Occasionally the travellers looked with curious interest, as they contemplated, en passant, our mode of travelling. It was a glorious warm sun, and we enjoyed our halt amid the lovely scene.
The animals are reloaded, and we are odd at half-past three o’clock. Shortly afterwards we were overtaken by a German smoking in his stolkjœrre. Very much interested he seemed in our cavalcade, and evidently took us for strolling players and musicians. He passed, and then pulled up; stared, lingered, and ultimately offered Esmeralda a seat in his stolkjœrre. She declined his offer. Then he pressed it. We then came up, and told him our party always preferred walking. He asked us what we performed, and begged our pardon when he was told we travelled for our pleasure, with our tent, and baggage, to see the country.
The German said—“You are looking well; it agrees with you. I prefer to travel faster. I do fourteen Norsk miles a day (ninety-eight English). Wish you all a pleasant journey.” And he drove off towards Christiania.
The road was very pleasant. Sometimes through forest, sometimes through the cultivated enclosure of a gaard. A young Norwegian passed us at one place, who spoke English. In passing through a forest, Noah picked up a small spruce fir which was uprooted, and was lying by the way. This replaced his broken alpenstock. It was carefully peeled, and made into a respectable walking staff.
At a short distance from Stee, we came in sight of the river, and a fall of water, near some saw-mills, apparently closed during the absence of the workmen at the harvest. All were now busy in the fields. In Norway the summer is short. To harvest quickly is a matter of pressing necessity. Everything gives place to the harvest. A tolerably quick man on a farm, we were told, earned about twenty dollars a year wages—rather more than four pounds English—his food lodging, two pairs of shoes and two pairs of stockings, and two shirts. Men engaged by the day receive, we were told, about one mark twelve skillings.
Near the mills, a stream of water crossed the road from a thick wood on the left. The stream afterwards joined the river near the mills. Through the wood, there was a pathway leading to some open broken ground surrounded by trees. It was a pleasant secluded spot, not far from the road. Here we camped. Our aftens-mad consisted of fried trout, tea, and barley-meal cakes made in the frying pan. Zachariah caught seven trout, and Noah three trout, in the river. We went after tea to fish, but it was almost dark, and we returned to our camp.
In the early morning, at twenty minutes to four o’clock, when we got up, the air was rather cold. Our fire being lighted, we had for breakfast fried trout, fladbröd, and tea. Zachariah went fishing, whilst Noah was having his matutinal wash. Esmeralda, seated near the fire, commenced. She was sorely grieved to think we should part with the donkeys. The poor animals would be left to be ill used in a strange country. She did not like to part with things she was used to, after they had gone with us so many miles. She looked as if we were going to have them shot immediately after we arrived at Christiania.
She pleaded so earnestly on their behalf, that she would have won the heart of any one of the members of the Humane Society, if he had been present.
What could we do? One, of course, was promised to our friend the chevalier; but the other two? These were not promised. We, of course, took what our hobbenengree had said into consideration.
It was a lovely morning, when the sun was up. In the first burst of its splendour, we watched its broken rays, gild the waters of the shaded stream, near our camp. How rich in colouring, the tinted moss on the broken rocks. We could have lingered long in contemplation. Yet our party must quickly move. Our tents are struck, and we are again en route.