CONTENTS TO VOL. I.
| [CHAPTER I.] | |
| The glamour of Norwegian scenery—A gentle angler in a passion—Thestirring of the blood—A bachelor’s wild scream of liberty—Whatmarriage brings a salmon-fisher to—Away, for the landof the mountain and the flood—“Little” circle sailing—TheArctic shark—Advantages of gold lace—A lesson for laughers—Norwegiancoast scenery—Nature’s grey friars—In the steps ofthe Vikings—The Norwegian character—How the Elves leftJutland—Christiansand harbour | [pp. 1-15] |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
| Disappointed fishermen—A formidable diver—Arendal, the NorwegianVenice—A vocabulary at fault—Ship-building—The NorwegianSeaboard—Sandefjord, the Norwegian Brighton—A complicatedcostume—Flora’s own bonnet—Bruin at large—Skienand its saw-mills—Norway cutting its sticks—Wooden walls—ChristopherHansen Blum—The Norwegian phase of religiousdissent—A confession of faith—The Norsk Church the offspringof that of Great Britain | [pp. 16-28] |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
| A poet in full uniform—The young lady in gauntlet gloves again—Churchin a cave—Muscular Christianity in the sixteenth century—Amiracle of light and melody—A romance of bigotry—HowLutheranism came in like a lion—The Last of the Barons—Authormakes him bite the dust—Brief burial-service in use inSouth-western Norway—The Sörenskriver—Norwegian substitutefor Doctors’ Commons—Grave ale—A priestly Samson—Olaf’sship—A silent woman—Norwegian dialects—Artificialsalmon-breeding—A piscatorial prevision | [pp. 29-47] |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
| Mine host at Dal—Bernadotte’s prudent benignity—Taxing the billof costs—Hurrah for the mountains—Whetstones—Antiquewooden church—A wild country—“Raven depth”—How theEnglish like to do fine scenery—Ancient wood-carving—A Norwegianpeasant’s witticism—A rural rectory—Share and chairalike—Ivory knife-handles—Historical pictures—An old RunicCalendar—The heathen leaven still exists in Norway—Washing-day—Oldnames of the Norsk months—Peasant songs—Rusticreserve—A Norsk ballad | [pp. 48-68] |
| [CHAPTER V.] | |
| A lone farm-house—A scandal against the God Thor—The headquartersof Scandinavian fairy-lore—The legend of Dyrë Vo—Adeep pool—A hint for alternate ploughboys—Wild goose geometry—Amemorial of the good old times—Dutch falconers—Roughgame afoot—Author hits two birds with one stone—Crossesthe lake Totak—A Slough of Despond—An honest guide—ANorwegian militiaman—Rough lodgings—A night with theswallows—A trick of authorship—Yea or Nay | [pp. 69-81] |
| [CHAPTER VI.] | |
| No cream—The valley of the Maan—The Riukan foss—Germanstudents—A bridge of dread—The course of true love never didrun smooth—Fine misty weather for trout—Salted provisions—Midsummer-nightrevels—The Tindsö—The priest’s hole—Treacherousice—A case for Professor Holloway—The realms ofcloud-land—Superannuated—An ornithological guess—Field-faresout of reach of “Tom Brown”—The best kind of physic—Undemonstrativeaffection—Everywhere the same—Clever littlehorses | [pp. 82-96] |
| [CHAPTER VII.] | |
| An oasis—Unkempt waiters—Improving an opportunity—Thechurch in the wilderness—Household words—A sudden squall—Thepools of the Quenna—Airy lodgings—Weather-bound—ANorwegian grandpapa—Unwashed agriculturists—An uncannycompanion—A fiery ordeal—The idiot’s idiosyncrasy—The punctiliousparson—A pleasant query—The mystery of making flad-brod—Nationalcakes—The exclusively English phase of existence—Authormakes a vain attempt to be “hyggelig”—Ratherqueer | [pp. 97-113] |
| [CHAPTER VIII.] | |
| Northwards—Social colts—The horse shepherd—The tired traveller’ssweet restorer, tea—Troll-work—Snow Macadam—Otterhunting in Norway—Normaends Laagen—A vision of reindeer—Thefisherman’s hut—My lodging is on the cold ground—Makinga night of it—National songs—Shaking down—A slight touch ofnightmare | [pp. 114-128] |
| [CHAPTER IX.] | |
| The way to cure a cold—Author shoots some dotterel—Pit-fall forreindeer—How mountains look in mountain air—A naturalterrace—The meeting of the waters—A phantom of delight—Provesto be a clever dairymaid—A singular cavalcade—Terrificdescent into Tjelmö-dal—A volley of questions—Crossing a cataract—Atale of a tub—Author reaches Garatun—Futile attemptto drive a bargain | [pp. 129-141] |
| [CHAPTER X.] | |
| The young Prince of Orange—A crazy bridge—At the foot of themighty Vöring Foss—A horse coming downstairs—Mountaingreetings—The smoke-barometer—The Vöring waterfall—Nationalcharacteristics—Paddy’s estimate of the Giant’s Causeway—Meteoricwater—New illustrations of old slanders—Howthe Prince of Orange did homage to the glories of nature—Authorcrosses the lake Eidsfjord—Falls in with an Englishyacht and Oxonians—An innkeeper’s story about the Prince ofOrange—Salmonia—General aspect of a Norwegian Fjord—Authorarrives at Utne—Finds himself in pleasant quarters—Nocharge for wax-lights—Christian names in Thelemarken—Femaleattire—A query for Sir Bulwer Lytton—Physiognomy ofthe Thelemarken peasants—Roving Englishmen—Christianianewspapers—The Crown Prince—Historical associations of Utne—Theobsequies of Sea Kings—Norwegian gipsies | [pp. 142-160] |
| [CHAPTER XI.] | |
| From Fairy-lore to Nature-lore—Charming idea for stout folk—Actionand reaction—Election-day at Bergen—A laxstie—Acareless pilot—Discourse about opera-glasses—Paulsen Vellavikand the bears—The natural character of bears—Poor Bruin ina dilemma—An intelligent Polar bear—Family plate—What isfame?—A simple Simon—Limestone fantasia—The paradise ofbotanists—Strength and beauty knit together—Mountain hay-making—Agarden in the wilderness—Footprints of a celebratedbotanist—Crevasses—Dutiful snow streams—Swerre’s sok—TheRachels of Eternity—A Cockney’s dream of desolation—Curds-and-whey—Thesetting-in of misfortunes—Author’spowder-flask has a cold bath—The shadows of the mountains—Theblind leading the blind—On into the night—The old familiarmusic—Holloa—Welcome intelligence | [pp. 161-187] |
| [CHAPTER XII.] | |
| The lonely châlet—The Spirit of the hills—Bauta-stones—Battlefieldsolder than history—Sand-falls—Thorsten Fretum’s hospitality—Norwegianroads—The good wife—Author executes strictjustice—Urland—Crown Prince buys a red nightcap—A melancholyspectacle—The trick of royalty—Author receives a visitfrom the Lehnsman—Skiff voyage to Leirdalsören—Limestonecliffs—Becalmed—A peasant lord of the forest—Inexplicablenatural phenomena—National education—A real postboy—Adisciple for Braham—The Hemsedal’s fjeld—The land of desolation—Apassing belle—The change-house of Bjöberg—“Withtwenty ballads stuck upon the wall”—A story about hill folk—Sivardson’sjoke—Little trolls—The way to cast out wickedfairies—The people in the valley—Pastor Engelstrup—Economyof a Norwegian change-house—The Halling dance—Tame reindeer—Aregion of horrors | [pp. 188-214] |
| [CHAPTER XIII.] | |
| Fairy-lore—A wrestle for a drinking-horn—Merry time is Yuletime—Head-dresses at Haga—Old church at Naes—Good trout-fishingcountry—A wealthy milkmaid—Horses subject to influenza—Achange-house library—An historical calculation—Thegreat national festival—Author threatens, but relents—Afield-day among the ducks—Gulsvig—Family plate—A nurse ofninety years—The Sölje—The little fat grey man—A capitalscene for a picture—An amazing story—As true as I sit here—Thegoat mother—Are there no Tusser now-a-days?—Uninvitedguests—An amicable conversation about things in general—Hanssaves his shirt—The cosmopolitan spirit of fairy-lore—Adam ofBremen | [pp. 215-241] |
| [CHAPTER XIV.] | |
| A port-wine pilgrimage—The perfection of a landlady—Old superstitiouscustoms—Levelling effects of unlevelled roads—A blankday—Sketch of an interior after Ostade—A would-be resurrectionistfoiled—The voices of the woods—Valuable timber—Astingy old fellow—Unmistakeable symptoms of civilization—Topographicalmemoranda—Timber-logs on their travels—The advantagesof a short cut—A rock-gorge swallows a river—Ferry talk—Welcome—Whatfour years can do for the stay-at-homes—AThelemarken manse—Spæwives—An important day for themillers—How a tailor kept watch—The mischievous cats—Similarityin proverbs—“The postman’s knock”—Government patronageof humble talent—Superannuated clergymen in Norway—Perpetualcurates—Christiania University examination—Norwegianstudents—The Bernadotte dynasty—Scandinavian unity—Religiousparties—Papal propagandists at Tromsö—From fanaticismto field-sports—The Linnæa Borealis | [pp. 242-276] |
| [CHAPTER XV.] | |
| Papa’s birthday—A Fellow’s sigh—To Kongsberg—A word forwaterproofs—Dram Elv—A relic of the shooting season—Howprecipitous roads are formed in Norway—The author does somethingeccentric—The river Lauven—Pathetic cruelty—The silvermine at Kongsberg—A short life and not a merry one—Thesilver mine on fire—A leaf out of Hannibal’s book—A vein ofpure silver—Commercial history of the Kongsberg silver mines—Kongsberg—Thesilver refining works—Silver showers—Thathorrid English | [pp. 277-296] |
| [CHAPTER XVI.] | |
| A grumble about roads—Mr. Dahl’s caravansary—“You’ve wakedme too early”—St. Halvard—Professor Munck—Book-keepingby copper kettles—Norwegian society—Fresh milk—Talk aboutthe great ship—Horten the chief naval station of Norway—TheRussian Admiral—Conchology—Tönsberg the most ancienttown in Norway—Historical reminiscences—A search for localliterature—An old Norsk Patriot—Nobility at a discount—Passportpassages—Salmonia—A tale for talkers—Agreeable meeting—TheRoman Catholics in Finmark—A deep design—Shipwrecked against a lighthouse—The courtier check-mated | [pp. 297-317] |
THE OXONIAN IN THELEMARKEN.
CHAPTER I.
The glamour of Norwegian scenery—A gentle angler in a passion—The stirring of the blood—A bachelor’s wild scream of liberty—What marriage brings a salmon-fisher to—Away, for the land of the mountain and the flood—“Little” circle sailing—The Arctic shark—Advantages of gold lace—A lesson for laughers—Norwegian coast scenery—Nature’s grey friars—In the steps of the Vikings—The Norwegian character—How the Elves left Jutland—Christiansand harbour.
A strange attraction has Norway for one who has once become acquainted with it: with its weird rocks and mountains—its dark cavernous fjords—its transparent skies—its quaint gulf-stream warming apparatus—its “Borealis race”—its fabulous Maelstrom—its “Leviathan slumbering on the Norway foam”—its sagas, so graphically portraying the manners and thoughts of an ancient race—its sturdy population, descendants of that northern hive which poured from the frozen loins of the north, and, as Montesquieu says, “left their native climes to destroy tyrants and slaves, and were, a thousand years ago, the upholders of European liberty.”