It is Tuesday, 16th August. En route Zachariah, “Vand” “Yog.” We are all up at half-past three o’clock. It rained a little, and was very cloudy. One carriole passed on the road in the night, and another early in the morning. Noah lighted a fire, and we had Australian preserved meat, and fladbröd, and tea for breakfast.
When the gipsies were packing up, a man and a boy came across the river in a boat, to look at the donkeys. Whilst they were absent from their boat, Esmeralda went to the river to wash, and getting into the boat to amuse herself, it got detached from the side, and she was floating away, without oars, into the middle of the river, when she jumped out nearly up to her middle. This incident, she did not relate until afterwards, thinking we might be angry with her, for getting into the boat.
The tents are struck, the donkeys loaded, and we are off at eight o’clock. The rest and repose at our beautiful camping ground, had given us renewed spirit. We were decidedly better. The weather cleared. The road winds, through a diversified scene, of thick fir woods, and occasional enclosures. One very large gaard on the opposite side the river, before we reached Sorum, was admirably arranged for comfort and convenience. It was pleasantly placed above the river. We noticed a pigeon-box against a large granary, the only one we saw in Norway.
Coming to a delightful spot, near a stream of water, in a wood, not far from the road, we halted. There were some houses on the other side the road. One woman was singing, who had an excellent voice. We seldom heard any singing in Norway. Singing birds, and singing women, were scarce. We were pleased with this woman’s voice.
Our middag’s-mad consisted of Australian meat, fladbröd and butter, and cheese and tea. We had also chocolate. An altercation took place between Noah and Zachariah. Mephistopheles shouted so loud, we gave him a bang on the head, which effectually laid his spirit low.
At half-past three o’clock, the party were again en route. The country was very pleasing; the weather delightful. Zachariah played, from time to time, his violin, as we slowly journeyed along. The Sorum Station is a quaint old place. The road passes through a sort of court surrounded by wooden buildings. It is kept by very respectable people. We purchased twenty-two skillings’ worth of fladbröd and butter. All the gens de la maison assembled to see us, including the traveller, who had passed in his carriole.
With mutual salutations, we again left, Zachariah playing his violin, as we passed through a thick forest. Then we had more enclosures, and some pretty rural lanes. At last, towards the close of evening, when the road passed through an open fir wood, we noticed a large lagoon, or open arm of the river, to our left, on the margin of the wood.
A halt was called, and we camped on the edge of the wood, below the road. Our tents were pitched near two tall Scotch firs, standing outside the wood, with a pleasant view across the lagoon. It was from six to seven o’clock, when we halted. Noah and Zachariah went fishing, but without success. Our aftens-mad consisted of tea, ham, fladbröd, butter, and chocolate. Esmeralda and ourself practised Romany. Our health was fast returning—in fact, we were almost as well as usual.
Up at four o’clock. Now, Noah! Zachariah! Noah got the water, and our fire was lighted. We were just going to breakfast at five o’clock, when three men, and a peasant woman came by. They were going harvesting. Loud were their exclamations of “peen giære” (fine beauty), “meget peen,” “nei, nei.” They looked curiously at our preparations for breakfast, and then left.
When Noah was loading our donkeys, three men and a girl came to see the donkeys, and were surprised at the weight they carried. It appeared we were at a place pronounced like Helgst, about one furlong from Nœs.