumdate, my Lard, de Bunseppalouse, it bery good wine, cumsiddumrately dan de hock. "

"How do you know; have you tasted it?" said R. 

"No, my Lard; me only go by de smell--him bery rifferous, bery, myLard;" and Joe sniffed till the steam from the vegetables rushed up hisnostrils. 

"I say, " R called out to Joe, as he was disappearing over the thresholdin search of the _Bunseppalouse_, "you black pudding, you; what do youmean by my _Lard_? can't you pronounce your O's? what do you with yourA's, when you meet them?"

"Leeb um to himself, my Lard, " replied Joe, deferring his exit; "nebbertrouble him; if me do, me bery quick wid him. "

"Oh! that's your syntax, is it?" said R. 

"Hebben forbid, my Lard, me gib de King money;" answered Joe solemnly. "Dat d-- bad polumcy. "

Joe had evidently mistaken the signification of the word "syntax, " and, catching the last syllable, concluded that R. Referred to the systemuniversally adopted to supply the pecuniary wants of a government; andtherefore the solemnity of his answer. 

I cannot say much in favour either of the dinner or the wine, vinegarbeing the dominant ingredient of both; and, do what we would withmustard and pepper, its pungent taste remained. 

The evening turned out very wet, so that the only amusement we couldfind was to stand at the window, and criticise the different carriagesas they passed on their way to the theatre. I certainly never saw suchrusty old rattle-traps, and I do not except the king's equipage, sincethe hackney landaus have been abolished in England. 

While we were smoking our cigars, Joe came into the room, and desired toknow if we would allow him to show us the "Coal Holes" and "CiderCellars" of Copenhagen; but we told him we were travelling in order togather information and reform our morals, and not to pass the night inrevelling. Convincing Joe that we were not in the vein to leave ourarm-chairs, and begging him not to call us all "my Lard, " since therewas but one "Lard" between the three, we asked him whence he came. 

"Me jist leebe Flora. "

"No, no, " I said; "in what part of the world were you born?"

"Oh! dat one oder ting. Me barn in Jamaikee, sir; but me leebe um twotree year ago. "

"What made you leave the island?" I inquired. 

"Bekase him not de same kind of place, sir, as before--de niggers growso d---- imperant. "

"But you must find Copenhagen very cold and uncomfortable, " I replied;"and surely impudence in one's own country is more tolerable thandiscomfort and winter here. "

"No, sir, " answered Joe, all the soul of his great namesake, Washington, beaming through his eyes; "me no tollumrate imperance; one imperantraskill make me blood cold more dan de winter do. Jamaikee no de placefor de man of eddumcashum. "

"In fact, you left it in disgust, " I suggested. 

"Suttinlee, sir, " replied Joe; then seeming anxious to forget Jamaica, and every thing connected with it, he said, "Me hope you like you dinner, gentlemen; and will disgest him, " hecontinued. 

"I hope we shall _digest_ it, " I answered; "but there was vinegar enoughto stop any human creature's growth. "

"Me said so, sir!" exclaimed Joe; "me tell Monsieur Sangnette so; demFrench cooks, debilish fond of souring deir tings. Me nebber widout umstomick ache; d-- de feller!" and Joe hurried out of the room, beforehis anger had cooled, to inform M. Sangnette how dissatisfied we werewith the dinner, and what torture, similar to his own, we should soonundergo. 

Before ten o'clock I was in my berth, listening to the rain pattering onthe deck, the trickling noise of which conveyed to my mind, as I lay inmy warm bed, an absorbing feeling of comfort, which can only beconceived by those who have a roof to shelter their heads from thepitiless storm. I remained awake for some hours; and, beside the fallingof the rain, and the sharp bubbling sound of its big drops as they fellinto the sea close to the vessel's side, the night was so still, that Icould hear the sentinels in the citadel of Fredrikshavn demanding thepass-word, as the officer went his rounds. When our watch, too, struckthe hour, I could follow the echo of the bell, rising and sinking, halfway across the Sound. 

Early on Thursday morning, before I had dressed, I heard the scraping offeet on deck, and a man, in a broad Yorkshire dialect, as I thought, asking a thousand questions, one after the other, and answering himselfbefore any person else could find time even to open his own mouth. Icould hear R----in his berth make reply to the steward; and, "Say I am in bed, " rose in muffled tones above the sheets. 

I looked through the sky-light in my cabin, and saw two gentlemenstanding in mid-ship on the lee side, and one of them with a pencil waswriting on a piece of paper, which he placed against the lee-runnerblock to supply the conveniences of a desk. As soon as I was dressed, Ilearned that the American Minister, Mr. I----, and a Captain W---- hadbeen on board, and that the Minister had requested us to dine with himon the following day. R---- hesitated about accepting the invitation, for he had half made up his mind to leave Copenhagen to-day; but after alittle consideration, it was deemed advisable to defer our departuretill Saturday, and dine with Mr. I----. 

At twelve o'clock I rowed myself ashore and passed half the afternoonunder the shady trees on the ramparts of Fredrikshavn. At the mouth ofthe harbour lies a Danish frigate at anchor; and, I suppose, from theposition she has taken up, is intended for the guard-ship. The Danishships of war are in no way inferior to the British; and, at Elsineur, webrought up alongside a 36-gun frigate which was the perfect combinationof elegance and strength; nor did I at Portsmouth, or anywhere else, seea finer model. From the spot where I stand, I can catch a glimpse of thedockyards, and the hulls of six dismounted men-of-war. I have been told, that the Danish Government intends to build steam-frigates, and willhave nothing more to do with sailing vessels of war. The Danes may beright, or they may be wrong; but what will be the result of any futurenaval engagement where steam alone, or canvass alone is used, is beyondthe intelligence of any living creature. On all human events, such asthe issues of peace and war, human beings may conjecture, but cannotdetermine so precisely. 

When I returned on board, I found the cook very busily binding, with apiece of yarn, an immense round of beef, which had been purchased forthe crew by R----, in order that they might have a regular_jollification_ to-morrow, it being his birthday. Along the rigging werewhite trowsers, check shirts, and all the other paraphernalia of asailor's wardrobe, hung up to swing to the wind, and dry; and, as Jeromesat on the windlass, scraping and screwing his fiddle by way of tuning, I could plainly be made to understand that Friday, the 21st of May, wasnot intended to be passed over with the indifference of any ordinaryday, --at least, not on board the Iris. In a few minutes, while I stilllistened to the plaintive screams of Jerome's fiddle, as he urged thestrings to their proper tension, the dingy shot alongside laden withbundles of brown sugar, multitudes of raisins and currants, and a smallbucket of lemons. Jacko, also, mounted, as wont, on Sailor's back, rodefrom end to end of the yacht, like a general officer, reviewing, andsometimes descending to taste the different dainties as they arrivedfrom the shore; while Sailor would, for no reason whatever, but frommere delight, burst into a loud bark, much to the consternation ofJacko, who would leap from his seat in an instant, and standing, at alittle distance, on his hind legs, chatter with excessive alarm. 

We dined early and went to the theatre. A play in fifteen acts wasperformed. Tedious by its prolixity, the language, unintelligible to me, made it still more wearisome. The music played in the orchestra was verybeautiful; and the officer, who had behaved so politely to us inpermitting the gates, on the first night of our arrival, to be opened, seated on a high stool, rose conspicuously above the other musicians, and seemed indeed the _first fiddle_. This is an act in no wayderogatory to the dignity of an officer, or a gentleman; for, throughoutour travels in Scandinavia, I often recognised in the orchestra of thedifferent theatres I visited, officers whom I had met in the streetsduring the day. The interior decorations of the house were tawdry, andcould not for an instant bear comparison with the simple adornment ofthe Haymarket theatre. The body of the theatre was not illuminated as inSouthern Europe; but large green tin shades cover the lights toward theaudience, and, all the reflection being thrown on the stage, the blazeof light on the performers is very great and effective. The house wasmuch crowded; and, as at the casino, the King, the Queen, and thePrincess Louise were part of the audience, and conversed familiarlywith different people about them. 

The theatres are entirely supported by the Government, and the actorsand actresses receive their salaries from the same quarter. Whether thisbe a system which works well in Copenhagen, I have had no opportunity ofknowing; but I should fancy it would be more beneficial to theGovernment, to the players, and the public, that individual labour, orability, should seek and find its own remuneration; for I do not believeit is in the power of any Government to discriminate properly, andreward the services of a particular class of the community. I do notthink I am at fault when I say, that England has produced more greatmen, eminent in every department of the professions, politics, andtrade, than any other nation of the earth; and this superiority ofmental, intellectual, and physical greatness, is to be ascribed to thattimidity which the English Government manifests at all times tointerfere with individual exertions or collective industry. 

To-day was our last day at Copenhagen, and the crew seemed determined tomake it the gayest. At early dawn, floating from the mast head to thebowsprit end, then down again to the boom-end, even to the water; andfrom the cross-trees along both back-stays, every flag and pennant onboard the yacht might have been seen. 

"There's not a prettier craft in Denmark, " I heard one man say, as hesat in the boat, hauled up close to the port-hole of the cabin, where Iwas dressing, "and I don't know as how there's a drier thing in a gale. "

"No, nor I neither, " replied another; "I'm blowed if it 'taint as goodas a picture to look at her. "

This short dialogue had scarcely been brought to a conclusion, when Iheard some one in a raised tone of voice, as if at a distance from thecutter, ask if Lord R, or P, or I, was up, but being answered in thenegative, the same person inquired what all the flags were flying for;and being told that it was R's birthday, all further interrogationceased. It was the American Minister, who had rowed off to the yacht, torepeat his invitation. At 12 o'clock, the conviviality of the crewcommenced; and as I sat down with R and P, near the binnacle, toastafter toast could be heard unanimously proposed, and more unanimouslydrank. As the afternoon began to decline, their jollity began to rise, and ere the sun had set, the grog had risen high in their heads. 

"Here's to the Governor!" I could distinguish from a multitude ofnoises, which issued upwards from the forecastle; and then snatches ofsuch Bacchanalian songs as, "He's a jolly good fellow, He's a jolly good fellow, "

interrupted the calm serenity of the coming evening. 

"Now then, 'order, ' my lads, " I heard D. Shout aloud, "and let's drinkthe Governor's health, and long life to him!"

"Hurrah!" replied eight or ten voices;--"Hurrah!"

"Where's Jacko?" was then the cry; "where is he? out with the younglubber, George--give him a glass. "

"Ay, give him a glass;" echoed in answer. 

"Time, my sons, time, " shouted D. , "attend to time. One--two--three;hip! hip! hip! hurra!--hurra!--hurra!--nine times nine, my sons;hip!"--and his voice was drowned in a perfect uproar. The next thing Iheard was that Jacko, confused by the din of joviality, had decampedfrom the middle of the table where they had placed him, and broken hisglass. In the midst of all this merriment, we were rowed ashore to keepour engagement with the American Minister; and, on reaching the land, about half a mile off, we could hear the whole yacht's company joiningin the chorus, and Jerome's fiddle screaming the accompaniment, of

 "True blue for ever. "

Our party at the American Minister's consisted of the Spanish Minister, the Baron de B----, R----, P----, Captain W----, Mr. A----, the nephewof Lord F----, a gentleman farmer from Holstein, and myself. The dinnerwas an excellent one, and an improvement on the French system ofcookery; and every fruit and wine which could be bought in Copenhagenwere on the table. After we had dined, the American Minister rose, anddrank the health of the Queen of England. P---- immediately replied, andproposed the President of the United States, and that also was drunk ina bumper. A pause now took place in the proposal and drinking ofhealths, and the conversation turned into a political current, andflowed towards the merits and demerits of Christian, King of Denmark. Public opinion was rather in opposition to the king, because he hadshown himself reluctant to give the people that limit of reform whichthey asked. 

"Well, " exclaimed Captain W----, who, though a boisterous, was anamiable man, "I have not the honour of knowing King Christian; but Ibelieve him a good fellow. "

"Bravo! bravo!" and the Baron de B---- touched the table gently with hishand. 

"And I believe, " continued Captain W----, "any reluctance he may show inacceding to popular opinion is for the ultimate benefit of the country. "

"Good, good, " said the Baron de B----, and tapped his wine glass with asmall salt spoon. 

"And he is partial to the English, " added the American Minister, looking towards our end of the table, "therefore he can't fail to havesome liberality of soul. "

"The Danes have always been our old allies, " said P----, "and I drinkwith sincerity to the health of Christian, King of Denmark, and long mayhe be so!"

P---- rose from his seat as he spoke, and held a brimming glass abovehis head. The whole company followed his example, and with a round of"hurrahs, " quaffed to the personal welfare of the aged monarch in whosedominions we had been enjoying ourselves for the last week. The Holsteingentleman, having learned from the Baron de B---- what P---- had said, walked round the table, and, cordially shaking hands with us, saidsomething in Danish which we did not understand, but at the conclusionof every sentence, each one, except ourselves, exclaimed "Hear, hear;"and so I am led to conclude it was complimentary. The Baron deB---- thanked us in English for the kind feeling we had shown in drinkingthe health of his sovereign, and which he appreciated the more, becauseit came from an Englishman. He drank to P----, and, of course, allpresent joined in the toast. 

"My Lord, " said the American Minister, addressing himself to R----, "Isaw your yacht to-day, looking pretty--excessively--among the othervessels which lay in the harbour; and, from her mast-head to thesurface of the sea, I also saw streamers resting their full length onthe air. This must be a day of jubilee, and one, no doubt, replete withgood fortune to you, or your two friends; and my guests are desirous, and I am too, of noting this day with white chalk. If I be not exceedingthe bounds of curiosity, and, in a moment of conviviality, theconventionalities of society, may I ask the reason of so muchfestivity?"

"Oh! nothing, " replied R----, laughing carelessly; "I suppose mysailing-master has merely hoisted the signals to give them an airing. "

"That won't do, my Lord. Now, gentlemen, " exclaimed the AmericanMinister, "I am not accredited minister to Denmark, without by secretsources receiving information of all that passes in Copenhagen. LordR----, gentlemen, has done me the honour of dining with me on hisbirthday. "

This rather staggered R----, for he had no idea the American Ministerknew anything about the matter; and it was the last circumstance hewould have wished the company to know. 

"Therefore, " continued the American Minister, "I beg to propose LordR----'s health with all the honours. "

"With all the honours, " reiterated Captain W----. 

Of course the clatter of glasses, the rapping of knuckles, the bravos, and hears, are nothing more on all similar occasions than thereverberations of such an appeal. Captain W---- mounted on his chair. 

"Come down, W----, " said Mr. A----. 

"Not a bit, " answered Captain W----. "Let me alone. I'm all right. " TheCaptain was elevated, and would remain so. 

"I beg, with the permission of his Excellency, " continued Mr. A----, "tosuggest an amendment, --the health of Lord R----, _and_ his two friends. "

"My health has been drunk already, " observed P----. 

"Never mind. Bravo!" said Captain W----, from his point of elevation, and, stooping down, he rapped the table. "Lord R---- _and_ his twofriends--good idea!"

"It was my intention to have them one by one, " said the AmericanMinister. 

"No, no;" interrupted Captain W----. "All together--three jolly chaps. "

"Just as you like, " answered the American Minister. 

"Yes. We'll have two girls afterwards, instead, " replied Captain W----. 

"As you are so conspicuous, then, " said the American Minister to CaptainW----, "perhaps you had better do the toast with honours. "

"To be sure, " replied Captain W----, "nine times nine, and one over fora fair breeze. Gentlemen! _are_ you charged?"

"Yes, yes, yes, " came from all quarters. 

"Well, then, gentlemen, " continued Captain W----, "reserve your fire, till I give the word. --Now!" and, with all the hubbub of a toast, ourunited healths were drunk. R---- was called upon to return thanks, whichhe did; and another jingling of spoons, forks, and finger-basins, rosein reply. The gentleman-farmer from Holstein now commenced a speech, which none of us, but the Baron de B----, thoroughly understood; but itevidently alluded to our three selves, for he often turned, and, lookingin our faces, delivered whole sentences without wincing. The Holsteinerwas much applauded. Captain W---- having come down to our level, nowoffered to sing a song; and he dashed headlong into a pretty air, whichhad an eternal chorus of

 "Trik-a-trik, trik, "

or some such monotonous burden at every sixth word. The gallant Captainhad executed but a small portion of his ditty, when the Holstein farmerrose quickly from his chair, and addressed the songster at the momentwhen he had reiterated for the second time, "Trik-a-trik, trik. "

"I don't care, " replied Captain W----, who knew the Danish languageslightly; "it means nothing. My friends here have never heard the air, and that is the reason I sing it. "

The Holsteiner still resisted. What could the matter be? The farmer mustbe, I thought, a married man, and the song an immoral one. The Captainmade a second attempt with another song, and the Holsteiner resisted asecond time. What could the matter now be? Why, that the farmer was aloyal subject, and a strenuous supporter of monarchy, and that CaptainW---- had pitched, at last, upon a revolutionary song, which had beenprohibited. 

"It is so absurdly radical, " said the American Minister, "that itcarries with it its own antidote. I am sure there can arise no harm fromCaptain W---- singing it to our English friends, who are monarchy mensufficiently staunch to disallow any defection from royalty. "

"Yes, " replied the Baron de B----; "it is not for ourselves my friendfrom Holstein feels alarmed; but for those who attend upon us, and who, knowing us, may disseminate reports prejudicial to our position. Godknows, my Sovereign has no truer subject than myself. "

"Perhaps it is better, " admitted the American Minister, "that the songshould not be sung, W----. King Christian possesses no heart more loyalthan my noble friend's, " and he took the hand of the Baron de B----, who sat close to him, and shook it. 

"A stone, " exclaimed Captain W----, "thrown into a brook dams it not, but swells the current only to make it run swifter. What will you have?

 "Min skaal og din skaal, Alla vackra flickors skaal;"

and chanting these two lines of a Swedish drinking-song, he threwhimself back in his chair, and emptied his overflowing glass. The partynow began to get extremely merry; and from claret we turned to port, and, by imperceptible degrees, descended to punch. The smoke of ourcigars soon accumulated in a dense mass, and, ascending to the ceilingof the room, hung like a canopy of clouds over our heads; and Satanwould have envied the hot atmosphere which we now breathed and carousedin. We were all pretty well elated; and as the wine warmed CaptainW----'s heart and feelings, he sang the sweetest Swedish song I shallever hear again. The melodious air, the sweet silvery reiteration of thewords, the language with its soft idioms, and the poetical beauty andliveliness of the song itself, were a combination of harmony I couldnever have anticipated. It would be useless endeavouring to embody "theviewless spirit" of those lovely sounds; but as the words were thentranslated to me, so I write them here:--

 "The happy hours, Amid the flowers, Familiar to the Spring's warm breast; When memory burneth, And the soul returneth, Day dreaming, to its own unrest. I know of looks, to me more sweet and clear, Than Light's glad beam, than heaven's own blue, The Spring's soft breath, the flower's bright hue; None so true, As his I cherish here, Whose image is so dear. Will he love, and love me duly? Fairy flowers, tell me truly. What shall be my lot hereafter? Shall it end in sighs, or laughter? Pull them lightly! Count them rightly! Yes! No! Yes! No! Yes! No! _Yes!_ Counted rightly. "

Captain W---- received much applause, but no more than his songdeserved. After awhile, I observed to the American Minister, that we haddrunk the health of nearly every one present except the Baron de B----, and with his permission I would suggest that we toasted him. The hintwas no sooner given than it was adopted. 

The probable separation of Holstein and Schleswig from Denmark, thenbecame the subject of discussion during the remainder of the evening;and, indeed, this was the topic common in the mouths of all men whom wemet in Copenhagen. 

"It is impossible to foresee the decrees of Time, " said the Baron deB----, "and tell what may, or may not befall this country; but all Ihope, is, that my present sovereign may live for many long years tocome, his life being a guarantee of peace to Denmark, and his death thebeginning of disaffection. "

"Do you think, Baron, " observed Mr. A----, "that the people of Holsteinand Schleswig are so much opposed to the rule of Denmark?"

"No, " replied the Baron de B----, "I am not at liberty to say _that_ isthe general feeling of Holstein and Schleswig; for I am one among athousand who hold, that the disunion of Holstein and Schleswig from theParent Kingdom, would be fatal to the well-being of both, but moreparticularly to Denmark; for I do not doubt, but that when Holstein andSchleswig are lopped off from Denmark, some other State, like Prussia, for instance, will take the duchies under its protection, and join themultimately to its dominions; but such a result could never happen toDenmark, and she must sink into utter insignificance as a EuropeanPower. "

"Why, my dear Baron, " said the American Minister, "is not care takenthat these evils should not occur to Denmark? If you do not mindyourselves, you may rest satisfied no State in Europe will troubleitself about you. "

"The fact is this, " answered the Baron de B----, "the present ministershave not the moral courage, or mental ability to meet the difficultiesof the approaching crisis. When Christian dies, you may say the existingdynasty of Denmark dies too; and I do not think the Duke of Augustenburgwill listen to an alteration in the law of succession to these realms, prejudicial to his interest in Holstein, at the coronation of PrinceFrederick. If Denmark desires to retain Holstein and Schleswig, she mustshow her determination now. The same trumpet that announces the deceaseof Christian, will sound the proclamation of civil contention. "

"Will England stand aloof, " observed Captain W----, "and see Denmarkmutilated? I think not. "

"I hope not, " said the Baron de B----; "but as years roll on, who candivine the political condition of any country. My Lord, " continued theBaron de B----, turning and addressing himself more exclusively toR----, "you have, by hereditary right, a voice in the legislativecommunity of your country, and if ever you should hear that Denmark isthreatened with the loss of her dependencies, maintain her in her right;remember the position of England without the aid and protection in theWest, however ill given, of Ireland; and, calling to mind the words ofmyself, an old Holstein noble, be assured, that the apatheticindifference of England to the dismemberment of this kingdom, her oldally, will destroy, only for a time, the balance of power in NorthernEurope, but will entail on future generations the misery of restoring bythe sword, what can now be done with the pen, the independence of theDanish Crown. "

"I do not wish, Baron, " I said, "to interfere with the opinion youentertain of the intellectual refinement of men, and their inclinationto have their quarrels arranged rather by the silent aid of the pen, than the roar of cannon; but of this I am convinced, that, the moreenlightened the human race appear to become, the more frequentlysubmission and order seem to be appalled by a total disregard of manysocial institutions. That day is distant indeed, when the legislators oftwo disaffected countries will sit down and calm their differences byphilosophic deliberation. "

"I do not quite agree with you, " answered the American Minister; "but, Istill think, that the irritability of human nature will overcome reason, and so, in anger, men seize the sabre while they throw down the pen; butthat is only temporary. 'Ira furor brevis est. '"

"A great deal of mischief may be done in a short time, " I replied. "I donot, however, wish your Excellency to take all hope from the Baron deB----, but the separation of Holstein and Schleswig from this countrywill scarcely be opposed by England, and, if the interference of Englandshould be tendered, the other Powers will hardly permit it to beaccepted in quietude. I am no prophet, but however much Europe may boastof her intellectual advancement, and point, as she may, to her sons ofmind, the innate love of destruction is so clearly marked on thecharacter of mankind, that, at any, the least provocation, war maytrample again on liberty and peace with all the increased malice andhorror of the Bonaparte dynasty. "

Not many of the company would support me, but thought better of theirkind. I am now pleased that I then stood alone; for recent events haveshown how, in the midst of the most intellectual era since the world'sformation, glittering not only with the fruit of man's mental garden, but beautified by the miracles of his manual skill, the total subversionof conventional and political order is severely menaced; and howdoubtful the contest is between the earnest endeavour of one faith toovercome every tenet of another, and the outrages of vulgar audacity tosupersede noble sentiment and refinement of manner. 

We did not part until much past midnight, and I shall not forget thatlast night at Copenhagen for many a long day; and for the time which isto come I shall ever, lingeringly, look back with memory on the gladfaces which endear the happiness of that evening. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

 THE EXILE'S SOUVENIR--THE DISAPPOINTED ARTIST --DEPARTURE FROM COPENHAGEN--ARRIVAL AT ELSINEUR --DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN--THE CASTLE OF CRONENBORG --HAMLET'S GARDEN--ESROM LAKE--THE LEGEND OF ESROM MONASTERY--THE FRENCH WAR-STEAMER--SAILING UP THE CATTEGAT. 

I rose early on the following morning, and went ashore with R----, whodesired to purchase some cherry cordial, rum and brandy, since this wasthe last city of any importance we should visit, before our arrival atChristiania, or Bergen. 

The first object which attracted our attention when we returned onboard, was a large nosegay, of sweet colour and perfume, in a jar ofwater, standing in the centre of the cabin table; and a small notedirected, to us, lay by its side. When opened, the note read thus:--

"A poor, but proud countryman, begs that you will accept this triflingpresent, as it is the only one within his means of offering; and, whenyou are again in England, think sometimes of an outcast. "

It had no signature; but the hand-writing was Mr. C----'s. A large boatwas seen putting off from the shore, and we hoped that it was Mr. C----; for R---- was always happy to see him on board his vessel, however much he might have objected to his companionship in the streets. As the boat approached, we saw that it was not Mr. C----, but our oldfriend the gentleman in spectacles, who had, unhappily, selected thismorning to sketch the yacht; and in ignorance of our intended departure, had evidently hired a good-sized boat for the day, and brought all thenecessary appendages of his art. In a few seconds we slipped ourmoorings, and jib, foresail, and gaff-topsail were hauled out to thewind, and the main tack dropped, sooner than I have written it. 

"Vare de skepp go?" I heard the artist exclaim to the boatman; "detblăser hărdt--de vind blow hard--moin Gud! vare de skepp go?"

We were soon out of hearing; but we could still see the muteastonishment of the disappointed Swede, as he stood bolt upright, apencil in one hand, and a large drawing-book in the other. 

Like a wild horse, startled, would fly over the plains of Pampas, andhurl with sounding hooves the turf behind him, our little bark dartedthrough the water, and, envious of her freedom, crushed and tossed eachresisting wave into foam, and a thousand bubbles. As we hauled closer tothe wind, and hugged the tongue of land which forms the most easterlypoint of the citadel of Fredrikshavn, we discerned, leaning against theflag-staff, poor old C----. He held a handkerchief in his hand, butwaved it not; yet it would be raised slowly to his face, and fallheavily to his side again; and, after we had proceeded two miles out tosea, with the aid of a telescope, we could still trace his form restingin the same place and position, and his eyes still turned towards us. 

When we drew further from the shore, the wind increased, and thegaff-topsail was unbent, and a reef taken in the mainsail. We were soona second time anchored off Elsineur; and, as the sun declined from themeridian, the wind almost lulled to a calm. We went ashore; andalthough, on our arrival at the pier-head, the sentinels and police didnot speak to us, or demand our passports, they walked round and viewedus, as a man would observe the points of a horse before he purchased it. 

Elsineur appeared to me a more bustling town than Copenhagen itself; andI suppose that arises from the number of sailors connected with thevessels in the roadstead, who are to be met in the narrow lanes andalleys of the town; and here all the pilots in Denmark mostly wait forships bound up the Baltic. 

Over the door of every third house, generally swings a sign-board, villainously painted, and exhibiting, in emblematical form to thestranger's eye, the proprietor's name, and the nature of the goodswhich may be bought of him. The streets are very long and confined; andherds of fishwomen, dogs, and children, get in your way and under yourfeet. Elsineur is the Wapping of Denmark, or comparable to the worstparts of Portsmouth. 

We walked through the town to the Castle of Cronenborg. After wanderingover drawbridges, through archways, and dark tunnels, we found ourselvesin the middle of a courtyard, surrounded on all sides by the solitarywalls of the seemingly deserted castle. We rang a bell several times, and could just hear its noisy clatter, stealing through narrow, longitudinal slits of windows at the top of an old tower; and, afterrepeating the summons several times, without waiting, we walked away aswe had entered this famous citadel. From the ramparts we enjoyed amagnificent view of the Sound, and the coast of Sweden. 

In Hamlet's garden, about a mile from the castle, across a drearycommon, the willow-sheltered tomb is still to be seen, where, it issaid, sleeps that Spirit "the potent poison quite" o'ercrew. A housestands, tenantless, in the centre of this garden, protected at the backfrom the north wind by a bank, on which spring here and there flowersand weeds entwined; while its front, turned to the south's warm breath, is enlivened by a few statues, round the pedestals of which creep thevine and honey-suckle. Though the footfall of time is scarcely heard onthe soft moss, which oozes in patches from the broad terrace whereprinces trod, the hand of desolation seemed to be busy here; and as Ilooked around me, and observed how each relic of antiquity was crumblinginto dust, the oblivion of every thing connected with man, except themonuments of his intellect, crawled coldly, like a slug, over my senses, and apart from all visible objects, I felt, and saw with the mind's eye, the immortality of poetry only in the air which I breathed. 

Not far from Elsineur is Esrom. Near the Castle of Fredensborg, aboat-house, on Esrom Lake, may be seen by the traveller; and there itwas, on this calm summer evening, I lay down upon the grass, looking onhill, wood, dale, and water. The still air, the unrippled surface of thelake, the tops of the trees, which form the vast and majestic avenuesleading to the castle, appearing to melt into the blue sky, were soimposing, that the spirit of melancholy, not unpleasing, descended onme; and leaping from scene to scene, and from one epoch of my life toanother, I found myself a boy again, and the heart, like a bended bow, returning to its full length, sprung swifter to the thoughts of home;and I could not help muttering aloud these verses to myself:

 "There was a time, and I recall it well, When my whole frame was but an ell in height; Oh! when I think of that, my warm tears swell, And therefore in the mem'ry I delight. 

 "I sported in my mother's kind embraces, And climb'd my grandsire's venerable knee; Unknown were care, and rage, and sorrow's traces: To me the world was blest as blest could be. 

 "I mark'd no frowns the world's smooth surface wrinkle, Its mighty space seemed little to my eye; I saw the stars, like sparks, at distance twinkle, And wished myself a bird to soar so high. 

 "I saw the moon behind the hills retiring, And thought the while--'Oh! would I were but there!' Then could my eye examine, without tiring, That radiant thing, how large, how round, how fair. 

 "Wond'ring, I saw the Sun of God depart, To slumber in the golden lap of Even; And, from the East again in beauty dart, To bathe in crimson all the field of heaven. 

 "I thought on Him, the Father all-bestowing, Who made me, and that silver orb, on high, And all the little stars, that, nightly glowing, Deck'd, like a row of pearls, the azure sky. 

 "To Him, with infant piety, I faltered The prayer my tender mother taught me: 'Oh! gracious God! be it my aim unalter'd Still to be wise and good, and follow Thee!'

 "For her I pray'd, and for my father, too, My sisters dear, and the community; The king, whom yet by name alone I knew, And mendicant that, sighing, totter'd by. 

 "Those days were matchless sweet; but they are perish'd, And life is thorny now, and dim, and flat; Yet rests their memory--deeply--fondly cherish'd; God! in thy mercy, take not--take not that. "[1]

That the placid and serious beauty of Esrom Lake might be enjoyed, undisturbed, in intimate union and rare purity, some monks of theCistercian order built, in days of yore, a monastery in the island, theruins of which now alone remain; and it would do the eye good to see thebeautiful spot where these monks raised their dwelling. 

On such an evening as the one of which I am now almost a part, a lightmight have been seen dancing strangely round the trunk of a beech, theoak of Denmark. It was no will-o'-the-wisp produced by exhalations ofthe earth; for, now it would shine brightly, and at the next momentvanish, as if it had mingled with the old tree's leaves. Reappearing, the light would assume an oscillating motion for a short time; thenrevolve with such rapidity, that it would seem a continuous circle offire; and, at last, as if wearied with its gyrations, burn with theupward quivering glare of a candle. Suddenly, a slight puffing noise, like the ignition of a small quantity of gunpowder, stole on the night, and the beech, without noise, fell withered to the ground. In its steadstood the figure of a man hid in the travelling hood and mantle worn bythe peasants of those days. Folding the mantle close to his form, theman moved with quick steps towards the monastery of Esrom; and, arriving, knocked gently, at the gates. He sought admission, and saidthat his name was Ruus, and that the abbot had engaged him to be cook'sapprentice. The lateness of the hour pleading in his favour, a monk, doubting not the truth of his assertion, admitted the stranger, whoentered without further question on the duties of his humble office. 

Being one day alone with the master-cook, Ruus showed so muchdisobedience, and raised the anger of his superior to such a pitch, thathe received chastisement severely for his contumely. At this Ruus feltwroth; and, having previously placed a cauldron of water on the fire, and perceiving the water boiled, he seized, in the apparent frenzy ofthe moment, the master-cook by his ankle and the nape of his neck, andthrust him head foremost into the hissing liquid. Tearing his hair, andputting on the hypocritical garb of innocence, Ruus ran hither andthither screaming, and lamenting in the face of all his saints theirretrievable misfortune which had happened to his master. By suchdeception, leading the friars by the nose, Ruus caused them to seecombined in him tenderness of heart and guilelessness of conduct, and tomake him straightway their master-cook. This was precisely the elevatedpoint of trust to which Ruus had aspired, since his entrance into themonastery was urged by the resolution to work out its destruction. Thevictuals of the friars, made savoury by every herb and spice Ruus couldtake from the abundant hand of Nature, or steal from the art of man, were luscious to the extreme of taste; and, delivering themselves up tothe enjoyment of all earth's good things, the friars allowed fasting andprayer to slip from their memories. Nay, the legend even tends to theutmost limit of delight, and asserts, that Ruus introduced the mostbeautiful women to the caresses of this holy fraternity; and soingratiated himself highly with the abbot, that the old man desirednothing more than that Ruus should become one of their order, and remainfor ever master-cook of Esrom monastery. Ruus consented; and, from thatmoment, quarrels and wickednesses marred the unanimity, and creptstealthily through all the cloisters of the monastery; and the little, childish, coaxing form of sin, by daily toleration and soft endearments, grew to such rapid maturity, that the walls of the monastery would havefallen asunder by the pressure of its bulk, and come under the sway ofthe Evil One, had not the Father Abbot expostulated with his children, and seasonably persuaded them to avoid their vicious ways. 

Now, it so happened, that in the cool of one summer's afternoon, Ruuswent forth to walk in a wood; and though the air which he breathed waspure, and the generous sun, mindless of good or bad, poured around anequal distribution of his tempered warmth, Ruus, throwing aside, nevertheless, the harsher trammels of honesty, relaxed to his genialdepravity; for, observing at a little distance a fine fat cow, heapproached and slew her; and, taking on his shoulders a quarter to themonastery, left the remaining three-quarters hanging on a tree. 

Merry and content of heart, and chanting a native ditty to some younggirl he loved, a peasant, to whom the cow belonged, came soon afterwardsto seek her; and, when he saw the three-quarters hanging on the tree, his mirth soon ceased, and with wringing hands, uttering sigh aftersigh, he knew no bounds of grief, since his wealth exceeded not thecow's possession; but, his sorrow softening at length into moderation, he became lost in the opposite intensity of feeling; and, stung byanger, resolved to climb another tree, and, watching till the thiefshould come to take the rest of the animal, beat him to death. 

The sun began to sink, the cool breath of evening prevailing over thewarmer atmosphere of the day; and, ever and anon, the soft sighing ofthe air brought to the peasant's ear the faint murmur of voices. Whilesitting on a lofty tree concealed among the branches, and looking downthrough the foliage he observed, assembled round the trunk, a vastnumber of devil's imps playing their pranks, whispering of Ruus, andtelling each other how Ruus designed to invite the old Abbot and hismonks to partake of an entertainment in hell. The peasant, terrified atall he heard and saw, and, watching his opportunity, descendedfurtively from his hiding-place, and, repairing on the morrow to Esrom, told his story to the Abbot. 

When the Abbot heard the peasant's tale, in wonder and alarm, he orderedthe monks to the church, and, amid the solemn tolling of the bell, throwing himself prostrate on the cold pavement, began to read and sing. Ruus, who had ever shown himself a wayward convert, liked not thelamentable voice of devotional services; and strove to sneak out fromthe mumbling group, but the Abbot, with resolute horror, seized him bythe cloak, and exorcised him, quickly as his tongue would speak, into ared horse; and, by the sanctity of invested power, constrained him, byway of punishment for his wicked designs, to pass through the air dayafter day to England, and without intermission, in blistering summer, orbiting winter, to return bearing on his back 320, 000 pounds weight oflead for the roof of Esrom Monastery. This Ruus is supposed in thelegends of Zealand, to have been the Devil, who, envious of the pietyand virtue of the monks of Esrom, assumed the human form, and gainedaccess to the monastery in the manner, and suffered punishment with thecertainty, I have stated. 

During the night the wind had been soothed to a mere zephyr; but itsobject was only to take breath, for this morning, Sunday, it blew aperfect gale, and the sea was lashed, in a short time, to such anger, that no communication whatever could be held with the shore. There weremany hundred vessels in the roadstead; and, packed closely together asthey were, it was amusing to observe the effect of their masts risingand sinking, and tumbling from right to left, as wave after waveapproached and receded from each vessel. At noon, all our cable wasveered on the starboard anchor, and got ready for slipping, inconsequence of a large brig driving in our way. It became doubtful forsome hours, as she drew her anchors slowly home, whether the brig wouldnot come athwart our bows, and, if she had, one of us must have gone tothe bottom; and since the brig had so much more bulk, and consequently, weight in her favour, than the Iris could muster, the chances are, thatmy fleshless skull would have been long ago a resort for cockles underthe rocks of Cronenborg; but, a friendly wave, full of feeling as ofwater, struck the brig to windward, and, heeling under the blow, shetook a broad sheer on our starboard bow, and dropped clear of us. 

At six o'clock in the morning, we got under weigh, and went up theCattegat, with no particular plan in view, but desirous, if possible, toreach Falkenborg, or some other harbour in Sweden, before night set in. As the sun rose, however, the wind began gradually to fail, and beforenoon, a calm prevailed so entirely, that all hope of leaving Cronenborgout of sight to day was dissipated. This being the 24th of May and theQueen's birthday; to commemorate the event and keep our loyalty in goodtrim, we fired, even under the ramparts of Cronenborg Castle, which isnot always liked, a royal salute; and, when we had accomplished aboutone-half of our Lilliputian cannonade, a large French war-steamer passedwithin thirty yards of us, and, not heeding the approximation of such aterrible and sensitive neighbour, we continued our firing, and sent abroadside right into the Frenchman's larboard ports, much to hisastonishment; for anticipating more deference to the French flag, theengines were immediately stopped, and a Lieutenant in gold banded cap, and thick moustache, started into sight, showing his chin just elevatedabove the bulwarks, and eying us with great ferocity over thelee-quarter; but repeating our salute with all the precision of an hourglass, which R----held, and the apparently sublime ignorance ofland-lubbers, Monsieur le Lieutenant seemed to feel some consolation forour breach of etiquette, and paddled away again as hard as ever. 

Not a breath of air was abroad, and the Sound lay silent as a lake. Inanswer to the booming of our guns, from the town of Helsingborg, fivemiles off, on the opposite coast of Sweden, we could hear the sound ofhuman tongues, and the bay of dogs, come echoing over the sea, so calmwas the day. A thousand vessels of all nations, some going up, othersreturning from the Baltic, the deep blue sky, and the hot sun, remindedme more of the Mediterranean than of the northern climate in which I waswandering. 

After we had concluded our salute, R---- ordered a swivel to be charged, and, loading it with a handful of rifle balls, fired it towards thecoast of Sweden. The experiment was tried in order to satisfy ourspeculations as to the distance our guns would carry. An immense flockof wild ducks, rather more than a mile from us, rose as we fired; butwhether the report, or the bullets interfered with their fishingamusements, I know not, for we did not see the smooth surface of thewater disturbed anywhere. Some of the sailors, however, were fancifulenough to assert that they heard the balls strike the rocks on theSwedish shore. 

Every other object, except the high land of Sweden, lost to the eye, Cronenborg was still, for a long way, visible; and, as the sun began todescend, the old Castle, throwing its dark shadows almost across theSound, seemed to stand forth the gigantic symbol of national protection, and type of times gone by. 

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Translated from the Danish poet, Baggesen. 

CHAPTER IX. 

 ARRIVAL AT FALKENBORG--THE STORM--THE YACHT IN DANGER --SAFE ANCHORAGE--VISIT TO FALKENBORG--LUDICROUS ADVENTURE--A DRIVE INTO THE INTERIOR--GREAT SCARCITY EXPERIENCED BY THE INHABITANTS--DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY--THE DISAPPOINTED ANGLERS--KONGSBACKA--THE YACHT RUNS AGROUND--GOTTENBORG. 

Æolus seems to be the same good-natured deity Virgil represents him tohave been in the days of Æneas, and open to any supplication which maybe preferred to his rocky throne, whether it be by mythological Juno, ormaterial Jack; nor does that royal soother of waves and raiser of windpay more attention to such poetic prayer and soft promises of a Goddess, as, "Eole, Incute vim ventis. Sunt mihi bis septem præstanti corpore Nymphæ: Quarum, quæ forma pulcherrima, Deïopeiam Connubio jungam stabili, propriamque dicabo: Omnes ut tecum meritis pro talibus annos Exigat, et pulchrâ faciat te prole parentem, "

than he listens to the reflections of two British tars. 

"I think, from the scud, we shall have wind from the south'ard, Bill. "

"So I think, " replies Bill; "and we shall have enough of it, too. There's a bank of black clouds over the Castle, I don't like. "

"Ay, I'll be d-- if it does anything else but blow; but better a gooddeal than none at all. "

"Don't swear, " Bill piously answers, "but take what you can catch. Weain't got a black cat aboard; and, so, trust to Providence. "

About an hour afterwards the observations of the two sailors wereverified; for a strong wind sprung up from the south, and blew withoutintermission till nine o'clock, when we found ourselves abreast ofFalkenborg. The sky, being covered by dark masses of flying clouds, madethe night, now beginning to set in, more obscure than this season of theyear admitted. The coast, though bold, was dangerous and unknown; and wehad been told that Falkenborg, though famous for its salmon streams, hadno harbour where the yacht might lie with safety, unless, by sailingthrough a very intricate and narrow channel, we anchored within a reefof rocks stretching three miles from the land. The nearer, therefore, weapproached the shore, the more requisite was it to get a pilot on board;but ten o'clock being now near at hand, and the Swedes being notoriouslynegligent in the performance of their duty as pilots, the chance ofspeedy relief from our anxious condition was slight indeed. 

Hauling our fore-sheet to windward, and tricing up the main-tack, wenow shot rocket after rocket with a sharp report high into the darkness, and, the roar of our guns booming above the loud storm, must havereached the shore. For upwards of an hour we lay to, dreading to put thecutter about, lest, in doing so, she should strike; for the reef ofrocks I have mentioned was nigh, we knew by the chart; but could not, inthe obscurity of night, ascertain the exact position of the vessel. Again, the rockets rose into the air, and threw a blaze of light around, as they hissed and flew with the velocity of lightning from the mainshrouds, and then burst, a hundred feet above our heads, into myriads ofblue, and green, and red sparks, which, curving like a feather, descended towards us, their gently-floating appearance mocking theturbulence of the elements, and our own inquietude. The guns, too, bellowing, an instant after, with the loud tongue of distress, seemed, when their echoes struck with angry force against the elevated points ofland, to upbraid the quick exhaustion and placid beauty of the rockets. 

With this land on our lee the wind still continued to blow with unabatedfury, and, seeing that no assistance could be obtained without resortingto other means, King, with two men, offered to put off in a boat, andseek the aid we desired. These gallant fellows, in the teeth of atremendous sea, jumped into a small boat, and, taking several red andblue lights to show, at intervals, their position, rowed, as well asthey could calculate, in the direction of the town of Falkenborg. 

For two hours, the fate of King and his two companions, was unknown tous, until the whisper passed from man to man on board, that a light wasimagined to have been seen. An answering signal was immediately orderedto be made, and a man, running half up the shrouds, burned a blue light;and, instantly, another blue light shone brightly about three miles towindward, on our starboard quarter, then a second followed, and a third;and, to satisfy all doubt, a fourth gleamed steadily through the night. It had been arranged, that King should show a light for every man hemight have in the boat, so that if he should chance to find a pilot, afourth light would immediately convey the intelligence to us. 

It was impossible for us to do anything more than lay to as long as wecould, and, to meet the boat, was utterly impracticable. In a shortertime, however, than could be imagined, from the heavy sea running, thelittle boat, taken, like a cork, on the top of a wave half way up ourmast, then carried down again so near our keel, that, a rope couldhardly reach her, jumped, and sank, and tumbled by some agency or other, for the men did not pull, to the lee-gangway, and our three men leapedon board with a Swedish fisherman. To our questions the Swede replied, through King, that he was not a pilot, and would not attempt to take thecutter within the reef until daylight, and that we must weather out thegale where we were. These were no gratifying tidings to hear on such adark and boisterous night; but, in this part of Europe, Aurora soonshows her rosy face; and, before I was up the following morning, theyacht was safely at anchor in comparatively smooth water. 

The reef of rocks, which forms the only roadstead at Falkenborg, circlesin the shape of a horse-shoe, having but one inlet. It is sunk half afoot under water, so that a heavy surf is always broken before itreaches a vessel lying in the centre of this curious bay. The channelinto it is not more than twenty or thirty feet in breadth. 

After breakfast, we rowed ashore in the gig. In compensation for theabatement of wind, the rain fell determinately, and in such big drops, that, not all the coats and cloaks we put on, could keep us dry. P----however, had gone by daylight into the town, and hired a carriole, whichwas to take us some distance into the neighbouring country, where, itwas said, a celebrated salmon-stream ran. 

On our arrival in the town of Falkenborg, a guard of several men, withdrawn swords, received us; but what their motive was in honouring uswith their protection, we could not conceive. Wherever we went, thesemen kept close to our heels, nor faltered in the strictest observance ofevery military evolution. This seeming honour amounted, at length, toextreme pertinacity, and became offensive to our freedom; for, it notonly excited the curiosity of numberless dogs, that barked, and theadmiration of ragged children, who pointed at us as we passed; but, ifR----, or P----, or I, walked into a fisherman's hut, or any humblerdwelling, to inquire the way, a man, with unsheathed sword, and scowlingbrow, would step from this redoubted phalanx, and place himself on thethreshold, watching minutely every action. Tormented at length to anger, by the pursuit of this file of armed men, P---- asked them what theymeant; but receiving, of course, no reply to his common, yet, to them, incomprehensible question, he determined to seek out the Mayor, andrepresent to that functionary the nuisance to which we were subject. 

On reaching the Mayor's residence, our complaint was laid very forciblyby P----, who was not a little nettled before that old gentleman, who, shaking his grey hairs, replied, as well as he could, in French, thatthe anticipated arrival of an English yacht at Falkenborg had beencommunicated to him some days ago, and it was, at the same time, hintedthe object of the Englishman on board that yacht, was to fish. An orderwas therefore issued by the owner of the salmon-streams near Falkenborgto prevent any foreigners from angling on his property, and, inpursuance of that order, the Mayor, fancying us to be the real SimonPures, which, by the bye, we were, had directed much attention should bepaid us, and no latitude given to our movements. 

A short remonstrance being made to the inconveniences we felt by theobstinate attendance of this body guard; and on our simple assertion, without pledging our honour, that we would not molest, by fly or net, two or three rivers which were mentioned, it was promulgated by theMayor himself, from his library window, to the populace below, consisting of four women, the man who was to drive our carriole, fortyhalf naked urchins, and twice as many curs, that, the battalion of sixmen was dismissed, and the rear of the three Englishmen should beannoyed no longer. 

This misunderstanding being set at rest, we got into our carriole, andstarted to perform a journey of ten miles into the interior of thecountry. The harness, which attached the two horses to our vehicle, hadnot an inch of leather from one end of it to the other. The collar was aplain, flat piece of wood; the traces were wood; the bit was wood; theshafts, of course, were wood; and the reins alone relieved the monotonyof appointment by being of rope. Small wooden pegs supplied, by someingenuity I could not fathom, the absence of buckles. The carrioleitself had not even a piece of iron to act in any way as a spring, andthe agony we suffered when this wretched machine creaked, and squeaked, and jolted over the stones, is indescribable; and, to the eye, it wasone of the clumsiest pieces of carpentry I ever met with; nor do Ihesitate in saying, that an approximation to a civilized condition wasmore evident among savages I have seen, than in this first glimpse ofSweden. I could hardly persuade myself I was not more than six hundredmiles from London; and when the driver began to talk to me about theresult of the war in China, and ask if George the Third was dead, I wasnot at all astonished that the Baron Munchausen could write such travelsas he did. 

We arrived about three o'clock at the river where salmon were said toabound; but when the evening brought the labour of an entire day to itsclose, neither R---- nor P---- were able to speak to the truth of thatabundance, for they had not even a _bite_ between them. It was ouroriginal intention to sleep at a cottage on the banks of this river; butit seemed to be inhabited by a patriarch, the father of so manysuspicious-looking sons, grown in want to maturity, that we thought themost prudent plan was to return and rest for the night at Falkenborg. Resuming our place of purgatory in the carriole, we were soon gallopingon our way home; for the Swedes, like the Norwegians, drive at atremendous pace, and it is astounding how these carrioles, sobarbarously joined together, scouring over ruts and stones, do nottumble to pieces. 

At every river we had to cross, a large boat, like a coal barge, withoutstem or stern, is to be found, and stowing carriole, horses, andeverything else connected with them into this huge ferry boat, thedriver, by means of a rope made fast and extending from one bank to theopposite one, draws boat and cargo across, and, reaching the shore hedesires, remounts his box, and, heeding not from which quarter the nexttraveller may come, drives off, and leaves the barge where he did notmeet with it. I do not know how a wayfarer, following in our track, contrives to reach our side of the water; but I fancy some person, unseen, must be left in charge of these ferries, and rows across in askiff, or other smaller boat when necessity requires. 

Passing along we saw several horses dying on the roadside from hunger;and one poor brute, that we observed, in the morning, lying in a ditch, was quite dead when we reached the same spot in the evening. Our driver, who was an intelligent man, and, having been a volunteer in the Englishservice, spoke our language fluently, said, that all the oats and cornwhich could be spared had been shipped within a few months to England, to allay the threatened famine there; and the animals in the countrywere starving from the deficiency of all kinds of grain. The pastures, we could ourselves see, were dry, and in many parts burnt to chaff, while the present summer beginning with oppressive heat, and thepreceding one having been equally unfavourable to the pasturage, thescarcity of food was severely and fatally felt by all cattle. 

"Every thing, Sir, " said the man, "would have gone on well, had the kingforbidden corn to be sent to England, for Sweden can feed itsinhabitants; but when we send away any part of the crop, we feel theloss very much. "

"Have you ever suffered so much before?" one of us asked. 

"No, Sir, " he replied; "the Swedes are poor, and very little satisfiesthem. We feel not famine ourselves, but the animals do; and if they dienow, at the beginning of summer, for want of food, what will they dowhen the long winter comes? There--there's another, " he said, as wedrove past another horse stretched near a hedge on the road, andstruggling faintly for life. 

"Your horses will be exterminated, " I said, "if they are neglected inthis wholesale fashion. "

"Why, Sir, " answered the Swede, "horses are not of much use in Sweden, for the agriculture of the country is carried on so differently to whatit is in England, that a family, with their own hands, can plough andsow a sufficient quantity of land to supply their wants through thewinter; and we don't buy and sell corn here, for we all have our fewacres. The farmers, therefore, allow the horses to starve, in order toapply the food they would consume to the preservation of cows andsheep. "

The country through which we travelled appeared dreary in the extreme:its level, sandy surface being nowhere varied by the pleasing undulationof hill and dale. This is not the general aspect of Sweden, I know; but, perhaps, I perceive this deficiency the more, being so lately arrivedfrom Denmark, where the landscapes are soft and beautiful, while thenatural gloom of its forests is relieved by the calmness of its lakes. 

We reached Falkenborg at twelve, and, by dint of much loud knocking, awoke the people at an inn, or cabaret, where we slept. The followingmorning, as soon as it was light, we went to fish in a river near thetown, but encountered the same good fortune of which we had hithertomade no complaint, considering that the mere sport of angling for salmonhad brought us to Scandinavia; and up to the present moment we had notseen the scaly snout of a single fish. We murmured not; but could notresist the doubt, that the existence of salmon in Northern Europe was areality; nor could we conceal from ourselves the absurd light in whichwe appeared to the simple people who each day, with mute astonishment, beheld us, late and early, in storm and calm, deliberately anduntiringly flog with a long line of cat-gut their legendary streams, inthe vain hope of capturing a creature not to be caught in them; andwhich effort on our part was, in their opinion, a striking proof of theaberration of human intelligence. 

We had now travelled over a space of more than a thousand miles, andwere as far removed from the object of which we came in pursuit, as thefirst hour when we left Greenwich; and yet our diligence had beenexemplary, our inquiries most minute, and our measures, in carrying outthe information we received, most prompt. 

R---- and P---- went on board perfectly disgusted, and ready to start onthe morrow for Kongsbacka, or Gottenborg, or anywhere else. Isympathised with their disappointment, for the desire to catch salmonhad amounted to a passion; and I do not think any other feeling, even oflove or hatred, sat more paramount in their breasts; and when I calledto mind how, "Patiens pulveris atque solis, "

each of them had endured all inconveniences without any remuneration, Icould not help thinking of those truthful lines of Anacreon, which heapplied, to be sure, to softer emotions of the heart than those nowdepressing the hilarity of my companions, but the spirit of which was, nevertheless, identified with the tone of their minds:----

 "Χαλεπὸν τὸ μὴ φιλῆσαι, Χαλεπὸν δὲ καὶ φιλῆσαι, Χαλεπώτατον δὲ πάντων, Ἀποτυγχάνειν φιλοῦντα. "

The period when I left school is gone so far with the past, that I canno longer bring back its lore, and, taking up my lexicon, translate;but, if some old Etonian will receive the signification of these fourlines as I do, and allow their collective meaning to huddle in oneconfused lump round the base of some shattered classic column, and thereremain, I shall feel thankful for the task I am spared in cracking eachword into English. 

The coast of Falkenborg is the most uninteresting I have yet seen; and, wherever I turn, the same low shore, with its solitary lighthouse, andthousands of gulls, meets the eye. 

On Thursday morning we left melancholy Falkenborg for Gottenborg; but, having understood that at Kongsbacka some salmon-fishing might beobtained, we made up our minds to stop there for a few hours, andascertain the truth of our information; for once deceived at Falkenborg, R---- and P---- had no fancy for being deceived at Kongsbacka also. Afine breeze favouring us, every stitch of canvass the Iris could carrywas crowded on her, and at three o'clock the same afternoon we foundourselves off Kongsbacka, and threatened with a calm. A solitary boatput off from a solitary shore, and, rowing alongside, a man tendered hisservices as a pilot; but replying to our inquiries for "lax[2], " thatthere were not any, we thanked him for his ingenuousness, and declinedhis assistance. 

The appearance of the sky, and the quarter whence the wind came, promising a clear night and a good run, the helm was put hard up, and westretched away from the land to get a wide offing before sunset, and tostand in a fairer course to Gottenborg. At six o'clock, however, thewind died away, and before the sun bade us "good night, " not a ripple, far as the eye could roam, curled the ocean, on which, like a pool ofquicksilver, the vessel appeared to stick. So smooth, so bright, sostill, was the sea, that, when the sun's lower limb dipped in the west, his dilated disc, drawn out longitudinally, seemed like a blazingcolumn, inlaid in the water, and extending from the horizon to theyacht's channels. 

Either a gentle current of air or tide, which was imperceptible to us, drifted the yacht into the bay again; but, beyond the inconvenience ofbeing land-locked, no danger threatened us; for the coast in theneighbourhood of Kongsbacka is bold, and the water unfathomable within afew feet of the rocks. The bay itself, not enlivened by a house, or signof human habitation anywhere, was grand, surrounded on three sides byrocky mountains, and studded here and there with islands, perfectlywhite from the multitude of gulls which were perched on them. 

The bay was so calm that we could see a great way along the water. Ablack speck, like a hat, caught our attention; and, having nothing elseto do, P---- and I rowed in the jolly-boat to it; and, when we reachedit, were as much puzzled to make out its purpose as we were at adistance to conjecture its form. It turned out to be a small kegattached to a long line; and we imagined, at the first glance, it wasthe component part of a salmon-net; but salmon, we knew on the otherhand, though of the sea, were not to be caught in it. P---- seized holdof the keg; and, both together, we commenced hauling in the line as fastas we could. The lapse of a little time brought us to the end of it, andsome dozen lobsters began flapping their goose-like tails in our faces. We took two out of the trap for our trouble, and let down the rest towait the coming of their rightful owner. 

The stars now came forth, one by one, to gaze about them, but slunkback slyly when their Queen, still youthful with increasing horns, peeped over the eastern wave at us; and when, in her first glance ofsplendour, she cast a strong white light on the rocky shore encirclingthe bay, its calm, clear water, taking a greener tint from the woodedsides of the mountains, looked like an emerald set in silver. The scenewas still, and purely beautiful. The cutter lay like a log on the water, the reef-points rattling on the main-sail like a shower of small shot;and, every time he heard the sound, the man at the helm would raise hiseyes aloft, and, fixing them steadily on the gaff-topsail for a minuteor two, turn round and scan the horizon; and then, walking to thequarter, moisten his forefinger in his mouth, and hold it above hishead. 

"There's a breeze coming, Sir, " he said aloud, but in an under-tone, tothe mate, the officer of the watch; who, coming aft, stood looking, farand near, on the water, to observe the ripple of a coming wind. 

"I see, " he said; "it's springing up from the south'ard;" and, pacingthe deck to and fro, he would also turn his eyes to the topmast-headevery time he reached the quarter-deck of the vessel, to mark if thenight-flag moved. Standing, at last, close to the helmsman, "How's her head?" he asked. 

"North, a quarter east, Sir, " replied the man. After a short pause, themate, taking another glimpse aloft, said, "Slack off the main-sheet. "

"Ay, ay, Sir, " several men replied, and hurried, with a kind of trot, tocomply with the command. 

"How are the head-sheets?" again said the mate. 

"All taut, Sir, " answered a voice. 

"Ease them off, " was the mate's command. 

"Ay, ay, Sir, " the same voice answered. 

"So; belay there, " the mate called out to the men who were slackeningthe main-sail. Going up to the binnacle, he observed the compass, andaddressing the helmsman, said, "Let her break off three points. "

"Very good, Sir, " replied the sailor; while the mate, still keeping hiseyes on the compass, watched the needle till it reached the desiredpoint, and exclaimed quickly, when he saw the vessel fast obeying herhelm, "Now; take her up;--don't let her break off any more. "

"Ay, ay, Sir. "

"How's that lee runner?" the mate asked, hearing the main-sail chafeagainst the runner block. "Slack it off, and take a turn or two at theweather one. "

"Ay, ay, Sir. "

The officer then walking the deck again, all was silent as before, withthe exception only of a rippling sound as the cutter began to feel abreath of air, and move through the water. 

The wind fairly sprung up at midnight, and at eight o'clock in themorning, the pilot came on board. About ten miles from Gottenborg, thispilot contrived to run the yacht aground at eleven A. M. , andthere she stuck until half-past two P. M. ; but the mishapoccurred not so much through his ignorance, as through the importunityof some custom-house officers, and the lightness of the wind. We reachedGottenborg in the course of the afternoon, and, after a great deal ofshouting, swearing, hauling, and entangling of rigging, the yacht wasmoored very pleasantly alongside the quay. We were indebted to thecourtesy of the Harbour-Master for the berth we obtained, since hecompelled two large American ships to alter their position, and makeroom for us. 

FOOTNOTES:

[2] "Lax, " in the Swedish language, is "salmon. "

CHAPTER X. 

 THE CASINO AT GOTTENBORG--AWKWARD DILEMMA--THE WATCHMAN AND THE NORTHERN STAR--SWEDISH ARTILLERY--THE GROVE-- AN OLD MAN'S HISTORY--THE ALARM OF FIRE--THE CARRIAGE OVERTURNED--THE RIVER GOTHA--WASHING IN THE STREAM--THE NARROW STREETS--DESCRIPTION OF GOTTENBORG--ITS DECAYED COMMERCE--THE HERRING FISHERY. 

R---- and P---- had expressed a wish to visit the Falls of Trolhättan, and, the Iris had scarcely touched the quay, before they started insearch of a carriage to convey them to the Falls. As I knew we shouldsail for Christiania early on Tuesday morning, I was desirous of seeingGottenborg, and preferred remaining where I was, and allowing R---- andP---- to go to Trolhättan without me; and I was more determined when Iheard they had arranged to begin their journey at five o'clock thefollowing morning, Saturday. I learned nothing more about the matteruntil three o'clock in the morning, when, by the counterpane, blankets, and sheets being pulled off my bed, I was awakened from a sound sleep, and recovered my senses in time to hear R---- and P---- laughing, andscrambling up the companion-stairs. 

I passed the day on board, stretched at full length on the sofa, andreading; nor was it possible to employ the body more industriously, thethermometer not being much below 90. The cool evening, the bright moon, and the Casino induced me to forego all solitary confinement, and towander in the direction of the town. 

By dint of many and frequent inquiries I arrived at the Casino. ThisCasino resembled not the one I had visited at Copenhagen, but bore moreaffinity to the tea gardens of England. 

There was a cottage in the centre of a flower garden, and at oneextremity of another garden a building, imitative of an Indian pagoda, stood, appropriated to a fine band breathing, throughout the evening, all the pathos and melody of Italian music. The cottage itself was setapart for refreshment, and one might descend to a cup of coffee, ormount to the limitless command of a dinner. I had dined very early, and, feeling the effects of good digestion, desired to dine again. Thepersons who attended the guests were Swedish girls, as notorious fortheir inability to speak English, or any other language but their own, as they are conspicuous for their personal attractions. Beckoning oneHebe, whom I had selected, to come to me, I endeavoured, by every methodI could devise, to inform her how hungry I was, and how I should like tohave some food more edible than muffin. She bowed her pretty head intoken of her entire perception of my wishes, and, leaving the room withthe agility of a fawn, returned in a short time, laden with a tray, fromthe level surface of which rose a tall coffee-pot that continued totaper till it kissed with its old fashioned lid her jet black ringlets. 

Alarmed to mark at what a fearful distance I stood from my dinner, Ilooked wistfully round the room for some face on which I could read anexample or two of the English grammar; but in vain. The poor girlobserved that she had not anticipated my desire as well as she mighthave, and said something to me in a tone of regret, to which I couldonly make reply by a partial negative and affirmative shake of my head, and committing it to the peculiar sagacity of her sex to understand whatI wanted. A little, stout man, something like a runt, saw the positionto which I was reduced, and, coming up to me, said in broken English, "What you want, Sir? can I do you help?"

"Thank you, " I replied; "I want some dinner; but I cannot make this girlunderstand me. "

"I not English, " answered the man, "and I not speak te Swedish. I amRussian. I alway make sign for tings I wish. "

"And so do I, " I said; "but in this case I am quite at a loss what todo. "

"You want dinner, Sir? When I want dinner, " replied the Russian, "Ialway say, 'food, ' vitch is, 'föda, ' and put my finger down my mout; andif tey not know what I mean by 'föda, ' I say, 'kött, ' vitch is meat. "

"That's a capital plan; but, you see, I could not adopt it, for I neverheard of 'Föda' and 'Kött' before. "

"Ha! Sir, " exclaimed the Russian, "I alway find out te word for 'eat' inevery country. I travel much. I starve if I not know. What shall I helpfor you?"

"Why--I will have some dinner, " I said; "anything I can get--I don'tcare what it may be. "

"Good, " answered the Russian; and, turning to the girl, who had remainedlistening to our dialogue, but totally at a loss to imagine its drift, "Kött! kött!" he exclaimed. 

"Visserligen, " said the girl, and walked away with her tall coffee-potand tray; but, stopping when she had reached the door, she looked backas if some other idea, which she had altogether forgotten, suddenlypresented itself to her mind, and she asked, "Farkött?"

The little Russian understood her directly, and told me she desired toknow if I would have some 'farkött, ' mutton. I undertook the task ofanswering for myself, and exclaimed aloud, with striking brevity, "Ja. "

My pretty Hebe laughed outright, and left the apartment to seek themutton. 

In ten minutes she reappeared smiling; and brought me not only what Iasked for, but three or four potatoes in the bargain. I pointed to them. Nodding her head, as if she understood I meant to say "How kind of youto bring those too, " she said, "Goot. "

"Ja; manga goot, " I answered in a dialect of my own. She hurried awaylaughing heartily; but did not forget to glance at me over her shoulderas she passed out of the room. 

Crossing, on my way home, a bridge which is thrown over one of the manycanals that intersect Gottenborg in all quarters, I stumbled against anold watchman. In one hand he held the formidable "Morning Star, " ortruncheon, and in the other hand an implement of chastisement, of whichI could make out no decisive classification, at least, so I fancied;and, led away by that fancy, I drew near to the unsleeping Swede. Irequested him, as courteously and distinctly as I possibly could intattered English and with original signs, that he would permit me totake a bird's-eye view of the instrument. It was a stick four or fiveyards in length, to the end of which two pieces of iron were attachedin the shape of a heart. The implement may be drawn thus:

[Illustration]

Suppose Charley finds cause that a thief, who may be rather swifter offoot than himself, should be taken into custody: he proceeds after thefollowing fashion. The instrument is seized hold of in the right hand, or both hands, firmly, at the end A, and, giving the stick the fullbenefit of his arm's length, the watchman runs along in the purloiner'swake. Having approached sufficiently near to guarantee a certainty ofsuccess, he thrusts the ingenious instrument either at the calves, orneck of the flying thief; and the point B coming in contact with thecalf, or the nape of the neck, opens, and admits the leg, or head intothe centre C, and the sides D and E, being elastic, instantly closeagain, the centre C being adapted to fit a man's neck, or leg, and nomore. The most careless reader may easily perceive the relativepositions of the guardian and the breaker of the Law, when the former isat the extremity A, the latter in the centre C, and the advantage onehas obtained, without risk of injury to himself, of throwing the otherto the ground, should he prove restive. The watchman was as much amusedby observing me, as I was by scrutinizing his wand of office. 

On Monday morning I was present at a review of the Horse Artillery. Themen went through their various evolutions, loading and discharging theirguns without ball or powder, by applying a walking-cane, in lieu of afusee, to the touch-hole, and, then, shouting aloud to imitate thereport of cannon. 

At the upper part of the town of Gottenborg is a road, curving like acrescent, sheltered on each side by trees, growing at equal distancesfrom one another, under the shade of which are benches where thetraveller may rest when tired, and enjoy the cool air, perfumed, as itsometimes is, with the pleasant odour of flowers abounding in thenursery gardens on either side of the road. 

The noon of day had come with intense sultriness, and, feeling fatigued, I walked towards this shady grove, with the intention of passing an hourthere, in the full enjoyment of my own thoughts, or in listening to anyzephyr which might be sighing among the young leaves of the elm andcherry. Between the trunks of the trees I saw the stooping figure of aman creeping slowly, by the aid of a stick, under the thickly leavedboughs. He was dressed much after the manner of some of our Englishfarmers, with knee breeches, white stockings, and shoes fastened overthe instep with a large silver buckle. A short drab coat, and a scarletfelt hat, something like a cardinal's, with large flaps, completed hiscostume. After a while the man crawled, rather than walked, towards oneof the benches, and sat down. 

He was apparently seventy, or eighty years of age. His long, silveredhair strayed down over the collar of his coat; and the soft languor ofhis light blue eye imparted a sad impression to his countenance, which, when he was young, must have been eminently handsome. He smiled as Iapproached, and seemed desirous that I should take a seat by his side, for he moved nearer to the end of the bench to make more room. The daybeing hot, as I have said, I received the hint, hoping by doing so tofind entertainment, at least, and, perhaps, information. Soon as I hadtaken my seat the old man touched his hat, and bowed low as hisinfirmities would permit, and, "Hur mår Herren?" he said. Knowing sufficient of the Swedish language tounderstand that he asked me how I was, I answered in the same tongue, and, in compliment to himself, "Bra, Gud ske låf;" which four words I intended should intimate mygratitude to Heaven that I was well. The old man appeared pleased, thatI should make reply to him in Swedish, and no doubt deemed me nodeficient linguist; for, observing my eyes were wandering over thebeautiful landscape, undulating with corn-fields, and terminating bygentle hills clothed with the beech and elm, he ventured to say, "Det är ett vackert land. "

I knew he alluded to the pretty appearance of the country; but I wasanxious to inform him that I did not understand the Swedish languagesufficiently well to carry on a conversation, and, at the same time, tofall as decently as possible from the height on which I had placedmyself by the grammatical answer I had previously given, and which I hadaccidentally learned by listening to the salutations and ordinaryreplies of our pilots. I therefore curtly said, "Ja. "

A light seemed to stream across the old man's expressive features, andhe asked, leaning forward to catch my words, whence I had come;

"Hvarifrån kommer Ni?"

"Jag kommer från England, " I answered. 

The old man rose from his seat, and said, in tolerable English, that hewas glad to see me, (at which I was also delighted) and then begged, like all the inhabitants of Northern Europe, that I would shake handswith him. I did so, and taking my hand in his, he clapsed it firmer thanI imagined he could, and looked into my face. 

"You are not French?" he observed inquiringly. 

"I am not. "

"Then I am glad, " and he pressed my hand again; then letting it drop, continued:

"I speak English, sir, but badly; and, yet, I always address anEnglishman, and read an English book when I can get it, and, this one, in particular;" holding up to my view an old black book I had notobserved. 

"May I see it?" I said, and, taking the volume from his hand, a Biblefell open at the 8th chapter of Solomon's song. These two verses weremarked by a line being drawn down the margin. 

"Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for Loveis strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereofare coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannotquench Love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give allthe substance of his house for Love, it would utterly be contemned. "

"You read, sir?" he said interrogatively; and, putting on hisspectacles, glanced over my shoulder. 

"Ah! sir, fifty-eight years ago, I was young like you, and it was then Inoted those two verses. You are young, " he continued, "and perhaps haveloved. "

"No, " I replied; "Heaven has not given me the opportunity ofparticipating in one of its most essential blessings. "

"Then, sir, Heaven has blessed you, " he said. "I am old, you see; but Iam alone in the world. Love has made me solitary. " He sighed. 

The old man seemed overcome with grief, and, desirous though I now wasto hear his story, I dreaded to renew a sorrow, the intensity of whichTime had not lessened. He drew forth in silence from his bosom, aminiature, suspended from his neck by a black ribbon, and with shakinghands he touched a spring, and held it unclapsed before me. It was thelikeness of a girl about seventeen years of age. A loose robe partiallycovered her shoulders, and, the elbows resting on a kind of slab, herright cheek was cradled on the back of the left hand, the fingers ofwhich touched her throat; and she looked, with laughing, light blueeyes, over her left shoulder. Her hair, parted slightly on one side, clustered in ringlets above a full, fair forehead; while a melancholyexpression about her small, compressed mouth seemed to counteract thejoyousness of the upper part of her countenance. The resemblance to theold man was striking. 

"Sixty years ago, sir, I first saw that face, and it is as fresh in mymemory as if I had only seen it yesterday. It was a face once to lookon, to dream of for ever. "

"It is very beautiful, " I said, still gazing on the picture. "Was sheyour daughter?"

"Oh! no, sir, no. Would to God she had been!" the old man mournfullyreplied. "When, sir, I first saw that fair young creature, I waseighteen years of age, and she might have been seventeen. Endeavouringin vain to suppress the emotions which her beauty and amiable tempercaused in my heart, I ventured one day to tell the father of ThoraRensel, for that was her name, the love I bore his daughter. Eric Rensellistened; and, when I had told my tale in words as fervent as myfeelings, he replied, 'Engelbert Carlson, my daughter's hand isuncontrolled as her heart; win the girl's affections, and I will notstand in the way of your union. ' I thanked Rensel with a grateful heart, and went forth to seek Thora. 

"Do you see yonder hill?" said my narrator, pointing in the direction ofa hill skirting some corn-fields before us; "there, close to that clumpof elm-trees, stood Eric Rensel's cottage. Descending that hill, I metThora, returning homewards, laden with a little basket full of fruit andflowers. She smiled when she observed me, and held out her hand, as shealways did, in token of friendship. I hastened towards her, and, seizingthe offered hand, pressed it warmly, and would have raised it to mylips, but I had not the courage. 

"'Are you not well, Engelbert?'" she said, in a gentle tone, "'for yourhand trembles;'" and she took hold of my hand with both of hers, andlooked round inquiringly into my averted face. 

"'Yes, Thora, '" I replied; "'I am ill at heart, and I can find reliefnowhere else but when I am near to you. I have endeavoured for the manymonths since I have known you, to hide my grief, or forget my pain; butthe more I have exerted myself to do so, the keener felt my sorrow, anddeeper still I probed the wound. '

"'Alas! and why should grief, or pain be yours, Engelbert, when virtuehas been attendant on you always. '"

"'Sit down here, on this stone, and listen for a little while to me, dear Thora. '"

"I led her to a large stone by the roadside, which is there to thishour, and we both sat down together. The day, sir, was bright as this;and the corn waved, as it does now, to each breath of wind, and over ourheads, among the trees, the birds were warbling. Ah! even now, at thisdistance of time--in my old age--the tear comes to my eye, and my heartheaves and swells to the memory of that happy, happy day. 

"'Hitherto, to me, dear Thora, ' I said, "'life has brought no changes ofexcessive pain, or pleasure; for at an early period I lost both myparents, and, being then but young, I never knew the sweet joys of home. Forced to struggle with men for independence, and, tossed aboutwhichever way the waves of fortune pleased, my heart soon becameindifferent to every gentle feeling; and, in my isolation, I neverthought to seek for sympathy, but desired, by my industry, to live incompetency, and, at the last, to leave the world as I had been sent intoit, alone. '"

"The tears began to flow down Thora's face, and, nestling closer to me, she placed her hand on my arm, and murmured, "'Dear Engelbert!'"

"'One evening, my own Thora, relieved from daily toil, I was sitting, asnow, under that beech-tree, enjoying the cool evening air, heeding andlistening to the sweet sights and sounds of life, and musing withsoftened spirit on all that had occurred to me since my dear parents'deaths, when I heard the gentle footstep of some one behind me. Iturned, and, by the light of the full moon, saw a female figureapproaching the spot where I was. With beating pulse I kept my eyesfixed on the form; but I soon gazed with delight on what my flutteringheart then almost bade me shun, and now droops with desire to take asits own. It was you. '"

"She replied not; and her head gradually turned from me. I raised thehand I still held, and, in a moment of passionate feeling, pressed it tomy lips, and kissed it ardently. She immediately withdrew her hand, butseemed not altogether offended; for a smile--but oh! how sad andprophetic of what was to occur--passed over her beautiful face. 

"'Dear Thora!'" I exclaimed, "'do not torture me. Pardon me, if, ingiving expression to the sweet but painful feelings which obscure mybrow with sorrow, I offend you; but I love you, dear Thora; and, thefirst moment I saw you, I felt you were the only created thing whichcould revive my torpid soul; and, you, I could have fallen down andworshipped. '"

"'Do not, do not speak so, Englebert, '" she said; and, taking my hand inhers, folded it warmly to her heart. I thought, as she lifted her eyesfondly to my face, I observed a tear trickling down her cheek; and thequick movement of her heart, against which my hand was still clasped, told of all that was contending there. "

The old man ceased for a few minutes, and the tears began to course eachother down his face. He then said:

"It may seem strange to you, sir, that one, so old as I am, can feel sodeeply and so long; but, though of a quiet temperament, I was prone inmy youth to be acutely sensible of pain or joy, however much I concealedmy emotions. I remember, when I was a mere child, my mother's chidingwould grieve me for many days together, and I used to hear her wonderingwhat the cause of my grief could be. She was wont then, sometimes, tocall me sulky. How, sir, the characters of children are misunderstood, and how the heart, at that tender time, is trifled with, to bringremorse in after life;--but, sir, to my story. 

"In the summer of 1758 a French vessel arrived at Gottenborg, and onboard were several young Frenchmen possessing many worldly advantages, and much personal grace. One, in particular, was remarkable for theliveliness of his disposition, and beauty of form. His name was Adolphede Lacroix. 

"By accident Adolphe saw Thora; and hers was a countenance which couldnot be looked on with apathy. De Lacroix saw and loved, or fancied thathe loved. It would be useless, sir, to occupy your time, and increase myown pain, by relating with the garrulity of old age all that happenedafter the arrival of M. De Lacroix; but it is sufficient to tell you, that, he sought the affections of Thora, gained them, and married her. "

The speaker stopped in his narrative, and, taking from his pocket asmall packet of three letters, selected one from it, and, with tearsstill rolling down his cheek, showed it to me. 

"In this letter, Thora, " he said, "told me of her marriage. I read itthen, but I have never read it since. "

Observing me cast a glance at the other two letters, "And these two, " he continued, "brought the intelligence of my father'sand mother's deaths. I keep them all together. "

When I had read, or attempted to read, Thora's letter, which was writtenin the Swedish language, I returned it to the old man; and, folding itcarefully with the other letters, he tied the little parcel with a pieceof tape, and placed it in his bosom again. 

"If, sir, my story is pleasing to you, " observed the old man, "I will goon with it; for though the repetition gives me pain, its acuteness isrelieved when I murmur, as I do now, to some one who will listen kindlylike you. "

"I am sorry, " I replied, "that you should feel so deeply in making meacquainted with the earlier period of your life; for I have attendedwith pleasure to your tale. "

The old man peered with a sorrowful expression in my face, and, brushingaway a tear with his hand, continued:----

"Two years had passed away since Thora had been wedded, and the time wasAutumn. Almost on this very bench I rested, listening to the merrimentof men and women who were gathering winter-apples in the orchard yonder. Divided between the study of this old Bible, and the recollection of thehappy hopes which Thora had once raised in my heart, a sense ofdesolation crept so utterly over me, that I could read and think nolonger, and, closing the book, I bowed my head, and burst, like a child, into tears. This attitude of excessive grief arrested the attention oftwo passengers, a lady and a gentleman, whom I had not seen, and who, moved by my youth, no doubt, and vehement sorrow, came near to where Isat weeping; and, placing her hand gently on my shoulder, a woman, in asoft and kind tone of voice, desired to know my grief. Though two yearshad sadly laid waste my heart, my memory had not forgotten the source ofall its affliction; and the sweet, clear tones of the voice were sofamiliar to my ears, that I raised my head quickly. In an instant mytears ceased; through my whole frame, passed, like a cold wire, anaching chill, which, when it subsided, left me faint and weak, and Icould hardly stand. 

"It was Thora who had spoken to me. Standing, motionless, for a fewminutes in front of M. De Lacroix, Thora buried her face in her hands, and then fell almost insensible into the arms of her husband. I did notlike to offer my assistance in restoring her, and stood aloof, preparedto perform any office which her husband might think necessary. Thorasoon recovered; and when her hand was lifted to arrange her disorderedhair, I saw a little ring, still encircling her finger, which I had, intoken of our mutual plight, given to her years before. My wounded heartat its sight began to bleed again; but Thora, expressing a wish to M. DeLacroix that she might return home, bowed to me with a forced smile andswimming eyes, and I was spared the humility of showing how incompetentI was to conceal my tears. As Thora walked away from me, I could nothelp casting a lingering look towards a form that I once knew atdistance, however great, and that I had thought to have called my own. Iresumed my seat, and, giving expression to my anguish with sighs andtears, I did not stir till evening roused me from my trance ofwretchedness. Length of time, sir, flew fast away, and heaped cares uponmy head; but the recollection of my youthful days was vivid still asever. No day dawned without a thought of Thora. 

"One winter's evening I sat alone over my cheerless hearth, gazingvacantly on the glowing embers, when a coal fell from a mass of otherswhich had formed themselves into a hollow body in the fire, leaving atinge of deeper red over the spot, in the midst of which the letter, T, appeared indistinctly, fading and reappearing for some time, till, atlast it became as visible as the mark I make with my stick on this sand. Another coal was driven suddenly with a loud noise, into the middle ofthe room, and the little cavity collapsed. No sooner had I risen tothrow the coal into the grate again, than a gentle tap at my doorattracted my attention. I thought it might be my fancy, or the wind; butthe visitor seemed determined to gain admittance, and the tap wasrenewed a little louder than at first. Rising, I opened the door, and anold woman, who had been Thora's nurse, stood before me; and, with bitterlamentations, she placed a small note in my hand. It brought thedreadful tidings of Thora's sudden death. 

"The mournful fact soon flew from end to end of Gottenborg, for Thorawas much loved; and people whispered that she had died unfairly. Thisconjecture grew so strong, that a few days after her burial, Thora'sbody was taken from the tomb, and, after the minutest examination, nocause could be found to account for her death, but the Will of Heaven. 

"A year came and went; and M. De Lacroix, wearied of his lonelycondition, married again. He did not live happily with his second wife;and, from angry words, they were wont to come to blows. To be brief, sir, Madame de Lacroix, died as suddenly and mysteriously as my poorThora. Suspicion showed a more audacious front than it had done on theprevious occasion, and M. De Lacroix was arrested for murder. The loudcries of Madame de Lacroix, heard the day before her death, weresufficient to put M. De Lacroix on his trial. 

"Either from contrition, or some other cause of fear or hope, M. DeLacroix confessed that the death of Thora had been brought about by hisown hand. It seems, sir, by some act of the basest depravity, Heavenpermits that the fallen condition of man should be forced, at intervals, on our minds, to show the necessity of keeping in subjection the viciouspropensities of our thoughts and deeds; for, unless it be so, I can inno way solve the reckless abandonment of all human feeling in the breastof M. De Lacroix. Ever afterwards, from the day I met Thora accidentallyon this spot, her husband gave way to fits of frequent jealousy andanger; and a home, which had been one of harmony and joy, was thenconverted into a den of contention and the bitterest acrimony. In one ofthese domestic brawls, M. De Lacroix resolved to murder his beautifulwife; and the plan he devised to accomplish his purpose was as novel asit was diabolical. 

"In the dead of night, when the young and innocent Thora was folded inprofound sleep, M. De Lacroix arose, and, going to a small box, tookthence a needle not larger than those in ordinary use, but of greaterlength. Returning to the bed where Thora still lay, breathing with thelong, heavy respiration of slumber, he leaned over her, and the momenthe did so, and but for a moment, a low, spasmodic cry was heard, aslight struggle shook the bed, and all was hushed as before. M. DeLacroix had driven the needle into Thora's heart! Wiping with his fingerthe trifling drop of blood which oozed from the puncture, he effaced alltrace of violence from the body. "

The old man paused; and, drawing a handkerchief from his pocket, hid hisface in it, and, from the convulsive movement of his shoulders, I couldsee he was weeping bitterly, though in silence. 

"So ends, sir, " with faltering accents the old man soon continued, "thecause of all my misery. I am old now, and yet in my old age I keep freshthe feelings of my youth; and, therefore, I wander hither every day togaze upon the blue sky, and bask in its warmth; but never to forget herwhose loss has made oblivion a desire, and created the hope, that, Deathbe an eternal end of sensibility. "

The old man ceased to speak. The solemn manner, and the earnest tones inwhich he had told this sad episode of his life, made a deep impressionon me; and when I looked on his frame, bent more by sorrow than withage, and saw the settled gloom of an inward grief shadowing acountenance, on which length of years and rectitude of conduct shouldhave left the lines of happiness and mental peace, I felt how unable wasvirtuous thought, or strength of intellectual refinement, to secure, even, the love of life's young day, or to soothe the anguish of itsloss; and, unresistingly, I yielded to the remembrance of hope'spassionate farewell to joys, once dreamed of, before the world's strangeknowledge fell with grief's canker on the bloom of my own heart. 

The old man rose to go. When I had assisted him from his seat, he tookmy hand, and, sadly, wished me farewell. I watched him a long time, wending his way slowly homeward through the corn-fields; and, when hisform was hid from sight, I could just see his head above the blades ofcorn, and his silvery, white hair shining, like a wreath of snow, in theslanted rays of the setting sun. 

About six o'clock, when returning to the yacht, I heard the beating ofdrums and discharge of cannon, the howling of dogs, the screams andlamentation of women, and, now and then, rising above the general din, the shrill blast of trumpets. As I approached nearer to the water-side, the rigging, even to the mast-heads of the different ships in theharbour and canals was crowded with sailors, who, clinging by one leg, or one arm, to the ropes, strove with outstretched necks, to catch aglimpse of some extraordinary deed to be, or being done. Presently atroop of horse-soldiers trotted by me; and it was with some difficulty Icould escape being trod under foot by these impatient riders. Everybodyseemed mad. One Swede, with slippered feet, without hat or coat, rushedpast me with so much impetuosity, that he was like to throw me to theground; and, seizing him by his flying shirt-sleeve, I remonstratedagainst his carelessness. He gave no heed to my anger, but continuedheadlong in his flight, and left a fragment of his linen in mypossession. The maniac speed and bearing of the man reminded me of astory which is told of the Calif Hegiage, who, having by his crueltiesrendered himself hateful to his subjects, one day, on a journey, met anArabian of the Desert, and asked him, among many other things, what kindof a man the Calif was, of whom so much was said?

"He is no man, " replied the Arabian; "but a monster. "

"Of what do his subjects accuse him?" asked the Calif. 

"Of the most inhuman barbarities, " answered the indignant Arabian. 

"Have you ever seen him?" demanded Hegiage. 

"No, " the other replied. 

"Look at him now!" said the Calif; "for it is to him you speak. "

The Arabian, without betraying the least sign of fear or surprise, fixedhis eyes on him, and said, --"And you, sir, do you know who _I_ am?"

"No, " replied the Calif. 

"I am of the family of Zobair, " the Arabian continued, "all whosedescendants are infected with madness one day in the year; and _this_ is_my_ mad day. "

The faster I walked to that part of the town where the yacht lay, thedenser became the crowd of people; and I met regiments of foot-soldiersand troops of cavalry scampering in every direction, as if Gottenborgwere besieged by a hundred thousand men, or the sun had slipped, whensetting, and fallen in the market-place. A fat Swede, who stooddemurely smoking his pipe, attracted my attention by the indifferenceof his manner in the general confusion; and, noting the sagacity of hislittle, roguish, blue eye, which he blinked as frequently as he blew thesmoke, in a horizontal spire, from his mouth, I asked him what theuproar meant. 

"Eld, eld, " he said; and that was all the explanation I could obtainfrom him. However, I soon discovered the cause of the hubbub; for, following the direction of the people's eyes, I saw, elevated higherthan its fellows from the roof of an older house, an old chimneyejecting volumes of the sootiest smoke, and causing the inmates to tossbeds, blankets, chairs, tables, and, even, their darling pipes out ofthe windows. I immediately understood the alarm of the inhabitants ofGottenborg. A chimney was on fire. 

The conflagrations in Sweden and Norway have been so extensive andfrightful of late years, that the natives of those two countries regardthem as the most dreadful scourges of Odin, Thor, or Frey; and adoptevery precaution they possibly can, in their primitive way, to prevent afire, or to allay its fury when one does break out. I am not surprisedat their consternation, for many of the houses are entirely built offir, which is very inflammable; and a fire must bring a very fearfulcatastrophe to such a crowded town as Gottenborg where you can shakehands from an attic window with your opposite neighbour. 

In half an hour, long before the trumpery apparatus counterfeiting theshape of a fire-engine, or the water-buckets of the Corporation wrenchedfrom the custody of locks and iron gates, could be made to act, the oldchimney exhausted itself; and, at the moment when one unhappybroken-winded engine spirted a small quantity of water into a window ofthe first story only, the house having five stories, a column of clearblue smoke shot straight up, from the chimney-pot into the air, with thequietude and ease of a good joke. The chimney actually seemed to havegot up the smoke for a jest. The folks of Gottenborg, however, did notview the matter in the same light as I did; for the bands of thedifferent regiments, that had been called together, by sound of trumpet, to put out the fire, were mustered in a large square, and, in thepresence of a vast multitude, played a psalm, in token of the wholenation's gratitude to Heaven, that Gottenborg had been spared theancient fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

The wind veering round to the south, had blown the yacht farther fromthe quay than when I left it in the morning. While conjecturing how Ishould get on board, D---- came on deck, and said, _if_ I would jump, Ishould find no difficulty in reaching the vessel. King Philip, of yore, once wrote to the Lacedæmonians in the following manner:--"If I enteryour territories, I will destroy everything with fire and sword. " Tothis terrible menace, the Lacedæmonians answered only by the word, "If. "I certainly felt like a Lacedæmonian, and gave D---- credit for all theconfidence of the Macedonian monarch. I was rowed on board in thejolly-boat. 

A mob of many hundred persons surrounded the quay where the Iris wasmoored, charmed by the symphony of Jerome's fiddle, or astounded by thevociferous melody of the crew, as they tossed off a couplet or two of

 "Rule Britannia!"

and then chanted with the recitative energy of truth, "And there we lay, all the day, In the Bay of Biscay, O!"

On Sunday morning, R---- and P---- returned, unexpectedly, fromTrolhättan, and, when they entered the cabin, they were so powdered withdust, and smeared with mud, that I hardly recognized them. They wouldnot, at first, tell me the cause of their dirty plight, but I contrivedto hear the whole account from King, who had accompanied them in thecapacity of valet. When they arrived at Trolhättan, on Saturdayafternoon, being wearied, they strove to find some cottage where theymight sleep, but failed; and it was, therefore, determined to visit theFalls, snatch a hasty meal, and return to Gottenborg the same evening. Having beheld the awful cataract, and eaten their humble dinner, at setof sun they started. 

The moon was bright, and, not having climbed half way up the Heavens, surety of her light was promised throughout the night. The strictenforcement of the laws had cleared the roads of robbers, and no ill wasto be feared from bears or wolves, for the approach of summer had driventhese animals to the farthest highlands of the kingdom to seek for foodand coolness. 

With minds at ease, then, and drowsy by the process of digestion, R----and P----, hushed by the rolling of the carriage, fell fast asleep. Thenight crept on, and the moon began to go down on the other side of thesky, and, still, R---- and P---- slumbered; and, moreover, theirpleasant snores, invading the ears of King, accustomed only to the lustyroar of ocean, soon enticed him with a stupefying influence from hiswatchful attitude on the box, and laid his head in similar forgetfulnesson the shoulder of the coachman. 

They might have slept for three hours, and King and the coachman fortwo, when the unguided carriage gave a violent jolt, a loud creak, arevolving motion, and fell, wheels uppermost, on the road-side. Kingawoke in an instant, but too late to resist being plunged to the top ofa high, irritable bramble hedge that showed him no mercy, while R----and P---- found themselves, in a state of perfect sensibility, on theirknees and hands in a dry but deep ditch, with the cushions, the emptydrawers, little pieces of old carpet, and all the other interiorappointments of their travelling carriage piled mysteriously on theirbacks and the napes of their necks. 

The riddle was soon solved. The horses being sensible of what wasrestraint and what was not, felt the reins dangling about their hocks, and, having had no food since they left their stables at Gottenborg, walked to the wayside, and began to crop the grass; but, as mindless ofthe vehicle at their tails, as desirous to swallow the green fare beforetheir eyes, they approached too near the gutter, and one wheel, slidingplump into it, drew the other three wheels after, and immediately causedthe accident I have mentioned. 

With its tributary streams, a branch of the river Gotha flows throughthe main street, and lesser thoroughfares of Gottenborg; and along thebanks are planted rows of trees, which give the town a livelyappearance. As I crossed the bridges, I saw, on floating platforms, ashoal of washerwomen scouring and thrashing lustily, with an instrumentlike a shuttle, the wardrobe of their customers. When I first arrived atGottenborg, I thought myself in Holland, the mode of dress, and aspectof the town bearing so close a resemblance to Rotterdam. 

On Tuesday morning, the 1st of June, at eleven o'clock, just one monthafter our departure from Greenwich, we left Sweden for Norway. The timehad glided pleasantly and speedily away; and, wherever we had gone, kindness and hospitality always awaited us. We had brought from Englandfew letters of introduction, and, at some places where we went, on ourfirst arrival, knew no one; but here, as here at Gottenborg, not manyhours would elapse before the doors of these simple and generous heartedpeople were opened to us; and, the greatest delight was evinced, when weentered their houses. 

Gottenborg was founded by the great Gustavus Adolphus. The town issituated, like all the towns of Scandinavia, on a fiord of its own name, sleeping with all the placid beauty of a lake; but there is so muchmonotony in the romantic position of the Swedish and Norwegian towns, that, to describe one is to describe all. There are one or two finebuildings in Gottenborg; and the many villas in its neighbourhood, invariably bosomed in thickly wooded valleys, urged me to remember anold tradition among the Swedish Laplanders, which has not been lost onthe Swedes. They maintain the Swedes and the Lapps were originallybrothers. A storm burst; the Swede was frightened, and took shelterunder a board, which God made into a house; but the Lapp, unappalled, remained without. Since that time, the Swedes dwell in houses, but theLapps under the bare sky. 

What Venice was to ancient Italy, Gottenborg was to Sweden, the nationalmart; but Time, with ravages and alterations, has swept away itstraffic. A Swedish fisherman told me, that the herrings, which used tobe so plentiful in the adjacent waters, are now scarcely to be caught;and Gottenborg feels the defection of their extensive sale. The same manasserted, that our ships of war, going up the Baltic, were wont to firesalutes, and the noise had driven the fish away. The fisherman made thisstatement so roundly, that I could not have the heart to tell him howincredulous I was; but, when I got on board the yacht, I repeated thecircumstance, as a jest, to the sailor who stood at the gangway toreceive me. 

"Well, your Honour, " replied the man, after listening with attention tomy narrative, "he arn't put his helm too hard a-port. "

"What!" I said, "do you intend to tell me you believe that a salute willfrighten herrings, from this fiord, or any other fiord, so that theynever return?"

"Why, your Honour, " answered the sailor, touching his hat, "I must runalongside this ere foreigner, and sequeeze [acquiesce] with him like;for when I was aboard the Racehorse, sloop o' war, we fired a salute offthe Western coast of England, and I'm blowed, your Honour, if theydidn't ax Sir Everard to cease the hullabaloo. "

"Why?" I asked. 

"Ay; your Honour, " said the credulous tar, "that's just what I'm bearingup to--why, your Honour, bekase we frightened away the pilchards! May Inever lift another handspike if that ain't gospel, that's all yourHonour!"

"You be hanged!" I muttered. 

"What! your Honour, " exclaimed the man, warming with his faith, "haveyou never heerd, that the report of a cannon will make a lobster shakeoff his big, starboard claw?"

"No, nor you either, " I answered walking away; for I thought the man wasstriving to palm off a joke. 

"Ay; but it's gospel your Honour, " I heard the man reply; and, Ibelieve, sailors do hand down to each other a tradition of that kind;for there is a figure of speech, and it is nothing more, with which theEnglish men-of-war's men used to hail the lobster smacks going up theThames. 

"Smack a-hoy! hand us a few lobsters, or--you know what'll happen!"

CHAPTER XI. 

 RETURN TO NORWAY--SAIL UP THE GULF--APPROACH TO CHRISTIANIA--ITS APPEARANCE FROM THE WATER--ANECDOTE OF BERNADOTTE--DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY--THE FORTRESS--CHARLES THE XIITH--THE CONVICTS--STORY OF THE CAPTURED CANNON--THE HIGHWAYMAN--PROSPECT FROM THE MOUNTAINS--THE NORWEGIAN PEASANT GIRL. 

Wednesday dawned cloudless; and the round, red Sun rose on our righthand, and glared through his magnifying lattice, the mist, to see uscome back again to Norway. 

The smooth and glassy surface of the tideless Fiord, hemmed in by loftymountains, stands forth the grand characteristic of Norway. Theweather-beaten rocks, rising abruptly from the water, have beauty andboldness on their broad, blank fronts; and how infinite is theloveliness of innumerable islands, clustered together, bearingvegetation of all hues and odours!

Whether it were in the air which I breathed, or whether it were caughtfrom the solemn magnificence of the scenery, the same feeling ofsublimity came over me as when I first saw the land of Norway on myarrival from England; and, I do not know how to account for theimpression, but during the whole time I remained in Norway, and wheneverI was left alone to wander along its fiords, or over its mountains, Igave way, as in England, to no extreme sensations of delight or sorrow;but a consciousness of awe weighed eternally upon my mind, and, releasedfrom the tumultuous passions of joy or dejection, a desire, created asit were by the visible perception of perfect natural beauty, was everpresent to embody itself with the sights of grandeur that soared andsank above and below me. 

Silently, as if without a breath of wind, the cutter crept up the Gulf, the beauties of which increased the farther we advanced; the bays--thevessels glancing among the rocks with their white sails in the sun--thecultivated patches of land--and the neat wooden farm-houses amid thedesolation of the mountains, were novel and interesting objects. Thegreat variety of the underwood, and the diversified colours of thefoliage, were beautifully blended with the darker tints of the fir whichgrew along the sides, and on the tops, of the high hills; and how welldoes their sombre gloom mate with the stern magnificence of the rocks!

On the islands, the birch, the hazel, the alder, and the ash, cast theirshadows over the water, and are there reflected in their minutestlineaments; nor are their trunks and branches more sharply defined inthe air above, than they are imaged in the watery mirror below, thetransparency of the water in no way yielding to the clearness of theatmosphere; since, as the abruptly-rising rocks tower proportionallyinto the air, their steep, bold sides are plunged perpendicularly intothe sea, and seem to descend till the eye loses them in its green depth. 

Here and there the islands are inhabited by peasants; and flocks ofsheep and goats ceased, as the yacht passed them, to browse on the lowherbage which springs beneath the rocky coppice; and before thecottage-doors half-clad children stood still, and gaped, then calledaloud to fishermen who were hanging out their nets to dry, or settingthem for fish around the shores of their sea-girt homes. 

Beyond this, nowhere are seen or heard the sights or sounds of man'shabitation, and, hushed in painful tranquillity and profound solitude, the interior recesses of the fiord show no signs of life. With all theirstorm-beaten antiquity, gaunt and inhospitable, the skeletons of landrather than the land itself, --the grey and rugged crags--alone appearbetween the coppice and the short scanty grass which, ever when the windcame to breathe gently on our sails, sighed and moaned amid the generalrepose. 

About twenty miles from Christiania the fiord narrows to two miles, andholds that breadth up to the city. The town of Christiania is hid by asmall island from the sight of the traveller approaching it by water;but at a great distance we could, while winding up the fiord, catch aglimpse of the white houses sleeping in a valley, surrounded by highmountains. At eight o'clock in the afternoon--for there is not muchnight--we dropped anchor off the town. 

Christiania stands low; but the land slopes gradually from the shore ofthe fiord till it loses itself on the hazy tops of the mountains. Whenthe sky is partially obscured by masses of clouds, the appearance ofChristiania, seen from the deck of a vessel in the harbour, is verybeautiful; that part of the town, near the water, shining brightly inthe sunlight, while the remoter suburbs, at the back, being canopied bythe heavy vapours that hang around the peaks of the mountains, lookblack as night. 

As soon as the anchor was let go, we went ashore, as usual, to makeinquiries about salmon; and received as much encouragement as atFalkenborg and Kongsbacka. The time, however, had not yet quite arrivedwhen the salmon-fishery commenced; and a few days devoted to Christianiawould not debar us from any amusement attached to the long-desiredsport. We brought several letters of introduction; and, among them, oneto the Viceroy of Christiania; but we did not present our letter to theold Count, all the information and hospitality we desired being amplygiven to us by the British Consul-General. 

There is nothing to see in Christiania, the most conspicuous objectbeing the palace, which stands, like a manufactory, on the top of arising piece of ground. It is an enormous pile of building, painteduniformly white; and I do not believe the interior is more commodiousthan the exterior is monotonous and void of architectural taste, sincethe late King, Bernadotte, once observed, when he entered it, that hesaw a multitude of rooms, but would be glad to know which apartment hewas to live in. 

The same kind of mirrors that I had seen at Copenhagen and Gottenborgprojected outside the windows here, so that no one need move from hischair to know all that occurs in the street; and this is also animportant exemption, for the casements of nearly all the houses inChristiania are double, for the purpose of warmth. Large archways leadto larger yards, into which the houses open, and street-doors are almostdispensed with. Neither do the buildings ascend to any great altitude, but two stories are, for the most part, considered the orthodox height. The shop windows are not gay, and the name and pursuit of their ownersare badly lettered, and in hieroglyphics I could not read. 

The largest open place is the market, and that is not so large asCovent Garden. The streets are a little better paved than those of themore southern capitals of the North, but are not of greater width thanCoventry Street, or St. Martin's Lane; and, being unlighted by gas, itis difficult at night, should it prove rainy and dark, to keep out ofthe gutters. At the point where four streets meet, you may generallyobserve a well, and around this well a knot of idlers, men and women, congregate and gossip, leaning against its palings; but the respectableportion of the inhabitants are never to be found in the streets, although they may be seen, on summer evenings, walking on the terrace ofthe fortress. 

To one looking from the sea, the fortress is on the left of the town, and was the first object we caught sight of when sailing up the Fiord. It is valueless as a place of defence; and I do not think it has been ofany service to the Norwegians, except when Charles XII. AttackedChristiania; and, then the Swedish monarch would have battered the townto atoms, had not his attention been distracted by wars on the otherfrontiers of his kingdom. There is a hill on the right, nearly doublethe altitude of that on which the fortress is built; and an enemy, making himself master of that spot, has the citadel under his feet, andmay amuse himself by rolling stones into the town. 

Running parallel with one part of the Fiord, and from the quay to thecastle, is a raised terrace, broad enough to admit of fourteen orfifteen people walking abreast; and here, on the Sabbath summer'safternoon all the beauty, youth, and fashion of Christiania resort. Itis sheltered on one side by a row of lime-trees, and, on the other, thecool air from the waters of the Fiord struggles to refresh the languorof a sultry evening. 

In gangs of two and two, with drab slouch hat and jerkin, having oneside of a darker colour than the other, and reaching half way down thebody, the prisoners are led from their penal den, within this fortress, to their appointed toil. There were many old men among these culprits;and their great age rather sought and met with sympathy, than exciteddetestation of the crime that had brought them to servitude; and, perhaps, it would be a wiser enactment of the Norwegian Government toforego the system of task-work thus publicly, and adopt some othermethod of punishment less exposed to the popular eye; for, I believe, the spectacle of an old man submitted to daily penal labour, andburdened with clanking chains, is recognised by the public more with atendency to sympathise with his fate, than to condemn his crime. 

While viewing the fortress, we were shown a large cannon, which wascaptured, it is said, by the Norwegians from Charles XII. When hebesieged Christiania; but the real history of the cannon is, that it didcertainly belong to the Swedish army; but, Charles, as I have hintedbefore, being obliged to raise the siege of Christiania to march withhis troops elsewhere, many field-pieces, as being too cumbersome to movewith celerity, were abandoned, and, among the number, this cannon wasleft on the heights above Christiania. The Norwegians, when Charles andhis army had disappeared, scaled the summit of the hill; and, with muchlaudable perseverance, succeeded in removing the huge piece of ordnanceto the fortress; and two sentinels ever keep guard over it, placed in aconspicuous position over which the Norwegian ensign waves, and point itout to the stranger as a trophy of the Norwegian army. 

Contemplating, as we stood round the cannon, the broad expanse of theFiord, and the distant blue mountains dissolving with the sky, a lowbuilding, like a powder magazine, arrested our attention; for numeroussentinels moved rapidly in every quarter round it, and many brass guns, ready primed, and bearing an earnest signification, flashed in thebright beams of the morning sun. In this dungeon, from which Beelzebubhimself could not escape, it seems a notorious highwayman, called Ole, is confined. During the time he was master of his limbs and liberty, hestruck such terror into the hearts of his countrymen, that he wasimagined an immortal fiend. No prisons could hold him; and themagistrates were compelled to trust to his forbearance, and not to boltsand chains; but his depredations, at length, became so glaring, andincreased, year after year, to such magnitude, even to the sacking ofthe bank, that, come what might, Ole was arrested. Fearful of hissupernatural strength and devilish craft, his captors deemed no commondungeon sufficiently secure; and this miserable abode, a pandemoniumabove ground, bomb-proof, and proof against every thing else, waserected for the sole reception of Ole; and, lest he should burst asunderthe stone walls, he is surrounded by alert sentinels and loaded guns, and here doomed to drag out the rest of his existence. 

To the east of the town there is a road, which may be seen girdling amountain's barren side, and, following its track a mile, or so, I tookthen a narrow foot-path, and, wandering through a forest of firs, reached a circular green sward where, in the middle, the remnant of somenatural convulsion, a gigantic black stone lay. Seated there, I beheldthe whole city of Christiania crouched at my feet; and, far as the eyecould travel, the mountains rose one over the other, till my visionached, and mistook their aspiring peaks for the azure heaven. On theleft hand, serenely sleeping, wound, amid a thousand green islands, theleaden-hued Fiord, bearing on its quiet surface a fleet of lazy ships, whose white sails made them look, at distance so remote, like snowyswans, or froth from neighbouring rapid. 

The sun had just sunk behind the mountains when I reached the spot; and, throwing myself on the grass, I watched its light, like a gold cap, blazing around the lofty summit of a mountain, rearing itself above therest, and not less than forty miles distant to the north of the hill onwhich I reclined. The evening was calm as it was clear. The cathedralbells below had thrice told the approaching third hour before midnight, when I heard the voice of some one singing, in the monotonous, drawling, but melodious tone of prayer; and, at last, as the fitful evening zephyrstirred uneasily, I could distinctly catch the soft intonation of afemale voice; and, whatever woman she was, she sang a sweet and touchingmelody. 

There was no hut, or building of any kind at hand, so that I wasperplexed to tell whence the voice came. I was not long in doubt. Ayoung girl, walking quickly, with a light step, and bearing in her handa bundle of dried sticks, came forth from the heart of the pine-forest. The moment she saw me her song ceased, and she stood still. 

She wore, sitting rather back upon the head, a crimson cotton skull-cap, leaving exposed her fair high forehead. A boddice of white linen wasattached from her waist to a dark blue petticoat, hemmed with scarletcloth, which descended to her ankle, but not to such undue length as toconceal her little naked feet, peeping out, like white mice, frombeneath. Her silken, fair hair flowed uncontrolled over her rightshoulder, off which her boddice, though fitting almost close to thethroat, had fallen slightly and left bare; and silver bracelets claspedher wrists, while the image of the Saviour, carved in ivory, wassuspended from her neck. A gold ring, antiquely moulded, encompassed hermiddle finger. She was of the ordinary height of women, and her smallmouth, her short, straight nose, her large, joyous blue eye, joyouswhile yet the clear-complexioned, oval face was clouded with surprise, developed the simplicity, liveliness, and rare beauty of a Norwegiangirl. 

She gazed at me, fixedly, free from coyness, with the deliberation of aninnocent heart; and, when she saw my attention was as much devoted toher, she smiled; and then, often turning round to look back as she wenther way, began to descend the hill towards the town. The shrubs andfilbert-trees soon took her from my sight. 

CHAPTER XII. 

 A DRIVE INTO THE INTERIOR--EXTENSIVE AND SUBLIME PROSPECT--NORWEGIAN POST-HOUSES--REPAIR OF THE ROADS--PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. 

On Sunday morning, we went to Krokleven, a spot about twenty miles fromChristiania, and celebrated for its scenery. The journey thither wasunpleasant enough, for the day was hot, and the roads were dry; and, when the Norwegian started off at the usual speed of his countrymen, thedust, disturbed by the horses' hooves and the carriage wheels, rose involumes, which overtook and palpably descended upon us, when the driversuddenly halted the career of his steeds at the base of a hill. 

The road to Krokleven was as tantalizing as it was perfect in sublimityof scenery; for, from several elevated places, we could observe our pathcreeping along over the mountains, and down the valleys, to the verycottage where we intended to stop. 

But the same solitude prevailed as on the Fiord; and the silence is themore extreme when not even the warbling of a single bird is heard totest a particle of animal existence; and nothing meets the sight but theblue sky, the bald heads of the mountains, and the yellow-tinted foliageof the fir and pine. As the traveller rises from one side of a mountainto a corner of the road, where it hurries perpendicularly down the otherside, his eye may fathom a valley several thousand feet beneath, rich invegetation, and surrounded on all points by rugged mountains coveredwith illimitable forests of fir, through the branches of which, here andthere, the grey rocks glare, like skulls scattered over a green field;and the whole view which is thus taken at one glance may extend before, and on either hand of the spectator, over a space of twenty miles. 

The forests are so extensive, and the chance of being lost in them is soprobable, that on our arrival in the vicinity of Krokleven, we hired aguide. Wandering along a pleasant by-way, shaded by the overhangingboughs of the birch, the pine, and the fir, we scaled a mountain, andgaining its highest elevation, saw, about two thousand feet below us, animmense lake, chequered with islands, unequal in size, on which werefarms, and on the largest small villages. Dividing its waters into twoequal parts, the road to Bergen lay no broader than a pen-knife's blade, and twisted, far away, like a white thread round the sides of themountains. 

From the bosom of the lake along the easy slope of this mighty valley, the ascent of an amphitheatre of mountains, skirting the horizon, takesthe eye up to heaven; and while the sun shone brightly, on thesemountains, hoary by lapse of centuries and contention with the storm, they seemed, although the nearest was twenty or thirty miles from us, tobe tinged with a red colour, which, contrasted with the snow on theirsummits and the deep azure sky above, against which their huge formsappeared to lean, produced a scene as difficult to delineate as it wassublime to see. 

When we had partaken of some salmon and capercaillie, cooked after theNorwegian process--where butter abounded, and had lighted ourmeerschaums, we went at a gallop homewards. Built by the road-side, manymiles apart, the only symbols of mortality to travellers in Norway, arepost-houses, stages at which the horses are generally baited, and wherea book, under the protection of the Government, is kept to insert thenames, occupations, and destination of the persons who alight there, orare travelling through the country. Its pages are divided into fourcolumns, and in the fourth column, the traveller may state any complainthe has to make. At the end of every month, the appointed officers of theState inspect this book, and rectify with severity any errors which mayhave been brought to their notice. 

The highways are kept in order by the gentry, farmers, or peasants; and, along the road-side, a number of black posts are erected at certaindistances from one another, on which are painted in white characters thenames of the persons who are to repair the road, and the number of yardsor feet allotted to each of them; and the more extensive the landedpossession, or consequence of the man in the neighbourhood, so thequantity of ground which comes under his care. It is obvious how soonthe person, neglecting the performance of the duty imposed upon him bythe Government, may be detected; and the imposition is effective inkeeping the roads in excellent order. 

Though we returned at a late hour to Christiania, I walked to my oldspot on the mountain; and there, looking down towards the vessels thatwere anchored in the harbour, like toys in a basin, the Norwegian girl, whom I had seen yesterday, stood close to the black stone, her rightelbow resting on it, and her chin hid in the palm of her hand. Sheseemed abashed that I had caught her in such thoughtful guise, and beganto move towards the path that led through the forest. I motioned to her, as significantly as I could, not to allow me to disturb her. 

"Nej, tak, " she said, in a low, sweet tone; and, retiring a short spacefrom the stone, with all the delicacy of her tender youth and sex, anda winning humility of manner, drew back behind me. Retiring, also, a fewpaces till I was in a line with her, I allowed the huge piece of graniteto separate us; and dreading, that, by observing her too attentively, she might go away, I took no apparent notice of her, and kept my eyesfixed on the yacht, which had dwindled to a nutshell in size, withneedles for its mast and boom. I could, but indifferently, speak theNorwegian language; and I knew not that she understood mine, though manyof the inhabitants of the principal towns of Norway generally possesseda slight knowledge of English; and so, in silence, we stood. 

The mournful sighing of the firs, as a current of air, escaping from theFiord, crept gently through them, and the quietude that reigned around, inspired me with a feeling of melancholy; and after a while, "Do youunderstand English?" I asked. 

"My father was a sailor, sir, " my alabaster, statue-like companion said, sometimes speaking in her own language, and sometimes in mine, with apretty foreign accent, "and went to England often, and he taught meEnglish; but I do not know it well. "

"You soon would speak it as well as I, if every day you tried, " Ianswered, with courage, pleased that I could make her understand me. 

"But there is no one, " she replied, I thought, in a sad voice, "tospeak to me; and I forget all that I have learned. My dear father usedto talk to me of England; and I remember still its tongue, because hetold me Englishmen were good and great. "

She came nearer to the stone, and looking full in my face, smiled. 

"Perhaps, " I said, "some one of my countrymen had been kind to yourfather, and he taught you a lesson too flattering not to disappoint youwhen you meet an Englishman. "

"No, sir, I hope not, " she answered, raising her little head somewhatproudly; "for an Englishman was kind and good to him: and my fatherused, for his sake, to pray for England when he prayed for our country, Norway; and he taught me, when a little girl, to do the same. "

"And where is your father?" I asked. 

"He is dead, sir, " and the poor girl began to weep, but so quietly, thatI was not aware of her grief until the tremulous motion of her hand, inwhich she had concealed her face, indicated her sorrow, and made meregret that I had asked the question. Recovering her self-possession, she went on to speak, although, without a sob, her tears still flowedabundantly. 

"This cross, " she said, lifting it from her heaving bosom, "my poorfather gave, and bade me always wear; for baring his arm one day, heshowed a cross tattooed upon the skin, and told me if he died far fromhis own home, all barbarous men, even Indians, when they saw that sign, would not let his corpse be eaten by birds or beasts of prey; but buryit. "

Her delicate frame swelled with strong emotions, and she could scarcecontain her loud grief. 

"He died, sir, " she continued, "two years ago on the banks of a rivernear Rio, in South America; and some Indian tribe, in adoration, as hehad surely said, to this symbol of our creed, buried him. "

She had not yet made an end of speaking, when the sound of the churchclocks, ascending faintly, tolled eleven. It was broad daylight; for, though the sun had set, his rays darted in orange-tinted pillars to thecentre of the sky, and sustained the glory of his presence. My young andbeautiful companion, starting at the sound, wiped away her tears, andseemed to regret the lateness of the hour; and noting each vibration asit fell on her ear, she commenced with her thumb, and then advancing tothe tip of each tapering finger, counted, with a whisper in her nativelanguage, "En, twå, tre, fyra, fem, sex, sju, åtta, nie, tie, --elfva!"

Her exclamation of surprise and regret that she had remained so longfrom home, made me strive to soothe her fears. When she was about tohurry away, I begged her to tell me her name, that I might know what tocall her for the future. 

"I am a poor peasant girl, " she said, despondingly, "and you will neverdesire to speak to me more. "

"Are my thoughts to be known by yours?" I asked, with a slight smile;"and do you think I cannot see God's bounty to the peasant girl, andlove virtue and innocence of heart clothed in any garb?"

"Yes, I think that, " she answered, diffidently; "but I am not like thoseyou are wont to converse and dwell with; and when you talk to _me_, youwill learn my ignorance, and you will hate me then. I would have youlove me. "

"And why, " I said, "when you do not know my character, or temper, youwould have me love you?"

"That you may accept my love. "

"And why _yours?_"

"Because it was my father's wish, " she answered, with the gentleness ofthe most engaging simplicity of manner, "that I should love allEnglishmen. "

"I would not have that love, " I replied. 

She turned round quickly, and looked steadfastly at me; but soon as hergaze met mine, her large, round, languishing blue eye fell, and droopedto the ground. 

"Will you not tell me your name?" I said, going nearer to her; "for weshall meet again. Yonder lies the vessel that will bear me from yourcountry, and it is not prepared to move for many days. "

She raised her eyes, and, with a smile, turned them towards the bay, when observing that the sailors were painting the cutter's hull, andscraping the spars, she appeared pleased with the sight; and droppingher eyes towards the ground again, her tiny foot dallied with a blade ofgrass, and, almost inaudibly, "Call me Gunilda, " she said. 

A few minutes more separated us, and I wandered down the mountain. Thebeauty of face and form, --the childish simplicity, --the virtue andinnocence of Gunilda's heart, --gave a nobler impulse to mine. I retiredto rest, but slept not; for when I dozed, the clouds would lower aroundthe yacht, and, the wind blowing with overwhelming force, everysuccessive wave threatened the little bark with instant destruction;then, lo! the black vapours would rise from the surface of the sea, androlling away to the south, leave all the heaven clear and blue; andthere, shining in the west, the crescent moon, not three days old, wouldslant quite close to Hesperus, twinkling by her nether edge, to help andshow the way across the ocean; and while the fair breeze filled thesails, and all the sailors sang for joy, a linnet, blown from off theland, would, shivering, perch upon the yard; and when the boatswainstrove to catch the bird, for fear it flew away and should be lost, thefoolish thing would stretch its wings and, fluttering, fall within thevessel's course to sink beneath her bows; and when it rose again a longway in her wake, I thought I heard Gunilda's screams for help, and Iwould wake. 

Then when I awoke, throughout the night, scaring the timid spirit ofsleep, a thousand dogs ashore howled and bayed the moon, as if all theghosts of the million souls that had perished since the far times whenNorway became the abode of men, had returned to earth, and were walkingthrough the streets of Christiania. 

The dark grey mantle of morning had only enveloped the shades of night, when I banished sleep, and the hour being yet too early to leave my bed, I lay listening to the growls of Sailor, as he remonstrated with Jackofor coming too close to him; while Jacko, in a low, murmuring twitter, pointed out how scantily the straw was spread in the hutch, and howchilly felt the Northern air to him, a little Indian born between theTropics. 

"Well, D----, " I said, about five hours afterwards, when I had gone ondeck, and saw the sailing-master sitting without his jacket, on thetaffrail, abaft the shrouds, smoking his morning pipe, "What do youthink of the day? Shall we move to-day?"

"Why, sir, " replied D----, capping me, "what little wind there is, drawsup the Fiord, dead on end; but, as the day goes on, it's just as likelyto draw down. You see, sir, " he said, directing my attention to somefleecy clouds, not larger than my thumb-nail, and floating above themountains to the north-east, "those clouds seem coming this way. "

"Yes, I see, " I answered; "but I hope we shall not go away to-day. "

"I don't think, sir, " said D----, "we shall have any more air to-day, than what there is now. The glass is high; and in these northernlatitudes, during the summer months, there is little change of weather. "

"However, you can make some excuse, " I observed, "if there be notsufficient wind, for it is no good floating on the Fiord in a calm. "

"Very good, sir, " answered D----; "the wear and tear are certainly morethan the pleasure. But, I think, my Lord wants to reach Larvig as soonas possible. "

"I know that, " I said; "but a day won't make any difference. "

"As you please, sir, " replied D----; and I went below to know if R----, and P----, were getting up. 

"Hollo! old fellow!" exclaimed R----, when he saw me, "what the devilbrought you out of bed so early?"

"Why, simply because I could not remain there later. "

"I suppose so, " replied R----; and then, whistling, singing, andhumming, he commenced his toilet. 

"What sort of a day is it?" at length he asked. "The sun shines I see;but how is the wind?"

"What little there is, is southerly, " I replied. 

"That's a bore, isn't it?" R---- observed. 

"Why, that's as one may think, " I said. "I am just as happy here asanywhere else. "

"What's the good of frousting here at Christiania;" asked R----, disappointed at my difference of opinion. 

"Why, look at the scenery. Nothing in the world is like it, " I saidwarmly. 

"Pooh!" replied R----, disgustedly, "all my eye! I came to fish, not tolook at scenery. I suppose you want to go up to that confounded hillagain. But do as you like. I am for Larvig. "

The sun mounted towards the zenith, and still his beams had no powerupon the sluggish atmosphere; and the quiet and warmth of the day wereunrelieved by a breath of air. R---- consulted D----, and found ituseless to get under weigh. As soon as I learned the decision that hadbeen come to, I jumped into a boat, and began to row myself towards themountain where I had met Gunilda. 

"Mind you keep a sharp look out, " shouted R----, to me, "for should thewind get up, we'll be off. "

I raised my hand in the air, in token of assent, and to intimate I heardwhat he said. 

"We'll fire a gun, " he added in a louder voice. Again, I raised my handaloft; and then applying myself to the oars, soon reached the land. Imade the boat fast to a tree's stump, and commenced my ascent of themountain. No Gunilda, as yesterday, stood near the stone. 

Musing, I sat, watching the crew on board the yacht making preparationsfor our departure, should the wind shift fair. I saw them running, likemice, up the shrouds, as they _boused_ up the mainsail, and heard themchaunt a cheering chorus, as they heaved in the slack of the cable. Itwas mid-day. I rose, and turning to the left hand, took my way throughthe fir forest. I had proceeded about half a mile, when I discerned thekneeling figure of a woman through the closely-planted trees. Iapproached. It was Gunilda. 

A little mound of earth, overgrown with flowers, denoted the humblegrave of some one dear to the recollection of the Norwegian girl. Acrucifix of black wood, round the top of which was wreathed a smallgarland of wild flowers, was fixed at one end of the grave; and on thecross the two Norwegian letters "G. H. " signified the initials of thedead one's name. By Gunilda's side lay a basket of fresh flowers, culled while yet the morning's dew was sparkling on them. 

"I did not think, sir, to see you again, " said Gunilda, as soon as shehad perceived me; and ceasing in her dutiful care of removing the weedsthat had crept up since her last visit. 

"Yes, I am here once more; but I shall not disturb you again afterto-day; though I regret my departure from Christiania, now that I haveknown you. "

"You regard me well, " she replied sadly; "and, perhaps, it is, sir, because you have seen me thus dutifully employed; but I do no more thanshe would have done for me, had I been the first to die. This, sir, ismy mother's grave. "

The girl turned away her face, and busied herself with the renewal ofher task, and plucked the weeds, one by one, from the grave. How greatwas the contrast with my own country, England, where the moss and longgrass soon conceal the tomb of relative and friend, and living footstepcomes no more near the spot where the dead lie; but here, in simpleNorway, the ties between those who breathe, and those who are gone, arestill existent; nor does "death bring oblivion to the living as well asto the dead. " Strewn with the flowers of yesterday, the grave gives noevidence that death has broken the strong links of affection; and whileI gazed and marked this young girl's sweet solicitude, a melancholyfeeling, even in the soul's desolation, came with a hope, that I too maynot rest altogether unremembered. 

"How can I fail, " I replied, "to love one who has not only affectionatetenderness of heart, but surpassing beauty of form? God has denied younothing. "

"Oh! sir, do not say so, " she exclaimed. "Heaven has been good to me;but I am also afflicted. My father sleeps in a distant land, and my poormother here; and, look, how young I am to be alone. "

The tears followed each other down her face, and the intensity of hergrief was too great to allow Gunilda, for some moments, to speak. Looking up into my face, her eyes still filled with tears, she said, "My condition is one of extreme sorrow and loneliness; and if you couldhear it all, you would confess that I have cause to weep as well asothers. But think me not ungrateful. "

"One whose heart is so guileless can never know ingratitude, " I replied. "But may I know your sorrows?"

"Would you like to hear them, sir?"

"I would. "

"As I told you, then, sir, " Gunilda said, rising from her kneelingattitude, and sitting at my feet on the ground, "my father was a sailor. His heart was as affectionate as his form was manly; and his was anature not long to roam the world without the sigh of sympathy. In thesummer of 1832, my father's vessel sailed from Christiania, bound to theBlack Sea; and he has often told me how dreary his fate felt, doomed, ashe was, to leave his country without one heart to think of him whenabsent, or rejoice when he should return. After a prosperous voyage theMediterranean was reached, and the ship entered, with a fair wind, theStraits of the Hellespont. On one side, sir, of the Hellespont, is asmall town called Sestos; it is a spot ignoble now, but was, once, oneof note. At Sestos a Turkish nobleman, removed by age from the cares ofState, had retired to pass in quietude the remainder of his life; and, surrounded by his harem, desired no other felicity than thecompanionship of his mistresses. 

"The castle of this Turk lay by the Dardanelles, and from its windowsthe clear blue waters might be seen. 

"Beautiful, and having yet the innocence of youth, and brought from hermountain home, near the Caucasus, to pant beneath the influence of awarmer sun, a Circassian maiden pined. One day, oppressed by the heat, the Circassian stole to a window overlooking the Straits, and strove tocatch the freshness of the wind that passed, cooled, from the surface ofthe sea. While she stood there, the barque which bore my father sailedin sight, and making her way with speed upon the water, soon drew, byher gallant trim and flowing canvass, the attention of the girl; andwith swelling heart she sighed to see the vessel move towards that partof earth from whence she came. That I may not weary you, " Gunildacontinued, "my father's vessel arrived in safety at her destined port;but, on her return homewards, a gale of wind arose, and the ship wasstranded under the walls of the castle where the Circassian dwelt. Myfather and three other sailors were the only men saved from a crew oftwenty-five. "

Gunilda stopped; and, turning towards me, said, "Were you ever, sir, in Turkey?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Because, sir, " she answered, "they say the Turkish people are notcompassionate; but I do not think that, for hear how kindly the Turkishnobleman behaved to my poor father. When the tidings flew round thecountry that a European vessel had been cast away, a multitude of peoplehurried to the shore, some to see, and some to give aid; and among thislatter class, the good old Turk. My father, almost lifeless, by thenobleman's command, was taken to the castle, and with kind attention, was soon sensible of recovery. Though assiduity and tender care wereshown alike by all, my father selected from the group of maidens whowaited on him, a fair, slender girl, whose looks of sadness secured hissolicitude to learn the sorrow that oppressed her youthful heart. Whenall were busy to restore my father's health and secure his comfort, thisyoung girl would sit apart, and, mutely, gaze for hours on him; but whenmy father caught her glance, she would smile with sadness, and then lookanother way. 

"In our country, Norway, we are betrothed for many months beforemarriage; and I suppose, sir, this custom is observed, that thedispositions may assimilate; but, sir, " observed Gunilda, retaining myattention by her earnest countenance of inquiry, "do you not think thattwo youthful creatures may love instinctively? Must the affections bealways fostered by the caution of time?"

"I think not, " I replied, smiling to see her face beaming with anxietyto learn my answer. "As the sun-flower turns to the sun, and the petalsof the rose open to the dew, so the human heart sighs for sympathy. Nature is joined together by links identical to all; and the same lawthat governs the sap, and external freshness of that little herb, rulesinexplicably our own affections, and visible demeanour. Do youunderstand me?"

"Yes, I do, " she answered; and clasped my hand with much delight. 

"Indeed, Gunilda, " I continued, "I believe in that heart's faith which, in England, is called 'love at first sight. '"

"And so do I, " she exclaimed, sidling closer to my feet, "and so did myfather. One day he took occasion, when all had retired, and left theyouthful Circassian watching by his couch alone, to tell her how heloved her, and how devotedly he would watch over her happiness if shewould become his bride. The maiden wept, and told him, in return, howreciprocal was her affection; but how insurmountable were the barriersbetween their union, since she had been purchased as a slave, anddestined for the Turk's seraglio. Boldly defined as the forms of thesemountains are against the heavens, my father's noble character yieldedonly to the sensitiveness of his heart; and when the Circassian madeknown to him her destined abjection, he turned his face away and wept inagony. Listen now to me, and hear the reason why I have been taught tolove your countrymen. 

"Resident in Sestos, a young Englishman met, by accident, my father afew days after his recovery, and seeing his dejected mien, entered intoconversation; and desired, finally, to know if he could aid him in hisreturn to Norway. My father told him he had no wish to see his nativeland again, since he had seen at Sestos that which an unhappy destinyhad rendered dearer than the soil of his nativity. 

"'No sorrow, ' answered the young Englishman, 'is without alleviation. '

"'But this, sir, ' my father said, 'is without remedy. '

"'If you desire money, ' observed the Englishman, 'here is my purse; andwhen I come, some day, to Christiania, you can then repay me. '

"'I desire not gold, sir, ' and my father bowed his head in sorrow. 

"'You are yet in the prime and vigour of youth, ' the Englishman said;'and, perhaps, you swerve under the infliction of a feeling to which Ihave not been an entire stranger. You love. '

"My father replied not. 

"'I have power in the presence of the Sultan, ' replied the youngEnglishman, 'and doubt not, if you will inform me of your grievances, the sincerity of my desire to mitigate your grief. '

"My father looked up, and taking the Englishman's hand, thanked him, insentences broken by his sorrow, for his generous mediation. The tale wassoon told; and, when my father had recounted his fear, that a happyresult could never be brought to his affections, the Englishman bade himnot despair; and though the task was arduous, he still would strive tomaster it. Two days afterwards the Englishman returned to my father, anddesired, that he would repair to Constantinople, and meet him there at acertain church which the Englishman indicated by name. Faithful to hispromise, my father took leave of the Turkish nobleman who had been hisbenefactor, and proceeded to Constantinople, where at the place andhour appointed, he met the Englishman. Grasping my father heartily bythe hand, and telling him how impotent were the efforts of man tocontend with the decrees of Providence, the young Englishman begged thathe would follow him into the sacred edifice; and grieving no longer, humiliate himself before his Maker, and thank Him, that his misfortuneshad been no greater. My father entered. Near an altar was a veiledfigure, and by its side a priest, clad in the snowy flowing robes of hisoffice, seemed busy with some holy ordinances; but when my father camenear, the Englishman raised suddenly the white veil, and allowing it tofall on the marble floor, lo! with palpitating heart, before him stoodthe Circassian slave. The Englishman had bought her for a large sum ofmoney from the Turk, and conveying her to Constantinople, gave her inmarriage to my father. My father's joy knew no bounds, and his gratitudeto the Englishman became a feeling as limitless in its ecstasy. 

"'I desire no thanks, ' the noble Englishman replied, 'for you would havedone the same for me had our positions been reversed; but I would alwaysbe remembered by you both, and, that, I may not be forgotten, take thisring, and wear it for my sake. When I was at Cairo, an Arab gave it me, and bade, when I performed a deed that pleased me by its generosity, topart with it in token of the heart's content. '

"See!" said Gunilda, holding up her hand, "this is the ring;" and shekissed it. It was the same ring I had observed the first day I saw theNorwegian girl; and it was a plain circlet of solid gold, surmounted bya curiously-worked figure, having the beak and plumed wings of a bird, and the body and tail of a lion. 

"Since my mother's death I have worn it, " said Gunilda sadly; and added, with a faint smile, "but when I wed, my husband will make his claim, nodoubt. "

Applying herself again to the cultivation of the flowers planted aroundher mother's grave, the beautiful Norwegian informed me, while engagedin her affectionate office, that, her mother survived the intelligenceof her husband's death but a short time; and on her death-bed, committedGunilda to the care of an old friend. 

Mid-day came, and brought with it the sultriness and cheerful brightnessof a Norwegian summer's day. Through the fir-trees I could see thewaters of the Fiord sparkling, like liquid silver, in the glare of noon;and far away, the clouds, like pieces of white wool, resting half-way upthe mountains. Gunilda, perceiving my pensive mood, observed, "To-morrow, sir, at this hour, I shall not see you; and, I dare say, youwill almost have forgotten the Norwegian peasant girl. "

"If there be any grief that pains me, " I replied, "it is the one, because it is fruitless, which reminds me how faithfully and long Ishall remember you and to-day. "

"Take me with you to England, " she exclaimed, "I will ever serve youdiligently, like a menial. "

"To take you hence, " I replied, "is only to lead you to destruction. Aflower so delicate in its texture, will not bear transplanting, or lackof tenderness; and I would not see it droop and fade for all thegratification I may derive from its presence and sweet perfume. "

"What the heart desires, the body can endure, " she answered in anearnest tone. "My grief will be bitterer in your absence than all thetortures which may attend me when I am near you. Let me go with you, "and she seized my hand, and clung to it with affectionate tenacity. 

"It is impossible, " I answered. "In a short time after I am gone, youwill think of me no longer, and selecting from your countrymen one whosefeelings may sympathise with your own, you will pass your days inhappiness, and go to your grave in peace. "

The young girl rose to her feet, for she had hitherto sat on the ground, or retained a kneeling position; and taking the ring, I have casuallyalluded to, from her finger, she said in her native tongue;

"The great and the humble, the rich and poor, feel alike, for God hasmade no distinction between the peasant girl's deep affections and thoseof a queen. My father's name and family will end with me, but let mymemory live with you. "

She placed the ring upon my finger. She wept not, and not a sigh escapedher; but her whole frame trembled with excess of feeling. 

"You think, " I exclaimed, "that I reverence not your love, and deem youraffectionate and noble heart worthy of my acceptance; but you know notthe false position in which I stand, or you would favour that apparentapathy which wounds my soul. Had it been in my destiny, I could havedwelt for ever among these mountains, with no other minister to my lovethan your own self; but to take you hence to England, and refuse you thecheerfulness and honourable endearments of wedlock, is to humiliate myown conscience, and covet the curse of God in your hatred. "

I had scarcely spoken, when a flash of light shot across the sky, andbefore the girl had even ceased to start at the sight, the long, loudroar of a gun succeeded. I understood the signal. The token of asincerely cherished, and steadfast friendship, I had worn, since I leftEngland, a valuable ring, and removing it from my finger, I tookGunilda's hand and replaced her gift with mine. Gunilda held up her handbefore her for some minutes, without the utterance of a word, and gazedon the brilliant jewel, then allowing her hand to fall by her side, burst into a passionate flood of tears. 

Again, a sudden gleam of light glanced through the forest, and, a momentafter, the booming of another gun rolled away down the valleys, and overthe rocks, with a faint, and then a loudly reviving echo. 

"Good bye, Gunilda, " I said. She spoke not, nor moved; but her shouldersshook with a convulsive heaving. 

"Will you not shake hands with me?" I asked, my voice almost indistinctwith emotion. Still, she spoke not. I kneeled down, for Gunilda hadreseated herself near her mother's grave, and raising her hand, I tookit in mine, and pressed it. I felt the pressure returned, and allowingher small passive hand to fall gently again in her lap, I rose. 

"God bless you!" I said. 

She uttered a low, passionate cry, and then checking her anguish, murmured faintly, "Farväl!" and covering her face with her hands, fell, sobbing violently, on her mother's grave. 

I hurried from the spot; and hardly knew that I had left Gunilda, untilthe boat ran against the cutter's bow, and roused me as from a dream. 

When I got on board, I found that the wind was still too trivial toallow us even to drift out of the harbour, and the cutter lay the wholenight immoveably on the water. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

 THE YACHT UNDER SAIL--JACKO OVERBOARD--FREDRICKSVÆRN --THE UNION JACK--SCENERY ON THE LARVIG RIVER--TRANSIT OF TIMBER--SALMON FISHING--THE DEFEATED ANGLER-- LUDICROUS ADVENTURE WITH AN EAGLE--RESULT OF THE ANGLING EXPEDITION--THE BEVY OF LADIES--NORWEGIAN DINNER-PARTY SINGULAR AND AMUSING CUSTOMS. 

At eight o'clock on Tuesday morning, the 6th, we started for Larvig. About sixty miles from Christiania, at the mouth of the Fiord, a fine, light air sprung up, and, delighted with the expectation that we shouldreach Larvig before set of sun on Wednesday, we amused ourselves byfiring at bottles thrown into the sea, and afterwards by watching thegambols of Sailor and Jacko. Sailor, stretched at full length on hisback, allowed Jacko to pull his ears, and bite his claws; and mindlessof the monkey's antics, seemed rather to encourage, than object to hisvagaries. Wearied, at last, with his pulling, and jumping, and biting, Jacko sought a variation to his amusements, by springing on the weatherrunner-block, and thence depending by his tail. When Sailor perceivedthat Jacko had removed his gymnastics from himself, and transferred themto the block, he rose from his recumbent attitude on the deck, and, squatting on his haunches, observed, for some little time, with singularattention and silence, the extraordinary flexibility of Jacko's limbs;but at the moment when Jacko suspended his little carcase by his smallertail from the runner-block, whether it was the manner in which Sailorexpressed a roar of laughter, or whether it was a shout of applause atthe comical likeness of Jacko's body, swinging in the air, to a bunch ofblack grapes, certain it is, that, at that instant, Sailor gave one, butone, tremendous bark, and, in the twinkling of an eye, Jacko fell souseinto the water. He sank like a boiled plum-pudding to the vessel's keel;for when he rose again, his little round head could just be seen ahundred feet astern. Never was there such dismay on board the Irisbefore. 

"Jacko's overboard!" shouted each man; and echo taking up the cry, "Jacko's overboard!" must have alarmed Jacko himself by its forlornexpression. Struggling with the waves, and striking out manfully withhis hands, and not like a monkey, Jacko kept his head above water, andhis eyes turned towards the cap of the top-mast. 

"Hard a-port the helm!" bellowed D----, rushing to the tiller himself;and soon as the cutter shot up in the wind, he added, "Now, then, two of you, my sons, jump into the dingy. "

The command was obeyed quickly as it was given; and Jacko has to thankhis star, whichever it may be, that the boat had not been hoisted on thedavits, but towing in the vessel's wake; or he might, many months ago, have been a source of entertainment at the Court of Neptune. 

If a drowned rat looks sleekly wretched, Jacko looked ten times worsewhen taken out of the water. The brightness of his eye had fled, --histail, which curled usually like a sucking-pig's, hung now straight downbehind him, relaxed from its ringlet, like a piece of tarred rope, --andhis stomach, vying once with the symmetry of the greyhound's, wasdistended and globular as a small barrel of oysters. Half a spoonful ofbrandy was poured down his throat, and having been wrapped up in someodd pieces of flannel, he was put in a soup-plate, and set down beforethe fire. This was all that human art could do, and the rest was left tothe control of time, or Jacko's robust constitution. 

At twelve o'clock we were off Fredricksværn, the Norwegian Portsmouth, which is a small town at the entrance of the Larvig Fiord. Here Jackocame on deck buoyant as a ball, and with a coat made more glossy by thechemical action of the salt water. 

Looking towards Larvig, we saw, an unusual sight in this country, theUnion-jack flying on a little rock; and were puzzled for some time toknow whether it was a compliment that had reference to us. After atedious contention with _dead water_, light puffs of wind that came downthe gulleys on our starboard beam, and shifted to our bows, and thenveering right aft, jibed the main-sheet, we cast anchor about twentyyards from the rock on whose summit the Union-jack waved. 

The Consul sent on board to say, that his house was at our service, aswell as any other kindness he could show us. We understood afterwards, that the Consul had mistaken the Iris for the Fairy schooner, belongingto Sir Hyde Parker; and had hoisted the jack in compliment to his oldfriend the baronet. 

It was not possible for us to fish to-day; but P---- hired a carriole, and drove about six miles into the country, to obtain leave from theproprietors on the banks of the Larvig River, to fish on the followingmorning. The task of gaining permission to fish for salmon in Norway issometimes a tedious one; for every man is his own landlord, andpossesses a few acres of land that he tills himself. All lands on thebanks make the portion of the river flowing by them, the property of thelandowner; and the angler may have to secure the good-will and assent offifty persons, before he can fish in any part of a river, which is moredifficult to do, as the Norwegians are jealous of their littleprivileges. They rarely deny courtesy to a stranger; but they like tohave it in their power to do so if they please. This, however, was notP----'s case; for through the hearty assistance and recommendation ofthe Consul, no obstruction was made to the attainment of everything wedesired. 

As all fishermen are aware, it is necessary to angle for salmon, andindeed many fish, either very early in the morning, or in the cool ofthe afternoon, the heat of noon being perfectly inimical to the sport. At two o'clock, therefore, on Friday morning, the memorable 9th of June, we started in the gig, stored with abundant provision, for the firstfoss, or fall, of the Larvig River. 

The scenery of this river was the most beautiful we had yet seen, thoughnot the grandest, the banks being thickly wooded, and the diversity ofthe foliage more striking than at Krokleven, or in the ChristianiaFiord. Nearly four hours elapsed before we reached the spot selected forfishing; but our passage up the river had been obstructed occasionallyby bars across the water. These bars are large stakes or piles driven, about twenty feet apart, into the bed of the river, and carried from onebank to the other, to which the trunks of trees are chained to preventthe timber from escaping to the sea; and it is no uncommon thing to meetwith an immense field of timber, covering the whole surface of the riveras far as the eye can see. A passage is kept between two of thesestakes, distinguished from the others by a mark, for the ordinarytraffic of the river; and is defended by a huge bar of timber, securedby a chain, on removing which, the boats are, after a good deal ofbumping, pulled through. The interior of the country being soinaccessible, the Norwegians have no other alternative but to roll thetimber from the tops of the mountains, and casting it on the rivers, allow it to float to these artificial havens, where it is collected, andthen, being made into immense rafts, guided by some half dozen men tothe town, whence it is shipped to France or Holland. 

P---- had made such excellent arrangements, that two prams were inreadiness to receive R---- and himself when we arrived at ourdestination. In some of the salmon rivers it is quite impossible to fishfrom the banks, but the sportsman hires a boat, and angles in the centreof the stream, which is generally interrupted by large stones, or piecesof rock, in the eddy of which the salmon delight to sport. 

P---- was the first to get his rod together, and selecting a particularfly that he had considered as "a certain killer, " jumped into his pram. The men who row these prams are generally Norwegians, born on the banksof the river, and knowing pretty well under what rocks, or in what eddy, the salmon abound. The Norwegian who rowed P----'s pram was a fineyoung fellow, but as unable to understand the English language as he wasathletic. R---- and P---- divided the river in two parts, so thatneither sportsman should interfere with the amusement of the other. P---- took the upper part of the stream, and R---- the lower; or, inother words, or other ideas, P---- was the wolf who came to drink of thelimpid tide, and R---- was the lamb who had to put up with the muddywater. 

Broiling my back in the rising sun, I took my seat on a high rock fromwhich I had a commanding view of both my friends, and could note thepraiseworthy tact and labour with which they angled. Time flew on; aquarter of an hour elapsed, and then another quarter; and to thesethirty minutes, twice thirty more were added, when the heat at my backwas relieved by the furious and rapid clicking of P----'s reel. Istarted from my seat, and lo! P----'s rod had assumed quite a newappearance; for instead of its taper, arrowy form, it looked more like anote of interrogation, and seemed to ask as loudly and plainly as itcould, "What in heavens, master, has hold of my other end?"

P----, too, no longer retained that upright, soldierly attitude forwhich I had always admired him, but leaned so much backwards, that, should the good rod, I thought, give way, nothing on earth can save himfrom falling on the hinder part of his head. R---- wound up his line, andsat down in his pram to watch P----. 

It is the custom, the instant the salmon takes the fly, for the rower topull towards the shore with as much celerity and judgment as possible, neither to drive the boat too swiftly through the water, or loiter tooslowly, both extremes endangering the chance of capturing your salmon. That part of the stream where P---- fished, was about forty yards belowa rapid, and, indeed, ran with the current of a sluice; and the readermay imagine, that, a very little impetus given to the pram against thiscurrent, would increase the pressure of a large salmon on a small gutline. Directly the boatman discovered that P---- had a bite, towards thebank he commenced to row; but not with that degree of expeditionP---- desired. Although I was some distance from them, I could perceivethe energetic signals of P----'s left hand to the Norwegian to pullashore more briskly. Every now and then the rattling of the reel wouldkeep P----'s excitement alive, and as he gradually wound up the line, the salmon, making another start, would threaten to run away with everyinch of tackle. Warily the Norwegian rowed, scarcely dipping his scullsin the water, lest their splash should startle the most timid of fish;but his cautious conduct made no impression on P----, for I could stillsee him motion angrily to the Norwegian to be more speedy. 

The bank of the river at last was reached, and stumbling over sculls andbaling ladles, for these prams leak like sponges, and getting his footentangled in a landing net, P---- contrived to step on shore; but barelyhad he stood on land again, than the line snapped, and the rod flew tothe perpendicular with a short, sharp hiss. Imagination cannotsympathise with P----'s feelings, when, after travelling over a thousandmiles, or more, for the sake of entrapping salmon, he should break, through the stupidity or slothfulness of a Norwegian boatman, his bestgut line, and lose the finest salmon in the whole Larvig river. P----'seyes wandered to the summit of his rod as it shot, like a poplar, straight into the air, and saw the remnant of his tackle, not half ayard long, flowing in every direction to the varying puffs of wind; andturning his head slowly round towards the astounded Norwegian, gave hima mingled look of inexpressible contempt and anger; and then, castinghis rod violently to the ground, stamped his foot, and vowed he wouldnever fish again. 

"You stupid ass!" I heard him shout to the Norwegian, perfectly ignorantwhether P---- was addressing him with excess of passion, or a tornado ofpraise; "didn't I tell you, as well as I could, to pull faster? Do youthink cat-gut is made of iron?"

"Ja[3], " said the gaping Norwegian, catching a very vague idea of hismeaning. 

"But it isn't, you d----d fool!" exclaimed P---- angrily. "Why don't youdo what you're told?"

"Ja----, " again began the unhappy boatman. 

"But you didn't, " shouted P----, cutting him off in the midst of hisreply. 

"Ja, ja, " interposed the Norwegian, "I pool pram. "

"Yes, you did 'pool pram, ' and a pretty mess you have made of it;" andP---- put his hands in his trowsers' pockets, and began to walk up anddown on the bank. 

"What's the row?" called out R---- from his pram, floating in the middleof the river; "Have you lost your fish?"

He had witnessed the whole transaction, as well as I. 

"It's hardly credible, " answered P----, stopping in his walk, "thatthese Norwegian fools can live in a country all their days, and havesalmon under their noses, and not know how to catch them. Curse thefools! the sooner one leaves them the better. "

"So I think, " acceded R----, sitting down quietly in the after part ofhis pram, and dangling his crossed leg. "For my part, I don't thinkthere are any salmon at all. _I_ can't get a _rise_. I wouldn't mindbetting an even crown you had hold of a weed!"

"Pooh! stuff!" ejaculated P----, starting off in his see-saw ambulationagain. "I saw the fish;--'twas fifteen pound weight at least. "

"Oh! if you saw him, that's another thing, " said R----; and taking hispipe out of his pocket, began to soothe his nerves by blowing off hisdisappointment in the substantial form of pure Oronoco tobacco-smoke. 

Half an hour afterwards, P---- was hard at work as ever, perfectlyregardless of the solemn attestation he had volunteered to Jupiter. 

The four sailors who had rowed the gig from Larvig, had, with theingenuity of their class, constructed a tent, lighted a fire, and werepreparing breakfast, both for us and themselves. This was the first timeI had breakfasted in the open air, and it is not so unpleasant as mightbe imagined, particularly should the morning be so calm, and clear, andwarm as this one was. Shaded by a high mountain, fresh with the foliageof fir, birch, and filbert trees, the morning sun reached not ourencampment. The balmy air, the dew and early vapour upon the grass, thehumming sound of the bee, the low of cattle, the lusty salutation ofpeasants as they met each other, proceeding to their labour, and, aboveall, the murmuring river, were sounds and things as pleasant to hear andsee as always to remember. 

R---- and P---- were unwearied; nor did they yield to fatigue until thesun had risen so high, that its heat sent the fish to respire at thebottom of the river, and the animals under shelter of the trees. Afterwe had breakfasted, R---- and P---- exchanged a few remarks on the artof angling, felt the fatigue of rising at two in the morning, and fellfast asleep. I possessed the wakefulness of a second Cerberus, andallowed not Morpheus to approach my eyelids; but loitering, up and down, under the shady boughs of the trees, listened to the sweet silveryrippling of the river, as it crept between the rocks, or bubbled overits shingly bed. Overpowered at last by the fury of the vertical sun, Ientered the tent that had been formed by raising the gig's sail on thefour oars. 

R---- and P---- were still slumbering, and I was lying under the tent, on the ground, reading the Adventures of Peregrine Pickle. The sailorswho had formed the boat's crew were sauntering about along the banks ofthe river; and the cockswain, who generally on such excursions as thepresent performed the part of cook, was seated on a piece of rock whichprojected into the bubbling stream, busily occupied in the preparationof dinner. Whistling, and humming, by fits, one of the sea-songs of hiscountry, he wore the time away while peeling some potatoes, which, oneby one, as his large knife, slung from his belt by a piece of yarn, deprived of their jackets, he threw into an iron pot, having rinsed thempreviously in the flowing river. Within his sight, lay, on a whitetowel, a leg of lamb, bewitchingly sprinkled with salt, all prepared tobe cooked, but only waiting for the potatoes to bear it company to thefire. Absorbed in my book, I paid little attention to what was passingaround me, except by an occasional glance, until I heard a loud, shrillscream, and then a louder rustling of feathers, as if this was the noonof the last day, and Gabriel having blown his trumpet without my hearingit, had actually reached the earth. I jumped up, and running out of thetent, saw the cockswain standing like a nautical statue, motionless, gazing upwards, and with a stick grasped firmly in his hand. Followinghis example, I turned my eyes reverentially to the skies, anddistinguished, from the blaze of day, a most lusty eagle, making thebest of his way towards the residence of Jove with the leg of lamb inhis beak; and, as if conscious of the superiority his position had givenhim over us, waving the white towel, grasped with his talons, hither andthither in the air, like a flag moved exultingly by conquerors aftervictory. 

"It's gone, sir, " said the sailor, lowering the uplifted club, "and, blow me, if I ever heerd him coming. "

I shall not forget the utter disgust of R---- and P----, when, like acouple of Samsons they awoke, and found that their hair was certainlyuntouched, but that the most positive support of their strength had beencut off irretrievably, and their dinner of lamb gone where all innocenceshould go. Some bread and cheese, together with a few eggs which theboatmen purchased for us at a neighbouring cottage, supplied the loss ofour lamb. The coolness of the afternoon gave R---- and P----, anopportunity to renew their ardour, and at six o'clock they both mighthave been found encouraging the habit of patience in the art of angling. 

The rattling of their reels, gave, at almost every half hour, theannouncement of a bite, and hurrying in their prams to the shore, myfriends, after the torture of another half hour, would, with theassistance of a gaff, place the unhappy salmon among the long grassgrowing on the river's brink. 

The Norwegians, and I believe, all persons who have the sense of tastedeveloped to a most extraordinary nicety, say that the fish which arecaught with the hook, are not to be compared in flavour to those takenin the net. Though I cannot account for the exquisiteness of taste, thatcan distinguish between one and the other plan of catching the salmon, Ican very easily suppose that the pain, more or less, given in thedestruction of an animal, may increase or decrease the flavour of theflesh, when used as food. A fish drawn backwards and forwards throughthe water with a hook piercing its gills, or the more tender fibres ofthe stomach, till it is almost jaded to death, and then lacerated withsuch an instrument as the gaff, must endure such an accumulation of themost intense pain, that the sweeter juices of the flesh escape duringthe throes of a protracted death, and render its taste more stale andflat. But the fish, taken in the net, suffers no injury; and free frompain is instantaneously deprived of life, while the muscular partsretain all the rigour and nutriment requisite for human food. 

R---- and P---- caught eight fish between them, varying from fifteen totwenty-five pounds' weight each; and, striking our tent, we returned inthe twilight of evening to the yacht at Larvig. 

Nothing daunted, R---- and P---- rose again the following morning attwo, and collecting their fishing apparatus, began to prepare foranother jaunt up the river. They were very desirous that I shouldaccompany them; but having had insight enough into the stratagem ofsalmon-fishing for the next three days, I declined. 

"Well! ain't you going to get up? It's past two, " I heard some one say;but not quite certain whether I was dreaming, or really awake. 

"Hollo! sleepy-head!" another voice shouted, and a strong arm shook me. 

"Eh? what is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes, entirely bewildered as tothe cause of such rough usage. 

"Come! look alive, if you're coming. The sun's up, and we must be off, "the last speaker continued. I could not conceive where I had promised togo; nor could I make out what the sun had to do with my movements. Asecond violent shake roused me. 

"I am awake!" I said pettishly. "What do you want; who are you?"

"Get up, you great muff!" the loud voice again exclaimed from the centreof the cabin. I sat up in my bed. From my berth I could see into themain cabin. R---- and P---- in their short fishing coats, and jack-boots, were standing round the cabin table, and drinking some preparation ofmilk, rum, and egg. 

"It's capital, isn't it?" I heard P---- say. 

"Splendid!" R---- replied. "Let's have it every morning. "

"Ha! many a time, " P---- continued, "I have swallowed this just beforegoing to morning parade. It's the best thing in the world on an emptystomach. Here's a little more. " And he filled R----'s glass. 

"Where are you going so early?" I asked, quite forgetful that we wereeven in Norway. 

"Why, to fish, of course, " replied R----. 

"What else do you suppose we are going to do? Come along. "

"No; not this morning, " I said, falling back on my pillow. "I am tired. "

"Pooh! what humbug! you've been in bed ever since twelve. What more doyou want?" replied one of them. 

"A little more, " I answered, making myself as snug as I could; for I hadreally not slept an hour. 

"That's just like you, always pulling another way, " R---- observed. "What's the good of remaining here all alone, when you might gaff forme? It's so unsociable!"

"Hang the gaffing!" I answered. 

"If you don't like to gaff, " suggested R----, "take the little rifle andshoot an eagle or two. That's better than remaining behind; and we cango to bed early to-night. "

"Why can't you go without me?" I said. "I don't care about fishing, andI do about comfort; for I feel now as if I had not been to bed at all. "

This indifference to a sport, they both deemed the most exciting, causedthem to upbraid me, till half-past two, with such epithets as, "an oldwoman, " "a shocking cockney, " "a fellow only fit to wear white kidgloves, " "a Regent Street swell, " "a land lubber, " "a milk sop, " and amultitude of other curious idioms, that rather made me merry thanclashed with my pride. 

About ten o'clock, I received a note from the Consul, intimating that aparty of ladies desired to see the yacht, and requested he might bringthem on board. I replied that I could, in the absence of R----, undertake to say how cordially he would have granted his permission, andflatteringly he would have felt the compliment, had he been present, andI begged that the Consul would act as if the vessel were his own. Threehours afterwards, I saw several boats, filled with ladies, shoot outfrom a little bay, on the starboard bow of the yacht, and gliding asswiftly through the smooth water as the two rowers to each boat couldforce them, soon clustered round the gangway. Thirteen young ladies, theConsul being the only gentleman among them, jumped lightly on board; andas they followed, interminably, one after the other, I never felt theresponsibility of any position so impressively, as I did the presentone. The young ladies, however, were all Norwegian, except one; so thatI had not much trouble in talking to them, their native tongue, or theGerman, being the only two languages they could understand, and of bothof which I was almost ignorant. 

Although I could not enter into conversation with them, I felt it was mybounden duty to contribute by some device, or the other, to theentertainment of these young ladies. Knowing the partiality of my owncountrywomen to music, I hazarded the idea, that the Norwegian ladieswere filled with an equal admiration for waltzes and polkas; and beingfortunately possessed of two very large musical boxes, I wound them up. When these boxes began to play, my fair visitors were much delightedwith their ingenious mechanism, and for some short time listened to themwith wonder and delight; but at last, in harmonious movement to theirsweet notes, these children put their little arms round each other'swaists and began to dance. The elder girls, catching the mood, claspedtheir companions by the hand, and begged them to join the merry group. In ten minutes not one girl was sitting still; and she who could not geta partner, placed her arms a-kimbo, and whirled up and down the deckalone. 

A Norwegian gentleman had asked me to dine with him, and as R---- andP---- would not return much before midnight, I did not decline aninvitation that was not only hospitable, but would give me anopportunity of seeing more of the habits and character of hiscountrymen. The dinner was prepared at an early hour, one, or two, o'clock. The style of cookery was the same as in England; except themanner in which the salmon is dressed, for it is cut up into small junksand fried; but the most ordinary, and esteemed way of eating the salmonis to smoke it, which is nothing more or less than an excuse forswallowing the fish raw. 

After dinner, the host filled two glasses of wine, one for himself, andone for me; and sidling close up to my chair, placed himself arm and armwith me. I could not understand his meaning, and watched with no littleanxiety the next act of familiarity he would commit. My eyes glancedround the table; but the gravity of every man's face was ecclesiasticalin the extreme. Without unlocking his arm from mine, the Norwegianraised his glass in the air, and motioned with his hand to me to do thesame. I did so. He then drank off the wine, and bade me drink in likemanner. I did that likewise. I had thus followed my friend'sinjunctions, and had scarcely, with a smile, replaced on the table theglass I had drained, when I received a box on the ear. Starting from mychair at the unprovoked assault, I was about to break the decanter overthe Norwegian's head, when a gentleman seized hold of my right hand, andbegged me to be pacified, for that it was merely the usage of thecountry in pledging to the health of a friend. He said my host would behighly gratified by my retaliation. 

"We have simply then been drinking each other's health?" I asked. 

"No more, sir, " my mediator replied. 

Ashamed of my hasty and most unmannerly conduct, I gave the amicablecuff, and all was merriment again. 

When we rose from table, the whole company commenced shaking hands witheach other, and coming up to me, one after the other, each guest tookmy hand, and

"Tak for maden, " he said. 

This was another mysterious usage I could not unravel. A few daysafterwards, amid the general din of the same ceremony, I asked a younglady, who spoke French, what it all meant; and she then told me it wasan ancient habit of returning thanks for a good dinner. 

"But I have given them no dinner, " I said. 

"That is true, " replied my fair informant; "but they thank you all thesame. "

While she spoke, a Norwegian gentleman took possession of her hand, andexclaimed, "Tak for maden!" while a second did the same with my hand, and repeatingsimilar words, passed on all round the table. 

FOOTNOTES:

[3] "Ja, " pronounced "yar, " signifies "yes, " in the Norwegian language. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

 ANOTHER FISHING EXCURSION--LANDING A SALMON--THE CARRIOLE--BOATS ROWED BY LADIES--DEPARTURE FROM LARVIG--CHRISTIANSAND HARBOUR--RETURN TO BOOM-- SINCERE WELCOME--ANGLING AT THE FALLS--THE FORSAKEN ANGLER--A MISUNDERSTANDING--RECONCILIATION--ST. JOHN'S DAY--SIMPLICITY OF MANNERS. 

On Tuesday morning, at three, I joined R---- and P----, and took asecond trip up the river, to indulge in this pastime of angling. 

When we arrived on our fishing ground, the salmon were seen springingtwo or three feet out of the water into the air, a sign not always goodfor the sportsman; for the Norwegians say, that when the fish begin toleap out of the water, they are moving up the river, and disinclined totake food. It was entertaining to observe them, as they leaped invarious places, from rock to rock, up the stream of the Foss; andalthough they would be brought back by the immense volume of water, nothing disheartened, would repeat the leap again and again. Seated inthe pram, I watched in the clear stream, the caution with which some ofthe salmon approached the fly, and after darting away from it, returnedand sported round it, as if perfectly aware of the deceitful manner bywhich the hook was hid; but in a reckless moment, just as the fly wasmoved along the top of the water, resembling the living insect with suchexactitude that I could be deceived, they would make a sullen plunge, and then as if aware of the foolish act they had committed, secure theirdeath by running away with the whole line before they could possiblyfeel the hook. A slight jerk is given to the tackle, and their doom issealed. 

I saw one salmon caught through his own folly; for had he been lessviolent, he might have gratified his curiosity by tasting the fabricatedfly, and could, when he found that it was nothing more than a macaw'sfeather, have quietly spitten it out; but as soon as the hook lanced hislip, the fish made a leap of several feet above the surface, and onfalling into the river again, shot like a silver arrow, towards any weedor rock he saw, sheltering himself behind it, as if he deemed thisretreat secure. But when he felt a motive power, over which he had nocontrol, gently drawing him by the head from his old abode, and theconsequent slight, shooting pang of the hook, away he flew, right uptowards the pram, flapped his tail furiously to the right and left, andthen bounced about his native pool, indignant of the vile trick that hadbeen played him. R----, was soon rowed to the bank, and I stood by hisside gaff in hand. 

"Look out, " said R----, in an under tone; and, turning up the sleeve ofmy coat, I gave the gaff the full length of the handle. The fish, however, saw me move, and like a flash of lightning, clove the water toits lowest depth. The line passed with such rapidity between R----'sthumb and forefinger, that it almost cut them off. 

The manœuvring of ten minutes more brought the salmon within a fewfeet of the bank, and crawling through the rushes, I remained ready toperform my part of the tragedy. Near and nearer, turned on his back, andpanting laboriously, the fish allowed himself to be drawn towards theshore. Lowering the gaff slowly into the stream, till I guessed it wastwo or three inches below the fish, and then making a sudden lunge, Ipierced the soft part of the stomach a little behind the two fore fins, and lifted the salmon from the water. 

"You did that devilish well, " exclaimed R----, hurrying up to remove thehook. The salmon plunged in every direction violently; and it was withgreat difficulty I could keep my hold of the gaff. 

"Make haste, " I said, "or he will be off the gaff; see, how the flesh ofthe stomach is ripping!"

And so it was. The weight of the salmon was sufficient to tear thetender part of the flesh under the stomach, and the longer I held thefish from the ground to allow R---- to remove the hook, the moreprobable it appeared, that, the salmon by his furious struggles, wouldlacerate and divide the flesh, and fall from the gaff. 

"Poor wretch!" said R----, as he strove to unfasten the hook from theligaments of the jaw, "I am keeping him in his pain a long time; but Ican't help it. "

"I must put him on the ground, " I observed, when the fish by itsstruggles nearly twisted the gaff from my hand. 

"No; for heaven's sake, don't!" exclaimed R----. "He'll knock both of usinto the water if you do. There, " continued R----, holding the hook, atlast, in his hand, and cleansing it from slime and gore on the cuff ofhis coat, "put him down;" and opening a clasp-knife, he ran the bladeinto the crown of the salmon's head. The creaking sound of the bone asit yielded to the passage of the sharp knife, like the cutting of acork, made my teeth ache. The fish stirred not; but the blood trickledfrom his mouth in small bubbles, and stretching out all his fins, as abird would stretch its wings to fly, a spasmodic shudder succeeded, andthen the fins gradually relaxed and adhered close to his sides, whilethe blood still oozed from the mouth and gills, and striking his tailonce or twice on the ground, the salmon seemed to fix his round, staring, glassy eye on me, as if in accusation of the torture I hadcaused, and gaping, died. 

"If I ever gaff another fish, may I be gaffed myself, " I said. 

"Fish do not feel so acutely as you imagine, " replied R----, wiping thepenknife on his handkerchief with the coolness of an anatomicaloperator; "all the quivering you observe is not from actual pain, butmerely from muscular action. "

"Well, I am not surgeon enough to know that, " I answered; "but if youtalk for three years, you will never persuade me that a fish does notfeel, as well as every other creature, in proportion to its size, theanguish of bodily torture as sensibly as you, or I. "

"Never mind arguments, " cried R----, "here, let's see what he weighs. "

And R---- drew from his coat-pocket, a small balance that he alwayscarried about with him, and hooking the defunct salmon on it, held itup. 

"Twenty-two pounds to a fraction, " he said; and took a little book fromhis other pocket, and noted down the weight. Casting up the figures tohimself in a sort of whisper common to all calculators, R---- observedaloud, when he had concluded his addition, "I have killed forty-five pounds myself. That's not so bad, eh? Comeon;" and hurrying into his pram, was rowed away. 

I did not remain much longer on the bank of the river, and desiring achange, I walked towards the road that ran parallel with the stream. ANorwegian peasant, driving a carriole soon overtook me, and asking himin the most grammatical and simple manner I could, if he were returningto Larvig, he made me a long speech in reply; but beseeching him in mysecond address to give me a monosyllabic answer, either affirmatively ornegatively, as I was a foreigner, the man bowed his head till his chincame in contact with the bone of his chest, and said, "Ja!"

I then asked him if he were as desirous of letting his carriole, as Iwas of hiring it; and he again said, "Ja!"

I tendered several small silver coins, amounting to an ort, a piece ofNorwegian money equivalent in value to eight-pence sterling, and beggedthe peasant to tell me if the offer were sufficiently generous. Hecounted the coins in the palm of my hand. When he had done so, hesmiled, and said, "Ja, tak;" and shaking hands with me, he gave me the rope reins. 

The carriole is an elegant, comfortable, but most unsociable vehicle;for it is as unfit to hold two persons, as an ordinary arm-chair. To sitproperly in a carriole, you should be rather round-shouldered, as itsshape is not unlike half a walnut, scooped out. The post-boy sitsbehind, or stands up, as a groom does in England; but his position mustbe uncomfortable in the extreme, as the carriole has no springs, andbounds and jumps heavily over ruts and pebbles, causing him to fidget atintervals, and make an exclamation of discomfort most irregularly. Theshafts and wheels are slight, and the body painted uniformly of achocolate colour. The foot-board is not larger than a tea-tray, aboutsix inches square, and in order to reach it, the legs are so extended asto bring the tip of the toes and the apex of the knees on the sameplane. Nor does the driver look down on his horse, as he would inEngland; but the eye has a level view along the back of the animal, andhis neck, or wooden collar obstructs any further perspective. 

I could not make the man, or skydsgut, as he is called, who accompaniedme, understand ten consecutive words I spoke; but asking a multitude ofquestions, I thought I must have collected a multitude of information. Disliking the dulness of my companion, I drove at a swift pace, but theskydsgut did not seem to like it, and several times I could guess fromhis manner, that he was expostulating with me. The Norwegians love theirhorses with the strong, feminine devotion of Arabs, and it is not anuncommon sight to see the skydsgut, if he be a boy, burst into apassionate fit of tears should you lash his horse twice in a mile. Hewill strive to tell his grief, but if the language of his sorrow be notunderstood, he will cover his face with his hands, and weep aloud by theroad side. The Norwegians have given Englishmen the credit of beingimpatient travellers, and from their desire to pass over the greatestquantity of ground in the smallest quantity of time, they are said touse the whip more frequently than is necessary. I do not know that thisis an incorrect opinion. As one man has peculiarities that another manhas not, so one nation may be noted for eccentricities, of which anothernation is devoid; and, for my own part, I am inclined to think, that, however superciliously Englishmen may regard the usages and habits offoreigners, there are no people who give strangers a truer idea ofmaniacs than Englishmen themselves. 

R---- and P----, returned in the evening with a boat full of salmon, andone fine fish, weighing nearly thirty-two pounds, was smoked andprepared to be sent as a present to England. I passed the whole of thesubsequent day at Larvig, and the Consul begged, that as I was alone, Iwould dine with him. I accepted his invitation. After dinner, in thecool of the afternoon, his daughters, two very lady-like and prettygirls, requested me to join an excursion they were about to make acrossthe fiord, to the opposite shore. These ladies would insist upon rowingthe boat the whole distance, upwards of two miles, themselves. Iobjected for a time; but when they told me it was the custom of thecountry, and, that the art of sculling was as much an accomplishment asthe softer allurements of the harp, or guitar, I felt more reconciled, and fully appreciated an honour that could never be offered to me again. 

At half-past ten o'clock, shortly after we had returned from our trip, and while I was standing on a high rock, from which an extensive view ofthe fiord could be seen, and talking to the Consul and several ladies, agun was fired from the yacht. 

"His Lordship is returned, " said the Consul to me, "and I think that isfor you. "

"If it be so, they will fire again, " I replied. The echo of the cable, as the men began to heave it, left the Consul's conjecture no longerchimerical; and after a little while, the flash and report of anothergun leaped one after the other, from crag to crag, through the dusk ofevening, and whirling above our heads, bounded over the summit of themountain. 

"Come, there's no doubt now, " observed the Consul, turning round towardsme. 

"No, " I answered; "but they don't suppose I can get on board without aboat. "

"You can have mine, with pleasure;" and the Consul, addressing hislittle son, desired that a boat should be kept in readiness. 

"Oh! there! look there, " exclaimed two, or three ladies, pointingtowards the cutter. 

"Ay, the anchor's away, " said the Consul; and the yacht, with flappingjib, began to move, like a colossal swan with erected crest, proudlythrough the water. 

The main-sail being well brailed up, the two boats were hauled alongsideto the davits, and while they were being hoisted on them, a third gunwas fired. The ladies, delighted with the flash and thundering of theguns, begged me to linger a little longer, that another gun might befired; but fearful that R---- would play some mad prank, and stand outof the fiord without me, I promised the fair dames, that the next time Icame to Norway, I would comply with their request, and never leave them, or Larvig again. 

The Consul's eldest son soon rowed me to the yacht. When I stood ondeck, and looked towards the shore, I could see the white handkerchiefsof those whom I had just left, waving through the dusky air. 

"There are some of your loves, " said R---- to me. 

"They do not wish you well less than they do me, " I replied. 

The separation from Larvig was the feeling of a second regret Iconfessed since my departure from England. Dear old Larvig! It is thegreen oasis where recollection, ever loving, turns to rest; and wherethe springs of Friendship's warm simplicity, may quench the thirst ofhim who sighs for Sympathy upon the Desert of Society. 

At midnight we cleared the Larvig Fiord, and shaped our course forChristiansand. The weather had been sultry and calm; and at threeo'clock in the morning, a tremendous thunder-storm spent the principalpart of its anger upon us. The rain descended as if it had been spoutedat the yacht through water-pipes; and the uproar of the thunder amongthe mountains, and the frequency and vividness with which the lightninggleamed, showing every object on the sea and land, were so terrific, that, each man turned in his hammock, and rubbing his eyes, wished toknow what all the noise and light on deck were about. 

"Lord! how it thunders!" I heard one man growl, as the peal awoke him. 

"The lightning's no better, " answered another, as a strong, red flashfollowed close after the sledge-hammer blow of the clap. The officer ofthe watch gave some command in muffled tones, and immediately afterwardsthe man at the helm muttered in a gruff voice, "Seven bells. "

When the hour had been struck, the silence was again profound; and onlythe pattering of the drops of rain on the deck, as the storm receded, could be heard. 

The next morning, before I was up, there was an altercation on deck; andthe word "stuff" seemed to prevail over every other. 

"Here, D----, " I heard R---- exclaim to the sailing master, "just lookhere;" and then a short pause ensued, until D---- reached the after partof the yacht, where the jolly-boat had been secured on deck. 

"As long as you fellows can stuff yourselves, " R---- continued, "that'sall you care about; but, after that, my property may go to the devil. "

Then there was a dialogue, in an under tone, explanatory of somethingthat had gone wrong. 

"I am sure, my Lord, " pursued D----, "I am as careful as I can be, and Iendeavour to make every man the same. "

"It's all very fine to say so, " answered R----, "but I wish you wouldact after the same fashion; for here's a salmon I ordered to be cured atLarvig, for the purpose of sending to England as a present; and justbecause not one man would take the trouble to throw a piece of tarpaulinover it last night, to keep off the rain, it is perfectly spoilt. "

The cured salmon had been placed in the jolly-boat the evening before, and orders were strictly given, that it should be covered during thenight; but the attention paid to those orders amounted to what I haverelated. The salmon, however, was hung up in the shrouds, and after agreat deal of trouble and attention, it was sufficiently preserved toarrive in England, three weeks afterwards, and to command the praise ofevery one who tasted it. 

At two o'clock in the afternoon we entered Christiansand Harbour; andtaking our old berth a little to the westward of the castle, fired asalute, to let our friends know we had returned. Several gentlemen cameon board, and made many inquiries about our travels; and when they hadlearned all, arrangements were made for us to fish in the Toptdal River, at Boom, as long as we liked. 

Early on Monday morning we weighed anchor, and reached up the fiord asfar towards the mouth of the Toptdal River, as the depth of water wouldpermit; and after an hour's sail, the yacht was brought up in abeautiful little bay, about three miles from Christiansand, and aboutfour from Boom. 

From a sky azure and warm as in an oriental clime, not a cloud wasreflected on the smooth, transparent water, and scarcely a breath ofair stirred the leaves of the trees. So absolute was the stillness, thatthe voices of fishermen, who dwelt among the rocks, could be heard inconversation, although their forms were diminished by distance to thesize of a rook. 

At five o'clock we were at Boom again, and our friend theAnglo-Norwegian was shaking us by the hand. His eyes sparkled withdelight at the renewal of our acquaintance; and promising us the best ofsport, he led us towards the cottage in which we had lodged on our firstvisit. The peasant, our landlord, came forth to the cottage door, pipein hand, to salute us; while his wife gazed at us through a smallwindow; and, when she caught our glance, smiled, with a sunnier languageon her face than she could have uttered with her tongue, the sincerityof her joy to see us once more. I felt as if I had been a long time awanderer, and had returned home. The three beds in the cottage wereordered to be got ready for us, and a lodging in a neighbouringfarm-house was secured for the four men who had rowed the gig. 

The fish did not take the fly willingly, for only one or two were caughtbetween R---- and P----; but the amazing number of salmon that keptleaping out of the water, during the whole afternoon, bade us notdespair of being more prosperous on the morrow. The Toptdal River isthe property of a celebrated merchant resident at Christiansand, and hederives a considerable income from the sale of fish caught in it. It isone of the most famous salmon streams in the south of Norway; and itscelebrity may in some way be tested when I state, that, two and threehundred salmon have been taken in the nets in the course of one day atBoom, and the same quantity has been continued through severalsuccessive days. Great numbers are still caught, but not in suchmultitudes as formerly; and the diminution is ascribed to thecircumstance of no law existing in Norway to protect, or rather, preserve the salmon at certain seasons; and poaching has been, of lateyears, so extensive, that unless the Government take a little more careof a fish that has become almost a staple commodity of the country, andarrest the nefarious system at present without bounds, the extinction ofsalmon in the southern rivers of Norway must be immediate and complete. Indeed, we visited some places which a few years ago were famous for thebeauty, size, and multiplicity of their salmon; but we were told on ourarrival, that, not a fish was now to be caught or seen, from the mouthsto the sources of these rivers. 

Early in the morning, by daylight, I heard R---- and P---- pulling ontheir jack-boots, and winding and unwinding their tackle. The clickingnoise of their reels awoke me. 

The Toptdal River is uninterrupted by rapids from Christiansand up toour cottage, but as I mentioned, there is before the door a tremendousfall, and a pool of great depth has been formed, by the eternal forceand action of the tumbling water. This pool is nearly circular, andabout a quarter of a mile in circumference. A large rock, considerablyabove the level of the water, stands in the middle of this pool; andperched on it the sportsman may presume that he has attained the mostchoice position for angling. From this rock, made slippery by theascending spray of the cataract, Mr. H----, the gentleman to whom I havereferred as the proprietor of this river, is wont to fish; and he isallowed to be one of the most distinguished and sagacious anglers in thevicinity of Christiansand or Boom. 

Pursuant to the mode of the country, and the recommendation of thenatives, my two companions embarked in a pram to seek the piscatorytreasures of this pool. The surface of the water was not so clear andsmooth as at Larvig; for it boiled and eddied, and the wrath of thethundering cataract made it white as Parian marble. R---- and P----, notwithstanding the difficulty of throwing their flies daintily, fromthe uneasy motion of the pram, discovered another more serious obstacleto this united possession of the same pram; for, now and then, P----'ssilver pheasant fly would buz very close to R----'s right ear, andR----'s white moth fly would hover around and settle at last on P----'spepper-and-salt cloth cap, and whisk it into the water. In short, thedanger of proximity in fly fishing was as obvious as the deductions ofany mathematical problem. The union could not exist. A remedy was to befound; and P---- sat down on the grating over the well of the pram, andgave himself to contemplation. His inquisitive mind lost no time. 

"Hollo!" he suddenly exclaimed, "there's that rock; can't I get on it?"

"Let's pull and see, " assented R----; and the boatman was desired to rowtowards it. When the pram was driven by the force of the whirling streamagainst the rock, P---- jumped on it, but nearly slid off on the otherside. 

"Oh! ah! this is capital, " he said, raising himself cautiously by theaid of both hands. "This will do. "

And having, after several efforts, stood upright, he commenceduntwisting his line from the rod. 

"All right?" asked R----, impatient to begin. 

"Yes, all right, " replied P----; and away the pram, borne by thethousand intertwining currents, shot with R----. 

The high peaks of the mountains now began to shine in the rising sun, and, like the ebbing surface of an ocean, the line of light graduallydescended towards the valley. One by one, the cattle came forth fromtheir sheds; and the cock, flapping his wing, stood a tip-toe, and crewmost lustily. Under the weather-vane, on the farm-house roof, thepigeons trimmed their feathers, and cooed. Unfelt the coolness of themorning air, (for they were hot with exertion, ) and regardless of movingshadows, or cooing doves, my two friends gave up the sense of hearing totheir reels, and that of seeing to the career of the little zinc hooksat the end of their gut lines. When I looked at the insular P----, andhis active rod, I thought him like to Archimedes who had found hisextramundane spot of ground, and, as he threw the fly, and bent his backto let it touch the water lightly, was endeavouring to fasten his leverto the base of the adjacent mountain in order to consummate his wish ofraising the world; and the circumfluous R---- with his long tackle, thathissed when he cast it with the petulance of an angry switch, appearedan ocean god, who had selected a shorter route to the North Cape by theToptdal River, and was urging his reluctant grampuses up the cataract. 

R---- and P---- might have angled for five hours, and the result oftheir assiduity was as diverse as pain is to pleasure, whatever theStoics may have said to the contrary; for P---- caught fifteen salmon, and R---- not one. Disappointed, no doubt, that such trifling profitshould succeed to so much labour, R---- wound up his ten or twelveyards of cat-gut, and desired the boatmen to row ashore. It was noweight o'clock; and when people rise at two in the morning, it does notrequire much calculation to tell how keen the appetite must become whenit has grumbled five hours in vain for aliment. P----, however, wascallous to hunger, or thirst; and as he made capture after capture, allthought of food decreased in an inverse ratio. When R---- had alightedfrom the pram, the boatman drew it up on the shore, lest it should getadrift, for it was the only available pram at Boom; and touching hisslouch hat, signified to R---- his intention of going to his morningmeal. R---- consented. We sat down on a piece of timber by the river'sbrink, and R---- watched his successful fellow-angler. P----'s very soulseemed to be diving about in the pool entirely unconscious of everyearthly thing but salmon. 

"By Jove! there's another bite, " exclaimed R----, as P----'s reel spreadthe tidings with the tongue of a Dutch alarum clock. After a littleplay, the salmon ceased to live in the Toptdal River. 

"I can't tell how he manages, " said R----, in a sort of soliloquy. "Idon't get a rise in two days. My flies must be bad; or, I think, P----always takes the best place. " And R---- pulled his fly-book from hispouch, and began to examine the flies attentively, one by one, from thelargest to the smallest. 

"Your flies are very good, " I observed; "but you have not application. Look at P----; he is part of that rock, apathetic to every idea of life, but the idea that he sees his fly. "

"A great deal of it is luck, " answered R----; "but let us go tobreakfast. I am preciously thirsty; I must swill something. "

We both rose, and walked towards the cottage. The sun had now risenabove the tops of the mountains, and shone brightly in the very centreof the valley through which the Toptdal River wound. Not a cloud spottedthe sky, and the declining languid motion of the atmosphere gave tokenof a torrid noon. Entering into jocular conversation with ourAnglo-Norwegian friend, who was bustling about the cottage on ourbehalf, we became so intimate and open-hearted, that R---- begged him topartake of breakfast if he had not eaten his own; and seating himself inthe third vacant chair, the Norwegian did as much justice to ourhospitality, as the hungry steer does to clover. Time wore on, for theshade of the tall trees became short and shorter; and when our littlestout Northern guest went from under the cottage roof, to give someorders to a labourer, I observed that the huge flaps of his felt hatsheltered his round projecting van and bulbous flank, and, that, to thecontemplative man with downcast eye, his whole frame, fat though itwere, would appear quashed into a circular shadow moving along theground. 

After breakfast, R---- lit his pipe, and the Norwegian made a quid bothround and opaque, and bowing to us, stuffed it into his mouth. Itsproper arrangement with his tongue kept him silent for a second, and inthat second, we heard the prolonged, faint call of a man in distress;but it was so indistinct, that the gentle rustling of the juniper leafinterrupted our attention to it. 

"Is not this delicious?" observed R---- to me; and the gray-bluetobacco-smoke spouted, like a small fountain, from his mouth. "In LondonI should be just thinking of getting out of bed, and here I have been upthese nine hours, and eaten like a bricklayer. "

"I should not mind living here, and like this, all my life, " I answered, "and paddling about on that river. "

"Ja, " interposed the Norwegian in a broken dialect, but he thoughthimself a good English scholar; "dat is goot, but you not tak care youroltz down de foss; one old vomans roltz down de foss. "

"Ah?" said I. 

"Ja, " replied the Norwegian; "she row one praam cross de top of de foss, and de praam roltz over, and she vas drowntz. "

The same dull, faint, long cry, fell on our ears; but we took no heed ofit, for our native companion said it was the signal shout of huntsmen inthe mountains. 

"Did you ever find the old woman's body?" I asked. 

"Ja, " the Norwegian answered, twisting his quid from the left to theright cheek, "she vas foundtz; and vat is droltz de bags of flour shehave in de praam, dough dey been long timetz in de vater, vere quitedrytz--de middle quite drytz. "

"And what did you do with them?" I asked. 

"I eatz dem, " said my friend. 

Again the long, low cry stole mournfully through the still air, and itmoaned like a melancholy spirit of the night that had been left behindby its fellow spirits, as they hurried from earth at dawn of day, andwhich, concealing itself in some mountain cavern, was wailing theirabsence, and telling the torture it suffered from the glaring light. 

"I say, old cock, have you any goblins in this place?" asked R----, walking close up to the Norwegian, and blowing the smoke from his pipeso voluminously in the little man's face, that he coughed till he nearlyspat his quid out of the window. 

"Nej, nej, " replied the Norwegian, as soon as he could breathe to speak, in a tone of surprise that R---- should suppose such a thing. TheNorwegians are superstitious, and believe as confidently in ghosts, as Ido in the heat of fire. 

"What the devil then, " continued R----, "is that confounded groaningabout? Some fellow has committed murder. You had better go and see. "

"Nej, nej, " remonstrated the Norwegian, scratching his head, and movingnervously in his chair at the suggestion. The Norwegian was stable ashis mountains; and R----, laughing at the man's apparent terror, resumedhis seat, and increased the generation of his genuine Latakiatobacco-smoke. 

It was now mid-day; and the hollow sounding tread of human feet cladthickly, made R---- and me turn our eyes towards the threshold of thecottage. Cased, like a shrimp-catcher, up to his hips in water-proofboots, his landing-net, gaff, and fishing-rod, borne on his leftshoulder, P----, the very picture of impersonated anger, stood beforeus. Dashing landing-net, gaff, fly-book, and his only fly-rod on thetable, regardless of crockery, "A pretty trick you have played me!" he thundered out. We had nevergiven P---- a thought until the moment we saw him, nor did we, for oneinstant, remember that, like Robinson Crusoe, he had been left on adesert rock, and that the doleful cry might be his. 

"It's now twelve, " P---- continued angrily, "and you have quietly eatenyour breakfast, and allowed me to remain on that rock since sixo'clock. "

"But my dear fellow, " said R----, "could you not call for the boat?"

"And what have I been doing these four hours?" P---- exclaimed. "No;it's just like you both; if you can satisfy your confoundedselfishness, the devil may take any one else's comfort. "

"A boat would have put off to you, " persisted R----, "if you had hailedsome of the workmen about. "

"What nonsense that is, " said P----, with wrath. "Do you think I stoodthere like a fool, and held my tongue? Of course I hailed every one Isaw; but I should like to know who could hear me, stuck, as I was, closeunder that Fall. "

"Well, my dear fellow, " answered R----, in a pacifying tone, "I tell youthe truth, I never thought of you until I saw your face at that door. "

"That's just what I say; so long as you are comfortable, every one elsemay go to the deuce;" and P---- snapped his finger, and walked to thewindow. "Besides that, " he added, "I am your guest, and entitled to lookfor a little more respect. "

"Oh! hang the respect, " replied R----, quickly. 

"Then you may fish alone, " said P----; "for I'll be hanged if I willstand being treated in this kind of way. Suppose, for one moment, youhad been in my place, and I had forgotten you, what would you have saidand felt? the case is the same. "

"Why didn't you come ashore with me?" R---- asked, getting rather testyhimself; "am I your nurse? Am I to wait and watch for you?"

"Yes, you ought, " said P----; "I would have done it for you. I can'tfish and have my eyes about me, in all quarters, at the same time. Ithink it cursed unmannerly of you both. "

R---- looked at me with one of his comic faces, and I looked at him. 

"As to my manners, " R---- answered aloud, "whether they be vulgar, orwhether they be genteel, I take no credit to myself; for an extraallowance was made for my education, that I should be polished brightlylike a gentleman, and if you perceive a failure on that score, the faultis not mine, but the preparatory school's. Moreover, if a man has anymental, or personal defect, it is hardly fair to make allusion to it, and by wounding his feelings to seek the gratification of anger. "

R---- gave me a wink, as much as to say, "I have the weather-gage ofhim. " P---- spoke not in reply; but continued standing at the window, and, with his back to us, looking out upon the fatal rock and cataract. 

"We have left you a couple of eggs, " observed R---- pacifically. 

"You had better send them back to the hen to be hatched, " P---- replied. 

"Come, my dear fellow, " continued R----, "don't let such a little thingpart us. Your being left on the rock was quite an oversight. Exercise achristian spirit, and drink this delicious coffee. "

Pouring out a cup of coffee, R---- held up the Norwegian wine-bottle ofmilk by its long neck, and said to P----, "do you like a little, or agood deal, of milk?"

"Oh! middling;" and moving from the window, P---- walked towards thetable. 

"There, " said R----, pushing the cup across to P----, "there's some realMocha for you. "

P---- raised the cup to his lips. 

"Capital!" he exclaimed, taking breath after a long pull. 

"So it is!" reiterated R----, expelling a tremendous and satisfactorycloud of smoke that took the shape of a balloon, and ascending towardsthe cottage beams, puzzled me, by its great dilatation, to think, howsuch a gigantic volume of sooty exhalation, as Dr. Johnson would say, could be compressed into a small compass, like R----'s mouth. 

When pacification took place, and conciliatory explanations were madeover and over again, R---- and P----, tumbling out their flies, commenced to repair those that had been damaged by the fish, andmanufactured others, more suitable to the transparent water, and thetimidity of the salmon. While they were thus engaged, I loitered aboutin the open air. 

The day was hot to oppression; and it required no flight of theimagination to forget that the country was Norway, and fancy myself inthe interior of Congo. Numerous insects, that flew with a droning noiseabout me, and a multitude of adders basking in the sun, or hurryingthrough the grass as I approached, gave new force to the illusion. 

In the afternoon R---- and P---- caught thirty or forty salmon betweenthem. Such success made them determine to remain for some days longer atBoom; but being desirous of a change of scene, as well as recreation, Ireturned to the yacht, and sleeping on board that night, went the nextmorning to Christiansand. 

It was the 24th of June, known as St. John's Day; and on my arrival atChristiansand, I learned that the festival was commemorated with greatceremony by the Norwegians. Along the tops of the mountains, ever wherethe eye wandered, piles of faggots, and old boats were collectedtogether, like funeral pyres. Men and women, children and dogs, congregated in multitudes around them, watching for the set of sun; andwhen the weary god sank down to rest, and with closing lids gavedarkness to the earth, a hundred bonfires simultaneously blazing forthon the summits of the mountains, strove to reach his throne in themeridian, and imitate the day. The sight was certainly fine, but couldnot be compared with an ancient warlike and similar custom among theScottish Highlanders. 

I called on some ladies and gentlemen whom I knew at Christiansand, andlearned a usage prevalent among the Norwegians, that should still moreendear their simplicity of heart, and the truthfulness of theircharacter, since it is void of all the artfulness and social fiction ofEngland. Approaching the house of a family, from the different membersof which we had received much kindness and hospitality, a servant met meat the door, and while she was endeavouring to explain how much hermistress was engaged, the eldest daughter of my fair hostess made herappearance, and extending her hand to me, said, shaking her head, "Herr, kan icca ta imod;" which meant, that I could not be received. This is the usual phrase; and it tells you the simple fact, that thelady of the house is at home, but her domestic occupations press uponher so much at the moment, that she is unable to receive you. 

CHAPTER XV. 

 SAILING UP THE GRON FIORD--DANGEROUS SWELL--EXCURSION ASHORE--TROUT-FISHING--MOUNTAIN SCENERY--ANT-HILLS-- HAZARDOUS DRIVE--THE SCOTTISH EMIGRANT--MISERABLE LODGING--CONDITION OF THE PEASANTRY--A VILLAGE PATRIARCH--COSTUME OF THE COUNTRY-PEOPLE--ARRIVAL AT FÆDDE. 

On Wednesday, the 30th, we left Boom, having, during the ten days R----and P---- had remained there, caught two hundred and sixty-four salmon. 

On the afternoon of Wednesday, we landed at Christiansand for an hour, to arrange a few accounts, and then sailed for the Gron Fiord. 

The night was calm, and the sea smooth as a mirror. At noon thefollowing day, we were once more in sight of the Naze, and, signallingfor a pilot, elicited an instant answer from a solitary cottage standingon the barren promontory. The swell was terrific; and as soon as thepilot could contrive to scramble on board, we ran the vessel up thelesser channel of the Gron Fiord to escape the sea. The violence of thewaves was more dangerous, as scarcely a breath of wind filled the sails;and we were apprehensive that a huge spar like the boom swinging to andfro, would carry away the mast by the board. 

Leaving directions with D---- that the yacht should meet us in the FæddeFiord, R---- suggested that we should take an excursion inland. Theproposal was no sooner given than it was taken up gladly; and hiring amountaineer for our guide, who had jostled himself on board to see allthat he could, we started in the gig for a small village, the name ofwhich I forget, about sixteen miles further up the Fiord. What withrowing, and sailing, under the favour of sudden puffs of wind whichnearly capsized us a dozen times, we came in sight of the village atfive o'clock in the afternoon. The sail thither was very beautiful; thelofty mountains on all sides giving the Fiord the romantic calmness andchanging shadows of a beautiful lake. The water, too, so clear andshallow, left our minds at ease when the frequent gusts of warm airbreathed heavily on our sail, and made us regard their sallies down thedifferent ravines rather as the cause of sport, than the effect ofmischief. 

Being without a forbud, or courier, we waited for horses, as aconsequence, several hours at a post-house on the bank of the Fiord. Time, however, did not hang heavily on our hands, R---- and P----finding some amusement in fishing for trout in a neighbouring stream, and I was not the less entertained by observing the rapidity with whichone fish was caught after the other. The surface of the water swarmedwith these little creatures, and the fly was no sooner thrown to them, than they fought for the bait. 

In half an hour we returned to the post-house; and three dozen troutwere, in a short time, converted into a substantial dinner. The flesh, however, was so impregnated with the taste of turpentine, that Irelinquished the greater portion of my share to others who were morehungry, and not so dainty. Living almost entirely on fish caught byourselves, I had, on former occasions, incurred the loss of my dinnerthrough this disagreeable flavour, but could not discover its causeuntil a glass of water, taken from the Larvig River, tasted so stronglyof the fir, that, I preferred the inconveniences of thirst to the meansof its alleviation. So much timber is floated from the interior to thetowns on the sea-coast, that the rivers retain the taste of the fir, andeven take from it a particular light yellow tinge, not to be seen inthose streams that are too small and shallow for rafts or boats. Somekinds of fish, deriving their sole sustenance from these rivers, areconsequently saturated with turpentine. 

After dinner we walked up a hill, down whose rugged side ran a rapid, murmuring brook. The Fiord, surrounded by mountains, lay beneath us, and, far away, we could see the boat that had brought us hither, floating, like a white feather, slowly homewards to the yacht. Theblue-bell and fox-glove were growing on every hand, and the heath throvein luxuriance, but, flowerless, seemed to miss the golden blossoms ofthe furze. 

Sauntering along, we could scarcely avoid stumbling over numberlessant-hills, of considerable size and height, raised around the trunks offallen firs rent in two by the violence of the winter storms, or hewndown to be converted into charcoal. Regardless alike of the sultrysummer heat and of us, how industriously the little people worked, running hither and thither with pieces of stick, ten times larger thanthemselves, and sometimes so ponderous, that half-a-dozen of them wouldput their strength together, and pull them from one corner of theirdominions to the other! I observed a sturdy mechanic, hurrying, like athief, along the summit of this mound, fall headlong to the very base;but immediately recovering his senses, seized his load again, andmounted valiantly to his former elevation. 

I threw my glove in the midst of them. Their confusion and dismay werebeyond all description; but collecting their self-possession, theyreturned in a mob, and seemed to view attentively the great calamitythat had befallen them. They examined it in every position, someburrowing inside and arriving at the top of the glove through a smallhole between the thumb and the forefinger; others, apparently chemists, clustering round the button at the wrist, and testing its properties. Gathering in groups, they appeared to consult whether such a peculiarsubstance could be converted into use, or whether the glove should bedrawn by main force, and precipitated to the sow-thistle below. Unlikeany large assemblage of men that I have ever seen, they wasted no timein long speeches, but speedily came to a decision; and approaching thethumb of my glove, some thirty or forty stalwart artificers took hold ofthe seam that passes inside, and pulled stoutly. The glove moved. Thiswas not lost on the congregated thousands; for their motions appeared tobe in approval of their countrymen; and I am convinced did they wearhats, they would have flourished them in the air, or owned voices, wouldhave cheered vociferously. The whole community now took part in theremoval of my glove, and in a few seconds it began to crawl prettyevidently towards the edge of the mound. 

Busily engaged as all the ants were, they did not pay much attention tothe proximity of danger, and, I am sure, even with their sagacity, didnot think of it; but bearing the common nuisance towards the boundary oftheir country, they were only bent upon ejecting it summarily. Thelittle finger of my glove first reached the side of the ant-hill, andfalling, like a paralyzed limb, suddenly over the brink, cast some fortyexcellent folks, head over heels, with rapidity and great force to thelong grass beneath. Unconscious of this accident at the other extremity, the ants who laboured at the thumb and its environs, continued withviolent jerks to draw the glove towards its destination; and when it hadcome so near the sloping edge, that the locomotive power became its own, it slid, like an avalanche, to the bottom of the mound, drawing nearlythe entire population along with it. Never were pismires so terrifiedbefore; nor did arrow ever swifter cleave the air, as these insectsscrambled over the blades of grass and chips of wood. The agility withwhich they climbed up their pyramidical nest was perfectly astonishing;and when the nimblest of them arrived at the top, the perfect state ofconfusion which seemed to pervade the whole community, and thecontinuance and fervour with which they were stopped and addressed bythose who had escaped the mishap, were the monkeyism and perplexity ofman truthful to a degree. 

Late in the afternoon we started on our journey. The road at everycorner unfolded the sublimest scenery, my imagination conceiving nothingbeyond the grandeur and wild magnificence of the rugged mountains whosecastellated peaks, gray and black with time and storm, were fretted intoall combinations of pinnacle and turret raised like fortifications outof their perpendicular, blank sides. To allay the parching heat andsombreness of scene, the roar of falling water reached the ear, and hereand there the eyes caught sight of wooden bridges clasping an angrytorrent. Enclosed by mountains of great height, shooting abruptly intothe air, the precipices both above and beneath the narrow highway weremost frightful to contemplate, and in many places it was overhung withimmense portions of rock. We were obliged to stoop in order to avoidstriking our heads against them, and to keep the middle of the road, noother precaution being taken to hinder a restive horse from falling intothe hideous gulf, than one or two stones piled on each other. The sharpturn of the road, too, would appear at a distance to terminate at theedge of a precipice; but when the spot was reached, this was found to bemere deception, the angular corners of the road being most acute; and, should a horse plunge in turning, or back, no human interference couldstay an instantaneous death. 

A difficult descent brought us to a valley, shut in on all sides bylofty mountains; and stopping our jaded horses by a rivulet, we had timeto observe another ascent, as steep as any we had yet encountered inNorway. Looking along a ravine on the left hand, far as the eye couldsee, the blue mountains, capped with snow, upon whose eminences restedthe brilliancy of the setting sun, were contrasted grandly with thegloom and shadow of the nearer valley. Leaping from rock to rock, evenfrom the mountain's peak, cascades poured down their waters in everydirection, sparkling like columns of molten silver through the darkgreen foliage of the fir and pine. 

We commenced the ascent. Left to themselves, our horses exercised muchsagacity in overcoming every difficulty; for, occasionally making astrong effort, they would gain ten or twenty yards upwards, and then, halting of their own accord, plant their fore legs entirely under themto recover their wind. But in spite of every indulgence, it wasdisheartening to see the perspiration dripping, like a fountain, fromthe flanks and stomachs of the animals, while they panted for breath. Toiling up the acclivity, we arrived, at last, at the summit of themountain; and although the elevation must have been several thousandfeet above the level of the sea, a plain of great extent, incliningslightly downwards to the north-west, and without the vestige of ashrub, spread before us. Alighting from our carrioles, we stood on thehighest point of the mountain, and looking down the opposite side almostperpendicularly beneath us, a beautiful lake suddenly broke upon theview, the verdant banks of which, fringed with cottages, meandered formany miles along a still, romantic valley. Down the sides of themountains that encompassed this valley, and with whose rocky heads wehad an equal altitude, hundreds of cascades were seen leaping among theriven crags, and hid for a time from sight by the firs, would burstagain upon the eye, and roll in one large spout of foam down theravines, till they mingled with the sleeping waters of the lake nowthrown into deep shadow by the gigantic mountains, and ended day. 

Taking up our abode for the night with a Scotsman, whose cottage wefound through the assistance of one of our skydsguts, we strove to makeourselves as comfortable as circumstances would admit. This gentleman, who had left his native land with the laudable motive of teachinghusbandry to the Norwegians, and with the ulterior chance of making hisfortune, discovered that the Norwegian farmers were as steadfast to theaboriginal mode of cultivating their land, as he was ambitious ofbecoming rich, and so, like a sensible man, when he found that hisagricultural scheme had failed, and retreat homewards, for want ofmeans, was impracticable, he wedded a Norwegian woman, and renting atract of land, turned farmer on his own account. All that his frugalwife had collected for household use among these solitary mountains, milk, eggs, and salmon, was freely offered to us; and having brought ourown tea and sugar, together with a few bottles of beer, we easily made awholesome meal. After we had supped, our host said that his house wassmall, and his sleeping accommodation still more limited; but if wecould arrange between ourselves, as to the appropriation of one bed, anda small sofa, he would be proud indeed to shelter us for the night. 

We cast lots. R---- won the bed, and P---- the sofa. I might sleep whereI could, how I could, and when I could. However, things are so wiselyordained in this world, even the most trivial, that I do not knowwhether a man should not be as much elated with failure, as withsuccess. Who can tell the result of any undertaking?

At that "witching hour of night when churchyards yawn, " we also had atouch of the gaping fit, and thought of rest. The room in which we hadsupped, was likewise our bed-room; and the bed and sofa, huddled cozilyin one corner of the apartment, carried comfort and enticement on theirspotless counterpanes. Joking, and suggesting all manner of plans for myrepose, R---- took off his coat, and sat down on his bed. No sooner hadhe done so, than one might have thought his mattress was stuffed withdried leaves or panes of glass, such a rustling and crackling ensued. 

"By Jupiter!" exclaimed R----, starting from his seat, and clapping thepalm of his right hand to that part of his body that had caused thehubbub; and then turning about, placed his other disengaged hand on thebed, and said with an astonished voice and face, "Damme, this is all straw, covered with a sheet!"

And pressing the mattress in all quarters, he seemed determined toascertain whether it were the fact, or, simply, the wandering of hisimagination. A piece of yellow straw, plucked from a central hole in thesheet, was amply authenticating. P---- took the alarm; and plunging bothfists into the middle of his sofa, met with a soft composition ofjuniper-leaves and common moss. A pleasant sort of foundation to sleepupon, on a broiling summer's night, with the thermometer at 85°!However, the fun had only just commenced, and laughing heartily I made apillow of a couple of boat-cloaks, and wrapping myself, like a mummy, in a white great-coat, stretched myself on the floor. The boards weresanded, and so, when I turned, I sounded like a piece of sand-paperscrubbing a grate. That was the extent of my inconvenience. I sleptsoundly; and I may have done so for an hour, or two, when some one in alow tone of voice called to me. It was R----. 

"Well, what is it?" I said. 

"Lord!" he replied, "this bed is full of bugs and fleas. What the devilshall I do?"

"I don't know, " I answered, half asleep;--"scratch yourself. "

Seemingly in acquiescence with my advice, a violent scratching issuedfrom P----'s corner of the room; and then a heavy sigh, peculiar to asleeping person, succeeded. Twisting about and blowing his breath with apuff, as people do in hot weather, or when tormented, each time R----moved, his straw-mattress yielded to his weight with the same noise asthe skin of a roasting-pig yields to the incision of a carving-knife. 

"I can't stand this any longer, " at length he exclaimed, and shootingout of bed, walked up and down the room, scratching and fuming as if hehad just escaped from an ant's nest. Infuriated by the irritation of theflea-bites, he could not do otherwise than stumble over everything thatcame in his way; and the long nails of his naked toes coming in contactwith my ear, soon set me on my head's antipodes. 

"Gracious heavens!" I exclaimed, smarting with pain; "why don't youremain in bed, instead of stalking up and down the room all night long?"

"Go and remain there yourself, " retorted R----, in no happy frame ofmind. "I won't be eaten up by bugs and all kinds of beastliness, for anyone. "

"Yes; but you can keep your nails to yourself, " I replied; and havinggreat faith in the power of friction, commenced rubbing my ear. 

The silentness of death succeeded, interrupted only by the long, loudbreathing of P----, and the low, melancholy howl of wolves in themountains. 

With regrets and earnest protestations never to leave the yacht again, R---- and I wore the night away. P---- remained impregnable to theattacks of bugs, fleas, and mosquitoes; and while he told us, in asonorous language of his own, how profoundly he slept, he sometimes gavemechanical signs of feeling by scratching obstreperously his legs andarms, and slapping himself smartly on the face. 

Early the subsequent morning we took leave of our host, and regardlessof the intense heat, made the best of our way towards Fædde. Thepeasantry along the road we travelled appeared to descend inwretchedness the farther we advanced; and nothing could exceed thepoverty exhibited in the outward appearance of their hovels. At everystation where we stopped, misery, by exterior marks, stood dominant; andone post-house, the last before we arrived at Fædde, was divested ofevery comfort, and looked more dreary than all the others we had seen. The whole family were partaking of their scanty meal spread on a dealtable, yet smooth as marble, and brilliant as a polished sword. Surrounded by a gang of children, some grown to maturity, men and women, and others only infants, the poor patriarch sat pale and sickly at thefamily board; and the melancholy shade that kept flitting over hiscountenance, though he smiled and rose to greet us, told of some blightthat had fallen on his hopes; for he resumed his seat apart, andcrossing his thin hands on his lap, gave no other notice of his presencethan an occasional sigh, uttered deeply and involuntarily. Except theold man, they all eat fast and greedily of a kind of white mixture, orporridge, collected in a large wooden basin. 

Leaving this place, we pursued our journey through a country intersectedby rugged mountains, whose summits, denuded of all verdure, rose highand imposingly to Heaven, but their bases were clothed with the cheerfulbirch, the fir and pine, and here and there, a little knoll of grassshining, like an emerald, amid this wilderness of rock. Herds of cattle, interspersed with goats and sheep, hung over the edges of theprecipices, browsing on the tufts of green food that sprouted from thejagged crags. The road wound through narrow mountain-passes, nearlychoked up with huge fragments of rock, the parent mountains on eitherhand rising perpendicularly to an enormous height; and where a ravineyawned, as if to cheer the heart and eye saddened and wearied by thedesolate monotony of stony fell and inhospitable hill, a forest of firswould creep, sloping, to their very summits. Far above our heads, onlythe fleecy clouds breaking into a variety of forms as they moved slowlyalong the mountain sides, and the raven's hoarse cry, or the shrillscream of the eagle, broke the prevailing solitude of scene and sound. 

Many of the peasants whom we encountered on the way, wore red caps andshort jackets scarcely descending below their arm-pits, coveredelaborately with small conical silver buttons; and while some of themconcluded their attire with breeches extending to the knees and thereclasped with buckles, others, more fantastic in taste, preferred theloose trowsers of the Ottoman. Hair, prodigiously long, flowing slovenlyover the shoulders, was common to all. Hats were worn, but they may beexceptions. A blue petticoat, blue as their beautiful sky, and a jacketbound by a scarlet sash around the waist, and a coloured silk kerchiefwreathed about the head, its two ends projecting, like the wings ofMercury's cap, behind each ear, appeared to constitute the ordinarycostume of the Norwegian peasant women. 

On the morning of the fifth day since we had left the Gron Fiord, driving up a steep and winding road we reached the top of a magnificentrange of mountains, and glancing over an intervening forest covered withevery variety of shade, that fir, pine, birch, and grassy glades couldafford, the eye rested on the village of Fædde, with its forty housesand single wooden church, bosomed in a luxuriant, green valley, on theopposite shore of the Fiord. A thousand feet beneath, on the blue water, floated the yacht with flapping canvass, and bearing all the appearanceof having outstripped us in the journey only by a very few minutes. Thepicturesque beauty of the Fiord was increased by being distinctly seenfrom a commanding site, and the bold outlines of its frowning headlandsjutted one beyond the other nearly into the centre of the Fiord, tillthey were mingled in colour with the distant ocean, of which a glimpsecould just be caught. The sea gulls frequenting this Fiord, flew aroundus and screeched amid the universal silence which was broken by the roarof waterfalls, concealed from sight by the dark forest, but thesparkling stream, bursting at times upon the view, would flow a littleway in the broad daylight, then steal as suddenly again from observationin its circuitous course. 

An immense pram, larger than the launch of a frigate, and rowed by twonatives, bore us sluggishly to the cutter. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

 RETURN TO THE YACHT--POOR JACKO--ASCENDING THE STREAM--DESCRIPTION OF THE FÆDDE FIORD--ADVENTURES OF AN ANGLER--SAIL TO THE BUKKE FIORD--THE FATHOMLESS LAKE--THE MANIAC, AND HER HISTORY--THE VILLAGE OF SAND--EXTRAORDINARY PECULIARITIES OF THE SAND SALMON--SEAL-HUNTING--SHOOTING GULLS--THE SEAL CAUGHT--NIGHT IN THE NORTH. 

"I hope, my Lord, " observed D----, as he stood at the gangway of theyacht, and handed the man-ropes to R----, "you have had a pleasantervoyage than we. "

"Why? Has any accident occurred?" asked R----, anxiously. 

"No, my Lord, no accident, " continued D----; "but since your Lordshipleft us, a gale of wind has been blowing from the south-west; andknowing your Lordship would have no home until the cutter came round tothis place, I thought it best to thrash our way to Fædde in the bestmanner we could. "

"Oh! yes; you did right, " replied R----; "but, I hope, you did notstrain the craft. "

"No, my Lord, no, " answered D----. 

"How did she behave?" inquired R----. 

"Beautifully, my Lord, beautifully, " rejoined D----, rubbing his hands, and casting his eyes up the spars towards the top-mast, which was stillstruck. "We had three reefs in the main-sail, and still she made nineknots against a heavy sea. You see, she is wet, my Lord. The sea made aclean breach, both fore and aft. "

"Ah! it won't hurt her, " said R----, in a confident tone, while heapproached the companion, and began to descend into the cabin. P---- andI had already preceded him. Every thing below seemed in the greatestmedley. The four chairs, lying on the floor, stuck their sixteen legsright up in the air; and the books, with their covers horriblydistorted, were scattered in every corner. The sofa pillows appeared tohave been playing "bo-peep" with each other, for three had hidthemselves under one sofa, and the fourth I found in the after-cabin, jammed between my portmanteau and the bulk-head. Nothing was in itsplace, and all things were suffering the completest discomfort. 

"Hollo!" exclaimed R----, as soon as he entered; "what's the row?"

"The bell is broken, my Lord, " replied the steward. This was a favouritehand-bell of R----; and any injury to it so entirely occupied hissympathy, that, the steward generally parried a minute cross-examinationby referring, when he could, to the ill, or well, being of this bell. 

"Is _that_ all?" answered R----. 

"No, my Lord, " said the steward, pursuing his narrative, seeing the bellhad failed; "three decanters, four couples of soup-plates, and----"

"Hang the plates!" interrupted R----; "how is Jacko?"

"Not so hearty, my Lord, " replied the steward. 

"Why, what's the matter with him, eh?" asked R----, going to the sofa, and lying down. He was accustomed to do this when, on his return home, he desired to know what had occurred in his absence. 

"He went into the pantry, my Lord, " the steward continued, "when my backwas turned, and while he was looking about him in one of the cupboards, the vessel took a lurch to port, and unshipping the cruet-stand, emptiedthe pepper-pot in his eye, my Lord. "

"What was he doing there?" demanded R----. 

"Up to his tricks again, my Lord, " replied the steward, drily. 

"Is he much hurt?" R---- asked. 

"No, my Lord; not much, " said the steward. 

"Have you done anything for the eye?" continued R---- in hisinterrogation. 

"Cook has put on a poultice, my Lord, " answered the steward, "a piece ofraw beef. "

"Oh! that's it, is it?" replied R----, quietly, regaining hisself-possession. 

"Yes, my Lord, " rejoined the steward, with firmness, holding a positivebelief in his own, and the cook's efficacious remedy. 

"Well, " observed R----, with deliberate quaintness, "don't _boil_ it inour soup afterwards. "

"No, my Lord, " and the steward took his leave, understanding hismaster's disposition, and knowing that his dialogues with him generallyresulted in a compliment to the traditionary cleanliness of persons inhis office. 

In the afternoon we went farther up the Fiord, about five miles to thenorth-east of the village of Fædde. The Fædde Fiord is of great depth, and in a circular bay to which we had now sailed, no anchorage for avessel of the yacht's tonnage could be found. Running her, therefore, into a bight, ropes from the bow and stern were made fast to a couple offirs, and by belaying them taut, the cutter was kept clear from the baseof a mountain that rose, straight as the mast, out of the water to analtitude of several thousand feet. This was the most beautiful andromantic spot of which the imagination of a poet might dream. The baywas about half a league in circumference, and a perfect circle in form. To the east, south, and west, were mountains covered nearly to theirpeaks with thick forests of fir; and when the dispersion of the cloudsrevealed their gray summits, many cascades, like thin pillars of light, darted down the rocks; and the eye, following their track, could tracetheir increasing bulk as they rolled along from crag to glen, bounding, gliding, foaming, till they fell, roaring, with collected volume, intothe waters of the bay. The sound of these cascades during the heat ofthe day was not only pleasant to the ear, but still more delightful wasthe feeling of freshness it conveyed to the mind. 

To the north a piece of level land, made into an island by the severedbranches of a river, bore, by its position, all the beauty and aptitudefor human habitation that nature could bestow; and the clean, whitecottages with their red roofs and spires of ascending smoke, its gardenswith their symmetrical flower-beds, and its cultivated fields, teemedwith every sign of ease and plenty, and revealed the ingenuity of man. Beyond the northern limit of this island, far away in the interior, theblue outlines of the mountains were drawn with a darker tint upon thekindred colour of the sky, and their snowy scalps thrust to Heaven, seemed to claim priority of creation and rule with patriarchal dominionover the lesser hills. The main river ran along the eastern quarter ofthe island, leaping and flowing over and under the rocky ledges of amountain, and its stream, sometimes expansive, then contracted, hurrieddown a bed of scanty depth. 

As the sole pursuit of my two companions was the circumvention and deathof numberless salmon, the same evening on which we arrived a start wasmade for the salmon pools on the other side of the island. In the courseof an hour the pools were reached, and having gone through the usualforms, such as solicitation for permission to fish, and the hire of twoprams, R---- and P---- began their accustomed labour. Taking, ascustomary, my position on some elevated spot, whence a good range of allmy two friends' operations might be had, I strove to pass away the timeby staking bets with myself whether one fish could be caught in thirtycasts, or whether, on an average, twice as many minutes would elapsewithout such a result. My left hand generally took the odds, and Icalculated that it won four times out of five. 

The sun had set for many hours, but it was light as noon. Wearied withfruitless watching, I lay down on the grass. Stretched at full length onmy back, and having read in astronomical works that, looking upwardsfrom a dark hole dug in the earth, the stars might be seen shining atmid-day, I covered my face with my cap, and peered upwards at the skythrough a small hole in the crown. But my philosophy was suddenlyinterrupted by the solution of another remarkable fact, and of morepersonal moment than the scintillation of the stars, by finding I hadput my head in an ant's nest. I started to my feet, affirming that Ihad never been so unwary before. But I am a believer in predestination, and know that this accident could no more fail of occurrence, than thatfrom my cradle, in harmony of order, it should fail being traced, linkby link, to the instant at which it came upon me. See, now, itsconsequences. No sooner had a score of angry ants been brushed from myhair, in which their irritability had entangled them, than I wasgratified with the sight of a herculean salmon that rose completely outof the water, and sprung, like a ravenous cat, at P----'s fly, which hehad just withdrawn from the water, intending to change it for another ofa brighter colour. The fish leapt about a foot and a half above thesurface of the stream, and was the largest salmon I ever saw, weighing, I should think, between fifty and sixty pounds. If sharks inhabit theFædde river, I would not pledge my word it was not one. I yield, however, my opinion to that of my gallant friend, who is a bettersportsman than myself and asserts, without any mental reservation, that

 "It was a salmon, sir, --a salmon. "

Be it as it may, the difference of classification has nothing to do withmy story. 

The Norwegians, I know, are a bold people, but may sometimes be takenunawares, as well as other men, and though they live and think in thesimple and primitive manner of the Mosaic era, they express the signsand feelings of apathy and surprise, with similarity of silence andspasmodic gestures to Indians and Englishmen. This world, too, iscertainly a world of incongruities, and the more I see of it, the more Iam biased in that way of reflection; and if any one will take thetrouble to look at things as they are, abstractedly, and observe howgood, bad and indifferent, black, white and blue, are jumbled together, he will not deny me his assent. It so happened, throughout our travelsin Norway, and, indeed, whenever we went on these fishing excursions, that R----, who gave little expression to success in his pastime, norfelt annoyed at failure, invariably obtained the services of the mostexpert boatmen, while P----, who threw heart and soul into everything heundertook, and always swerved under discomfiture, secured with the sameinvariableness the aid of the most consummate clowns; and the rewardlesstermination of his toil, or tact, has been mainly attributable to thethick-headedness of those who should have assisted him with theirsagacity. Scarcely, then, had this bulky salmon shown his mouth, literally an ugly one, above the water, than P----'s boatman, instead ofkeeping silence, and subduing his fears, as any reasonable being woulddo, raised an immediate shout of horror, and during the paroxysms ofdismay, dipped his two sculls negligently into the stream, and in hisanxiety to make a few rapid strokes towards the shore, caught, what isnautically called, a couple of crabs, that caused him to lose hisbalance, and fall, legs uppermost, with a loud crash backwards to thebottom of the pram. His aspiring feet, taking P---- in the flank withthe purchase of a crow-bar, raised him from the diminutive poop-deck ofthe pram on which he was standing; but some part of P----'s apparelgiving way to the weight of his body, told its mute love of gravitation, and desire to prevent any further mischief. As it was, P---- narrowlyescaped submersion; and his presence of mind alone saved the fly-rodfrom any more serious damage than a slight fracture of the top joint. The untimely vociferation of the Norwegian interrupted of necessity anyplan P---- might have adopted to secure the salmon; for the assault madeso unexpectedly on his person seemed, like an electric shock, to pursueits course throughout his whole frame, and rushing to the tips of hisfingers sent the rod, at a tangent, bolt into the air. 

About sixty yards from the inlet where the yacht was anchored, stood acottage, tenanted by a woman and her daughters, two girls about fourteenand fifteen years of age, elegant as Indians, in form, and possessingthe flowing fair hair, the large, round, loving, languid, blue eye, andthe unaffected simplicity of bearing, and native loveliness of theirclime. Every morning they brought us milk, eggs, and strawberries, andseemed to find great delight in listening to our language, and, observing the routine of a vessel carried on with all the regularity ofa ship of war; for, with their little bare feet that escaped from theirblue gowns, and shone on the black rocks, like the white moss of therein-deer, they would sit for hours on the crags above us, clinging toeach other and explaining the reason why the bell struck at certainintervals of time, and why the firing of the evening gun made the flagto fall, as if by magic, from the mast-head to the deck. 

On Sunday morning, the 11th of July, we took leave of Fædde, andstarted, with a foul wind, for the Bukke Fiord. Being in want of bread, we were obliged to anchor off the village, in order to supply ourstores; and having accomplished our object with less difficulty than wehad anticipated, we set off fairly, at one o'clock, for our destination. 

The wind had been increasing the whole morning, and veering two pointsfrom the south toward the south-west, now blew with the fury of a gale. The shifting gusts, as they careered down the valleys, taking the headsheets, first, on the weather, then, on the lee, bow, made us more tardythan usual in getting up the anchor. Being the Sabbath, greater crowdsof people were abroad than on other days; and we could see, with ourtelescopes, ladies and gentlemen standing or sitting, in large numbers, in the churchyard, watching our manœuvres with much interest. On thebrows of the headlands, the peasants, both men and women, viewed withsurprise our determination to put to sea on such an inauspicious day, and in such stormy time; but when the cutter swung, so that the anchorcould be heaved, they could not refrain from loud expressions of praiseto see her gallant trim, and the pride of buoyancy with which she swamthe baffling waves. 

At six o'clock in the evening, when we had stood out five or six milesfrom the land, a calm fell; and when the sun declined, his disc, expanded by the vapours of the mighty mountains at the mouth of theBukke Fiord, threw a gleam of golden light from peak to peak that, glancing along the water, even came and danced upon our deck, anddazzled the helmsman with its oblique light. 

On Monday morning when I went on deck, I found that we had entered theBukke Fiord; and the same ravines, chasms, and cascades, identified thesublimity of the scenery with that which I have already attributed tothe other Fiords. As we sailed along, the Fiord would expand into thebroad surface of a lake, and anon diminish to the narrow breadth of ariver hemmed in between two rocky banks. Smiling and still as a sleepingchild, and calmer than the watching mother, the water, undisturbed by abreath of wind, lay without a ripple; and no cloud on the pure sky aboveus intercepted the vertical rays of the sun, that descended withintolerable heat; and, while panting beneath the piercing beams, weturned towards the snow-clad mountains, and strove to bear the warmth bylooking on their glistening summits; but the tantalization was stillgreater to see large patches of snow lying low down between the crevicesand deep glens, places where the sun had never shone, and to feel nobreath of cool air come to refresh us. Not a human habitation rose tothe sight, and no living creature, not even the gull, or smallest bird, broke with its note the solemn stillness. 

The pilot told us, that this Fiord had never been fathomed, and hesupposed it had no bottom. This was intelligence sufficientlyinteresting to rouse all on board into activity; and a lead line ofeighty fathoms was nimbly brought on deck. 

"I have heard say, my Lord, " observed the sailing master to R----, "thatif a bottle be corked ever so tightly, and lowered to a certain depth inthe water, the water will find its way into the body of the bottle. Isthat true, my Lord?"

"Of course it is, " replied R----. 

D---- rather hesitated in his credulity, and to persuade him of thefact, a bottle was tied to the line, and sunk in the water. At seventyfathoms it was drawn up, and to D----'s astonishment the water hadnearly filled the bottle to its neck. He took the bottle in his hand, and peering at the cork, which had been driven to float on the waterinside, said that some trick had been played. 

"I don't think, my Lord, " observed D----, "the cork was large enough, and of course the weight of water, at any trifling depth, will force itinwardly. "

"You are incredulous as Didymus, " said R----. "Here, bring a champagnebottle. "

A champagne bottle was brought, cork and all. 

"Will you be satisfied now, D----?" continued R----. "It is quiteimpossible that this cork can be too small; for you see, the upper partof it overhangs the lip of the bottle. "

"I see, my Lord, " answered D----; "that's all fair enough. "

And D---- took a piece of yarn, and lashed the cork at the sides andover the top, having previously with a small stick rammed hishandkerchief into the body of the bottle, and wiped it perfectly dry. 

"Let it go, " said R---- to one of the men, who made the bottle fast tothe line, and did as he was commanded. D---- challenged the mate with anequal shilling that the bottle would be water tight; and the mate, likea sage, accepted the bet. As balance to the overlapping cork, we gavethe champagne bottle the whole length of the eighty fathoms; and then, drawing it up, found the cork had not been moved an iota; but thebottle was full of water. 

D---- shook his head, and paid the shilling. 

I do not think D---- will ever doubt any phenomena again, as he is readyto admit the hardest truths of Science, however whimsical they mayappear, or sound to him. Indeed he believes most things, and onlymistrusts shoals and lee shores, to which he never fails to give a wideberth. 

"Now we are about it, " said R----, "let us try and find the bottom. "

When King told the pilot what we were going to undertake, the old manlaughed, and said we might try; but the Fiord was as deep as themountains were high. Another line of a hundred fathoms was joined to theone with which we had been making the experiments to shake theinfidelity of the heterodox D----, and lowered. No weigh was on thecutter; and two leads, being fixed to the line, were thrown over thequarter, and leaving a perpendicular track of froth, descended, hissingthrough the water. The whole hundred and eighty fathoms ran out; and weseemed as far from the bottom of the Fiord as we were before wecommenced. Some idea may be conceived of the amazing depth of theseFiords, when I say, that the yacht was not one hundred and twenty yardsfrom the shore, and the entire breadth of the Fiord about two miles. The pilot again came aft, and through his interpreter, King, informed usthat the Fiord had never been plumbed, although the endeavour had beenmade very frequently by scientific men, and Danish naval officers. 

Not many miles from the village of Sand, the place to which we werebound, on one of the sloping woodland swards that cheer by their vividverdure the loneliness of the Bukke Fiord, a small cottage, thatchedwith the branches of the fir, may attract the traveller's observation, and if he does not look around attentively he will not see it, for it islow, and sheltered by the spreading arms of an old pine. The waters ofthe Fiord flow not many feet from its humble threshold; and perhaps, fastened to a stake, a fisherman's pram swings to the changing currentsof air. Now, however, as the cutter drifted, rather than sailed, nearerto this green point of land, we saw that the pram had been untied fromthe stake, and was rowed by an old woman round and round, in an unendingcircuit, in midway of the Fiord. Often she ceased to row, and unfoldinga white handkerchief from her head bared her whiter hair to the burningsky, and waved the signal in the air. Shouting with the shrill voice ofher sex and age, she beckoned us to hasten to her aid. Then, hobblingfrom one end of her pram to the other, and moving quickly from side toside she leaned over and looked steadfastly down in the water, as ifsomething valuable had been lost. When she saw we made no haste, sheresumed her seat, and singing a native song that had more of livelinessthan melancholy in its burden, again she rowed her pram round the samecircle, never deserting the spot, but whistling and chanting by turns, she kept her face turned in one direction, that she might always watchthe central surface of the water. 

"What means that old woman?" asked R---- of several men who wereobserving her, and, clustering round the pilot, seemed to be gatheringall the information he could give. 

"She is mad, my Lord, " the sailors made reply. 

"Mad!--why mad?" repeated R----. 

"The pilot says, my Lord, that she is so, and looking for her husband, "the cockswain answered. 

"Where's her husband? Is he drowned, eh?" continued R----. 

"No, my Lord, " the sailor said, twitching up his trowsers, and walkingaft towards the quarter-deck; "her husband was a fisherman, and livedhard by, my Lord, --up there. About fifteen years ago the man was bathinghereabouts, and he was eaten up by mackerel; but the old woman thinks, my Lord, he has only dived, and soon will rise again. "

And so indeed the legend goes. One morning, fifteen summers past, thepoor fisherman plunged into the element, that had been his solesustaining friend from youth, to bathe, and before scarce fifteenminutes had elapsed, surrounded by a shoal of mackerel, and in sight ofhome and her who made it home, was devoured by these ravenous fish. Whenhe raised his arms from out the water to show the dreadful fate thatthreatened him, and to rouse the alarm of his unconscious wife, ahundred mackerel hung, like plummets, from the flesh. The fishermansank, and was never seen or heard of more. From that morning untilto-day his widow, having lost her reason, ever rows her husband's pramabout the spot where he perished, in the full persuasion, which shecertifies in her song, that he has gone to seek a sunken net, and in alittle while will emerge again; and, so, she prays the crew of everyvessel sailing by to stay and see the truth of what she speaks. 

We arrived at Sand the same afternoon, and after ransacking the littleplace from house to house, found the proprietor of the salmon riverthere. With the good nature and extreme courtesy of his countrymen, theNorwegian gave assent that we might angle, and not only favoured my twoindefatigable friends with a prolonged dissertation on the peculiaritiesof the Sand salmon, but offered to undertake any duty that might lessenthe difficulties and increase the chances of taking a few of theseextraordinary fish. 

It seems that the time when a salmon has been caught with a fly in theSand river is completely beyond the memory of the oldest inhabitant ofthe village; nor is the task less difficult to snare this crafty speciesin a net. On our arrival on the banks, or more properly rocks, of theriver, the salmon were thrusting their heads, like the bubbles of aboiling pot, above the water; and leaping from one ledge of rock to ahigher, they were striving to make their way, in battalions, up a foss, that was of no great height, but poured down its waters in a compactflood with the din of a larger cataract. Persuaded as we had been of theimprobability that success would attend our sport, our spirits becamemore buoyant as our attendant, by his despairing tone, made ourprosperity less likely. 

All the most famous fishermen have visited this little river of Sand, and after adopting every mode, all of them have failed to take the fish. Although the salmon float within sight and reach in the most transparentstream, they will not touch the fly, be it thrown even on their noses. The only reason that can be given for this notorious fact is, that thesalmon, when they leave the sea, are generally gorged, and do notdesire, or seek for food until they have travelled some distance up therivers; for it is equally well ascertained that the farther the firstfoss is removed from the mouth of a salmon river, the more voracious arethe fish. Now, the foss, or fall of the Sand river, is scarcely fivehundred feet from the shore of the Fiord, and the water is salt, or, atleast, brackish; and salmon are not caught in salt water. 

It was certainly most annoying to my two companions, to see thousands ofthe finest fish gamboling in the crystal water, not far from their feet, and to throw their flies with the accumulated nicety of four Waltons, absolutely in the teeth of these obstinate creatures, without thesemblance of success. I, myself, took R----'s rod, which with wearinessof hope he had laid on the ground, and seeing a splendid salmon two feetbelow the surface of the stream, moving his fins slowly to resist thecurrent and remain stationary, I placed the fly above his head, allowingthe bait to sink gradually till it touched the top of his snout. Thefish did not, verily, alter the motion of its fins, either moreslothfully or quicker; but with perfect indifference permitted me tokeep the fly dangling before its eyes as long as I pleased. 

To fish, therefore, at Sand was an absurdity; but having heard that theFiord abounded with seals, and wild fowl of every denomination, wehoisted a square sail on the gig, and turned privateers. 

The village of Sand is inclosed on three sides--north, east, andsouth--by mountains; but before it, to the west, spread the broad watersof the Fiord. The fragrant smell of uncultured flowers, the freshness ofthe morning air, the serene loveliness of the sky and calm water, onwhich the mountains with their peaks of snow were distinctly reflected, even to the diminutive waterfall, and the whole solemn, yet sweetcharacter of the scenery, pressed upon me with an indefinite feeling ofdelight and awe; and, sometimes yielding to the eternal aspirations andimpulsive passions of the soul, my heart heaved with gratitude, that Ihad opportunity, health, and youth to see and feel with ardour theinfinity of God's good creation; and, then, I would relapse into thehumility of man's condition, the recollection of his trivial existence;and the combination of excessive beauty filled my mind with sadness. 

Arming ourselves with two guns and a rifle, we scoured the Fiord formany miles round. No sooner did we fire at one seal that rose on thegig's bow, than another would poke his rat-like head above the water, atthe stern, and a third and fourth on either beam. The report of our gunswas incessant; and the multitudes of crows, wild geese, ducks, eagles, and gulls that croaked, and screamed, and whirled about above our heads, to hear the echoes rattling among their silent fastnesses, wereincalculable. 

Our seal-hunts, however, were most entertaining, and the excitementrelaxed not for an instant. The seal dives as soon as it is fired at, oralarmed; but cannot remain for a prolonged period under water, naturemaking it compulsory that the animal should ascend to the surface forrespiration. Having selected a particular seal, that appeared nearly aslarge as a sheep, we were determined, by dint of perseverance, to huntit down. We divided our force in such a manner, that, rise where theanimal would, one of us must immediately see it; for R---- took thestarboard side of the gig, P---- went to port, and I stood at the stern, while the two sailors, one being a crack shot, kept watch a-head. Noneof us spoke; for the seal is as quick of hearing as of sight, and timidto a proverb; but it was arranged, that, whoever saw it first was tofire. We kept the boat broadside on, that is to say, her bow and sternfaced either shore, and her two sides swept, up and down, the entirelength of the Fiord. Regardless of myriads of gulls that flew closeround our heads, screaming angrily, we abated not in attention to thewater; and watched with straining eyes for the score of bubbles thatusually precede the rising of a seal; and the water being brilliant andsmooth as a looking-glass, they could not escape notice. 

Up came a sleek head not twenty yards from me, and down it went again, just in time before my rifle ball struck the eddying water; and at thesame instant both barrels of R----'s gun, discharged one after another, made the drum of my ear ring. 

"Two of them, " he murmured. P---- and the sailor fired almostimmediately; but the seals were too quick for them. As fast as we couldload, these creatures kept rising around us; and they only seemed todive in order to spread the tidings below amongst their friends, forthey increased in numbers at each emersion. After firing a greatquantity of shot and powder to little purpose, we were making up ourminds to attack a rock covered with gulls, when a large seal rose withinreach of our oars, but sunk again the moment it discovered ourpropinquity. In a few minutes afterwards, it bounced, head first, to thetop of the water, five-and-twenty or thirty yards from the boat; andR---- and I having granted P---- the preference of first shot, he gavethe seal's full face the fuller benefit of a double charge of duck-shot. We never saw the seal again, although we loitered about the spot for anhour in the hope of finding its carcass. The cockswain persuaded us thatthe seal was dead to a certainty; but that P---- had stowed such alocker of shot in its head, it was too heavy to float. 

The rock, moving like a huge living mass, being so thickly covered withgulls, now attracted our attention; but we did not purpose to destroythem for the mere sake of slaughter; for R---- had bought a couple ofyoung eagles a few days before, and it was necessary to procure food forthem. 

"Let's pull to the rock, " observed R----, "and see what we can dothere. "

"I assent, " said P----; "but we had better pull round to leeward, andtake them by surprise. What do you say, cockswain?"

"Yes, your Honour, " replied the man, "we shall never be able to nearthem as we pull now. Give the rock a wide berth, and get under the lee, as your honour says. "

"Pull away, then, " said R----, to the two sailors; "but don't make a rowwith your oars in the water. "

The cockswain kept his eye on the rock, and, every now and then, hintedto me the course I should steer; for I had taken the tiller. 

"Port a little, your Honour, " he said, in a voice hardly above awhisper. The gig obeyed her helm instantly. We gradually came near tothe rock; and passing abreast of it, we could see the gulls basking inthe hot sun; some, standing on one leg, having the other drawn up underthe wing, and looking apathetically at us, while others arranged thefeathers of their tails, or breasts, with their bills, much after thesame fashion as ducks do, when they have been swimming in ponds, ordabbling in puddles. 

"Put your helm to starboard, your Honour, " said the cockswain to me in aquiet voice, "and bring her head right round. "

I did as desired; and the men pulling noiselessly, the boat glidedtowards the rock, like a needle to a magnet. The gulls had allclustered to windward, and not one could be seen to leeward. 

"I have no shot, " I observed to R----, who sat just before me; "but onlyballs. "

"Never mind--they will do, " R---- replied; "more credit to you if youkill any. "

Letting the tiller ropes loose, I allowed the boat to choose its owncourse, and began to ram down my bullets. I tried two at a time. With aslight grating, the keel of the gig touched a sunken piece of land, andalmost at the same time, its weigh was stopped entirely by the stemcoming in gentle contact with the main rock. 

Like so many cats, we now crawled, without a sound, from the boat; andP---- being the first to step on the rock, slipped back into the water. The gurgling of the water as it ran over the tops of his jack-boots, andthe floundering P---- made to recover himself, alarmed two gulls, andthey flew, screaming, into the air. We crouched to the bare rock; andthese two sentinels, not distinguishing us from the colour of theirroosting place, took a few gyrations, and then re-perched themselves onthe rock. Aided by R---- and me, and the two sailors, P---- was got outof the water; but it was no easy matter to accomplish this, for hisjack-boots had filled, to the brim, with water, and added considerablyto his natural weight. 

We now stood fairly on the rock, prepared to encounter any given, orungiven quantity of birds or beasts. 

"I say, " observed R---- to me, in a low tone, "take a stone, or piece ofmoss, or mud, or anything, and shy it amongst them--just for a start. "

The cockswain, who was close behind me, had overheard R----, and beingmore active than I, picked up a small pebble; and by way of givingwarning to R---- and P----, said, under his breath, "Helm's a-lee, your Honour. "

The clicking of their triggers answered the signal; and the missilestone was tossed over the highest part of the rock in the midst of theplacid gulls. With the shrill screams of a thousand imps they dartedinto the air. 

"Blaze away, your Honours, " shouted the cockswain, and mounting to thetop of the rock, endeavoured with an oar, which he handled like a flail, to knock down every gull that came within reach. We all three fired atthe same instant, and some dozen gulls made a summerset in the air, andwith flapping wings and dangling legs, fell into the water. Those thatwere not killed outright, screeched piteously as they floated on thewater. Their unscathed companions, with all the affection and courage ofthe brute creation, hovered over their fallen kinsfolk, and descendingclose to them, strove to bear them away with their beaks. Each time wefired, the shock appeared to drive the gulls at a distance from us, as adischarge of heavy artillery might cause a regiment of soldiers toswerve backwards; but, as soon as the powder cleared away, thesepugnacious birds returned to the vicinity of the rock, screaming loudly;and some of them were audacious enough to pounce upon our caps, andwreak their vengeance by giving us one or two hearty pecks. Thecockswain, working like a telegraph with his swinging oar, generallycontrived to pick off these skirmishers. 

"Load, your Honours, load, " exclaimed the sporting cockswain;--"herethey come again. "

And a whole shoal of gulls, like a troop of Arab cavalry, came, flyingwith the speed of a whirlwind, to the attack. As soon as they werewithin gun-shot, R---- and P---- gave the van the contents of twotolerably good charges of large duck-shot, and I sent a couple ofbullets, making the third brace, right into a small division of theapproaching multitude. The surface of the water now appeared like afield of turnips that had forced their bulky white bodies above theearth, so thickly was it strewn with disabled and defunct gulls. 

"Had those gulls not better be picked up?" said R----, while loading hisgun, to the cockswain. 

"No, my Lord; let them be, " replied the cockswain with as muchexcitement in his face and manner, as if we had been bombarding astrong citadel. "As long as there's one on the water, the others willalways come back; it's their love for one and t'other, my Lord. "

A bevy of wild ducks now scoured the sky to windward, and quacking alltogether, whirled round about in the air, and describing each circlesmaller and lower than the preceding one, approached the rock. 

"Keep your weather eye up, your Honour, " exclaimed the cockswain fromhis commanding point to P----, who had not seen the advancing ducks;"keep your weather eye up. Here they come; here's provender, yourHonour. "

His remembrance, no doubt, returned to the eagles on board, and which, by the bye, had been committed to his care. But the ducks kept a prettygood elevation, being more timid, or wary than the gulls; and my riflenow came into play. I took a random shot at the entire group just as itwas making a masterly evolution; and a drake, evidently the generalcommanding, having ceased his quacking, and tumbling in tee-totum styleto the water, sufficiently proved how correctly I had, for the firsttime, done my duty. The uproar of furious gulls and routed ducks wasnever heard in these silent Fiords since the Flood to such a clamorousextent; and I would not venture to say that the echoes were not assurprisingly loud as the cries of the birds themselves. Urged on by theentreaties and gesticulations of the warlike cockswain, the slaughterlasted for an hour; but seeing that we had killed an ample quantity tofeed the eagles for some days, and remembering that powder and shotcould not be bought among the mountains of Norway, we retreated from therock, and getting into the boat, began to gather our game. This occupiedsome little time; and after collecting a decent boatful, we lighted ourmeerschaums, and floated homewards. 

We might have proceeded nearly half way, when P---- suddenly dropped thepipe from his mouth, and seizing his gun, fired it towards the shore, from which we were not twenty feet, without uttering a word. 

"Be quick--load!" he said, at last, to both of us, ramming down his owncharge as fast as he could. "Here's a seal. "

"Where?" I asked, --"where?"

"Why, there, " and he fired without any other explanation a second timeat the, apparently, bare rock. 

"I see him, and here goes, " said R----, and taking a deliberate aim, fired also. "Missed him, " he murmured. 

I just caught a glimpse of the seal's flat tail, as the animal slidedfrom the rocky shore into the water. 

"We have him, " said P----, with brightened eyes, "if we act properly. "

"There he is!" shouted one of the sailors, with a set of lungs thatmight be needful in a gale, as the seal rose about ten feet from thespot where it first sank. 

"Don't make such a confounded row; you'd frighten the devil!" saidR----, to the seafaring Stentor. 

"Beg pardon, my Lord, " replied the man, in a low voice, and touching hishat with a sheepish look. 

"Keep the boat broadside on, " observed R---- to the cockswain. 

R---- had scarcely spoken, when the water bubbled a little, and theseal's black snout, with dilating nostrils, rose close under the gig'sgunwale. The water whirled in eddies, and his tail, as he turned, appearing slightly above the surface, showed me that the seal had seenus, and dived again. 

"He must come up in a minute; so, look out, " whispered P----; and thetriggers of both barrels of his gun clicked, as he breathed the fact andadmonition. Fortunately the day was very calm, and the leastdisturbance, the fall of the thistle's down, marred the bright surfaceof the Fiord. 

The head of the luckless seal soon peeped slowly up, a short way asternof the boat, and before his eyes had risen above the water to take ahorizontal glance at us, P---- sent a handful, or so, of small shot intohis nose. Down popped the little dark proboscis speedily as thought. 

"He hadn't much fresh air then, " said R----, laughing at the promptitudewith which P---- saluted the appearance of the unfortunate seal. 

"No; that's the way to do it, " answered P----, smiling. Then turning tothe sailors, he said, "Back astern. "

The boat was accordingly backed, and so silently, that only the silverysound of the water as it fell, drop by drop, from the oars, contendedwith the natural trickling of the ripples as they murmured under theledges of rock. 

"Here he comes, " whispered R----, "close on our quarter. "

The seal rose, like a cork, up to its fore fins as if it had sufferedmuch torture from long retention of its breath, and, swifter thanthought, R----'s gun flashed, and with a sharp report seemed to take abucket of water from the Fiord, and fling it into the air. When thelight gray smoke of the powder had rolled in a revolving cloud from thespace intervening between us and the spot where the animal was observed, the water was white with froth, but no sign of the seal could be seen. 

"By Jove! that's odd. I thought I had killed him to a certainty, " saidR----, somewhat surprised. 

"Yes, my Lord, you hit him, " observed the cockswain, consolingly. "I sawhim reel over to port. "

"That's all right, " said P----, "in that case he is done. "

Once more two large bubbles, the spiteful heralds of the seal's advent, rose to the top of the water, and then burst with a slight sound. 

The purple dye of blood tinged the water, and immediately afterwards thewounded seal, with lacerated fin, buoyed itself sluggishly to sight. Itsheavy breathing, expressive of pain, could be heard by all of us in theboat; and levelling both their pieces, R---- and P---- fired together. The seal rolled over with a moan, not unlike the faint lowing of a calf, and floating in a pool of blood, rather than water, expired without astruggle. Rowing the boat to the spot, the cockswain and his messmateused their whole strength to pull the animal on board, its dimensionsnot being contemptible. We reached the yacht about midnight, proud ofour day's sport. 

Although it was the noon of night, it was light as at six o'clock in theafternoon; and, indeed it is not an easy thing to tell the hour of theday without referring to a time-piece; for there is but a very slightdifference in this part of the globe, during the summer months, betweenthe darkness of night and the transparency of day. This may soundparadoxical enough; but the fact is no less true for all that. It wouldbe hardly necessary to observe, that the heat during the night in Norwayis sometimes more oppressive than during the day; and simply, I shouldimagine, because, before the setting and rising of the sun, sufficienttime is not given to allow the ascending vapours to carry off thefervour retained by the earth; and added to which the sun does not sinkat any period during the summer eighteen degrees below the horizon. Hisrays therefore assist in keeping up the hot temperature until two orthree hours have elapsed, and then his great red face again begins toparch every thing that dares come within its range. Norway being also avery rocky country, absorbs the heat with wonderful facility, and asevery one may know, is disinclined to part with it. Returning home athalf-past twelve, or one, just before sunrise as I sometimes did, bysome shadowed path along the mountains, I have placed my hand on therocks, and found them still warm. The day, on the contrary, thoughexposed to the direct power of the sun, has the atmosphere always cooledby the wind, which is kept in motion more actively the hotter become thesun's rays, the heat being a circulating medium of itself. Indeed thedeparture of the sun is the signal for the wind's flight likewise; andthe night is generally painfully calm. 

There is also another phenomenon that may rivet the observation of aninhabitant of a more Southern latitude, and convey as much sublimity tothe mind, as it may be strange to the outward senses. I refer to theappearance of a great Northern city at night. I shall not easily forgetBergen, when for the first time, I walked through its streets at threeo'clock in the morning, and saw a bright sun in a blue sky shining overit. Not a sound, beside my own footstep, disturbed the stillness; andwhen I turned my eyes from the long, deserted avenues of streets andclosed windows of the houses, towards the mountains that droop sullenlyover the town, and sought there for some living sign to assure me that Iwas not absolutely alone, not a bird or insect chirped or flitted on thewing. I felt amid this desolation as if wandering in the fabled City ofDeath; nor do I think that any man, the most elastic of disposition, could bring to his heart any other feelings than those of awe andsadness, when walking, as I did then, in the glare of day through thethoroughfares of a populous city, he witnesses the silence and solemnitythat pervade it. I am glad that I have seen Bergen at midnight, for Iwould see everything in this curious world; but the reflections thattroubled my mind were so much more than the sight was worth that I haveno desire to look again. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

 THE DANGEROUS STRAITS--BRITISH SEAMANSHIP--THE GLACIERS OF FOLGEFONDE--BERGEN--HABITS OF THE FISHERMEN--THE SOGNE FIORD--LEERDAL--ARRIVAL AT AURON--A HOSPITABLE HOST--ASCENDING THE MOUNTAINS--THE TWO SHEPHERDESSES --HUNTING THE REIN-DEER--ADVENTURE ON THE MOUNTAINS --SLAUGHTERING DEER--THE FAWN. 

The time was now drawing to a close that we had purposed to spend inNorway, because we desired to return to England and be present at theregattas which usually take place towards the latter part of July, orcommencement of August along the southern coast of England; andtherefore it became necessary that we should move with more expeditionfrom place to place than we had hitherto done. A great many plans hadsuggested themselves to us, and it was a wish to carry them out that hadenticed us in the first instance to Scandinavia; some we had alreadyfulfilled, but there were others as important in the list of pleasurenot yet realized. Moreover, our provisions, both for our personal useand for the use of the yacht's company, were dwindling to scarcity; andamong these barren mountains no bread or meat could be bought. Biddingfarewell, therefore, to the beautiful village of Sand, and to the kindhearts that increased its beauty, we made all sail the subsequent dayfor Bergen. 

Siggen, the loftiest scion of Norwegian mountains, soon towered withconic form before and above us; and taking a shorter and differentcourse than the one we had previously steered, we were spectators, as weproceeded, of the most magnificent scenery that the imagination couldconceive. We were so fortunate as to keep a fine strong wind the wholeway; and our pilot, who was an old and expert mariner, did not hesitateto contend with the rapid currents that flow between the thousandislands which obstruct the narrower and more unfrequented channels ofthe Bukke Fiord. The cutter, too, retained her celebrity for swiftness, and during her passage to Bergen showed her aptitude to overcome everyemergency. 

There are, half way between Sand and Bergen and within sight of mightySiggen, two small islands of rock, disunited by a narrow channel notthree hundred yards broad, and between which the stream rushes from anorthern to a southern direction with much fleetness and force. It wasnecessary to pass through this channel; and if any difficulty could havearisen in our pilot's mind as to the efficiency of the yacht in makinggood her passage to Bergen, and unwarranting his boldness in selecting apath out of the ordinary track, it was the remembrance of this littlestrait. 

On Friday morning, the 16th, two days after we had left Sand, the twoislands, each with its solitary cottage belonging to some fishermen, hove in sight. The wind blew nearly due north, and was, as sailors say, "dead on end" for us. As the cutter came up to the islands, we saw afleet of Norwegian vessels at anchor, waiting a change of wind toattempt the passage. 

While the pilot and D---- held a short consultation regarding thecapabilities of the yacht, she had already glided, with the noiselessspeed of a spirit, into the midst of native brigs and Dutch barges, forthey cannot be called, ships. The beauty of the cutter, and the Englishensign streaming from the peak, combined with the strange place andnovelty of a vessel like the yacht, were quite enough to causeconjecture and excitement among the crews of the different Norwegian andDutch craft, and to crowd their decks with spectators. The proud, swan-like appearance with which the cutter sailed towards the channel, still more moved their astonishment; and when the first eddy caught theyacht on her weather bow and swung her to leeward, they were satisfiedof the impudent attempt we were contemplating. 

Every sail of the yacht flapped, and the skilful management of the helmalone prevented the boom from jibing. The pilot now saw that the taskwas not one which the Iris would, as he had hoped, surmount with ease, and going as far forward as he could, stood on the weather bow as if tore-consider what he was about to undertake. Fixing his eyes long andsteadily on the swift flowing water, he appeared to think that, shouldthe wind fail, or the strong current bear us back, the danger wasmanifest. 

During the old pilot's meditation, D---- had mechanically taken hisposition aft, close to the helmsman on the weather quarter. More fairly, the cutter now started a second time, and, standing well up, promised tofetch the very centre of the passage. The gaff-topsail shook. 

"Keep her well full, " said D---- to the helmsman. The man kept her halfa point more free. The current boiled, and eddied, and bubbled, as allswift running water will do; and when again it caught the cutter's bow, we could all feel the shock just as if she had touched a sand-bank. 

"Blow, sweet breeze, " said D----, half to himself, half aloud; andcasting his eyes, alternately from the flying jib and foresail to theswelling gaff-topsail, stooped down and looked under the boom at theland. 

"Steady, --the helm, " exclaimed the pilot, as he still stood to windward, holding the bulwarks and bending slightly over the bow. 

"Steady, sir, " answered the helmsman. 

Scarcely had the man made answer, than a puff filled every stitch ofcanvass, and the cutter yielding to its pressure, leaned over and shot, like a shaft, right into the middle of the channel. 

"She'll do it now, " said R---- to D----. 

"She will, my Lord, " replied D----, "if this puff holds ten minutes. "

The wind did hold; and behaving well on this, her first tack, and edgingup in the wind's eye whenever she could get the chance, the impatientcutter seemed willing to clear the channel on her second tack. The pilotmade much of the narrow berth, and ran close to the shore. 

"I suppose the water is pretty deep here, eh?" asked R----, addressinghimself to D----. 

"Oh! yes, my Lord; or the pilot would----"

"'Bout!" shouted the pilot, cutting D---- off in his reply. 

"'Bout!" echoed the helmsman. 

"Put the helm hard up, " continued the pilot excitedly, in a loudervoice; "she mustn't shoot. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " again replied the helmsman, and in obedience to the replythe cutter spun round, like a top. The noise of the sails and blocks, while the vessel was in stays, roused the fishermen, their wives, andchildren, who dwelt in the two cottages to which I have cursorilyalluded, and they gathered about the doors to look on. I heard thosehardy fishermen make some observation, for at intervals, we were notmany yards from their houses, either in derision of the cutter beingimagined competent to work through the channel, or in laudation of theseaman-like skill with which she was managed. They called aloud each tothe other across the water, and spoke in praise or admiration; but beingin a dialect of the Norwegian language I could not tell what they said, and how they thought. We had made a fair reach, and it was no longeraudacity to hope, that, the cutter was a match for the current. To get abetter view of the feat, some of the Dutchmen and Norwegians had mountedthe shrouds of their vessels, and appeared to take as much interest inthe trial as we did. 

"'Bout!" a second time exclaimed the pilot, and turning towards thehelmsman, made a rotary motion with his hand to bring the cutter rightround at once. 

"'Bout!" reiterated the helmsman, and lashed the tiller close up underthe weather quarter bulwarks. With equal adroitness, as at first, thesails were let go and drawn aft, and our gallant vessel appeared not tofeel the resistance of the rapid tide. The wind, although foul as anywind could be, blew steadily as any wind could blow, and the Iris, underits favour, reluctantly though it seemed given, was in another and thirdtack again in still water. The Dutch and Norwegian crews could notresist expressing their admiration; and flourishing their caps overtheir heads while standing in their rigging, they gave us three roundsof lusty cheers. The soaring, sombre mountains took up the echoes, andreturned not cheer for cheer, but bellowed a ten-fold multiplication ofhuzzas. 

Since we had taken leave, we had seen no vessel to remind us of England;and although, wherever we went, the natives would tell us some of ourcountrymen were in the immediate neighbourhood, we never had the goodfortune to fall in with them. We had received no tidings, good or bad, from home; and Europe, as far as we knew, might be in revolutionaryconfusion: at Bergen, however, we hoped that letters were awaiting ourarrival. 

Saturday the 17th of July, at midnight, we brought up off Bergen. It wastoo late to pay much attention to any object; and after a careless viewof the town from deck, I went to bed. 

The position of Bergen is similar to that of most of the other Norwegiantowns I had seen, girt on three sides with lofty, rocky mountains; andon the fourth side by the blue waters of the Fiord. I looked on Bergenwith the liveliest interest, because its name was familiar to me when achild, and I used to lisp the word before I could walk steadily; for inthose young days of waywardness my old schoolmistress, whose peaked noseand malicious heart are still a vivid truth, would threaten to give meto the fishermen at Bergen who, she said, would take and toss me intothe Maelstrom. With an eagerness akin to that of a schoolboy atChristmas, gazing on the green curtain of a theatre, the moment it isrising to disclose its wondrous entertainments, did I, travellingheadlong in memory from childhood to manhood and stumbling over a batchof ancient feelings, stand looking, with strained eyes, on thewhite-washed, quaint-fashioned Bergen, balancing the vicissitudes oflife and conjecturing what the chances might be, I should not, by someagency as unaccountable as that which had brought me hither, be lookingin three months' time on the Golden shore of the Bight of Biaffir. 

South-east of Bergen, twenty miles from the deck on which I stand, blazing with dazzling splendour in the mid-day sun, the glaciers ofFolgefonde fall upon my sight; and raising its summit six thousand feetto heaven, the stupendous range of mountain with its field of ice, fortymiles in length and twenty in breadth, braves with eternal snow thetropic fury of this northern noon. 

Surrounded as Bergen is by mountains of solid rock which, at a littledistance, appear completely black, some of the buildings painted green, and others white, with their uniform roofs of red tiles, have a verysingular effect. The houses reared, with much order, on piles near thewater, are also neatly constructed of wood; and their bright coloursare not permitted to become tarnished by exposure to the weather, butmay contend with Holland in cleanliness and the freshness of theirpaint. This first favourable glance from the deck of the yacht was notaltered when I had found myself in the streets. The inhabitants seemed alively, talkative set, and accustomed to mix with foreigners, for theypaid less attention to us than their countrymen and women in the othertowns we had visited. 

The most important export trade of Bergen consists of timber and saltfish, which are sent to the Mediterranean and Holland. The stencharising from the fish, which is packed in great heaps on the easternquay of the harbour, is insuperable; and I leave the reader'simagination to reach that height of misery when an unfortunatesight-seeker and traveller like myself, loses his way, at broiling noon, in the vicinity of this market, the thermometer being at 90°, and theling fish at perfection. How the old fishwomen, the natural guardians ofthis northern frankincense, chatter and squabble! With their bluepetticoats tucked up above their knees, how they pick off the straypieces of raw haddock, or cod, and, with creaking jaws, chew them; andwhile they ruminate, bask their own flabby carcasses in the sun! Withthe dried tail of a herring sticking out of their saffron-coloured, shrivelled chops, Lord! how they gaped when I passed by, hurriedly, likea scared cat!

Being pressed for time, as I have hinted before, we did not waste muchat Bergen for the present, promising ourselves a longer sojourn when wereturned from the Sogne Fiord, for thither were we bound. The primaryobject that sent us up the Sogne Fiord was, certainly, a little moresalmon-fishing; but rein-deer stalking had taken a tender hold ofR----'s game side. At Leerdal, a town at the farthest extremity of theSogne Fiord, and nearly one hundred miles to the north of Bergen, my twofriends had heard flowed a wonderful salmon river; and they relied withconfidence on the great chances of brilliant success since the streamwas so far removed from the path of common travellers. To the northward, too, of Leerdal was Auron, a spot held in repute for the herds ofrein-deer that frequent the mountains there; and failing in salmon, mycompanions might fall to venison. Replenishing, therefore, our exhaustedprovisions, we secured on Monday evening the services of two pilots; andon Tuesday morning, the 20th, we set sail for Leerdal. The whole of thatday was calm; and being on a cruise of much novelty and anticipatedsport, this lukewarmness of the wind touched our patience very severely. On any other occasion we should not have observed its indifference; butnow we fretted, and expressed our annoyance in clamorous and bitterterms. Towards evening the cutter drifted among a fleet offishing-boats; and it was no little entertainment to see the rapiditywith which the fishermen drew net after net, and the shoals of fish theycaught. Flocks of gulls hovered over the boats, and screamed; andsometimes darted down, and bore away the fish in their beaks. Wepurchased some very large fish, which were not cod, but very like them;and satisfied with their great likeness to that favourite fish, we atethem with greediness; but the heads being of an abominable bull-dogshape, the cook was ordered to decapitate, before committing them to thepot. 

On Wednesday morning we entered the Sogne Fiord. It would be tedious todwell on the magnificence, beauty, and silence of this Fiord; because itwould only become a repetition of what I have already attempted todescribe as native to the other Fiords. There can be no softer, and moresoul-stirring scenery in the world than its small, rare, green valleys, and barren mountains. 

This evening, towards sunset, the cutter being becalmed, I went ashorein one of the boats with two men, in search of milk; and making the boatfast to a piece of rock, we walked to the top of a neighbouring hill tolook for some signs of a human habitation; but only the waters of theFiord could be seen at our feet, and the yacht, with a cloud of whitecanvass, floating on its still surface. No sound, --not a bird's note, nor the cry of animals, fell on the listening ear; save, occasionally, the loud roar and splash of the rocks as they were loosened from themountains' sides, and rolled down into the water. Wandering about forsome time, struck with the sublime, solemn aspect of the mountains andtheir level summits of endless snow, we found a goat tied with a stringto a stake; and taking that as a token of the near abode of humanbeings, we strove to find some track through the long grass that mightlead us to a cottage. One of the sailors climbed up a tree, and veeringhis body about in all quarters, like a bear on the top of a pole, camedown again, and said, that he saw smoke curling upwards from the middleof a fir forest to the south-east. I had a small pocket-compass, and tothe south-east, therefore, we went; and after stumbling over fallenrocks, and pulling each other up and down a variety of ravines, differing in depth and ruggedness, we succeeded in arriving at lastbefore a very neat and comfortable cottage. An old woman, clean in dressand comely in her person, came to the door, having, on either side ofher, two youths evidently her sons, for their features bore a strongresemblance to her own; and between the lad on her right hand, and thedame's black gown, a large dog, mongrel in his breed, thrust hisinquisitive nose. Out of the four windows, which I attributed to thebed-rooms, the heads of four girls popped. Three half-naked savages, orthe Graces, could not have caused more excitement in the streets ofLondon, than we did to the amiable inmates of this lonely cottage; for Ido not suppose there was another house, or hovel, within twenty miles. King, who had come with us, endeavoured to explain the object of ourvisit by a request, made in the Norwegian language, for milk, and byholding up the empty jug; but the old woman shook her head, and glancingat the two lads, they shook their heads, and the four girls above shooktheir heads too, but with the quick perception of drollery common totheir sex, --they laughed. King made a step or two nearer to the cottagedoor to explain himself more distinctly; but the old lady retrograded inthe same proportion as King advanced, her two sons following herexample, and, likewise, the dog growling most gutturally. 

"They don't understand you, " I said to King. 

"Oh! yes, Sir, they do, " he replied; "but they can't make us out, andare afraid. "

"The girls ain't afraid, your Honour, " observed the good-humouredcockswain, who was the other sailor, beside King, with me, and had beencoquetting already with the four lasses. We beckoned to them to comedown, and one immediately withdrew her head, and the next moment peepedover the old woman's shoulder. She seemed inclined to speak with us, but the old hag would not permit such conduct: and the more earnestlyKing notified our pacific errand, the more belligerent the ancientmother thought it. 

We were obliged to return without the milk; but I am sure, if the eldestgirl had been allowed to use her own discretion, she would have suppliedour wants; for when we had gone some distance from the cottage, I lookedback and saw her standing at the door; and kissing my hand to her, shereturned the salute readily. 

I thought the old woman inhospitable, to say nothing of inhuman; foramong these solitary mountains we might have lost our way, for aught sheknew, and our wants exceeded a pint of milk. This is not, however, thegeneral character of the Norwegians, for they are tender-hearted, kind, and generous to strangers; but fear had superseded the sympathy of theold lady's expansive heart; and had men of riper years than her sonsbeen present, we should not have met with so much inattention to ournecessities. Even the girl, young though she was, desired to administerto our need; but sweetness of manner, simplicity, tenderness, and noblegenerosity are unchanging types of the youthful female character inevery quarter of the earth. 

When I got on board again, R---- and P---- were amusing themselves byfiring, one by one, at all the empty soda-water bottles that thesteward could find. The bottles were slung to an oar which was stuckupright in the taffrail aft; and placing themselves close to thewindlass, my two associates secured a range of some forty or fifty feetalong the deck. Now and then a grampus would divert their attention; andevery time the fish rose, a bullet was lodged, or attempted to belodged, in his huge dorsal fin. In this way the greater portion of thetime was passed, altered only by rowing about in the gig, and seekingfor wild ducks among the crevices of the rocks. But the farther wesailed into the interior of the Fiord, the more bereft of animal andvegetable life the country appeared to become; the scream of the eagle, and the report of the rocks as they split asunder and bounded down themountains, being the only sounds that varied the silent monotony. Sometimes the swivels were fired for the sake of listening to theechoes, which, by their prolonged reverberations, repaid us well for thelard we consumed in greasing the muzzles; a salute of nineteen or twentyguns, fired at intervals of fifteen or seventeen seconds, creating themost astonishing uproar; and what with the shrill screams of the eagles, the consternation of wild geese, and the falling of the rocks caused bythe violent motion of the atmosphere, the powder and tow were profitablyexpended by the novel entertainment they produced. This amusement, Imust intimate, was a favourite one with all on board, not omitting evenJacko; and whenever the yacht became land-locked, I could always hearthe distinguishing order, "Load the swivels!"

If it were not for the wild grandeur of the scenery, the sail amongthese Fiords would be most tedious, unchanging, as they are, byindications of human abode. 

On Friday morning, at twelve, we arrived at Leerdal; and consideredourselves most fortunate in taking only four days to drift from Bergen;for beyond the eddying air that breathed down the valleys, no otheragency had propelled the vessel nearly one hundred miles. 

Here we met a young Englishman who had travelled, for pleasure, overland from Christiania; and although he could not speak two Norwegianwords, had contrived, by some unaccountable method, to supply all hiswants without difficulty. He was on his way to Bergen; and giving himall the information he begged of us, we parted company, exchangingmutual desires to meet again. Finding this place most desolate, we leftit, and the cutter was got under weigh the next morning, Saturday, forAuron, a small town not many leagues farther up the Sogne Fiord, andreceiving from both our pilots the reputation of greater liveliness andimportance. Early the following morning we came within sight of Auron, and went ashore before the anchor was dropped. 

Auron, like all the Norwegian villages that are found, at rareintervals, among the Fiords, is situated in a valley that rises gentlyfrom the shore of the Fiord, and hastens in a steep ascent till itaspires, south, east, and west, into high mountains, and inaccessiblecliffs. This hamlet of Auron was the most pleasantly situated of anythat we had seen; and the romantic beauty of the scenery was not moreperfect than the unanimity that seemed to animate the whole village. Theyellow ears of corn had invited men, women, children, and dogs to gatherthem for winter store; and dispersed over a large field that slopedalong the valley to a considerable height up the mountains, thisuniversal family, inclusive of the dogs, was at its work. The arrival, however, of three Englishmen with a retinue of some fifteen Englishtars, strange-looking fellows! at their backs, was a circumstance notlikely to pass off in silence, or without due attention; and theintelligence sounded by the tongues of several ragged urchins, frolicking on the beach of the Fiord, was communicated to a lazy curthat set up a continuous howl, and his noisy throat spread the news tothe diligent folk among the corn. In a short time we were naturallyhemmed about by a throng of both sexes, human and canine, curious tolearn the reason of our coming to Auron. The gestures of these peoplewere so energetic, and their voices so low, that, had I not known bothby history and my own observation, the Norwegians were not cannibals, Ishould assuredly have been led away by the idea they were devising somescheme to murder and eat us. Their behaviour, though respectful, appeared so suspicious, that I was not at first without fear; but beingthe slightest made and thinnest of the three, and my two friends beingruddy and plump, I consoled myself by knowing that their previousimmolation would be timely warning enough for me to make good my escape. While these useful reflections were putting me on my guard, a little, spare, grey-eyed, high-cheekboned, long-headed man, forced his waythrough the crowd, and tottering into the central space occupied byourselves, took off his felt hat, and making a profound obeisanceremained, with extreme courtesy, uncovered; but said nothing. 

King was ordered to ask the man what the nature of his visit was, and totell him the object of ours. A few curt questions and answers made usunderstand, that he was the very person of all that lived in Auron whoseacquaintance we most desired. The little man was lord of five hundredrein-deer, and sole proprietor of the salmon river of which we had comeso far in search. The intelligent eyes of the Norwegian sparkled withsatisfaction, when he replaced his hat on his head, and shook handsheartily with us all. The multitude who had given attentive ear to thedialogue between King and their countryman, appeared pleased with theimmediate familiarity that sprung up between the Norwegian andourselves, and showed their cordial acquiescence by shaking us also bythe hand. Hurrying through the villagers our new friend led us withtriumphant strides and a vivacious air towards his cottage, and callingforth his wife, bade her salute us, which she did with that modest andsimple demeanour common to her countrywomen. Gratified that he had sofar conduced, as he imagined, to our comfort, the Norwegian would insiston our entering his house; and conducting us, by a steep and narrowstair, to an upper room, the windows of which overlooked a small gardenfilled with currant bushes, brought us, in due lapse of time, everydainty that his larder or the thriftiness of his wife could give. Although we were not hungry, we were too sensible of a hospitable man'sfeelings to give offence by saying we had just breakfasted, butattacking the different mountain delicacies, such as dried venison, andbroiled capercaillie, we actually devoured all that had been placedbefore us, and did not decline a succession of native cheeses. Theselatter dainties were, however, rather too much perfumed and animated forme, and I left their entire consumption to the more fashionable taste ofmy companions. After this slight repast, we then told our host, definitively, the plans we wished to carry out by wending our way toAuron; and that he would confer the greatest favour on us if he couldsecure us a day's sport on the mountains. Our host replied, that he washimself a proprietor of several hundred rein-deer; but his consent thatwe should disturb the peacefulness of the whole herd, by firing at adeer belonging to him, was not alone to be obtained. He informed us, that the rein-deer were the original cattle of the country; and theprimitive usages adopted with regard to these animals by the oldinhabitants of Norway were still persisted in by their descendants. 

"On the tops of these mountains, " he said in Norwegian, and, I amafraid, I translate his beautiful language but indifferently, "manyhundred rein-deer are wandering; and though a great many belong to me, Icannot give you leave to shoot one of them, without the consent of thoseby whom the remaining deer are owned; for all the deer herd together, and they are only known to belong to different persons by the marksmade, at birth, on their skin. Mine have two slits on the right ear. These distinguishing marks, which separate my deer from those claimed bythe neighbouring farmers, are so slight, that, they could not beascertained at a distance; and in taking aim with your rifles, you mightmiss my deer and destroy the property of another man. You must be soplaced, that, you may kill, indifferently, any deer that comes withinshot; and for that purpose I must seek the assent of my friends. If, however, you will go to the mountains with me to-day, you shall see theherds, and to-morrow I will send round to my friends; to-day it ishopeless to think of communicating with my neighbours, for they live sofar;--the night would come before my task was finished. "

We hesitated for some time whether we should undergo the fatigue oftravelling over such declivitous mountains without any palpable reward. 

"You hesitate, " the Norwegian observed, smiling; "but you will not besorry when you stand up there. "

And he pointed to the high peaks of the mountains that soared half-wayup to the clear, blue firmament. 

"Let us not go unarmed, " he continued, "for there are wolves and bears;and the nightly destruction of our flocks gives us need of men who lovethe chase like you. I, myself, will bear you company. Come, let us go. "

The intimation that bears and wolves congregated on the level landsabove was quite sufficient to decide our wavering mood; and ordering thecrew to return with the gig to the yacht, and bring our rifles, we wiledaway the intermediate time by sitting at a window that opened upon thewaters of the Fiord, and afforded us a splendid view of the limitlessrange of mountains on the opposite shore, called the Reenfjeld. 

The morning was sometimes bright and clear, and sometimes the sky wasdimmed by large, dark, solid masses of clouds. It was very beautiful tosee the mountains glittering with their white summits in the strongsunlight, while their bases were blackened with a shower of rain. Theseshowers were partial, and all things around so still, that we could hearthe rain drops pattering among the leaves of the trees that grew on thesides of the mountains two miles from the spot where we sat rejoicing inthe warmth and cheerfulness of a summer's sun. 

At eleven o'clock the boat returned with rifles, and powder enough toblow up the village of Auron. Our host, who had disappeared for somelittle time, now came back decked out like a chamois-hunter. His hat hadbeen exchanged for a red cap that fitted exactly to his skull, and avelvet jacket buttoned up to his throat, defined a tolerable expanse ofchest. Across his back, from the right shoulder towards the left heel, his trusty gun was slung, muzzle downwards. A leathern belt wententirely round his waist, and pressing a brace of horse-pistols and awonderfully large knife to his left hip-bone, was clasped in front withan embossed silver buckle. A red handkerchief, spotted white, hung by aknowing loop from the right arm, contained provender and a flask ofliquor for the inward man. This last piece of accoutrement had theevident impress of a woman's clear-sightedness; for while our friendfortified the outward walls of his person with guns, pistols, andknives, his wife, knowing how useless all these preparations werewithout suitable attention to the repletion of the cisterns and storesof the citadel, had suggested, with affectionate devotion no doubt, thistrifling bundle as being necessary to the conquest of present labour andfuture danger. The very knot bore the combined neatness and strength offemale ingenuity, and its complication looked endless as conjugal love. 

The Norwegian, our three selves, and King, formed the whole party. Ourascent of the mountain, I need scarcely say, put the sinews of ourthighs to a severe test; and the higher we mounted, the more frequentwere the expressions of fatigue. When we had clambered a quarter of theway, we came suddenly upon two sheds built of wood, and appropriated tothe use of a little girl and half a hundred pigs. I do not know whetherthe swine squeaked their surprise more at seeing us, than the cheerlesschild looked it. King, who had been ailing occasionally for some days, now fell to the rear, and said, that, he was incompetent to proceed anyfarther, and the permission to descend, which he solicited, was granted. 

All larger vegetation now began gradually to disappear, and though I hadhardly marked the trees dwindling from the cherry to the filbert, andthen to long tufts of grass, the bare rocks strewed over an endlesstract of gravel made me stop and look about. When I cast my eyes above, the mountains still towered half a mile higher, and gazing downwards Icould see the different kinds of trees and shrubs changing in size andcolour of their foliage, as the space between me and the low landsincreased. I do not remember that I had ever exceeded in elevation thepoint to which I had now risen; and perhaps the appearance of thevalleys, the water, and habitations of men might have been more novelthan to persons who are accustomed to crawl to the tops of mountains. Imust confess I remained perfectly lost in thought for some minutes; nordid I ever feel, or could imagine so distinctly, how the stupendous andneglected works of creation are blended with the truest beauty; for, seen from the very mountains on which I stood, so rough, so barren, sobleak, the same rugged, straggling rocks, scattered over the oppositemountain, seemed soft as velvet and more delicate than the finishedlines of a miniature. 

Beneath the dark, blue surface of the Fiord I could discover shoals androcks for which the mariner had sought in vain, and for many miles alongthe shore the shelving land showed, with a faint yellow tinge, thedistance it stretched under the water that was otherwise of a deep azureshade. When from the deeply-dyed cerulean water, the valley with itsdifferent green colours of tree and grass, and the red tints of theatmosphere that rested round the sides of the remoter mountains, Ilifted my eyes to the fields of snow that extended, to an incalculableextent, over the flat summit of the Reenfjeld, the contrast was soforcible, that while I gazed my very soul seemed to bound with delightit had discovered Sublimity was something material, and not an idealtorture. 

"Hollo! Bill, keep moving, " was shouted in a loud voice from some rocksabove my head, and seriously interfered with any further contemplation. 

"Here's a fox, " continued the same voice, sustaining its sharp, resonanttone; "come, and smell him!"

Though fond of giving reins to the imagination, I am as matter of factas most people when necessity requires it; nor do I yield to any man theestimation at which I hold the odorous Reynard. Tucking my feet wellinto the shingly mountain side, and bringing the point of equilibrium, as nearly as possible, to an angle of twenty-five degrees, I scrambledtowards R----, and P----, and the Norwegian. They were all three ontheir knees peering into a hole that Reynard had intended should beround; but having forgotten, or never heard of Euclid, had dug itfrightfully oblong. It must have hurt his back to go in and out. Weshouted, and rummaged the premises very disgracefully, and if Reynardwere at home, I need not state the opinion I entertain of his courage;for apathetic as I am, no one, not Goliath himself, should haveransacked my house with the impunity we poked long sticks, and threwacute-sided stones into the recesses of the Fox's residence. I venturedto assure my companions that Reynard was abroad, and accepting my hint, they partially jammed up the mouth of the cave with the fragments of anold hat, and rising from their knees, left Reynard to find out who hadmeddled with his lodging. 

I have heard say, that mariners, returning home from India, may smell, for many leagues off the Island of Madagascar, the sweet odour ofcountless spices; but I must do this fox the fairness to state, that ifhe were exiled to the Island of Madagascar, those latitudes would soonexcite in the minds of all keen-scented sailors the idea of aninteresting expedition to discover the variation of smell. 

Passing that portion of the mountain where the hardiest plants hadceased to grow, we arrived at those high regions abounding with therein-deer moss, and struggling with the severity of the cold temperaturethe wild strawberry put forth its small, red fruit. The rein-deer mossbeing purely white, like hoar frost, the scarlet colour of thestrawberry mingling thickly with it, conveyed pleasure to the eye, and afeeling of delicacy to the mind. Our path did not become less irksomenow we had left the gravel behind, for the moss yielded with itssoftness so much to the feet, that it sometimes covered our ankles; butpanting with desire to ascend the supreme brow of the mountain, fatiguesuccumbed to the resuscitation of spiritual vigour. 

Standing on a solitary patch of snow that spread over the highest pointof the mountain we found ourselves on a level plain with the lofty chainof the Reenfjeld, separated from us by a gulf of fifteen miles, at thebottom of which flowed the Sogne Fiord diminished in its wide expanse toa river, and darkened to the sable dye of ebony by the intersectingshadows of numerous mountains. The general character of the Norwegianmountains being perfectly flat on the top, the distance seen where westood was very great; and the table-land assumed more solemn grandeur, free as it almost was from glaciers, since, with livelier relief, thepeaks that cleaved the air shone brilliantly with their snowy hoods; andover an infinite extent of country, diversifying no other verdure withthat of the tawny moss, these peaks, rising numberlessly, one over theother, seemed like conical loaves of white sugar placed on an enormoussheet of brown paper. 

Taking up a handful of snow, we jestingly alluded to the occupation ofour cockney friends at the same moment, and saw them, in fancy, trickedout with the Gallic finery of kid gloves and nankeen trowsers, strutting through the crowded thoroughfares of Regent Street, or amblingin Rotten Row. 

"Yes, by George!" observed R----, who had been silently scraping thesnow together, and levelling it with his foot again, "I remember thetime when, about this hour of the day, and season of the year, thensomewhat younger than I am now, I used to look at men who talked ofanything else but balls, operas, and Hyde Park, as so many marvels ofimbecility; but now their good sense and just estimation of life oppressme with the recollection of that lost portion of my own youth passed inall the puppyism of fashion. "

"Ay, " I replied, "there is one consolation in growing old, we grow wiserin our wickedness. "

"Well, and if men are, de naturâ, depraved, " continued R----, "andpossess virtue and vice only in proportional masses to the size of thebrain and body, they can surely exhibit a pound or two of wisdom toeighteen stone of folly; and if they must be asinine, may cover theiractions with a little good sense. "

"They may, truly, " I said; "but remember your head has not grown aparticle larger since the Spring of 1844, nor your body less; but hadthe same idea of Ethics been then presented to you, you would certainlynot have seen its lucidity. "

R---- was about to retort, and I do not know how much longer we shouldhave endangered the moral existence of the young dandies at home, hadnot P----, already at a distance from us, called out with the impatienceof a huntsman, "Are you fellows coming on to-day?"

In a few seconds we overtook P---- and the Norwegian, and they proposedthat we should descend till we came to a valley, which the Norwegianpointed out at a considerable way beneath us, and there it was thoughtwe should find a herd of deer. Remaining stationary while we spoke, aspace of fifty miles, partly mountain, and partly valley, lay above andbelow us, and glancing the eye from end to end of this immense tract, not a hut of any kind could be seen; but, faintly, the tinkling of bellsattached to the necks of sheep, or cattle, could be heard, and that onlywhen the feeble puffs of wind blew from a certain direction. We wanderedfor many miles over the desolate mountains, and found no signs by whichwe might be guided to the animals that we sought. Hour after hourelapsed, and the day began to wane; but no tracks, not even the print oftheir hooves on the muddy banks of the small lakes that aboundedeverywhere, pointed the path the deer had taken. We reached, at last, towards sunset, a valley that, virent by the multitude and variety ofits trees, changed the dreary similarity pervading all things; and a fewsheep, that bleated loudly when they saw us, led us to hope we had comeagain within the line of animal existence. The Norwegian, our guide, however, said that no one lived in this valley, but in an adjoiningvale, he thought, some cowherds dwelt. 

"What are all these sheep here for?" I asked. 

"They are driven here, " the man replied, "for food; since in the lowerlands the grass is parched by heat. "

"Who takes care of them, then?" again I asked. 

"No one, " answered the guide. "They will remain among these mountainsall the summer; and when the winter returns, they will be taken home, and folded at Auron. "

While the Norwegian was still addressing these sentences to me, we hadcrossed the rivulet that gurgled through the valley, and commenced ourascending zigzag way. The skins and bones of sheep destroyed by thewolves that infest these mountains were scattered on every hand, and thefoot-marks of these furious brutes and bears were plainlydistinguishable on those parts of the soil moistened by the snow-water, and not covered with moss. Our flagging spirits were roused when weremembered that it might so chance we fell in with one of these animals;but our guide did not add encouragement to our ardour, and told us howthe improbability of encountering wolves was strong, since they neverleft their hiding-places in the forests until night. 

"At any rate, " he said, "we shall, a long while hear, before we see, them; for they howl like devils. I assure you, you may be bold beforethey arrive; but I have known many a courageous man grow timid when hehas heard the moaning, melancholy signal of their approach. Besides, Isuppose you know, wolves never go forth to feed singly; but issue, prepared for mischief, from the caverns and glens in herds of fourteenor twenty. "

"Yes, " observed either R---- or P----, "but we are a fair match fortwenty wolves. "

"I am not so sure of that, " answered the Norwegian, smiling with greatgood humour. "Wolves in this country are not afraid of a man. No, sir, they will attack two, or three men, and will overcome them. Many a onehas come to these mountains, and never left them again. "

This is the kind of news that brave men like to hear; and as thecountenances of R---- and P---- did not blanch, but rather beamed withgratification, as a ray of light will flash through divided dark clouds, I am quite at liberty to state that they are gallant fellows; and Icould almost say it would take a great many more wolves than theNorwegian nation can count to intimidate either of them. But since Ihave not yet commenced the historical physiology of their courageoushearts, I will not mar what I am arranging, methodically, in my head, by slight allusions, or apologues that are ill wrought. The Norwegian, by making these fearful intimations, had, doubtless, some object inview; and sharing with a dutiful spouse the blessings of domestic life, desired not to risk the protection of Heaven in a conflict withpredacious animals. But this is mere supposition; for the Norwegianpeople are valiant in soul, as they are indefatigable in body, warm andfriendly of heart; yet I may conjecture; for our guide either spokefervently, having his own interest in sight, or felt deeply for ourpreservation, which, he fancied, we would throw away with mad boldnessshould an opportunity occur. On this occasion there was no visibledistinction between selfishness and philanthropy, or a disinterestedwill to fight, or run with us. 

On the top of the hill we rested, and looked down on the other valleywhere we hoped to find some cottages; for, whatever the Norwegian mighthave done to recruit his strength, we had neither eaten nor drank sincewe left Auron. The hill on which we stopped was without vegetation ofany sort, except moss; but trees in great abundance grew in the valley;and one small hut, partially concealed by three pines, showed its dunroof of fir branches lying quietly below, like a dove in its nest; andhard by the door, down in the centre of the valley enlivened andrefreshed as the meadows we had left behind, ran a brook that foamedand sought its difficult way with noisy tongue. Thirsty and hungry wewandered on towards the hut; but when we came near to it, we found noother living animals but pigs and sheep likely to hold communion withus. Our guide, conversant with the customs of his country, thought thatthe cottagers might be slumbering, and tapped loudly with his fist andthe butt of his pistol; but no answer was returned. On the ground, nearthe sill, had fallen an instrument, similar in outward form to theclassic Cornucopiæ, about five feet in length, and which appeared to becut from some tree and made hollow by the pith being scooped out. TheNorwegian taking it from the ground and applying the smaller end to hismouth, blew in it, and produced a blast that rang through the valleyfrom one extremity to the other, and rattled among the rocks of themountains. He bade us be still and listen; and the faint, distant, long-sustained cry of a human voice gave a responsive halloo; and hereand there, from the farthest recesses of the fir forests, the lowing ofcattle could be perceived indistinctly. All was soon again as silent asthe scene was solitary. To our inquiries for what purpose this curioustrumpet was intended, the Norwegian made reply:----

"This is an instrument used by shepherds to call their flocks together;and I have only to persist in blowing it to collect all the cows, thatgraze in these mountains, about me. Did you not hear the cattle thisminute? The wolves also, and bears, and other predatory animals, do notlike its note; and when they hear it, will crouch to the ground and hidethemselves. "

Issuing from the firs that formed a forest at the lower part of thevalley, two girls hurried towards us; and running and walking by turns, they made haste to the cottage near which we stood. 

"Who lives here?" I said, pointing to the miserable building. 

"Those two girls, " answered the Norwegian. 

"Alone?" I asked. 

"Yes, alone, " replied the guide; "but they will go away when the wintercomes, for then the cattle are removed. It is only the months of summerthat they pass up here, to take care of these pigs, and sheep, andcows. "

"Only the months of summer, " I thought; but by this time the two girlshad reached the cottage; and I could not help regarding them with somelittle interest. The eldest was not more than eighteen, the youngestfour years less; and they possessed the simplicity and shyness of mannersuch children of the mountain might be supposed naturally to imbibe fromthe mode of life they led, and the desolation which surrounded them. They wore no covering to the feet or head, and their arms and shoulderswere equally bare; and though naturally of a very fair complexion, theirfaces had, by constant exposure to the sun, been tanned; but, lo! whenthey smiled, their coral lips, curved like the bow that shot the arrowthrough the heart of Psyche, parted to show a row of teeth as smooth andpure as the snows of Siggen. 

The pigs, that were lately digging up the soil by hundreds, trottedtowards these girls yet breathing heavily from the speed with which theyhad run, and looking up in their faces, grunted and squeaked without anyapparent cause; and some of these swine told their wants, or affection, with such painful shrillness, that it was almost impossible to makeourselves heard. 

Opening the cottage door with a wooden key, the eldest girl led us intoa small room appropriated as a dairy, in which were eight or ten largebasins of wood filled with milk, in the various gradations ofdecomposition from its natural sweet state to that of acidity, until ittook the solidity of cream cheese. I do not know that the Norwegianshave any precise system of making cheese by churning; but from what Isaw, and I am now only speaking of the poorer peasantry, I believe thatthe milk, from the moment that it is drawn from the cow is placed inthese deal basins, whence the cream is skimmed and committed to aseparate bowl, where it remains till it becomes sour, and after restingundisturbed for a few days, thickens to a vile firm substance, thenatives call cheese. The Norwegians do not drink fresh milk, but use it, even for household purposes, when quite sour; and plentiful as milk was, we found much difficulty in procuring any, the most trifling quantity, fit for our English tastes. We were so fortunate as to find one basinthat contained some fresh milk, of which we drank plentifully; but ourguide swallowed quart after quart of all the acid stuff he could smellout; for he would not taste before he had applied his nose to eachbasin. 

There were only two apartments in this cottage, and both without floors, or windows. In one corner of the dairy, which was not eight feet square, a few planks of fir formed a bedstead over which were tumbled one or twotorn and dirty blankets. Three large stones, arranged angularly on thedank earth, answered the purpose of a grate, for half burned sticks andcinders were scattered about; and immediately over head, a large hole inthe roof admitted the rain and cold wind, while it might, and wasintended to let out the smoke. Poverty and discomfort seemed to wrestlewith each other which should torment these two girls the most. And yetthey looked glad and contented, and said they were so, and laughedheartily at our discomposure when we went from pan to pan, and foundthe milk sour, or half hardened to a jelly. They could hardly bepersuaded to receive any compensation for the milk we and the Norwegianhad consumed; and both of these girls shook hands with us, and thankedus continually in grateful idioms for sixteen skillings, a sum of moneyworth five pence sterling. They answered to the solicitous questions ofour guide, that a herd of three hundred rein-deer had passed through thevalley two days before, and believed they had gone towards a large laketen miles to the eastward. 

The sun had now set, and no place of rest could be found among thesemountains, unless we chose to risk the danger of sleeping in the openair under some tree. It was, therefore, necessary to delay as little aspossible, and we took leave of the two peasant girls. They came forwardwith the most unaffected simplicity, and shaking us again by the hand, wished us a pleasant journey. It seemed almost heartless to leave twogirls, so young and unprotected, in such a wilderness, many miles fromany human dwelling, surrounded everywhere by wolves and bears; and thesmile of perfect contentment and cheerful resignation to the dreary lotattributed to them, made me feel the more sensibly for their isolatedcondition. But it is the condition allotted to women by the usages ofNorway; and while the young men remain in the low lands to cultivatethe soil and gather the corn, the females are banished to the mountainsto tend the flocks. Sometimes, among the most distant and unfrequentedmountains, a hut, like this, may be met with, inhabited by a singlegirl; and holding no communication with her fellow creatures she dragson the bright time of summer in the profoundest solitude, quiteregardless, apparently, of the bereavement of all social intercourse, orof the horrible death that may overtake her by the hunger and ferocityof wild beasts. 

We now travelled with more briskness, not only lured by the chance ofcoming up with the herd of rein-deer, but pursued by the moss-grownphantom of a mountain couch. An endless forest of firs lay on our righthand, and the nearer we approached it, the more clearly we could hearthe howl of wolves; and whenever we reached an elevated mound of groundwe thought to see a troop of them galloping forth to their nightlydepredations. Mountainous ridge after ridge we climbed, but along thewide expanse our eyes could alight on no lake; and only through a chasm, far away between two mountains, the lead-coloured water of the SogneFiord momentarily deceived the sight. The guide kept his place in frontand led the way, bounding from valley to mountain-top like a spirit ofIndian rubber; and unwearied in his tongue as he seemed in body, hecontinued shouting, cheerily, in a strange, drawling chant, "Salt, h-o-o-o! salt, h-o-o-o! salt, h-o-o-o!"

"Salt" in the Norwegian language signifies salt, as it does in ours; butthe vowel has a soft pronunciation. The rein-deer are very fond of salt, and the wildest of them will follow a person, who holds some salt in hishand, for miles together. To put salt on a bird's tail, and catch it, may be an English piece of jocularity; but the Norwegian would bepuzzled to think why we should attach a joke to such an act; and toprove to an Englishman the inaptitude of the proverb, the Norseman willgo forth with his handful of salt, and take, not his covey of sparrows, for his country has none; but a fine fat buck. 

As the evening advanced, the light wind, that had made the heat of theday tolerable, now lulled; but mute as the long blades of grass were, the breath of night, when it moved the hair gently from our brows tocool our faces, whispered in our ears the warning sound of the tramp andunceasing howl of a hundred wolves. Regardless of all danger, be it faror near, the Norwegian still claimed the van, and dipped his hand withfrequency in the little bag of salt that dangled at his girdle, chantingas he went, "Salt, h-o-o-o! salt, h-o-o-o! salt, h-o-o-o!"

The deer came not; though the lonely hills took up the words, and passedthem from vale to vale. 

"We shall never reach home to-night, " said R---- to me, as we toiled upthe side of the hill overgrown with moss. 

"I am afraid not, " I answered; "and for my own comfort I don't care. Ifwe made a fire we could sleep as safely up here as on board. However, let's consult when we get to the top. "

"Yes; it takes the whole of one's breath, " observed R----, "to scrambleover this moss. "

Mounted to the top, we were not inclined to curtail our jaunt; for wesaw a pool of water, one of the objects of our search, spread beneathus; and, what is an uncommon sight at 3000 feet above the level of thesea, its banks were covered with rushes. Opponent to us, on the extremeside, or eastern corner of this pool, the even surface of the mountainrose into a hill which, being higher than the ground where we stood, obstructed our view. The rein-deer had frequently resorted to this waterto drink, for the mud of its diminutive shore was everywhere indentedwith their hooves. The Norwegian examined these marks with muchminuteness; and when he had satisfied himself that they were thehoof-prints of the rein-deer, and not of the smaller cows of thecountry, he thrust his hand into the salt-bag that was still suspendedfrom his left side, like a good-sized rook's nest, and vociferated, "Salt, h-o-o-o! salt, h-o-o-o! salt! salt!"

The monotony of his song was kept up for a quarter of an hour withoutany variation either in the tones of his voice, or arrangement of thewords; but, occasionally, when he looked on the ground, and was remindedof the cloven marks in the slough, his voice would swell to thepassionate bellow of a war-whoop. His manner reminded me strongly of abull, that by some mischance has lost the common herd; and as he gallopsalong the meadows, when he finds himself alone, will stop suddenly attimes, and, placing his broad nostrils to the earth, sniff the grasswith the absorption of a huge pump; then lifting his head loftily in theair, will lash his tail, and madly tossing his legs, roar till thecountry round is filled with the sounds of his anger. 

"Well, Sir, " said the Norwegian, addressing me, "if we do not find thedeer near this water, I fear we shall find none to-day. It is late; andthey are gone to shelter in the forests for the night. "

The last four words had not yet fallen from his lips, when a doe, followed by her fawn, stood on the brow of the hill directly opposite tous; and halting for a moment, moved her head up and down, scenting theair. No sooner did the guide perceive the animal, than he tugged thesalt-bag from his belt, and, holding it in his left hand, extended it atarm's length before him, creeping down the hillock on which we hadclustered, exclaiming, "Kommit; salt, h-o-o-o! salt, h-o-o-o! kommit, kommit. "

The deer seemed perfectly to understand his meaning, for she shook herantlers and small tufted tail, and trotted down the other hill towardsthe Norwegian. Our guide still kept moving forward by stealthy steps, while the animal quickened its motion from a trot to a canter, andarriving within a yard of the proffered salt-bag, made a dead stop. TheNorwegian had volunteered the promise, that if the deer turned out to behis own, and he could lay hands on her, we should accept her as a gift. 

"Kommit, " said the Norwegian, in tones of gentler blandness;"salt!--salt, h-o-o-o! kommit, kommit. "

But the doe was not so easily to be entrapped; for she stretched out herlong neck as far as it would go, and then, just as her nose was so nearto the salt that its savour made her dart out her tongue and lick herslimy nostrils, she plunged backwards as if a cannon had exploded, andscampered half-way up the hill to her fawn. The Norwegian turned hishead and smiled with us, but would not yet despair of success. 

"Kommit, " still, with onward step, he said, "kommit; salt, h-o-o-o!salt!--kommit, kommit. "

The doe appeared as desirous of tasting the salt, as the Norwegian wasto give it; for she fixed her large eyes on the little moving man as hestumbled and tottered over the uneven heath, and watching his gradualapproach, threw up her head, and stamped her foot. 

I and my two companions were aware, that the Norwegian intended, ifpracticable, to seize the deer by the horns, and by that means secureher; but we saw more clearly than he did, that, if any attempt of thekind was made on the doe, she would not only tumble our little frienddown the steep side of the mountain, but, no doubt, being with the fawn, gore him. If he is fool enough, we thought, not to know any better, having passed all his life among deer, and claiming, moreover, apatrimony of five hundred head, surely it was needless to interrupt byour surmises his preconcerted plans. For my own part, and I willattribute the same anticipations to R---- and P----, I promised myselfmore laughter than wounds from the engagement of the Norwegian with thedeer; but I knew there was some risk, yet rejoiced in my own heart atthe sum of pleasure that might be cast up in my favour, making nodeduction for the Norwegian. 

The deer remained perfectly still until the Norwegian could almost havetouched her overcome with the insatiable craving to taste the salt; butif he dared, however slily, to move the other hand that held no salt, she bounded several yards from him. 

"Kommit; salt, h-o-o-o! kommit, --kommit; salt, h-o-o-o! salt, h-o-o-o!"the Norwegian continued half singing, and half importuning the deer tocome to him. His importunities and cantata might have lasted for anotherweek, but we observed, that the doe was, by insensible degrees, allowing, like a human creature, her appetite to get the better of hermind, or instinct; and when she took, at last a trifling lap of thesalt, the Norwegian, with much dexterity, seized her with his right handby one of the antlers. The deer, feeling herself thus assaulted, shot, like a thunder-bolt, backwards, dragging the Norwegian with her; andthough, by the weight of her antagonist's strength, her nose was almostforced between her fore-legs, she shook her head violently, and making adesperate lunge, struck her countryman somewhere about the silver buckleof his belt, or, pugilistically speaking "in the wind, " with herforehead, and threw him, gun, pistols, provender, salt-bag, and all, towards a ravine formed by the rain, into which, rolling over and over, he fell heavily, like a sack of oats. So soon as the deer had butted, and the Norwegian was overturned on his back, the gun went off, andinstantly blew his red cap some height into the air, and we made up ourminds it must be full, as it was before, of our guide's skull, and thathe had now gone to that bourn from which no hunter, like no traveller, could ever return. We ran to his assistance. The gun by some contortionof the Norwegian's body, was twisted upside down, and instead of themuzzle being pointed downwards, had been elevated, point blank, towardshis head. The poor Norwegian, breathing with great labour, closed eyes, and opened mouth, lay on his back, like a log in a mill-pond; but wewere glad to find that his mouth, tongue, and all his teeth remainedperfect; and it was some inducement to us to raise the body with thehope, that he was not yet beyond the need of medical, if of our skill. The closed eyes of the Norwegian opened, and the opened mouth closed, when he felt us touch him, and sitting upright, showed all the externalsymptoms of having been stunned, for he rubbed his eyes, and pressed hishand to his brow, then clasped his temples, and with a continuousmovement bowed his head, the crown of which we saw was unmutilated. After a time, he looked up at us, and seemed surprised to find himselfseated in the gulley; for starting immediately, without any aid, to hisfeet, he laughed idiotically as some men will laugh when awakened from anap, and setting in order his dress, and singed hair, bore no othersigns of injury beyond a scratch on the left cheek, and the loss of hisscarlet woollen cap. The Norwegian, however, has to thank Heaven for anarrow escape, since the whole charge of his gun struck the tassel ofhis cap, and changed that memento of spousal devotion into its originalnonentity. 

The readjustment of the Norwegian's lungs did not detain us long; andbinding his spotted handkerchief round his head to guard against rheum, or catarrh, he led us by a track almost invisible down the mountain. Since the fray we had seen nothing of the deer, and gave no furtherthought of her, or any of her genus; but made the best of our way, bythe waning light, to a village at the foot of the mountain, whence wehoped to find some conveyance home. The Norwegian, trustful to the last, did not yield all chance of capturing the deer for us; and actuated bythe feeling of generosity steadfast to his nation, recommenced his song. Although the first hour of morning had subtracted from that of midnightthe light was sufficient to guide our steps aright, but not enough tomislead the wolves; for their howling, and its eternal repercussionamong the mountains and over the forests, brought the most melancholyfancies to the mind, which the undecided hue of the atmosphere, neitherthat of brilliant day nor the black majesty of profound night, and thelow moan of the wind through the fir trees, that sounded like the feebleexpression of bodily pain, or contrition of a dying creature, made toooppressively sad to admit any thoughts of rational meditation which thesolemnity of the time and place might have encouraged. The gloomyshadows of the fir forest, through which we had to pass, caused us tolook around with greater caution than we had hitherto done; and ourguide failed not to keep our vigilance alive by exclaiming at theregular terminations of a few minutes;

"Varg, varg. "

"Varg, " means a wolf. The rustling of the leaves, or the rolling of astone as one of us might strike it accidentally with the foot, would setthe trigger of each gun clicking, and send from mouth to mouth thesignal of----

"Listen!--h-u-u-u-sh!"

Since we had left the more open part of the mountain, we had not feltentirely at ease; for the incessant tramp of some wild animal was toodistinct at times to attribute the sound to imagination; and we pursuedour way with a feeling of uncertainty as to the manner and moment wemight be attacked. We all concluded, that some wolf had got in ourtrack, and was following at such a distance as to keep himself out ofour sight; but not so far to prevent him from pouncing on us just whenhis opportunity offered. Though we were not wolves, we completelyunderstood the intentions of the animal, and exercised that attribute ofcraft which is as abundant in the organization of man, as of the brute. We had now reached the very heart of the forest; and the shades of lightwere so uncertain, that the fallen trunks of the firs and pine wereoften mistaken for bears, or any other kind of ferocious beast that wehad ever heard was of the colour of the bark, or common to Norway. Themeasured tramp in our rear became louder and nearer, the deeper weadvanced into the forest; and every moment seemed to be the one in whichthe conflict was to commence. 

"Let us stop and see, " said the Norwegian, in his own language, "if hewill come up to us. "

We stood still; and turning the locks of our guns downwards, tappedthem, to replace the powder that might have receded from the nipples. Wecould not afford to give our enemy the benefit of one gun hanging fire. 

"Keep still, " said P----, in a low voice, as he stooped down and glancedthrough the firs; "here he comes!--but, --no;--it's no wolf. "

"Ja, " replied the Norwegian, who had asked me what P---- said;"ja!--varg;" and he placed himself in an attitude to fire at theshortest possible notice. 

"It's no wolf, I tell you, " answered P----, rather louder than he hadspoken at first; "it's too big--why, damn it!" and he again stoopeddown, moving his body from side to side, as he looked between the pinesthat obstructed his view; and placing his left hand over his eyes, usedit as a kind of shade, --"surely--yes;--I'm sure--it's a jackass!"

"Is it?" said R----; "well, then, let's shoot him as a nuisance. "

"Nej, nej, " exclaimed the Norwegian, with much trepidation, laying holdof R----'s fowling-piece, that he had jokingly raised to his shoulderpreparatory to its discharge. 

The animal, whatever it was, still continued trotting towards us, winding its way by the circuitous track of the forest. P---- kneeleddown to have a more exact range both for his gun and sight; butspringing to his feet almost instantly, he exclaimed, ----

"I'll be shot, if it isn't the old doe again!"

Panting from fatigue, and the unflagging speed with which she hadtravelled, the deer, with her fawn, came close to us, and tamed byweariness, stood within a foot of the Norwegian. 

"Kommit, " he said; "salt; kommit, kommit, " and filling his hand withsalt, the animal came near, and devoured it greedily, and allowed theNorwegian to pat her on the neck and shoulder. 

The extreme fondness of the rein-deer for salt cannot be betterexemplified; for this animal had followed us from her natural abode onthe top of the mountain to its base, and could not have performed alesser journey than twenty miles. She approached us with so muchconfidence, and licked our hands with that domestic affection which isso winning in dumb animals, that we declined to accept and take her fromher native haunts; but strove by every discordant noise and angrygesture to drive her back to the mountains. With the same care, however, that the deer had avoided us, she now sought our society, and did notleave us until we had reached the precincts of the village, and leapinga high, wooden fence that separated it from the forest, we gave her thealternative of doing as we did, or remaining where she was. With thedecorous conduct of her sex she made not the attempt; but during thehour we wandered about the sleeping village in search of some boatmen torow us back to Auron, we could hear her lowing piteously. We haddescended the eastern side of the mountain, and arrived on a southernbranch of the Sogne Fiord. 

Day now began to dawn; and though we had hardly eaten or drank since ourdeparture the previous morning from Auron, the freshness of the earlyair, the balm of mountain flowers, and the beautiful face of nature, afforded new vigour to our frames, and in feasting the mind we nourishedthe body. Wandering from cottage to cottage we knocked at the doors andwindows, hoping to rouse the slumbering people; but sleep sits morewillingly on the peasant's hard pillow than it will pace, withoutfretting, the softly-garnished chamber of indolent wealth, and not longfor morning to fly away. At last we succeeded completely by not onlyawakening the family of one cottage, but our vociferations alarmednearly half the village population. I do not recollect the name of thevillage, but the inhabitants bore the disturbance with great goodnature; and thrusting their heads out of their bed-room windows, thatlooked no bigger than port-holes, two or three men directed us to theabode of a fisherman who would soon put us in the way of hiring a pram. Finding the fisherman's hut, we soon thumped him out of his dreams, and, shouting uproariously from within, he desired to know who we were, andwhat we desired. The Norwegian, our guide, entered into a lengtheneddialogue through the door, and assured the fisherman of our good faithand bad plight, begging that he would rise, and help us with the meansof returning to Auron. 

Half an hour afterwards we were reclining on some branches of the firwith which the four boatmen, whose services the fisherman had secured, covered the seats and bottom of the pram, having learned from our guidethe distance we had travelled; and, spreading their coats over us, badeus rest. To soothe us to slumber, they sang, in union with the motion oftheir oars, a native boat-song, and its sweet and plaintive air, thoughit could not entice us to sleep soundly, pacified the wearied nerves, and we lay in a Paradise of dreaming sensibility. These four men wereeach six feet in stature, and their philanthropy and good nature were asbroad as their frames. They ceased not rowing for one moment, throughoutthe entire distance, to rest on their oars; and though the rain, fromtwo o'clock till four, fell in torrents, their spirits chafed not withits pelting violence; but they sang, and laughed, and jested with eachother as if the sun was shining cheerfully over their heads. We steppedon board the cutter at four o'clock, having been rowed eighteen miles inthree hours and a half. 

For all the countries which I have traversed Nature appears not to havedone so much to make them agreeable to man, as she has for Norway, andman so little to make his own soil suitable for himself as theNorwegian; nor have I, in either hemisphere, felt more trulyspiritualized by the grandeur of the scenery, the honest frankness andsimplicity of its people, as here. I have wandered over many parts ofthe earth; I have looked upon its lofty mountains shrouded in clouds, orcapped with snow; I have, loitering in its smiling valleys, seen itswaterfalls, and floated on its crystal torpid lakes, and rushing rivers;yet this old land of Norway yields not in all to them, but bears on herstern and rugged brow the soft impressions of a beneficent creationimpartially dispensed. Such reflections failed not, day by day, to forcethemselves upon me; for I knew, that every step I now took removed mefarther and farther from a country, whose mighty mountains had, withtheir solemnity, first taught me to think; and the integrity andsingle-mindedness of whose children showed how, though fostered in theflinty lap of poverty, happiness and heroic contentment were no fable. The peasants, whom we sometimes met in the interior of the country, where their livelihood must be earned with the hardest labour, and whosenecessity during the long and dismal months of winter must not be muchinferior to absolute want, ever seemed cheerful and ready, not only toshare their scanty fare with us, but to give us milk and butter, anddried fish, or other dainties which they may have hoarded for the comingtime of cold and darkness. Black bread of barley, or of rye, sour andunfit even for "Sailor, " formed their daily diet, and meat had neverbeen tasted by thousands; nor did we obtain any other animal food, except at Christiania and Bergen, and there but with difficulty, thanwhat we had brought from England; yet, under all their privations, thecontented and happy disposition of these people, added to theirindependent bearing and dauntless bravery, was a lesson as instructiveto luxurious selfishness, as it must be gratifying to the man whobelieves in the innate nobility of his race, and is proud of it. 

Our guide was determined that we should not quit the Sogne Fiord withoutsome token by which we might remember it; and sending a messenger to theother side of the Fiord, desired that a certain number of his tenants orfriends should go to the Reenfjeld, and bring as many rein-deer as theycould secure to the foot of a mountain, which he specified by name, onthe morrow. Early in the morning, therefore, the first man who mighthave been seen on the deck of the cutter, was our Norwegian guide; andhelping to heave the anchor, he pointed our course to the spot where therein-deer would be brought. About one o'clock in the afternoon, welay-to off a small village consisting of a few cottages, reposing at thebase of the mountain which the Norwegian had indicated as ourdestination. Here, as it had been everywhere else, the scene wassublime; stamped against the blue sky, glaciers were above our heads, and green fields at our feet; and thousands of cascades leaping down thebarren sides of the mountains which surrounded us north, east, and west, were not concealed from the eye by tree or shrub; but could be traced, inch by inch, from the flat summit of the mountains to the valleys thatsloped to the water on which the vessel swam. 

A girl with a basket of cherries came off to the yacht in a boat rowedby an old man, who watched her with solicitude and the most devotedaffection; and when arriving alongside, the young lady was requested tocome on board, and she complied readily with our entreaty, the despairthat shaded the countenance of the old man delineated the torture of hisheart. This peculiar appearance of the patriarchal face was not lostupon R----, who was as observant, as he is full of fun, and turning tome, he said, "Let's take her for a sail, and leave the old birdbehind. "

"Very well, " I answered; "shall I tell D----?"

The old man not being aware of the trick we were about to play, had notthought it necessary to make his pram fast to the cutter, but held on bythe starboard main-channel. The order was given to put the helm over, and let the foresail draw. The cutter soon began to gather way, andbefore the old man could imagine why, or whence the increase of tractioncame, the main-chain slipped through his fingers, and he fell quietlybut backwards in his pram. I am sorry to say our fair prisoner laughedas heartily as any one else at the comical attitude of the old man. Unlike the generality of people who have attained his years, the old manstill possessed much presence of mind; and the instant he could recoverhis equilibrium, he sat down and set to work vigorously with his oars. We kept shouting to him in bad Norwegian, to "pull away;" and runningthe cutter close up in the wind, allowed him to overtake us, and thentaking hold of a coil of rope, the sailors bade him to "stand by for theend, " but always took care when they did throw it, to make it fall shortof him. This went on for some time; so that by degrees we had enticedthe old man some two miles from the land, but discovering that we wereonly cajoling him, he turned the bow of his pram towards the shore, andwith a long face of misery rowed back. The young lady, in the mean time, had wheedled herself into the affections of the amorous tars, particularly of King, he being a linguist. Having sold her basket ofcherries she then seated herself on the deck, near the quarter bulwarks, enjoying the excursion and novelty of her situation, and laughingmerrily at the discomfiture of her old swain. We had now stood acrossthe Fiord, and sailed within half a mile of another village of someimportance, for a large church with a red wooden steeple soared abovethe houses, out of the windows of which a multitude of heads were thrustand turned towards the cutter. 

"The girl, my Lord, " said D---- coming up to R----, "wishes to go ashorehere--she lives here, my Lord. "

"Man the gig, " answered R----, smiling, "and send her off in it. "

"Very good, my Lord;" and away went D---- to give the order. The cutterlay to, and the gig was hauled up from the stern to the gangway. Fourmen sprung into her, and the cockswain took his seat aft; and received, beside the cushions for the seat and back-board, the empty basket of theNorwegian girl. The girl looked with much attention to all that wasgoing forward; but could not tell why her basket was handed into theboat; and being informed that the gig was waiting to take her home, shedid not dislike the honour about to be shewn her; but smiled andtittered with the instinctive gratification of her sex. 

"Tak, " she said, mindful of her manners, shaking R----, P----, and me, by the hand, "tak, tak;" and gathering her petticoats tight about herlegs, yet without any semblance of prudery, walked to the gangway, and, without aid, jumped into the boat. Seating herself on the scarletcushions, the cockswain receiving permission from her to go on, with allthe gravity due to a queen gave the word to his men, and away the gigshot, the girl kissing her hand all the time affectionately, and with nolack of elegance in the bowing inclination of her body in answer to ouracts of reciprocal adoration. I need scarcely say, that the girl hadnever touched her native shores with an appearance more imposing, norenjoyed herself so largely in so short a time; nor was her return to thevillage strand on any previous occasion, whether baptismal, or hymeneal, more numerously attended than on that day; for men, women, nakedchildren, and snarling dogs came to the water's side to greet her, without any reference to numerical force, or moral weakness. 

At three o'clock, with the assistance of our glasses, we discoveredsixteen Norwegians, and their invariable companions, as many dogs, leading and tormenting four rein-deer down the mountains; and for twohours, along the narrow road of descent, we watched the whole troopenlarging from the indistinctness of black-beetles to the symmetry andsize of men and animals. When they had reached the plain on which thesmall village was built, they shouted and beckoned to us; and althoughwe made all possible haste, they seemed to fancy their excited feelingssluggish, nor allowed us sufficient time to walk from one side of thedeck to the gangway without renewing their whoop. 

When we landed, the first object that drew our attention from everythingelse, was a buck, whose height and proportions quite astonished us. Thisanimal measured from the tail to the nose five feet two inches, and fromthe hoof of the fore leg to the top of his horns, when he held his headup, seven feet three inches, and his body was quite as large as that ofan ass. Although very much injured by the violence with which he hadbeen used during his long journey from the mountains, and which had beenrendered absolutely necessary by his ferocity and wildness, we weredesirous of bringing him alive to England; but being so mutilated, ourguide recommended us to have the buck slaughtered, and take a doe andher fawn on board. With great reluctance the death of the buck wasagreed to by R----, and this splendid animal was dragged to a fieldclose at hand. The strength and turbulence of the buck are beyonddescription; but I do not think I ever enjoyed any fiendish sight morethan this short struggle between him and his murderers over twenty yardsof ground. None but men, like the Norwegians, accustomed to these savageanimals, could have controlled the deer in any way; but notwithstandingall their caution, I saw the buck kick one man on the chest, and throwhim, exactly like a nine-pin, over and over, some few feet along thebeach. The manner by which the Norwegians had secured this powerfulanimal was so ingenious, that he could, by no means, do much mischief, except to those persons who, bolder than the rest, went near to caresshim; for three ropes were bound round the root of the horns, and beingfive or six feet in length, were held by three men who stood in the formof an angle, the head of the deer forming the base; or, in other words, one man stood on the left side of the buck, in a line with his leftshoulder; a second man stood on the right side opposite to the rightshoulder, while the third man took his station in front; and the threemen were careful that the rope in the custody of each of them should bekept tight, since the peril of its being slack must be as obvious as itscontrariety of tension; for whenever the animal made a plunge, as hesometimes did, towards the man on his right side, the Norwegian on theleft could immediately check the career of the maddened deer by "holdingon his end, " as sailors say; the man in front at the same time givinghis protection, and being protected in his turn. 

The facility with which this buck was led seemed surprising; for theanimal had not only his natural ferocity to offer against the skill ofhis antagonists, but he possessed strength and all the madness born ofthe human sounds to which he had been unaccustomed, --the loud ribaldry, and laughter of men and women, the whistle, and shrill cries of boys andfrighted infants. Submitting to my ignorance, I must say that I hadnever seen any large animal killed, and did not know how the operationwas performed; and with a feeling of the most horrible infatuation Igathered in the small group round the animal to learn the stratagemsobserved to surround his legs with looped ropes which, being drawnquickly, slipped into knots and tripped him up. When the proud deer fellto the ground, a man drawing a knife from his pocket, and unclasping it, thrust the blade up to the hilt into the skull between the horns. Icould not have conceived anything deprived of life so suddenly; and wereit not for the blood that flowed in warm and copious streams from themouth and nostrils, the animal appeared to have been dead a week. Another buck was killed, and made a present by R---- to his crew. Thedoe and the fawn were with great difficulty put on board; and so muchtime was expended in the construction of a pen for them, that we did notsail until ten o'clock in the evening. The doe received a few bruises inhoisting her over the side of the vessel, and one of the sprouting hornsof the fawn was broken, which we endeavoured by splints to restore; butinflammation appeared to succeed so rapidly, that P----, who wasprincipal chirurgeon, was obliged to amputate it with his razor close tothe head of the animal. This beautiful little creature is still alive, and may be seen in the Zoological Gardens in the Regent's Park, to whichSociety both animals were presented by R---- on their safe arrival inEngland. 

Every available corner of the yacht was filled with moss, for theNorwegians told us we should find some difficulty in urging the doe toeat any other food; but the fawn might be accustomed to corn or oats. What the Norwegians then said was certified afterwards; for when withinsight of the English coast, the moss had all been consumed, and the deerpined for its loss, eating nothing else in its lieu but bread andbiscuit; but the fawn demolished the leaf of the filbert, corn, and hay, which had been collected in large quantities the last hour before weleft Bergen. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

 THE SICK SAILOR--THE STORM--THE LEE-SHORE--"BREAKERS A-HEAD"--THE YACHT IN DISTRESS--WEATHERING THE STORM --RETURN TO BERGEN--THE PHYSICIAN--THE WHIRLPOOL--THE WATER-SPOUT--HOMEWARD BOUND--SCARBOROUGH--YARMOUTH ROADS--ERITH--GREENWICH HOSPITAL--CONCLUSION. 

Whatever might have been my refinement of feeling, I was not deterredfrom eating venison for a week afterwards, day by day, and assenting toits delicious flavour, which, for the satisfaction of the son ofEpicurus who may read these lines, I would state, tasted very stronglyof the moss on which the animal had fed, and comprehended every charmingidea he can form of the term "gamey. "

All was hilarity on board; and though the evening wind in passing onlykissed gently the lazy canvass, nothing occurred to mar the serenity ofevery face and heart until the afternoon of the day following that onwhich we sailed from the village. The sailors had been partaking ofvenison as well as ourselves; but there were not those sounds ofjoviality incidental to festive occasions, and the silence in theforecastle attracted our notice. "Talk of the Devil, " my ancientcountrywomen say, "and you will be sure to see him;" but though we hadnot spoken of his majesty, we certainly alluded to the crew; andwhether D----, their representative, bears any affinity to that mightypotentate, I have never heard; yet certain it is, the said D----, with acountenance of ill omen, came into the cabin, and regretting that heshould disturb us at such a time, observed, "I am afraid, my Lord, King is very bad. He eats nothing, and complainsa good deal. "

"Of what does he complain?" asked R----. 

"Of a dull pain in his stomach, my Lord, " replied D----, "and acontinual desire to retch. "

"Oh! it's only a little attack of bile, " observed R----; "I will soonput him to rights. "

Rising from his chair, he went to seek his small medicine-chest withwhich returning, he placed it on the dinner-table. A few grains ofcalomel were weighed; and due directions being given when the physicshould be taken, R---- prepared a black dose for the morrow, andcommitted that also to the custody of D----. 

"I tell you what it is, " said R----, after he had resumed his seat, "those cherries were too sour, and King, in making love to that girl, eat nearly the basket-ful; but if men will be fools, they must stand thebrunt of their folly. "

"Very true, my Lord, " assented D----; "but I think King more ill thanhe looks, or says that he is; for he is fond of a drop, my Lord, likemost of us, and that predilection tells when it comes. "

"With this still weather, " observed R----, "I suppose we cannot hope toreach Bergen for the next week. "

"There is a slight tide, my Lord, the pilot says sets out the Fiord, "D---- made reply; "and if so, the cutter would hardly take so long todrift the distance. "

"It is nearly one hundred miles?" said R----, interrogatively. 

"Nearly, my Lord, " answered D----; "but I think the wind is edging roundto the west. Let us see, my Lord;" and D---- turned round, and began toexamine the barometer hanging up behind him, as well as a symparometer. 

"It is very odd, my Lord, " he continued, after a pause, "but thebarometer is very low, and this symparometer as high as it can well be. "

We rose to look at the glasses, and found them as D---- had stated; butit was not the first time we had observed this variation between thebarometer and symparometer. 

"That barometer must be out of order, " said R----. 

"I never saw this before, my Lord, " answered D----, "and it would bedifficult to say which is right, or which is wrong; but you may depend, my Lord, something is brewing. "

We tapped the barometer, and coaxed the symparometer; but all to nopurpose, and they both doggedly retained their relative indications oneto the other. D---- had hitherto been guided entirely by thesymparometer, for it was a very delicate and beautiful instrument, andnever failed in foretelling a shower of rain, or squall of wind. It isremarkable, that when we got to the north of 60 degrees, thesymparometer acted directly opposite to that plan for which it wasintended; and instead of the declension of the oil being indicative ofbad weather, and its ascension prognostic of fair weather, a directcontradiction to the movement of the barometer was the result. Let thosewho understand the matter account for the fact. The coldness of theclimate could have had no influence, for the temperature differed notfrom that of England; and when we were cruising in the latitude of theNaze, this symparometer was most sensitive and correct in its action. 

Perplexed by the position of the two glasses we went on deck, and castour eyes to the clear blue firmament, and rested them, ungratified, onthe sharply-marked summits of the mountains. It was now about half-pastten o'clock, the evening being unusually calm, and its breath sweet withthe smell of flowers, and aroma of the juniper and fir. The sky waswithout a stain, except in the west, and there clouds of a dark crimsontinge clustered, motionlessly, about twenty degrees above the horizon, and extending from the S. W. To the N. W. , looked like a narrow zone ofred-hot iron; but their splendid colour was lessened by being seenthrough blacker vapours, that thrown, as a veil of crape, over them, intercepted our vision. 

As the cutter drifted close in to the shore, a great number of filberttrees were pointed out to us by our pilot; and since the fawn had shown, the day before, such partiality for the leaves, I rowed the jolly-boatto land, and commenced plucking as much as the boat would carry. Busywith my task, I paid no attention to the yacht; but still took it forgranted, that she lay becalmed. A gun fired; and looking up, I saw thecutter on a port tack, standing across the Fiord; and I knew enoughabout sailing to understand, that if I did not make haste, I should beunable to overtake her when she reached over, on the other tack, to me. Stowing as many branches of the filbert at the bottom of the boat as itwould hold, I pulled to the yacht; but before I got alongside, the windthat had freshened, lulled again calmly as ever. The clouds, nevertheless, to which I have drawn attention, began almostimperceptibly to move, and the darker ones, breaking into small massesas they floated towards the zenith, dilated and assumed all kinds ofshapes. 

After administering the calomel to King, D---- returned in an hour. 

"My Lord, " he said, "King is worse. With his hands clasped on hisstomach, he sits writhing with anguish. Listen, my Lord--hear, how hegroans!"

R---- spoke not in answer; but walking to the fore-hatch, descended intothe forecastle, and we followed. 

"Where is your principal pain?" asked R----. 

"Here, --my Lord, --here, " and without altering his position, King pressedhis right hand closer to the pit of his stomach. 

"Do you fancy a little brandy?--do you think it will relieve you?"observed R----. 

"No, --my Lord, " he replied in a faint voice. 

"Keep heart, my man, " said R----, placing his hand kindly on King'sshoulder. "He ought to go to bed, " he then observed to us; and givinginstructions to the steward, ordered the large berth occupied by P----, should be prepared. P---- had made the proposal of vacating his cabin;and in a quarter of an hour, King was put to bed. Striving by everymeans in his power to alleviate the pain an honest and faithful servantwas suffering, R---- suggested and tried a variety of remedies, both byexternal and internal applications; but in vain. The virulence of thedisease, whatever it was, increased, and its painful intensity exceedingall endurance, King, with every contortion of body, groaned aloud. 

An hour had passed, and the confusion on deck appeared to grow greaterthe nearer midnight came. The wind had been rising gradually anddeterminedly since we first left the deck, and now had arrived at theforce and recklessness of a strong breeze. Rare, but great drops of rainstruck the deck like lumps of molten lead, and flashes of lightning, yetwithout the sound of thunder, brought intelligence of an advancingstorm. From mouth to mouth ran the order of, "All hands on deck!" and the shuffling feet of men moving up the forehatch intimated the promptitude with which the command was treated. R---- and P---- had already returned to the deck; but I remained belowdoing what little offices I could to assuage the anguish of King; and heseemed to desire my presence for no other service than to give himwater; for during the paroxysms of his complaint, he ceased not saying, "Water! Sir; water!" and would snatch the glass from me, and drink withavidity. 

I crept on deck to see our situation and that of the vessel. Thickclouds, black and rolling one over the other in their headlong flight, overcast the sky, and the stars no longer shone in the firmament. Themountains that had been so distinctly defined when I looked on them twohours before, seemed now shapeless mounds of earth swelling towardsHeaven, and adding to the obscurity of night; and when the lightninggleamed in broad sheets, their great forms hanging over us, had, fromthe motion of the vessel, the appearance of falling on us. Every instantthe strength of the wind became mightier, the thunder roared louder, andbefore the echo had made response from the nearest mountain-top, thelightning leaped downward from the zenith into the valleys, and darted, while it hissed, from tree to tree. The sea began to rise, and thecutter, that had hitherto lain so placidly on the smooth water, heaved, and her larger spars creaked to the growing scud. 

We had now opened the North Sea, and the pilots were desirous of gettingunder an island that lay about two miles from the mouth of the Fiord, before the gale reached its utmost fury; for by doing so, the vesselwould then be perfectly secure in the quiet waters of another Fiord thatflowed thence to the walls of Bergen. In the effort to accomplish this, the vessel was exposed to the whole drift of the Northern Ocean; and thewind having settled down to S. W. By W. , blew directly in our faces, andplaced a fearful shore on our lee. Having looked around me, as well asthe pitchy darkness would allow, and ascertaining from the King's Pilot, as he was called, a seaman as courageous as he was skilful, thedangerous bearing of the land, and the object he desired to gain, I tookmy leave of the deck, and made more room for those who could beserviceable in the governance of the vessel. A deafening peal of thundershook down a second deluge, and driven to seek shelter, R---- and P----came to the cabin immediately after me. 

Taking each a seat on the sofas, we spoke not; and no sounds but theloud words of command, the noise of men running to and fro over head, and the cries of King, interfered with the sovereignty of the thunder, and whistling of the impetuous wind. 

Dripping with rain, and out of breath, anxious care sitting on hiswhitened lips to watch and thwart each word he would speak withfirmness, D---- hastened down the main companion and addressed himselfto R----. 

"My Lord, " he said, "the pilots begin to differ: one prays the other toput back, who persists in beating to windward. The gale increases, andthe land is not two miles from our lee. What had better be done, myLord?"

"It is impossible for me to interpose my authority. The safety of thevessel is in the hands of the two pilots; and what they say must beobeyed, " replied R----. 

"But, my Lord, they are at variance, " said D----, impressively. "I donot know the coast, and cannot judge for myself which one is in theright. "

R---- made no answer, but, calling for a glazed coat and cap, went, accompanied by P----, on deck. Knowing that on all such occasions asthe present, the less crowded the decks are, the more effectually allorders can be carried out, I lay down on the sofa, and noted all thatwas going forward. Worn in nerve and wearied by the distracting uproarof the elements, and flapping sails, I fell at last into a pleasant moodof thought, and, lost to everything around me, did not perceive thatKing, by some means or the other, had risen from his berth and was inthe cabin, until I heard him groan. Kneeling on the floor, and with hisface buried on the sofa opposite to the one on which I was reclining, the poor fellow had placed one of the pillows on the side of the sofa, and was pressing his stomach against it. 

"Why, King!" I exclaimed, starting from my lethargy, "What has broughtyou here? You should not have left your bed;" but he did not appear tounderstand, or hear me. Knowing that he had taken calomel, I took ablanket and threw it over him lest he should catch cold, for the windpassed in draughts through the cabin, as it would rush through a funnel. He looked up, and said, "Oh! Sir--is it you? Do I disturb you, Sir?"

"No, " I replied, "it only disturbs me to see you so ill. "

"Thank you, Sir, thank you, " he said, and strove to smile; but hiscomplaint, which appeared to attack him with great anguish at intervalsof a few minutes, altered the expression of his countenance, and withthe most horrible distortions, he shrieked like a maniac. When the painabated he was alive to everything; and hearing the thunder, the fury ofthe wind and rain, he observed to me, "What a night, Sir! If I don't die one way, I shall another. "

"Don't despond, " I answered as cheerfully as I could, "and you will dieneither way. "

At this moment R---- and P---- tumbling down the staircase as softly asthe pitching and rolling of the cutter permitted, inquired how Kingfelt. I told them what I really thought, that the man was dying of someinternal disease of which we were not aware. 

"The pilots, " said R----, out of King's hearing, "wish now to run backinto the Fiord; but if King is not rallying, I think we had better goon. We _may_ get through it somehow. "

"I am willing, " I replied, "to do anything you propose; but I am sure ifwe be not at Bergen to-morrow, King will be dead. "

"I agree with you, " answered P----. 

"Very well, then, " said R----, "as far as we three are concerned, it's abargain. "

"It is, " we both replied. 

"I will now hear what the men say, " R---- continued, smiling with hiswonted lively air, "for I can't drown them all without giving them alittle time to pipe to prayers. "

Approaching King, he observed, as light-heartedly as the occasion wouldgive cause, "Keep up your courage, King; we shall be at Bergen to-morrow morning bydaylight. "

"Shall we, my Lord? Thank God!" said the poor fellow solemnly. "But, myLord, " he went on saying, with a forced smile, "though I am sick, I am asailor. I know this channel well, my Lord--it is narrow, full ofblinders, and, --"

"Never mind the blinders, " replied R----, with gaiety; "if yourmessmates will thrash through them, I will. "

"God bless you! my Lord--thank you;" and the sick man took R----'s hand, and clasped it firmly as the weakness of his condition granted. 

Hurrying to the deck, R---- ascertained the feeling of his crew, for Iheard above the loudness of the storm, D---- call to the men, "What will you do, my sons? Will you go on, or put back? There is dangera-head; but if we run back, King must die. Which will you do? my Lordgives you the choice, since your souls are at stake. Will you risk yourlives to save your messmate; or put the helm up, and throw him overboardat daylight?"

As with one voice, they all shouted, "We will go on. "

I heard the acclamation, and did not think King was well enough to payattention to the observations of D----, or the reply of the sailors; buthe must have also heard the shout for he said to me, "What is that they say, Sir?"

"Only, " I replied, "that the men are determined to brave the gale, andmean to beat round under the lee of the island into the Bergen Fiord. "

"It is very good of my Lord, " said King in a low voice. "If I live, Iwill never forget my Lord's goodness. "

I thought I saw him lift his hand to his face and brush away a tear; butI had persuaded him to lie down on the sofa, and the table, swinging upand down as the vessel pitched and rolled in the trough of the sea, obstructed sometimes my view completely. I rose to trim the dull lampthat burned on the table; and seeing that the blanket had fallen to thefloor I approached King to spread it over him again. Poor fellow! he layon his back with his mouth wide open, gasping for breath, and his sunkenclosed lids, his ruddy complexion and round face changed to the yellowhue and emaciation of sickness, made me think that he was dying; and Iplaced my hand on his wrist. At my cold touch he opened his eyes, andgroaned. Just then the vessel gave a very heavy lurch, and its violenceforced the door that communicated with the pantry back upon its hinges. Scarcely had this accident come to pass, than Jacko, whom I had notseen for some days, taking advantage of it, ran into the main cabin and, with the curious chirp of the ring-tail monkey, jumped on the restlesstable. Perceiving with the quickness of a man, that all was not right, the little animal looked into my face for inquiry, and then scratchedhis side, not from any particular reason, but from habit; and walking onall fours to the edge of the table nearest to me, stopped, and lookedagain as if to probe my humour, and leaped gently on my arm. I was stillstanding over King. The monkey peered first at me, and then gaped atKing, wondering why he should be so inert, when activity was soparamount; and putting his head on one side, chirped, and appeared to bedeliberating about something. Stretching out his neck to have a closerview, he satisfied himself that he was not in error, but knew the facebefore him, however much illness might have changed it; and being asingular favorite of King, the affectionate creature seemed tounderstand the miserable condition of his kind friend, and descendingwith the aid of his tail, which he twisted round my arm, he steppedsoftly on King's chest. The sick man again opened his heavy eyes, andseeing what had disturbed him, raised his hand, and feebly stroked themonkey's glossy back. As long as I live I shall not forget theexpressive despair and love of that little creature. With a low, piteouschirp, it wormed its small, round head under King's chin, and foldedits left arm as far round his throat as it would go. 

"Jacko, " said the sailor, so faintly that I could just distinguish thewords he uttered, "I shall--die. Yes!--I must!--yes, --Jacko. "

The monkey moved not; but continued chirping, fondling closer to King'sneck, and doubling up his body almost into a ball. 

"Oh! Lord!--Sir, " exclaimed King suddenly--"here it comes! O! O! O!" andthe convulsion of his limbs and features testified his anguish. Suchexpressions of dreadful pain at any other time would have frightenedJacko out of his wits; but now he merely stood upright on his hind legswith his diminutive hands placed on King's cheek, and glancing from thetortured countenance and form of the stricken seaman to my face, expressed his deep concern by the most melancholy chirrups. 

Midnight had come and gone, and the hurricane continued unabated. Thewind blowing with terrific violence caused all commands to be giventhrough a speaking-trumpet; and the waves broke over the labouringvessel in such frequent volumes, that they jeopardized the lives of themen, who, in the excitement and execution of their duty, neglected dueprecaution. I have crossed the Atlantic thrice from one hemisphere tothe other, and in a deeply-laden merchant-vessel experienced the angerof a south-west gale; but my consolation then was to know, that thesluggish ship had ample sea-room. Now, however, the case was reversed;and with a storm concentrating the fury of ten others, our little barkhad no breadth of berth to lay to, or length to run in, but wascompelled to accept the alternative of beating against the tremendousswell of the North Sea that appeared to crowd all its power andvehemence into the mouth of the Fiord, or be shattered to atoms on theperpendicular rocks of the mountains, against which the waves dashedwith a roar not less appalling than that of thunder. The intensity ofdarkness was complete as that of a wall; for standing a foot abaft themast, we could not see the bowsprit end; and one man had no other orderto fulfil but to wait for the flashes of lightning, and mark theposition of the land. I cannot remember any sight either that I haveseen, or fable that I have read, which gave me a more terrible idea ofdeath than this night; for not only did the elements struggle with eachother to drive us to despair, but the groans and shrieks of afellow-creature, as he was being borne on the wings of disease to hisgrave, cut off the small ray of cheerfulness that might have crept intoour hearts while standing shoulder to shoulder in contention with thetempest. 

A cry of desperation flew from end to end of the deck, as a vivid gleamof lightning sped by us, and a tearing noise, like that of a tree whosetrunk, nearly severed by the axe, is rent in two by the weight of itsbranches, and falls to the ground. I thought the mast was struck andshivered by the lightning. 

"We are lost!" several voices cried; "the mainsail is split!"

King had fallen into unconsciousness, produced either by the acutenessof the nerves being nullified by the assaults of disease, or incidentalto that kind of stupor which death casts like a shadow along its path. Disliking to die like a rat in my hole, I went on deck; and a brightflash of lightning showed the mainsail ripped from the second reefearing up to the peak. Though the waves rushed by the vessel with thevelocity of the fleetest steeds, and demolished everything thatobstructed their career, our craft appeared to defy their fury, andsprung from billow, to billow with the playful airiness of a cork. 

"We are lost!" said P----, collectedly, in a low voice, as soon as myhead was visible above the companion. 

"No, " I replied; "'a live dog is worth a dead lion. ' I shall be drownedwhen I am three fathoms under water, --not before. "

My companions, I think, attached more heartlessness to my carelessmanner, and, perhaps, quotation, than I intended; for they made noanswer. 

"My Lord, " said D----, hurrying up to R----, "we must cut away theboom!"

"Let it go, " answered R----, briefly, and with calmness. 

The cutter was luffed up, and above the roar of the sea, as it lashedand leaped over the bows, D---- shouted, "Now, my sons, down with the main! and stand by to cut it away. "

"Ay, ay, Sir, " the men replied, and arranged themselves almost in aninstant in their proper places, just as if they moved by mechanism; andnot a human voice was heard as the different ropes were let go, and thehuge mainsail, flapping furiously, descended towards the deck. Thecutter did not seem to feel the immense weight of the canvass, increasedas it was by the rain; but danced about as buoyantly as ever. In a fewminutes vanished all idea of sending the mainsail adrift, and everythought was turned to the trysail. Five times the attempt was made toset it; but the furious blasts of wind, now freighted with hail, dissipated the strength of our crew with the same facility as the breathof a man would level a palace of cards. During these repeated efforts toget the trysail up, which necessarily occupied much time, the cutter haddrifted some way to leeward; and, at last, the man keeping watch on thebow, exclaimed, "Breakers! Sir, breakers!"

A dozen of us vociferated at the same moment, "Where?"

"There they are!" shouted the man; "close on the lee-beam!"

Through the thickness of night the waves were discernible like a heap ofsnow, white with foam, and, as if wantoning with each other, jumpinginto the air, not fifty fathoms from the yacht. Sailors are brave men;but when a continuity of danger pursues them, they are apt to despair, not from any want of physical or moral ability, but from that morbidimpotence which develops itself in their superstitious fancies. Thepilots had not given up the hope of vanquishing the storm, and D----, who knew the disposition of his countrymen, did not yet dread theirvacillation; but we did. Nothing seemed possible to save us, but theinterposition of Heaven; for the storm-jib and reefed foresail were theonly sails on the cutter, and they were barely sufficient, in such asea, to give her steerage way. Every wave that struck the yacht hurledher near and nearer to the breakers; but the courage of the mencontinued indomitable, and promptly, with the most cheerful expressions, they performed any, the most perilous task allotted to them. 

"Ware her, pilot!" D---- called out to the principal pilot. The twopilots taking up the hint, consulted for an instant, and then that oneto whom D---- had spoken, said, "Ware ship. "

The beautiful little vessel obeyed her helm as willingly as if she wereon a lake; and D---- could not help observing to me, his eyes beamingwith the devotion of a sailor for his ship, "It's a shame, Sir, to doubt she would ever perform her duty. "

Scarcely had the words fallen from his lips, or the cutter wore round, when the man, who had first seen the breakers, shouted a second time, like the flying herald of Doomsday, "There's a vessel going to run us down!"

Every soul ran to the weather side and sought with starting eyes theobject of anticipated destruction. By the gleams of light a nativevessel, with a sole square-sail set, was imperfectly seen bearing downon our weather bow; and although the wind and sea combined with thedarkness to render our annihilation seemingly inevitable, the crew ofthe approaching bark sang, in a long, slow measure, two or threeNorwegian words, and their constant, drawling repetition becamedistincter as the vessel, like an ice-berg, tore through the frothingsurge towards us. There stirred not a sound on board our cutter, exceptthe unceasing exhortation, spoken almost sepulchrally, of the pilotstanding near to the helmsman, "Stea--dy!--stea--dy!"

Both pilots appeared to have understood the signification of the chant, for they altered not the course of the cutter, but kept their eyesfixed, as well as the night admitted, on the huge white sail of thespectral vessel; and would make no other reply to our questions, but, "They see us, they see us. "

Like the spirit of the storm, the vast sail glided through the black airabove our top-mast, for it was so dark we could not distinguish the hull;and there was something of mystery and impressive awe, amid the howlingtempest, the roar of thunder, and the flash of lightning, in this slow, chanting recitation, uttered by a number of voices that seemed toproceed from the dense obscurity. 

It was a vessel from Bergen bound up the Sogne Fiord for timber; and thecrew having seen us buffeted, in such a shattered condition, by thegale, and perceiving by the rig of the cutter, that she was a foreigner, humanely bore down to us; and the mystical song of the sailors was asignal to follow them, which being sung slowly and with unfailingrepetition, outlasted the blasts of wind, and gave us the opportunity ofcatching the words as the two vessels rose on the crests of the waves. Our pilots refused to adopt the counsel given, and run out to sea; forhad they done so, we might have found ourselves by daylight driven halfway to Trondhjem, and the life of King must have been sacrificed. 

Neither wind nor sea yielded yet, and we were as stubborn; but had thetrim of the yacht not been true, and her liveliness that of a straw, theswell would have made a clean breach over her decks, and its pressurebeen fatal. At two we got under the lee of the long-desired island. Thetrysail that had been partially hoisted was now set properly, andtrusting to the goodness of our cause, guaranteed by the triedworthiness of our craft, we stretched away from the island, and stoodfor Bergen. 

Returning to the cabin I found King awake, lying where I had left him. When he saw me, "My pain is easier, sir, " he said, not more audibly than a whisper; "butI feel weaker. "

"That's your fancy, " I answered livelily; but not without the fear thatinternal mortification was ensuing. "We have beaten the gale on its ownground, " I proceeded, endeavouring to divert his thoughts, "and arestanding right down the Bergen Fiord. "

"It is good of my Lord--very, " he replied, and drew a deep sigh; "but--Ishall never see England again. My poor wife!" The tears ran silentlydown his sunken cheeks. While the sick man wept, my two friends, withcountenances of joy, entered the cabin. 

"Well!" observed one of them, "I thought all was up with us; but it isnow only a tale to tell. "

"Yes, " the other replied, "neither on sea or shore fail experiments ofthe heart; and if we could only land you, King, " continued the speaker, drawing near to the sofa, "three or four hours hence in Bergen, I wouldnot decline fighting the same battle, ignorant of its chances, againnext week. "

The sailor, too sad and ill to speak, smiled through his tears at thegenerosity of a youthful spirit. After administering every possiblecomfort to King, we lay down to rest; and it seemed that I had hardlyclosed my eyes when the grating noise of the cable awoke me. The yachtwas at anchor in Bergen harbour. In less than half an hour a medical manwas on board; and by his order King was immediately wrapped up inblankets and taken ashore. He was in the last stage of intestinalinflammation; and an hour more would have sealed his destiny. I need notsay, that for many days life oscillated uncertainly between death andthe vigour of his constitution; but R---- had the good fortune to securethe services of a most skilful, though young, Norwegian physician. Noneof us can speak too highly of the kindness and unhesitating attention ofthis gentleman, who combined not only the estimable and generousdisposition of youth with the intellectual attainments of maturer years, but claimed every accomplishment of manner and attraction of form thatbirth and education might have refined and nature alone could give. 

So ended the 1st of August, to live in our memories. In the evening wewent to see King. He was so ill, that his medical attendant begged, while remaining in his bed-room, we would not speak. The poor fellow wasdelirious. When we came near to his bed-side, he stared at us; but couldnot remember who we were. Sailor, who managed to push his way up stairs, though we had taken the precaution to leave him out of doors, rushed upto the bed, and placed his paws on it; but a cuff on the head sent himto the other end of the room. King seemed to have recognized the dog;for he rolled his head from side to side on the pillow, as if inreprobation of the act to keep the animal from him; and although hisleft hand lay outside the coverlet, he was so exhausted, having beenbled twice, that he could not stir it; but moved the forefinger, beckoning the animal to him. At the suggestion of the doctor we stood onone side, and opened a passage for the dog. The animal crouching in thefarthest corner of the room, hung his head, doubtful of the dutyrequired of him; but the moment R---- motioned with his hand, the dog inone bound reached the bed. The wan, vacant countenance of the sufferer, brightened with the hue and intelligence of health, for he smiled andmoved his lips, though he had not sufficient strength to articulate aword. The dog sometimes licked his hand, and then with playfulness, tookthe moving finger between his teeth, and allowing it to slip from hismouth, would seize it again; and so, although both were speechless, bothunderstood each other. At last some sad reflection, the thought perhapsof home, or the little chance he had more of sharing the affection ofany human thing, as he did now, crossed his mind; for the sick manclosed his eyes, while yet his finger moved as before and the noblebrute still toyed with it, and oozing from under the shut lids, one byone, the tears ran over, and bathed his temples. 

"We shall excite him, doctor, " we said in a whisper. 

"I think so, " he replied; "leave him for the present. "

We left the room; but it was with some difficulty we could get the dogto follow us. The attachment of animals is a common tradition, but Ihave never had the opportunity of seeing it so feelingly displayed asduring the illness of King; nor did the rage of the elements, or thefear of death press heavier on my spirits than the mute love of Sailorand Jacko touched me deeply. No living creatures could have rememberedwith more devotional sincerity the acts of friendship and humankindness, or demonstrated their grief with greater effect and truth. 

Our stay at Bergen was greatly lengthened by the illness of King; forR---- did not like to leave Norway without being assured of hisultimate recovery. During our sojourn, the guide, a Swede, whom we hadhired, pointed out the house in which the Marquis of Waterford waslodged after his encounter with the watchman, when his life was nearlylost. Borne on their shoulders, the watchmen carry about with them along staff, at the end of which is a circular knob full of small spikesthat resemble the rays of a star, on which account the staff is calledthe Morning Star; and with one of these astral knobs the noble Lord, ina scuffle, was struck on the head. The inhabitants of Bergen stillremember the Marquis; and while they condemn the conduct of theircountryman, exalt the character of the young nobleman; and I believemyself, that the local trade of the town never received before hisarrival, or after his departure, such an impetus as it did from theliberality and personal expenditure of Lord Waterford. Our guide didnothing else but talk of him, and laughed till he cried while recountingthe comical freaks of "the sweet man;" or, as he phrased himvernacularly, "Manen sött. "

The lateness of the season made R---- anxious to quit Norway before themiddle of August; and since King could not, under the most favourablecircumstances, leave his bed before the end of the month, we thought ofour return to England. On the afternoon of the 7th, King beingpronounced entirely out of danger, and, as far as human wisdom couldtell, certain of regaining his former health, we sailed; but R---- leftin the hands of the British Consul a sum of money, to purchase whatevermight be required for King's present use, and future passage to England;and writing a note which was to be given to him by the Consul, when hewas sufficiently well to read it, R---- told the poor fellow not to behurt at our departure; but that we had sailed from Bergen by compulsion, and not according to the dictates of our own hearts. Promising to touchat Harwich, and communicate to his wife the tidings of hisconvalescence, for we had written to inform her of her husband'sdesperate condition, R---- concluded by intimating, that the Consulwould supply him with every luxury he desired, and he was not tohesitate in the expression of any fancy his sickly state might prompthim to make. R---- told him, also, to join the yacht at Cowes when hereturned to England. King lived to see the English shores again, andgratefully, in the blunt, pathetic language of a sailor, to thank hisamiable benefactor. He fills, at this moment, his old post. 

Although the afternoon was calm, the cutter dropped rapidly down theFiord, until within four miles of the sea. The pilot, one of the mostexpert at Bergen, had been very anxious to get the yacht clear from theland before night-fall, that he might be on his homeward way in goodtime; nor were we less desirous of taking our departure before set ofsun. But Fortune seems ever to act towards some men with the sincerestmalice. About half a league, as I have said, from the mouth of thisFiord, one of many that conducts to Bergen, and on the starboard shore, is a rock that juts towards the centre of the channel, and forms a smallbay. Mariners know the spot well, and avoid it. The surrounding scenery, fraught with the natural softness of beauty and severe grandeur ofNorway, resembles most other things that bear, seductively, externalcomeliness, and carry an antidote unseen. The bay is a whirlpool. Ourhyperboreal Palinurus was perfectly acquainted with this modernCharybdis, and used every stratagem of which he was master, to escapeit; but the wind being light, left the cutter to the mercy of thecurrent. Nearly three hours the yacht did nothing else but revolve, asif she were fixed on a pivot, and not all the united exertions of thecrew could tow her out of the eddy. 

The unhappy pilot stamped his foot every time the cutter took a freshwhirl, and called his favourite Odin to witness his dilemma; but Odinpaid as much deference to his prayers as Hercules did, of yore, to thewaggoner who got the wheel of his cart in the rut. The cutter weariednot in her waltz; but, whether she felt the want of a partner, or thepower of the wind, I know not; for when the pilot had lighted his pipe, and given his soul to its soporific ward, she darted unexpectedly out ofthe circling haven, and ceased not in her flight until the first wave ofthe Ocean leaped up against her bow with so much rude impetuosity thather hull staggered under its force, and her gaff-topsail shook withanger at such lack of gentleness. 

Amid a multitudinous salute of "Farväl!" the pilot bundled into hispram; and even now I see him tossed about, looking the veryconfiguration of "Gamle Norge. "

The sameness of all other seas is not forbidden to this northern one;and except a more constant repetition of squalls and showers of rain, Idistinguished the great family likeness. The 8th of August passedpleasantly enough, and for those souls which can absorb the sublimity ofwater, and soar to the infinity of space, the scene might have seemedwondrous in width and height; but the subsequent day, while sittingbelow and reading, I heard a tremendous racket on deck, and before Icould exactly arrange the different sounds, the main-sail andgaff-topsail came to the deck "with a run;" and for aught I knew to thecontrary, but strongly imagined, the gib and foresail followed theirexample with like expedition. 

"We shall go up in the air, like a balloon!" one of the sailors, with atwang of horror in his voice, exclaimed. 

"Ay, or swamped!" a second suggested, loudly, with dreadfuldetermination. 

"Ay, ay; and the deck's as good as stove in!" growled a third nauticalson of a Shuhite. 

I threw the book I had been perusing on the cabin table, and hurriedtowards the staircase; but one of my friends met me at the door, andmoving with the same velocity as myself, we came into sharp collision. He rebounded to the right, and I recoiled to the left hand. 

"For God's sake, get out of the way, " said he, out of breath, andrecovering his legs as fast as he could. 

"What's the matter?" I asked, with much alarm. "Is the vessel on fire, or what?"

"No;--nothing, " replied he, with a wildness of look that foretoldanything but nothing. "Here, steward!" he called out at the top of hisvoice, --"Alfred!--Gandy!--cook!"--dismay expanding the sources ofinformation, and adding loudness to his vociferation--"Where's my gun?"

The steward, Alfred, Gandy, and the cook were busily employed elsewhere, for they made no reply, and my friend soon found, without theirassistance, what, at first, confusion of mind had hid from his sight. 

Breathless, too, with the flushed face and disordered dress of haste andhorror, my other fellow traveller came thundering down the companion, and the thick shooting-boots he commonly wore clattered the importanceof his approach. 

"Gracious heaven!" I exclaimed, "What is all this about? If I am tobe----"

"Where's the powder?" asked he, and brushing by me, like a rocket, toget across the cabin, brought his shoulder so forcibly in contact withmy chest, that he knocked all the breath out of my lungs, and broke mysecond sentence into pieces. 

"Where's the powder?" again asked he, his voice ascending in the scaleof articulation. 

"How am I to know?" fulminated the one, angrily, loading his gun withthe despatch of an adroit musketeer. "Am I a magazine?"

"No; I know that, " said the other, tartly. 

"Well; what's the good of baiting a fellow when he's busy, " replied thefirst decisively. 

I could rest no longer in ignorance of my fate, and I scrambled on deck. The vessel labouring very much in a heavy sea, had not a stitch ofcanvass on her, and her bare mast tapered into the air like a cocoa-nuttree that had been discrowned. 

"What is all this?" I said, appealing to one man who had hold of thetiller, and, with his neck extended like a race-horse, seemed to besteering as if the greatest way was on the vessel. 

"Look there, your Honour, " and without removing his eyes from the bow ofthe cutter, he pointed the thumb of his left hand over his shoulder. Iturned, and saw, half a mile astern, the cause of all this uproar. But Ihad barely a clear conception of what I was looking at, when mycompanions with loaded guns reappeared on deck. The triggers clicked, and I assumed their guns were to be discharged at once, but D---- calledout, "Not yet; it's too far off. "

"Tell us when to fire, then, " said my two friends, filing themselves inthat attitude which the reader may have observed in a regiment ofsoldiers, when the word is given to "present. "

"What!" I cried out, now that I found my senses by the visualelucidation of the threatened evil;

"What! you don't mean to say you are going to fire with a couple offowling pieces at a water-spout?"

"To be sure, Sir, " answered D----, giving me a momentary glance that heventured to take, clandestinely, from the water-spout. "Don't they fireguns to break them?"

"Yes, " I replied, "people do, --cannon!"

However, I could not get any one to agree with me, that a rifle-ballwould have just as much effect on the dispersion of the huge water-spoutthat boiled and waved, like an elastic tower, to and fro with the wind, and roared in the wake of the yacht, as a sigh would arrest the rotationof Sirius; and so, placing my life in the custody of Providence, I wentback to my book, and left my companions standing on the poop with gunspresented, and the whole crew with leaping hearts and open mouthswaiting the efficacy of their artillery. I did not hear the discharge ofthe two guns; but the water-spout kept them in great trepidation, byapproaching within a hundred yards of the cutter, and then resolvinginto its native cloud and water. 

The following day the high lands in the vicinity of Whitby in Yorkshirewere seen; and at four o'clock the same afternoon we passed close underthe frowning headland, on which the old ruins of the castle stand. Asouth-west wind appearing desirous to treat us with another gale, webrought up off Scarborough for the night; and notwithstanding the swellwhich precluded all other boats from intercourse with the shore, wemanaged to reach the land in a gig, and stretched our legs on Englishground again. 

Early in the morning P---- left us for London, fearful that the windmight detain us some time at Scarborough; but five hours after hisdeparture, at mid-day, with a fresh breeze, we got under weigh; and, though the wind continued heading us the whole distance, reachedYarmouth as the clocks in the town were striking eight. 

Having made up our minds not to remain more than the night at thisplace, the cutter lay in the roadstead. 

We must have arrived at a moment of some gaiety, for on a terrace facingthe sea, a band was playing, and all the inhabitants had congregated toconverse and walk. What a contrast to the country from which we had justcome! No man can judge of the superiority of England, whether in thebeauty and elegance of its women, the cleanliness of its towns, themultiplicity and aptness of its comforts, but he who has wandered inother parts of the world. Grumblers are domestic; just the same asspoiled brats cry for the very sake of peevishness, because they knownot the pain of denial. As I have not much more time to speak, I would, with my last breath, recommend discontented people to travel; but ifthey should come back in the same fretful condition, well, let them goto----Bath;--no further. 

At six o'clock on the morning of the 12th of August, we sailed fromYarmouth, and at a quarter to seven in the evening, the anchor of theIris dropped within thirty yards of the pier-head at Erith. 

By the first flush of day, taking the early tide, the cutter crept upthe familiar, winding River; and while yet I pondered on the reason whyI should love my own land, with its yellow sky and puffing toil, betterthan the pure Heaven and kindly ease of foreign strands, the Hospital ofGreenwich lay within the cast of a stone. The crimson flag was waving onthe western turret, just as it waved in May, and so, with his two woodenlegs projecting at right angles to his body, sat alone, on the samebench, the lone old pensioner. I seemed to have been sleeping for threemonths. I felt sad, and knew not why. How ideal is the reality of life!and the inexpressive cause of grief is the consciousness of that truth. 

The sailors, as they furled the sails, talked of home. The deer andfawn, ceasing to ruminate, viewed their new country with surprise; butJacko going into Sailor's hutch, begged, without doubt, to know if hemight ride through the town on his back; and Greenwich, like Brundusium, was, "longæ finis chartæque viæque. "

As all men are not of the same stature, so their minds differ in themeans of accepting knowledge, or entertainment, and to please every oneis a difficult thing. To hope, therefore, that I should afford amusementto all who read these pages, would be to aspire for that which has notfallen to the lot of any one; but if out of the incongruity of opinionsI have expressed, be they ever so weak, or opposed to each other, instruction may be taken, then I shall not have striven without aresult. For me, I have no moral lesson to teach; but by writing, torepeat what I have witnessed, and by that repetition to impart to othersthose things which, sheltered, though of the same world, by a differentsky, and shadowed by other customs, were pleasing to my mind and sight. 

My task is done; and, like a dream, is dreamt the recollection of humanthings already changed and ever changing. The remembrance of theinteresting country through which I have been travelling shall abide byme always; for, encouraged by the desire to speak and muse, as I do now, of the hardy, freely happy, and contented sons of its mountains, I firstlearned that no greater blessing could be granted than a life ofhonourable industry, and that, pine who might beneath the infliction ofmental or bodily exertion, I had known the exalted destiny of creationin the effort to be useful. Like an exile turning to take a last glanceat the blue outlines of his native land, I, too, have lingered to lookback; yet the pleasant retrospection of three happy months is at an end;and I now dream of its delight as one who feels that, in the swifttransition of existence, such peace of mind can never come again. 

THE END. 

LONDON:

PRINTED BY T. R. HARRISON, 45, ST. MARTIN'S LANE. 

 * * * * *

 _13, Great Marlborough Street. _

 MR. COLBURN'S LIST OF NEW WORKS. 

 * * * * *

 LIVES OF THE PRINCESSES OF ENGLAND, By Mrs. EVERETT GREEN, EDITOR OF THE "LETTERS OF ROYAL AND ILLUSTRIOUS LADIES. " 2 vols. , post 8vo. , with Illustrations, 21s. Bound. 

 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

"A most agreeable book, forming a meet companion for the work of MissStrickland, to which, indeed, it is an indispensable addition. Theauthoress, already favourably known to the learned world by herexcellent collection of 'Letters of Royal and Illustrious Ladies, ' hasexecuted her task with great skill and fidelity. Every page displayscareful research and accuracy. There is a graceful combination of sound, historical erudition, with an air of romance and adventure that ishighly pleasing, and renders the work at once an agreeable companion ofthe boudoir, and a valuable addition to the historical library. Mrs. Green has entered upon an untrodden path, and gives to her biographiesan air of freshness and novelty very alluring. The present volumes(including the Lives of twenty-five Princesses) carry us from thedaughters of the Conqueror to the family of Edward I. --a highlyinteresting period, replete with curious illustrations of the genius andmanners of the Middle Ages. Such works, from the truthfulness of theirspirit, furnish a more lively picture of the tunes than even thegraphic, though delusive, pencil of Scott and James. "--_Britannia. _

"The vast utility of the task undertaken by the gifted author of thisinteresting book can only be equalled by the skill, ingenuity, andresearch required for its accomplishment. The field Mrs. Green hasselected is an untrodden one. Mrs. Green, on giving to the world a workwhich will enable us to arrive at a correct idea of the privatehistories and personal characters of the royal ladies of England, hasdone sufficient to entitle her to the respect and gratitude of thecountry. The labour of her task was exceedingly great, involvingresearches, not only into English records and chronicles, but into thoseof almost every civilised country in Europe. The style of Mrs. Green isadmirable. She has a fine perception of character and manners, apenetrating spirit of observation, and singular exactness of judgment. The memoirs are richly fraught with the spirit of romanticadventure. "--_Morning Post. _

"This work is a worthy companion to Miss Strickland's admirable 'Queensof England. ' In one respect the subject-matter of these volumes is moreinteresting, because it is more diversified than that of the 'Queens ofEngland. ' That celebrated work, although its heroines were, for the mostpart, foreign Princesses, related almost entirely to the history of thiscountry. The Princesses of England, on the contrary, are themselvesEnglish, but their lives are nearly all connected with foreign nations. Their biographies, consequently, afford us a glimpse of the manners andcustoms of the chief European kingdoms, a circumstance which not onlygives to the work the charm of variety, but which is likely to render itpeculiarly useful to the general reader, as it links together byassociation the contemporaneous history of various nations. Thehistories are related with an earnest simplicity and copiousexplicitness. The reader is informed without being wearied, andalternately enlivened by some spirited description, or touched by somepathetic or tender episode. We cordially commend Mrs. Everett Green'sproduction to general attention; it is (necessarily) as useful ashistory, and fully as entertaining as romance. "--_Sun. _

 THE FOLLOWING WILL BE PUBLISHED IMMEDIATELY. 

 * * * * *

 A NEW HISTORICAL ROMANCE. BY ELIOT WARBURTON, Esq. , Author of "The Crescent and the Cross. " &c. 3 vols. 

 * * * * *

 MEMOIRS OF A HUNGARIAN LADY BY THERESA PULSZKY. 

 With an Historical Introduction, by FRANCIS PULSZKY, late Under Secretary of State to the Emperor Ferdinand and King of Hungary. 

 2 vols. , post 8vo. , 21s. Bound. (Now ready. )

 * * * * *

 THE LIFE AND REIGN OF CHARLES I. BY J. DISRAELI. 

 A NEW AND IMPROVED EDITION, with a Preface by B. DISRAELI, M. P. 2 vols. , uniform with the "Curiosities of Literature. "

 * * * * *

 HISTORIC SCENES. BY AGNES STRICKLAND. 

 Author of "Lives of the Queens of England, " &c. 1 vol. , post 8vo, elegantly bound, with Portrait of the Author. 

 * * * * *

 LONDON LITERARY SOCIETY IN THE DAYS OF SAMUEL JOHNSON. FROM THE PAPERS OF THE LATE HENRY ROSCOE. BY WILLIAM WEIR. 

 2 vols. , post 8vo. 

 * * * * *

 LEAVES FROM A LADY'S DIARY OF HER TRAVELS IN BARBARY. 

 2 vols. , post 8vo. 

 * * * * *

 FRESTON TOWER; OR, THE EARLY DAYS OF CARDINAL WOLSEY. BY THE REV. RICHARD COBBOLD. 

 3 vols. , post 8vo. , with Illustrations. 

 * * * * *

 A CHEAPER EDITION OF BURKE'S HISTORY OF THE LANDED GENTRY; FOR 1850. 

 A Genealogical Dictionary

 OF THE WHOLE OF THE UNTITLED ARISTOCRACY OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND:

 And comprising Particulars of 100, 000 Individuals connected with them. 

 CORRECTED TO THE PRESENT TIME. 

 =A COMPANION TO ALL THE PEERAGES. =

In 2 volumes, royal 8vo. , beautifully printed in double columns, comprising more matter than 30 ordinary volumes, price only _2l. 2s. _elegantly bound in gilt morocco cloth. 

*** The great cost (upwards of £6000) attending the production of thisNational Work, the first of its kind, induces the Publisher to hope thatthe heads of all Families recorded in its pages will supply themselveswith copies. 

 * * * * *

The Landed Gentry of England are so closely connected with the stirringrecords of its eventful history, that some acquaintance with them is amatter of necessity with the legislator, the lawyer, the historicalstudent, the speculator in politics, and the curious in topographicaland antiquarian lore; and even the very spirit of ordinary curiositywill prompt to a desire to trace the origin and progress of thosefamilies whose influence pervades the towns and villages of our land. This work furnishes such a mass of authentic information in regard toall the principal families in the kingdom as has never before beenattempted to be brought together. It relates to the untitled families ofrank, as the "Peerage and Baronetage" does to the titled, and forms, infact, a peerage of the untitled aristocracy. It embraces the whole ofthe landed interest, and is indispensable to the library of everygentleman. 

"A work of this kind is of a national value. Its utility is not merelytemporary, but it will exist and be acknowledged as long as the familieswhose names and genealogies are recorded in it continue to form anintegral portion of the English constitution. As a correct record ofdescent, no family should be without it. The untitled aristocracy havein this great work as perfect a dictionary of their genealogicalhistory, family connexions, and heraldic rights, as the peerage andbaronetage. It will be an enduring and trustworthy record. "--_MorningPost. _

"A work in which every gentleman will find a domestic interest, as itcontains the fullest account of every known family in the UnitedKingdom. It is a dictionary of all names, families, and theirorigin, --of every man's neighbour and friend, if not of his ownrelatives and immediate connexions. It cannot fail to be of the greatestutility to professional men in their researches respecting the membersof different families, heirs to property, &c. Indeed, it will become asnecessary as a Directory in every office. "--_Bell's Messenger. _

 * * * * *

 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE OF SAMUEL PEPYS, F. R. S. , SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY IN THE REIGNS OF CHARLES II. AND JAMES II. 

 EDITED BY LORD BRAYBROOKE. 

New and Revised Edition, with numerous Passages now restored from theOriginal Manuscript, and many Additional Notes, complete in 5 vols. , post 8vo. , with Portraits, &c. , price 10s. 6d. Each, elegantly bound inFrench Morocco with gilt edges. 

"These volumes of Pepys' famous Journal, in their present complete form, contain much attractive novelty. Without making any exception in favourof any other production of ancient or modern diarists, we unhesitatinglycharacterise this journal as the most remarkable production of its kindwhich has ever been given to the world. Pepys paints the Court, theMonarchs, and the times, in more vivid colours than any one else. HisDiary makes us comprehend the great historical events of the age, andthe people who bore a part in them, and gives us more clear glimpsesinto the true English life of the times than all the other memorials ofthem that have come down to our own. "--_Edinburgh Review. _

"The best book of its kind in the English language. The new matter isextremely curious, and occasionally far more characteristic andentertaining than the old. The writer is seen in a clearer light, andthe reader is taken into his inmost soul. Pepys' Diary is the ablestpicture of the age in which the writer lived, and a work of standardimportance in English literature. "--_Athenæum. _

"There is much in Pepys' Diary that throws a distinct and vivid lightover the picture of England and its government during the periodsucceeding the Restoration. If, quitting the broad path of history, welook for minute information concerning ancient manners and customs, theprogress of arts and sciences, and the various branches of antiquity, wehave never seen a mine so rich as these volumes. The variety of Pepys'tastes and pursuits led him into almost every department of life. He wasa man of business, a man of information, a man of whim, and, to acertain degree, a man of pleasure. He was a statesman, a _bel-esprit_, avirtuoso, and a connoisseur. His curiosity made him an unwearied, aswell as an universal, learner, and whatever he saw found its way intohis tables. "--_Quarterly Review. _

"We owe Pepys a debt of gratitude for the rare and curious informationhe has bequeathed to us in this most amusing and interesting work. HisDiary is valuable, as depicting to us many of the most importantcharacters of the times. Its author has bequeathed us the records of hisheart, the very reflection of his energetic mind; and his quaint buthappy narrative clears up numerous disputed points, throws light intomany of the dark corners of history, and lays bare the hidden substratumof events which gave birth to, and supported the visible progress of, the nation. "--_Tait's Magazine. _

"Of all the records that have ever been published, Pepys' Diary gives usthe most vivid and trustworthy picture of the times, and the clearestview of the state of English public affairs and of English societyduring the reign of Charles II. We see there, as in a map, the vices ofthe Monarch, the intrigues of the Cabinet, the wanton follies of theCourt, and the many calamities to which the nation was subjected duringthe memorable period of fire, plague, and general licentiousness. In thepresent edition all the suppressed passages have been restored, and alarge amount of valuable explanatory notes have been added. Thus thisthird edition stands alone as the only complete one. Lord Braybrooke hasefficiently performed the duties of editor and annotator, and hasconferred a lasting favour on the public by giving them Pepys' Diary inits integrity. "--_Morning Post. _

 * * * * *

 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE OF JOHN EVELYN, F. R. S. , Author of the "Sylva, " &c. 

 A NEW EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED WITH NUMEROUS ADDITIONAL NOTES. 

 UNIFORM WITH THE NEW EDITION OF PEPYS' DIARY. 

 In 4 vols. , post 8vo. , price 10s. 6d. Each, with Illustrations. 

 N. B. --The First Two Volumes, comprising "The Diary, " are now ready. 

The Diary and Correspondence of John Evelyn has long been regarded as aninvaluable record of opinions and events, as well as the mostinteresting exposition we possess of the manners, taste, learning, andreligion of this country, during the latter half of the seventeenthcentury. The Diary comprises observations on the politics, literature, and science of his age, during his travels in France and Italy; hisresidence in England towards the latter part of the Protectorate, andhis connexion with the Courts of Charles II. And the two subsequentreigns, interspersed with a vast number of original anecdotes of themost celebrated persons of that period. To the Diary is subjoined theCorrespondence of Evelyn with many of his distinguished contemporaries;also Original Letters from Sir Edward Nicholas, private secretary toKing Charles I. , during some important periods of that reign, with theKing's answers; and numerous letters from Sir Edward Hyde (LordClarendon) to Sir Edward Nicholas, and to Sir Richard Brown, Ambassadorto France, during the exile of the British Court. 

A New Edition of this interesting work having been long demanded, thegreatest pains have been taken to render it as complete as possible, bya careful re-examination of the original Manuscript, and by illustratingit with such annotations as will make the reader more conversant withthe numerous subjects referred to by the Diarist. 

"It has been justly observed that as long as Virtue and Science holdtheir abode in this island, the memory of Evelyn will be held in theutmost veneration. Indeed, no change of fashion, no alteration of taste, no revolution of science, have impaired, or can impair, his celebrity. The youth who looks forward to an inheritance which he is under notemptation to increase, will do well to bear the example of Evelyn inhis mind, as containing nothing but what is imitable, and nothing butwhat is good. All persons, indeed, may find in his character somethingfor imitation, but for an English gentleman he is the perfectmodel. "--_Quarterly Review. _

 * * * * *

 ANECDOTES OF THE ARISTOCRACY, AND EPISODES IN ANCESTRAL STORY. 

 By J. BERNARD BURKE, Esq. , Author of "The History of the Landed Gentry, " "The Peerage and Baronetage, " &c. 

 SECOND EDITION, 2 vols. , post 8vo. , 24s. Bound. 

The memoirs of our great families are replete with details of the moststriking and romantic interest, throwing light on the occurrences ofpublic as well as domestic life, and elucidating the causes of manyimportant national events. How little of the personal history of theAristocracy is generally known, and yet how full of amusement is thesubject! Almost every eminent family has some event connected with itsrise or greatness, some curious tradition interwoven with its annals, orsome calamity casting a gloom over the brilliancy of its achievements, which cannot fail to attract the attention of that sphere of society towhich this work more particularly refers, and must equally interest thegeneral reader, with whom, in this country, the records of the higherclasses have always possessed a peculiar attraction. The anecdotes ofthe Aristocracy here recorded go far to show that there are more marvelsin real life than in the creations of fiction. Let the reader seekromance in whatever book, and at whatever period he may, yet nought willhe find to surpass the unexaggerated reality here unfolded. 

"Mr. Burke has here given us the most curious incidents, the moststirring tales, and the most remarkable circumstances connected with thehistories, public and private, of our noble houses and aristocraticfamilies, and has put them into a shape which will preserve them in thelibrary, and render them the favourite study of those who are interestedin the romance of real life. These stories, with all the reality ofestablished fact, read with as much spirit as the tales of Boccaccio, andare as full of strange matter for reflection, and amazement. "--_Britannia. _

"Two of the most interesting volumes that have ever issued from thepress. There are no less than one hundred and twenty-three of the moststirring and captivating family episodes we ever remember to haveperused. The 'Anecdotes of the Aristocracy' will be read from the palaceto the hamlet; and no one can rise from these volumes without deriving auseful knowledge of some chapter of family history, each connected withone or other of the great houses of the kingdom. "--_British ArmyDespatch. _

"We cannot estimate too highly the interest of Mr. Burke's entertainingand instructive work. For the curious nature of the details, theextraordinary anecdotes related, the strange scenes described, it wouldbe difficult to find a parallel for it. It will be read by everyone. "--_Sunday Times. _

 * * * * *

 COMPLETION OF THE LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND. BY AGNES STRICKLAND. 

 DEDICATED, BY PERMISSION, TO HER MAJESTY. 

The ELEVENTH and TWELFTH VOLUMES, completing thisinteresting Work, being now published, Purchasers are recommended togive immediate orders to their Booksellers for the completion of theirsets, to prevent disappointment. 

"These volumes have the fascination of a romance united to the integrityof history. The work is written by a lady of considerable learning, indefatigable industry, and careful judgment. All these qualificationsfor a biographer and an historian she has brought to bear upon thesubject of her volumes, and from them has resulted a narrativeinteresting to all, and more particularly interesting to that portion ofthe community to whom the more refined researches of literature affordpleasure and instruction. The whole work should be read, and no doubtwill be read, by all who are anxious for information. It is a lucidarrangement of facts, derived, from authentic sources, exhibiting acombination of industry, learning, judgment, and impartiality, not oftenmet with in biographers of crowned heads. "--_Times. _

"This remarkable, this truly great historical work, is now brought to aconclusion. In this series of biographies, in which the severe truth ofhistory takes almost the wildness of romance, it is the singular meritof Miss Strickland that her research has enabled her to throw new lighton many doubtful passages, to bring forth fresh facts, and to renderevery portion of our annals which she has described an interesting andvaluable study. She has given a most valuable contribution to thehistory of England, and we have no hesitation in affirming that no onecan be said to possess an accurate knowledge of the history of thecountry who has not studied her 'Lives of the Queens ofEngland. '"--_Morning Herald. _

"A most valuable and entertaining work. There is certainly no lady ofour day who has devoted her pen to so beneficial a purpose as MissStrickland. Nor is there any other whose works possess a deeper or moreenduring interest. Miss Strickland is to our mind the first literarylady of the age. "--_Chronicle. _

"We must pronounce Miss Strickland beyond all comparison the mostentertaining historian in the English language. She is certainly a womanof powerful and active mind, as well as of scrupulous justice andhonesty of purpose. "--_Morning Post. _

"Miss Strickland has made a very judicious use of many authentic MS. Authorities not previously collected, and the result is a mostinteresting addition to our biographical library. "--_Quarterly Review. _

"A valuable contribution to historical knowledge. It contains a mass ofevery kind of historical matter of interest, which industry and researchcould collect. We have derived much entertainment and instruction fromthe work. "--_Athenæum. _

 * * * * *

 KING ARTHUR. BY SIR E. BULWER LYTTON, BART. , Author of "The New Timon. "

 Second Edition, 1 vol. , post 8vo. , 10s. 6d. Bound. 

"King Arthur aims at relating one of the most fascinating of allnational and chivalrous legends. It is a valuable addition to thepoetical treasures of our language, and we regard it as not only worthy, but likely, to take its place among those fine, though not faultlessperformances which will hereafter represent the poetical literature ofEngland in the first half of the nineteenth century. The author is, wethink, right in believing this to be the least perishable monument ofhis genius. "--_Edinburgh Review. _

"This grand epic of 'King Arthur' must henceforth be ranked amongst ournational masterpieces. In it we behold the crowning achievement of theauthor's life. His ambition cannot rise to a greater altitude. He hasaccomplished that which once had its seductions for the deathless andmajestic mind of Milton. He has now assumed a place among the kings ofEnglish poetry. "--_Sun. _

"We see in 'King Arthur' a consummate expression of most of those higherpowers of mind and thought which have been steadily and progressivelydeveloped in Sir Bulwer Lytton's writings. Its design is a lofty one, and through all its most varied extremes evenly sustained. It comprisesa national and a religious interest. It animates with living truth, withforms and faces familiar to all men, the dim figures of legendary lore. It has an earnest moral purpose, never lightly forgotten or thrownaside. It is remarkable for the deep and extensive knowledge itdisplays, and for the practical lessons of life and history which itreflects in imaginative form. We have humour and wit, often closelybordering on pathos and tragedy; exploits of war, of love, and ofchivalrous adventure, alternate with the cheerful lightness andpleasantry of _la gaie science_. "--_Examiner. _

"The great national subject of 'King Arthur, ' which Milton for a longtime hesitated whether he should not choose in preference to that of the'Fall of Man, ' has been at last in our own day treated in a way which wethink will place 'King Arthur' among the most remarkable works ofgenius. It will be the delight of many future generations. It is one ofthe most entrancing poems we have ever read; full of great and rareideas--conceived in the plenary spirit of all-believing romance--strangeand wonderful in incident--national through and through--a real plant ofthis soil, so purely the tree of England's antiquity that we love it forkind's sake. "--_Morning Post. _

 * * * * *

 THE NEW TIMON: A POETICAL ROMANCE. 

 FOURTH EDITION, 1 vol. , post 8vo. , 6s. Bound. 

"One of the most remarkable poems of the present generation. "--_Sun. _

 * * * * *

 THE REV. R. MILMAN'S LIFE OF TASSO. 

 2 vols. , post 8vo. , 21s. Bound. 

"The present work, from the touching interest of its subject, is likelyto be extensively read. "--_Athenæum. _

"Mr. Milman's biography is a very good one. The work will find a placein every library. "--_Britannia. _

"A most valuable addition to our literary treasures--fraught with deepand thrilling interest. "--_Morning Post. _

"Mr. Milman's Memoir of Tasso is a work of considerable interest;entering fully into the particulars of the great poet's life, and givinga general review of his works. "--_John Bull. _

 * * * * *

 MEMOIR AND CORRESPONDENCE OF SIR ROBERT MURRAY KEITH, K. B. , _Minister Plenipotentiary at the Courts of Dresden, Copenhagen, and Vienna, from 1769 to 1793; with_

 Biographical Memoirs of Queen Caroline Matilda, Sister of George III. EDITED BY MRS. GILLESPIE SMYTH. 

 2 vols. , post 8vo. , with Portraits, 25s. Bound. 

Sir Robert Murray Keith, it will be recollected, was one of the ablestdiplomatists of the last century, and held the post of Ambassador at theCourt of Copenhagen, when Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark, theunfortunate sister of George III. , was involved in the conspiracy ofStruensee, and was only saved from the severest punishment hervindictive enemy the Queen Mother could inflict, by the spiritedinterposition of the British Ambassador. Sir Robert Keith also for along period represented his Sovereign at the Courts of Dresden andVienna; and his papers, edited by a member of his family, throwconsiderable light on the diplomatic history of the reign of GeorgeIII. , besides conveying many curious particulars of the great men andevents of the period. Among the variety of interesting documentscomprised in these volumes, will be found--Letters from Frederick, Kingof Prussia; Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark; Princes Ferdinand ofBrunswick, Kaunitz, and Czartoriski; the Dukes of Cumberland, York, Queensbury, Montagu, and Newcastle; Lords Stormont, St. Asaph, Heathfield, Hardwicke, Darlington, Auckland, Apsley, Barrington, Stair;Counts Bentinck and Rosenberg; Baron Trenck; Field-Marshals Conway andKeith; Sirs Walter Scott, Joseph Yorke, Nathaniel Wraxall, JohnSebright; Dr. Robertson, Mr. Pitt, Howard, Mrs. Piozzi, Mrs. Montagu, &c. , &c. 

"A large portion of this important and highly interesting work consistsof letters, that we venture to say will bear a comparison for sterlingwit, lively humour, entertaining gossip, piquant personal anecdotes, andbrilliant pictures of social life, in its highest phases, both at homeand abroad, with those of Horace Walpole himself. "--_Court Journal. _

 * * * * *

 THE HISTORY OF CIVILISATION, AND PUBLIC OPINION, By W. A. MACKINNON, M. P. , F. R. S. , &c. 

 Third and Cheaper Edition, 2 vols. 8vo. , 21s. , bound. 

"Mr. Mackinnon's valuable 'History of Civilisation' is a vast repertoryof knowledge that we could wish to see universally circulated throughoutthe country, as tending to convey information that is much required, andof which too many are deficient. "--_Morning Herald. _

 * * * * *

 REVELATIONS OF PRINCE TALLEYRAND. 

 Edited from the Papers of the late M. COLMACHE, THE PRINCE'S PRIVATE SECRETARY. 

 Second Edition, 1 volume, post 8vo. , with Portrait, 10s. 6d. Bound. 

"A more interesting work has not issued from the press for many years. It is in truth a complete Boswell sketch of the greatest diplomatist ofthe age. "--_Sunday Times. _

 * * * * *

 COLBURN'S AUTHORISED TRANSLATION. 

 Now ready, Volume 9, price 7s. , of

 M. A. THIERS' HISTORY OF THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 

 A SEQUEL TO HIS HISTORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 

Having filled at different times the high offices of Minister of theInterior, of Finance, of Foreign Affairs, and President of the Council, M. Thiers has enjoyed facilities beyond the reach of every otherbiographer of Napoleon for procuring, from exclusive and authenticsources, the choicest materials for his present work. As guardian to thearchives of the state, he had access to diplomatic papers and otherdocuments of the highest importance, hitherto known only to a privilegedfew, and the publication of which cannot fail to produce a greatsensation. From private sources, M. Thiers, it appears, has also derivedmuch valuable information. Many interesting memoirs, diaries, andletters, all hitherto unpublished, and most of them destined forpolitical reasons to remain so, have been placed at his disposal; whileall the leading characters of the empire, who were alive when the authorundertook the present history, have supplied him with a mass ofincidents and anecdotes which have never before appeared in print, andthe accuracy and value of which may be inferred from the fact of theseparties having been themselves eye-witnesses of, or actors in, the greatevents of the period. 

*** To prevent disappointment, the public are requested to be particularin giving their orders for "COLBURN'S AUTHORISED TRANSLATION. "

 * * * * *

 BURKE'S PEERAGE AND BARONETAGE;

 CORRECTED THROUGHOUT FROM THE PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS OF THE NOBILITY, &c. 

 In 1 vol. (comprising as much matter as twenty ordinary volumes), with upwards of 1500 Engravings of Arms, &c. , 38s. Bound. 

"Mr. Burke's 'Peerage and Baronetage' is the most complete, the mostconvenient and the cheapest work of the kind ever offered to thepublic. "--_Sun. _

 * * * * *

 DIARY AND MEMOIRS OF SOPHIA DOROTHEA, CONSORT OF GEORGE I. 

 Now first published from the Originals. 

 Cheaper Edition, 2 vols. , 8vo. , with Portrait, 21s. Bound. 

"A work abounding in the romance of real life. "--_Messenger. _

"A book of marvellous revelations, establishing beyond all doubt theperfect innocence of the beautiful, highly-gifted, and inhumanly-treatedSophia Dorothea. "--_Naval and Military Gazette. _

 * * * * *

 LETTERS OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. 

 Edited, with an Historical Introduction and Notes, By AGNES STRICKLAND. 

 Cheaper Edition, with numerous Additions, uniform with Miss Strickland's "Lives of the Queens of England. " 2 vols. , post 8vo. , with Portrait, &c. , 21s. Bound. 

"The best collection of authentic memorials relative to the Queen ofScots that has ever appeared. "--_Morning Chronicle. _

 * * * * *

 MEMOIRS OF MADEMOISELLE DE MONTPENSIER. Written by HERSELF. 

 3 volumes, post 8vo. , with Portrait. 

"One of the most delightful and deeply-interesting works we have readfor a long time. "--_Weekly Chronicle. _

 * * * * *

 LADY BLESSINGTON'S JOURNAL OF HER CONVERSATIONS WITH LORD BYRON. 

 Cheaper Edition, in 8vo. , embellished with Portraits of Lady Blessington and Lord Byron, price only 7s. Bound. 

"The best thing that has been written on Lord Byron. "--_Spectator. _

"Universally acknowledged to be delightful. "--_Athenæum. _

 * * * * *

 NARRATIVE OF AN OVERLAND JOURNEY ROUND THE WORLD, By SIR GEORGE SIMPSON, _Governor-in-Chief of the Hudson's Bay Company's Territories in North America. _

 2 vols. , 8vo. , with Map, &c. , 31s. 6d. Bound. 

"A more valuable or instructive work, or one more full of perilousadventure and heroic enterprise, we have never met with. "--_John Bull. _

"It deserves to be a standard work in all libraries, and it will becomeso. "--_Messenger. _

"The countries of which this work gives us a new knowledge are probablydestined to act with great power on our interests, some as the rivals ofour commerce, some as the depôts of our manufactures, and some as therecipients of that overflow of population which Europe is now pouring outfrom all her fields on the open wilderness of the world. "--_Blackwood'sMagazine. _

 * * * * *

 MR. ROSS' YACHT VOYAGE TO DENMARK, NORWAY, AND SWEDEN, IN LORD RODNEY'S CUTTER "THE IRIS. "

 Second Edition, 1 vol. , 10s. 6d. Bound. 

"There is not a sporting man in the country who could peruse thesevolumes without deriving a considerable amount of pleasure and profitfrom their pages. No one should think of visiting Norway, Denmark, orSweden, without consulting them. "--_Era. _

 * * * * *

 FIVE YEARS IN KAFFIRLAND: WITH SKETCHES OF THE LATE WAR IN THAT COUNTRY. 

 By MRS. HARRIET WARD

 (WIFE OF CAPTAIN WARD, 91ST REGIMENT). 

 Second Edition, 2 vols. , post 8vo. , with Portraits of Col. Somerset, the Kaffir Chief Sandilla, &c. , 21s. Bound. 

"Mrs. Ward's narrative is one of deep interest, full of excitingadventures and wild and graphic descriptions of scenes the mostextraordinary which could be presented to the eyes of atraveller. "--_Sunday Times. _

"The fullest, clearest, and most impartial account of the Cape of GoodHope and of the recent war, that has yet come before thepublic. "--_Naval and Military Gazette. _

 * * * * *

 THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS; OR, ROMANCE AND REALITIES OF EASTERN TRAVEL. 

 By ELIOT B. G. WARBURTON, Esq. 

 SEVENTH EDITION, 2 vols. , with numerous Illustrations, 21s. Bound. 

"Independently of its value as an original narrative, and its useful andinteresting information, this work is remarkable for the colouring powerand play of fancy with which its descriptions are enlivened. Among itsgreatest and most lasting charms is its reverent and seriousspirit. "--_Quarterly Review. _

"We could not recommend a better book as a travellingcompanion. "--_United Service Magazine. _

 * * * * *

 HOCHELAGA; OR, ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. 

 Edited by ELIOT WARBURTON, Esq. , Author of "The Crescent and the Cross. "

 THIRD EDITION, 2 vols. , post 8vo. , with Illustrations, 21s. Bound. 

"We recommend 'Hochelaga' most heartily, in case any of our readers mayas yet be unacquainted with it. "--_Quarterly Review. _

"This work has already reached a third edition. We shall be surprised ifit do not go through many. It possesses almost every qualification of agood book--grace, variety, and vigour of style--a concentrated power ofdescription, which has all the effect of elaborate painting--informationcarefully collected and judiciously communicated--sound and enlargedviews of important questions--a hearty and generous love of country--andthe whole pervaded by a refined but sometimes caustic humour, whichimparts a constant attraction to its pages. We can cordially recommendit to our readers, as well for the amusement of its lighter portions, the vivid brilliancy of its descriptions, and the solid information itcontains respecting Canada, and the position generally of England in thenew world. "--_John Bull. _

 * * * * *

 LORD LINDSAY'S LETTERS ON THE HOLY LAND. 

 FOURTH EDITION, revised and corrected, 1 vol. , post 8vo. , 7s. 6d. Bound. 

"Lord Lindsay has felt and recorded what he saw with the wisdom of aphilosopher, and the faith of an enlightened Christian. "--_QuarterlyReview. _

 * * * * *

 SIR JAMES ALEXANDER'S ACADIE; OR, SEVEN YEARS' EXPLORATION OF CANADA, &c. 

 2 vols. , post 8vo. , with numerous Illustrations, 21s. Bound. 

"Replete with valuable information on Canada for the English settler, the English soldier, and the English Government; with various charms ofadventure and description for the desultory reader. "--_MorningChronicle. _

"No other writer on Canada can compare with the gallant author of thepresent volume in the variety and interest of his narrative. "--_JohnBull. _

 * * * * *

 STORY OF THE PENINSULAR WAR. A COMPANION VOLUME TO MR. GLEIG'S "STORY OF THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. "

 With six Portraits and Map, 7s. 6d. Bound. 

"Every page of this work is fraught with undying interest. We neededsuch a book as this; one that could give to the rising generation ofsoldiers a clear notion of the events which led to the expulsion of theFrench from the Peninsula. "--_United Service Gazette. _

 * * * * *

 LADY LISTER KAYE'S BRITISH HOMES AND FOREIGN WANDERINGS. 

 2 vols. , post 8vo. , 21s. Bound. 

"Unrivalled as these volumes are, considered as portfolios ofaristocratic sketches, they are not less interesting on account of theromantic history with which the sketches are interwoven. "--_John Bull. _

 * * * * *

 THE NEMESIS IN CHINA; COMPRISING A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE WAR IN THAT COUNTRY;

 _With a Particular Account of the Colony of Hong Kong. _

 From Notes of Captain W. H. HALL. R. N. , and Personal Observations by W. D. BERNARD, Esq. , A. M. , Oxon. 

 CHEAPER EDITION, with a new Introduction, 1 vol. , with Maps and Plates, 10s. 6d. Bound. 

"Capt. Hall's narrative of the services of the _Nemesis_ is full ofinterest, and will, we are sure, be valuable hereafter, as affordingmost curious materials for the history of steam navigation. "--_QuarterlyReview. _

"A work which will take its place beside that of Captain Cook. "--_WeeklyChronicle. _

 * * * * *

 ADVENTURES OF A GOLDFINDER. WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 

 3 vols. , post 8vo. 

 "What is here? Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold?" _Timon of Athens. _

 * * * * *

 MR. DISRAELI'S CONINGSBY. CHEAP STANDARD EDITION, WITH A NEW PREFACE. 

 In 1 vol. , with Portrait, 6s. Bound. 

"We are glad to see that the finest work of Disraeli has been sent outin the same shape as those of Dickens, Bulwer, and other of our bestnovelists, at such a price as to place them within the reach of the mostmoderate means. Coningsby has passed from the popularity of a season toan enduring reputation as a standard work. It is not merely as a novel, however, that Coningsby is interesting, but as a popular exposition ofthe author's political ideas. It is a valuable contribution to popularliterature. "--_Weekly Chronicle. _

 * * * * *

 A NEW SYSTEM OF GEOLOGY. BY THE VERY REV. WILLIAM COCKBURN, D. D. , DEAN OF YORK. 

 Dedicated to Professor Sedgwick. 

 Small 8vo. , price 3s. 6d. 

 * * * * *

 ZOOLOGICAL RECREATIONS. 

 By W. J. BRODERIP, Esq. , F. R. S. 

 CHEAPER EDITION, 1 vol. , post 8vo. , 7s. 6d. Bound. 

"We believe we do not exaggerate in saying that, since the publicationof White's 'Natural History of Selborne, ' and of the 'Introduction toEntomology, ' by Kirby and Spence, no work in our language is bettercalculated than the 'Zoological Recreations' to fulfil the avowed aim ofits author--to furnish a hand-book which may cherish or awaken a lovefor natural history. "--_Quarterly Review. _

 * * * * *

 THE OLD JUDGE; OR, LIFE IN A COLONY. 

 By the Author of "Sam Slick, the Clockmaker;" &c. 

 2 vols. , post 8vo. , 21s. Bound. 

"These volumes are redolent of the hearty fun and strong masculine senseof our old friend Sam Slick. The last work of Mr. Haliburton is quiteequal to the first. Every page of the 'Old Judge' is alive with rapid, fresh sketches of character; droll, quaint, racy sayings; good-humouredpractical jokes; and capitally told anecdotes. "--_Morning Chronicle. _

 * * * * *

 ADVENTURES OF A GREEK LADY, THE ADOPTED DAUGHTER OF THE LATE QUEEN CAROLINE. 

 WRITTEN BY HERSELF. 2 vols. , post 8vo. , 21s. Bound. 

"The chief interest of this more than ordinarily interesting book liesin the notices it furnishes of the unfortunate Queen Caroline. From theclose of 1814 till Her Royal Highness's return to England the author wasnever absent from her for a single day. All is humourously and artlesslytold, and the plain truth finds its way at once to the reader's heartand feelings. "--_Court Journal. _

 * * * * *

 POPULAR NEW NOVELS AND ROMANCES. 

 * * * * *

 THE WILMINGTONS. 

 By the Author of "Emilia Wyndham, " "Mordaunt Hall, " &c. 3 vols. 

"It argues well for the character of a people when, in their popularliterature, the good is ever found in association with the beautiful:and we regard the eminent success of this author's works as a veryfavourable attestation of the soundness of our public opinion. Theauthor is indisputably a writer of true genius and of great power, butis also one who dedicates high endowments to the service of Him who hasgiven them. The popularity of such a writer is creditable to apeople--the productions of such a writer must necessarily exert abeneficial influence over a people prepared to prize them. They all bearthe impress of sterling English morality--all minister to generousemotions, generous scorn of what is base, generous admiration ofexcellence; and all inculcate respect for principle, by which emotionsought to be governed--all minister to the exaltation ofjustice. "--Dublin University Magazine. 

 * * * * *

 PRIDE AND IRRESOLUTION. 

 By the Author of "THE DISCIPLINE OF LIFE. "

 3 volumes. 

 * * * * *

 LEONARD NORMANDALE; OR, THE THREE BROTHERS. 

 BY THE HON. C. STUART SAVILE. 

 3 volumes. 

 * * * * *

 THE PETREL. A TALE OF THE SEA. 

 By a Naval Officer. 3 vols. 

"The best nautical novel which has appeared for a long time. It cannotfail to remind the reader of the best tales of Captain Marryat. "--Britannia. 

"This story possesses an attraction which is all engrossing. AdmiralFisher has proved by this tale that he can use his pen with nocontemptible skill. "--Dispatch. 

 * * * * *

 ERNEST VANE. 

 BY ALEX. BAILLIE COCHRANE, M. P. 

 2 volumes. 

"'Ernest Vane' is of high merit as a production of genius. The work isin parts, surpassing beautiful. It is rich in imagery, almostexhaustless in observation. It deals with passion in its intensity, andnot unseldom penetrates the darkest recesses of the human heart. Itspages abound with brilliancy of thought and depth of feeling. "--MorningPost. 

 * * * * *

 SIN AND SORROW. A TALE. 

 2 vols. (just ready. )

 * * * * *

 PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF Mrs. MARGARET MAITLAND, OF SUNNYSIDE. 

 Written by herself. 3 vols. 

"The most gratifying work of its class since the great delineator ofScottish manners ceased to exist. "--Tait's Magazine. 

"This work has given us much pleasure. Mrs. Maitland might claimcousinship with the Rev. Micah Balwhidder. "--Athenæum. 

"Our readers will enjoy this work--its genuine nationality of tone andsentiment, its refined and poetic homeliness, and its strokes of quiethumour. The author may be described as a refined or feminine Galt. Inthe pathetic element we are not unfrequently reminded of Wilson's'Lights and Shadows. '"--Scotsman. 

 * * * * *

 THE MAID OF ORLEANS. 

 By the Author of "Whitefriars, " "Owen Tudor, " &c. 3 vols. 

"An excellent novel. The character of the 'Maid of Orleans' is drawnwith a glow and fervour, a mixture of elevation and simplicity, whichare alike powerful and attractive. "--Athenæum. 

"A romance of surpassing interest, rarely equalled for vigour, brilliancy, pathos, and dignity of style. "--Weekly Chronicle. 

 * * * * *

 The OLD WORLD and the NEW. 

 BY MRS. TROLLOPE. 3 vols. 

"In all respects one of the very cleverest and interesting novels of theday. "--Herald. 

"A very clever novel, presenting in marked contrast the 'Old World andthe New' during the eventful epoch out of which we are emerging. "--Post. 

 * * * * *

 ROCKINGHAM; OR, THE YOUNGER BROTHER. 

 Second Edition. 3 vols. 

"We beg to call our readers' attention to 'Rockingham; or, the YoungerBrother, ' a book which, from internal evidence, must have been writtenby a person constantly mingling in the highest English society. The workabounds in interest, and, indeed, we should be at a loss to name anotherrecent novel that shows anything like the same power of painting strongpassion. "--Quarterly Review. 

 * * * * *

 THE MIDNIGHT SUN. 

 BY FREDRIKA BREMER. 

 Translated by Mary Howitt. 1 vol. 10s. 6d. 

 * * * * *

 THE HALL & THE HAMLET. 

 BY WILLIAM HOWITT. 

 Cheaper Edition. 2 vols. , 12s. Bound. 

 +-------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | Typographical errors corrected in the text: | | | | Page vii Fæde changed to Fædde | | Page 1 sympathize changed to sympathise | | Page 12 galf-topsail changed to gaff-topsail | | Page 13 horison changed to horizon | | Page 41 ecstacies changed to ecstasies | | Page 42 held changed to help | | Page 46 underweigh changed to under weigh | | Page 49 haliard changed to halliard | | Page 50 profitting changed to profiting | | Page 61 cruize changed to cruise | | Page 76 mareschino changed to maraschino | | Page 86 Fredrickshavn changed to Fredrikshavn | | Page 87 rivetted changed to riveted | | Page 102 pannel changed to panel | | Page 109 Thorwalsden changed to Thorwaldsen | | Page 140 attentention changed to attention | | Page 142 villanously changed to villainously | | Page 187 wordly changed to worldly | | Page 202 hullabulloo changed to hullabaloo | | Page 261 mackaw's changed to macaw's | | Page 292 paralized changed to paralyzed | | Page 292 lymb changed to limb | | Page 299 moskitoes changed to mosquitoes | | Page 330 geting changed to getting | | Page 330 merschaums changed to meerschaums | | Page 400 cruizing changed to cruising | | Page 438 Boccacio changed to Boccaccio | | | | Pages 183-186 quotation marks confirmed as in | | original text | +-------------------------------------------------+