Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-26

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| 1INYV/TI HAM\ far away. Five or
| XzAN -kEMM\ six days up the pic
| NJ W lhMM W turesQue coast of
| EI WV" Norway to Tromso,
| YiNN and then, about May
| 1, straight north
| ward into the polar
| ocean, which lies at
the very gates of that far northern town.
From the weather which we have had
since our arrival here one would not sus-
| pect himself to be farther north than the
southern end Of Greenland, or beyond the
| sixty-second parallel. For ten days we
| have been without overcoats. We sit by
open windows. and sip our coffee upon the
verania Of our hotel II transportation
lines were always prompt, if transshippers
| did not insist upon smashing up the most
precious parts of our outfit, and II the
eager eyes of all the officials in Norway
were not upon our pack of half a hundred
| draft hounds We should be thoroughly
| happy, despite the near approach of the
day on which we are to plunge from civili-
cation into the unknown. the mysterious
and therefore the dreaded regions Of the far
north.
Welcomed in Norway.
We have been made welcome in Norway
even the dashy American way in which we
| have set about our task. But these Nor
| wegians. sons Of the mountains and the
fiords. Injured to the storms of the arctic
seas. while pursuing whales and seal, have
genuine appreciation Of the difficulties
which confront us, as well as of the prac-
tical means which We have adopted in
hopes OF overcoming them. From the out
set we have been made to feel that the
Norwegians were our friends.
At Liverpool We were met by our agent
from Christiania, gentleman whose name
indicates his Characteristic Wrght-who
bore with him three important documents,
one was contract with the five gentlemen
from the University of Christania, who are
to accompany us in part for the purpose OF
scientific investigation, the second a per-
init from the authorities for the importa-
ton free of duty of all the outfit and pro-
visions of our expedition. This latter had
been generously granted without a mo-
ments hesitation or delay. in curious con-
trast with the red tape and botheration in
cident to every procedure, no matter how
trivial, having TO do nearly or remote with
the customs laws and authorities of our
own country.
How the Dogs Were Admitted.
The third document was the most i'm
portant of all. and the one which our ener-
getic agent at the Norwegian capital had
experienced most difficulty in procuring.
the uses of the expedition a pack of fifty
draft dogs. Without this permit we could
not have passed this invaluable part of
our equipment from the Netherlands to
the Norwegian peninsula, for no steamer
captain would have taken them on board.
Without 1t, moreover, It would have been
! impossible to disembark the dogs upon their
arrival at a Norwegian 32-t. The trouble
was that the Norwegisns S..,e upon their
statutes law forbidG-,~. absolutely and
unit hArrf Ian, a~R
Tourists from England an. ,ther parts of
Europe, Of whom thorsar Is visit these
beautiful fiords and grand mountains every
summer, must leave their eoss at home.
English lords, who have come hither to
hunt and fish. have sought in vain to gain
the privileges Of carrying their dogs with
them. Some time ago an admirer of the
King Of Sweden and Norway presented that
monarch with fine pet dog, but the king,
considerable and conscientious ruler that he
| is. declined the gift on the ground that he
would not presume to violate law which
his subjects were required to respect The
Norwegians claim that the dog distemper
Is thing unknown in their country, and
they have prudently determined to protect
their animals from contact with the less
fortunate brutes OF other lands.
Under these circumstances We deemed
ourselves particularly fortunate to secure
the right to carry our dogs into the coun-
try even under the restrictions which were
imposed upon US.
The permit stipulated that our hounds
were not to be taken ashore and must be
left aboard ship throughout their so1ourn
in the country, or at least be isolated upon
some little island at a safe distance from
the inhabited mainland. No such thing as
an importation of dogs was ever known In
Norway before, and naturally enough when
our pack Of flfty-three scented the shore
and set up their lusty howls in the port Of
Bergen one pleasant Sunday afternoon half
the population rushed to the waters edge
to see the circus. Plenty of police officers
were there. too, and their eyes were never
once removed from the bowling, growing
consignment for scientific purposes only
Chief Inspector Flood was there to direct
| the process Of transshipment and to see
| that no foreign cur came ashore to con-
taminate the purer race Of CANNES which
| is here supposed to abound.
A Cargo of Dogs.
Fortunately a steamer was that very
| night bound for Aalesund, and fortunately
| also no Norwegian dog was passenger
| aboard 1t. If there had been, our animals
| would have had to wait for another and a
dogless steamer A curious spectacle our
| half hundred boxes of dogs made as they
! were lifted over the sides of the ship upon
, lighter, where they were piled up in a
| huge yefping pyramid in the presence of
| the alert officials and the gaping multitude.
| Some hours later, or al midnight, the north
| ward bound ship steamed out of barbor
| with our precious freight aboard, and as the
| last howl was heard from beyond the break
| Water Chief Inspector Flood. for the first
| time since our arrival, drew an easy breath
| and called off his minions of the law. Once
relieved Of this responsibility. Mr.. Flood
| lapsed into his true character Of genial
| gentleman and host, explaining his former
| alerthess by a description of the serious
| nature of the responsibility imposed upon
| him by the appearance Of our dogs within
| his jurisdiction. A Belgian dog ashore in
| Bergen would have done more iamage to
| his most excellent reputation as an official
| than the escape of one of the very few
| criminals they have in this law abiding
| community.
| At Aalesund more policemen met our
| shipment but were al polite as walters in
| Delmonico's and without half so much ap-
probation of their own Importance. We
were allowed to place our dogs upon q pic
| turesque little island which lies In one of
| the flords near the town. and there we
| landed them. with their fifty-three boxes
and an equal number of strong chains, col
lars and feeding pots. Watchmen were
| hired to guard them night and day. The
island soon became a center Of attraction
In this part Of Norway. The fame Of our