Country Girl from Dalen _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
2. The Road to Hell, near Trondhjem 8
5. Trondhjem 12
7. Bergen 18
10. On the Fjord, Sundalsoren 20
11. Ostre Kanalhavn, Trondhjem 34
17. Moldöen 50
23. Bergen 52
24. Væfos, Hildal, Hardanger 58
27. Skjæggedalsfos, Hardanger 66
29. Espelandsfos, Hardanger 74
33. Moldöen 88
38. A Cottage Interior, Telemarken 90
39. Old Age, Telemarken 102
45. Girls on Overturned Sledge, Holmencollen 118
51. Old Canal, Christiania 120
52. Country Girl, Bergen District 138
58. Mundal, Fjærland, Sognefjord 162
66. It is my habit
to be ill when I am at sea. From the Continent, one can go overland;
but such a country as Norway should be approached by sea. Thus, when we returned to the quay the gangway of our vessel was being
pulled up. Besides the anglers, many men go over for shooting. We were rather unlucky
there, and were not, perhaps, so much impressed as we ought to have
been. Trondhjem always has been, and still is, the crowning place of the
Norwegian kings. Consequently, almost
all travelling is carried out by means of an admirably arranged
posting system. This was after waiting some three hours, which Nico improved by making
a sketch, while I looked for visionary wild strawberries in the
soaking grass. Then appeared a cosy little carriole, upholstered in
red velvet, and carefully covered with tarpaulins. Now we were really off, and I had
time to study our pony. We did not know anything about
posting, and, somewhat overwhelmed with this ceremonious leave-taking,
stood for some time in doubt as to what to do next. Soon an old woman
appeared at the door of the house, and beckoned us in. I explained as
well as I could, with the help of a phrase-book, that we wanted a
horse and stolkjærre as quickly as possible. I appealed again to the old
lady, who had followed me, for a horse. She merely patted me, and, I
think, urged me to be calm. Knowing the Norwegian for _horse_, I nodded vigorously. He
smiled indulgently, but took no other step. Not a human being did we meet,
and scarcely a dwelling was to be seen along the route. They are called "sanatoriums," generally provide fishing, and
are always amid glorious scenery. The
air is perfect, and the weather almost dependable, in the few short
weeks of summer. It was now the middle of August. Salmon is a staple dish; the meat, generally mutton, is
not much to boast of. The game, when one can get it, is excellent. The milk, which is a general drink, is
always skimmed. This is served with every meal. It
is very difficult to get fresh butter. She had
been nurse in an English family many years before, and could speak a
sort of English. We remained stationary
for two hours. The kind fishermen came to the rescue. I did what I could in
one short afternoon to enlighten them, and soon after sent them two
scoring boards. We stayed only long enough for Nico to make
one or two pictures of spots which pleased him. At Aune we met two very handsome Norwegians, who were crossing the
country on foot. They were taking a holiday in this way; but many poor
students are obliged to make use of shanks' ponies for the strongest
of reasons. Also, the Norseman is inclined to become fat early in middle life. At the station were two houses, the
station's and another. We stayed at the other. The flap table was
painted bright red, as were the benches, and the few pieces of
furniture were carved and painted wood. The brilliant colours were
mellowed by time and perhaps by smoke from the wood fire, which burnt
in a round open grate in a corner. In front sat a pale little girl, the only living
child of the beautiful hostess. One the family used, and the
other was kept for the possible guest. In
any case, there we stayed for three days, living and eating in the big
room with mother and child. We lived contentedly on potatoes and
eggs, fruit and cream, and abominable butter. We took our horse and stolkjærre, and without a boy we
followed the post on the road to Gjora. Nico drove back at the pony's best
pace. A few cows walked by me in inquisitive
procession. I effaced myself as much as possible. The two men in the cart looked at me
curiously, and drew up in front of me. I explained our delay, and we all waited for Nico's appearance. Hence the delay. When we arrived at Gjora we met with a warm
reception from our host and his family. Also, there
was a tame bluebottle which worried me very much. Nico didn't mind it a bit. The dining-room at Gjora was palatial. The cupboard, the sideboard, and the clock were beautifully
carved and coloured. We lived on a princely tin of corned beef. For
three days it provided us with two meals a day, and very good they
were. The
country all round is exceedingly beautiful. This is more especially for winter, when huge snow
avalanches are frequent. The road crosses from left to right of the
river. Although
they are often punctual in their departures and arrivals, they will
slow down and pick you up in whatever part of the fjord you choose to
meet them, and put you down too if you have your boat along with you. I have
a theory which may account for our presence there. When we arrived we went to bed. A dear little girl waited on us--a very pretty child, with
beautiful hair. Hungry as we were, we
could not eat that. We tried to ask her what more there was. That was our Sunday dinner. They were such sweet
people that we feared to hurt their feelings, and Nico ate all his
plateful and half of mine. The half that was left we divided between
our plates, which then looked quite empty enough. It is a very important port of call for all
the steamers which coast between Bergen, Trondhjem, and the North. Our driver was
for the time an affinity: no longer a guide in our pay, or in that of
the hotel, taking tourists through a world-renowned stretch of
scenery, but a romantic Norseman slowly opening out to us a valley of
delight, his possession by inheritance and love. Here they stand as a warning to future bridals. From Ostara, the goddess of spring, we
get the name of our spring feast, Easter. It was thus in the story
of Baldur, the god of light and most beloved of all the gods. At an early hour two
steamers landed at Næs, and a stream of tourists emerged. Our dream was ended. It was full of people of all descriptions, forming a droll
caricature scene. In our days they have changed. He conquered parts of France, and founded the
Duchy of Normandy. For various reasons, the place was without a quay. This was a labour of love, for he "travelled" in
machinery. He had a wife and
family in Christiania, whom he was in the habit of seeing for not more
than a week in the year. He was not
successful, and we all sat up on deck; but I have a kindly memory of
him for his excellent intentions and his music. We stayed for three weeks. It was not until the
middle of the eighteenth century, however, that the German factory
entirely ceased. That, I am afraid, is one of the blessings of which I am
deprived. Fortunately, there were only two feminine passengers. I was one. The other was an American girl who, making a European tour with the
necessary aunts, had left them in luxury and comfort in Berlin while
she made a carriole journey over Norway. The scene was
reversed, and the cattle were landed at their destination. When the steamer settled into silence, we
dropped off to sleep, too quickly to discover that all motion had
ceased and that we were at a standstill. We were not shipwrecked; nor
had we met with any untoward accident. The day after our departure the proprietor and his family left
the place, and caught us up when we finally rested at Dalen. Both vehicles belonged to one man,
who drove with us all the way, putting up when we did. Well, the
Kaiser Wilhelm is a wonderful man, and he would be rash who should
say, "This even the Emperor cannot do." To explain his frequent
presence here, a story must be told. We were three thousand four hundred feet above
the level of the sea, and the air was chilly. Our driver tried
to persuade us to stop at Horre; but it was still daylight, and we all
wanted to get on. Here we found most of the hotels closed,
and the owners almost on the point of departure. To
my taste it is abominable; but it is exceedingly strong, and perhaps
this is a virtue which carries it far. It was impossible
to plough this, or otherwise to get rid of it: so we drove through a
tunnel hollowed out in the snow. I was very glad to give fifteen kroner for it; but, deeply
attached to it as I was, we went off without it. Then I caught the others up. Our driver expressing great curiosity as
to my parcel, I showed it to him. There had been a cattle fair some distance off, and all
those interested were on the road, making their way home. Many of the most beautiful spots in Norway are
rendered more interesting by various legends connected with them. One
cannot guarantee their accuracy; but they are very welcome. Years passed, and
Marie was firm in her constancy. Ejestein hastened
by the shortest way, the Marie Stige, to meet his beloved. Long had
she watched for him; she saw him coming, and his name burst from her
with a joyful cry. He saw and rushed to meet her, but fell, and the
Rjukan whirled him into its foaming depths. Suddenly there was a crash, and down fell one of their
horses. The pony had broken the shaft on
which it had fallen, but, fortunately, had done itself no harm. Between them the men patched it up as well as they could, and we
proceeded. We were not very far from Dalen, however, and the young men
elected to walk the rest of the journey. My arguments were strong, and Nico got up and saw the party
off. We stayed for some time at Dalen. So
I unpicked a blouse of my own, and sewed it together again by hand,
and that very neatly. The little gnomes, in whom all believe, often attach
themselves to special farms. Sometimes the gnomes devote themselves, by petty vexations, to
worrying the life out of the people to whom they bear malice. She is a witch who
takes the form of a lovely woman, and meeting humans in the woods she
lures them to follow her. Her dwelling is in the mountains, which she
opens with a magic word. These, we surmised correctly, were for the birds. A
Norwegian, whatever his standing may be, is the equal of everyone. The district in which they live we were not
able to visit, to my regret. Accommodation for the tourist
is exceedingly rough, and food narrowly limited in quality and
variety. Up would
come an unsuspecting cow, which thirstily would drink the contents. This
was the proudest moment of the day. Next morning we were obliged to be up by six. Our captain was a good-looking man,
quite young, and an excellent English scholar. They were both married women. I coveted the fruit. The passengers struggled to the
opposite side, and held on as best they could. By some means the
steamer righted herself, and off we started. I think he was glad to
air his English. Harald Haarfajer
flourished in the ninth century, and was one of the first of the
heroic Vikings sung of in sagas. Defeated, Olaf fled
to Russia. His body was taken to a place called Nidaros, and
buried on the banks of a river. This, and certain
miracles wrought through his intercession, caused him to be proclaimed
a saint. His body was encased in silver and placed in Trondhjem
Cathedral, where it received great veneration until the time of the
Reformation. The luncheon was pork and stewed rhubarb, served in a very small and
stuffy dining cabin. Nico and I refused it, and regaled ourselves on a
tin of Brand. When we reached the end of this stupendous triumph
of engineering, the effect as we looked back was overwhelming. The
chief difficulty in construction was a fall of eighty feet, called the
Vrangfos. We did not get off the boat, but continued on our way to
Skien. On our left in the
rocks, he pointed out to us a yawning gap, ten or twelve feet high. That cavern, he told us, was used as a chapel, and dedicated to Saint
Michael. He was therefore obliged to
return to Solum, promising himself a speedy solution of the mystery. He could see it
with his own eyes. He took a sword from the wall to arm himself
against the unknown enemy, and his two spies rowed him to the grotto. Gathering all his courage, he went forward, and managed to feel his
way into the cave. God alone knew what awaited him there, and on His
name he called. At the sound, at the far end of the cave a big stone
was moved, and the darkness was flooded with light. said he. "Come, then, in peace." "You were indeed right," said the old man. "It is he you are now
assaulting." But I could not die away from them. These are my ruses, these my terrible
mysteries. Now that I have told you them, raise your sword against the
last of God's anointed priests living in my unhappy land. "No," he said. Live, and die when God shall call you, in this spot. Adieu, and
may God enlighten you at your last hour." "Amen," said the old man. "Both you and I have great need of the
light." Porl left. We did not
devote any considerable time to Skien, but took the train on the day
of our arrival. We stayed for some time in Christiania, a delightful town, full of
life and movement. On the King's estate
is situated an old _stavekirke_, one of the few which remain intact. It is built of logs, and has a species of balcony running almost round
it. Skiing, of course, must take the first place. The skis are really snow
skates. They consist of a pair of very long, but very narrow, strips
of wood, very thin and elastic. In front they are slightly turned up
and pointed. The skis are attached to shoes, or merely to
straps, set a little back from the middle of the strip of wood. They make
extraordinarily rapid progress over the snow, especially when it is
neither too hard nor too sticky. Sometimes a
traveller on skis, becoming thirsty, will stop at a little unfrozen
spring, and, lowering himself with wonderful cleverness until he lies
at full length with his skis disposed just as they should be, he puts
his mouth to the edge of the water and drinks. she cried. said Nico, with artistic licence, not moving from the
spot where he had taken up his stand. the owner answered, turning on us
with flashing eyes. I myself
had it for three weeks, loving it and admiring it, and asking myself
how to hang it. said Nico. "At her feet," said the worshipper. Besides these there are many
samples of purely decorative weaving, beautiful for their colour and
quaint conventional designs, often geometrical, or a continued
repetition of one or two very simple expressions of the form of a
doubtful animal. To-day it is a very thriving industry. The design is exactly the same on both sides, and the article
when finished will wear almost indefinitely. The embossed filigree work is truly admirable. Many of the most elaborate and ancient of
these _stabur_ have been bought by the State or by private persons for
presentation to the various museums which devote themselves to the
collection of relics of old Norway and try to reproduce both houses
and churches of old times with as many of their original belongings
and fittings as possible. The music is primitive; but the
hearts and feet are light, and food and drink go round in abundance. In summer all the residents on the farm are busily engaged in planting
and gathering their small crops, cutting every available blade of the
grass which is so precious and means so much to their supplies of milk
and butter and cheese when the ground is frozen and deep in snow. Tall stakes are
planted in the ground at short intervals, and on these small bunches
of grass are impaled. In summer the cattle, the
goats, and the sheep are sent out to graze on the mountain slopes. In
charge of each flock are two or three persons, generally girls. The rope
traverses precipices, ravines, and raging torrents. Midway over the fjord which this wire traversed his fingers were cut
right through, and he dropped. Fortunately, there had been spectators
of the adventure, and he was rescued without further injury. They are courageous. Seeing this, the guardian angel of the
land made complaints to the Creator. That is why, while
Norway is rich in stones, she is poorly provided with soil. Sometimes among the humbler classes
the betrothed couple wait years for the completion of their tie, as it
is sometimes necessary to await the demise of an older couple to
obtain a dwelling-place. First they interview the father, all standing. Settlements and dowry are
discussed, and finally the girl herself is consulted. Without waiting for the ceremony, the young
couple take possession of the best room; and they are looked upon as
man and wife. These invitations are on a large scale. These are eight or ten of the women friends
of the family, who are invited to assist in the preparations and to
attend to the guests during the feast. Each district possesses
an official of that kind, who is paid for his services. He is chief
steward and master of ceremonies. They are
laden with presents, mostly of food and drink. Then, after more eating and drinking, the guests dance until the small
hours. The young couple are then on view, but only
to the parents and those of the immediate circle, to the fiddler, and
to the drummer. In former times the journey, if by land, was made on foot; but now the
party drives. The boats are long and
broad. The celebrant arrived, this ubiquitous official leads the way to the
church. Then the marriage
ceremony proceeds. These he is to take home, that his
wife and family may share in the feast. The others dance, eat, and drink, as before, into the next day. In return
they are given beer, and their empty buckets are filled with wedding
food. If one may believe certain
Norwegian paintings and engravings, fights are not infrequent. This is the end of the romance. Although
there is no actual dancing until after the return from the burial,
drink passes freely. The pastor was naturally
indignant. Many of the rich farmers order their own coffins and keep them
in the stabur. They swarm all over the country, and do a good deal of
damage. Many of the roads are cut up
inconveniently by gates, placed at quite short intervals. These are the snow ploughs. The history of it was told me by
a man who drove us for days along the road across Norway between Odde
and Christiania. With them they took his
coffin, expecting indeed to find him, but resigned to the certitude of
finding his dead body only. These huts are warmed day and night
by a wood fire, which is always kept burning; on this they make their
tea and coffee and do what little cooking they may need. Sometimes the logs are chained together and
sent down in rafts; but more often each one pursues a separate course. It is used enormously for fuel, for fencing, and in building. Rye and oats are the most important cereals. Rye is the chief
bread cereal of the country. It is hardy, gentle, and very active. These are indeed a source of profit to their masters. They are made of skin
and are without shafts. The reins are tied to the horns of the beast,
and this is all the control the driver has over the animal. Sometimes during the winter a family of
these tent-dwellers descend upon districts more favoured than their
own, and I believe the immense flocks of reindeer do untold damage in
the forests. They conducted us to
their huts, and gave us dried reindeer flesh and milk. We stayed three days with these people. In
the middle of their huts a stove is placed, on which they make their
fire, all sitting round it. While wandering in the forest, a Norwegian friend was attacked by a
bull elk. They are miserably poor, and live in abominably
dirty huts on the barren land which is their heritage. The pigs feed on
anything they can pick up, which resolves itself chiefly into the
rotting remains of fish. It is not to be wondered at that such food, combined with
their unsavoury habits, produces such terrible results. Perhaps the most
important of these are cod, herring, and salmon. Cod are principally
fished for in March and April, with lines and nets. Sometimes as many as five or six thousand fishing boats,
with a total crew of thirty-two thousand men, are gathered together. They are variable in
quantity, and in some years are almost altogether absent. The
fishermen insist that there are "herring periods," with years good and
bad. This is called the
"large herring fishery," from the greater size of the fish in these
parts. Besides this, fishing goes on in a measure at all times of the
year. In the open sea they are also caught with nets, and are
more to be relied on as to quantity. These are sent as
speedily as possible by special steamers. When the shoal approaches
the coast, an immense net encloses it as completely as possible. The brilliancy of their scales as they dash about, almost on
the surface of the water, is dazzling. Following its instinct of self-preservation, it dives deep. The rope
gives out rapidly. As a final result the bomb bursts in the body
of the whale, and generally wounds it mortally. The corpse floats on
the surface; it is attached to the boat and towed to the station,
where it is cut up. These huts are round and
have one opening in the top, where the light penetrates and the smoke
comes out. The members of the family and their servants, if they have any, sleep
on either side of the fire. Like the Hungarians, they are incredibly
proud. They are unmoral and superstitious. They had all the preparations for Mass with them, and wished to take a
small unused chalet as a chapel. I sympathised with him, and threw in
a little grumble of my own, having relation to the weather. "O, the
weather!" said my red-headed friend, very hopelessly and crossly. "Why, sure, if a Bergen horse sees a person without an umbrella, he
shies." These are found in every family, dividing their favours between the
violin and the guitar. Sometimes two singers will have a duet in such a song, singing verse
after verse alternately. He whose memory, or, in default of memory,
invention, fails him first is loser. He who kicks
highest is the champion. The other dance is the _springar_, which is a
dance for two, with no less call for the display of muscular powers. I have all this from a Norwegian
book, and from instruments I have both seen and heard. He was born in Bergen, and lives there still, though he
has travelled much in Germany, Holland, and Italy. Another name which
we know well in this country is that of Sinding, who is of the younger
generation. The history of these islands is entertaining. In any case, her refusal was absolute, and the brother was obliged to
employ malignant magic. All the messengers from the Jutul, loving and
beloved by his sister, were turned into rocks before they could reach
her ear. There they remain to this day. They had a great influence
on the work of Joseph Welhaven, contemporary with the great Weigeland,
who died at this time. Also, his work had been too much
influenced by the great Germans who were his contemporaries. Asbjornsen, however, is more than a
retailer of folk-lore. Indeed, from the time he
succeeded in drama all other interests were put aside. These are primitive Turkish baths, timber rooms
heated with red-hot stones. Water is poured on the stones, and
scalding steam is produced. At the bath, the whole company sat round the room on a sort
of shelf. There was
no discrimination of sexes. In
many other countries the laws are not obeyed on one uniform principle;
here, on the contrary, the people respect them from principle."