PREPARATIONS FOR CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS TO THE ARCTIC OCEAN.--DECIDE TO
TAKE THE TRAIL TO THE ULF FJORD.--HOUSES OF REFUGE.--A SERIES OF
TERRIFIC WINDSTORMS IN THE MOUNTAINS.--LOST.--GLOOMY REFLECTIONS.--A
HAPPY REUNION.
The next day I said to Jakob and to the Lapps, "I wish some of you to go
with me across the mountains to the shore of the Arctic Ocean. I will
pay you well."
We were then between the 69th and 70th degrees, north latitude, and we
had to cross the mountains at an elevation of about 5,000 feet on our
way to the sea. I wanted to find out the kind of weather they had in
these high altitudes in the Arctic regions.
"Some of us will go with you," they replied; and added: "There are
several trails leading to the Arctic Ocean. We can reach the sea by
going to the Ofoden, the Ulf, the Lyngen, the Quananger, or the Alten
fjords." I took my map out. After a conference it was agreed that we
should go to the Ulf fjord.
Norway is the country of fjords. A fjord is an arm of the sea, winding
its way far inland in the midst of mountains. The sea is very deep,
often of greater depth than the towering heights which rise abruptly
from the shore, though these are often several thousand feet in
altitude. No road can be built along many of these fjords, and boats are
the conveyances that are used to go from one place to another.
"There are houses of refuge in the mountains, where we shall find
shelter in case of heavy storms," said the Lapps. "If it were not for
those places of refuge people would often perish when overtaken by these
storms. Paulus, you have met great windstorms on your way here, but they
are nothing to compare with the terrific winds to be met in the high
mountains. Remember that we are in the month of March--the month of
storms."
As I was listening to what the Lapps said, I thought I heard, from
across the Atlantic, my young folks and friends encouraging me, crying:
"Be not afraid, Paul. Go on! Go on! No harm will befall you!" I shouted
back, "I am not afraid!"
So we started. First we came to a Finn hamlet, where we met a good many
Finlanders and Laplanders who had arrived with their goods and a great
many sleighs and reindeer on their way to the Ulf fjord. All the animals
had been trained to eat reindeer moss gathered and stored for that
purpose. We had come just in time.
Here it was agreed that Jakob and the Lapps who had taken me to this
place should not go further, but that I should be taken care of by
Finlanders, whose destination was the same as mine and who were on their
way to the Arctic Sea. I was to go with John Puranen. John was a
powerfully built man, with a very kind expression.
We were soon good friends. John and a party of friends were going with a
large number of sleighs loaded with reindeer meat, butter, reindeer
cheese, smoked tongues, skins, garments, shoes, and thousands of frozen
ptarmigans, to sell to the people living on the coast.
The day after our coming parties of Finlanders and Laplanders began to
leave, with forty or fifty sleighs and a number of spare reindeer in
case any gave out.
As I looked over the snow, I could see the caravans following each
other, in single file, and a number of dogs following their masters.
The next day we started with a large party. We all hoped for good
weather. We took a good supply of reindeer moss with us.
Late at night we came to the first farm of refuge found in our track.
Hundreds of sleighs and reindeer were outside, and when I entered the
house more than a hundred men were sleeping on the floor. The snoring
was something terrific, and the heat and the closeness of the room were
unbearable. A lighted lamp shone dimly on the slumberers.
So I thought that I would be far more comfortable sleeping outside in my
two bags. John said that he would sleep in his bags by me--and in fact
we slept very comfortably.
[Illustration: "The mist was so thick that I could not see ahead."]
When I awoke in the morning it was 42 degrees below zero. Then we
went into the house and had some coffee and reindeer meat for breakfast.
As at all the post stations, there is a tariff for everything printed on
the walls, so no overcharge is practised.
Many of the people had already left; we hurried on to overtake them, and
as usual went in single file.
The weather had become windy, and the wind blew stronger and stronger as
we went on, until there was hardly any snow left on the ground. It flew
to a great height, and the mist was so thick that I could not see ahead.
My reindeer was going of its own accord. I trusted him to scent and
follow the other reindeer ahead of me. I hurried him on by striking
slightly his right flank with my rein, hoping to overtake the people of
our party.
The wind kept increasing, and seeing no one ahead or behind I became
alarmed.
Where were John and the other fellows? I had no provisions with me.
Where was I? Once in a while, when there was a lull that lasted about a
minute, I saw nothing but huge mountains ahead of me. At sight of them I
became more anxious than ever. I could only hear the shrieking of the
wind, which at times threatened to upset me. Occasionally it blew so
hard that my reindeer had to stop.
My head was entirely hidden by my mask and my hood, which had been made
so secure that I felt it would stay with my head till both were blown
away. Only my eyes could be seen; but the snow which kept flying in the
air became as fine as flour and penetrated everywhere. It got through
the open space for my eyes, then gathered on my hair, eyelashes,
eyebrows, and mustache, and on my cheeks and nose; in fact, everywhere
on my face, and made a mask of ice.
I wished I had no mustache, no eyebrows, no eyelashes, no hair--for it
was very painful every time I broke this mask of ice. It was hardly
broken when it would form again from the particles of new snow adhering
to each other. When I broke it, I thought every hair would be torn from
my face. If I had not cleared it away the mask of ice would have become
so thick that I would have been unable to see. I began to think that
there was no fun crossing the mountains after all, if this was the
weather we were going to get all the way.
As I could not overtake the people ahead, and John was not in sight,
gloomy thoughts came over me. Suppose I can find nobody, nor even a
house of refuge, I repeated: what then? What will become of me in this
terrific windstorm, in the midst of these great towering mountains that
surround me on every side? An answer to my question, as dark as my
thought, said: "Starvation! Starvation! Death! Death!"
Suddenly I thought I heard, through the storm, the same voice from the
friends at home shouting to me, "Be of good cheer, Paul; go on; go on!
No harm will befall you!"
These imaginary words had hardly been uttered when I said to myself,
"If the worst comes to the worst, and when I am on the point of
starving, I will kill my reindeer, drink its warm blood to sustain my
life, abandon my sleigh, and depend on my skees. By that time the storm
may be over, and I may meet some of the people who were with me, or
other parties who are going to the Arctic Sea."
Soon after I had reached this decision, however, I saw through the mist
something black. Was it a pack of hungry wolves? It was moving towards
me. I seized my gun; but how could I shoot in such weather and be sure
to kill? I did not fancy the idea of being attacked by a pack of hungry
and starving wolves. At any rate, I would make a desperate effort to
kill some; these would be eaten by the pack, and after they were
satisfied they would perhaps not follow me but let me alone. Perhaps I
might kill a wolf and suck his warm blood; this would avoid the need of
killing my reindeer.
No, they were not wolves, but people! I was in the midst of my friends;
they had stopped and were waiting for me.
Now I felt happy. John's dog also felt happy for he wagged his tail and
looked at me, and John said, "Paulus, if you had been lost, my dog would
have found you."
Then they exclaimed: "We would never have gone to the sea without you.
We would have wandered all over the mountains with our reindeer or on
our skees to find you. But we thought your reindeer would follow our
track, for he could scent ours, as the wind was in the right direction;
and here we were waiting for you." I could hardly hear their voices,
though they surrounded me, for they were drowned in the hissing of the
wind.
We continued our way and came to another house of refuge, where we took
shelter. There we could wait until the storm was over.
It was so nice to stretch one's legs and to stand up and pace the floor
and bring the blood into circulation.
What would the people do while travelling in such a climate without
houses of refuge? The place of refuge was a mountain farm; they had
cows, goats, and sheep, for there were pastures near by in summer.
When the time to sleep came I stretched myself at full length upon a
reindeer skin on the floor, and fell asleep hearing the wind howling
fiercely round the house.
When I awoke in the morning the storm had ceased. I washed my face and
hands in water and dried them with a clean towel which the wife handed
me. What a luxury!
After breakfast we bade the kind people of the house of refuge good-bye,
and once more we were on our way to the Arctic Sea. We had not been two
hours on the way, however, when the sky began to grow gray and
apparently a storm was coming; the wind increased, and flakes of snow
began to fall; the squalls increased in force and frequency. Little did
I know that these were the forerunners of a series of great windstorms
that were to take place nearly five thousand feet above the sea. In a
word, I was to encounter the greatest windstorms I have ever met in my
life. The dark clouds kept flying very fast high over our heads, then at
times seemed to be hardly above the top of the mountains. The sky became
wild and peculiar. John was hurrying his reindeer as fast as he could by
striking his flanks. He evidently knew what was coming, for he was a
child of the stormy regions of the North, and knew what such a
threatening sky meant in March. The wind was increasing in force every
minute, the snow flew thicker in the air. At last, when we reached the
station of refuge, John gave a great shout of satisfaction. We had come
just in time. The snow was driven in thick clouds, the hills and
mountains were hidden from view, and all around was nothing but a thick
haze. The fur of our garments was entirely filled with particles of
snow; we looked as if we had been rolled in a barrel of flour.
I gave a great sigh of relief when we came in front of the house of
refuge. It was well that we hurried with all our might, for we would
never have reached the place at a slower speed. Then what would have
become of John and me, and of the others!
At bedtime reindeer skins were strewn on the floor, for many had come to
get shelter against the furious windstorm. Before going to sleep, we
took off our shoes, and carefully hung them with our stockings and Lapp
grass on the poles that were suspended near the ceiling. Then we bade
each other good-night and thanked the farmer and his wife for their
kindness.
That night I dreamed that the same voices that I had heard before were
saying to me, "Go on! Go on! Friend Paul, no harm will befall you. Do
not be afraid, be valiant, as you were in Africa. Then come back and
tell us what you have seen in 'The Land of the Long Night.'" Thereupon I
saw all their faces smiling at me. I felt so happy during that sleep.
But it was nothing but a sweet dream. When I awoke there was nothing
round me to remind me of my far-away friends, of the girls and boys I
loved so dearly. "What makes you, Paul, so fond of a wandering life," I
said to myself, "and of encountering such perils and hardships as you
have done all through your life, when you have so many warm friends at
home?"
In the morning, one by one, the people awoke and got up. The weather was
calm, but John said: "The weather is not to be trusted at this time of
the year on these high mountains." I had great faith in John, as a
weather prophet.
Most people had their provisions with them. I was to drink my coffee in
the finest cup owned by the owners of the house of refuge. "Taste some
of my butter," a Finlander would say. "Taste my smoked reindeer meat,"
urged a Laplander. "Help yourself to some of my cheese," said a third.
If I had eaten a little of all that was offered, I should not have been
able to travel. People must not eat too much when they have plenty of
exercise to perform, or hard work to do.
After breakfast John said to me: "It is wise in these mountains to
prepare for all kinds of weather. It has been bad enough already, but it
may be a great deal worse, for to-day the mountains we are to cross are
very high."
"Goodness gracious!" I exclaimed. "Is it possible that we can have worse
weather than we have seen, John?" "Certainly," he replied. I wondered
what sort of weather it could be!
John attended himself to my toilet; he would not trust me. He put my
stockings on, put an extra quantity of Lapp grass round them, and saw
that every part of my foot to my ankle was well protected, tied the
shoes over my ankles and my reindeer-skin trousers most carefully, saw
that my belt was well fastened, that my "pesh" or fur blouse was
carefully made fast round my neck, and that my gloves were well secured
to my wrists with bands used for that purpose and my hood tied tightly.
When he had finished, he said, with a smile:
"Paulus, you are ready to stand the strongest windstorm that can blow;
everything on your body is made as secure as it can be!"
Our reindeer being harnessed we bade good-bye to the people of the house
of refuge, and a number of parties left together for self-protection.
John was not mistaken about the weather. Three or four hours after our
departure the wind increased, and terrific squalls followed each other
and threatened to upset our sleighs. The blinding snow dust prevented my
seeing my reindeer, and at times I could not even see the head of my
sleigh. Night seemed to have taken the place of daylight,--a thick fog
could not have been worse. Then, to add to my discomfort, I had
continually to break through the mask of ice, which formed again quickly
after being broken. It was of no use to look for the furrows of the
sleighs that had preceded us, for their tracks were filled at once with
snow.
Once more I thought I was lost, when I saw John standing still; he was
waiting for me, and attached my sleigh to his, so that the mishap of
being parted again could not occur. When he had tied the two sleighs, he
said: "If we are lost we will be together." Dear John, what a glorious
fellow he was!
I thought of what I imagined the "Long Night" had said to me after the
disappearance of the sun: "I send terrific gales and mighty snowstorms
upon ocean and lands." It seemed to me that I could hear her sardonic
laugh after telling me of her power. The storm continued to increase,
and swept down upon us from the higher mountain sides with a force which
I had never witnessed before, though I have crossed the Atlantic more
than twenty times in winter and met with furious gales.
[Illustration: "We remained seated on the ground, back to back."]
When I thought that it was impossible for the wind to blow stronger, the
next squall proved that it could. Then we fell in with a number of men
of the party. They had stopped; they did not dare to go further,
travelling had become impossible; before we knew it we might fall over a
precipice, or go in the wrong direction. I managed to look at my
thermometer. It was 17 degrees below zero. I wished it had been forty or
forty-five, for instead of a windstorm we should then have had glorious
still weather.
The wind had risen to such a pitch that no snow was left on the ground,
though in many places it must have been twenty or thirty feet deep or
more. It was all flying in the air, and though it was noon it was quite
dark. We remained seated on the ground, back to back, in order to
support each other, with our heads bent, to prevent as far as possible
the snow getting under our masks. It was a weird sight, as once in a
while I could see dimly through the flying snow our bent, immovable
bodies, with heads down. Not a man said a word; it seemed as if we were
frozen to death.
The snow was carried hither and thither, and all at once in a lull of a
few seconds fell, forming hillocks, which were in an instant destroyed
and sent flying in the air. One of these hillocks settled dangerously
near us and scared us.
Then one of the men suggested that we had better divide into two
parties, so that in case one should be buried in the snow, the other
party could help to extricate those who were buried. This suggestion was
accepted at once. As we got up several of the men were taken off their
feet, and rolled over against some sleighs, which stopped them. I was
raised bodily and thrown on the ground, and carried away; but some of
the men came to my rescue and caught me. Finally we succeeded in making
two parties; we were about fifty yards from each other and ready to help
one another in case of emergency.
The wind became so terrific that we had to crouch against the rocks. I
thought we must be in the heart of "The Land of the Wind," and that this
was the worst country I had ever come to. I almost believed that the
wind had obtained the mastery over the world, and chaos was coming
again. But after a few hours these north-west squalls gradually
diminished in intensity, and for a time the windstorm seemed to be over.
Then we made preparations to continue our journey.