.-■ ■ • ■• -■ ■ -■ - . ■■' ' V . - ■ ■ : PMm \n^fmrs' 1H r\ I -,-' —-*^ Mm - ■- - ■■ - OACPOT « 'ft^f-v M^mW : - " '■^m^^^&mm lit JE ixwr* iMWfW^i *\rw^ o <*!».». TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS AND BACK IN SIX WEEKS. BEING- A SUMMER TOUR TO LAPLAND AND NORWAY. WITH NOTES ON SPORT AND NATURAL HISTORY. Capt. ALEX. W. M. CLARK KENNEDY, F.R.G.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S., etc.; LATE COLDSTREAM GUARDS, MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION; AUTHOR OF "THE BIRDS OF BERKSHIRE AND BUCKINGHAMSHIRE." MAP AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS liouooii : SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & IUVINGTON, CItOWN BUILDINGS, L88, FLEET STBEET, 1878. [All rights reserved.'] LONDON : GILBERT AND EIVINGTON, PRINTER?, ST. JOHN'S SQUARE. TO MY FELLOW TRAVELLER, THESE PAGES, DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SCENES WE VISITED TOGETHER, AEE AFFECTIONATELY Itbkattb, BY UEB HUSBAND, THE AUTHOR. 19 " Up, up ! let us a voyage take ; Why sit we here at ease ? Find us a vessel tight and snug, Bound for the Northern Seas." W. Howitt. lie. " Dost thou love wandering ? Whither would'st thou go ? Dream'st thou, sweet daughter, Of a land more fair ? Speak, mine own daughter With the sunbright locks ! To what pale banish'd region Would'st thou roam ? " She. " father, let us find Our frozen rocks, Let's seek that country Of all countries ! " He. " Why, then, we'll go." She. " On, on ! Let's pass the swallow as he flies ! " Barry Cornwall. \ PREFACE. This portion of a book is read, I am well aware, by the public with less interest than any other part of the volume ; and I believe it is quite true that one third of those who peruse a work, never turn to the preface at all ! This being so, the shorter the preface is, the better. My only excuse for adding another volume to the already long and ever-increasing list of Scandinavian travels, is my belief that com- paratively few of our fellow-countrymen, and more especially of our countrywomen, who, year after year, "take their pleasure abroad" by returning each successive summer to the fami- liar Continent, are aware what a splendid field is open to them by paying a visit to the glorious scenery of Norway, or by pushing still further northward across the Arctic Circle to the viii Preface. wilder land of the Laplanders, and the regions lighted by the rays of the midnight sun. I do not imagine that anything new is de- scribed in this book, as I have merely endea- voured to truthfully record our daily life in a most interesting land, where it must certainly be the traveller's own fault if he is not delighted with what he sees. Such a tour as that described in the following pages lies, as far as the question of money goes, within reach of all who travel abroad ; and certainly there could be found no country so near home, which combines the advantages of good fare, glorious scenery, pleasant modes of conveyance, entire novelty, and last, but not least, a remarkably health-giving climate, with a moderate expenditure, as does this part of Scandinavia. It being generally admitted that every one is entitled to have a " hobby," and to ride it, no apology is needed for the notes on natural history which will be found scattered here and there throughout this little book. I will only add, however, that if an interest Preface. ix in the wonderful and ever-attractive works of the Creator is a component part of the nature of travellers — whether journeying for the pur- pose of sport, health, novelty, or merely in search of the picturesque, — they will speedily develope a taste which will afford them fresh delights throughout the changing scenes of life, and they will lay up for themselves an endless source of enjoyment, which will last long after the so-called " pleasures " of the world have begun to pall. Such, at least, is the sincere belief of The Author. London, April, 1878. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Attractions of Norway- — Shooting and salmon-fishing — A paradise for the artist— Pleasures of carriole- driving — Novelty of the country and life in Lap- land — Different routes to Norway — The first train from Stockholm to Christiania, in 1871 — Dis- regard of time amongst the natives — Civility to inferiors — Guide-hooks — Useful hints — What may be seen in six weeks ...... 1 CHAPTER II. Start from Hampshire — Accident on the railway— Our luggage — Arrive at Hull — We go on hoard the " Hero " — Scene in Hull docks at night — We leave the Humber — A northerly gale — Frequency of storms in the North Sea — A select dinner — Splendid sunset — A rough night — Cod-fishing on the " banks " — Birds at sea — The Naze — Fishing- boats and seagulls — -Christiansand and sport to be had there ........ 18 xii Contents. CHAPTER III. PAGE The Skager Rack — We sight the Swedish coast — The Fserder lighthouse — The Christiania fjord — Its beautiful scenery — Northern divers — Mackerel and porpoises — Rifle practice — A seal in sight — Arrival at the capital — The Custom-house — A fish supper at the hotel — Brightness of the nights— We engage our carrioles — Oscarshal — The castle of Agershuus — Hoy land, the robber — Sights of the city — The discomforts of Norwegian beds . . 34 CHAPTER IV. We leave Christiania for Eidsvold — Slowness of trains — Sport near Dahl, a reminiscence of 1871 — A crowded boat on the Mjosen — The lake in summer and winter — A rush for lunch— Our " crew" fire a salute at Hamar — Arrive at Lillehammer — Geology of the Mjosen — Wild flowers — Trout- fishing— -My otter hunting horn — -We start in our carrioles — Useful advice for driving in Norway — Lovely scenery in Gudbransdalen — Enormous trout — Colour of the Logen — Fishing in Gud- bransdalen — A fox — Holmen — We pass the night at Skseggestad — Norwegian jams ... 59 CHAPTER V. An early start — Irrigation in Norway — Laziness of the peasants — Great altitude at which trees grow — Cattle and their drivers — The old station at Stork- Contents. xiii PAGE levstad and its mistress ! — Magpies, and mode of capturing them — Kringelen — Invasion of Roms- dalen by the Scotch — Fate of Colonel Sinclair's band — Delay at Moen — Laurgaard — The pass of Rusten — Toftemoen and its master — His proud lineage — An angry bull — Dombaas station — In bed above the clouds ! — Wolf and fox skins, and old silver ornaments — We leave Dombaas — The lemming — Its habits, migrations, and enemies — Exorcism used in ancient times against the lem- ming — A sseter — Price of cows and ponies — Fokstuen on Dovre ...... 84 CHAPTER VI. Great cold on the Dovre fjeld — Fishing at Aufins Bridge — The ancient station at Hjerdkin — Wild- ness of the Dovre-fjeld — Sneehsetten Mountain — Its crater — Richness in colouring of the rocks and mosses on the fjeld — Arrive at Kongsvold — Trout — Eagles and owls — Excellency of Kongs- vold station — The Dovre a splendid field for , botany — Abundance of flowers — Reindeer moss — Shooting on the Dovre-fjeld — A snowstorm — Beauty of the drive from Kongsvold to Drivstuen — The " leap of the stomach " — A girl postboy ! — The hawk-owl and its habits — Bjerkager — We join a wedding procession — Great heat at Engen — Hop-gardens in the Guul valley — Salmon-fish- ing in the Guul — We go by rail to Throndhjem — Midsummer's night on the shores of Throndhjem fjord H5 xiv Contents. CHAPTER VII. PAGE Great heat in Throndhjem — Herr Bruun's far stores — Eider-down quilts from Greenland — I purchase presents for the Laps- — We leave Throndhjem for the Arctic regions — St. Han's eve — Monkholm Island and its legend — The " Nordland " and her officers — Jelly-fish at Besaker — Porpoises and bottle-nosed whales — The Namsen fjord — Excel- lency of the Namsen for salmon-fishing — Seals — Terns and gulls — Curious appearance of Apelvser Islands — " Haycocks " of cod-fish — The codfishery of the Loffoden Islands — Sleepless birds of the Arctic Seas — Torghatten — Splendour of the sunsets on the western coasts of Norway — The Seven Sisters' Mountains — Crossing the Arctic Circle — Scenery near the Polar Circle — Our first view of the midnight sun ...... 143 CHAPTER VIII. Bodo — " Jagts " — We cross the Vest fjord — Vast flocks of sea-fowl — Grand scenery of the Vest fjord — The Maelstrom and its history — Everest's de- scription of the whirlpool — The Isle of Flakstad and its whales — The Loffoden Islands — Fishing from the ship — Cod and " lythe " — Stockmarknses — Swarms of eider fowl and sea-birds near Stock - marknEes — The trade of the poor fishermen of Loffoden — Extraordinary wildness of the scenery of these islands — In the Arctic Ocean — Sea-fowl in the And fjord — Vast flocks of eider ducks — The Contents. xv PAGE " Xordland " reaches Tromso — Schmidt's hotel — Midnight fishing in Tromso fjord — The cuckoo in the Arctic regions — Precautions against fire — The midnight sun is " put out " .... 169 CHAPTER IX. We pay a visit to the Laplanders on Ivvaloe Island — Our lazy crew — Wintry scenery — Eider fowl in their breeding haunts — We find nests of the eider ducks — Eider down and its value — Habits of eider fowl in Lapland — Strict protection of these birds in Iceland — Bishop Pontoppidan's account of the eider — Dreary scenery at the Lap encampment — Difficulty of distinguishing the male and female Laps — Ugliness of the Laps — Their tents — We are welcomed by the Laps — Dirty habits of the Laps — Their babies — Their cradles described — " Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top ! " — The Lap family at dinner — Linnseus on the felicity of the Laplander's lot — King eiders .... 193 CHAPTER X. Drawbacks to the felicity of the Laps — Lapland not to be recommended to an anxious farmer — Extra- ordinary growth of crops north of the Arctic Circle — A Tromso harvest — Effect of the Gulf stream on vegetation — Discrepancy of temperature — Reindeer-horn spoons — " Komager" — Lap women " spinning " — Religious observances of the Laps — xvi Contents. PAGR Healthiness of these people — Love of the Lap for smoking and drinking — Their food — The reindeer the source of riches to the Lap — An opulent Lap- lander — Reindeer moss — Uses of the hide, horns, sinews, and flesh of the reindeer — Reindeer hams and tongues — Lap women — Milking the tame deer — A Lap's larder — The glutton — " Fisk Lappar " — The reindeer as a steed — Description of the Lap sledge — A winter " family move " — Harness of the tame deer — Fractious behaviour of these steeds — Instinct and habits of reindeer — The reindeer a plucky animal — We bid adieu to the Laps — A golden eagle — A Tromso shop and its contents — I purchase reindeer-horns and walrus tusks — Uses of walrus ivory .... 220 CHAPTER XL The sights of the Arctic Ocean — The polar bear — Digestive powers of the white bear — Shooting a bear — A large bear — Lamont's books on Arctic sport — Russian whalers at Tromso — The chase of the walrus — Shooting and harpooning walruses — Fondness of mother walruses for their young — AVe are visited by Laps with their deer — The cuckoo in Lapland — The watchman in Tromso church- tower — Lap dolls — " Rein " grass — A novel barometer — Good fishing — We re-embark on the "Nordland" — The midnight sun — Prosperity of Tromso — Table of the midnight sunshine — Im- mense quantity of sea-birds in Finmark — The Contents. xvii PAGE puffin — Amongst the Loffodens again — A weasel on deck — The white fox — Mode of capturing Arctic foxes by the Greenlanders — The silver fox — Amusements of the Laps — A noisy congrega- tion — Lap cures for sickness — Lap funerals . 251 CHAPTER XII. The Vest fjord at midnight — Grand scenery of Loffodens and the Bodo coast — Our last view of the mid- night sun — Bodo — Absence of sands on the Nor- wegian coasts — Glaciers — Serrated mountains — Kerry cattle in the Polar regions — The last of the Arctic Seas— Crossing the " circle "—A " right " whale in sight — A private whaling expedition — We are unable to join it — The luxuries of amateur whaling — Sunset south of the Arctic regions — The Isle of Torget and its " hat "—Wild scenery — A rough day — I catch a large cod— Little auks —The little auk as food — "lied" snow, and its cause — Return to Throndhjem — A wedding in low- life — An ancient church — The beauty of the graveyard of Throndhjem Cathedral — The interior of the cathedral — St. Olaf — St. Olaf, the champion of Christianity — Death of Olaf — Shrine of St. Olaf— The legend of Olaf and Tvester, the wizard 284 CHAPTER XIII. it heat in Throndhjem — We go to the cathedral service — A tea-garden — Cheap drunkenness ! — xviii Contents. PAGE Walrus-tusk knives — Bruun's fur shop — Sights of the city — The Lierfossen — Smelting copper ore — Fruit in Norway — On board the "Nordland" again — We sail for Bergen — Emigrants for America — A beautiful sunset — King Olaf's saga — Hitteren and its red deer — Christiansund — pic- turescpje situation of the town — Abundance of flowers there — The fish trade of the town — The sea eagle — Eagles conquered by fish — A spread eagle ! — Eough sea off the Molde fjord — Molde and its fruit-trees — The Komsdal valley — Sport in Bomsdalen — A grand panorama of the Romsdal Mountains — The Romsdalshorn — A " spring- whale " — Sharks on the Norwegian coasts — The shark fishery — The black shark — Harpooning the basking shark — A bagman from the Arctic regions ! — Aalesund and its lobsters — Associations of the Vikings — Longfellow's saga of King Olaf . 315 CHAPTER XIV. It olio the walker— The cliff of Hornelen— The Nord fjord — The Islands of Losmoe and Sulen — " Jagts " — The Sogne fjord and its attractions — We arrive at Bergen — Rainfall at Bergen — Description of the jagts— We bid adieu to the " Nordland "— " Early to bed " the motto of the inhabitants— Precautions against fire in Bergen — A disturber of our rest — The sights of Bergen — The museum — The story of a bedstead — History and trade of Bergen — The skating soldiers of the Contents. xix PAGE Norwegian army — Old silver at Bergen — We leave Bergen — The sea-serpent — The evidence for and against the existence of the " Kraken " — The description of leviathan in Job — Blasting rock near Bolstadoren — Curious salmon traps — Arrive at Bolstadoren — The Evanger Vand — Courtesy of all classes in Norway — Vossevangen — Midnight trout-fishing — Woodcock in their nesting haunts — The lament of the birds of passage . . . 350 CHAPTER XV. A.n early stroll in Vossevangen woods — The black wood- pecker and northern nightingale — Blackthroated divers — Habits of the golden-eye duck — The Voring-foss — " Fliid-brod " — The Tvinde-foss — Stalheim station — The engineering of the Stalheims-cleft — Wild scenery of the Na^rodal — Romantic situation of Gudvangen — A splendid panorama of waterfalls — We arrive at Lserdalsoren — Service in the old church of Borgund— Its his- tory — Maristuen on the Fille fjeld — Bears — A cold drive over the Fille fjeld — Lemmings — Wild scenery — Nystuen station — Costume of the pea- sants — Attractions of Nystuen — Desolate aspect of the fjeld near Skogstad — Reindeer — Fine trout at Oiloe — Story of a peasant attacked by wolves — The "little" Mjosen — Mosquitoes at Fagernoes — A charming station — A moonlight drive to Odnojs — Fine timber at Odnces — A midnight Supper of ii< Ldfaree and redwings 1>\ .stcanici XX L 1st of Illustrations . clown the Randsfjord — The legend of the swallow, the crossbill, and the peewit — Honefos and its history — By train to Christiania — We leave Norway hy the " Albion " — Wenham lake ice — Christiansand — Bloodthirsty mackerel — A North Sea fog — We nearly run down a fishing-boat — Back to the Thames — A Norwegian national song — Au revoir ....... Appendix ...... ... General Index ........ Index to Scientific Names of Animals, &c. . 381 419 423 445 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Exterior of Throndhjem Cathedral . . Frontispiece Little auks or "rotchies " . . . . . .17 The icy Arctic Ocean ...... 33 Carriole and Norwegian pony . . . . .58 Pair of long-tailed ducks or " harelds " . . .114 The fulmar petrel ....... 142 Seals "at home" . . . ' . . . .168 A hungry Arctic fox at a trap . . . . .192 Pair of king eider ducks . . . . . .219 Head of the reindeer ... . . . . . 250 Boat approaching a walrus . . . . .283 Carved stonework in Throndhjem Cathedral . . 314 Fishermen hauling their herring-nets . . . 349 The old church of Borgund ..... 389 Map of route of Captain and the Hon. Mrs. Clark Kennedy At end TO THE AECTIC REGIONS AND BACK IN SIX WEEKS. CHAPTER I. " Thou hast sail'd far— Permit me of these unknown lands t' inquire ; Lands never till'd, where thou hast wandering been, And all the marvels thou hast heard and seen." Crabbe. "Have you yet been to Norway?" is a query that I have often put to numerous friends, on being asked to help them to decide where to take their annual holiday ; and if their reply be in the negative, as is generally the case, then my answer is, " You have not seen the most glorious country in Europe; by all means go next summer." The chief attractions of this northern land may be summed up in a very few words. It B To the Arctic Regions s possesses splendid scenery, in the shape of magnificent mountains, with glaciers and eternal snows ; forests of dark pine and waving birch, where the axe has never yet been wielded by man; quiet valleys, with many a little village snugly buried among the fir-woods, each with its quaint old church, and picturesque wooden farm-houses are dotted here and there on river-bank and hill-side. Its waterfalls and streams are among the grandest in the world for rugged beauty, while its "fjords" and "fjelds" afford the most picturesque scenery one can imagine. The sportsman will always find in Norway a fairly good stock of winged game in autumn or winter, though bears are very scarce nowadays, and even reindeer less numerous than of yore, and hard to obtain. The angler can always find employment for his rod in almost every river or lake, and may, if he takes sufficient trouble to find out for himself the choice waters, obtain excellent sport with both trout and grayling, though it is quite a delusion to suppose that every one And Back in Six Weeks. 3 can kill a salmon in Norwegian waters, as (though there are plenty of those fish in the rivers) they are well protected wherever they are found, and a stranger would find it most difficult to obtain permission for even a day's salmon-angling. And I may here remark that most of the best rivers, and several of the inferior ones, too, are let year after year to Englishmen; and yet travellers are constantly complaining that they find it impossible to obtain leave to fish in such a river, and at once put down the lessee thereof as a selfish fellow, quite forgetting the fact that the said lessee, probably as keen a fisherman as they are them- selves, has left England on purpose to enjoy his salmon river, and finally, that he has a perfect right to keep for himself and his friends that sport for which he has to pay a good round sum ! For the artist, of course, the variety of sub- jects for the pencil is endless; and I should imagine the principal difficulty would rest upon a careful selection of the most beautiful objects of scenery in a country where fresh charms for b 2 To the Arctic Regions & the eye meet one at every turn of the road, at each winding of the river or the fjord. Not least among the attractions of Norway, especially to ladies, is that of being able to drive oneself along roads, magnificently engi- neered, in one's own " carriole," than which mode of travelling any lady who has spent a few weeks in the country will agree with me there is none more agreeable. There is certainly a delightful feeling of freedom about this carriole driving. You are entirely your own master; your ponies are, as a rule, excellent, and very sure-footed; you are not bothered by having the bewigged and powdered head of your coachman ever in front of your nose, nor need you fear your conversation with your friend in another carriole being overheard and commented on by the footman behind. You can drive as slowly or as fast as you like, and can stop at any part of the road to rest or explore for as long as you like; and you are pretty sure of fresh relays of good ponies to speed you on your journey from " station " to " station." And Back in Six Weeks. 5 However, I must not longer dilate on the marvellous attractions of my favourite country; but it is no easy matter to know where to stop, once having begun to sing the praises of " Gamle Norge," as the peasants love to call their native land. One more word, and I have done. If you like novelty, a thorough change of scene, and diversity from any other part of Europe, go to Norway. Turn your affections and your steps thither also, if you are in search of good health, for it is one of the most health- giving lands on the globe's surface; and the author is quite sure that if you once set foot in the country, you will be very sorry when your time bids you return home ; and having visited it once, you will often long to go back again. It has been the fashion for many years to go abroad every summer, and very few are their numbers nowadays who cannot boast of being foreign tourists ! The reader knows the Continent proper, perhaps, very well. He has doubtless long since " done " France, the German Spas, and the familiar Rhine. He may have many a time crossed the Alps, and To the Arctic Regions ■i> sailed on the bosom of the lovely lakes of northern Italy. He may have explored the ruined beauties of Roman architecture, and sought for relics of bygone times on the plains of classic Greece. He probably has wandered among the mountains of the Bavarian highlands, and he maybe a constant "migrant" to the valleys and hills of Switzerland. The quaint churches and curious cities of Belgium may no longer please him ; and the china-stores or the old-world costumes of Holland may have long- since lost their charm of novelty. Why then do the same people year after year, as regularly as summer returns, revisit haunts of which they are often heartily sick, merely because it is the " proper thing to do " ? Turn your steps, I pray you, this summer to the North ; to old Scandinavia, the land of the mountain, lake, and river, the home of the brave Vikings, the land of rich legends, where some of the most splendid scenery in the world is to be found. Or if you are more adventurous, pack up your small portmanteau for a trip to the Arctic Regions, and accompany us in our six And Back in Six Weeks. 7 weeks' travel to distant Lapland, the hannt of the white fox and the reindeer, the home of the little Lap, the land where throughout the long summer nights you can see the blood-red orb of the sun shedding his splendours o'er fjord, fjeld, and ocean ! A tour to Norway is — notwithstanding the statement in the previous pages that compa- ratively few travellers attempt it — a regular summer trip for many, and its beauties are becoming better known and appreciated every year. A considerable number, however, of the English annual visitors are what are familiarly termed by the captains of the steamers "old Norwegians," which means that those so called have been in the country several times, gene- rally for purposes of sport; for, as before mentioned, not many who have once become acquainted with Scandinavian rivers, fjords, and fjelds, are able to resist the pleasant temptation of another visit. So many varied routes from this country to Norway are now open, that the traveller has several lines of march from which to select 8 To the Arctic Regions the one that pleases his fancy most. He can, for instance, make Hull his starting-point, and proceed by steamer to Throndhjem, Bergen, or Christiansand direct, and from the latter port go on to Christiania. If he happens to live in or near London, he can save time and trouble by sailing direct from the Thames to the Norwegian capital. Should he desire to make Scotland his starting-point, a steamer will take him from the harbour of Leith. But if it happens to be his sad case that to brave the dangers of the deep is not only no pleasure to him, but verily pain and torture to body and mind, as is, I fear, the plight of many who take their pleasure on steamers, he has a pretty route open to him via Dover and Ostend, which will only give him the half-dozen hours' misery of the short run across the Channel, instead of the three days or thereabouts which would otherwise be spent on the North Sea. If not in a hurry to reach their ultimate desti- nation of Christiania, those who decide on this route (which the author travelled by in the spring of 1871) have the opportunity of seeing And Back in Six Weeks. 9 several interesting places on the way, which if they are not already acquainted with them, are worth seeing. Among towns one passes by this ronte are Bruges, Ghent, and Brussels, in Belgium; Hanover, Hamburg, and Kiel, in Germany; and, more interesting than any, Copenhagen. Having spent as much time as he wishes in Denmark, the mail steamer will take him over " The Sound "to a small town called Malmo, in the south of Sweden. Thence he can either take the railway to Gottenburg, and by steamers through the lakes to Stockholm ; or by rail all the way to the capital of Sweden, where he will find some magnificent hotels, and several museums, and other objects of interest. The traveller can then journey on by the railway to Christiania, passing by Carlstad and Arvika, a pretty line of country. The author happened, curiously enough, to travel by the first train that ever ran over this line of railway, in the spring of 1871. I had been in Stockholm, attending the funeral of the Queen of Sweden and Norway, who hud just died. The funeral procession was very im- io To the Arctic Regions posing; and the various crown jewels, which were kept in Christiania, had been brought from that city to be " present " at the ceremony. The escort for these valuables consisted of several of the high officers of state, and owing to their great kindness and to that of the British consul at Stockholm, I was taken, free of expense, from that place to Christiania by the train con- veying back the jewels and officials. I well remember the immense saloon carriage, in which we made ourselves very comfortable ; and the weather being very cold at that time of year, the carriage was well warmed. The officials, mostly grey-haired old gentlemen, were very happy playing whist uninterruptedly for the one and a half day's time which the journey occupied. Whenever our train arrived at a bridge, these old gentlemen took great care of themselves, stopping the train, and getting out, when we all would walk leisurely over the bridge, and the train slowly followed. After the bridge was duly examined, a few pipes smoked, and "good luck" drunk to the safety of the bridge and prosperity to the new A?id Back in Six Weeks. 1 1 line, we would get in again, and once more proceed on our way. We slept at Carlstad that night, and the bridge scene and consequent delay was often repeated during the day. Next morning the officers were rather sleepy, as the game of cards had gone on to rather a late hour on the previous evening, so they did not choose to "embark" again until mid-day, and the "first train " at last arrived at the Norwegian capital just as it was getting dark; thus accomplish- ing the distance of some four hundred miles in thirty-four hours. I only mention this day's travelling to show the utter disregard of time, which is the case with the people — both rich and poor — throughout Scandinavia. Any traveller must bear in mind that the custom of the natives is never to be in a hurry; so that he is much more likely to be promptly and civilly attended to if he is careful to give his orders for horses, food, or what not, in a con- siderate tone of voice ; civility, even to inferiors, costs nothing, and the tourist may rely upon it that he who gives his orders at an hotel or roadside "station" in a rough or domineering 12 To the Arctic Regions & ■ voice, will not be served with what he may require with either the same willingness or civility as would one who takes care to give no offence to the poor peasant by speaking kindly, and not appearing to be in too great a hurry. This advice is most important, and the result of non-compliance with it costs many an Englishman the annoying delay of perhaps several hours at a " station " before horses (which are all the time probably in the stable) are supplied to him, even if he is sufficiently lucky to obtain any at all ! After this digression, I must resume the question of the advantage of the route from Dover to Ostend, and through Germany and Denmark, as previously described. The prin- cipal advantage of course consists in the avoid- ance of the long sea voyage which must be taken by any other line of travel; but the disadvantages are that it entails a loss of time (unless one thinks that the various cities passed compensate for this), and nearly three times more expense than by direct steamer. This little work is not intended by the author for And Back in Six Weeks. 1 3 one moment to be thought of as in any way supplying the place of a " Guide Book ;" and care has been taken, as far as possible, to avoid useless repetition of facts and information easily found by reference to "Murray," which I unhesitatingly affirm to be by far the best book to take with one to both Norway and Sweden, and without the latest edition of which no tourist should leave home. The author, at least, has never been without these invaluable guides when abroad ; and on all parts of the European continent, and in Northern Africa and in Asia also, I have found in countless instances comfort, advice, and help, by reference to my beloved and often much-begrimed " Murray," when all other as- sistance had failed ! Although almost every information that can be required is to be found in the above-quoted guide, and in Mr. Bennett's " Handbook," the following hints I think may be found useful to the traveller, and will not be out of place here. Firstly. — Take as little luggage, consistent of course with comfort, as you possibly can; 14 To the Arctic Regio7is one fair- sized portmanteau for each person, together with a small bag, and a bundle of rugs, ought to be sufficient. This amount of luggage can be readily carried upon one carriole, whereas, if you have much in addition to this, you will find it the cause of terrible delay, and often of extra expense, at every station where you change horses, which on the average is every eight or nine miles. Secondly. — If you purchase heavily in old silver curiosities, carved wood, the skins of animals, and the like, as almost all travellers are wont to do, you will find it by far the best plan to fill small but strong wooden boxes now and then ; and when at places on the coast, such as Bergen or Throndhjem, have them sent round by a coasting steamer to Christiania, where the landlord of your hotel or Mr. Bennett will gladly take charge of them until your arrival. Photographs, old silver ornaments, &c, get terribly damaged by being knocked about the country while the traveller is on his carriole journey. Thirdly. — Every one should be careful to take And Back in Six Weeks. 1 5 a few useful medicines from England, as one may be taken ill at some very out-of-the-way spot in the mountains, and good doctors in Norway are extremely scarce, whilst in Lapland they hardly exist at all. For all other information the author refers the traveller to "Murray," whose "knapsack" edition is bound in a flexible cover, and will be found less bulky than the larger guide, and it answers all practical purposes. He must be sure also, on his arrival in Christiania, to obtain the inexpensive little volume published every summer by Mr. Bennett, and which contains such a mass of local notes (especially referring to the proper payments for horses from one "station" to another, all which places are mentioned by name, with the government scale of charges from stage to stage), that the traveller would often be at a loss without the well-known "Bennett's Handbook." The reader will understand, I trust, that it is utterly impossible to see one quarter of the beauties of Norway in a few months' travelling, and wc should have many a successive Bummer 1 6 To the Arctic Regions & to cross the wild North Sea before we became acquainted with half the interesting and beauti- ful nooks which the country possesses. The tour described in the following pages was necessarily rather hurried, but the routes we took were as varied and interesting as could well be; and the districts through which we passed were a combination of some of the most wild and rugged, with many of the most homely and peaceful scenes in the land. By following our line of march, or by striking out one somewhat similar for yourself, you can travel — making London or Hull your starting and returning point — about five thousand miles in the six weeks we place at your disposal. If you can spare more time, you of course can easily travel over far more country, or can linger as long as you choose at any place that takes the fancy. The object, however, of the present volume is to give a rough sketch of what can be accom- plished with ease in the short space of time above mentioned, with the ultimate intention of seeing a little life and scenery within the Arctic Regions. And Back in Six Weeks 17 The most convenient way of relating onr story is perhaps in the form of a journal ; we will therefore commence with our departure from England in a new chapter. 1.1 III. l: AUKS, OB " ROTC1IIES." CHAPTER II. " And now in our trim boats of Norroway deal , We will sport through the waves With the porpoise and seal, And the breeze it shall pipe — So it pipe not too high, And the gull be our songstress Whene'er she flits by." Song op Claud Halceo. Thursday, June 8th, 1876. The day we have fixed for our start to the lands of the midnight sun is indeed a lovely- one; and as we leave the pretty Hampshire park behind us, a full chorus of birds salutes our ears as we pass through the bright green woods, as if to wish us good-bye and a pleasant journey ! The short run up to London was quickly accomplished, and without mishap to our train, although a large portion of the tunnel under To the Arctic Regions and Back. 19 the " Hog's back " (well-known to the good people of Surrey) took the opportunity of falling in just as a luggage-train was passing through the tunnel during the forenoon, but we heard that no one was killed. The only interesting incident to myself was the hurried glimpse I caught, as we dashed past the Aldershot " North Camp " station, of the familiar white jackets of a detachment of my old regiment, and also some of the Grenadier Guards, who were employed, with the question- able assistance of half a gale of wind and a glaring sun, in endeavouring to make bull's-eyes at eight hundred yards' distance on the faces of those well-known targets, pounding away at which I have spent many a day ! We made a few small additions to our kits to-day, consisting of a broad-brimmed straw hat for L , to keep off Norwegian suns, and grey gauze veils to enable both of us to keep at bay the mosquitoes ; and this is a very necessary armament for one's face and neck in liot weather, when those little pests positively swarm, especially if one is fishing, or walking near a 2 2o To the Arctic Regions & river or lake. A couple of pairs of really strong, thick laced boots, well studded with large nails, are what I would recommend every lady to take with her to Norway. Ordinary English ladies' walking-boots, with their ugly high heels and absurdly thin soles, would last but a very few days on a Norwegian hill-side ; and if a lady has to walk through wet grass or on muddy roads, as she sometimes is obliged to do, she will soon see the advantage of thick boots over thin ones, as carriole-driving with cold wet feet is by no means a pleasant or healthy amusement. Our amount of baggage is by no means large, and this will save us a world of trouble and delay during our travels. It consists of two portmanteaus, one for my wife and the other for myself, a very small hand-bag apiece, and a good bundle of rugs and waterproofs, while one salmon-rod and gaff, and a couple of trout-rods tied up with the umbrellas, completes the list. There is also a small trout " creel," which, when not filled with its legitimate occupants, will serve to carry our luncheon. A nd Back iu Six Weeks. 2 1 We have taken care to keep sufficient space in our portmanteaus for some sheets, two pairs of towels, and a couple of pillow-cases, and, from my experience at the road-side " stations " in Norway in 1871, I fancy we shall find these articles very useful. Friday, June 9th. The weather in London was so dreadfully sultry last night, that we were only too glad to find ourselves rushing through the heated air in the 10.35 a.m. express for the port of Hull, whence our steamer sails this evening. The extreme heat soon changed into rain, which we had expected from our rapidly falling barometer ; and by the time we reached Peterborough, its fine old cathedral could scarcely be distinguished through the mist. On sped the train through the dreary fen country, with its flat green meadows, long lines of gaunt poplars, and straight canals, looking doubly dismal in the tremendous downpour, — on past Grantham and past race-loving Doncaster, till the two hundred miles were accomplished, and our destination reached at Eour o'clock. 22 To the Arctic Regions On the platform we found an individual who told us the unwelcome news that we could not go on board our steamer at once, as the cargo was not yet completed, and the captain stated that he would not sail until six o'clock to-morrow morning. Having disposed of a capital and remarkably cheap table-d'lwte dinner at the station hotel, I walked down to the docks, where an enor- mous assemblage of shipping belonging to all nations was congregated ; and after a consider- able search for our steamer, the " Hero " by name, I found my way on board and down to the cabin, which we had engaged six weeks ago, and which turns out to be a very snug one, and almost in the middle of the vessel. As we shall sail early to-morrow, the captain advised us to come on board this evening and sleep in our cabin, instead of passing the night on shore and having to get up at five in the morning, which was too good advice to be thrown away. Returning, therefore, to the hotel, I soon saw our baggage off on a truck to the ship, where it arrived at the same time as And Back in Six Weeks. 23 L and myself. After settling our small cabin as comfortably as we were able, we took a stroll round the docks, which, although the hour was late, being past nine o'clock, still presented a very busy appearance. The rain had now ceased, and there was a bright full moon shining, and the night was warm and pleasant, but a rising wind howling through the rigging of the numberless ships around us does not hold out very sanguine hopes of a calm day in the North Sea to-morrow. The whole of the vessels in the same dock as that where our steamer lies sail on their respective voyages during the next few days, and some at the same time as we do in the morning. Most of these ships are steamers of a large size, and are destined for Copenhagen, Hamburg, Norway, and other European ports. Several belong to Russia also, and we particu- larly noticed one vessel whose decks were being crowded with quantities of traction-engines and un-ploughs from Suffolk for Riga, where we hope they may be as useful as the cargo of sew- ing machines, on board another large steamer 24 To the Arctic Regions destined for Archangel. It is now 11.30 p.m., and our crew are making the most awful noise it is possible to conceive in their frantic endea- vours to complete the cargo by G a.m., as if they don't we shall lose the "tide," and more delay will ensue. Saturday, June 10th. It is really wonderful how loud and continu- ous noise on board ship tends to send one to sleep ; and though I am told that the hideous commotion over our heads went on all night long, we certainly were utterly oblivious to things of the outer world until we awoke at seven o'clock to find that the " Hero " had sailed more than an hour ago, and that we were steam- iug away down the tideway of the Humber. Our first breakfast on board gave us the opportunity of seeing what our fellow-passengers were like in appearance; and although the principal part of them — thirty-five in all — paraded at the feast spread for us in the saloon, comparatively few of that number were to be seen towards the end of the meal. At about nine o'clock we got clear of the Humber; and . Ind Back in Six Weeks. 25 the breeze, which had been freshening all night, soon began to make itself felt. Being, luckily for my own pleasure on board ship, a good sailor, I could not repress a smile as those who had set to work with such a hearty appetite only a quarter of an hour ago, whose conversation had been so energetic, and whose cheeks bore a few moments since the rosy hue of health — one after another cut short their dejeuner, and with trembling hands, pallid visages, and shaky legs made the best of their respective ways to " enjoy " the privacy of their cabins. Going on deck, I found the wind very strong from the north-east, and in consequence the sea was " short and chopping," as indeed this stormy North Sea generally is. It is not often that a voyage to or from Norway is calm, even in summer time, and the reason given for the livquent storms in the North Sea is, that being so extremely shallow, in a comparatively short time a very nasty rough sea is stirred up from, as ii were, "the very bottom." The captain of the " Eero " tells me that in do pari is the North Sea believed to be orem than thirty 26 To the Arctic Regions fathoms in depth, and in general it is not over twenty fathoms. L was, unfortunately, soon in her berth, quite hors de combat, but not suffering much. The delay last night was very annoying, as after all we hear that a great deal of the cargo we were to have taken was left behind, which is unlucky for us, as it consisted of iron sleepers for a Norsk railway, and would have proved a valuable ballast, and saved us much rolling to-day. The wind being north-easterly is also unfortunate, as it is dead ahead of the vessel and very strong, and we are progressing at present only nine knots per hour, which is terribly slow, and the ship being narrow, and so lightly laden, rolls terribly. By eleven o'clock, the flat shores of the coast at the mouth of the Humber had disappeared from view, and we have seen the last glimpse of old England for some weeks. A few seagulls still follow the ship, and continued to do so long after the land had faded from our sight. The storm continued all the morning, but the sun shone brightly throughout the day, and And Back in Six Weeks. 27 a cloudless sky made the heaving sea look less cheerless. We saw no vessels to-day, after we were out of sight of land ; and, indeed, it was not easy to see very far, for such clouds of spray sur- rounded the steamer as to wet one through if one remained long on deck. A "tent," constructed of sail-cloths and boat's-oars, was rigged up for our benefit by the captain's orders, but no sooner had I gone beneath its shelter, thau it was blown down, and the wind being still very strong, we left it where it fell, to be put up again when the storm abates. Luncheon, or rather dinner, at 2 p.m., was by no means the sociable meal that breakfast was in the morning ; only one passenger besides the captain and myself appearing at the table, where the wooden " fiddles " did not prevent several breakages of plates and glasses, so much did the vessel roll and pitch. The force of the wind lessened towards evening, but the waves broke over our decks and deluged me very often. By 9 p.m. the wind veered from the eastward to due north, and in another hour's time it became due west, 2 8 To the Arctic Regions and sails were then hoisted, which steadied the ship considerably. L was much better in the evening, but could not leave her cabin. The change in the length of the day, as we proceed northward, is already observed to be considerable, and I could read my book on deck with perfect ease at half past ten o'clock to-night. The sun itself actually set at 8.25 p.m.; and 1 amused myself by timing it from the instant that the lower part of the ball of fire appeared to touch the water till the tip of its upper rim finally disappeared from sight below the horizon. It took exactly four minutes and a half, which could not fail to make one's thoughts dwell on the rapidity of the flight of time. It was one of the most splendid sunsets I ever saw ; the western sky having a glorious appearance for an hour after the sun had set over the stormy waters. Sun