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NORWAY
'_A man is at all times entitled, or even called upon by occasion,
to speak, and write, and in all fit ways utter, what he has himself
gone through, and known, and got the mastery of; and in truth, at
bottom, there is nothing else that any man has a right to write of.
For the rest, one principle, I think, in whatever farther you write,
may be enough to guide you: that of standing rigorously by the fact,
however naked it look. Fact is eternal; all fiction is very
transitory in comparison. All men are interested in any man if he
will speak the facts of his life for them; his authentic experience,
which corresponds, as face with face, to that of all other sons of
Adam._'
THOMAS CARLYLE
[Plate: RUNNING THE RAPIDS BELOW GJENDESHEIM.]
THREE IN NORWAY
_by_
_TWO OF THEM_
With Map and Fifty-Nine Illustrations on Wood
from Sketches by the Authors
[Illustration]
London
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
1882
_All rights reserved_
London: Printed By
Spottiswoode And Co., New-Street Square
And Parliament Street
CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION xi
CHAPTER
I. The Voyage 1
II. Christiania 6
III. By Rail and Lake 14
IV. By Road 21
V. The First Camp 28
VI. Misery 39
VII. Happiness 45
VIII. Fly Sæter 56
IX. Sikkildal 62
X. Besse Sæter 72
XI. Gjendin 82
XII. The Camp 89
XIII. Gjendesheim 98
XIV. John 105
XV. Back to Camp 115
XVI. Trout 120
XVII. Reindeer 127
XVIII. Success at last 137
XIX. Gjendeboden 146
XX. A Formal Call 153
XXI. Fishing 167
XXII. Memurudalen 180
XXIII. A Picnic 191
XXIV. The Skipper's Return 200
XXV. The Gjende Fly 210
XXVI. Disaster 224
XXVII. A Change 230
XXVIII. Rapid Running 242
XXIX. Rus Vand 257
XXX. Luck 273
XXXI. Not lost, but gone before 286
XXXII. A Last Stalk 295
XXXIII. Homeward Bound 303
XXXIV. Bjölstad 315
XXXV. Down to Christiania 327
XXXVI. Home again 336
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
_PLATES_
PAGE
Running the Rapids below Gjendesheim _Frontispiece_
On the Track near Sikkildals Lake _to face_ 59
On the Top of Glopit. Returning from Rus Lake " 172
Baking by Night in Memurudalen " 178
The Camp in Memurudalen " 182
Death of the 'Stor Bock' at the Iceberg Lake,
Tyknings Hö " 267
Good Sport, Bad Weather. The Skipper's two
'Stor Bocks' " 279
Cheerful! The Huts at Rus Lake " 289
_WOODCUTS IN TEXT._
Norwegian Arrangement of Dishes at Table 10
Midnight Study of Stockings at Dalbakken 26
The Start on Espedals Lake 29
The Skipper's first Cast 30
Our Camp on Espedals 31
Black-throated Diver 36
View of Bredsjö by Night 40
Sunset at Fly Sæter 54
Desperate Conflict between Esau and the Mosquito 58
Sæter Girls in a Boat on Sikkildals Lake 65
Old Siva carrying a Canoe up the Sikkildals Pass 73
Greenshank 77
Ring Dotterel 78
Scaup 80
Our first View of Gjendin Lake 83
Two of our Retainers: Ivar and his Pony 87
The Skipper returns to Camp disgusted with life 93
Throwing for a Rise 99
The Skipper takes Miss Louise for a Cruise
at Gjendesheim 102
The Huts at Rusvasoset 109
John returns from fishing in Summer Costume 121
John and Esau: 'How's that for high?' 122
The two 'Meget Stor Bocks' (very big Bucks)
on Memurutungen 128
Hot Soup and Northern Lights 134
Esau and Ola return in Triumph 141
A careful Finishing Shot 143
The Colony at Breakfast in Memurudalen 159
An Exciting Moment in Rus Lake Shallows 168
Esau's Best Day among the Trout 170
Esau stalking near Hinaakjærnhullet 188
John diving for his knife in Rus Lake 198
The Skipper about to astonish the Reindeer 203
Öla performing the Funeral Rites 205
Canoeing after Duck in a Storm 236
Andreas: our Retriever 237
Ola and Andreas capturing a wounded Grouse 238
John and the Skipper upsetting in the Canoe 240
Making a Portage by the Sjoa River 244
A Norwegian Fire-place 246
Jens and his Pony on their way over Bes Fjeld 252
A Stormy Crossing at Rusvasoset 259
Gloptind Rock, at the Western End of Rus Lake 275
The old stone Hut near Gloptind 280
A Night at Rusvasoset, after a Day at Haircutting 284
Rus Lake from the Western End:
Nautgardstind in the Distance 290
Glissading home after a blank day 293
Rus Lake from the Eastern End:
Tyknings Hö and Memurutind in the distance 294
Off! A Reindeer recollecting an engagement 295
Old Buildings in the Courtyard at Bjölstad 316
Barley Sheaves: A Norwegian 'Atrocity' 323
Three at Home Again 341
_MAP._
The Jotun Fjeld _at end of volume._
INTRODUCTION.
HISTORY.
'Canadian canoes are the only boats that will do' was our conclusion
after a thorough inspection of every existing species of boat, and long
consultation with 'Sambo' of Eton about a totally new variety, invented
but fortunately _not_ patented by one of our number.
Our party consisted of three men, who shall be briefly described here.
First, 'the Skipper,' so called from his varied experience by land and
sea in all parts of the world, but especially in Norway, whither we were
now intending to go in search of trout, reindeer, and the picturesque.
The Skipper is lank and thin, looking as though he had outgrown his
strength in boyhood, and never summoned up pluck enough to recover it
again. His high cheek-bones and troubled expression give one the idea of
a man who cannot convince himself that life is a success, which is
perhaps pretty nearly the view he actually takes of existence.
Secondly, 'Esau,' who received this name in consequence of the many
points in which his character and history resemble that of the patriarch
who first rejoiced in it: for our Esau, like his prototype, is
'a cunning hunter and man of the fjeld;' and we are sure that if he ever
had such a thing as a birthright, he would willingly have sold it for a
mess of pottage. Esau is short and joyous, and is one of those people
who never indigest anything, but always look and always are in perfect
health and spirits. It is annoying to see a man eat things that his
fellow-creatures can not without suffering for it afterwards, but Esau
invariably does this at dinner, and comes down to breakfast next morning
with a provoking colour on his cheek and a hearty appetite. His office
in this expedition was that of Paymaster; not because he possessed any
qualifications for the post, but because the Skipper had conclusively
proved that such employment was too gross and mundane for _his_ ethereal
soul, by constantly leaving the purse which contained our united worldly
wealth on any spot where he chanced to rest himself, when he and Esau
went to spy out the land two years before this.
Lastly, 'John,' so called for no better reason than the fact that he had
been christened Charles: he had never yet visited the wilds of
Scandinavia. John is an Irishman, whose motto in life is 'dum vivimus
vivamus:' he is tall and straight, with a colossal light moustache. He
generally wears his hat slightly tilted forward over his forehead when
engaged in conversation; and the set of his clothes and whole deportment
convey an idea that he is longing to tell you the most amusing story in
the world in confidence. He is no gossip, and the anecdotes of his
countrymen, of which he has an inexhaustible supply always ready, are
merely imparted to his listeners from philanthropic motives, and because
he longs for others to share in the enjoyment which he gleans from their
mental dissection.
The general idea of the campaign was that the Skipper and Esau should
leave England in the early part of July; fish their way up a string of
lakes into the Jotunfjeld, getting there in time for the commencement of
the reindeer season; establish a camp somewhere; and then that John,
starting a month later, should join, and the three of us sojourn in that
land until we were tired thereof. How we accomplished this meritorious
design we have tried to relate in the following pages.
GEOGRAPHY.
The map of Norway, apart from Sweden, presents an outline something like
a tadpole with a crooked irregular tail. The Jotunfjeld is an extensive
range of the highest mountains which are to be found in Northern Europe:
before 1820 A.D. they were totally unexplored, and at the present time
they are still perfectly wild and desolate, their summits covered with
eternal ice and snow, and even their valleys uninhabited. That part of
the Jotunfjeld which we intended to make our goal and headquarters is
situated about the middle of the tadpole's body, and nearly equidistant
from Throndhjem and Christiania.
LANGUAGES.
It is customary when writing a book on any foreign country to scatter
broadcast in your descriptions words and phrases in the language of that
country, in order to show that you really have been there. We propose to
depart from this usage in the course of this work; but if at any time
the exigencies of narrative seem to demand the use of the foreign
tongue, we have little doubt that the English language will provide an
equivalent, which shall be inserted for the benefit of the uninitiated.
MATHEMATICS.
Foreigners have a curious prejudice which leads them to adopt different
systems of coinage and measurement from those in favour in England.
But shall a Briton pander to this prejudice by making any use of their
ridiculous figures? Decidedly not. What matters it to us that a
Norwegian land-mile contains seven of our miles, and a sea-mile four? we
speak only of the British mile. What care we that the Norwegian kröne is
worth about 13½d.? Shall that prevent us from always calling it a
shilling? Never! And shall the fact that it is divided into ten 10-öre
pieces (which are little nickel coins worth about five farthings each)
restrain us from alluding to them as the 'threepenny bits' which they so
much resemble? Not while life remains.
EXTRA SUBJECTS.
Some of the statements that will be found in these pages may strike the
reader as being, to say the least of it, improbable. We therefore wish
to explain that all the incidents of sport and travel are simple facts,
but that here and there is introduced some slight fiction which is too
obviously exaggerated to require any comment.
THREE IN NORWAY.
CHAPTER I.
THE VOYAGE.
_July 8._--At ten P.M. on the platform of the Hull station might have
been seen the disconsolate form of Esau, who had arrived there a few
minutes before. To him entered suddenly an express train, with that
haste which seems to be inseparable from the movements of express
trains, adorned as to the roof of one of its carriages by a Canadian
canoe. From that carriage emerged the lanky body of the Skipper, and
general joy ensued.
Then in the hotel the Skipper related his perilous adventures; how he
had crossed London in a four-wheeler with the canoe on the quarter-deck,
and himself surrounded by rods, guns, rugs, tents, and ground-sheets in
the hold, amid the shouts of 'boat ahoy!' from the volatile populace,
and jeers from all the cabs that they met (there are many cabs in
London); how the station-master at King's Cross--may his shadow never be
less!--had personally superintended the packing of the canoe on a low
carriage which he put on to the train specially; and how the G.W.
charged four times as much as the G.N. He had seen John the day before,
and on being asked to 'wander about, and get some things with him,' the
Skipper had replied that it was quite impossible, as his time was
occupied for the whole day: but when John said, 'I wanted your advice
chiefly about flies, and a new rod that I am thinking of buying,' he
replied, 'Sir, I have nothing of the slightest importance to do; my time
is yours; name the moment, and place of meeting, and I will be there.'
Then they twain had spent a happy day; for decidedly the next best thing
to using your own rod is buying one for another man--at his expense.
Poor Esau had no charming experiences to relate: he was a little
depressed because an intelligent tyke at Doncaster had looked into the
horse-box in which his canoe was travelling, hoping no doubt to see some
high-mettled racer, and had asked if 'yon thing were some new mak o'
a coffin.'
_July 9._--We walked about Hull and made a few last purchases. In the
course of our wanderings we chanced to come to a shop, in the window of
which many strawberries, large and luscious, were exposed for sale. We
immediately entered that shop without exchanging a word, and the Skipper
said to the proprietress, 'This gentleman wants to buy a quantity of
strawberries for a school feast;' while Esau remarked, as he fastened on
to the nearest and largest basket, 'My friend has been ordered to eat
strawberries by his doctor.' After this a scene ensued over which it
were best to draw a veil.
At six o'clock we were safely aboard the good ship 'Angelo,' and saw our
baggage stowed. It consisted of three huge boxes of provisions, weighing
more than 100 lbs. each, two portmanteaus, two smaller bags, a tent,
a large waggon-sheet intended to form another tent, a bundle of rugs and
blankets, a large can containing all cooking utensils, four gun-cases,
seven rods, a bundle of axes, a spade and other necessary tools, and the
canoes with small wheels for road transport. Those wheels were the only
things in the whole outfit that turned out to be not absolutely
necessary. We did use them, but only once, and might have managed
without them.
When the aforesaid was all on board, there did not appear to be much
room for anything else in the steamship 'Angelo;' registering 1,300
tons; yet this vast pile was destined to travel many miles over a
desperately rough country in the two little canoes.
We were warped out of dock about eight o'clock, and steamed down the
Humber with a west wind and a smooth sea. It was showery up to the
moment of our departure, but as Hull faded from our sight it became
fine, and with the shores of England we seemed to leave the cloud and
rain behind.
_July 10._--The day passed as days at sea do when the weather is all
that can be wished, and the treacherous ocean calmly sleeps. The
passengers were as sociable as any collection of English people ever
are, and we spent the time very pleasantly chatting, smoking, eating
enormously, and playing the ordinary sea games of quoits and
horse-billiards.
The Skipper was much exercised in spirit because Esau had told him that
he believed a certain passenger to be an acquaintance of a former
voyage, named, let us say, Jones, and that he was a capital fellow. So
the Skipper went and fraternised with Jones, and presently, trusting to
the 'information received,' remarked, 'I believe your name is Jones?'
and was a little annoyed when Jones replied, 'No, it's not Jones; it's
Blueit, and I never heard the name of Jones as a surname before.' Then
the Skipper arose and remonstrated with his perfidious friend, who with
great good temper said, to make it all right, 'You see that man by the
funnel? That is a Yankee going to see the midnight sun; go and talk to
him.' Now the Skipper has been in America a good deal, and likes to talk
to the natives of those regions, so he sailed over to the funnel and
tackled the Yankee. Presently, with that admirable tact which is his
most enviable characteristic, he observed, 'I understand that you have
come all the way from America to see the midnight sun: it is a very
extraordinary phenomenon. Imagine a glorious wealth of colour glowing
over an eternal sunlit sea, and endowing with a fairy glamour a scene
which Sappho might have burned to sing; where night is not, nor sleep,
but Odin's eye looks calmly down, nor ever sinks in rest.' As he paused
for breath the Yankee saw his opportunity, and said, 'No, I was never in
America in my life. I am a Lincolnshire man, and am going over to
Arendahl to buy timber. I have seen the midnight sun some dozen times,
and I call it an infernal nuisance.' Here the Skipper hastily left, and
came over and abused Esau until he made an enemy of him for life.