Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-12-02
Wakema3's WaDderiDQs.
ODD INCIDENTS OF FoREGGN TRAVEL AND
OBSERVATION.

quaint peasant groups TO whom the
suadowy ford was the only highway
ever known. and who always shook
hands with us ~ though we were old
aud dear friends they had not seen Tor "a
decade and never expected to see again,
shouting ana waving "FdUfls' to US rs
long as We were IN sight-brought us
only to tho real beginning Of our clii
journey when Il was already fairly night
down there at the bottom Of the narrow
walls OF the ford.
The place into which Peter dcxtcrous.
" guided our boat was the most forbid
ding and Eruesomc ! ever had the Tor
tune TO enter. From the middle Of the
stream the opening was wholly unlh.
sef,able, but my guide informed me
that hundreds more like IL could be
found among the tremendous walls Oi
the Norwegian fiords. TWAS practically
a vertical iissurc 1o1o feet high, aud per
haps 40 deep below the waters surface.
! One edge was almost as smooth aud
rounded as hcwn pillar for all It's
mighty height The other correspond.
inrly followed would have closed
| against Il, had the same iuconceiviblu
nature. force which separated It set 1t
again IN place, with perfect Elimination
/ ana without an inch Of variance or waste
/ space. The two edges uf these for
| nations reaching above the clouds were
| not fifteen feet aplr, at the entrance; but
/ away IN there were weird and awful
/ depths; for while sight could not pcuc.
trate them the whispers, murmurs, plain.
/ tive songs aud hOarsct thrcnudics Of
/ falling waters told the wondruus story
Of cfosiOns. displaccmeuts, bOst.battlcs,
and all the elemental struggles which
the dead centuries had known
Not fifty feet from the entrance our
boat grated against a shelving rock. Il
was almost as level as il1or and but
a few inches above the water. Beyond
this the rock had perhaps centuries be-
fore been eaten away 81 mad given away,
forming a vcfcd hollow like half Of a
truncaicd cone. This spot, resembling
a section OF the prehistoric bee hive
huts Of iceland, was TO be our resting.
place ior the night-a place which had
probably sheltered more human beings
before me than the greatest and oldest
hotel In Norway, and thus learned OF
| another interesting custom Of NuTWcg.
ian peasantfy. As have before pointed
out. the liUrds are their real highways
/ Journeys ol hundreds oi miles are still
. NlfhN W 'NNlNN NfNNtNANNN W INANNNNN WV
! poor or too thrifty, to seek shelter aud
food at the Gofdsidc hsmlcis. They
have for centuries used these naiurC-Uuilt
stations, Their food. fuel, and sheep.
skins for covering are brought with
them in their boats, and water, the
sweetest, purcst, coolest water IN the
world, Is lcapng or irigkling from every
rock.
Peter had no sooner built a CHEEKY
irc-for each halting party from imme.
mortal custom contributes to the public
supply. and there IS always fuel at
hand-th he explains, torch IN hand
some OF the curious characteristics OF
this quainicst hospicc had ever bchcld.
A genuine Norwegian inn without land
lord, station without MASTER hotel with
out host. on the same rocky level, but
just around q projection Of the assure.
wall, was tiny paddock with little
walls knre.high, built Of loose stones,
The source Vt certain unaccountable
sounds ! had already heard with dire
iotebodngs were now made clear.
Three tiny Norwegian cows were munich
ing their green fodder, and two OF the
tinicst calves had ever seen stood
gtavely beside them. THESE might be.
long to the crdgsman we were about TO
visit, Peter told me. In any event, here
the peasantfy, who often changed the
grazing places OF their little herds,
penned the animals at night; and the
wise little things, conscious as their
masters Of the danger OF nightroaming
or miSstcp, never hudgcd from the few
square Yards Of rock To which they we're
neekly led irom the boats.
Where we built our fire, fires had
been lighted since the time Of Harlld
ilaahagef In a hole OF little chamber
IN the rock were a few rude iron utensils
which had perhaps been used for cen.
turtles by these ford way'afcfs; md an.
other little indentlon In the wall served
as sort OF toll.boN, where those who
felt able or willing to do So deposited a
few orc, nearly the smallest coin IN the
world, IN tribute To the eagle.nrst
farmer, thousands OF feet above to
whose possessions this strange place
was n sort Of lover aud outer lodge
Having drawn our boat upon the rock
we slept within II. II was a wakoiul
night for me. The soughing OF the
wind through the narrow hssure was
full Of ghostly plants and voices; while
the falling OF near yet unseen waters Of
different volumes from varying heights
seemed almost articulatc with wild
speech and song: as II the mighty myth
ologic heroes OF Norseland In concourae
| within this mysterious Chasm were re-
turned TOT a night to chant their sagas
there Of love, OF the chase and Of war
II was late when we awoke. The
f, calves had mystcriously disappeared.
Petersen was then sure they were Free
/ deTiCkson's on the cliii top above. Their
owner had come with a companion, and
without disturbing US had slnng the little
animals over their shoulders and were
now scaling the heights with them,
Peter said we must make haste, as the
cows were 20 follow, and we should
overtal,e the cragsmen At home before
they began another descent With
| biz OF food IN our hands we started,
Peter In the van The way led for
| few hundred feet, past the cragsman's
| hoat-house, along the edge Of what was
/ on three sides an almost vertical hollow
/ cube cut by nature from solid stone.
/ More than a score Of waterfalls could be
seen. Some seemed no larger than
| white ribbon OF lace waving down the
/ black rock sides. Others poured from
/ cups aud hOlows larger accumulated
volumes. And still others issued like
/ spouting tunnels from cavernOus holes
| IN the rocks All fell In an immense
| pool Of such great depth that the dis
/ charge OF The waters from the black
/ caudron was without ripple where they
mingled with those Of the ford.
The other side Of the mighty hollow
cube was broken into irregular masses