Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-06-03
IN THE NORDLAND.
BY THOMAS D. WILSON, MA.

Many OF our readers have fingered
with pleasure over that charming little
story-now an old one-by Harriet
Martineau, called Feats on the Eyord,
in which she tells of the beauties of
The far-distant north, and the exciting
adventures of Rolf and Oddo in the re-
cesses of the Salten Fjord. Now al
though we are not to take too literally
all that she tells us therefor she had
never, i believe, been in Norway her
self-yet there are few more pictur-
ssdue little tales of that northern land
than the one / have mentioned, and If
the reader does not know the story it
will repay the reading. Let me then
tell something about that region, and
the equally or more interesting Lofoten
Islands, with their strange and fantas-
tic forms, which look so very weird
when lit up by a midnight sun.
We-for there were four of us-made
Bodo our headquarters for a while.
We bad enjoyed our well nigh two
days sail from Trondhjem IN the most
perfect of weather, which showed all
the wonders and the beauty of that
strange coast to perfection. The great
ice-field of Svartisen, so often wrapped
in cloud, unveiled itself as we sailed
along; the wild and lonely Trenen Is
lands rose like pyramids far out to sea,
We had the excitement of witnessing
the little town of Bjorn on fire, and OF
going several miles ont of our course
to offer shelter and conveyance to the
homeless people-which offer, how
ever, was not accepted very largely,
and at last we dropped anchor at Bodo,
/ 4 L. N lraal
Vest Fjord, of the most southern of the
| Lofotens.
Bodo itself is not a very interesting
spot: one ''long unlovely street" with
| a few short ones at right angles, n new
church, and some shops constitute the
whole of it. But the views around are
| very fine. Seaward you have the Vest
Fjord, with the large island of Landego
near at hand, and the Lofotens abOu
twenty miles distant. Inland-the town
| is built on a penInsula-you have the
| fine mountain ranges of the interior
covered with snow, the group of which
Sulitjelma is the highest point; and
| further south the magnificent range OF
the Borsvatnstinder. Much of this re-
gion is quite unexplored at present
roads are few, and tourists still fewer.
| Occasionally some make their way tC
| Sulitielma, to reach which beautlfu
chain of lakes has to be traversed; but
the interior all along this wondrou:
coast is still more or less an unknown
! land.
The Salten Ford, which lies behind
is remarkable for the famous Salt
strommen, the most powerful of al
the Norwegian ''stroms," or rapids,
caused by the tide. This can be seer
twice a day, when the waters of the tide
make their way back again from the
Skjarstad Fjord, as the inner part o
the Salten Fiord is called. Two small
islands block up the entrance to thl!
ford, and in the narrow passages be
tween these and the mainland, the waite,
rushes with terrific force, and presents
a very striking scene. No steamer cal
pass at this time, so that If you want t.
see it in its force, you must take mp
position on the land close by. Thi
place has been visited by the presen
KING of Norway, Oscar H., and al
obelisk marks the spot from which tn
best view can be obtained. The I'm
peror of Germany went to the SAM
place a few weeks after we were there
we passed up through these narrow
on one of our visits to the Salten Ford
but mt that time of course the waite
was only running with the rapidlty o
a fairly swift river, and the steame
ouickly passed it and reached the opel
Skiaerstad Fjord. We had intendet
making the ascent of Sultjelma, but a
we had to leave one of our party behln'
us at Bodo, we were not able to go tn
whole way.
We landed, however, at place calle
Fineid, and made our way for som
distance along the lowest of the chal
of lakes, over which you have to jour
ney to reach the base of Sulitlelma.
was unite delightful and wonderful t
see the richness OF the vegetation 1
the far north The lakeside was a
clothed with trees-birch and alder
. and the grass and wild flowers in abur
dance made it more like the Englls
lakes than n spot in the same latitud
as Greenland.
A few days after this We made anothe
excursion to the SaltstrSm by a rout
preferable to going all the way d
steamer. First we had 3 drive of abou
ten miles, passing the interesting oil
church of Bodo, with its great parson
age, or "prestegsard, where they ono
entertained Louis Philippe, and wher
the walls of the rooms are covered wit
very strange and grotesque painting
on to a spot called kvalvaag, wher
| after short time we succeeded IN ge
ing beat with a sail. and two ''hard
Norsemer," to take rs across the wiz
stretch OF ford which separated u
from Stro1n. 1t was a most giorlou
day. and the snow clad peaks OF th
RorsvatustInder, with their sewers
glaciers. glittered in the sun. Tner
was a fresh breeze blowing when W
started. and we made good way; bu
.bout halfway across we found tn
wind and tide met, and the result wa
that we began to ship water at yer
alarming rate, and had to bale 1T ou
with all speed, lest this should be th
last of our "Feats on the fJord. How
ever. we escaped with nothing NOR
than a partial ducking, and were non
the worse after we had good walk
the shore. Unfortunately, however, tn
Saltstrom did not show itself to advar
age on this occasion, as the tide wf
verv low one, aud we had to confer
/ ourselves with imagining what 1T wonl
be like. Going back to kvalyaag
d. mad another rongh crossing, butreache
: shore without mishap.
Before we eros ed to the Lofotens
made one or two attempts to phot'
i, | graph the midn ght sun. His sol'
majesty, however was rather coy
showing himself at the right momen
. and although be was not below the n
rizon all the time We we're in the Nor