There is something remarkable in the eye of the Romany. Should
his hair and complexion become as fair as those of the Swede or
the Finn, and his jockey gait as grave and ceremonious as that
of the native of Old Castile; were he dressed like a king, a
priest, or a warrior, still would the Gitáno be detected in his
eye, should it continue unchanged.... Its peculiarity consists
chiefly in a strange, staring expression, which, to be
understood, must be seen, and in a thin glaze which steals over
it when in repose, and seems to emit phosphoric light. That the
gipsy eye has sometimes a peculiar effect, we learn from the
following stanza:--
A gipsy stripling’s glossy eye
Has pierced my bosom’s core,
A feat no eye beneath the sky
Could e’er effect before.
_The Gipsies._ By SAMUEL ROBERTS.
ADIEU
AAK--ROMSDALSHORN--TROLDTINDERNE--FLADMARK--YOUNG-NORWEGIAN
LADIES--OUR FAIR VISITORS--A NIGHT SCENE--MORNING
MEAL--EXHAUSTED PEASANTS--ESMERALDA’S COMPLIMENT--A GIPSY
CUISINE--HOW GIPSIES SLEEP--OUR GUIDE ARRIVES--THE INVISIBLE
BATHER--THE RACE--THE RIVER GRÖNA.
We passed the quiet scenes of Aak and its beautiful scenery; we saw
Captain C----, and some young ladies coming down to the road from the
house. The charming terrace before the house and grounds are kept in
excellent neatness and order. Frue Landmark also came down to see our
donkeys again. Captain C. was going south, and might probably overtake
us, but we did not see him again.[76] Very useful indeed was the
information he gave us. Frue Landmark, whom we saw in earnest
conversation with Esmeralda, presented her with some ear-rings. So we
made our adieux to all, and left a spot so pleasantly described by Lady
Di Beauclerk. Her ladyship is the daughter of the ninth Duke of St.
Albans, whose first wife was Mrs. Coutts, the once celebrated Miss
Mellon, whose interesting memoirs were published some years since.
The sun was very warm. We were all in excellent spirits; who could be
otherwise in the midst of so much free life? Herr Solberg, the
photographer, met us, apparently looking for a Point de Vue. Then we
passed Fiva, and a short distance beyond we halted in the old place
among the green bushes, by the rippling stream, at the foot of the
Romsdalshorn and Troldtinderne. Our dinner consisted of some of the
boiled beef, fried with butter. It was about twelve o’clock; Zachariah
was despatched trout-fishing. Esmeralda was better; some quinine in the
morning had spirited her up. She was not allowed to be idle. As we
bustled her about, she said she thought the Rye was in a murmuring way.
Then, as we lounged note-book in hand, we had a chaff at Noah, who was
half asleep, and woke up looking very wild, to be asked, what he would
take for his paper front, and collar, for which he had given four
skillings. The front was now all but gone. “What you like, sir,” said
Noah, and heaving a deep sigh, fell back into the region of gipsy dreams
sounder than ever. We looked in vain for the invalid visitor who was to
take the place of Rip Van Winkle, and somnolency resulting, who knows
but we ourselves might not have been there now; but the good genii of
the magician’s peaks awoke us. There were the dark fantastic rocks,
streaked in gilded rays of the summer’s sun. The distant roar of thunder
in the lofty precipices, produced by falling snow, sounded in the narrow
gorge. Our donkeys had strayed; we aroused Noah from a deep sleep, who
disappeared down the valley and brought them back. On his return, he
said he had seen a number of gentlemen along the Rauma near Fiva, with
guns and fishing-rods. It was nearly four o’clock. The donkeys were
hastily loaded, and we were again _en route_. Zachariah was overtaken
before we reached Horgheim, and had succeeded in catching twenty-three
small trout. A young traveller and his wife came up in a stolkjœrre, and
kept behind us till we got to Horgheim. They wanted us to stay there, so
that they might get first on account of the donkeys, but we were pressed
for time, and when they came up afterwards, their horse passed very
quietly. The traveller, who was Norwegian, spoke English, and they
appeared a newly-married couple. We passed our old camping-ground beyond
“Horgheim,” and bought a mark’s worth of fladbröd from the woman of the
house. Our old camp near the leaning-stone was our intended destination.
At one part of the road we met a number of carrioles. A lady in a green
Tyrolese hat and feather, who seemed unaccustomed to driving, was one of
the party. As she passed, the pony shied, and the boy who stood upon the
board behind her, with great quickness, seized the reins.
“P-r-r-r-h--p-r-r-r-h,” said the boy, and away they dashed past us. The
boy, afterwards, reined the pony up rather sharply; the pony reared,
and the lady jumped out with a small scream; the gentleman we took for
her husband bringing up the rear, passed quietly enough, and as no one
was hurt, we again continued our way.
We passed Fladmark; our donkeys had not lost their interest to the
peasantry; many collected to see them. Fladmark seems a large station
and the scenery is very picturesque. In fact, at every turn we had fresh
scenes to admire. When we had passed Kors and were drawing near our old
camping ground, in passing through a gate on the road, our Puru Rawnee
ran our packs against the gate-post, and broke a bottle of port wine.
Noah and Zachariah caught some in the kettle lid, which they were
allowed to drink. We did not feel inclined to take any ourselves.
Esmeralda had a very small quantity, but the stimulant made her feel,
she said, very queer. Then we followed on slowly with her, for she was
rather tired, whilst Noah and Zachariah pushed on in advance. We were
soon afterwards overtaken by a stolkjœrre; a man was driving two young
ladies, and a young gentleman, their brother, was walking. They stopped
after they had passed us, and seeing that they wished to speak, we
addressed them. The one young lady, who spoke English very well, said
they had come to Veblungsnœs by steamer, where they had heard of us, and
had seen our song. They wished very much to see our “deer.” Many in
Norway took our donkeys for a species of reindeer capable of carrying
weights. The young ladies were very agreeable and good looking;
something very charming about them. They seemed much interested in our
expedition. Being told that our gipsies were in advance, and where we
should encamp, they drove after them.
When Esmeralda and myself reached the leaning-stone in the valley of the
Sjiriaglns Fjeld, it was getting dusk. The young ladies were looking at
our things just unpacked, and Noah was putting up the tents on the old
camp ground near the large rock. The young ladies wished to hear us
play, but something to eat was a preliminary necessity before we could
give them any music. They decided, therefore, to wait. The young ladies
said, “We should much wish to hear you play; we heard of you at
Veblungsnœs.” Our tents were soon pitched, and Zachariah, who had given
up grumbling about his churie, got our tea and broiled meat ready with
remarkable celerity. The young ladies said, “We should so like to sleep
in a tent.” “Do you not find it cold?” “No,” we said, “We have a
waterproof on the ground, and a carpet over that. It is all we require
for our bed.” Then as we were going to tea in our tents the young ladies
decided to take something to eat themselves at our camp fire.[77] They
gave us some dried rein-deer meat, and we gave them some of our biscuit.
Noah said they were such nice young ladies he could give them anything,
and sent Esmeralda with his panakin of tea instead of having it himself.
Esmeralda did not eat anything, and went and talked to them. Then we
sent them bread-and-butter, and finished our tea. The young ladies sent
their cards to our tents whilst we were at tea. Miss Grethe S----, of
Halsund, and Miss Marie B----, of Molde. Then they came from the camp
fire where they had finished their repast. The shades of evening had
fallen; the sound of the waters of the Rauma came upon the night. Their
brother and the driver of their stolkjœrre joined them as they stood at
our tents, in the valley of the cascades, of wild scenery, of all that
was beautiful in nature. Much pleased they seemed, as they listened to
our gipsy song, and still more pleased they appeared when we presented
each with a copy. We played for them several airs with our guitar,
violin, and tambourine. It was twelve o’clock when they left to go on to
Ormein for the night. We had had a long day; as they left, I found that
one of the young ladies had presented Noah with a cigar-holder. Soundly
we slept, for we did not awake until eight o’clock. One of our sea trout
fried in buttered writing paper was delicious for breakfast. We were
just leaving, at twelve o’clock, when a drayman came up, and we gave him
some brandy. He said an English gentleman was coming to Ostersund to
fish in the “Glommen,” in August. The man said his son could speak
English very well. For some time he followed us along the road, but at
last we left him behind. The sun was exceedingly hot when we reached
Ormein.[78] As we approached the station the two young ladies rushed
out. One had two plates in her hand. They shook hands with all of us,
and we had a very warm welcome indeed. Their brother brought some water
for the donkeys. The young traveller and his wife were also there. A
very enthusiastic reception we had. Miss S----, said, she had come there
to meet a sister from Christiania. But time presses, we must away; the
comfortable station must be left. With many adieux and godt reisen from
the young ladies, we ascended the hilly road from the station and left
the beautiful scenery which surrounds it.
Staying at our old camping-ground near the “Sœndre Sletten fossen,” we
had our mid-day meal--tea, fladbröd, and butter. Noah and Zachariah
played some music, whilst Esmeralda had some instruction in dancing.
Between four and five o’clock our party were again _en route_ up the
zig-zag hilly road, with Vand fos, rock, or forest, continually in view.
At one point of the road a man, woman, and child came running after us.
They wished to see the donkeys. Noah and Zachariah were far on before.
The peasants’ countenances were marked with an expression of earnest
anxiety. The gipsies kept pushing on. Esmeralda said, “We can’t stop for
every gorgio,” and away ran the man up the hill with his small boy
tugging at his belt behind, and the wife following, ready to sink for
want of breath. We came just in sight of our gipsies at a turn of the
road, and shouted, when they at last halted very reluctantly.
The peasants, we were glad to see, reached them, but nearly exhausted
with haste and fatigue. Some more people came from a house near, and
brought some hay for the donkeys. We were anxious for our peasant
friends to see the animals, and many were the questions they asked. When
we talked of winter they seemed to shiver, and a shade of melancholy
passed over their countenances. After a halt of about ten minutes we
again continued our journey.
As we reached the summit of the hill near “Stueflaaten” the clouds
threatened rain. At Stueflaaten station a delicate-looking woman with a
stout child showed us into the guest-chamber. There were two beds. The
walls of the chamber were painted green and red. Some photographs also
adorned the room, which was very clean, but to us the atmosphere was too
close to be pleasant. They procured for us some butter, potatoes, and
fladbröd, for which we paid three marks. They gave us full value for our
money. The evening was wearing rapidly on as we left the station. Very
soon after we met a carriage and pair, in which sat a dark-eyed
traveller. His hair was jet black. Our gipsies had to look sharp to get
our donkeys in single file, and as we brought up the rear with our
alpenstock the traveller scanned our party with much curiosity.
Esmeralda paid him the compliment afterwards of saying his hair was as
dark as any Romany’s.
It was getting late, as dusty and travel-worn we came on to the open
moorland by “Böver Möen.” This time we camped near two or three broken
firs, not very far from the road, and near a hedge enclosing a thick
wood. Very shortly after our gipsies had unloaded our things, and had
lighted our fire, three fishermen, appeared in the distance coming
towards us. One was better dressed than the others, and was the only
wooden-legged man we saw in Norway. He was stout and portly. From his
waistcoat he had suspended two small trout, the result of his fishing
expedition. Each had some of our brandy-and-water, and drank to Gamle
Norge. Some boys came afterwards and brought some grass for the donkeys.
Then they watched our cooking with interest. Whilst Esmeralda was
getting the potatoes ready, we fried some sea-trout in buttered
writing-paper. Very much surprised they seemed at the luxury of our
cuisine. Then Esmeralda fried some fish in the ordinary way, and also
some sliced potatoes. We enjoyed our tea on that open moorland, in sight
of a foaming waterfall down the mountain-side by the Böverhö.
Brandy-and-water was handed round to those peasants assembled. Ourself
on guitar, and Zachariah with his violin, sitting as much in the smoke
of the fire as possible, on account of the myriads of musketos, played
lively airs, whilst Noah was pitching the tents. Esmeralda was engaged
putting up the tea-things with every now and then a hearty denunciation
of the “migs” or musketos. Some young peasant-girls came in time for the
music. One, a very modest, pretty girl, knitting a stocking, or a
strumper, as the gipsies called it. Another peasant-girl brought us some
milk, which she sold us for three skillings. When our music was
finished, and the peasants had wished us good-night, we retired to rest.
Rest indeed for Zachariah. He was the smallest of the party, and the
mosketos with excellent generalship concentrated their attacks upon the
weakest point, when Zachariah killed one, two were in its place. Wildly
he scratched, slapped, tumbled, and tossed, to his brother’s disgust,
who would say sharply, “Now then, can’t you be quiet? Where are you
getting your piro[79] (gip., foot) to. Can’t you lie still, and let me
go to sleep.”
Many readers may imagine that the brothers slept side by side. They
slept in true Romany fashion, that is, the feet of each are placed on
each side of the head, or under the arms of the other. In this way a
wonderful amount of warmth is obtained. One blanket covered both, and
sometimes we might see in a morning Noah’s feet sticking out on each
side of Zachariah’s head.
The weather seemed inclined for rain the night before, but the morning
of Wednesday, 27th July, was delightful. Noah was roused before six
o’clock. To-day we should be in the mountains. We heard Ole Rödsheim had
been at Stueflaaten. The trout Zachariah had caught were fried for
breakfast; four pounds of beef, the remainder of what we had bought at
Veblungsnœs was reluctantly condemned as spoilt. The hot weather had
quite spoiled it. Some Norwegian girls came, and we had three skillings’
worth of milk, and twelve skillings’ worth of stamped sweet fladbröd.
Our donkeys were nearly loaded about nine o’clock, when we saw Ole
Rödsheim stepping over the moorland. He did not think we had arrived,
but came to look out for us. He scarcely expected we should manage the
distance in the time.
Ole Rödsheim had stayed the night at “Enebo.” As we passed the house he
took a cup of coffee, and we soon after crossed the Enebo bridge,
entered a beautiful green lane, and left the main route before coming to
Molmen. It was delightful to find ourselves no longer on the hard road.
Ole Rödsheim led the way from the lane by a track through the open
woodland. Now we come suddenly upon a purling stream of water with deep
holes, shaded from the summer sun of the hot and sultry day. What is
this we see on the bank near a pool in the stream? A heap of woman’s
clothes; even her shoes; but where’s the woman? Instinctively we looked
into the quiet pool formed by the stream, but no water-nymph was there.
There was the clear gravelly bed which made us wish to take a refreshing
plunge.
The clothes were left. The woman was gone. Probably wandering about in
the forest. We hope she did not unhappily lose herself. It is one of the
mysteries of this book we shall never be able to clear.
At one log châlet Ole Rödsheim took an old man with us for a short
distance. At another part of our winding way up some open ground towards
the woods, we could see on the opposite side the valley sloping to the
stream below a man and woman running at the top of their speed in the
hot sun towards a bridge over the river. Our party were fast ascending
towards the ridge of the ascent, and would soon be out of sight.
Sometimes the woman gained ground upon the man. Every muscle was
strained. It was the best steeplechase we ever saw. Then they dashed
wildly across a slight wooden bridge at some distance off. We purposely
delayed our cavalcade, to let them have a chance, and panting for breath
and almost exhausted, they ultimately reached us. The admiration they
exhibited for the noble animals with which we travelled left no doubt
that they felt quite rewarded for their long and well-contested race. We
forget which came up first.
Passing to the “Gröna elv,” above Molmen, we had the opportunity of
seeing the picturesque waterfall called the Gröna fos. It roars through
overhanging rocks, and high above the Gröna we reached a slight
horse-bridge stretched over a wide deep chasm, with the rapid waters of
the river below. Very little attention appears to be given to these
bridges. The planks were loose, and in places out, and some were not
fastened. Stopping up the open places as well as our materials would
allow, we determined to risk our animals. They fortunately went over the
bridge exceedingly well, but the last heavily laden donkey nearly
slipped its hind leg through an awkward crevice, and was only just
saved.
Ole Rödsheim was very handy in our first experience of Norwegian
mountain-bridges, and quite verified our early formed opinion of his
quick readiness of resource.
Now we were winding through a forest of firs and birch. Very warm it
was, but the way was delightful. There were two tracks to the Ny Sœter,
but Ole chose the track by a sœter, we believe called the Gröna
Sœter.[80] This we reached in good time. The sœter is built on a wooded
plateau above a wild gorge through which the river Gröna takes its
course.