The Press.
London, England, 1857-07-25 00:00:00

THE PRESS, JULY 25, 1857.

safely to Toftemoen, where a capital supper
was caught and cooked as follows :

A landlord (great rarity) was visible; and, seeing me
cast longing looks upon a flock of geese running about on
the green, said gallantly, " You may have one if you can
catch it," which process was great fun, and good exercise
for the feet, as driving had been for the arms all day. I
decidedly approve of people catching their own goose before
eating it; but how much more difficult a real than a human
goose is to catch ! The fat farmer stood laughing at the
chase, and, pronouncing the caught animal the finest of the
flock, was entrapped into offering to pluck it.

- -
To enter into the spirit of Norwegian life is
about the " only thing" required to enjoy it
thoroughly, says the unprotected. When you
enter a farmhouse you must help yourself
to everything you want, humour the people,
and do not overpay them. Snobs, we are sorry
to say, of British manufacture, occasionally
appear on the scene, and spoil all one's fun.
Speaking of some very pleasant days they
spent at Trondhjem, the unprotected intro-
duce us to such a distinguished " party " :
Those were happy hours, and it was fortunate we had
come in time for them ; a few days later a party of English
Irrived, who quite annihilated these merry meetings.
They were fine people, who had come to Norway for salmon•
fishing, and for nothing else, and had been staying with
some friends who had their own stand, on their own river,
up in the north. The principal person was rather a fast
lady, who could drive 120 miles at once, all day and all
night. She was attended by several sportsmen, who were
not inclined to be civil to other travellers; and we had the
pleasure of seeing the principal London newspapers arrive,
be read, and pocketed, without the chance of a peep at one
in that far•distant region. The singing circle was broken
up, and the peasants seated round the walls of the room
instead, while the exclusive party's table was drawn before
the fire; and one evening there was a most amusing row,
occasioned by Madame Jerkin, after they had been about
an hour at tea, slily slipping the pot off the table, and with
a wink giving two Norwegian ladies, who had arrived cold
and late, a top out of it; which being discovered, ferocious
cries of " Where's the teapot?" echoed through the hall ;
and the interpreter, or lulk (as they disdained personal
communication with the people), was summoned to give a
good lecture to the offender. The peasants took all this
in perfect quiet, but when they left charged them just
double what they did us and other travellers ; and this is
an example of how every country which the British fre•
quent gradually changes both its character and its prices.
'folks, or interpreters, a mild sort of courier, were never
heard of some years ago, and are most ab'urd appendages
in a country were travellers must either sit in the kitchen
or in their own bedrooms.

Of course in a tour through such a primitive
country Indies cannot expect much comfort.
Our unprotectcds appear to have bravely put
up with every inconvenience. Here they are
at the Sogne-fjeld

The tapping of a cow's horn against the bedside awoke
us to see that grey dawn had commenced : we would fain
have believed it still nought but lowering moonlight, wh
Hilda, springing up, .at once pronounced it three o'clock,
and cheerfully set about her ablutions in a pail,lea.ving her
two companions asleep out of the way ; then the binding up
of her head in the snowy handkerchief, with the assumption
of one of the connterpane petticoats, quickly completing
her toilet, she blew up the unextinguished embers, and set
on the cauldron. So much briskness made us emulous ;
and the pail being now at our service, up we sprang, to
alight barefooted in the puddles of the mud floor: try
again—so get back into bed, to get out ready-shod with
hobnails, plunge horselike into the depths of the pail, and
despising details and a few lacing holes, the six pairs of
eyes being all attention. were soon clad in double quick
time. Haste was indeed neeessary ; for Ole, Elias, end all
the tribe, intent upon breakfast, had imagined that they
had only to walk in to get it at once, regardless of our pre-
judices of merely rising before female eyes ; and the door
beir.g of course without fastening, it took all the available
churns piled up to keep them out. 'f he pressure was at
last so great that down rolled the churns, and fortunately
on went our last garment.