Giving the woman’s son a present of some fishing flies, which he wanted, and the woman a large tin water-can which we managed to spare, our party left about ten o’clock. The first difficulty was a bridge, but after much trouble we got the donkeys over, and ascended the mountain slope of the valley through the few scattered birch trees which were left.
The track was not beset with much difficulty, and, ascending the high lands of the Fillingshö Fjeld, we had the Skardstind and Kjölen Fjeldene on our left, and the Jehanshö Fjeld on our right. We were now in the Gudbransdalen. Traversing wild open moorlands, with scarcely any vegetation, we halted about two o’clock by a small streamlet, on the open mountain. A few sticks we had collected on our way enabled us to make our fire. Tea and fladbröd and butter formed our meal. The fladbröd was not of the best description. Zachariah called it bearskin, but after all it was palatable to a mountaineer, and we bid him be satisfied he did not fare worse; it was nearly all consumed at this meal, to Zachariah’s intense satisfaction.
We were soon ready for a start. The animals had rested; the Puru Rawnee did not seem much the worse for its fall the day before. It is not well to keep them en route more than four hours without a rest. The Puru Rawnee’s back was slightly sore, and we adopted the plan of folding the tent cover into two rolls, and placing one on each side its back, so as to relieve all pressure. This plan answered exceedingly well.
Leaving about four o’clock, we passed near the Aur Vand, or, as it is marked in one map, the Horgven Lake. It is a large lake, and Ole said it was celebrated for its fish. As we continued our way down a very steep mountain track, descending towards Skeaker, the Lomseggen came in view, and snowy hills on our right. On one side we had the Bipsberg, and the other the Loms Horungen.
Zachariah, who had ridden with the packs on his donkey along the undulating plateaux, had now to dismount. Each had to go to the donkey’s head; the track was precipitous on the side of a deep ravine.
CHAPTER XXIX.
The very look of each of them denotes strong talent; while in whatever they have undertaken to perform, they seem to have surpassed others, whilst they are at once unabashed and polite. It is true that they have not been tried in many things; but they are, it seems, the best fortune-tellers, the best singers, the best boxers, and, perhaps, the best doctors in the world.... They speak, too, the several languages of each country with much greater propriety than the lower ranks of natives themselves do.
The Gipsies. By Samuel Roberts.
THE PEASANT’S WOOD—SKEAKER—OUR FAIR VISITOR—ESMERALDA’S INDIGNATION—THE GIPSY HORNPIPE—THE FATE OF EZEKIEL— FEEBLE ADVOCACY—THE RANKNY[86] RACKLY—THE OTTA VAND.
Noah broke his alpenstock. Descending still lower, we saw a waterfall formed by the stream from the lake. In a large extent of wood, on the other side, numbers of firs, which had once formed a picturesque shelter, had been cut down, and were lying on the ground. The owner, a well-to-do farmer, had yielded to the solicitations of a timber-merchant, and had cut down much of his wood. The timber-merchant, after buying and taking some of the best, found it was not worth his while to remove the remainder of the trees, owing to the roughness of the stream down which he intended to float them. The timber was therefore lying as we saw it, probably to be used as firewood.
By a short cut we descended down a very steep bank, with our animals and baggage, to the level road to Skeaker. The road was an extremely narrow lane, with a wooden fence on both sides; fields of grain were improved in luxuriance by irrigation. At one place we saw a peasant throwing water over his grain with a wooden shovel. The peasants seemed well-to-do. The farms on each side the road were numerous, but small in size.