Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1857-07-24


over his supposed final resting place.-Ban-
gor Je6ersoHian.
From Visit to the Home, Of Forway and Sweden. by
Charles Lorug Brace.
REMARKABLE CATARACT IN NOR
WAY.
This is in the vicinity Of place rejoicing
in the brief appellation of Vik, one of the fa-
vorite resorts Of the English yachts which ex-
ploro the Norwegian coast.
From this station we igdised half-mile to
a little mountain lake, and there took boat
for Soebo, the nearest station to the waterfall.
1t was dusk when we reached the little inn.
The people had evidently never had strange
travellers, especially ladies there before, and
were a good deal confused. There was no
sitting-room, but we were lighted to little
separate log cabin, where was an ante-room,
reserved for the furs, linen, etc., of the fami-
ly. This produced a rather droll consterna-
ton with the lady; but as we had made up
our minds to trough it, for the sake of the
trip the next day, there no grumbling,
except when an unfortunate beam crushed out
the only bonnet. They did all they could for
us, but the appointments were unique. The
man brought up water in little milk-bowl,
and piece of linen for a towel while the wo-
man got out her best damask table cloths for
sheets, and the curious colored and worked
cloths which one sees in all the cottages, for
covcrlds Dried oatcake and milk were set
out for supper They told us that generally
the strangers stopped at Vik for the night.
and therefore they were not prepared But
we wanted to begin fresh on the next morn
ing for the mountain climb, and had thus
done in one day what the guide books give at
least two days for As last attention, the
peasant brought us a whisky bottle, and
little lump of rock candy, locking the door
Of the house as he went out
Next morning, coffee and fat-bread (dry
rye cake and goats cheese we're brought us,
but no milk or cream, as the cows were all
away on the saetter.
nice little Norwegian pony had been al
ready engaged for my wife, and myself being
on foot, with guide, we started. The po-
ny's equipment was original saddle cloth
surmounted by side frame of wood, and a
wooden stirup for both feet. The morning
was very fresh and beautiful and our path
for long distance wound in easy way a
long dashing torrent. crossing it, at length,
on a dangerous looking bridge. After this
point, the road was by no means so easy, fire.
quently creeping just on the edge of fearful
chasm, or clambering over smooth, steep
-
would have had disagreeable consequences.
Here the guide led, and the pony never failed.
At length the path crossed little mountain
farm, and passed over well-constructed
bridge, recently reftted for the visit of the
crown prince, who had Just been here.
The hill rose abruptly to a great height on
every side of MS, and the only escape seemed
the chasm through which the torrent broke.
We were at a loss to see how the Great Fall
was to be reached. Suddenly the path turn
ed and we saw that it wound by zig-zags di-
rectly up a steep hill in front. The girths
were frightened, the guide took the bride,
and we set ourselves to the steepest climb |
ever saw a horse make. 1t was slow, hard
work. and when at length, on a sudden bend,
the girth broke and the lady disappeared
down the slope, we concluded it was time to
try The feet. Luckily, little grass plat among
the rocks saved her any bad consequences,
and the pony proved perfectly immoveable.
The guide, too, for our comfort, pointed us
out rock, which he called the "leg breaking
rock" where an unfortunate traveller had fall
en- from his horse and broken both his legs.
At length, after a long pull, we reached the
summit-2, 800 feet IN height-giving us a
grand view down the great chasm, as it now
appeared. The path now led along a plateau
Of wet, springy ground, for mile or more,
until we began TO see a little cloud of ascend
ing spray, which showed the noighborhood of
the cataract. After passing little beyond it,
we stopped at solitary cottage, with out
houses and cattle-generally white cows
around 1.-THE sGter-cdJn OF cottage for the
mountain pasture. Taking a few moments
rest and taste of the delicious milk, we start
ed for the waterfall We were almost upon
it before seeing anything of it, except the hur-
rying torrent above, though the distant roar
was long audible. The grade brought us sud-
denly to projecting point we lay down and
looked below into a tremendous chasm. The
water comes silent, swift, with hardly foam,
to the ledge, and then makes its quick leap of
$50 feet into the abyss below-but though
stream of fifty feet in breadth when it starts,
il seems never 10 reach the bottoms first il is
foam. then spray, then beautiful descending
wreaths of silver mist, whose INTERVIEWING
and changing shapes, quick appearing and
vanishing in n thousand fantastic figures, one
can watch by the hour, and fancy all manner
of witching Morse Nohe and water sprites.--
The grandeur is more given by the great depth
and the worn walls of the mighty rock below
than by the Fall itself Yet even the depth
you do not appreciate till you throw stone
into the chasm, and count by your watch its
time of descent. The guide was in great ter
ror of our falling in, but at length we got rid
of him, and placed ourselves in good positions
to silently enjoy while. The Impression
as at Niagara-is first Of fear but soon be-
comes one moro of absorption in the beauty
Of the scene. Ono Of the most wonderful
features in il were the colorings OF the rock
walls-coused by tho very quality Of the
stone--yarying from the most delicate peach
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