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diff --git a/old/53070-0.txt b/old/53070-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1d3949b..0000000 --- a/old/53070-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8367 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Modern Vikings, by Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Modern Vikings - Stories of Life and Sport in the Norseland - -Author: Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen - -Release Date: September 17, 2016 [EBook #53070] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MODERN VIKINGS *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, John Campbell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - - Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been - corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within - the text and consultation of external sources. - - More detail can be found at the end of the book. - - - - -THE MODERN VIKINGS - - - - -THE SCRIBNER SERIES - -FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - -EACH WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR - - -BOOKS FOR BOYS - - THE MODERN VIKINGS By H. H. Boyesen - WILL SHAKESPEARE’S LITTLE LAD By Imogen Clark - THE BOY SCOUT and Other Stories for Boys - STORIES FOR BOYS By Richard Harding Davis - HANS BRINKER, or, The Silver Skates By Mary Mapes Dodge - THE HOOSIER SCHOOL-BOY By Edward Eggleston - THE COURT OF KING ARTHUR By William Henry Frost - WITH LEE IN VIRGINIA - WITH WOLFE IN CANADA - REDSKIN AND COWBOY By G. A. Henty - AT WAR WITH PONTIAC By Kirk Munroe - TOMMY TROT’S VISIT TO SANTA CLAUS and - A CAPTURED SANTA CLAUS By Thomas Nelson Page - BOYS OF ST. TIMOTHY’S By Arthur Stanwood Pier - KIDNAPPED - TREASURE ISLAND - BLACK ARROW By Robert Louis Stevenson - AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS - A JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH - FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON - TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA By Jules Verne - ON THE OLD KEARSAGE - IN THE WASP’S NEST By Cyrus Townsend Brady - THE BOY SETTLERS - THE BOYS OF FAIRPORT By Noah Brooks - THE CONSCRIPT OF 1813 By Erckmann-Chatrian - THE STEAM-SHOVEL MAN By Ralph D. Paine - THE MOUNTAIN DIVIDE By Frank H. Spearman - THE STRANGE GRAY CANOE By Paul G. Tomlinson - THE ADVENTURES OF A FRESHMAN By J. L. Williams - JACK HALL, or, The School Days of an American Boy - By Robert Grant - - -BOOKS FOR GIRLS - - SMITH COLLEGE STORIES By Josephine Daskam - THE HALLOWELL PARTNERSHIP By Katharine Holland Brown - MY WONDERFUL VISIT By Elizabeth Hill - SARAH CREWE, or, What Happened at Miss Minchin’s - By Frances Hodgson Burnett - - -CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS - - - - -[Illustration: BETWEEN SEA AND SKY.] - - - - - THE MODERN VIKINGS - - STORIES OF LIFE AND SPORT IN THE NORSELAND - - - BY - - HJALMAR HJORTH BOYESEN - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - NEW YORK - - CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS - - 1921 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1887, BY - CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS - - COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY - HJALMAR H. BOYESEN - ALGERNON BOYESEN - BAYARD H. BOYESEN - - - - -[Illustration] - - -TO THE THREE VIKINGS: - -_HJALMAR, ALGERNON, AND BAYARD_. - - - _Three little lovely Vikings - Came sailing over the sea, - From a fair and distant country, - And put into port with me._ - - _The first--how well I remember-- - Sir Hjalmar was he hight. - With a lusty Norseland war-whoop, - He came in the dead of night._ - - _He met my respectful greeting - With a kick and a threatening frown; - He pressed all the house in his service, - And turned it upside-down._ - - _He thrust, when I meekly objected, - A clinched little fist in my face; - I had no choice but surrender, - And give him charge of the place._ - - _He heeded no creature’s pleasure; - But oft, with a conqueror’s right, - He sang in the small hours of morning, - And dined in the middle of night._ - - _And oft, to amuse his Highness-- - For naught we feared as his frowns-- - We bleated and barked and bellowed, - And danced like circus-clowns._ - - _Then crowed with delight our despot; - So well he liked his home, - He summoned his brother, Algie, - From the realm beyond the foam._ - - _And he is a laughing tyrant, - With dimples and golden curls; - He stole a march on our heart-gates, - And made us his subjects and churls._ - - _He rules us gayly and lightly, - With smiles and cajoling arts; - He went into winter-quarters - In the innermost nooks of our hearts._ - - _And Bayard, the last of my Vikings, - As chivalrous as your name! - With your sturdy and quaint little figure, - What havoc you wrought when you came!_ - - _There’s a chieftain in you--a leader - Of men in some glorious path-- - For dauntless you are, and imperious, - And dignified in your wrath._ - - _You vain and stubborn and tender - Fair son of the valiant North, - With a voice like the storm and the north-wind, - When it sweeps from the glaciers forth._ - - _With the tawny sheen in your ringlets, - And the Norseland light in your eyes, - Where oft, when my tale is mournful, - The tears unbidden arise._ - - _For my Vikings love song and saga, - Like their conquering fathers of old; - And these are some of the stories - To the three little tyrants I told._ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - THARALD’S OTTER, 1 - - BETWEEN SEA AND SKY, 17 - - MIKKEL, 41 - - THE FAMINE AMONG THE GNOMES, 71 - - HOW BERNT WENT WHALING, 79 - - THE COOPER AND THE WOLVES, 91 - - MAGNIE’S DANGEROUS RIDE, 102 - - THORWALD AND THE STAR-CHILDREN, 128 - - BIG HANS AND LITTLE HANS, 147 - - A NEW WINTER SPORT, 165 - - THE SKERRY OF SHRIEKS, 182 - - FIDDLE-JOHN’S FAMILY, 211 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - BETWEEN SEA AND SKY _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - THE BARON SPRANG UP WITH AN EXCLAMATION OF FRIGHT 76 - - NORWEGIAN SKEE-RUNNERS 178 - - IN BATTERY PARK 260 - - - - -THARALD’S OTTER. - - -Tharald and his brother Anders were bathing one day in the lake. -The water was deliciously warm, and the two boys lay quietly -floating on their backs, paddling gently with their hands. All of -a sudden Tharald gave a scream. A big trout leaped into the air, -and almost in the same instant a black, shiny head rose out of the -water right between his knees. The trout, in its descent, gave him -a slap of its slimy tail across his face. The black head stared -out at him, for a moment, with an air of surprise, then dived -noiselessly into the deep. - -Anders hurried to shore as rapidly as arms and legs would propel -him. - -“It was the sea-serpent,” said he. - -He was so frightened that he grew almost numb; his breath stuck in -his throat, and the blood throbbed in his ears. - -“Oh, you sillibub!” shouted his brother after him, “it was an otter -chasing a salmon-trout. The trout will always leap, when chased.” - -He had scarcely spoken when, but a few rods from Anders, appeared -the black, shiny head again, this time with the trout in its mouth. - -“He has his lair somewhere around here,” said Tharald; “let us -watch him, and see where he is going.” - -The otter was nearing the shore. He swam rapidly, with a slightly -undulating motion of the body, so that, at a distance, he might -well have been mistaken for a large water-snake. When he had -reached the shore, he dragged the fish up on the sand, spied -cautiously about him, to see if he was watched, and again seizing -the trout, slid into the underbrush. There was something so -delightfully wild and wary about it that the boys felt the hunter’s -passion aroused in them, and they could scarcely take the time to -fling on their clothes before starting in pursuit. Like Indians, -they crept on hands and feet over the mossy ground, bent aside the -bushes, and peered cautiously between the leaves. - -“Sh--sh--sh! we are on the track,” whispered Tharald, stooping to -smell the moss. “He has been here within a minute.” - -“Here is a drop of fish-blood,” answered Anders, pointing to a -twig, over which the fish had evidently been dragged. - -“Serves him right, the rascal,” murmured his elder brother. - -“If we haven’t got him now, my name is not Anders,” whispered the -younger. - -They had advanced about fifty rods from the water, when their -attention was arrested by two faint tracks among the stones--so -faint, indeed, that no eyes but those of a hunter would have -discovered them. A strange pungent odor, as of something wild, -pervaded the air; the whirring of the crickets in the tree-tops -seemed hushed and timid, and little silent birds hopped about in -the elder-bushes as if afraid to make a noise. - -The boys lay down flat on the ground, and following the two tracks, -discovered that they converged toward a frowsy-looking juniper-bush -which grew among the roots of a big old pine. Very cautiously they -bent the bush aside. - -What was that? There stood the old otter, tearing away at his -trout, and three of the prettiest little black things your eyes -ever fell upon were gambolling about him, picking up bits of the -fish, and slinging them about in their efforts to swallow. - -The boys gave a cry of delight. But the otter--what do you think -he did? He showed a set of very ugly teeth, and spat like an angry -cat. It was evidently not advisable to molest him with bare hands. - -In hot haste Tharald and Anders by their united weight broke off -a young elder-tree and stripped off the leaves. Now they could -venture a battle. Eagerly they pulled aside the juniper. But alas, -Mr. Otter was gone, and had taken his family with him. - -To track him through the tangled underbrush, where he probably knew -a hundred hiding-places, would be a hopeless task. The boys were -about to return, baffled and disappointed, to the lake, when it -occurred to Tharald to explore the den. - -There was a hole under the tree-root, just big enough to put a fist -through, and, without thought of harm, the boy flung himself down -and thrust his arm in to the very elbow. He fumbled about for a -moment--ah, what was that?--something soft and hairy, that slipped -through his fingers. Tharald made a bold grab for it--then with a -yell of pain pulled out his hand. The soft thing followed, but its -teeth were not soft. As Tharald rose to his feet, there hung a tiny -otter with its teeth locked through the fleshy part of his hand, at -the base of the thumb. - -“Look here, now,” cried his brother; “sit down quietly, and I will -soon rid you of the little beast.” - -Tharald, clinching his teeth, sat down on a bowlder. Anders drew -his knife. - -“No, I thank you,” shouted Tharald, as he saw the knife, “I can do -that myself. I don’t want you to harm him.” - -“I don’t intend to harm him,” said Anders. “I only want to force -his mouth open.” - -To this Tharald submitted. The knife was carefully inserted at the -corner of the little monster’s mouth, when lo! he let the hand go, -and snapped after the knife-blade. Anders quickly threw his hat -over him, and held it down with his knees, while he tore a piece -off the lining of his coat to bandage his brother’s wound. Then -they trudged home together with the otter imprisoned in the hat. - - * * * * * - -You would scarcely have thought that “Mons”--for that became the -otter’s name--would have made a pleasant companion; but strange as -it may seem, he improved much, as soon as he got into civilized -society. He soon learned that it was not good-manners to snarl and -show his teeth when politely addressed, and if occasionally he -forgot himself, he got a little tap on the nose which quickened his -memory. He was scarcely six inches long when he was caught, not -reckoning the tail; and so sleek and nimble and glossy, that it -was a delight to handle him His fur was of a very dark brown, and -when it was wet looked black. It was so dense that you could not, -by pulling the hair apart, get the slightest glimpse of the skin. -But the most remarkable things about Mons were the webs he had -between his toes, and his long glossy whiskers. Of the latter he -was particularly proud; he would allow no one to touch them. - -Tharald taught him a number of tricks, which Mons learned -with astonishing ease. He was so intelligent that Sultan, the -bull-terrier, grew quite jealous of him. - -Inquisitiveness seemed to be the strongest trait in Mons’s -character. His curiosity amounted to an overmastering passion. -There was no crevice that he did not feel called upon to -investigate, no hole which he did not suspect of hiding some -interesting secret. Again and again he made explorations in the -flour-barrel, and came out as white as a miller. Once, for the sake -of variety, he put his nose into the inkstand, and in attempting to -withdraw it, poured the contents over his head. - -In the part of Norway where Tharald’s father lived, the people -added largely to their income by salmon-fishing. Nay, those who had -no land made their living entirely by fishing and shooting. Every -spring the salmon migrated from the sea into the rivers, to deposit -their spawn; you could see their young darting in large schools -over the pebbles in the shallows of the streams, pursued by the big -fishes that preyed upon them. Then the perch and the trout grew -fat, and the pike and the pickerel made royal meals out of the -perch and trout. All along the coast lay English schooners, ready -to buy up the salmon and carry it on ice to London. Everywhere -there was life and traffic; everybody felt prosperous and in -good-humor. - -It was during this season that Tharald one day walked down to -the lake to try his luck with a fly. It had been raining during -the night; and the trees along the shore shivered and shook down -showers of raindrops. The only trouble was that the water was so -clear that you could see the bottom, which sloped gently outward -for fifty or a hundred feet. Mons, who was now a year old, was -sitting in his usual place on Tharald’s shoulder, and was gazing -contentedly upon the smiling world which surrounded him. He was so -fond of his master, now, that he followed him like a dog, and could -not bear to be long away from him. - -“Mons,” said Tharald, after having vainly thrown the alluring fly a -dozen times into the river, “I think this is a bad day for fishing; -or what do you think?” - -At that very instant a big salmon-trout--a six-pounder at the very -least--leaped for the fly, and with a splash of its tail sent a -shower of spray shoreward. The line flew with a hum from the reel, -and Tharald braced himself to “play” the fish, until he should tire -him sufficiently to land him. - -But the trout was evidently of a different mind. He sprang out of -the water, and his beautiful spotted sides gleamed in the sun. - -That was a sight for Mons! Before his master could prevent him, -he plunged from his shoulder into the lake, and shot through the -clear tide like a black arrow. The trout saw him coming, and made a -desperate leap! - -The line snapped; the trout was free! - -Free! It was delightful to see Mons’s supple body as it glided -through the water, bending upward, downward, sideward, with amazing -swiftness and ease. His two big eyes (which were conveniently -situated so near the tip of his nose that he could see in every -direction with scarcely a turn of the head) peered watchfully -through the transparent tide, keeping ever in the wake of the -fleeing fish. If the latter had had the sense to keep straight -ahead, he might have made good his escape. But he relied upon -strategy, and in this he was no match for Mons. He leaped out -of the water, darted to the right and to the left, and made all -sorts of foolish and flurried manœuvres. But with the calmness of -a Von Moltke, Mons outgeneralled him. He headed him off whenever -he turned, and finally by a brisk turn plunged his teeth into the -trout’s neck, and brought him to land. - -I need not tell you that Tharald made a hero of him. He hugged him -and patted him and called him pet names, until Mons grew quite -bashful. But this exploit of Mons’s gave Tharald an idea. He -determined to train him as a salmon-fisher. - -It was in the spring of 1880, when Mons was two years old and fully -grown, that he landed his first salmon. And when he had landed the -first, it cost him little trouble to secure the second and the -third. Tharald felt like a rich man that day, as he carried home -in his basket three silvery beauties, worth, at the very least, a -dollar and a half apiece. He made haste to dispose of them to an -English yachtsman at that figure, and went home in a radiant humor, -dreaming of “gold and forests green,” as the Norwegians say. - -“Now, Mons,” he said to his friend, whom he was leading after him -by a chain, “if we do as well every day as we have done to-day, we -shall soon be rich enough to go to school. What do you think of -that, Mons?” - -One day a big fish-tail splashed out of an eddy, and a black furry -head and back rose for an instant and were whirled out of sight. - -“Oh, dear, dear,” cried Tharald, “he will die! He will drown! How -often have I told you, Mons,” he shouted, “that you shouldn’t -attack fishes that are bigger than yourself.” - -“Whom are you talking to?” asked a fisherman named John Bamle, who -had come to look after his traps. - -“To Mons,” answered the boy, anxiously. - -“You don’t mean to say your brother is out there in the water!” -shouted John Bamle, in amazement. - -“Yes, Mons, my otter,” cried Tharald, piteously. - -“Mons, your brother!” yelled the man, and seizing a boat-hook, -he ran out on the beams from which the traps were suspended. The -roar of the waters was so loud that it was next to impossible to -distinguish words, and “Mons, my otter,” and “Mons, my brother,” -sounded so much alike that it was not wonderful that John mistook -the former for the latter. For awhile he balanced himself by means -of the boat-hook on the slippery beams, peering all the while -anxiously into the rapids. - -Suddenly he saw something struggling in the water; showers of spray -whirled upward. Could it be possible that a fish had attacked -the drowning child? Full of pity, he stretched himself forward, -extending the boat-hook before him, when lo! he lost his balance, -and tumbled headlong into the cataract. - -Half a dozen other fishermen who were sauntering down the -hill-sides saw their comrade fall, and rushed into the water to -rescue him. - -One man, bolder than the rest, sat astride a floating log and -rode out into the seething current. Now he was thrown off; now he -scrambled up again; at last, as his drowning comrade appeared for -the third time, with an arm extended out of a whirling eddy, he -caught him deftly with his boat-hook, and pulled him up toward the -log. - -As John Bamle lay there, more dead than alive, upon the bank, -emitting streams of water through mouth and nostrils, the question -was asked how he came to endanger his life in such a reckless -manner. At that very instant the head of a black otter was seen -emerging from the water, dragging a huge salmon up among the stones. - -“Look, the otter, the otter!” cried the men; and a shower of -stones hailed down upon the bowlder upon which Mons had sought -refuge. - -“Let him alone, I tell you!” screamed Tharald; “he is mine.” - -And with three leaps he was at Mons’s side, wringing wet from top -to toe, but happy to have his friend once more in safety. He seized -him in his arms, and would have borne him ashore, if the enormous -salmon had not demanded all his strength. - -As they again reached the bank, the fishermen gathered about them; -but Mons slunk cautiously at his master’s heels. He understood -the growling comments, as one man after the other lifted the big -salmon and estimated its weight. John Bamle had now so far regained -consciousness that he could speak, and he stared with no friendly -eye at the boy who had come near causing his death. - -“Come, now, Mons,” said Tharald, “come, and let us hurry home to -breakfast.” - -“Mons!” repeated John Bamle; “is _that_ your Mons?” - -“Yes, that is my Mons,” answered Tharald, innocently. - -“Then you just wait till I am strong enough to stand on my legs, -and I’ll promise to give you a thrashing that you’ll remember to -your dying day,” said John, and shook his big fist. - -Tharald was not anxious to wait under such circumstances, but -betook himself homeward as rapidly as his legs would carry him. - -During the next week Tharald did his best to avoid the fishermen. -And yet, try as he might, he could not help meeting them on the -road, or on the river-bank, as he carried home his heavy load of -salmon. - -“Hallo! How is your brother Mons?” they jeered, when they saw him. - -Occasionally they stopped and glanced into his basket; and Tharald -noticed that they glowered unpleasantly at him, whenever he had -caught a fine fish. The fact was, he had had extraordinary luck -this week; for Mons was getting to be such an expert, that he -scarcely ever dived without bringing something or other ashore. - -He had almost money enough now to pay for a year’s schooling, and -he could scarcely sleep for joy when he thought of the bright -future that stretched out before him. He saw himself in all manner -of delightful situations. Mons, in the meanwhile, who was not -troubled with this kind of ambition, snoozed peacefully in his -box, at the foot of his master’s bed. He did not dream what a rude -awakening was in store for him. - - * * * * * - -It had been a very bad week for John Bamle and his comrades. -Morning after morning their traps were empty, or one solitary fish -lay sprawling at the bottom of the box. - -“I tell you, boys,” said John, spitting into his fist, and shaking -it threateningly against the sky, “I am bewitched; that’s what I -am. And so are you, boys--every mother’s son of you. It is that -Gimlehaug boy that has bewitched us. Are you fools enough to -suppose that it is a natural beast--that black thing--that trots -at his heels, and empties the river of its fish for his benefit? -Not by a jugful, lads--not by a big jugful! The devil it is--the -black Satan himself--or my name is not John Bamle. You never saw a -beast act like that before, plunging into the yellow whirlpools, -and coming back unscathed every time, and with a fish as big as -himself dangling after him. Now, shall we stand that any longer, -boys? We have wives and babies at home, crying for food! And here -we come daily, and find empty traps. Now wake up, lads, and be men! -There has come a day of reckoning for him who has sold himself -to the devil. I, for my part, am just mad enough to venture on a -tussle with old Nick himself.” - -Every word that John uttered fell like a firebrand into the men’s -hearts. They shouted wildly, shook their fists, and swung their -long boat-hooks. - -“We’ll kill him, the thief,” they cried, “the scoundrel! He has -sold himself to the devil.” - -Up they rushed from the river-bank, up the green hillsides, up the -rocky slope, until they reached the gate at Gimlehaug. It was but -a small turf-thatched cottage, with tiny lead-framed window-panes -and a rude stone chimney. The father was out working by the day, -and the two boys were at home alone. Tharald, who was sitting at -the window reading, felt suddenly a paw tapping him on the cheek. -It was Mons. In the same instant an angry murmur of many voices -reached his ear, and he saw a crowd of excited fishermen, with -boat-hooks in their hands, thronging through the gate. There were -twenty or thirty of them at the very least. Tharald sprang forward -and bolted the door. He knew why they had come. Then he snatched -Mons up in his arms, and hugged him tightly. - -“Let them do their worst, Mons,” he said; “whatever happens, you -and I will stand by each other.” - -Anders, Tharald’s brother, came rushing in by the back door. He, -too, had seen the men coming. - -“Hide yourself, hide yourself, Tharald!” he cried in alarm; “it is -you they are after.” - -Hide yourself! That was more easily said than done. The hut was now -surrounded, and there was no escape. - -“Climb up the chimney,” begged Anders; “hurry, hurry! you have no -time to lose.” - -Happily there was no fire on the hearth, and Tharald, still hugging -Mons tightly, allowed himself to be pushed by his brother up the -sooty tunnel. Scarcely was Anders again out on the floor, when -there was a tremendous thump at the door, so that the hut trembled. - -“Open the door, I say!” shouted John Bamle without. - -Anders, knowing how easily he could force the door, if he wished, -drew the bolt and opened. - -“I want the salmon-fisher,” said John, fiercely. - -“Yes, we want the salmon-fisher,” echoed the crowd, wildly. - -“What salmon-fisher?” asked Anders, with feigned surprise. - -“Don’t you try your tricks on me, you rascal,” yelled John, -furiously; and seizing the boy by the collar, flung him out through -the door. The crowd stormed in after him. They tore up the beds, -and scattered the straw over the floor; upset the furniture, -ransacked drawers and boxes. But no trace did they find of him whom -they sought. Then finally it occurred to someone to look up the -chimney, and a long boat-hook was thrust up to bring down whatever -there might be hidden there. Tharald felt the sharp point in his -thigh, and he knew that he was discovered. With the strength of -despair he tore himself loose, leaving part of his trousers on the -hook, and, climbing upward, sprang out upon the roof. His thigh was -bleeding, but he scarcely noticed it. His eyes and hair were full -of soot, and his face was as black as a chimney-sweep’s. The men, -when they saw him, jeered and yelled with derisive laughter. - -“Hand us down your devilish beast there, and we won’t hurt you!” -cried John Bamle. - -“No, I won’t,” answered Tharald. - -“By the heavens, lad, if you don’t mind, it will go hard with you.” - -“I am not afraid,” said Tharald. - -“Then we’ll make you, you beastly brat,” yelled a furious voice in -the crowd; and instantly a stone whistled past the boy’s ear, and -fell with a thump on the turf below. - -“Now, will you give up your beast?” - -Tharald hesitated a moment. Should he give up Mons, who had been -his friend and playmate for two years, and see him stoned to death -by the cruel men? Mons fixed his black, liquid eyes upon him as if -he would ask him that very question. No, no, he could not forsake -Mons. A second stone, bigger than the first, flew past him, and he -had to dodge quickly behind the chimney, as the third and fourth -followed. - -“Tharald, Tharald!” cried Anders, imploringly; “do let the otter -go, or they will kill both you and him.” - -Before Tharald could answer, a shower of stones fell about him. One -hit him in the forehead; the sparks danced before his eyes. A warm -current rushed down his face; dizziness seized him; he fell, he -did not know where or how. John Bamle with a yell sprang forward, -climbed up the low wall to the roof, and saw the boy lying, as if -dead, behind the chimney. He turned to call for his boat-hook, when -suddenly something black shot toward him from the chimney-top, -and a set of terrible teeth buried themselves in his throat. The -mere force of the leap made him lose his balance, and he tumbled -backward into the yard. - -In the same instant Mons bounded forward, lighted on somebody’s -shoulder, and made for the woods. Before anybody had time to think, -he was out of sight. - -Thus ended the famous battle of Gimlehaug, of which the -salmon-fishers yet speak in the valley. Or rather, I should say, it -did not end there, for John Bamle lay ill for several weeks, and -had to have his wound sewed up by the doctor. - -As for Tharald, he got well within a few days. But a strange -uneasiness came over him, and he roamed through the woods early -and late, seeking his lost friend. At the end of a week, as he was -sitting, one night, on the rocks at the river, he suddenly felt -something hairy rubbing against his nose. He looked up, and with a -scream of joy clasped Mons in his arms. Then he hurried home, and -had a long talk with his father. And the end of it was, that with -the money which Mons had earned by his salmon-fishing, tickets were -bought for New York for the entire family. About a month later they -landed at Castle Garden. - -Tharald and Mons are now doing a large fish-business, without fear -of harm, in one of the great lakes of Wisconsin. Some day, he hopes -yet, it may lead to a parsonage. Since he learned that some of the -apostles were fishermen, he feels that he is on the right road to -the goal of his ambition. - - - - -BETWEEN SEA AND SKY. - - -I. - -“Iceland is the most beautiful land the sun doth shine upon,” said -Sigurd Sigurdson to his two sons. - -“How can you know that, father,” asked Thoralf, the elder of the -two boys, “when you have never been anywhere else?” - -“I know it in my heart,” said Sigurd, devoutly. - -“It is, after all, a matter of taste,” observed the son. “I think -if I were hard pressed, I might be induced to put up with some -other country.” - -“You ought to blush with shame,” his father rejoined warmly. “You -do not deserve the name of an Icelander, when you fail to see -how you have been blessed in having been born in so beautiful a -country.” - -“I wish it were less beautiful and had more things to eat in it,” -muttered Thoralf. “Salted codfish, I have no doubt, is good for the -soul, but it rests very heavily on the stomach, especially when you -eat it three times a day.” - -“You ought to thank God that you have codfish, and are not a naked -savage on some South Sea isle, who feeds, like an animal, on the -herbs of the earth.” - -“But I like codfish much better than smoked puffin,” remarked Jens, -the younger brother, who was carving a pipe-bowl. “Smoked puffin -always makes me sea-sick. It tastes like cod-liver oil.” - -Sigurd smiled, and, patting the younger boy on the head, entered -the cottage. - -“You shouldn’t talk so to father, Thoralf,” said Jens, with -superior dignity; for his father’s caress made him proud and -happy. “Father works so hard, and he does not like to see anyone -discontented.” - -“That is just it,” replied the elder brother; “he works so hard, -and yet barely manages to keep the wolf from the door. That is what -makes me impatient with the country. If he worked so hard in any -other country he would live in abundance, and in America he would -become a rich man.” - -This conversation took place one day, late in the autumn, outside -of a fisherman’s cottage on the north-western coast of Iceland. -The wind was blowing a gale down from the ice-engirdled pole, and -it required a very genial temper to keep one from getting blue. -The ocean, which was but a few hundred feet distant, roared like -an angry beast, and shook its white mane of spray, flinging it -up against the black clouds. With every fresh gust of wind, a -shower of salt water would fly hissing through the air and whirl -about the chimney-top, which was white on the windward side from -dried deposits of brine. On the turf-thatched roof big pieces of -drift-wood, weighted down with stones, were laid lengthwise and -crosswise, and along the walls fishing-nets hung in festoons from -wooden pegs. Even the low door was draped, as with decorative -intent, with the folds of a great drag-net, the clumsy cork-floats -of which often dashed into the faces of those who attempted to -enter. Under a driftwood shed which projected from the northern -wall was seen a pile of peat, cut into square blocks, and a -quantity of the same useful material might be observed down at the -beach, in a boat which the boys had been unloading when the storm -blew up. Trees no longer grow in the island, except the crippled -and twisted dwarf-birch, which creeps along the ground like a -snake, and, if it ever dares lift its head, rarely grows more -than four or six feet high. In the olden time, which is described -in the so-called sagas of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, -Iceland had very considerable forests of birch and probably also of -pine. But they were cut down; and the climate has gradually been -growing colder, until now even the hardiest tree, if it be induced -to strike root in a sheltered place, never reaches maturity. The -Icelanders therefore burn peat, and use for building their houses -driftwood which is carried to them by the Gulf Stream from Cuba and -the other well-wooded isles along the Mexican Gulf. - -“If it keeps blowing like this,” said Thoralf, fixing his weather -eye on the black horizon, “we shan’t be able to go a-fishing; and -mother says the larder is very nearly empty.” - -“I wish it would blow down an Englishman or something on us,” -remarked the younger brother; “Englishmen always have such lots of -money, and they are willing to pay for everything they look at.” - -“While you are a-wishing, why don’t you wish for an American? -Americans have mountains and mountains of money, and they don’t -mind a bit what they do with it. That’s the reason I should like to -be an American.” - -“Yes, let us wish for an American or two to make us comfortable for -the winter. But I am afraid it is too late in the season to expect -foreigners.” - -The two boys chatted together in this strain, each working at some -piece of wood-carving which he expected to sell to some foreign -traveller. Thoralf was sixteen years old, tall of growth, but -round-shouldered, from being obliged to work when he was too young. -He was rather a handsome lad, though his features were square and -weather-beaten, and he looked prematurely old. Jens, the younger -boy, was fourteen years old, and was his mother’s darling. For -even up under the North Pole mothers love their children tenderly, -and sometimes they love one a little more than another; that is, -of course, the merest wee bit of a fraction of a trifle more. -Icelandic mothers are so constituted that when one child is a -little weaker and sicklier than the rest, and thus seems to be more -in need of petting, they are apt to love their little weakling -above all their other children, and to lavish the tenderest care -upon that one. It was because little Jens had so narrow a chest, -and looked so small and slender by the side of his robust brother, -that his mother always singled him out for favors and caresses. - - -II. - -All night long the storm danced wildly about the cottage, rattling -the windows, shaking the walls, and making fierce assaults upon -the door, as if it meant to burst in. Sometimes it bellowed -hoarsely down the chimney, and whirled the ashes on the hearth, -like a gray snowdrift, through the room. The fire had been put -out, of course; but the dancing ashes kept up a fitful patter, -like that of a pelting rainstorm, against the walls; they even -penetrated into the sleeping alcoves and powdered the heads of -their occupants. For in Iceland it is only well-to-do people who -can afford to have separate sleeping-rooms; ordinary folk sleep -in little closed alcoves, along the walls of the sitting-room; -masters and servants, parents and children, guests and wayfarers, -all retiring at night into square little holes in the walls, where -they undress behind sliding trapdoors which may be opened again, -when the lights have been put out, and the supply of air threatens -to become exhausted. It was in a little closet of this sort that -Thoralf and Jens were lying, listening to the roar of the storm. -Thoralf dozed off occasionally, and tried gently to extricate -himself from his frightened brother’s embrace; but Jens lay with -wide-open eyes, staring into the dark, and now and then sliding -the trapdoor aside and peeping out, until a blinding shower of -ashes would again compel him to slip his head under the sheepskin -coverlet. When at last he summoned courage to peep out, he could -not help shuddering. It was terribly cheerless and desolate. And -all the time his father’s words kept ringing ironically in his -ears: “Iceland is the most beautiful land the sun doth shine upon.” -For the first time in his life he began to question whether his -father might not possibly be mistaken, or, perhaps, blinded by his -love for his country. But the boy immediately repented of this -doubt, and, as if to convince himself in spite of everything, kept -repeating the patriotic motto to himself until he fell asleep. - -It was yet pitch dark in the room, when he was awakened by his -father, who stood stooping over him. - -“Sleep on, child,” said Sigurd; “it was your brother I wanted to -wake up, not you.” - -“What is the matter, father? What has happened?” cried Jens, rising -up in bed, and rubbing the ashes from the corners of his eyes. - -“We are snowed up,” said the father, quietly. “It is already nine -o’clock, I should judge, or thereabouts, but not a ray of light -comes through the windows. I want Thoralf to help me open the door.” - -Thoralf was by this time awake, and finished his primitive toilet -with much despatch. The darkness, the damp cold, and the unopened -window-shutters impressed him ominously. He felt as if some -calamity had happened or were about to happen. Sigurd lighted a -piece of driftwood and stuck it into a crevice in the wall. The -storm seemed to have ceased; a strange, tomb-like silence prevailed -without and within. On the hearth lay a small snowdrift which -sparkled with a starlike glitter in the light. - -“Bring the snow-shovels, Thoralf,” said Sigurd. “Be quick; lose no -time.” - -“They are in the shed outside,” answered Thoralf. - -“That is very unlucky,” said the father; “now we shall have to use -our fists.” - -The door opened outward and it was only with the greatest -difficulty that father and son succeeded in pushing it ajar. The -storm had driven the snow with such force against it that their -efforts seemed scarcely to make any impression upon the dense white -wall which rose up before them. - -“This is of no earthly use, father,” said the boy; “it is a day’s -job at the very least. Let me rather try the chimney.” - -“But you might stick in the snow and perish,” objected the father, -anxiously. - -“Weeds don’t perish so easily,” said Thoralf. “Stand up on the -hearth, father, and I will climb up on your shoulders.” - -Sigurd half reluctantly complied with his request. Thoralf crawled -up his back, and soon planted his feet on the parental shoulders. -He pulled his knitted woollen cap over his eyes and ears so -as to protect them from the drizzling soot which descended in -intermittent showers. Then groping with his toes for a little -projection of the wall, he gained a securer foothold, and pushing -boldly on, soon thrust his sooty head through the snow-crust. A -chorus as of a thousand howling wolves burst upon his bewildered -sense; the storm raged, shrieked, roared, and nearly swept him off -his feet. Its biting breath smote his face like a sharp whip-lash. - -“Give me my sheepskin coat,” he cried down into the cottage; “the -wind chills me to the bone.” - -The sheepskin coat was handed to him on the end of a pole, and -seated upon the edge of the chimney, he pulled it on and buttoned -it securely. Then he rolled up the edges of his cap in front and -cautiously exposed his eyes and the tip of his nose. It was not a -pleasant experiment, but one dictated by necessity. As far as he -could see, the world was white with snow, which the storm whirled -madly around, and swept now earthward, now heavenward. Great -funnel-shaped columns of snow danced up the hillsides and vanished -against the black horizon. The prospect before the boy was by no -means inviting, but he had been accustomed to battle with dangers -since his earliest childhood, and he was not easily dismayed. With -much deliberation, he climbed over the edge of the chimney, and -rolled down the slope of the roof in the direction of the shed. He -might have rolled a great deal farther, if he had not taken the -precaution to roll against the wind. When he had made sure that -he was in the right locality, he checked himself by spreading his -legs and arms; then judging by the outline of the snow where the -door of the shed was, he crept along the edge of the roof on the -leeward side. He looked more like a small polar bear than a boy, -covered, as he was, with snow from head to foot. He was prepared -for a laborious descent, and raising himself up he jumped with all -his might, hoping that his weight would carry him a couple of feet -down. To his utmost astonishment he accomplished considerably more. -The snow yielded under his feet as if it had been eiderdown, and -he tumbled headlong into a white cave right at the entrance to the -shed. The storm, while it had packed the snow on the windward side, -had naturally scattered it very loosely on the leeward, which left -a considerable space unfilled under the projecting eaves. - -Thoralf picked himself up and entered the shed without difficulty. -He made up a large bundle of peat, which he put into a basket -which could be carried, by means of straps, upon his back. With -a snow-shovel he then proceeded to dig a tunnel to the nearest -window. This was not a very hard task, as the distance was not -great. The window was opened and the basket of peat, a couple -of shovels, and two pairs of skees[1] (to be used in case of -emergency) were handed in. Thoralf himself, who was hungry as -a wolf, made haste to avail himself of the same entrance. And -it occurred to him as a happy afterthought that he might have -saved himself much trouble, if he had selected the window instead -of the chimney when he sallied forth on his expedition. He had -erroneously taken it for granted that the snow would be packed as -hard everywhere as it was at the front door. The mother, who had -been spending this exciting half-hour in keeping little Jens warm, -now lighted a fire and made coffee; and Thoralf needed no coaxing -to do justice to his breakfast, even though it had, like everything -else in Iceland, a flavor of salted fish. - - -III. - -Five days had passed, and still the storm raged with unabated -fury. The access to the ocean was cut off, and, with that, access -to food. Already the last handful of flour had been made into -bread, and of the dried cod which hung in rows under the ceiling -only one small and skinny specimen remained. The father and the -mother sat with mournful faces at the hearth, the former reading -in his hymn-book, the latter stroking the hair of her youngest -boy. Thoralf, who was carving at his everlasting pipe-bowl (a -corpulent and short-legged Turk with an enormous mustache), looked -up suddenly from his work and glanced questioningly at his father. - -“Father,” he said, abruptly, “how would you like to starve to -death?” - -“God will preserve us from that, my son,” answered the father, -devoutly. - -“Not unless we try to preserve ourselves,” retorted the boy, -earnestly. “We can’t tell how long this storm is going to last, and -it is better for us to start out in search of food now, while we -are yet strong, than to wait until later, when, as likely as not, -we shall be weakened by hunger.” - -“But what would you have me do, Thoralf?” asked the father, sadly. -“To venture out on the ocean in this weather would be certain -death.” - -“True; but we can reach the Pope’s Nose on our skees, and there we -might snare or shoot some auks and gulls. Though I am not partial -to that kind of diet myself, it is always preferable to starvation.” - -“Wait, my son, wait,” said Sigurd, earnestly. “We have food enough -for to-day, and by to-morrow the storm will have ceased, and we may -go fishing without endangering our lives.” - -“As you wish, father,” the son replied, a trifle hurt at his -father’s unresponsive manner; “but if you will take a look out of -the chimney, you will find that it looks black enough to storm for -another week.” - -The father, instead of accepting this suggestion, went quietly to -his book-case, took out a copy of Livy, in Latin, and sat down -to read. Occasionally he looked up a word in the lexicon (which -he had borrowed from the public library at Reykjavik), but read -nevertheless with apparent fluency and pleasure. Though he was -a fisherman, he was also a scholar, and during the long winter -evenings he had taught himself Latin and even a smattering of -Greek.[2] In Iceland the people have to spend their evenings -at home; and especially since their millennial celebration in -1876, when American scholars[3] presented them with a large -library, books are their unfailing resource. In the case of Sigurd -Sigurdson, however, books had become a kind of dissipation, and he -had to be weaned gradually of his predilection for Homer and Livy. -His oldest son especially looked upon Latin and Greek as a vicious -indulgence, which no man with a family could afford to foster. Many -a day when Sigurd ought to have been out in his boat casting his -nets, he stayed at home reading. And this, in Thoralf’s opinion, -was the chief reason why they would always remain poor, and run the -risk of starvation, whenever a stretch of bad weather prevented -them from going to sea. - -The next morning--the sixth since the beginning of the -storm--Thoralf climbed up to his post of observation on the chimney -top, and saw, to his dismay, that his prediction was correct. It -had ceased snowing, but the wind was blowing as fiercely as ever, -and the cold was intense. - -“Will you follow me, father, or will you not?” he asked, when he -had accomplished his descent into the room. “Our last fish is now -eaten, and our last loaf of bread will soon follow suit.” - -“I will go with you, my son,” answered Sigurd, putting down his -Livy reluctantly. He had just been reading for the hundredth time -about the expulsion of the Tarquins from Rome, and his blood was -aglow with sympathy and enthusiasm. - -“Here is your coat, Sigurd,” said his wife, holding up the great -sheepskin garment, and assisting him in putting it on. - -“And here are your skees and your mittens and your cap,” cried -Thoralf, eager to seize the moment, when his father was in the mood -for action. - -Muffled up like Esquimaux to their very eyes, armed with bows and -arrows and long poles with nooses of horse-hair at the ends, they -sallied forth on their skees. The wind blew straight into their -faces, forcing their breath down their throats and compelling -them to tack in zigzag lines like ships in a gale. The promontory -called “The Pope’s Nose” was about a mile distant; but in spite of -their knowledge of the land, they went twice astray, and had to -lie down in the snow, every now and then, so as to draw breath and -warm the exposed portions of their faces. At the end of nearly two -hours they found themselves at their destination, but, to their -unutterable astonishment, the ocean seemed to have vanished, and as -far as their eyes could reach, a vast field of packed ice loomed -up against the sky in fantastic bastions, turrets, and spires. The -storm had driven down this enormous arctic wilderness from the -frozen precincts of the pole; and now they were blockaded on all -sides, and cut off from all intercourse with humanity. - -“We are lost, Thoralf,” muttered his father, after having gazed for -some time in speechless despair at the towering icebergs; “we might -just as well have remained at home.” - -“The wind, which has blown the ice down upon us can blow it away -again, too,” replied the son, with forced cheerfulness. - -“I see no living thing here,” said Sigurd, spying anxiously seaward. - -“Nor do I,” rejoined Thoralf; “but if we hunt, we shall. I have -brought a rope, and I am going to pay a little visit to those auks -and gulls that must be hiding in the sheltered nooks of the rocks.” - -“Are you mad, boy?” cried the father in alarm. “I will never permit -it!” - -“There is no help for it, father,” said the boy resolutely. “Here, -you take hold of one end of the rope; the other I will secure about -my waist. Now, get a good strong hold, and brace your feet against -the rock there.” - -Sigurd, after some remonstrance, yielded, as was his wont, to his -son’s resolution and courage. Stepping off his skees, which he -stuck endwise into the snow, and burrowing his feet down until -they reached the solid rock, he tied the rope around his waist and -twisted it about his hands, and at last, with quaking heart, gave -the signal for the perilous enterprise. The promontory, which rose -abruptly to a height of two or three hundred feet from the sea, -presented a jagged wall full of nooks and crevices glazed with -frozen snow on the windward side, but black and partly bare to -leeward. - -“Now let go!” shouted Thoralf; “and stop when I give a slight pull -at the rope.” - -“All right,” replied his father. - -And slowly, slowly, hovering in mid-air, now yielding to an -irresistible impulse of dread, now brave, cautious, and confident, -Thoralf descended the cliff, which no human foot had ever trod -before. He held in his hand the pole with the horse-hair noose, -and over his shoulder hung a foxskin hunting-bag. With alert, -wide-open eyes he spied about him, exploring every cranny of the -rock, and thrusting his pole into the holes where he suspected -the birds might have taken refuge. Sometimes a gust of wind would -have flung him violently against the jagged wall if he had not, -by means of his pole, warded off the collision. At last he caught -sight of a bare ledge, where he might gain a secure foothold; for -the rope cut him terribly about the waist, and made him anxious -to relieve the strain, if only for a moment. He gave the signal -to his father, and by the aid of the pole swung himself over to -the projecting ledge. It was uncomfortably narrow, and, what was -worse, the remnants of a dozen auks’ nests had made the place -extremely slippery. Nevertheless, he seated himself, allowing his -feet to dangle, and gazed out upon the vast ocean, which looked -in its icy grandeur like a forest of shining towers and minarets. -It struck him for the first time in his life that perhaps his -father was right in his belief that Iceland was the fairest land -the sun doth shine upon; but he could not help reflecting that it -was a very unprofitable kind of beauty. The storm whistled and -howled overhead, but under the lee of the sheltering rock it blew -only in fitful gusts with intermissions of comparative calm. He -knew that in fair weather this was the haunt of innumerable sea -birds, and he concluded that even now they could not be far away. -He pulled up his legs, and crept carefully on hands and feet -along the slippery ledge, peering intently into every nook and -crevice. His eyes, which had been half-blinded by the glare of the -snow, gradually recovered their power of vision. There! What was -that? Something seemed to move on the ledge below. Yes, there sat -a long row of auks, some erect as soldiers, as if determined to -face it out; others huddled together in clusters, and comically -woe-begone. Quite a number lay dead at the base of the rock, -whether from starvation or as the victims of fierce fights for the -possession of the sheltered ledges could scarcely be determined. -Thoralf, delighted at the sight of anything eatable (even though -it was poor eating), gently lowered the end of his pole, slipped -the noose about the neck of a large, military-looking fellow, and, -with a quick pull, swung him out over the ice-field. The auk gave -a few ineffectual flaps with his useless wings,[4] and expired. -His picking off apparently occasioned no comment whatever in his -family, for his comrades never uttered a sound nor stirred an inch, -except to take possession of the place he had vacated. Number two -met his fate with the same listless resignation; and numbers three, -four, and five were likewise removed in the same noiseless manner, -without impressing their neighbors with the fact that their turn -might come next. The birds were half-benumbed with hunger, and -their usually alert senses were drowsy and stupefied. Nevertheless, -number six, when it felt the noose about its neck, raised a hubbub -that suddenly aroused the whole colony, and, with a chorus of wild -screams, the birds flung themselves down the cliffs or, in their -bewilderment, dashed headlong down upon the ice, where they lay -half stunned or helplessly sprawling. So, through all the caves -and hiding-places of the promontory the commotion spread, and -the noise of screams and confused chatter mingled with the storm -and filled the vault of the sky. In an instant a great flock of -gulls was on the wing, and circled with resentful shrieks about -the head of the daring intruder who had disturbed their wintry -peace. The wind whirled them about, but they still held their own, -and almost brushed with their wings against his face, while he -struck out at them with his pole. He had no intention of catching -them; but, by chance, a huge burgomaster gull[5] got its foot into -the noose. It made an ineffectual attempt to disentangle itself, -then, with piercing screams, flapped its great wings, beating -the air desperately. Thoralf, having packed three birds into his -hunting-bag, tied the three others together by the legs, and flung -them across his shoulders. Then, gradually trusting his weight to -the rope, he slid off the rock, and was about to give his father -the signal to hoist him up. But, greatly to his astonishment, -his living captive, by the power of its mighty wings, pulling at -the end of the pole, swung him considerably farther into space -than he had calculated. He would have liked to let go both the -gull and the pole, but he perceived instantly that if he did, -he would, by the mere force of his weight, be flung back against -the rocky wall. He did not dare take that risk, as the blow might -be hard enough to stun him. A strange, tingling sensation shot -through his nerves, and the blood throbbed with a surging sound -in his ears. There he hung suspended in mid-air, over a terrible -precipice--and a hundred feet below was the jagged ice-field with -its sharp, fiercely-shining steeples! With a powerful effort of -will, he collected his senses, clinched his teeth, and strove to -think clearly. The gull whirled wildly eastward and westward, and -he swayed with its every motion like a living pendulum between sea -and sky. He began to grow dizzy, but again his powerful will came -to his rescue, and he gazed resolutely up against the brow of the -precipice and down upon the projecting ledges below, in order to -accustom his eye and his mind to the sight. By a strong effort -he succeeded in giving a pull at the rope, and expected to feel -himself raised upward by his father’s strong arms. But, to his -amazement, there came no response to his signal. He repeated it -once, twice, thrice; there was a slight tugging at the rope, but no -upward movement. Then the brave lad’s heart stood still, and his -courage wellnigh failed him. - -“Father!” he cried, with a hoarse voice of despair; “why don’t you -pull me up?” - -His cry was lost in the roar of the wind, and there came no answer. -Taking hold once more of the rope with one hand, he considered the -possibility of climbing; but the miserable gull, seeming every -moment to redouble its efforts at escape, deprived him of the use -of his hands unless he chose to dash out his brains by collision -with the rock. Something like a husky, choked scream seemed to -float down from above, and staring again upward, he saw his -father’s head projecting over the brink of the precipice. - -“The rope will break,” screamed Sigurd. “I have tied it to the -rock.” - -Thoralf instantly took in the situation. By the swinging motion, -occasioned both by the wind and his fight with the gull, the -rope had become frayed against the sharp edge of the cliff, and -his chances of life, he coolly concluded, were now not worth a -sixpence. Curiously enough, his agitation suddenly left him, and -a great calm came over him. He seemed to stand face to face with -eternity; and as nothing else that he could do was of any avail, -he could at least steel his heart to meet death like a man and an -Icelander. - -“I am trying to get hold of the rope below the place where it is -frayed,” he heard his father shout during a momentary lull in the -storm. - -“Don’t try,” answered the boy; “you can’t do it alone. Rather, let -me down on the lower ledge, and let me sit there until you can go -and get someone to help you.” - -His father, accustomed to take his son’s advice, reluctantly -lowered him ten or twenty feet until he was on a level with the -shelving ledge below, which was broader than the one upon which he -had first gained foothold. But--oh, the misery of it!--the ledge -did not project far enough! He could not reach it with his feet! -The rope, of which only a few strands remained, might break at -any moment and--he dared not think what would be the result! He -had scarcely had time to consider, when a brilliant device shot -through his brain. With a sudden thrust he flung away the pole, and -the impetus of his weight sent him inward with such force that he -landed securely upon the broad shelf of rock. - -The gull, surprised by the sudden weight of the pole, made a -somersault, strove to rise again, and tumbled, with the pole still -depending from its leg, down upon the ice-field. - -It was well that Thoralf was warmly clad, or he could never have -endured the terrible hours while he sat through the long afternoon, -hearing the moaning and shrieking of the wind and seeing the -darkness close about him. The storm was chilling him with its -fierce breath. One of the birds he tied about his throat as a sort -of scarf, using the feet and neck for making the knot, and the -dense, downy feathers sent a glow of comfort through him, in spite -of his consciousness that every hour might be his last. If he could -only keep awake through the night, the chances were that he would -survive to greet the morning. He hit upon an ingenious plan for -accomplishing this purpose. He opened the bill of the auk which -warmed his neck, cut off the lower mandible, and placed the upper -one (which was as sharp as a knife) so that it would inevitably -cut his chin in case he should nod. He leaned against the rock and -thought of his mother and the warm, comfortable chimney-corner -at home. The wind probably resented this thought, for it suddenly -sent a biting gust right into his face, and he buried his nose -in the downy breast of the auk until the pain had subsided. The -darkness had now settled upon sea and land; only here and there -white steeples loomed out of the gloom. Thoralf, simply to occupy -his thought, began to count them. But all of a sudden one of the -steeples seemed to move, then another--and another. - -The boy feared that the long strain of excitement was depriving -him of his reason. The wind, too, after a few wild arctic howls, -acquired a warmer breath and a gentler sound. It could not be -possible that he was dreaming, for in that case he would soon be -dead. Perhaps he was dead already, and was drifting through this -strange icy vista to a better world. All these imaginings flitted -through his mind, and were again dismissed as improbable. He -scratched his face with the foot of an auk in order to convince -himself that he was really awake. Yes, there could be no doubt of -it; he was wide awake. Accordingly he once more fixed his eyes upon -the ghostly steeples and towers, and--it sent cold shudders down -his back--they were still moving. Then there came a fusillade as -of heavy artillery, followed by a salvo of lighter musketry; then -came a fierce grinding, and cracking, and creaking sound, as if -the whole ocean were of glass and were breaking to pieces. “What,” -thought Thoralf, “is the ice breaking up!” In an instant the -explanation of the whole spectral panorama was clear as the day. -The wind had veered round to the southeast, and the whole enormous -ice-floe was being driven out to sea. For several hours--he could -not tell how many--he sat watching this superb spectacle by the -pale light of the aurora borealis, which toward midnight began to -flicker across the sky and illuminated the northern horizon. He -found the sight so interesting that for a while he forgot to be -sleepy. But toward morning, when the aurora began to fade and the -clouds to cover the east, a terrible weariness was irresistibly -stealing over him. He could see glimpses of the black water beneath -him; and the shining spires of ice were vanishing in the dusk, -drifting rapidly away upon the arctic currents with death and -disaster to ships and crews that might happen to cross their paths. - -It was terrible at what a snail’s pace the hours crept along! -It seemed to Thoralf as if a week had passed since his father -left him. He pinched himself in order to keep awake, but it was -of no use; his eyelids would slowly droop and his head would -incline--horrors! what was that? Oh, he had forgotten; it was the -sharp mandible of the auk that cut his chin. He put his hand up -to it, and felt something warm and clammy on his fingers. He was -bleeding. It took Thoralf several minutes to stay the blood--the -wound was deeper than he had bargained for; but it occupied him and -kept him awake, which was of vital importance. - -At last, after a long and desperate struggle with drowsiness, -he saw the dawn break faintly in the east. It was a mere feeble -promise of light, a remote suggestion that there was such a thing -as day. But to the boy, worn out by the terrible strain of death -and danger staring him in the face, it was a glorious assurance -that rescue was at hand. The tears came into his eyes--not tears -of weakness, but tears of gratitude that the terrible trial had -been endured. Gradually the light spread like a pale, grayish veil -over the eastern sky, and the ocean caught faint reflections of -the presence of the unseen sun. The wind was mild, and thousands -of birds that had been imprisoned by the ice in the crevices of -the rocks whirled triumphantly into the air and plunged with wild -screams into the tide below. It was hard to imagine where they all -had been, for the air seemed alive with them, the cliffs teemed -with them; and they fought, and shrieked, and chattered, like a -howling mob in times of famine. It was owing to this unearthly -tumult that Thoralf did not hear the voice which called to him -from the top of the cliff. His senses were half-dazed by the noise -and by the sudden relief from the excitement of the night. Then -there came two voices floating down to him--then quite a chorus. -He tried to look up, but the beetling brow of the rock prevented -him from seeing anything but a stout rope, which was dangling in -mid-air and slowly approaching him. With all the power of his -lungs he responded to the call; and there came a wild cheer from -above--a cheer full of triumph and joy. He recognized the voices of -Hunding’s sons, who lived on the other side of the promontory; and -he knew that even without their father they were strong enough to -pull up a man three times his weight. The difficulty now was only -to get hold of the rope, which hung too far out for his hands to -reach it. - -“Shake the rope hard,” he called up; and immediately the rope was -shaken into serpentine undulations; and after a few vain efforts, -he succeeded in catching hold of the knot. To secure the rope -about his waist and to give the signal for the ascent was but a -moment’s work. They hauled vigorously, those sons of Hunding--for -he rose, up, along the black walls--up--up--up--with no uncertain -motion. At last, when he was at the very brink of the precipice, -he saw his father’s pale and anxious face leaning out over the -abyss. But there was another face too! Whose could it be? It was -a woman’s face. It was his mother’s. Somebody swung him out into -space; a strange, delicious dizziness came over him; his eyes were -blinded with tears; he did not know where he was. He only knew that -he was inexpressibly happy. There came a tremendous cheer from -somewhere--for Icelanders know how to cheer--but it penetrated but -faintly through his bewildered senses. Something cold touched his -forehead; it seemed to be snow; then warm drops fell, which were -tears. He opened his eyes; he was in his mother’s arms. Little Jens -was crying over him and kissing him. His father and Hunding’s sons -were standing, with folded arms, gazing joyously at him. - - - - -MIKKEL. - - -I. - -HOW MIKKEL WAS FOUND. - -You may find it hard to believe what I am going to tell you, but -it is, nevertheless, strictly true. I knew the boy who is the hero -of this story. His name was Thor Larsson, and a very clever boy -he was. Still I don’t think he would have amounted to much in the -world, if it had not been for his friend Michael, or, as they write -it in Norwegian, Mikkel. Mikkel, strange to say, was not a boy, -but a fox. Thor caught him, when he was a very small lad, in a den -under the roots of a huge tree. It happened in this way. Thor and -his elder brother, Lars, and still another boy, named Ole Thomlemo, -were up in the woods gathering faggots, which they tied together -in large bundles to carry home on their backs; for their parents -were poor people, and had no money to buy wood with. The boys -rather liked to be sent on errands of this kind, because delicious -raspberries and blueberries grew in great abundance in the woods, -and gathering faggots was, after all, a much manlier occupation -than staying at home minding the baby. - -Thor’s brother Lars and Ole Thomlemo were great friends, and -they had a disagreeable way of always plotting and having secrets -together and leaving Thor out of their councils. One of their -favorite tricks, when they wished to get rid of him, was to pretend -to play hide-and-seek; and when he had hidden himself, they would -run away from him and make no effort to find him. It was this trick -of theirs which led to the capture of Mikkel, and to many things -besides. - -It was on a glorious day in the early autumn that the three boys -started out together, as frisky and gay as a company of squirrels. -They had no luncheon-baskets with them, although they expected to -be gone for the whole day; but they had hooks and lines in their -pockets, and meant to have a famous dinner of brook-trout up in -some mountain glen, where they could sit like pirates around a -fire, conversing in mysterious language, while the fish was being -fried upon a flat stone. Their _tolle_ knives[6] were hanging, -sheathed, from their girdles, and the two older ones carried, -besides, little hatchets wherewith to cut off the dry twigs and -branches. Lars and Ole Thomlemo, as usual, kept ahead and left Thor -to pick his way over the steep and stony road as best he might; and -when he caught up with them, they started to run, while he sat down -panting on a stone. Thus several hours passed, until they came to -a glen in which the blueberries grew so thickly that you couldn’t -step without crushing a handful. The boys gave a shout of delight -and flung themselves down, heedless of their clothes, and began to -eat with boyish greed. As far as their eyes could reach between the -mossy pine trunks, the ground was blue with berries, except where -bunches of ferns or clusters of wild flowers intercepted the view. -When they had dulled the edge of their hunger, they began to cut -the branches from the trees which the lumbermen had felled, and -Ole Thomlemo, who was clever with his hands, twisted withes, which -they used instead of ropes for tying their bundles together. They -had one bundle well secured and another under way, when Ole, with a -mischievous expression, ran over to Lars and whispered something in -his ear. - -“Let us play hide-and-seek,” said Lars aloud, glancing over toward -his little brother, who was working like a Trojan, breaking the -faggots so as to make them all the same length. - -Thor, who in spite of many exasperating experiences had not yet -learned to be suspicious, threw down an armful of dry boughs and -answered: “Yes, let us, boys. I am in for anything.” - -“I’ll blind first,” cried Ole Thomlemo; “now, be quick and get -yourselves hidden.” - -And off the two brothers ran, while Ole turned his face against a -big tree and covered his eyes with his hands. But the very moment -Thor was out of sight, Lars stole back again to his friend, and -together they slipped away under cover of the bushes, until they -reached the lower end of the glen. There, they pulled out their -fish-lines, cut rods with their hatchets, and went down to the -tarn, or brook, which was only a short distance off; the fishing -was excellent, and when the large speckled trout began to leap -out of the water to catch their flies, the two boys soon ceased -to trouble themselves about little Thor, who, they supposed, was -hiding under some bush and waiting to be discovered. - -In this supposition they were partly right and partly wrong. - -No sooner had Ole Thomlemo given the signal for hiding, than Thor -ran up the hill-side, stumbling over the moss-grown stones, pushing -the underbrush aside with his hands, and looking eagerly for a -place where he would be least likely to be found. He was full of -the spirit of the game, and anticipated with joyous excitement the -wonder of the boys when they should have to give up the search -and call to him to reveal himself. While these thoughts were -filling his brain, he caught sight of a huge old fir-tree, which -was leaning down the mountain-side as if ready to fall. The wind -had evidently given it a pull in the top, strong enough to loosen -its hold on the ground, and yet not strong enough to overthrow -it. On the upper side, for a dozen yards or more, the thick, -twisted roots, with the soil and turf still clinging to them, had -been lifted, so as to form a little den about two feet wide at -the entrance. Here, thought Thor, was a wonderful hiding-place. -Chuckling to himself at the discomfiture of his comrades, he threw -himself down on his knees and thrust his head into the opening. -To his surprise the bottom felt soft to his hands, as if it had -been purposely covered with moss and a layer of feathers and -eider-down. He did not take heed of the peculiar wild smell which -greeted his nostrils, but fearlessly pressed on, until nearly -his whole figure, with the exception of the heels of his boots, -was hidden. Then a sharp little bark startled him, and raising -his head he saw eight luminous eyes staring at him from a dark -recess, a few feet beyond his nose. It is not to be denied that -he was a little frightened; for it instantly occurred to him that -he had unwittingly entered the den of some wild beast, and that, -in case the old ones were at home, there was small chance of his -escaping with a whole skin. It could hardly be a bear’s den, for -the entrance was not half big enough for a gentleman of Bruin’s -size. It might possibly be a wolf’s premises he was trespassing -upon, and the idea made his blood run cold. For Mr. Gray-legs, -as the Norwegians call the wolf, is not to be trifled with; and -a small boy armed only with a knife was hardly a match for such -an antagonist. Thor concluded, without much reflection, that his -safest plan would be to beat a hasty retreat. Digging his hands -into the mossy ground, he tried to push himself backward, but, to -his unutterable dismay, he could not budge an inch. The feathers, -interspersed with the smooth pine-needles, slipped away under his -fingers, and the roots caught in his clothes and held him as in -a vice. He tried to force his way, but the more he wriggled the -more he realized how small was his chance of escape. To turn was -impossible, and to pull off his coat and trousers was a scarcely -less difficult task. It was fortunate that the four inhabitants -of the den, to whom the glaring eyes belonged, seemed no less -frightened than himself; for they remained huddled together in -their corner, and showed no disposition to fight. They only -stared wildly at the intruder, and seemed anxious to know what he -intended to do next. And Thor stared at them in return, although -the darkness was so dense that he could discern nothing except the -eight luminous eyes, which were fixed upon him with an uncanny and -highly uncomfortable expression. Unpleasant as the situation was, -he began to grow accustomed to it, and he collected his scattered -thoughts sufficiently to draw certain conclusions. The size of the -den, as well as the feathers which everywhere met his fumbling -hands, convinced him that his hosts were young foxes, and that -probably their respected parents, for the moment, were on a raid in -search of rabbits or stray poultry. That reflection comforted him, -for he had never known a fox to use any other weapon of defence -than its legs, unless it was caught in a trap and had to fight for -bare life. He was just dismissing from his mind all thought of -danger from that source, when a sudden sharp pain in his heel put -an end to his reasoning. He gave a scream, at which the eight eyes -leaped apart in pairs and distributed themselves in a row along the -curving wall of the den. Another bite in his ankle convinced him -that he was being attacked from behind, and he knew no other way -of defence than to kick with all his might, screaming at the same -time so as to attract the attention of the boys, who, he supposed, -could hardly be far off. But his voice sounded choked and feeble -in the close den, and he feared that no one would be able to hear -it ten yards away. The strong odor, too, began to stifle him, and -a strange dizziness wrapped his senses, as it were, in a gray, -translucent veil. He made three or four spasmodic efforts to rouse -himself, screamed feebly, and kicked; but probably he struck his -wounded ankle against a root or a stone, for the pain shot up his -leg and made him clinch his teeth to keep the tears from starting. -He thought of his poor mother, whom he feared he should never see -again, and how she would watch for his return through the long -night and cry for him, as it said in the Bible that Jacob cried -over Joseph when he supposed that a wild beast had torn him to -pieces and killed him. Curious lights, like shooting stars, began -to move before his eyes; his tongue felt dry and parched, and his -throat seemed burning hot. It occurred to him that certainly God -saw his peril and might yet help him, if he only prayed for help; -but the only prayer which he could remember was the one which the -minister repeated every Sunday for “our most gracious sovereign, -Oscar II., and the army and navy of the United Kingdoms.” Next he -stumbled upon “the clergy, and the congregations committed to their -charge;” and he was about to finish with “sailors in distress at -sea,” when his words, like his thoughts, grew more and more hazy, -and he drifted away into unconsciousness. - -Lars and Ole Thomlemo in the meanwhile had enjoyed themselves to -the top of their bent, and when they had caught a dozen trout, -among which was one three-pounder, they reeled up their lines, -threaded the fish on withes, and began to trudge leisurely up the -glen. When they came to the place where they had left their bundles -of faggots, they stopped to shout for Thor, and when they received -no reply, they imagined that, being tired of waiting, he had gone -home alone, or fallen in with some one who was on his way down -to the valley. The only thing that troubled them was that Thor’s -bundle had not been touched since they left him, and they knew that -the boy was not lazy, and that, moreover, he would be afraid to go -home without the faggots. They therefore concluded to search the -copse and the surrounding underbrush, as it was just possible that -he might have fallen asleep in his hiding-place while waiting to be -discovered. - -“I think Thor is napping somewhere under the bushes,” cried Ole -Thomlemo, swinging his hatchet over his head like an Indian -tomahawk. “We shall have to halloo pretty loud, for you know he -sleeps like a top.” - -And they began scouring the underbrush, traversing it in all -directions, and hallooing lustily, both singly and in chorus. -They were just about giving up the quest, when Lars’s attention -was attracted by two foxes which, undismayed by the noise, were -running about a large fir-tree, barking in a way which betrayed -anxiety, and stopping every minute to dig up the ground with their -fore-paws. When the boys approached the tree, the foxes ran only a -short distance, then stopped, ran back, and again fled, once more -to return. - -“Those fellows act very queerly,” remarked Lars, eying the foxes -curiously; “I’ll wager there are young un’s under the tree here, -but”--Lars gasped for breath--“Ole--Ole--Oh, look! What is this?” - -Lars had caught sight of a pair of heels, from which a little -stream of blood had been trickling, coloring the stones and -pine-needles. Ole Thomlemo, hearing his comrade’s exclamation of -fright, was on the spot in an instant, and he comprehended at once -how everything had happened. - -“Look here, Lars,” he said, resolutely, “this is no time for -crying. If Thor is dead, it is we who have killed him; but if he -isn’t dead, we’ve got to save him.” - -“Oh, what shall we do, Ole?” sobbed Lars, while the tears rolled -down over his cheeks, “what shall we do? I shall never dare go home -again if he is dead. We have been so very bad to him!” - -“We have got to save him, I tell you,” repeated Ole, tearless and -stern: “we must pull him out; and if we can’t do that, we must cut -through the roots of this fir-tree; then it’ll plunge down the -mountain-side, without hurting him. A few roots that have burrowed -into the rocks are all that keep the tree standing. Now, act like a -man. Take hold of him by one heel and I’ll take the other.” - -Lars, who looked up to his friend as a kind of superior being, -dried his tears and grasped his brother’s foot, while Ole carefully -handled the wounded ankle. But their combined efforts had no -perceptible effect, except to show how inextricably the poor lad’s -clothes were intertangled with the tree-roots, which, growing all -in one direction, made entrance easy, but exit impossible. - -“That won’t do,” said Ole, after three vain trials. “We might -injure him without knowing it, driving the sharp roots into his -eyes and ears, as likely as not. We’ve got to use the hatchets. You -cut that root and I’ll manage this one.” - -Ole Thomlemo was a lumberman’s son, and since he was old enough -to walk had spent his life in the forest. He could calculate -with great nicety how a tree would fall, if cut in a certain -way, and his skill in this instance proved valuable. With six -well-directed cuts he severed one big root, while Lars labored at -a smaller one. Soon with a great crash the mighty tree fell down -the mountain-side, crushing a dozen birches and smaller pines -under its weight. The moss-grown sod around about was torn up with -the remaining roots, and three pretty little foxes, blinded and -stunned by the rush of daylight, sprang out from their hole and -stared in bewilderment at the sudden change of scene. Through the -cloud of flying dust and feathers the boys discerned, too, Thor’s -insensible form, lying outstretched, torn and bleeding, his face -resting upon his hands, as if he were asleep. With great gentleness -they lifted him up, brushed the moss and earth from his face and -clothes, and placed him upon the grass by the side of the brook -which flowed through the bottom of the glen. Although his body was -warm, they could hardly determine whether he was dead or alive, -for he seemed scarcely to be breathing, and it was not until Ole -put a feather before his mouth and perceived its faint inward and -outward movement, that they felt reassured and began to take heart. -They bathed his temples with the cool mountain water and rubbed and -chafed his hands, until at last he opened his eyes wonderingly and -moved his lips, as if endeavoring to speak. - -“Where am I?” he whispered at last, after several vain efforts to -make himself heard. - -“Why, cheer up, old fellow,” answered Ole, encouragingly; “you have -had a little accident, that’s all, but you’ll be all right in a -minute.” - -“Unbutton my vest,” whispered Thor again; “there is something -scratching me here.” - -He put his hand over his heart, and the boys quickly tore his -waistcoat open, but to their unutterable astonishment a little -fox, the image of the three that had escaped, put his head out and -looked about him with his alert eyes, as if to say: “Here am I; how -do you like me?” He evidently felt so comfortable where he was, -that he had no desire to get away. No doubt the little creature, -prompted either by his curiosity or a desire to escape from the -den, had crept into Thor’s bosom while he was insensible, and, -finding his quarters quite to his taste, had concluded to remain. -Lars picked him up, tied a string about his neck, and put him in -the side pocket of his jacket. Then, as it was growing late, Ole -lifted Thor upon his back, and he and Lars took turns in carrying -him down to the valley. - -Thor’s ankle gave him some trouble, as the wound was slow in -healing. With that exception, he was soon himself again; and he -and Mikkel (for that was the name he gave to the little fox) grew -to be great friends and had many a frolic together. - -But the little fox was not a model of deportment, as you will see -when I tell you, in the next chapter, how Mikkel disgraced himself. - - -II. - -HOW MIKKEL DISGRACED HIMSELF. - -When Thor was twelve years old, he had to go out into the world -to make his own living; for his parents were poor, and they had -half a dozen younger children, who also had to be fed and clothed. -As it happened, Judge Nannestad, who lived on a large estate down -at the fiord, wanted an office-boy, and as Thor was a bright and -active lad, he had no difficulty in obtaining the situation. The -only question was, how to dispose of Mikkel; for, to be frank, -Mikkel (in spite of his many admirable traits) was not a general -favorite, and Thor suspected that when his protector was away -Mikkel would have a hard time of it. He well knew that Mikkel was -of a peculiar temperament, which required to be studied in order -to be appreciated, and as there was no one but himself who took -this trouble, he did not wonder that his friend was generally -misunderstood. Mikkel’s was not a nature to invite confidences; he -scrupulously kept his own counsel, and was always alert and on his -guard. There was a bland expression on his face, a kind of lurking -smile, which never varied, and which gave absolutely no clew to -his thoughts. When he had skimmed the cream off the milk-pans on -the top shelf in the kitchen, he returned, licking his chops, with -the same inscrutable smile, as if his conscience were as clean -as a new-born babe’s; and when he had slipped his collar over -his head and dispatched the kitten, burying its remains in the -backyard, he betrayed no more remorse than if he had been cracking -a nut. Sultan, the dog, strange to say, had private reasons for -being afraid of him, and always slank away in a shamefaced manner, -whenever Mikkel gave him one of his quiet sidelong glances. And -yet the same Mikkel would roll on his back, and jump and play with -the baby by the hour, seize her pudgy little hands gently with -his teeth, never inflicting a bite or a scratch. He would nestle -on Thor’s bosom inside of his coat, while Thor was learning his -lesson, or he would sit on his shoulder and look down on the book -with his superior smile. It was not to be denied that Mikkel had a -curious character--an odd mixture of good and bad qualities; but -as, in Thor’s judgment, the good were by far the more prominent, he -would not listen to his father’s advice and leave his friend behind -him, when he went down to the judge’s at the grand estate. - -It was the day after New-year’s that Thor left the cottage up -under the mountain, and, putting on his skees, slid down the steep -hill-side to the fiord. Mikkel was nestling, according to his wont, -in the bosom of his master’s coat, while his pretty head, with the -clean dark snout and dark mustache, was sticking out above the -boy’s collar, just under his chin. Mikkel had never been so far -away from home before, and he concluded that the world was a bigger -affair than he had been aware of. - -It was with a loudly thumping heart that Thor paused outside -the door of the judge’s office, for he greatly feared that the -judge might share the general prejudice against Mikkel, and make -difficulties about his board and lodgings. Instead of entering, he -went to the pump in the yard and washed his friend’s face carefully -and combed his hair with the fragment of a comb with which his -mother had presented him at parting. It was important that Mikkel -should appear to advantage, so as to make a good impression upon -the judge. And really he did look irresistible, Thor thought, with -his bright, black eyes, his dainty paws, and his beautiful red -skin. He felt satisfied that if the judge had not a heart of stone -he could not help being captivated at the sight of so lovely a -creature. Thor took courage and knocked at the door. - -“Ah, you are our new office-boy,” said the judge, as he entered; -“but what is that you have under your coat?” - -“It is Mikkel, sir, please your Honor,” stammered Thor, putting the -fox on the floor, so as to display his charms. But hardly had he -taken his hands off him, when a sudden scrambling noise was heard -in the adjoining office, and a large hound came bounding with wild -eyes and drooping tongue through the open door. With lightning -speed Mikkel leaped up on the judge’s writing-desk, scattering his -writing materials, upsetting an inkstand by an accidental whisk -of his tail, and bespattering the honorable gentleman’s face and -shirt-front with the black fluid. To perform a similar service on -the next desk, where a clerk was writing, to jump from there to -the shoulder of a marble bust, which fell from its pedestal down -on the hound’s head and broke into a dozen pieces, and to reach a -place of safety on the top of a tall bookcase were all a moment’s -work. The hound lay howling, with a wounded nose, on the floor. The -judge stood scowling at his desk, rubbing the ink all over his face -with his handkerchief, and Mikkel sat smiling on the top of the -bookcase, surveying calmly the ruin which he had wrought. But the -most miserable creature in the room was neither the judge, with his -black face, nor the hound, with the bleeding nose; it was Thor, who -stood trembling at the door, expecting that something still more -terrible would happen. And knowing that, after having caused such a -commotion, his place was forfeited, he held out his arms to Mikkel, -who accepted the invitation, and with all speed at their disposal -they rushed out through the door and away over the snowy fields, -scarcely knowing whither their feet bore them. - -After half an hour’s run, when he had no more breath left, Thor -seated himself on a tree-stump and tried to collect his thoughts. -What should he now do? Where should he turn? Go home he could not; -and if he did, it would be the end of Mikkel. The only thing he -could think of was to go around in the parish, from farm to farm, -until he found somebody who would give him something to do. - -“I hope you will appreciate, my dear Mikkel,” he said to his fox, -“that it is on your account I have all this trouble. It was very -naughty of you to behave so badly, and if you do it again I shall -have to whip you! Do you understand that, Mikkel?” - -Mikkel looked sheepish, which plainly showed that he understood. - -“Now, Mikkel,” Thor continued, “we will go to the parson; perhaps -he may have some use for us. What do you think of trying the -parson?” - -Mikkel apparently thought well of the parson, for he licked his -master behind his ear and rubbed his snout against his cheek. -Accordingly, by noon they reached the parsonage, and after a -long parley with the pastor’s wife, he was engaged as a sort of -errand-boy, whose duty it should be to do odd jobs about the house. -Mikkel was to have a kennel provided for him in the stable, but -was under no circumstances to enter the house. Thor had to vouch -for his good behavior, and the moment he made himself in any way -obnoxious it was decided that he should be killed. Poor Thor had -nominally to accept these hard conditions, but in his own mind he -determined to run away with Mikkel the moment he was caught in any -kind of mischief. It seemed very hard for Mikkel, too, who had been -accustomed to sleep in Thor’s arms in his warm bed, to be chained, -and to spend the long, dark nights in the stable in a miserable -kennel. Nevertheless, there was no help for it; so Thor went to -work that same afternoon and made Mikkel as comfortable a kennel as -he could, taking care to make the hole which served for entrance no -bigger than it had to be, so that no dog or other enemy should be -able to enter. - -For about four months all went well at the parsonage. So long as -Mikkel was confined in the stable he behaved himself with perfect -propriety, and, occasionally, when he was (by special permission) -taken into the house to play with the children, he won golden -opinions for himself by his cunning tricks, and became, in fact, -a great favorite in the nursery. When the spring came and the sun -grew warm, his kennel was, at Thor’s request, moved out into the -yard, where he could have the benefit of the fine spring weather. -There he could be seen daily, lying in the sun, with half-closed -eyes, resting his head on his paws, seeming too drowsy and -comfortable to take notice of anything. The geese and hens, which -were at first a trifle suspicious, gradually grew accustomed to -his presence, and often strayed within range of Mikkel’s chain, -and even within reach of his paws; but it always happened that on -such occasions either the pastor or his wife was near, and Mikkel -knew enough to be aware that goose was forbidden fruit. But one day -(it was just after dinner, when the pastor was taking his nap), -it happened that a great fat gander, prompted by a pardonable -curiosity, stretched his neck a little too far toward the sleeping -Mikkel; when, quick as a wink and wide-awake, Mr. Mikkel jumped -up, and before he knew it, the gander found himself minus his -head. Very cautiously the culprit peered about, and seeing no one -near, he rapidly dug a hole under his kennel and concealed his -victim there, covering it well with earth, until a more favorable -opportunity should present itself for making a meal of it. Then he -lay down, and stretched himself in the sun as before, and seemed -too sleepy even to open his eyes; and when, on the following -day, the gander was missed, the innocent demeanor of Mikkel so -completely imposed upon everyone, that he was not even suspected. -Not even when the second and the third goose disappeared could any -reasonable charge be brought against Mikkel. - -When the summer vacation came, however, the even tenor of Mikkel’s -existence was rudely interrupted by the arrival of the parson’s -oldest son, Finn, who was a student in Christiania, and his dog -Achilles. Achilles was a handsome brown pointer, that, having been -brought up in the city, had never been accustomed to look upon the -fox as a domestic animal. He, therefore, spent much of his time in -harassing Mikkel, making sudden rushes for him when he thought him -asleep; but always returning from these exploits shamefaced and -discomfited, for Mikkel was always a great deal too clever to be -taken by surprise. He would lie perfectly still until Achilles was -within a foot of him, and then, with remarkable alertness, he would -slip into the kennel, through his door, where the dog’s size would -not permit him to follow; and the moment his enemy turned his tail -to him, Mikkel’s face would appear bland and smiling, at the door, -as if to say: - -“Good-by! Call again whenever you feel like it. Now, don’t you wish -you were as clever as I am?” - -And yet in spite of his daily defeats, Achilles could never -convince himself that his assaults upon Mikkel brought him no -glory. Perhaps his master, who did not like Mikkel any too well, -encouraged him in his enmity, for it is certain that the assaults -grew fiercer daily. And at last, one day when the young student -was standing in the yard, holding his dog by the collar, while -exciting him against the half-sleeping fox, Achilles ran with such -force against the kennel that he upset it. Alas! For then the -evidence of Mikkel’s misdemeanors came to light. From the door-hole -of the rolling kennel a heap of goose-feathers flew out, and were -scattered in the air; and, what was worse, a little “dug-out” -became visible, filled with bones and bills and other indigestible -articles, unmistakably belonging to the goose’s anatomy. Mikkel, -who was too wise to leave the kennel so long as it was in motion, -now peeped cautiously out, and he took in the situation at a -glance. Mr. Finn, the student, who thought that Mikkel’s skin would -look charming as a rug before his fire-place in the city, was -overjoyed to find out what a rascal this innocent-looking creature -had been; for he knew well enough that his father would now no -longer oppose his desire for the crafty little creature’s skin. So -he went into the house, loaded his rifle, and prepared himself as -executioner. - -But at that very moment, Thor chanced to be coming home from an -errand; and he had hardly entered the yard, when he sniffed danger -in the air. He knew, without asking, that Mikkel’s doom was -sealed. For the parson was a great poultry-fancier and was said -to be more interested in his ganders than he was in his children. -Therefore, without waiting for further developments, Thor unhooked -Mikkel’s chain, lifted the culprit in his arms, and slipped him -into the bosom of his waistcoat. Then he stole up to his garret, -gathered his clothes in a bundle, and watched his chance to escape -from the house unnoticed. And while Master Finn and his dog were -hunting high and low for Mikkel in the barns and stables, Thor -was hurrying away over the fields, every now and then glancing -anxiously behind him, and nearly smothering Mikkel in his efforts -to keep him concealed, lest Achilles should catch his scent. -But Mikkel had his own views on that subject, and was not to be -suppressed; and just as his master was congratulating himself on -their happy escape, they heard the deep baying of a dog, and saw -Achilles, followed by the student with his gun, tracking them in -fierce pursuit. Thor, whose only hope was to reach the fiord, -redoubled his speed, skipped across fences, hedges, and stiles, -and ran so fast that earth and stones seemed to be flying in the -other direction. Yet Achilles’ baying was coming nearer and nearer, -and was hardly twenty feet distant by the time the boy had flung -himself into a boat, and with four vigorous oar-strokes had shot -out into the water. The dog leaped after him, but was soon beyond -his depth, and the high breakers flung him back upon the beach. - -“Come back at once,” cried Finn, imperiously. “It is not your -boat. If you don’t obey, I’ll have you arrested.” - -Thor did not answer, but rowed with all his might. - -“If you take another stroke,” shouted the student furiously, -levelling his gun, “I’ll shoot both you and your thievish fox.” - -It was meant only for intimidation; but where Mikkel’s life was at -stake, Thor was not easily frightened. - -“Shoot away!” he cried, thinking that he was now at a safe -distance, and that the student’s marksmanship was none of the -best. But before he realized what he had said, whiz! went a bullet -over his head. A stiff gale was blowing, and the little boat was -tossed like a foot-ball on the incoming and the outgoing waves; -but the plucky lad struggled on bravely, until he hove alongside a -fishing schooner, which was to sail the next morning for Drontheim. -Fortunately the skipper needed a deck hand, and Thor was promptly -engaged. The boat which had helped him to escape was found later -and towed back to shore by a fisherman. - - -III. - -HOW MIKKEL MAKES HIS FORTUNE. - -In Drontheim, which is a large commercial city on the western -coast of Norway, Thor soon found occupation as office-boy in a -bank, which did business under the name of C. P. Lyng & Co. He -was a boy of an open, fearless countenance, and with a frank and -winning manner. Mr. Lyng, at the time when Thor entered his employ, -had just separated from his partner, Mr. Tulstrup, because the -latter had defrauded the firm and several of its customers. Mr. -Lyng had papers in his safe which proved Mr. Tulstrup’s guilt, -but he had contented himself with dismissing him from the firm, -and had allowed him to take the share of the firm’s property -to which he was legally entitled. The settlement, however, had -not satisfied Mr. Tulstrup, and he had, in order to revenge -himself, gone about to the various customers, whom he had himself -defrauded, and persuaded them to commence suit against Mr. Lyng, -whom he represented as being the guilty party. He did not, at -that time, know that Mr. Lyng had gained possession of the papers -which revealed the real author of the fraud. On the contrary, he -flattered himself that he had destroyed every trace of his own -dishonest transactions. - -The fact that Mr. Lyng belonged to a family which had always been -distinguished, in business and social circles, for its integrity -and honor only whetted Tulstrup’s desire to destroy his good name, -and having laid his plans carefully, he anticipated an easy triumph -over honest Mr. Lyng. His dismay, therefore, was very great when, -after the suit had been commenced in the courts, he learned that it -was his own name and liberty which were in danger, and not those -of his former partner. Mr. Tulstrup, in spite of the position he -had occupied, was a desperate man, and was capable, under such -circumstances, of resorting to desperate remedies. But, like -most Norwegians, he had a streak of superstition in his nature, -and cherished an absurd belief in signs and omens, in lucky and -unlucky days, and in spectres and apparitions, foreboding death or -disaster. Mr. Tulstrup’s father had believed in such things, and it -had been currently reported among the peasantry that he had been -followed by a spectral fox, which some asserted to be his wraith, -or double. This fox, it was said, had frequently been seen during -the old man’s lifetime, and when he once saw it himself, he was -frightened nearly out of his wits. Superstitious stories of this -kind are so common in Norway that one can hardly spend a month in -any country district without hearing dozens of them. The belief -in a _fylgia_, or wraith in the shape of an animal, dates far -back into antiquity, and figures largely in the sagas, or ancient -legends of the Northland. - -It has already been told that Thor had obtained a position as -office-boy in Mr. Lyng’s bank; and it was more owing to the boy’s -winning appearance than to any fondness for foxes, on Mr. Lyng’s -part, that Mikkel also was engaged. It was arranged that a cushion -whereupon Mikkel might sleep should be put behind the stove in -the back office. At first Mikkel endured his captivity here with -great fortitude; but he did not like it, and it was plain that he -was pining for the parsonage and his kennel in the free air, and -the pleasant companionship of the geese and the stupid Achilles. -Thor then obtained permission to have him walk about unchained, -and the clerks, who admired his graceful form and dainty ways, -soon grew very fond of him, and stroked him caressingly, as he -promenaded along the counter or seated himself on their shoulders, -inspecting their accounts with critical eyes. Thor was very happy -to see his friend petted, though he had an occasional twinge of -jealousy when Mikkel made himself too agreeable to old Mr. Barth, -the cashier, or kissed young Mr. Dreyer, the assistant book-keeper. -Such faithlessness on Mikkel’s part was an ill return for all the -sacrifices Thor had made for him; and yet, hard as it was, it had -to be borne. For an office-boy cannot afford to have emotions, or, -if he has them, cannot afford the luxury of giving way to them. - -C. P. Lyng & Co.’s bank was a solid, old-fashioned business-house -which the clerks entered as boys and where they remained all their -lives. Mr. Barth, the cashier, had occupied his present desk -for twenty-one years, and had spent nine years more in inferior -positions. He was now a stout little man of fifty, with close -cropped, highly-respectable side-whiskers and thin gray hair, which -was made to cover his crown by the aid of a small comb. This comb, -which was fixed above his right ear and held the straggling locks -together, was a source of great amusement to the clerks, who made -no end of witticisms about it. But Mr. Barth troubled himself very -little about their poor puns, and sat serenely poring over his -books and packages of bank-bills from morning till night. He prided -himself above all on his regularity, and it was said that he had -never been one minute too late or too early during the thirty years -he had been in Mr. Lyng’s bank; accordingly, he had little patience -with the shortcomings of his subordinates, and fined and punished -them in various ways, if they were but a moment tardy; for the most -atrocious of all crimes, in Mr. Barth’s opinion, was tardiness. -The man who suffered most from his severity was Mr. Dreyer, the -assistant book-keeper. Mr. Dreyer was a good-looking young man, -and very fond of society; and it happened sometimes that, on the -morning after a ball, he would sleep rather late. He had long -rebelled in silence against Mr. Barth’s tyranny, and when he found -that his dissatisfaction was shared by many of the other clerks, -he conceived a plan to revenge himself on his persecutor. To this -end a conspiracy was formed among the younger clerks, and it was -determined to make Mikkel the agent of their vengeance. - -It was well known by the clerks that Mr. Barth was superstitious -and afraid in the dark; and it was generally agreed that it -would be capital fun to give him a little fright. Accordingly the -following plan was adopted: A bottle of the oil of phosphorus was -procured and Mikkel’s fur was thoroughly rubbed with it, so that in -the dark the whole animal would be luminous. At five minutes before -five, someone should go down in the cellar and turn off the gas, -just as the cashier was about to enter the back office to lock up -the safe. Then, when the illuminated Mikkel glared out on him from -a dark corner, he would probably shout or faint or cry out, and -then all the clerks should rush sympathetically to him and render -him every assistance. - -Thus the plan was laid, and there was a breathless, excited -stillness in the bank when the hour of five approached. It had -been dark for two hours, and the clerks sat on their high stools, -bending silently over their desks, scribbling away for dear life. -Promptly at seven minutes before five, up rose Mr. Barth and gave -the signal to have the books closed; then, to the unutterable -astonishment of the conspirators, he handed the key of the safe to -Mr. Dreyer (who knew the combination), and told him to lock the -safe and return the key. At that very instant, out went the gas; -and Mr. Dreyer, although he was well prepared, could himself hardly -master his fright at Mikkel’s terrible appearance. He struck a -match, lighted a wax taper (which was used for sealing letters), -and tremblingly locked the safe; then, abashed and discomfited, he -advanced to the cashier’s desk and handed him the key. - -“Perhaps you would have the kindness, Mr. Dreyer,” said Mr. Barth, -calmly, “to write a letter of complaint to the gas-company before -you go home. It will never do in the world to have such things -happen. I suppose there must be water in the pipes.” - -The old man buttoned his overcoat up to his chin and marched out; -whereupon a shout of laughter burst forth, in which Mr. Dreyer did -not join. He could not see what they found to laugh at, he said. -It took him a long while to compose his letter of complaint to the -gas-company. - -Mikkel in the meanwhile was feeling very uncomfortable. He could -not help marvelling at his extraordinary appearance. He rubbed -himself against chairs and tables, and found to his astonishment -that he made everything luminous that he touched. He had never -known any respectable fox which possessed this accomplishment, -and he felt sure that in some way something was wrong with him. -He could not sleep, but walked restlessly about on the desks and -counters, bristled with anger at the slightest sound, and was -miserable and excited. He could not tell how far the night had -advanced, when he heard a noise in the back office (which fronted -upon the court-yard) as if a window was being opened. His curiosity -was aroused and he walked sedately across the floor; then he -stopped for a moment to compose himself, for he was well aware that -what he saw was something extraordinary. A man with a dark-lantern -in his hand was kneeling before the safe with a key in his hand. -Mikkel advanced a little farther and paused in a threatening -attitude on the threshold of the door. With his luminous face and -body, and a halo of phosphorescent light round about him, he was -terrible to behold. He gave a little snort, at which the man turned -quickly about. But no sooner had he caught sight of the illuminated -Mikkel than he flung himself on his knees before the little animal, -and with clasped hands and a countenance wild with fear exclaimed: -“Oh, I know who thou art! Pardon me, pardon me! Thou art my -father’s spectral fox! I know thee, I know thee!” - -Mikkel had never suspected that he was anything so terrible; but, -as he saw that the man was bent on mischief, he did not think -it worth while to contradict him. He only curved his back and -bristled, until the man, beside himself with fear, made a rush -for the window and leaped out into the court-yard. Then Mikkel, -thinking that he had had excitement enough for one night, curled -himself up on his cushion behind the stove and went to sleep. - -The next morning, when Mr. Barth arrived, he found a window in the -back office broken, and the door of the safe wide open. On the -floor lay a bundle of papers, all relating to the transactions of -Tulstrup while a member of the firm, and, moreover, a hat, marked -on the inside with Tulstrup’s name, was found on a chair. - -On the same day Mr. Lyng was summoned to the bedside of his former -partner, who made a full confession, and offered to return through -him the money which he had fraudulently acquired. His leg was -broken, and he seemed otherwise shattered in body and mind. It -had been his purpose, he said, to drive Mr. Lyng from the firm -in disgrace, and he was sure he could have accomplished it, if -Providence itself had not interfered. But, incredible as it seemed, -he had seen a luminous animal in the bank, and he felt convinced -that it was his father’s spectral fox. It was well enough to smile -at such things and call them childish, but he had certainly seen, -he said, a wonderful, shining fox. - -Mr. Lyng did not attempt to convince Mr. Tulstrup that he was -wrong. He took the money and distributed it among those who -had suffered by Mr. Tulstrup’s frauds, and thus many needy -people--widows and industrious laborers--regained their hard-earned -property, and all because Mikkel’s skin was luminous. When Mr. Lyng -heard the whole story from Mr. Dreyer, he laughed heartily and -long. But from that day he took a warm interest in Thor and his -fox, and sent the former to school and, later, to the university, -where he made an honorable name for himself by his talents and -industry. - -Poor Mikkel is now almost gray, and his teeth are so blunt that -he has to have his food minced before he can eat it. But he still -occupies a soft rug behind the stove in the student’s room, and -Thor hopes he will live long enough to be introduced to his -master’s wife. For it would be a pity if she were not to know him -to whom her husband owes his position, and she, accordingly, hers. - - - - -THE FAMINE AMONG THE GNOMES. - - -I believe it was in the winter of 18-- (but it does not matter -so much about the time) that the servants on the large estate of -Halthorp raised a great ado about something or other. Whereupon -the Baron of Halthorp, who was too stout to walk down the stairs -on slight provocation, called his steward, in a voice like that of -an angry lion, and asked him, “Why in the name of Moses he did not -keep the rascals quiet.” - -“But, your lordship,” stammered the steward, who was as thin as -the baron was stout, “I have kept them quiet for more than a month -past, though it has been hard enough. Now they refuse to obey me -unless I admit them to your lordship’s presence, that they may -state their complaint.” - -“Impudent beggars!” growled the old gentleman. “Tell them that I -am about to take my after-dinner nap, and that I do not wish to be -disturbed.” - -“I have told them that a dozen times,” whined the steward, -piteously. “But they are determined to leave in a body, unless your -lordship consents to hear them.” - -“Leave! They can’t leave,” cried his honor. “The law binds them. -Well, well, to save talking, fling the doors open and let them come -in.” - -The steward hobbled away to the great oak-panelled doors (I forgot -to tell you that he limped in his left foot), and, cautiously -turning the knob and the key, peeped out into the hall. There stood -the servants--twenty-eight in all--but, oh! what a sight! They -were hollow-cheeked, with hungry eyes and bloodless lips, and deep -lines about their mouths, as if they had not seen food for weeks. -Their bony hands twitched nervously at the coarse clothes that -flapped in loose folds about their lean and awkward limbs. They -were indeed a pitiful spectacle. Only a single one of them--and -that was of course the cook--looked like an ordinary mortal, or -an extraordinary mortal, if you like, for he was nearly as broad -as he was long. It was owing to the fact that he walked at the -head of the procession, as they filed into the parlor, that the -baron did not immediately discover the miserable condition of the -rest. But when they had faced about, and stood in a long row from -wall to wall--well, you would hardly believe it, but the baron, -hard-hearted as he was, came near fainting. There is a limit to -all things, and even a heart of steel would have been moved at the -sight of such melancholy objects. - -“Steward,” he roared, when he had sufficiently recovered himself, -“who is the demon who has dared to trifle with my fair name and -honor? Name him, sir--name him, and I will strangle him on the -spot!” - -The steward, even if he had been acquainted with the demon, would -have thought twice before naming him under such circumstances. -Accordingly he was silent. - -“Have I not,” continued the baron, still in a voice that made his -subjects quake--“have I not caused ample provisions to be daily -distributed among you? Have not you, Mr. Steward, the keys to my -store-houses, and have you not my authority to see that each member -of my household is properly provided for?” - -The steward dared not answer; he only nodded his head in silence. - -“If it please your lordship,” finally began a squeaky little voice -at the end of the row (it was that of the under-groom), “it isn’t -the steward as is to blame, but it’s the victuals. Somehow there -isn’t any taste nor fillin’ to them. Whether I eat pork and cabbage -or porridge with molasses, it don’t make no difference. It all -tastes alike. As I say, your lordship, the old Nick has got into -the victuals.” - -The under-groom had hardly ceased speaking before the baron, who -was a very irascible old gentleman, seized his large gold-headed -cane and as quickly as his bulk would allow, rushed forward to give -vent to his anger. - -“I’ll teach you manners, you impudent clown!” he bawled out, as, -with his cane lifted above his head, he rushed into the ranks of -the frightened servants, shouting to the under-groom, “Criticise my -victuals, will you, you miserable knave!” - -The under-groom having on former occasions made the acquaintance of -the baron’s cane, and still remembering the unpleasant sensation, -immediately made for the door, and slipped nimbly out before a -blow had reached him. All the others, who had to suffer for their -spokesman’s boldness, tumbled pell-mell through the same opening, -jumped, rolled, or vaulted down the steps, and landed in a confused -heap at the bottom of the stairs. - -The baron, in the meanwhile, marched with long strides up and down -the floor, and expressed himself, not in the politest language, -concerning the impudence of his domestics. - -“However,” he grumbled to himself, “I must look into this affair -and find out what fraud there is at the bottom of it. The poor -creatures couldn’t get as lean as that unless there was some real -trouble.” - -About three hours later the baron heard the large bell over the -gable of his store-house ring out for dinner. The wood-cutters and -the men who drove the snow-plough, and all other laborers on the -large estate, as soon as they heard it, flung away their axes and -snow-shovels and hurried up to the mansion, their beards and hair -and eyebrows all white with hoar-frost, so that they looked like -walking snow-men. But as it happened, the under-groom, Nils Tagfat, -chanced at that moment to be cutting down a large snow-laden -fir-tree which grew on a projecting knoll of the mountain. He -pulled off his mittens and blew on his hands (for it was bitter -cold), and was about to shoulder his axe, when suddenly he heard a -chorus of queer little metallic voices, as it seemed, right under -his feet. He stopped and listened. - -“There is the bell of Halthorp ringing! Where is my cap? where is -my cap?” he heard distinctly uttered, though he could not exactly -place the sound, nor did he see anybody within a mile around. -And just for the joke of the thing, Nils, who was always a jolly -fellow, made his voice as fine as he could, and, mimicking the -tiny voices, squeaked out: - -“Where is my cap? Where is my cap?” - -But imagine his astonishment when suddenly he heard a voice answer -him: “You can take grandfather’s cap!” and at the same moment -there was tossed into his hands something soft, resembling a small -red-peaked cap. Just out of curiosity, Nils put it on his head -to try how it would fit him, and small as it looked, it fitted -him perfectly. But now, as the cap touched his head, his eyes -were opened to the strangest spectacle he ever beheld. Out of the -mountain came a crowd of gnomes, all with little red-peaked caps, -which made them invisible to all who were not provided with similar -caps. They hurried down the hill-side toward Halthorp, and Nils, -who was anxious to see what they were about, followed at a proper -distance behind. As he had half expected, they scrambled up on the -railings at the door of the servants’ dining-hall, and as soon as -the door was opened they rushed in, climbed up on the chairs, and -seated themselves on the backs just as the servants took their -places on the seats. And now Nils, who, you must remember, had on -the cap that made him invisible, came near splitting his sides with -laughter. The first course was boiled beef and cabbage. The smell -was delicious to Nils’s hungry nostrils, but he had to conquer his -appetite in order to see the end of the game. The steward stood at -the end of the table and served each with a liberal portion; and -at the steward’s side sat the baron himself, in a large, cushioned -easy-chair. He did not eat, however; he was there merely to see -fair play. - -Each servant fell to work greedily with his knife and fork, and -just as he had got a delicious morsel half-way to his mouth, the -gnome on the back of his chair stretched himself forward and -deftly snatched the meat from the end of the fork. Thus, all the -way around the table, each man unconsciously put his piece of beef -into the wide-open mouth of his particular gnome. And the unbidden -guests grinned shrewdly at one another, and seemed to think it -all capital fun. Sometimes, when the wooden trays (which were -used instead of plates) were sent to be replenished, they made -horrrible grimaces, often mimicking their poor victims, who chewed -and swallowed and went through all the motions of eating, without -obtaining the slightest nourishment. They all would have liked to -fling knives and forks and trays out through the windows, but they -had the morning’s chastisement freshly in mind, and they did not -dare open their mouths, except for the futile purpose of eating. - -“Well, my lads and lasses,” said the baron, when he had watched the -meal for some minutes; “if you can complain of food like this, you -indeed deserve to be flogged and put on prison fare.” - -“Very likely, your lordship,” said one of the milkmaids; “but if -your lordship would demean yourself to take a morsel with us, we -would bless your lordship for your kindness and complain no more.” - -[Illustration: THE BARON SPRANG UP WITH AN EXCLAMATION OF FRIGHT.] - -The baron, looking around at all the hopeless eyes and haggard -faces, felt that there was something besides vanity that -prompted the request; and he accordingly ordered the cook to bring -his own plate and drew his chair up to the table. Hardly had he -seized his knife when Nils saw a gnome, who had hitherto been -seated on the floor awaiting his turn, crawl up on the arm of his -big chair and, standing on tiptoe, seize between his teeth the -first bit the baron was putting to his mouth. The old gentleman -looked astounded, mystified, bewildered; but, fearing to make -an exhibition of himself, selected another mouthful, and again -conducted it the accustomed way. The gnome came near laughing right -out, as he despatched this second morsel in the same manner as the -first, and all around the table the little monsters held their -hands over their mouths and seemed on the point of exploding. The -baron put down knife and fork with a bang; his eyes seemed to be -starting out of his head, and his whole face assumed an expression -of unspeakable horror. - -“It is Satan himself who is mocking us!” he cried. “Send for the -priest! Send for the priest!” - -Just then Nils crept around behind the baron, who soon felt -something soft, like a fine skull-cap, pressed on his head, and -before he had time to resent the liberty, he started in terror at -the sight of the little creature that he saw sitting on the arm of -his chair. He sprang up with an exclamation of fright, and pushed -the chair back so violently that it was almost upset upon the -floor. The gnome dexterously leaped down and stood staring back at -the baron for an instant; then, with a spring, he snatched a potato -and half a loaf of bread, and disappeared. In his haste, the -baron ran against Nils, the under-groom, who (now without a cap) -was standing with a smiling countenance calmly surveying all the -confusion about him. - -“Now, was I right, your lordship?” he asked, with a respectful bow. -“Did _you_ find the victuals very filling?” - -The baron, who was yet too frightened to answer, stood gazing -toward a window-pane, which suddenly and noiselessly broke, and -through which the whole procession of gnomes, huddled together in -flight, tumbled headlong into the snow-bank without. - -“And what shall we do, Nils,” said the baron, the next day, when -he had recovered from his shock, “to prevent the return of the -unbidden guests?” - -“Stop ringing the great bell,” answered Nils. “It is that which -invites the gnomes.” - -And since that day the dinner-bell has never been rung at Halthorp. - -But one day, late in the winter, Nils the groom, as he was -splitting wood on the mountain-side, heard a plaintively tinkling -voice within, singing: - - “Hunger and sorrow each new day is bringing, - Since Halthorp bell has ceased its ringing.” - - - - -HOW BERNT WENT WHALING. - - -Bernt Holter and his sister Hilda were sitting on the beach, -playing with large spiral cockles which they imagined were cows -and horses. They built stables out of chips, and fenced in their -pastures, and led their cattle in long rows through the deep -grooves they had made in the sand. - -“When I grow up to be a man,” said Bernt, who was twelve years -old, “I am going to sea and catch whales, as father did when he -was young. I don’t want to stand behind a counter and sell calico -and tape and coffee and sugar,” he continued, thrusting his chest -forward, putting his hands into his pockets, and marching with a -manly swagger across the beach. “I don’t want to play with cockles, -like a baby, any more,” he added, giving a forcible kick to one of -Hilda’s finest shells and sending it flying across the sand. - -“I wish you wouldn’t be so naughty, Bernt,” cried his sister, with -tears in her eyes. “If you don’t want to play with me, I can play -alone. Bernt, oh--look there!” - -Just at that moment a dozen or more columns of water flew high into -the air, and the same number of large, black tail-fins emerged from -the surface of the fiord, and again slowly vanished. - -“Hurrah!” cried Bernt, in great glee, “it is a school of dolphins. -Good-by, Hilda dear, I think I’ll run down to the boat-house.” - -“I think I’ll go with you, Bernt,” said his sister, obligingly, -rising and shaking the sand from her skirts. - -“I think you’ll not,” remarked her brother, angrily; “I can run -faster than you.” - -So saying, he rushed away over the crisp sand as fast as his -feet would carry him, while his sister Hilda, who was rather a -soft-hearted girl, and ready with her tears, ran after him, all -out of breath and calling to him at the top of her voice. Finally, -when she was more than half way to the boat-house, she stumbled -against a stone and fell full length upon the beach. Bernt, fearing -that she might be hurt, paused in his flight and returned to pick -her up, but could not refrain from giving her a vindictive little -shake, as soon as he discovered that she had sustained no injury. - -“I do think girls are the greatest bother that ever was invented,” -he said, in high dudgeon. “I don’t see what they are good for, -anyway.” - -“I want to go with you, Bernt,” cried Hilda. - -Seeing there was no escape, he thought he might just as well be -kind to her. - -“You may go,” he said, “if you will promise never to tell anybody -what I am going to do?” - -“No, Bernt, I shall never tell,” said the child, eagerly, and -drying her tears. - -“I am going a-whaling,” whispered Bernt, mysteriously. “Come -along!” - -“Whaling!” echoed the girl, in delicious excitement. “Dear Bernt, -how good you are! Oh, how lovely! No, I shall never tell it to -anybody as long as I live.” - -It was late in the afternoon, and the sun, which at that time of -the year never sets in the northern part of Norway, threw its red, -misty rays like a veil of dull flame over the lofty mountains -which, with their snow-hooded peaks, pierced the fiery clouds; -their huge reflections shone in soft tints of red, green, and blue -in the depth of the fiord, whose glittering surface was calm and -smooth as a mirror. Only in the bay which the school of dolphins -had entered was the water ruffled; but there, high spouts rose -every moment into the air and descended again in showers of fine -spray. - -“It is well that father has gone away with the fishermen,” said -Bernt, as he exerted himself with all his might to push his small -boat down over the slippery beams of the boat-house. “Here, Hilda, -hold my harpoon for me.” - -Hilda, greatly impressed with her own dignity in being allowed -to hold so dangerous a weapon as a harpoon, grasped it eagerly -and held it up in both her arms. Bernt once more put his shoulder -to the prow of his light skiff (which, in honor of his father’s -whaling voyages, he had named The North Pole) and with a tremendous -effort set it afloat. Then he carefully assisted Hilda into the -boat, in the stern of which she seated herself. Next he seized the -oars and rowed gently out beyond the rocky headland toward which -he had seen the dolphins steer their course. He was an excellent -sailor for his years, and could manage a boat noiselessly and well. - -“Hilda, take the helm,” he whispered, “or, if you were only good -for anything, you might paddle and we should be upon them in a -minute. Now, remember, and push the tiller to the side opposite -where I want to go.” - -“I’ll remember,” she replied, breathlessly. - -The gentle splashing of the oars and the clicking of the rowlocks -were the only sounds which broke the silence of the evening. Now -and then a solitary gull gave a long, shrill scream as she dived -beneath the surface of the fiord, and once a fish-hawk’s loud, -discordant yell was flung by the echoes from mountain to mountain. - -“Starboard,” commanded Bernt, sternly; but Hilda in her agitation -pushed the tiller to the wrong side and sent the boat flying to -port. - -“Starboard, I said!” cried the boy, indignantly; “if I had known -you would be so stupid, I should never have taken you along.” - -“Please, brother dear, do be patient with me,” pleaded the girl, -remorsefully. “I shall not do it again.” - -It then pleased his majesty, Bernt Holter, to relent, although his -sister had by her awkwardness alarmed the dolphins, sending the -boat right in their wake, when it had been his purpose to head them -off. He knew well enough that it takes several minutes for a whole -school of so large a fish as the dolphin to change its course, and -the hunter would thus have a good chance of “pricking” a laggard -before he could catch up with his companions. Bernt strained every -muscle, while coolly keeping his eye on the water to note the -course of his game. His only chance was in cutting across the bay -and lying in wait for them at the next headland. For he knew very -well that if they were seriously frightened and suspected that -they were being pursued, they could easily beat him by the speed -and dexterity of their movements. But he saw to his delight that -his calculations were correct. Instead of taking the straight -course seaward, the dolphins, being probably in pursuit of fresh -herring, young cod, and other marine delicacies which they needed -for their late dinner, steered close to land where the young fish -are found in greater abundance, and their following the coastline -of the bay gave Bernt a chance of cutting them off and making their -acquaintance at closer quarters. Having crossed the little bay, he -commanded his sister to lie down flat in the bottom of the boat--a -command which she willingly, though with a quaking heart, obeyed. -He backed cautiously into a little nook among the rocks from which -he had a clear passage out, and having one hand on his harpoon, -which was secured by a rope to the prow of the boat, and the other -on the boat-hook (with which he meant to push himself rapidly out -into the midst of the school), he peered joyously over the gunwale -and heard the loud snorts, followed by the hissing descent of the -spray, approaching nearer and nearer. Now, steady my boy! Don’t -lose your presence of mind! One, two, three--there goes! Jumping -up, fixing the boat-hook against the rock, and with a tremendous -push shooting out into the midst of the school was but a moment’s -work. Whew! The water spouts and whirls about his ears as in a -shower-bath. Off goes his cap. Let it go! But stop! What was that? -A terrific slap against the side of the boat as from the tail of -a huge fish. Hilda jumps up with a piercing shriek and the boat -careens heavily to the port side, the gunwale dipping for a moment -under the water. A loud snort, followed again by a shower of spray, -is heard right ahead, and, at the same moment, the harpoon flies -through the air with a fierce whiz and lodges firmly in a broad, -black back. The huge fish in its first spasm of pain gives a fling -with its tail and for an instant the little boat is lifted out of -the water on the back of the wounded dolphin. - -“Keep steady, don’t let go the rope!” shouts Bernt at the top of -his voice, “he won’t hurt--” - -But before he had finished, the light skiff, with a tremendous -splash, struck the water again, and the little coil of rope to -which the harpoon was attached flew humming over the gunwale and -disappeared with astonishing speed into the deep. - -Bernt seized the cord, and when there was little left to spare, -tied it firmly to the prow of the boat, which then, of course, -leaped forward with every effort of the dolphin to rid itself of -the harpoon. The rest of the school, having taken alarm, had sought -deep water, and were seen, after a few minutes, far out beyond the -headland. - -“I want to go home, Bernt,” Hilda exclaimed, vehemently. “I want to -go home; I don’t want to get killed, Bernt.” - -“You silly thing! You can’t go home now. You must just do as I -tell you; but, of course--if you only are sensible--you won’t get -killed, or hurt at all.” - -While he was yet speaking, the boat began all of a sudden to move -rapidly over the water. - -The dolphin had bethought him of flight, not knowing that, however -swiftly he swam, he pulled his enemy after him. As he rose to the -surface, about fifty or sixty yards ahead, a small column of water -shot feebly upward, and spread in a fan-like, irregular shape -before it fell. The poor beast floundered along for a few seconds, -its long, black body in full view, and then again dived down, -dragging the boat onward with a series of quick convulsive pulls. - -Bernt held on tightly to the cord, while the water foamed and -bubbled about the prow and surged in swirling eddies in the wake of -the skiff. - -“If I can only manage to get that dolphin,” said Bernt, “I know -father will give me at least a dollar for him. There’s lots of -blubber on him, and that is used for oil to burn in lamps.” - -The little girl did not answer, but grasped the gunwale hard -on each side, and gazed anxiously at the foaming and bubbling -water. Bernt, too, sat silent in the prow, but with a fisherman’s -excitement in his face. The sun hung, huge and fiery, over the -western mountains, and sent up a great, dusky glare among the -clouds, which burned in intense but lurid hues of red and gold. -Gradually, and before they were fully aware of it, the boat began -to rise and descend again, and Bernt discovered by the heavy, even -roll of the water that they must be near the ocean. - -“Now you may stop, my dear dolphin,” he said, coolly. “We don’t -want you to take us across to America. Who would have thought that -you were such a tough customer anyway?” - -He let go the rope, and, seating himself again, put the oars into -the rowlocks. He tried to arrest the speed of the boat by vigorous -backing; but, to his surprise, found that his efforts were of no -avail. - -“Hilda,” he cried, not betraying, however, the anxiety he was -beginning to feel, “take the other pair of oars and let us see what -you are good for.” - -Hilda, not realizing the danger, obeyed, a little tremblingly, -perhaps, and put the other pair of oars into their places. - -“Now let us turn the boat around,” sternly commanded the -boy. “It’s getting late, and we must be home before bedtime. -One--two--three--pull!” - -The oars struck the water simultaneously and the boat veered half -way around; but the instant the oars were lifted again, it started -back into its former course. - -“Why don’t you cut the rope and let the dolphin go?” asked Hilda, -striving hard to master the tears, which again were pressing to her -eyelids. - -“Not I,” answered her brother; “why, all the fellows would laugh -at me if they heard how I first caught the dolphin and then the -dolphin caught me. No, indeed. He hasn’t much strength left by this -time, and we shall soon see him float up.” - -He had hardly uttered these words, when they shot past a rocky -promontory, and the vast ocean spread out before them. Both sister -and brother gave an involuntary cry of terror. There they were, -in their frail little skiff, far away from home, and with no boat -visible for miles around. “Cut the rope, cut the rope! Dear Bernt, -cut the rope!” screamed Hilda, wringing her hands in despair. - -“I am afraid it is too late,” answered her brother, doggedly. “The -tide is going out, and that is what has carried us so swiftly to -sea. I was a fool that I didn’t think of it.” - -“But what shall we do--what shall we do!” moaned the girl, hiding -her face in her apron. - -“Stop that crying,” demanded her brother, imperiously. “I’ll tell -you what we shall have to do. We couldn’t manage to pull back -against the tide, especially here at the mouth of the fiord, where -the current is so strong. We had better keep on seaward, and then, -if we are in luck, we shall meet the fishing-boats when they -return, which will be before morning. Anyway, there is little or -no wind, and the night is light enough, so that they cannot miss -seeing us.” - -“Oh, I shall surely die, I shall surely die!” sobbed Hilda, -flinging herself down in the bottom of the boat. - -Bernt deigned her no answer, but sat gazing sullenly out over the -ocean toward the western horizon, over which the low sun shed its -lurid mist of fire. The ocean broke with a mighty roar against the -rocks, hushed itself for a few seconds, and then hurled itself -against the rocks anew. To be frank, he was not quite so fearless -as he looked; but he thought it cowardly to give expression to -his fear, and especially in the presence of his sister, in whose -estimation he had always been a hero. The sun sank lower until it -almost touched the water. The rope hung perfectly slack from the -prow, and only now and then grew tense as if something was feebly -tugging at the other end. He concluded that the dolphin had bled -to death or was exhausted. In the meanwhile, they were drifting -rapidly westward, and the hollow noise of the breakers was growing -more and more distant. From a merely idle impulse of curiosity -Bernt began to haul in his rope, and presently saw a black body, -some ten or twelve feet long, floating up only a few rods from the -boat. He gave four or five pulls at the rope and was soon alongside -of it. Bernt felt very sad as he looked at it, and was sorry he had -killed the harmless animal. The thought came into his mind that his -present desperate situation was God’s punishment on him for his -cruel delight in killing. - -“But God would not punish my sister for my wickedness,” he -reflected, gazing tenderly at Hilda, who lay in the boat with her -hands folded under her cheek, having sobbed herself to sleep. He -felt consoled, and, murmuring a prayer he had once heard in church -for “sailors in distress at sea,” lay down at his sister’s side and -stared up into the vast, red dome of the sky above him. The water -plashed gently against the sides of the skiff as it rose and rocked -upon the great smooth “ground swell,” and again sank down, as it -seemed into infinite depths, only to climb again the next billow. -Bernt felt sleepy and hungry, and the more he stared into the sky -the more indistinct became his vision. He sprang up, determined to -make one last, desperate effort, and strove to row in toward land, -but he could make no headway against the strong tide, and with -aching limbs and a heavy heart he again stretched himself out in -the bottom of the boat. Before he knew it he was fast asleep. - -He did not know how long he had slept, but the dim, fiery look of -the sun had changed into an airy rose color, when he felt someone -seizing him by the arm and crying out: “In the name of wonders, -boy, how did you come here?” - -He rubbed his eyes and saw his father’s shaggy face close to his. - -“And my dear little girl too,” cried the father, in a voice of -terror. “Heaven be praised for having preserved her!” - -And he lifted Hilda in his arms and pressed her close to his -breast. Bernt thought he saw tears glistening in his eyes. That -made him suddenly very solemn. For he had never seen his father cry -before. Around about him was a fleet of some thirty or forty boats -laden to the gunwale with herring. He now understood his rescue. - -“Now tell me, Bernt, truthfully,” said his father, gravely, still -holding the sobbing Hilda tightly in his embrace, “how did this -happen?” - -“I went a-whaling,” stammered Bernt, feeling not at all so brave as -he had felt when he started on his voyage. But he still had courage -enough to point feebly to the dead dolphin which lay secured a -short distance from the skiff. - -“Wait till we get home,” said his father, “then _I’ll_ go -a-whaling.” - -He stood, for a while, gazing in amazement at the huge fish, then -again at his son, as if comparing their bulk. He felt that he -ought to scold the youthful sportsman, but he knew it was in the -blood, and was therefore more inclined to praise his daring spirit. -Accordingly, when he got home, he did not go a-whaling. - -“Bernt,” he said, patting the boy’s curly head, “you may be a brave -lad; but next time your bravery gets the better of you--leave the -little lass at home.” - - - - -THE COOPER AND THE WOLVES. - - -Tollef Kolstad was a cooper, and a very skilful cooper he was said -to be. He had a little son named Thor, who was as fond of his -father as his father was of him. Whatever Tollef did or said, Thor -was sure to imitate; if Tollef was angry and flung a piece of wood -at the dog who used to come into the shop and bother him, Thor, -thinking it was a manly thing to do, flung another piece at poor -Hector, who ran out whimpering through the door. - -Thor, of course, was not very old before he had a corner in his -father’s shop, where, with a small set of tools which had been -especially bought for him, he used to make little pails and buckets -and barrels, which he sold for five or ten cents apiece to the boys -of the neighborhood. All the money earned in this way he put into -a bank of tin, made like a drum, of which his mother kept the key. -When he grew up, he thought, he would be a rich man. - -The last weeks before Christmas are, in Norway, always the -briskest season in all trades; then the farmer wants his horses -shod, so that he may take his wife and children to church in his -fine, swan-shaped sleigh; he wants bread and cakes made to last -through the holidays, so that his servants may be able to amuse -themselves, and his guests may be well entertained when they call; -and, above all, he wants large tubs and barrels, stoutly made of -beech staves, for his beer and mead, with which he pledges every -stranger who, during the festival, happens to pass his door. You -may imagine, then, that at Christmas time coopers are much in -demand, and that it is not to be wondered at if sometimes they are -behind-hand with their orders. This was unfortunately the case with -Tollef Kolstad at the time when the strange thing happened which -I am about to tell you. He had been at work since the early dawn, -upon a huge tub or barrel, which had been ordered by Grim Berglund, -the richest peasant in the parish. Grim was to give a large party -on the following day (which was Christmas-Eve), and he had made -Tollef promise to bring the barrel that same night, so that he -might pour the beer into it, and have all in readiness for the -holidays, when it would be wrong to do any work. It was about ten -o’clock at night when Tollef made the last stroke with his hatchet -on the large hollow thing, upon which every blow resounded as on a -drum. He went to a neighbor and hired from him his horse and flat -sleigh, and was about to start on his errand, when he heard a tiny -voice calling behind him: - -“Father, do take me along, too!” - -“I can’t, my boy. There may be wolves on the lake, to-night, and -they might like to eat up little boys who stay out of bed so late.” - -“But I am not afraid of them, father. I have my whip and my -hatchet, and I’ll whip them and cut them.” - -Thor here made some threatening flourishes with his weapons in the -air, indicating how he would give it to the wolves in case they -should venture to molest him. - -“Well, come along, you little rascal,” said his father, laughing, -and feeling rather proud of his boy’s dauntless spirit. “You and I -are not to be trifled with when we get mad, are we, Thor?” - -“No, indeed, father,” said Thor, and clenched his little mittened -fist. - -Tollef then lifted him up, wrapped him warmly in his sheepskin -jacket, and put him between his knees, while he himself seized the -reins and urged the horse on. - -It was a glorious winter night. The snow sparkled and shone as if -sprinkled with starry diamonds, the aurora borealis flashed in -pale, shifting colors along the horizon, and the moon sailed calmly -through a vast, dark-blue sea of air. Little Thor shouted with -delight as he saw the broad expanse of glittering ice, which they -were about to cross, stretching out before them like a polished -shield of steel. - -“Oh, father, I wish we had taken our skates along, and pulled your -barrel across on a sled,” cried the boy, ecstatically. - -“That I might have done, if I had had a sled large enough for the -barrel,” replied the father. “But then we should have been obliged -to pull it up the hills on the other side.” - -The sleigh now struck the ice and shot forward, swinging from -side to side, as the horse pulled a little unevenly. Whew! how -the cold air cut in their faces. How it whizzed and howled in -the tree-tops! Hark! What was that? Tollef instinctively pressed -his boy more closely to him. Hush!--his heart stood still, while -that of the boy, who merely felt the reflex shock of his father’s -agitation, hammered away the more rapidly. A terrible, long-drawn -howl, as from a chorus of wild, far-away voices, came floating away -over the crowns of the pine-trees. - -“What was that, father,” asked Thor, a little tremulously. - -“It was wolves, my child,” said Tollef, calmly. - -“Are you afraid, father?” asked the boy again. - -“No, child, I am not afraid of one wolf, nor of ten wolves; but if -they are in a flock of twenty or thirty, they are dangerous. And if -they scent our track, as probably they will, they will be on us in -five minutes.” - -“How will they scent our track, father?” - -“They smell us in the wind; and the wind is from us and to them, -and then they howl to notify their comrades, so that they may -attack us in sufficient force.” - -“Why don’t we return home, then?” inquired the boy, still with a -tolerably steady voice, but with sinking courage. - -“They are behind us. Our only chance is to reach the shore before -they overtake us.” - -The horse, sniffing the presence of wild beasts, snorted wildly -as it ran, but, electrified as it were, with the sense of danger, -strained every nerve in its efforts to reach the farther shore. The -howls now came nearer and nearer, and they rose with a frightful -distinctness in the clear, wintry air, and resounded again from -the border of the forest. - -“Why don’t you throw away the barrel, father?” said Thor, who, for -his father’s sake, strove hard to keep brave. “Then the sleigh will -run so much the faster.” - -“If we are overtaken, our safety is in the barrel. Fortunately, it -is large enough for two, and it has no ears and will fit close to -the ice.” - -Tollef was still calm; but, with his one disengaged arm, hugged his -little son convulsively. - -“Now, keep brave, my boy,” he whispered in his ear. “They will soon -be upon us. Give me your whip.” - -It just occurred to Tollef that he had heard that wolves were very -suspicious, and that men had often escaped them by dragging some -small object on the ground behind them. He, therefore, broke a -chip from one of the hoops of the barrel, and tied it to the lash -of the whip; just then he heard a short, hungry bark behind him, -and, turning his head, saw a pack of wolves, numbering more than a -dozen, the foremost of which was within a few yards of the sleigh. -He saw the red, frothy tongue hanging out of its mouth, and he -smelt that penetrating, wild smell with which everyone is familiar -who has met a wild beast in its native haunts. While encouraging -the reeking, foam-flecked horse, Tollef, who had only half faith -in the experiment with the whip, watched anxiously the leader of -the wolves, and observed to his astonishment that it seemed to be -getting no nearer. One moment it seemed to be gaining upon them, -but invariably, as soon as it reached the little chip which was -dragging along the ice, this suddenly arrested its attention and -immediately its speed slackened. The cooper’s hope began to revive, -and he thought that perhaps there was yet a possibility that they -might see the morrow’s sun. But his courage again began to ebb when -he discovered in the distance a second pack of wolves, larger than -the first, and which, with terrific speed, came running, leaping, -and whirling toward them from another direction. And while this -terrible discovery was breaking through his almost callous sense, -he forgot, for an instant, the whip, the lash of which swung under -the runners of the sleigh and snapped. The horse, too, was showing -signs of exhaustion, and Tollef, seeing that only one chance was -left, rose up with his boy in his arms, and upsetting the barrel -on the ice, concealed himself and the child under it. Hardly had -he had time to brace himself against its sides, pressing his feet -against one side and his back against the other, when he heard the -horse giving a wild scream, while the short, whining bark of the -wolves told him that the poor beast was selling its life dearly. -Then there was a desperate scratching and scraping of horseshoes, -and all of a sudden the sound of galloping hoof-beats on the ice, -growing fainter and fainter. The horse had evidently succeeded in -breaking away from the sleigh, and was testing his speed in a race -for life. Some of the wolves were apparently pursuing him, while -the greater number remained to investigate the contents of the -barrel. The howling and barking of these furious creatures without -was now incessant. Within the barrel it was dark as pitch. - -“Now, keep steady!” said Tollef, feeling a sudden shock, as if -a wolf had leaped against their improvised house with a view to -upsetting it. He felt himself and the boy gliding a foot or two -over the smooth ice, but there was no further result from the -attack. A minute passed: again there came a shock, and a stronger -one than the first. A long, terrible howl followed this second -failure. The little boy, clutching his small cooper’s hatchet in -one hand, sat pale but determined in the dark, while with the other -he clung to his father’s arm. - -“Oh, father!” he cried, in terror, “I feel something on my back.” - -The father quickly struck a light, for he fortunately had a supply -of matches in his pocket, and saw a wolf’s paw wedged in between -the ice and the rim of the barrel; and in the same instant he tore -the hatchet from his son’s hand and buried its edge in the ice. -Then he handed the amputated paw to Thor, and said: - -“Put that into your wallet, and the sheriff will pay you a reward -for it.[7] For a wolf without paws couldn’t do much harm.” - -While he was yet speaking, a third assault upon the barrel lifted -one side of it from the ice, and almost overturned it. Instead of -pushing against the part nearest the ice, a wolf, more cunning than -the rest, had leaped against the upturned bottom. - -You can imagine what a terrible night father and son spent -together in this constant struggle with the voracious beasts, that -never grew weary of attacking their hiding-place. The father was -less warmly clad than the son, and, moreover, was obliged to sit -on the ice, while Thor could stand erect without knocking against -the bottom of the barrel; and if it had not been for the excitement -of the situation, which made Tollef’s blood course with unwonted -rapidity, it is more than probable that the intense cold would have -made him drowsy, and thus lessened his power of resistance. The -warmth of his body had made a slight cavity where he was sitting, -and whenever he remained a moment still, his trousers froze fast to -the ice. It was only the presence of his boy that inspired him with -fresh courage, whenever hope seemed about to desert him. - -About an hour after the flight of the horse, when five or six -wolves’ paws had been cut off in the same manner as the first, -there was a lull in the attack, but a sudden increase of the -howling, whining, yelping, and barking noise without. Tollef -concluded that the wolves, maddened by the smell of blood, were -attacking their wounded fellows; and as their howls seemed to come -from a short distance, he cautiously lifted one side of the barrel -and peered forth; but in the same instant a snarling bark rang -right in his ear, and two paws were thrust into the opening. Then -came a howl of pain, and another paw was put into Thor’s wallet. - -But hark! What is that? It sounds like a song, or rather like a -hymn. The strain comes nearer and nearer, resounding from mountain -to mountain, floating peacefully through the pure and still air: - - “Who knows how near I am mine ending; - So quickly time doth pass away.” - -Tollef, in whose breast hope again was reviving, put his ear to the -ice, and heard distinctly the tread of horses and of many human -feet. He listened for a minute or more, but could not discover -whether the sound was coming any nearer. It occurred to him that -in all probability the people, being unarmed, would have no desire -to cope with a large pack of wolves, especially as to them there -could be no object in it. If they saw the barrel, how could they -know that there was anybody under it? He comprehended instantly -that his only chance of life was in joining those people before -they were too far away. And, quickly resolved, he lifted the boy -on his left arm, and grasped the hatchet in his disengaged hand. -Then, with a violent thrust, he flung the barrel from over him, and -ran in the direction of the sound. The wolves, as he had inferred, -were lacerating their bleeding comrades; but the moment they saw -him, a pack of about a dozen immediately started in pursuit. They -leaped up against him on all sides, while he struck furiously about -him with his small weapon. Fortunately, he had sharp steel pegs on -his boots, and kept his footing well; otherwise the combat would -have been a short one. His voice, too, was powerful, and his shouts -rose high above the howling of the beasts. He soon perceived that -he had been observed, and he saw in the bright moonlight six or -eight men running toward him. Just then, as perhaps in his joy his -vigilance was for a fraction of a second relaxed, he felt a pull in -the fleshy part of his right arm. He was not conscious of any sharp -pain, and was astonished to see the blood flowing from an ugly -wound. But he only held his boy the more tightly, while he fought -and ran with the strength of despair. - -Now the men were near. He could hear their voices. But his brain -was dizzy, and he saw but dimly. - -“Hello, friend; don’t crack my skull for my pains!” someone was -shouting close to his ear, and he let his hatchet fall, and he fell -himself, too, prostrate on the ice. - -The wolves, at the sight of the men, had retired to a safe -distance, from which they watched the proceedings, as if uncertain -whether to return. - -As soon as Tollef had recovered somewhat from his exhaustion and -his loss of blood, he and his boy were placed upon a sleigh, and -his wound was carefully bandaged. He now learned that his rescuers -were on their way to a funeral, which was to take place on the next -day, but, on account of the distance to the church, they had been -obliged to start during the night. Hence their solemn mood, and -their singing of funeral hymns. - -After an hour’s ride they reached the cooper’s cottage, and were -invited to rest and to share such hospitality as the house could -afford. But when they were gone, Tollef clasped his sleeping boy -in his arms and said to his wife: “If it had not been for him, you -might have had no husband to-day. It was his little whip and toy -hatchet that saved our lives.” - -Eleven wolves’ paws were found in Thor’s wallet, and, on Christmas -eve, he went to the sheriff with them and received a reward which -nearly burst his old savings-bank, and compelled his mother to buy -a new one. - - - - -MAGNIE’S DANGEROUS RIDE - - -I. - -Magnie was consumed with the hunting fever. He had been away to -school since he was ten years old, and had never had the chance -of doing anything remarkable. While his brother, Olaf, who was a -midshipman in the navy, roamed about the world, and had delightful -adventures with Turks and Arabs, and all sorts of outlandish -people, Magnie had to scan Virgil and Horace and torment his soul -with algebraic problems. It was not at all the kind of life he -had sketched out for himself, and if it had not been his father -who had imposed it upon him, he would have broken away from all -restraints and gone to Turkey or China, or some place where -exciting things happened. In the meanwhile, as he lacked money -for such an enterprise, he would content himself with whatever -excitement there was in hunting, and as his brothers, Olaf and -little Edwin (who was fourteen years old), were also at home for -the vacation, there was a prospect of many delightful expeditions -by sea and by land. Moreover, their old friend Grim Hering-Luck, -who was their father’s right-hand man, had promised to be at their -disposal and put them on the track of exciting experiences. They -had got each a gun, and had practised shooting at a target daily -since their return from the city. Magnie, or Magnus Birk, as his -real name was, had once (though Olaf stoutly maintained that it was -mere chance) hit the bull’s-eye at a hundred yards, and he was now -eager to show his skill on something more valuable than a painted -target. It was, therefore, decided that Grim and the boys should go -reindeer-hunting. They were to be accompanied by the professional -hunter, Bjarne Sheepskin. - -It was a glorious morning. The rays of the sun shot from the -glacier peaks in long radiant shafts down into the valley. The -calm mirror of the fiord glittered in the light and fairly dazzled -the eye, and the sea-birds drifted in noisy companies about the -jutting crags, plunged headlong into the sea, and scattered the -spray high into the air. The blue smoke rose perpendicularly from -the chimneys of the fishermen’s cottages along the beach, and the -housewives, still drowsy with sleep, came out, rubbed their eyes -and looked toward the sun to judge of the hour. One boat after -another was pushed out upon the water, and the ripples in their -wakes spread in long diverging lines toward either shore. The fish -leaped in the sun, heedless of the gulls which sailed in wide -circles under the sky, keeping a sharp lookout for the movements -of the finny tribe. The three boys could only stand and gaze in -dumb astonishment upon the splendid sights which the combined -heavens, earth, and sea afforded. Their father, who was much -pleased with their determination and enterprise, had readily given -his consent to the reindeer hunt, on condition that Grim should -take command and be responsible for their safety. They were now -mounted upon three sturdy ponies, while their provisions, guns, -and other commodities were packed upon a fourth beast--a shaggy -little monster named Bruno, who looked more like a hornless goat -than a horse. Bjarne Sheepskin, a long, round-shouldered fellow, -with a pair of small, lively eyes, was leading this heavily laden -Bruno by the bridle, and the little caravan, being once set in -motion, climbed the steep slopes toward the mountains with much -persistence and dexterity. The ponies, which had been especially -trained for mountain climbing, planted their hoofs upon the -slippery rocks with a precision which was wonderful to behold, -jumped from stone to stone, slipped, scrambled up and down, but -never fell. As they entered the pine forest, where the huge trunks -grew in long, dark colonnades, letting in here and there stray -patches of sunshine, partridges and ptarmigan often started under -the very noses of the horses, and Magnie clamored loudly for his -gun, and grew quite angry with Bjarne, who would allow “no fooling -with tomtits and chipmunks, when they were in search of big game.” -Even hares were permitted to go unmolested; and it was not until a -fine capercailzie[8] cock tumbled out of the underbrush close to -the path, that Bjarne flung his gun to his cheek and fired. The -capercailzie made a somersault in the air, and the feathers flew -about it as it fell. Bjarne picked it up quietly, tied its legs -together, and hung it on the pommel of Edwin’s saddle. “That will -make a dinner for gentlefolks,” he said, “if the dairy-maids up on -the _saeters_ should happen to have nothing in the larder.” - -Gradually, as they mounted higher, the trees became more stunted in -their growth, and the whole character of the vegetation changed. -The low dwarf-birch stretched its long, twisted branches along -the earth, the silvery-white reindeer-moss clothed in patches the -barren ground, and a few shivering alpine plants lifted their -pale, pink flowers out of the general desolation. As they reached -the ridge of the lower mountain range the boys saw before them a -scene the magnificence of which nearly took their breath away. -Before them lay a wide mountain plain, in the bottom of which two -connected lakes lay coldly glittering. Round about, the plain was -settled with rude little log-houses, the so-called _saeters_, -or mountain dairies, where the Norse peasants spend their brief -summers, pasturing their cattle. - -They started at a lively trot down the slope toward this highland -plain, intending to reach the Hasselrud _saeter_, where they -expected to spend the night; for it was already several hours past -noon, and there could be no thought of hunting reindeer so late in -the day. Judging by appearances, the boys concluded that fifteen or -twenty minutes would bring them to the _saeter_; but they rode on -for nearly two hours, and always the cottages seemed to recede, and -the distance showed no signs of diminishing. They did not know how -deceptive all distances are in this wondrously clear mountain air, -whose bright transparency is undimmed by the dust and exhalations -of the lower regions of the earth. They would scarcely have -believed that those huge glacier peaks, which seemed to be looming -up above their very heads, were some eight to twelve miles away, -and that the eagle which soared above them was far beyond the range -of their rifles. - -It was about five o’clock when they rode in upon the _saeter_ -green, where the dairy-maids were alternately blowing their horns -and yodelling. Their long flaxen braids hung down their backs, -and their tight-fitting scarlet bodices and white sleeves gave -them a picturesque appearance. The cattle were lowing against the -sky, answering the call of the horn. The bells of cows, goats, and -sheep were jangled in harmonious confusion; and the noise of the -bellowing bulls, the bleating sheep, and the neighing horses was -heard from all sides over the wide plain. - -The three brothers were received with great cordiality by the -maids, and they spent the evening, after the supper was finished, -in listening to marvellous stories about the ogres who inhabited -the mountains, and the hunting adventures with which Bjarne -Sheepskin’s life had been crowded, and which he related with a -sportsman’s usual exaggerations. The beds in one of the _saeter_ -cottages were given up to the boys, and they slept peacefully until -about four o’clock in the morning, when Grim aroused them and told -them that everything was ready for their departure. They swallowed -their breakfast hastily, and started in excited silence across the -plateau. Edwin and the horses they left behind in charge of the -dairy-maids, but took with them an old staghound who had some good -blood in him, and a finer scent than his sedate behavior and the -shape of his nose would have led one to suppose. - -Light clouds hovered under the sky; the mist lay like a white -sheet over the mountain, and drifted in patches across the plain. -Bjarne and Grim were carrying the guns, while Olaf led the hound, -and Magnus trotted briskly along, stopping every now and then to -examine every unfamiliar object that came in his way. The wind blew -toward them, so that there was no chance that their scent could -betray them, in case there were herds of deer toward the north at -the base of the glaciers. They had not walked very far, when Bjarne -put his hand to his lips and stooped down to examine the ground. -The dog lifted his nose and began to snuff the air, wag his tail, -and whine impatiently. - -“Hush, Yutul,” whispered Bjarne; “down! down, and keep still!” - -The dog crouched down obediently and held his peace. - -“Here is a fresh track,” the hunter went on, pointing to a hardly -perceptible depression in the moss. “There has been a large herd -here--one buck and at least a dozen cows. Look, here is a stalk -that has just been bitten off, and the juice is not dry yet.” - -“How long do you think it will be before we shall meet them?” asked -Magnus, breathlessly. The hunting-fever was throbbing in his -veins, and he crawled cautiously among the bowlders with his rifle -cocked. - -“Couldn’t tell; may be an hour, may be three. Hand me your -field-glass, Lieutenant, and I will see if I can catch sight of -’em. A gray beast ain’t easily seen agin the gray stone. It was fer -the same reason I wanted ye to wear gray clothes; we don’t want to -give the game any advantage, fer the sentinels be allers on the -lookout fer the herd, and at the least bit of unfamiliar color, -they give their warnin’ snort, and off starts the flock, scudding -away like a drift of mist before the wind.” - -Crouching down among the lichen-clad rocks, all listened in eager -expectation. - -“Down!” whispered Bjarne, “and cock rifles! A pair of antlers -agin the snow! Hallo! it is as I thought--a big herd. One, two, -three--five--seven--ten--fourteen! One stunnin’ buck, worth his -forty dollars at least. Now follow me slowly. Look out for your -guns! You, Grim, keep the dog muzzled.” - -The boys strained their eyes above the edge of the stones, but -could see nothing. Their hearts hammered against their sides, and -the blood throbbed in their temples. As far as their eyes could -reach they saw only the gray waste of bowlders, interrupted here -and there by patches of snow or a white glacier-stream, which -plunged wildly over a precipice, while a hovering moke indicated -its further progress through the plain. Nevertheless, trusting -the experience of their leader, they made no remark, but crept -after him, choosing like him every available stone for cover. -After half an hour of this laborious exercise, Bjarne suddenly -stretched himself flat upon the ground, and the others, though -seeing no occasion for such a manœuvre, promptly followed his -example. But the next moment enlightened them. Looming up against -the white snow, some sixty or a hundred feet from them, they saw -a magnificent pair of antlers, and presently the whole body of a -proud animal was distinctly visible against the glacier. In the -ravine below a dozen or more cows with their calves were nibbling -the moss between the stones, but with great deliberateness, lifting -their heads every minute and snuffing the air suspiciously; they -presently climbed up on the hard snow and began a frolic, the like -of which the boys had never seen before. The great buck raised -himself on his hind-legs, shook his head, and made a leap, kicking -the snow about him with great vehemence. Several of the cows took -this as an invitation for a general jollification, and they began -to frisk about, kicking their heels against the sky and shaking -their heads, not with the wanton grace of their chief, but with -half-pathetic attempts at imitation. This, Magnus thought, was -evidently a reindeer ball; and very sensible they were to have -it early in the morning, when they felt gay and frisky, rather -than in the night, when they ought to be asleep. What troubled -him, however, was that Bjarne did not shoot; he himself did not -venture to send a bullet into the big buck, although it seemed -to him he had an excellent aim. The slightest turn in the wind -would inevitably betray them, and then they would have had all -their toil for nothing. He would have liked to suggest this to -Bjarne; but in order to do this, he would have to overtake him, and -Bjarne was still wriggling himself cautiously forward among the -stones, pushing himself on with his elbows, as a seal does with -his flippers. In his eagerness to impart his counsel to Bjarne, -Magnus began to move more rapidly; raising himself on his knees -he quite inadvertently showed his curly head above a bowlder. The -buck lifted his superb head with a snort, and with incredible speed -the whole herd galloped away; but in the same moment two bullets -whistled after them, and the buck fell flat upon the snow. The -cow which had stood nearest to him reared on her hind-legs, made -a great leap, and plunged headlong down among the stones. With -a wild war-whoop, the boys jumped up, and Magnus, who had come -near ruining the whole sport, seized, in order to make up for -his mishap, a long hunting-knife and rushed forward to give the -buck the _coup-de-grace_,[9] in accordance with the rules of the -chase. Bounding forward with reckless disregard of all obstacles, -he was the first down on the snow. In one instant he was astride -of the animal, and had just raised his knife, when up leaped the -buck and tore away along the edge of the snow like a gust of wind. -The long-range shot, hitting him in the head, had only stunned -him, but had not penetrated the skull. And, what was worse, in -his bewilderment at the unexpected manœuvre, Magnus dropped his -knife, seizing instinctively the horns of the reindeer to keep -from falling. Away they went with a terrific dizzying speed. The -frightened boy clung convulsively to the great antlers; if he -should fall off, his head would be crushed against the bowlders. -The cold glacier-wind whistled in his ears, and stung his face -like a multitude of tiny needles. He had to turn his head in order -to catch his breath; and he strained his eyes to see if anything -was being done by his companions for his rescue. But he could see -nothing except a great expanse of gray and white lines, which ran -into each other and climbed and undulated toward him and sloped -away, but seemed associated with no tangible object. He thought, -for a moment, that he saw Grim Hering-Luck aiming his gun, but -he seemed to be up in the sky, and to be growing huger and huger -until he looked more like a fantastic cloud than a man. The thought -suddenly struck him that he might be fainting, and it sent a thrill -of horror through him. With a vehement effort he mastered his fear -and resolved that, whatever happened, he would not give way to -weakness. If he was to lose his life, he would, at all events, make -a hard fight for it; it was, on the whole, quite a valuable life, -he concluded, and he did not mean to sell it cheaply. - -Troubling himself little about the direction his steed was taking, -he shut his eyes, and began to meditate upon his chances of escape; -and after some minutes, he was forced to admit that they seemed -very slim. When the buck should have exhausted his strength, as -in the course of time he must, he would leave his rider somewhere -in this vast trackless wilderness, where the biting wind swept -down from the eternal peaks of ice, where wolves roamed about -in great hungry companies, and where, beside them, the reindeer -and the ptarmigan were the only living things amid the universal -desolation. When he opened his eyes again, Magnus discovered that -the buck had overtaken the fleeing herd, which, however, were -tearing away madly at his approach, being evidently frightened -at the sight and the scent of the unfamiliar rider. The animal -was still galloping on, though with a less dizzying rapidity, and -Magnus could distinguish the general outline of the objects which -seemed to be rushing against him, as if running a race in the -opposite direction. The herd were evidently betaking themselves -into the upper glacier region, where no foot less light and swift -than theirs could find safety among the terrible ravines and -crevasses. - -Fully an hour had passed, possibly two, and it seemed vain to -attempt to measure the distance which he had passed over in this -time. At all events, the region did not present one familiar -object, and of Olaf and his companions Magnie saw no trace. The -only question was, what chance had they of finding him, if they -undertook to search for him, as, of course, they would. If he -could only leave some sign or mark by which they might know the -direction he had taken, their search might perhaps be rewarded with -success. He put one hand in his pocket, but could find nothing -that he could spare except a red silk handkerchief. That had the -advantage of being bright, and would be sure to attract attention. -The dog would be likely to detect it or to catch the scent of it. -But he must have something heavy to tie up in the handkerchief, -or it might blow “all over creation.” The only thing he could find -was a silver matchbox which he had obtained by a trade with Olaf, -and which bore the latter’s initials. He carefully emptied it, -and put the matches (which he foresaw might prove useful) in his -vest-pocket; then tied up the box securely and dropped it, with -the handkerchief, upon a conspicuous rock, where its bright color -might appear striking and unnatural. He was just on the ridge of -what proved to be a second and higher mountain plateau, the wild -grandeur of which far transcended that of the first. Before him lay -a large sheet of water of a cool green tint, and so clear that the -bottom was visible as far as the eye could reach. A river had made -its way from the end of this lake and plunged, in a series of short -cataracts, down the slope to the lower plain. - -It made Magnus shiver with dread to look at this coldly glittering -surface, and what was his horror when suddenly his reindeer, in his -pursuit of the herd, which were already in the water, rushed in, -and began, with loud snorts, to swim across to the farther shore! -This was an unforeseen stratagem which extinguished his last hope -of rescue; for how could Bjarne track him through the water, and -what means would he find of crossing, in case he should guess that -the herd had played this dangerous trick on him? He began to dread -also that the endurance of the buck would be exhausted before he -reached dry land again, and that they might both perish miserably -in the lake. In this horrible distress nothing occurred to him -except to whisper the Lord’s Prayer; but as his terror increased, -his voice grew louder and louder, until he fairly shouted the -words, “And deliver us from evil,” and the echoes from the vast -solitudes repeated, first clearly and loudly, then with fainter and -fainter accents: “And deliver us from evil--and deliver us from -evil.” His despairing voice rang strangely under the great empty -sky, and rumbled among the glaciers, which flung it back and forth -until it died away in the blue distance. It was as if the vast -silent wilderness, startled at the sound of a human voice, were -wonderingly repeating the strange and solemn words. - -A vague sense of security stole over him when he had finished his -prayer. But the chill of the icy water had nearly benumbed his -limbs, and he feared that the loss of heat would conquer his will, -and make him unconscious before the buck should reach the shore. He -felt distinctly his strength ebbing away, and he knew of nothing -that he could do to save himself. Then suddenly a daring thought -flashed through his brain. With slow and cautious movements he drew -his legs out of the water, and, standing for a moment erect on the -buck’s back, he crawled along his neck and climbed up on the great -antlers, steadying himself carefully and clinging with all his -might. His only fear was that the animal would shake him off and -send him headlong into the icy bath from which he was endeavoring -to escape. But, after two futile efforts, during which the boy had -held on only by desperate exertion, the buck would probably have -resigned himself to his fate, if he had not been in imminent danger -of drowning. Magnus was, therefore, much against his will, forced -to dip his limbs into the chilly water, and resume his former -position. It was a strange spectacle, to see all the horned heads -round about sticking out of the water, and Magnus, though he had -always had a thirst for adventures, had never expected to find -himself in such an incredible situation. Fortunately, they were now -approaching the shore, and whatever comfort there was in having -_terra firma_ under his feet would not be wanting to him. The last -minutes were indeed terribly long, and again and again the buck, -overcome with fatigue, dipped his nose under the water, only to -raise it again with a snort, and shake his head as if impatient to -rid himself of his burden. But the boy, with a spark of reviving -hope, clung only the more tenaciously to the antlers, and remained -unmoved. - -At last--and it seemed a small eternity since he had left his -brother and companions--Magnus saw the herd scramble up on the -stony beach. The buck he rode was soon among the foremost, and, -having reached the land, shook his great body and snorted violently. - -“Now’s my chance,” thought Magnus; “now I can slide off into the -snow before he takes to his heels again.” - -But, odd as it may seem, he had a reluctance to part company with -the only living creature (except the wolves) that inhabited this -awful desert. There was a vague chance of keeping from freezing -to death as long as he clung to the large, warm animal; while, -seated alone upon this bleak shore, with his clothes wringing -wet, and the cold breath of the glacier sweeping down upon him, he -would die slowly and miserably with hunger and cold. He was just -contemplating this prospect, seeing himself in spirit lying dead -upon the shore of the lake, and picturing to himself the grief of -his brother and father, when suddenly his glance was arrested by -what seemed a faint column of smoke rising from among the bowlders. -The herd of reindeer had evidently made the same discovery, for -they paused, in a startled manner, and wheeled about toward the -easterly shore, past which a branch of the glacier was pushing -downward into the lower fiord-valley. - -Magnie, who had by this time made up his mind not to give up his -present place except for a better one, strained his eye in the -opposite direction, to make sure that he was not deceived; and -having satisfied himself that what he saw was really smoke, he -determined to leap from his seat at the very first opportunity. But -as yet the speed of the buck made such a venture unsafe. With every -step, however, the territory was becoming more irregular, and made -the progress even of a reindeer difficult. - -Magnus drew up his feet, and was about to slide off, having planned -to drop with as slight a shock as possible upon a flat moss-grown -rock, when, to his utter amazement, he saw a human figure standing -at the edge of the glacier, and aiming a rifle, as it appeared, -straight at his head. He tried to scream, but terror choked his -voice. He could not bring forth a sound. And before even the -thought had taken shape in his bewildered brain he saw a flash, -and heard the report of a shot which rumbled away with tremendous -reverberations among the glaciers. There was a surging sound in his -ears, and strange lights danced before his eyes. He thought he must -be dead. - - -II. - -Magnie never knew how long he was unconscious. The first thing he -remembered was a delicious sense of warmth and comfort stealing -through him, and strange, unintelligible sounds buzzing in the air -about him. Somebody was talking kindly to him, and a large, warm -hand was gliding over his forehead and cheeks. The peace and warmth -were grateful to him after the intense strain of his dangerous -ride. He was even loth to open his eyes when his reviving memory -began to make the situation clear to him. - -“It was a reckless shot, Harry,” he heard someone say in a foreign -tongue, which he soon recognized as English, “even if it did turn -out well. Suppose you had sent your bullet crashing through the -young fellow instead of the buck. How would you have felt then?” - -“I should have felt very badly, I am sure,” answered a younger -voice, which obviously belonged to Magnie’s rescuer; “but I -followed my usual way of doing things. If I didn’t act that way, -I shouldn’t act at all. And you will admit, Uncle, it is a queer -sort of thing to see a fellow come riding on a reindeer buck, in -the midst of a wild herd, and in a trackless wilderness like this, -where nobody but wolves or geologists would be apt to discover any -attractions. Now, I saw by the young man’s respectable appearance -that he couldn’t be a geologist; and if he was a wolf, I didn’t -mind much if I did shoot him.” - -At this point Magnie opened his eyes and stared wonderingly about -him. He found himself in a small, cramped room, the walls of -which were draped with canvas, and scarcely high enough under the -ceiling to allow a man to stand erect. Against the walls a number -of shining brass instruments were leaning, and in a corner there -was a hearth, the smoke of which escaped through a hole in the -roof. Two bunks filled with moss, with a sheet and a blanket thrown -over each, completed the outfit of the primitive dwelling. But -Magnie was more interested in the people than in the looks of the -room. A large, blond, middle-aged man, inclined to stoutness, was -holding Magnie’s hand as if counting his pulse-beat, and a very -good-looking young fellow, of about his own age, was standing at -the hearth, turning a spit upon which was a venison steak. - -“Hallo! Our young friend is returning from the land of Nod,” said -the youth who had been addressed as Harry. “I am glad you didn’t -start on a longer journey, young chap, when I fired at you; for if -you had you would have interfered seriously with my comfort.” - -Magnie, who was a fair English scholar, understood perfectly what -was said to him, but several minutes elapsed before he could -collect himself sufficiently to answer. In order to gain time, -he made an effort to raise, himself and take a closer look at -his surroundings, but was forced by the older man to abandon the -attempt. - -“Not so fast, my dear, not so fast;” he said, stooping over him, -and gently pushing him back into a reclining position. “You must -remember that you have a big lump on your head from your fall, and -it won’t do to be frisky just yet. But before conversing further, -it might be well to ascertain whether we understand each other.” - -“Yes, I think--I think--I do,” stammered Magnie. “I know some -English.” - -“Ah, then we shall get along charmingly,” the man remarked, with -an encouraging smile. “And I think Harry’s venison steak is done -by this time; and dinner, as you know, affords the most delightful -opportunity for getting acquainted. Gunnar, our guide, who is -outside skinning your reindeer buck, will soon present himself -and serve the dinner. Here he is, and he is our cook, butler, -chambermaid, laundress, beast of burden, and interpreter, all in -one.” - -The man to whom the professor alluded was at this moment seen -crawling on his hands and knees through the low door-way, which his -bulky figure completely filled. He was a Norwegian peasant of the -ordinary sort, with a square, rudely cut face, dull blue eyes, and -a tuft of towy hair hanging down over his forehead. With one hand -he was dragging the skin of the buck, and between his teeth he held -an ugly-looking knife. - -“Ve haf got to bury him,” he said. - -“Bury him!” cried Harry. “Why, you blood-thirsty wretch, don’t you -see he is sitting there, looking as bright as a sixpence?” - -“I mean de buck,” replied Gunnar, imperturbably. - -“And why do you wish to bury the buck? I would much rather eat him. -This steak here has a most tempting flavor, and I am quite tired of -canned abominations by this time.” - -“De volves vill be sure to scent de meat, now dat it is flayed, and -before an hour ve might haf a whole congregation of dem here.” - -“Well, then, we will shoot them down,” insisted the cheerful Harry. -“Come, now, Uncle, and let us have a civilized dinner. I don’t -pretend to be an expert in the noble art of cookery; but if this -tastes as good as it smells, I wouldn’t exchange it for a Delmonico -banquet. And if the wolves, as Gunnar says, can smell a dead -reindeer miles away, they would be likely to smell a venison steak -from the ends of creation. Perhaps, if we don’t hurry, all the -wolves of the earth may invite themselves to our dinner.” - -Gunnar, upon whom this fanciful raillery was lost, was still -standing on all-fours in the door, with his front half in the warm -room and his rearward portion in the arctic regions without. He -was gazing helplessly from one to another, as if asking for an -explanation of all this superfluous talk. “Vill you cawme and help -me, Mester Harry?” he asked at last, stolidly. - -“Yes, when I have had my dinner I will, Mester Gunnar,” answered -Harry, gayly. - -“Vel, I haf notting more to say, den,” grumbled the guide; “but it -vould vonder me much if, before you are troo, you von’t have some -unbidden guests.” - -“All right, Gunnar--the more the merrier,” retorted Harry as, with -exaggerated imitation of a waiter’s manner, he distributed plates, -knives, and napkins to Magnie and his uncle. - -They now fell to chatting, and Magnie learned, after having -given a brief account of himself, that his entertainers were -Professor Winchester, an American geologist, and his nephew, Harry -Winchester, who was accompanying his uncle, chiefly for the fun -of the thing, and also for the purpose of seeing the world and -picking up some crumbs of scientific knowledge. The professor was -especially interested in glaciers and their action in ages past -upon the surface of the earth, and, as the Norwegian glaciers had -never been thoroughly studied, he had determined to devote a couple -of months to observations and measurements, with a view to settling -some mooted geological questions upon which he had almost staked -his reputation. - -They had just finished the steak, which would perhaps have been -tenderer if it had not been so fresh, and were helping themselves -to the contents of a jar of raspberry preserves, when Harry -suddenly dropped his spoon and turned, with a serious face, to his -uncle. - -“Did you hear that?” he said. - -“No; what was it?” - -Harry waited for a minute; then, as a wild, doleful howl was heard, -he laid his hand on the professor’s arm, and remarked: “The old -fellow was right. We shall have unbidden guests.” - -“But they are hardly dangerous in these regions, so far as I can -learn,” said the professor, reassuringly. - -“That depends upon their number. We could tackle a dozen; but two -dozen we might find troublesome. At any rate, they have spoiled my -appetite for raspberry jam, and that is something I sha’n’t soon -forgive them.” - -Three or four howls sounding nearer, and echoing with terrible -distinctness from the glaciers, seemed to depress Harry’s spirits -still further, and he put the jar away and began to examine the -lock of his rifle. - -“They are evidently summoning a mass-meeting,” remarked the -professor, as another chorus of howls re-echoed from the glacier. -“I wish we had more guns.” - -“And I wish mine were a Remington or a Springfield breech-loader, -with a dozen cartridges in it!” Harry exclaimed. “These -double-barrelled Norwegian machines, with two shots in them, are -really good for nothing in an emergency. They are antediluvian both -in shape and construction.” - -He had scarcely finished this lament, when Gunnar’s huge form -reappeared in the door, quadruped fashion, and made an attempt to -enter. But his great bulk nearly filled the narrow room, and made -it impossible for the others to move. He examined silently first -Harry’s rifle, then his own, cut off a slice of steak with his -pocket-knife, and was about to crawl out again, when the professor, -who could not quite conceal his anxiety, asked him what he had done -with the reindeer. - -“Oh!” he answered, triumphantly, “I haf buried him among de stones, -vhere he vill be safe from all de volves in de vorld.” - -“But, my dear fellow,” ejaculated the professor, hotly, “why -didn’t you rather let the wolves have it? Then, at least, they -would spare us.” - -“You surely vouldn’t gif a goot fresh reindeer, legs and all, to a -pack of skountrelly volves, vould you?” - -“I would much rather give them that than give them myself.” - -“But it is vort tventy dollars, if you can get it down fresh and -sell it to de English yachts,” protested Gunnar, stolidly. - -“Yes, yes; but you great stupid,” cried the professor in despair, -“what do you think my life is worth? and Master Harry’s? and this -young fellow’s?” (pointing to Magnie). “Now go as quick as you can -and dig the deer out again.” - -Gunnar, scarcely able to comprehend such criminal wastefulness, -was backing out cautiously with his feet foremost, when suddenly -he gave a scream and a jump which nearly raised the roof from -the hut. It was evident that he had been bitten. In the same -moment a fresh chorus of howls resounded without, mingled with -sharp, whining barks, expressive of hunger and ferocity. There -was something shudderingly wild and mournful in these long-drawn -discords, as they rose toward the sky in this lonely desert; and -brave as he was, Magnie could not restrain the terror which he -felt stealing upon him. Weakened by his icy bath, moreover, and by -the nervous strain of his first adventure, he had no great desire -to encounter a pack of ravenous wolves. Still, he manned himself -for the occasion and, in as steady a voice as he could command, -begged the professor to hand him some weapon. Harry, who had -instinctively taken the lead, had just time to reach him a long -hunting-knife, and arm his uncle with an ax, when, through the door -which Gunnar had left open, two wolves came leaping in and paused -in bewilderment at the sight of the fire on the hearth. They seemed -dazed by the light, and stood panting and blinking, with their -trembling red tongues lolling out of their mouths. Harry, whose -gun was useless at such close range, snatched the ax away from the -professor, and at one blow split the skull of one of the intruders, -while Magnie ran his knife up to the very hilt in the neck of the -other. The beast was, however, by no means dead after that, but -leaped up on his assailant’s chest, and would have given him an -ugly wound in the neck had not the professor torn it away and flung -it down upon the fire, where, with a howling whine, it expired. The -professor had also found time to bolt the door before more visitors -could enter; and two successive shots without seemed to indicate -that Gunnar was holding his own against the pack. But the question -was, how long would he succeed in keeping them at bay? He had fired -both his shots, and he would scarcely have a chance to load again, -with the hungry beasts leaping about him. This they read in one -another’s faces, but no one was anxious to anticipate the other in -uttering his dread. - -“Help, help!” cried Gunnar, in dire need. - -“Take your hand away, Uncle!” demanded Harry. “I am going out to -help him.” - -“For your life’s sake, Harry,” implored the professor, “don’t go! -Let me go! What would your mother say to me if I should return -without you?” - -“I’ll come back again, Uncle, don’t you fear,” said the youth, with -feigned cheerfulness; “but I won’t let this poor fellow perish -before my very eyes, even though he is a fool.” - -“It was his foolishness which brought this danger upon us,” -remonstrated the professor. - -“He knew no better,” cried Harry, tearing the door open, and with -ax uplifted rushing out into the twilight. What he saw seemed -merely a dark mass, huddled together and swaying sideways, from -which now and then a black figure detached itself with a howl, -jumped wildly about, and again joined the dark, struggling mass. He -could distinguish Gunnar’s head, and his arms fighting desperately, -and, from the yelps and howls of the wolves, he concluded that he -had thrown away the rifle and was using his knife with good effect. - -“Help!” he yelled, “help!” - -“You shall have it, old fellow,” cried Harry, plunging forward and -swinging his ax about him; and the professor, who had followed -close at his heels, shouting at the top of his voice, pressed in -Harry’s wake right into the centre of the furious pack. But, at -that very instant, there came a long “Hallo-o!” from the lake -below, and a rifle-bullet flew whistling above their heads and -struck a rock scarcely a yard above the professor’s hat. Several -wolves lay gasping and yelping on the ground, and the rest slunk -aside. Another shot followed, and a large beast made a leap and -fell dead among the stones. Gunnar, who was lying bleeding upon -the ground, was helped to his feet, and supported by Harry and the -professor to the door of the cottage. - -“Hallo, there!” shouted Harry, in response to the call from below. - -“Hallo!” someone shouted back. - -The figures of three men were now seen looming up in the dusk, -and Magnie, who instinctively knew who they were, sprang to meet -them, and in another moment lay sobbing in his brother’s arms. -The poor lad was so completely unnerved by the prolonged suspense -and excitement, that he had to be carried back into the hut, -and his brother, after having hurriedly introduced himself to -the professor, came very near giving way to his feelings, too. -Gunnar’s wounds, which were numerous, though not serious, were -washed and bandaged by Grim Hering-Luck; and having been wrapped -in a horse-blanket, to keep out the cold, he was stowed away in a -bunk and was soon asleep. As the hut was too small to admit all -the company at once, Grim and Bjarne remained outside, and busied -themselves in skinning the seven wolves which had fallen on the -field of battle. Harry, who had got a bad bite in his arm, which -he refused to regard as serious, consented with reluctance to his -uncle’s surgery, and insisted upon sitting up and conversing with -Olaf Birk, to whom he had taken a great liking. But after a while -the conversation began to lag, and tired heads began to droop; and -when, about midnight, Grim crept in to see how his invalid was -doing, he found the professor reclining on some loose moss upon -the floor, while Harry was snoring peacefully in a bunk, using -Olaf’s back for a pillow. And Olaf, in spite of his uncomfortable -attitude, seemed also to have found his way to the land of Nod. -Grim, knowing the danger of exposure in this cold glacier air, -covered them all up with skins and horse-blankets, threw a few dry -sticks upon the fire, and resumed his post as sentinel at the door. - -The next morning Professor Winchester and his nephew accepted -Olaf’s invitation to spend a few days at Hasselrud, and without -further adventures the whole caravan descended into the valley, -calling on their way at the _saeter_ where Edwin had been left. It -appeared, when they came to discuss the strange incidents of the -preceding day, that it was Magnie’s silk handkerchief which had -enabled them to track him to the edge of the lake, and, by means of -a raft, which Bjarne kept hidden among the stones in a little bay, -they had been enabled to cross, leaving their horses in charge of a -shepherd boy whom they had found tending goats close by. - -The reindeer cow which Olaf had killed was safely carried down -to the valley, and two wolf-skins were presented to Magnie by -Harry Winchester. The other wolf-skins, as well as the skin of -the reindeer buck, Bjarne prepared in a special manner, and Harry -looked forward with much pleasure to seeing them as rugs upon the -floor of his room at college; and he positively swelled with pride -when he imagined himself relating to his admiring fellow-students -the adventures which had brought him these precious possessions. - - - - -THORWALD AND THE STAR-CHILDREN. - - -I. - -Thorwald’s mother was very ill. The fever burned and throbbed in -her veins; she lay, all day long and all night long, with her eyes -wide open, and could not sleep. The doctor sat at her bedside and -looked at her through his spectacles; but she grew worse instead of -better. - -“Unless she can sleep a sound, natural sleep,” he said, “there is -no hope for her, I fear.” - -It was to Thorwald’s father that he said this, but Thorwald heard -what he said. The little boy, with his dog Hector, was sitting -mournfully upon the great wolfskin outside his mother’s door. - -“Is my mamma very ill?” he asked the doctor, but the tears choked -his voice, and he hid his face in the hair of Hector’s shaggy neck. - -“Yes, child,” answered the doctor; “very ill.” - -“And will God take my mamma away from me?” he faltered, extricating -himself from Hector’s embrace, and trying hard to steady his voice -and look brave. - -“I am afraid He will, my child,” said the doctor, gravely. - -“But could I not do something for her, doctor?” - -The long suppressed tears now broke forth, and trickled down over -the boy’s cheeks. - -“_You_, a child, what can you do?” said the doctor, kindly, and -shook his head. - -Just then there was a great noise in the air. The chimes in the -steeple of the village church pealed forth a joyous Christmas -carol, and the sound soared, rushing as with invisible wing-beats -through the clear, frosty air. For it was Christmas-eve, and the -bells were, according to Norse custom, “ringing-in the festival.” -Thorwald stood long listening, with folded hands, until the bells -seemed to take up the doctor’s last words, and chime: “What can -you do, what can you do, what can you do?” Surely, there could -be no doubt that that was what the bells were saying. The clear -little silvery bells that rang out the high notes were every moment -growing more impatient, and now the great heavy bell joined them, -too, and tolled out slowly, in a deep bass voice, “Thor--wald!” and -then all the little ones chimed in with the chorus, as rapidly as -the stiff iron tongues could wag: “What can you do, what can you -do, what can you do? Thorwald, what can you do, what can you do, -what can you do?” - -“A child--ah, what can a child do?” thought Thorwald. “Christ was -himself a child once, and He saved the whole world. And on a night -like this, when all the world is glad because it is His birthday, -He perhaps will remember how a little boy feels who loves his -mamma, and cannot bear to lose her. If I only knew where He is now, -I would go to Him, even if it were ever so far, and tell Him how -much we all love mamma, and I would promise Him to be the best boy -in all the world, if He would allow her to stay with us.” - -Now the church-bells suddenly stopped, though the air still kept -quivering for some minutes with faint reverberations of sound. It -was very quiet in the large, old-fashioned house. The servants -stole about on tiptoe, and spoke to each other in hurried whispers -when they met in the halls. A dim lamp, with a bluish globe, hung -under the ceiling and sent a faint, moon-like light over the broad -oaken staircase, upon the first landing of which a large Dutch -clock stood in a sort of niche, and ticked and ticked patiently -in the twilight. It was only five o’clock in the afternoon, and -yet the moon had been up for more than an hour, and the stars were -twinkling in the sky, and the aurora borealis swept with broad -sheets of light through the air, like a huge fan, the handle of -which was hidden beneath the North Pole; you almost imagined you -heard it whizzing past your ears as it flashed upward to the zenith -and flared along the horizon. For at that season of the year the -sun sets at about two o’clock in the northern part of Norway, and -the day is then but four hours long, while the night is twenty. To -Thorwald that was a perfectly proper and natural arrangement; for -he had always known it so in winter, and he would have found it -very singular if the sun had neglected to hide behind the mountains -at about two o’clock on Christmas-eve. - -But poor Thorwald heeded little the wonders of the sky that day. -He heard the clock going, “Tick--tack, tick--tack,” and he knew -that the precious moments were flying, and he had not yet decided -what he could do which might please God so well that he would -consent to let his dear mamma remain upon earth. He thought of -making a vow to be very good all his life long; but it occurred -to him that before he would have time to prove the sincerity of -his promise, God might already have taken his mamma away. He must -find some shorter and surer method. Down on the knoll, near the -river, he knew there lived a woman whom all the peasants held in -great repute, and who was known in the parish as “Wise Marthie.” -He had always been half afraid of her, because she was very old -and wrinkled, and looked so much like the fairy godmother in his -storybook, who was not invited to the christening feast, and who -revenged herself by stinging the princess with a spindle, so that -she had to go to sleep for a hundred years. But if she were so -wise, as all the people said, perhaps she might tell him what he -should do to save the life of his mamma. Hardly had this thought -struck him before he seized his cap and overcoat (for it was a -bitter cold night), and ran to the stable to fetch his skees.[10] -Then down he slid over the steep hill-side. The wind whistled in -his ears, and the loose snow whirled about him and settled in his -hair, and all over his trousers and his coat. When he reached Wise -Marthie’s cottage, down on the knoll, he looked like a wandering -snow image. He paused for a moment at the door; then took heart and -gave three bold raps with his skee-staff. He heard someone groping -about within, and at length a square hole in the door was opened, -and the head of the revengeful fairy godmother was thrust out -through the opening. - -“Who is there?” asked Wise Marthie, harshly (for, of course, it was -none other than she). Then as she saw the small boy, covered all -over with snow, she added, in a friendlier voice: “Ah! gentlefolk -out walking in this rough weather?” - -“O Marthie!” cried Thorwald, anxiously, “my mamma is very ill----” - -He wished to say more, but Marthie here opened the lower panel of -the door, while the upper one remained closed, and invited him to -enter. - -“Bend your head,” she said, “or you will knock against the door. I -am a poor woman, and can’t afford to waste precious heat by opening -both panels.” - -Thorwald shook the snow from his coat, set his skees against the -wall outside, and entered the cottage. - -“Take a seat here at the fire,” said the old woman, pointing to a -wooden block which stood close to the hearth. “You must be very -cold, and you can warm your hands while you tell me your errand.” - -“Thank you, Marthie,” answered the boy, “but I have no time to sit -down. I only wanted to ask you something, and if you can tell me -that, I shall--I shall--love you as long as I live.” - -Old Marthie smiled, and Thorwald thought for a moment that she -looked almost handsome. And then she took his hand in hers and drew -him gently to her side. - -“You are not a witch, are you, Marthie?” he said, a little -tremblingly. For Marthie’s association with the wicked fairy -godmother was yet very suggestive. Then, again, her cottage seemed -to be a very queer place; and it did not look like any other -cottage that he had ever seen before. Up under the ceiling, which -was black and sooty, hung bunches of dried herbs, and on shelves -along the wall stood flower-pots, some of which had blooming -flowers in them. The floor was freshly scrubbed, and strewn with -juniper-needles, and the whole room smelt very clean. In a corner, -between the stone hearth and the wall, a bed, made of plain deal -boards, was to be seen; a shaggy Maltese cat, with sleepy, yellow -eyes, was for the present occupying it, and he raised his head and -gazed knowingly at the visitor, as if to say: “I know what you have -come for.” - -Old Marthie chuckled when Thorwald asked if she was a witch; and -somehow her chuckle had a pleasant and good-natured sound, the boy -thought, as he eyed her wistfully. - -“Now I am sure you are not a witch,” cried he, “for witches never -laugh like that. I know, now, that you are a good woman, and that -you will want to help me if you can. I told you my mamma was very -ill” (the tears here again broke through his voice)--“so very ill -that the doctor says God will take her away from us. I sat at her -door all yesterday and cried, and when papa took me in to her, she -did not know me. Then I cried more. I asked papa why God makes -people so ill, and he said it was something I didn’t understand, -but I should understand some day. But, Marthie, I haven’t time to -wait, for by that time mamma may be gone, and I shall never know -where to find her; I must know now. And you, who are so very wise, -you will tell me what I can do to save my mamma. Couldn’t I do -something for God, Marthie--something that he would like? And then, -perhaps, he would allow mamma to stay with us always.” - -The tears now came hot and fast, but the boy still stood erect, and -gazed with anxious questioning into the old woman’s face. - -“You are a brave little lad,” she said, stroking his soft, curly -hair with her stiff, crooked fingers, “and happy is the mother of -such a boy. And old Marthie knows a thing or two, she also, and -you shall not have come to her in vain. Once, child, more than -eighteen hundred years ago, just on this very night, a strange -thing happened in this world, and I dare say you have heard of -it. Christ, the White, was born of Mary in the land of the Jews. -The angels came down from heaven, as we read in the Good Book, -and they sang strange and wonderful songs of praise. And they -scattered flowers, too--flowers which only blossomed until then in -heaven, in the sight of God. And one of these flowers,--sweet and -pure, like the tone of an angel’s voice expressed in color--one of -these wondrous flowers, I say, struck root in the soil, and has -multiplied, and remains in the world until this day. It blossoms -only on Christmas-eve--on the eve when Christ was born. Even in the -midst of the snow, and when it is so cold that the wolf shivers in -his den, this frail, pure flower peeps up for a few brief moments -above the shining white surface, and then is not seen again. It -is of a white or faintly bluish color; and he who touches it and -inhales its heavenly odor is immediately healed of every earthly -disease. But there is one singular thing about it--no one can see -it unless he be pure and innocent and good; to all others the -heavenly flower is invisible.” - -“Oh, then I shall never find it, Marthie!” cried Thorwald, in great -suspense. “For I have often been very naughty.” - -“I am very sorry to hear that,” said Marthie, and shook her head. - -“And do you think it is of any use for me, then, to try to find the -flower?” exclaimed the boy, wildly. “O Marthie, help me! Help me!” - -“Well, I think I should try,” said Marthie, calmly. “I don’t -believe you can have been such a dreadfully naughty boy; and you -probably were very sorry whenever you happened to do something -wrong.” - -“Yes, yes, always, and I always begged papa’s and mamma’s pardon.” - -“Then, listen to me! I will show you the Star of Bethlehem in the -sky--the same one that led the shepherds and the kings of the East -to the manger where Christ lay. Follow that straight on, through -the forest, across the frozen river, wherever it may lead you, -until you find the heavenly flower. And when you have found it, -hasten home to your mother, and put it up to her lips so that she -may inhale its breath; then she will be healed, and will bless her -little boy, who shunned no sacrifice for her sake.” - -“But I didn’t tell you, Marthie, that I made Grim Hering-Luck -tattoo a ship on my right arm, although papa had told me that I -mustn’t do it. Do you still think I shall find the heavenly flower?” - -“I shouldn’t wonder if you did, child,” responded Marthie, with a -reassuring nod of her head. “It is high time for you to start, now, -and you mustn’t loiter by the way.” - -“No, no; you need not tell me that!” cried the boy, seizing his -cap eagerly, and slipping out through the lower panel of the door. -He jumped into the bands of his skees, and cast his glance up to -the vast nocturnal sky, which glittered with myriads of twinkling -stars. Which of all these was the Star of Bethlehem? He was just -about to rush back into the cottage, when he felt a hand upon his -shoulder, and saw Wise Marthie’s kindly but withered face close to -his. - -“Look toward the east, child,” she said, almost solemnly. - -“I don’t know where the east is, Marthie,” said Thorwald, -dolefully. “I always get mixed up about the points of the compass. -If they would only fix four big poles, one in each corner of the -earth, that everybody could see, then I should always know where to -turn.” - -“There is the east,” said Marthie, pointing with a long, crooked -finger toward the distant mountain-tops, which, with their hoods -of ice, flashed and glistened in the moonlight. “Do you see that -bright, silvery star which is just rising between those two snowy -peaks?” - -“Yes, yes, Marthie. I see it! I see it!” - -“That is the Star of Bethlehem. You will know it by its white, -radiant light. Follow that, and its rays will lead you to the -flower which can conquer Death, as it led the shepherds and the -kings of old to Him over whom Death had no power.” - -“Thank you, Marthie. Thank you!” - -The second “thank you” hardly reached the ears of the old woman, -for the boy had shot like an arrow down over the steep bank, and -was now half-way out upon the ice. The snow surged and danced in -eddies behind him, and the cold stung his face like sharp, tiny -needles. But he hardly minded it, for he saw the star of Bethlehem -beaming large and radiant upon the blue horizon, and he thought of -his dear mother, whom he was to rescue from the hands of Death. But -the flower--the flower--where was that? He searched carefully all -about him in the snow, but he saw no trace of it. “I wonder,” he -thought, “if it can blossom in the snow? I should rather think that -Christ allows the angels to fling down a few of them every year -on his birthday, to help those that are sick and suffering; they -say he is very kind and good, and I shouldn’t wonder if he sees -me now, and will tell the angels to throw down the precious flower -right in my path.” - - -II. - -The world was cold and white round about him. The tall pines stood -wrapped in cloaks of snow, which looked like great white ulsters, -and they were buttoned straight up to the chin--only a green -finger-tip and a few tufts of dark-green hair showed faintly, at -the end of the sleeves and above the collar. The alders and the -birches, who had no such comfortable coats to keep out the cold, -stood naked in the keen light of the stars and the aurora, and they -shivered to the very marrow. To Thorwald it seemed as if they were -stretching their bare, lean hands against the heavens, praying for -warmer weather. A family of cedar-birds, who had lovely red caps -on their heads and gray uniforms of the most fashionable tint, had -snugged close together on a sheltered pine-branch, and they were -carrying on a subdued twittering conversation just as Thorwald -passed the river-bank, pushing himself rapidly over the snow by -means of his skee-staff. But it was strictly a family matter they -were discussing, which it would be indiscreet in me to divulge. -They did, however, shake down a handful of loose snow on Thorwald’s -head, just to let him know that he was very impolite to take so -little notice of them. They did not know, of course, that his -mother was ill; otherwise, I am sure, they would have forgiven him. - -Hush! What was that? Thorwald thought he heard distant voices -behind him in the snow. He looked all about him, but saw nothing. -Then, following the guidance of the star, he still pressed onward. -He quitted the river-bed and traversed a wide sloping meadow; -he had to take a zigzag course, like a ship that is tacking, -because the slope was too steep to ascend in a straight line. He -was beginning to feel tired. The muscles in his legs ached, and -he often shifted the staff from hand to hand, in order to rest -the one or the other of his arms. He gazed now fixedly upon the -snow, taking only an occasional glance at the sky, to see that he -was going in the right direction; the strange hum of voices in -the air yet haunted his ears, and he sometimes imagined he heard -words moving to a wonderful melody. Was it the angels that were -singing, inspiring him with courage for his quest? He dared hardly -believe it, and yet his heart beat joyously at the thought. Ah! -what is that which glitters so strangely in the snow? A starry -gleam, a twinkling, like a spark gathering its light into a little -glittering point, just as it is about to be quenched. Thorwald -leaps from his skees and plunges his hand into the snow. The frozen -crust cuts his wrist cruelly; and he feels that he is bleeding. -With a wrench he pulls his hand up; his heart throbs in his throat; -he gazes with wild expectation, but sees--nothing. His wrist is -bleeding, and his hand is full of blood. Poor Thorwald could hardly -trust his eyes. He certainly had seen something glittering on the -snow. He felt a great lump in his throat, and it would have been a -great relief to him, at that moment, to sit down and give vent to -the tears that were crowding to his eyelids. But just then a clear, -sweet strain of music broke through the air, and Thorwald heard -distinctly these words, sung by voices of children: - - “Lead, O Star of Bethlehem, - Me through death and danger, - Unto Christ, who on this night - Lay cradled in a manger.” - -Thorwald gathered all his strength and again leaped into his skees; -he was now on the border of a dense pine-forest, and as he looked -into it, he could not help shuddering. It was so dark under the -thick, snow-burdened branches, and the moon only broke through here -and there, and scattered patches of light over the tree-tops and -on the white carpet of the snow. Yet, perhaps it was within this -very wood that the heavenly blossom had fallen. He must not lose -heart now, when he was perhaps so near his goal. Thrusting his -staff vigorously into the snow-crust, he pushed himself forward and -glided in between the tall, silent trunks; at the same moment the -air again quivered lightly, as with the breath of invisible beings, -and he heard words which, as far as he could afterward recollect -them, sounded as follows: - - “Make my soul as white and pure - As the heavenly blossom-- - As the flower of grace and truth - That blooms upon Thy bosom.” - -Thorwald hardly felt the touch of the snow beneath his feet; he -seemed rather to be soaring through the air, and the trunks of the -huge dark trees marched in close columns, like an army in rapid -retreat, before his enraptured vision. Christ did see him! Christ -would send him the heavenly flower! All over the snow sparkling -stars were scattered, and they gleamed and twinkled and beckoned to -him, but whenever he stretched out his hand for them they suddenly -vanished. The trees began to assume strange, wild shapes, and to -resemble old men and women, with long beards and large hooked -noses. They nodded knowingly to one another, and raised up their -gnarled toes from the ground in which they were rooted, and tried -to trip up the little boy who had dared to interrupt their solemn -conversation. One old fir shook the snow from her shoulders, and -stretched out a long, strangely twisted arm, and was on the point -of seizing Thorwald by the hair, when fortunately he saw the -coming danger, and darted away down the hill-side at quickened -speed. A long, bright streak of light suddenly illuminated the -eastern sky, something fell through the air, and left a golden -trail of fire behind it; surely it was the heavenly flower that -was thrown down by an angel in response to his prayer! Forward and -ever forward--over roots and stumps and stones--stumbling, rising -again, sinking from weariness and exhaustion, kneeling to pray on -the frozen snow, crawling painfully back and tottering into the -skee-bands; but only forward, ever forward! The earth rolls with -a surging motion under his feet, the old trees join their rugged -hands and dance, in wild, senile glee, around him, lifting their -twisted limbs, and sometimes, with their talons, trying to sweep -the stars from the sky. Thorwald struggled with all his force to -break through the ring they had made around him. He saw plainly -the flower, beaming with a pale radiance upon the snow, and he -strove with all his might to reach it, but something held him back, -and though he was once or twice within an inch of it, he could -never quite grasp it with his fingers. Then, all of a sudden, the -strange song again vibrated through the air, and he saw a huge star -glittering among the underbrush; a flock of children clad in white -robes were dancing about it, and they were singing Christmas carols -in praise of the new-born Saviour. As they approached nearer and -nearer, the hope revived in Thorwald’s heart. Ah, there the flower -of healing was, lying close at his feet. He made a desperate leap -and clutched it in his grasp--then saw and felt no more. - - -III. - -The white children were children of earth, not, as Thorwald had -imagined, angels from heaven. It is a custom in Norway for the -children of the poor to go about on Christmas eve, from house to -house, carrying a large canvas star, with one or more lanterns -within it, and sing Christmas carols. They are always dressed in -white robes, and people call them star-children. Whenever they -station themselves in the snow before the front door, and lift up -their tiny, shrill voices, old and young crowd to the windows, -and the little boys and girls who are born to comfort and plenty, -and never have known want, throw pennies to them, and wish them a -merry Christmas. When they have finished singing, they are invited -in to share in the mirth of the children of the house, and are made -to sit down with them to the Christmas table, and perhaps to dance -with them around the Christmas tree. - -It was a company of these star-children who now found Thorwald -lying senseless in the forest, and whose sweet voices he had heard -in the distance. The oldest of them, a boy of twelve, hung up his -star on the branch of a fir-tree, and stooped down over the pale -little face, which, from the force of the fall, was half buried in -the snow. He lifted Thorwald’s head and gazed anxiously into his -features, while the others stood in a ring about him, staring with -wide-open eyes and frightened faces. - -“This is Thorwald, the judge’s son,” he said. “Come, boys, we must -carry him home. He must have been taken ill while he was running on -skees. But let us first make a litter of branches to carry him on.” - -The boys all fell to work with a will, cutting flexible twigs with -their pocket-knives, and the little girls sat down on the snow -and twined them firmly together, for they were used to work, and, -indeed, some of them made their living by weaving baskets. In a -few minutes the litter was ready, and Thorwald, who was still -unconscious, was laid upon it. Then six boys took hold, one at -each corner and two in the middle, and as the crust of the snow -was very thick, and strong enough to bear them, it was only once -or twice that any of them broke through. When they reached the -river, however, they were very tired, and were obliged for a while -to halt. Some one proposed that they should sing as they walked, -as that would make the time pass more quickly, and make their -burden seem lighter, and immediately some one began a beautiful -Christmas carol, and all the others joined in with one accord. It -was a pretty sight to see them as they went marching across the -river, one small boy of six walking at the head of the procession, -carrying the great star, then the six larger boys carrying the -litter, and at last twelve little white-robed girls, tripping two -abreast over the shining surface of the ice. But, in spite of -their singing, they were very tired by the time they had gained -the highway on the other side of the river. They did not like -to confess it; but when they saw the light from Wise Marthie’s -windows, the oldest boy proposed that they should stop there for a -few minutes to rest, and the other five said, in a careless sort -of way, that they had no objection. Only the girls were a wee bit -frightened, because they had heard that Wise Marthie was a witch. -The boys, however, laughed at that, and the little fellow with -the star ran forward and knocked at the door, with Thorwald’s -skee-staff. - -“Lord ha’ mercy on us!” cried Marthie, as she opened the -peeping-hole in her door, and saw the insensible form which the -boys bore between them; then flinging open both portions of the -door, she rushed out, snatched Thorwald up in her arms, and carried -him into the cottage. - -“Come in, children,” she said, “come in and warm yourselves for -a moment. Then hurry up to the judge’s, and tell the folk there -that the little lad is here at my cottage. You will not go away -empty-handed; for the judge is a man who pays for more than he -gets. And this boy, you know, is the apple of his eye. Lord! Lord! -I sent his dog, Hector, after him, and I knew the beast would let -me know if the boy came to harm; but, likely as not, the wind was -the wrong way, and the poor beast could not trace the skee-track on -the frozen snow. Mercy! mercy! and he is in a dead swoon.” - - -IV. - -When Thorwald waked up, he lay in his bed, in his own room, and in -his hand he held a pale-blue flower. He saw the doctor standing at -his bedside. - -“Mamma--my mamma,” he whispered. - -“Yes, it is time that we should go to your mamma,” said the doctor, -and his voice shook. - -And he took the boy by the hand and led him to his mother’s -bed-chamber. Thorwald began to tremble--a terrible dread had come -over him; but he clutched the flower convulsively, and prayed that -he might not come too late. A dim, shaded lamp burned in a corner -of the room, his father was sitting on a chair, resting his head -in his palms, and weeping. To his astonishment, he saw an old -woman stooping over the pillow where his mother’s head lay; it was -Wise Marthie. Unable to contain himself any longer, he rushed, -breathless with excitement, up to the bedside. - -“Mamma! Mamma!” he cried, flourishing his prize in the air. “I am -going to make you well. Look here!” - -He thrust the flower eagerly into her face, gazing all the while -exultantly into her beloved features. - -“My sweet, my darling child,” whispered she, while her eyes kindled -with a heavenly joy. “How can a mother die who has such a noble -son?” - -And she clasped her little boy in her arms, and drew him close to -her bosom. Thus they lay long, weeping for joy--mother and son. An -hour later the doctor stole on tiptoe toward the bed, and found -them both sleeping. - -When the morrow’s sun peeped in through the white curtains, the -mother awoke from her long, health-giving slumber; but Thorwald -lay yet peacefully sleeping at her side. And as the mother’s -glance fell upon the flower, now limp and withered, yet clutched -tightly in the little grimy, scratched and frost-bitten fist, the -tears--happy tears--again blinded her eyes. She stretched out her -hand, took the withered flower, pressed it to her lips, and then -hid it next to her heart. And there she wears it in a locket of -gold until this day. - - - - -BIG HANS AND LITTLE HANS. - - -I. - -On the northwestern coast of Norway the mountains hide their heads -in the clouds and dip their feet in the sea. In fact, the cliffs -are in some places so tall and steep that streams, flowing from the -inland glaciers and plunging over their sides, vanish in the air, -being blown in a misty spray out over the ocean. In other places -there may be a narrow slope, where a few potatoes, some garden -vegetables, and perhaps even a patch of wheat, may be induced to -grow by dint of much coaxing; for the summer, though short, is -mild and genial in those high latitudes, and has none of that -fierce intensity which, with us, forces the vegetation into sudden -maturity, and sends our people flying toward all the points of the -compass during the first weeks in June. - -It was on such a sunny little slope, right under the black -mountain-wall, that Halvor Myrbraaten had built his cottage. Halvor -was a merry fellow, who went about humming snatches of hymns and -old songs and dance-melodies all day long, and sometimes mixed -up both words and tune wofully; and when his memory failed him, -sang anything that popped into his head. Some people said they had -heard him humming the multiplication table to the tune of “Old -Norway’s Lion,” and whole pages out of Luther’s Catechism to jolly -dance-tunes. Not that he ever meant to be irreverent; it was just -his way of amusing himself. He was an odd stick, people thought, -and not of much use to his family. Whatever he did, “luck” went -against him. But it affected his temper very little. Halvor was -still light-hearted and good-natured, and went about humming as -usual. If he went out hunting, and came home with an empty pouch, -it did not interfere in the least with his gayety; but knowing -well the reception which was in store for him; it did occasionally -happen that he paused with a quizzical look before opening the -door, and perhaps, after a minute’s reflection, concluded to -spend the night in the barn; for Turid, his wife, had a mind of -her own, and knew how to express herself with emphasis. She was, -as everyone admitted, a very worthy and competent woman, and -accomplished more in a day than her husband did in a fortnight. -But worthy and competent people are not invariably the pleasantest -people to associate with, and the gay and genial good-for-nothing -Halvor, with his bright irresponsible smile and his pleasant ways, -was a far more popular person in the parish than his austere, -estimable, over-worked wife. For one thing, with all her poverty, -she had a great deal of pride; and people who had never suspected -that one so poor could have any objection to receiving alms had -been much offended by her curt way of refusing their proffered -gifts. Halvor, they said, showed a more realizing sense of his -position: he had the humble and contrite heart which was becoming -in an unsuccessful man, and accepted with equal cheerfulness and -gratitude whatever was offered him, from a dollar bill to a pair of -worn-out mittens. It was, in fact, this extreme readiness to accept -things which first made difficulty between Halvor and his wife. It -seemed to him a pure waste of labor to work for a thing which he -could get for nothing; and it seemed to her a waste of something -still more precious to accept as a gift what one might have -honestly earned by work. But as she could never hope to have Halvor -agree with her on this point, she comforted herself by impressing -her own horror of alms-taking upon her children; and the children, -in their turn, impressed the same sound principles upon their pet -kid and the pussy cat. - -There were five children at Myrbraaten. Hans, the eldest, was ten -years old, and Dolly, the youngest, was one, and the rest were -scattered between. It was a pretty sight to see them of a summer -afternoon on the grass plot before the house, rolling over one -another and gambolling like a sportive family of kittens; only -you could hardly help feeling vaguely uneasy about the mountain, -the steep, black wall of which, sparsely clad with pines, rose so -threateningly above them. It seemed as if it must, some day, swoop -down upon them and crush them. The mother, it must be admitted, -was occasionally oppressed by some such fear; but when she -reflected that the mountain had stood there from time immemorial, -and had never yet moved, or harmed anyone, she felt ashamed of -her apprehension, and blamed herself for her distrust of God’s -providence. - -Besides the children there was another young inhabitant of the -Myrbraaten cottage, and surely a very important one. He too, was -named Hans, but, in order to distinguish him from the son of the -house, the word “Little” was prefixed, and the latter, although -he was really the smaller of the two, was called, by way of -distinction, Big Hans. The most remarkable thing about Little Hans -was that he had, in spite of his youth, a very well-developed -beard. Big Hans, who had not a hair on his chin, rather envied -him this manly ornament. Then, again, Little Hans was a capital -fighter, and could knock you down in one round with great coolness -and sweet-tempered seriousness, as if he were acting entirely from -a sense of duty. He never used any hard words; but the moment -his adversary attempted to rise, Little Hans quietly gave him -another knock, and winked wickedly at him, as if warning him to -lie still. He never bragged of his victories, but showed a modest -self-appreciation to which very few of his age ever attain. Big -Hans, who valued his friend and namesake above others, and had a -hearty admiration for his many fine qualities, declared himself -utterly unable to rival him in combativeness, modesty, and coolness -of temper. For Big Hans, I am sorry to say, was sometimes given to -bragging of his muscle and of his skill in turning hand-springs and -standing on his head, and he could easily be teased into a furious -temper. Now, Little Hans could not turn hand-springs, nor could he -stand on his head; but, though he promptly resented any trifling -with his dignity, I never once knew him to lose his temper. He -never laughed when anything struck him as being funny; in fact, -he seemed to regard every boisterous exhibition of feeling as -undignified. He only turned his head away and stood chewing a piece -of paper or a straw, with his usual look of comical gravity in his -eye. - -Many people wondered at the fast friendship which bound Big -Hans and Little Hans together. Their tastes, people said, -were dissimilar; in temperament, too, they had few points of -resemblance. And yet they were absolutely inseparable. Wherever -Big Hans went, Little Hans was sure to follow. Often they were -seen racing along the beach or climbing up the mountain-side; -and, as Little Hans was a capital hand (or ought I to say foot?) -at climbing, Big Hans often had hard work to keep up with him. -Sometimes Little Hans would leap up a rock which was so steep that -it was impossible for his friend to climb it, and then he would -grin comically down at Big Hans, who would stand below calling -tearfully to his companion until he descended, which usually was -very soon. For Little Hans was very fond of Big Hans, and could -never bear to see him cry. And that is not in the least to be -wondered at, as Big Hans had saved him from starvation and death -when Little Hans was really in the sorest need. Their acquaintance -began in the following manner: one day when Big Hans was up in -the mountains trapping hares, he heard a feeble voice in a cleft -of the rocks near by, and hurrying to the spot, he found Little -Hans wedged in between two great stones, and his leg caught in so -distressing a manner that it cost Big Hans nearly an hour’s work to -set it free. Then he dressed the bruised foot with a rag torn from -the lining of his coat, and carried Little Hans home in his arms. -And as Little Hans’ parents had never claimed him, and he himself -could give no satisfactory account of them, he had thenceforth -remained at Myrbraaten, where all the children were very fond of -him. Turid, their mother, on the other hand, had no great liking -for him, especially after he had devoured her hymn-book (which was -her most precious property) and eaten with much appetite a piece -of Dolly’s dress. For, as I intimated, Little Hans’ tastes were -very curious, and nothing came amiss when he was hungry. He had a -trick of pulling off Dolly’s stockings when she was sitting out on -the green, and if he were not discovered in time, he was sure to -make his breakfast off of them. With these tastes, you will readily -understand, Big Hans could have no sympathy, and the only thing -which could induce him to forgive Little Hans’ eccentricities was -the fact that Little Hans was a goat. - - -II. - -In the winter of 187-, a great deal of snow fell on the -northwestern coast of Norway. The old pines about the Myrbraaten -cottage were laden down with it; the children had to be put to work -with snow-shovels early in the morning, in order to hollow out a -tunnel to the cow-stable where the cow stood bellowing with hunger. -The mother, too, worked bravely, and sometimes when the thin roof -of snow caved in and fell down upon them, they laughed heartily, -and their mother too, could not help laughing because they were -so happy. Little Hans also made a pretence of working, but only -succeeded in being in everybody’s way, and when the cold snow -drizzled down upon his nose he grinned and made faces so queer that -the children shouted with merriment. - -Day after day, and week after week, the snow continued to descend. -Big Hans and his friend sat at the window watching the large -feathery flakes, as they whirled slowly and silently through the -air and covered the earth far and near with a white pall. Soon -there was a scarcity of wood at the Myrbraaten cottage, and Halvor -was obliged to get into his skees and go to the forest. Humming the -multiplication table (so far as he knew it) to the tune of a hymn, -he pulled on his warmest jacket, took his axe from its hiding-place -under the eaves, and went in a slanting line up the mountain-side; -but before he had gone many rods it struck him that it was useless -to go so far for wood, when the whole mountain-slope was covered -with pines. Fresh pine would be a little hard to burn, to be sure, -but then pine was full of pitch and would burn anyhow. He therefore -took off his skees, dug a hole in the snow, and felled three or -four trees only a few hundred rods above the cottage. When his wife -heard the sound of his axe so near the house, she rushed out and -cried to him: - -“Halvor, Halvor, don’t cut down the trees on the slope! They are -all that keep the snow from coming down upon us in an avalanche, -and sweeping us into the ocean!” - -“Oh, the Lord will look out for his own,” sang Halvor, cheerily. - -“The Lord put the pine-trees there to protect us,” replied his wife. - -But the end was that, in spite of his wife’s protests, Halvor -continued to fell the trees. - -The heavy fall of snow was followed in the course of a week by a -sudden thaw. - -Strange creaking and groaning sounds stole through the forest. -Sometimes when a large load of snow fell, it rolled and grew as it -rolled, until it dashed against a huge trunk and nearly broke it -with its weight. - -Then, one night, there came down a great load which fell with a -dull thud and rolled down and down, pushing a growing wall of snow -before it, until it reached the clearing where Halvor had cut his -wood; there, meeting with no obstructions, it gained a tremendous -headway, sweeping all the snow and the felled trunks with it, and -rushed down in a great mass, carrying along stones, shrubs, huge -trees, and the very soil itself, leaving nothing but the bare rock -behind it. How terrible was the sight! A smoke-like cloud rose in -the darkness, and a sound as of a thousand thundering cataracts -filled the night. On it swept, onward, with a wild, resistless -speed! At the jutting rock, where the juniper stood, the avalanche -divided, tearing up the old spruces and the birches by the roots -and hurling them down, but leaving the juniper standing alone on -its barren peak. It was but a moment’s work. The avalanche shot -downward with increased speed--hark!--a sharp shriek, a smothered -groan, then a fierce hissing sound of waves that rose toward the -sky and returned with a long thundering cannonade to the strand! -The night was darker and the silence deeper than before. - - -III. - -Where the Myrbraaten cottage had stood, the bare rock now stares -black and dismal against the sun. The rumor of the calamity spread -like wild-fire through the valley, and the folk of the whole parish -came to gaze upon the ruin which the avalanche had wrought. All -that was left of Myrbraaten was the cow-stable, where the cow and -Little Hans and Big Hans had slept. Little Hans had been very -ill-behaved the night before, so Turid had sent him to sleep with -the cow; and Big Hans, who thought it would be cruel to ask his -companion to spend the night in that dark stable, with only a cow -for company, had gone with him and slept with him in the hay. Thus -it happened that Little Hans and Big Hans both were saved. It was -pitiful to see them shivering in the wet snow. Big Hans was crying -as if his heart would break; and the women who crowded about him -were unable to comfort him. What should he, a small boy of ten, do -alone in this wide world? His father and his mother and his little -brothers and sisters were all gone, and there was no one left who -cared for him. Just then Little Hans, who was anxious to express -his sympathy, put his nose close to Big Hans’ face and rubbed it -against his cheek. - -“Yes, you are right, Little Hans,” sobbed the boy, embracing his -faithful friend; “you do care for me. You are the only one I have -left now, in all the world. You and I will stand by each other -always.” - -Little Hans then said, “Ma-a-a,” which in his language meant, “Yes.” - -The question soon arose in the parish--what was to be done with -Big Hans? He had no relatives except a brother of his mother, who -had emigrated many years before to Minnesota; and there was no one -else who seemed disposed to assume the burden of his support. It -was finally decided that he should be hired out as a pauper to the -lowest bidder, and that the parish should pay for his board. But -when the people who bid for him refused to take Little Hans too, -the boy determined, after some altercation with the authorities, -to seek his uncle in America. One thing he was sure of, and that -was that he would not part from Little Hans. But there was no -one in the parish who would board Little Hans without extra pay. -Accordingly, the cow and the barn were sold for the boy’s benefit, -and he and his comrade went on foot to the city, where they bought -a ticket for New York. - -Thus it happened that Big Hans and Little Hans became Americans. -But before they reached the United States some rather curious -things happened to them. The captain of the steamship, Big Hans -found, was not willing to take a goat as a passenger, and Big Hans -was forced to return with his friend to the pier, while the other -emigrants thronged on board. He was nearly at his wits’ end, when -it suddenly occurred to him to put Little Hans in a bag and smuggle -him on board as baggage. This was a lucky thought. Little Hans was -quite heavy, to be sure, but he seemed to comprehend the situation -perfectly, and kept as still as a mouse in his bag while Big Hans, -with the assistance of a benevolent fellow-passenger, lugged him up -the gang-plank. And when he emerged from his retirement some time -after the steamer was well under way, none of the officers even -thought of throwing the poor goat overboard; for Little Hans became -a great favorite with both crew and passengers, although he played -various mischievous pranks, in his quiet, unostentatious way, and -ate some shirts which had been hung out to dry. - -It was early in April when the two friends arrived in New York. -They attracted considerable attention as they walked up Broadway -together; and many people turned around to laugh at the little -emigrant boy, in his queer Norwegian costume, who led a full-grown -goat after him by a halter. The bootblacks and the newsboys pointed -their fingers at them, and, when that had no effect, made faces -at them, and pulled Big Hans by his short jacket and Little Hans -by his short tail. Big Hans was quite frightened when he saw how -many of them there were, but, perceiving that Little Hans was -not in the least ruffled, he felt ashamed of himself, and took -heart again. Thus they marched on for several blocks, while the -crowd behind them grew more and more boisterous and importunate. -Suddenly, one big boy, who seemed to be the leader of the gang, -sprang forward with a yell and knocked off Big Hans’ hat, while all -the rest cheered loudly; but just as he was turning around to enjoy -his triumph, Little Hans turned around too, and gave him a bump -from behind which sent him headlong into the gutter. Then, rising -on his hind legs, Little Hans leaped forward again and again, and -despatched the second and third boy in the same manner, whereupon -all the rest ran away, helter-skelter, scattering through the side -streets. It was all done in so quiet and gentlemanly a manner that -not one of the grown-up spectators who had gathered on the sidewalk -thought of interfering. Big Hans, however, who had intended to -see something of the city before starting for the West, was so -discouraged at the inhospitable reception the United States had -given him, that he gave up his purpose, and returned disconsolately -to Castle Garden. There he spent the rest of the day, and when the -night came, he went to sleep on the floor, with his little bundle -under his head; while Little Hans, who did not seem to be sleepy, -lay down at his side, quietly munching a piece of pie which he had -stolen from somebody’s luncheon-basket. - -Early the next morning Big Hans was awakened by a gentle pulling -at his coat-collar; and, looking up, he saw that it was Little -Hans. He jumped up as quickly as he could, and he found that -it was high time, for all the emigrants had formed into a sort -of a procession and were filing through the gate on their way -to the railway station. There were some seven or eight hundred -of them--toil-worn, sad-faced men and women, and queer-looking -children in all sorts of outlandish costumes. Big Hans and his -friend ran to take their places at the very end of the procession, -and just managed to slip through the gate before it was closed. -At the railway station the boy exhibited his ticket which he had -bought at the steamship office in Norway, and was just about to -board the train, when the conductor cried out: - -“Hold on, there! This is not a cattle-train! You can’t take your -goat into the passenger-car!” - -Big Hans did not quite comprehend what was said, but from the -expression of the conductor’s voice and face, he surmised that -there was some objection to his comrade. - -“I think I have money enough to buy a ticket for Little Hans, too,” -he said, in his innocent Norwegian way, as he pulled a five-dollar -bill from his pocket. - -“I don’t want your money,” cried the conductor, who knew as little -of Norwegian as Big Hans did of English. - -“Get out of the way there with your billy-goat!” - -And he hustled the boy roughly out of the way to make room for the -other emigrants, who were thronging up to the platform. - -“Well, then,” said Big Hans, “since they don’t want us on the -train, Little Hans, we shall have to walk to Minnesota. And as this -railroad is going that way, I suppose we shall get there if we -follow the track.” - -Little Hans seemed to think that this was a good plan; for, as soon -as the train had steamed off, he started at a brisk rate along the -track, so that his master had great difficulty in keeping up with -him. For several hours they trudged along cheerfully, and both -were in excellent spirits. Minnesota, Big Hans supposed, might, -perhaps, be a day’s journey off, and if he walked fast he thought -he would probably be there at nightfall. When once he was there, he -did not doubt but that everybody would know his Uncle Peter. He was -somewhat puzzled, however, when he came to a place where no less -than three railroad tracks branched off in different directions; -and, as there was no one to ask, he sat down patiently in the shade -of a tree and determined to wait. Presently a man came along with a -red flag. - -“Perhaps you would kindly tell me if this is the way to Minnesota,” -said Big Hans, taking off his cap and bowing politely to the man. - -The man shook his head sullenly, but did not answer; he did not -understand the boy’s language. - -“And you don’t happen to know my uncle, Peter Volden?” essayed the -boy, less confidently, making another respectful bow to the flagman. - -“You are a queer loon of a chap,” grumbled the man; “but if you -don’t jump off the track with your goat, the train will run over -both of you.” - -He had hardly spoken, when the train was seen rounding the curve, -and the boy had just time to pull Little Hans over into the ditch -when the locomotive came thundering along, sending out volumes -of black smoke, which scattered slowly in the warm air, making -the sunlight for awhile seem gray and dingy. Big Hans was almost -stunned, but picked himself up, with a little fainter heart than -before, perhaps; but whispering a snatch of a prayer which his -mother had taught him, he seized Little Hans by the halter, and -started once more upon his weary way after the train. - -“Minnesota must be a great way off, I am afraid,” he said, -addressing himself, as was his wont, to his companion; “but if we -keep on walking, it seems to me we must, in the end, get there; or, -what do you think, Little Hans?” - -Little Hans did not choose to say what he thought, just then, for -his attention had been called to some tender grass at the roadside -which he knew tasted very sweet. Big Hans was then reminded that -he, too, was hungry, and he sat down on a stone and ate a piece of -bread which he had brought with him from Castle Garden. The sun -rose higher in the sky and the heat grew more and more oppressive. -Still the emigrant boy trudged on patiently. Whenever he came to -a station he stopped, and read the sign, and shook his head sadly -when he saw some unfamiliar name. - -“Not Minnesota yet, Little Hans,” he sighed; “I am afraid we shall -have to take lodgings somewhere for the night. I am so footsore and -tired.” - -It was then about six o’clock in the evening, and the two friends -had walked about twenty miles. At the next station they met a -hand-organ man, who was sitting on a truck, feeding his monkey. - -Big Hans, who had never seen so funny an animal before, was greatly -delighted. He went close up to the man, and put out his hand -cautiously to touch the monkey. - -“Are you going to Minnesota, too?” he asked, in a tone of great -friendliness; “if so, we might bear each other company. I like that -hairy little fellow of yours very much.” - -The hand-organ man, who, like most men of his calling, was an -Italian, shook his head, and the monkey shook his head, too, as if -to say, “All that may be very fine, but I don’t understand it.” - -The boy, however, was too full of delight to notice whether he -was understood or not; and when the monkey took off his little -red hat and offered to shake hands with him, he laughed until the -tears rolled down his cheeks. He seemed to have entirely forgotten -Little Hans, who was standing by, glowering at the monkey with a -look which was by no means friendly. The fact was, Little Hans had -never been accustomed to any rival in his master’s affection, and -he didn’t enjoy in the least the latter’s interest in the monkey. -He kept his jealousy to himself, however, as long as he could; but -when Big Hans, after having giving ten cents to the organ-man, -took the monkey on his lap and patted and stroked it, Little Hans’ -heart was ready to burst. He could not endure seeing his affections -so cruelly trifled with. Bending his head and rising on his hind -legs, he darted forward and gave his rival a knock on the head -that sent him tumbling in a heap at Big Hans’ feet. The Italian -jumped up with a terrible shout and seized his treasure in his -arms. The monkey made an effort to open its eyes, gave a little -shiver, and--was dead. The boy stood staring in mute despair at -the tiny stiffened body; he felt like a murderer. Hardly knowing -what he did, he seized Little Hans’ halter; but in the same moment -the enraged owner of the monkey rushed at the goat with the butt -end of his whip uplifted. Little Hans, who was dauntless as ever, -dexterously dodged the blow, but the instant his antagonist had -turned to vent his wrath upon his master, he gave him an impetus -from behind which sent him headlong out upon the railroad track. -A crowd of men and boys (of the class who always lounge about -railroad stations) had now collected to see the fight, and goaded -both combatants on with their jeering cries. The Italian, who was -maddened with anger, had just picked himself up, and was plunging -forward for a second attack upon Little Hans, when Big Hans, seeing -the danger, flung himself over his friend’s back, clasping his arms -about his neck. The loaded end of the whip struck Big Hans in the -back of the head; without a sound, the boy fell senseless upon the -track. - -Then a policeman arrived, and Little Hans, the Italian, and the -insensible boy were taken to the police-station. A doctor was -summoned, and he declared that Big Hans’ wound was very dangerous, -and that he must be taken to the hospital. And there the emigrant -boy lay for six weeks, hovering between life and death; but when, -at the end of that time, he was permitted to go out, he heard with -dread that he was to testify at the Italian’s trial. A Norwegian -interpreter was easily found, and when Hans told his simple story -to the judge, there were many wet eyes in the court-room. And he -himself cried, too, for he thought that Little Hans was lost. But -just as he had finished his story, he heard a loud “Ba-a-a” in his -ear; he jumped down from the witness-stand and flung his arms about -Little Hans’ neck and laughed and cried as if he had lost his wits. - -It is safe to say that such a scene had never before been witnessed -in an American court-room. - -The next day Big Hans and Little Hans were both sent by rail, -at the expense of some kind-hearted citizens, to their uncle in -Minnesota. And it was there I made their acquaintance. - - - - -A NEW WINTER SPORT. - - -It is a curious fact that so useful an article as the Norwegian -_skees_ has not been more generally introduced in the United -States. In some of the Western States, notably in Wisconsin -and Minnesota, where the Scandinavian population is large, the -immigrants of Norse blood are beginning to teach Americans the -use of their national snow-shoes, and in Canada there has been an -attempt made (with what success I do not know) to make skee-running -popular. But the subject has by no means received the consideration -which it deserves, and I am confident that I shall earn the -gratitude of the great army of boys if I can teach them how to -enjoy this fascinating sport. - -Let me first, then, describe a _skee_ and tell you how to have it -made. You take a piece of tough, straight-grained pine, from five -to ten feet long, and cut it down until it is about the breadth of -your foot, or, at most, an inch broader. There must be no knots -in the wood, and the grain must run with tolerable regularity -lengthwise from end to end. - -[Illustration: Bending the Skee.] - -If you cannot find a piece without a knot, then let the knot be as -near the hind end as possible; but such a _skee_ is not perfect, -as it is apt to break if subjected to the strain of a “jump” or -a “hollow” in a swift run. The thickness of the _skee_ should be -about an inch or an inch and one-half in the middle, and it should -gradually grow thinner toward each end. Cut the forward end into -a point--not abruptly, but with a gradual curve, as shown in the -drawings. Pierce the middle latitudinally with a hole, about half -an inch in height and an inch or (if required) more in width; then -bend the forward pointed end by means of five sticks, placed as -the drawing indicates, and let the _skee_ remain in this position -for four or five days, until its bend has become permanent, and it -will no longer, on the removal of the sticks, resume the straight -line. Before doing this, however, it would be well to plane the -under side of the _skee_ carefully and then polish and sand-paper -it, until it is as smooth as a mirror. It is, of course, of prime -importance to diminish as much as possible the friction in running -and to make the _skee_ glide easily over the surface of the snow, -and the Norwegians use for this purpose soft-soap, which they rub -upon the under side of the _skee_, and which, I am told, has also -a tendency to make the wood tougher. In fact, too much care cannot -be exercised in this respect, as the excellence of the _skees_, -when finished, depends primarily upon the combined toughness and -lightness of the wood. Common pine will not do; for although, when -well seasoned, it is light enough, it is rarely strong enough to -bear the required strain. The tree known to Norwegians as the fir -(_Sylvestris pinus_), which has long, flexible needles, hanging -in tassels (not evenly distributed along the branch, as in the -spruce), is most commonly used, as it is tough and pitchy, but -becomes light in weight, without losing its strength, when it is -well seasoned and dried. Any other strong and straight-grained -wood might, perhaps, be used, but would, I think, be liable to the -objection of being too heavy. - -[Illustration: Side and Face View of Skees, showing Cap and Knob.] - -When the _skee_ has been prepared as above described, there only -remains to put a double band through the middle; the Norwegians -make it of twisted withes, and fit its size to the toe of the boot. -If the band is too wide, so as to reach up on the instep, it is -impossible to steer the _skee_, while if it is too narrow the foot -is apt to slip out. Of these two withe-bands, one should stand up -and the other lie down horizontally, so as to steady the foot and -prevent it from sliding. A little knob, just in front of the heel, -might serve a similar purpose. Leather, or any other substance -which is apt to stretch when getting wet, will not do for bands, -although undoubtedly something might be contrived which might be -even preferable to withes. I am only describing the _skees_ as they -are used in Norway--not as they might be improved in America. In -the West, I am told, a good substitute for the withe-band has been -found in a kind of leather cap resembling the toe of a boot. As I -have never myself tried this, I dare not express an opinion about -its practicability; but as it is of the utmost importance that -the runner should be able to free his foot easily, I would advise -every boy who tries this cap to make perfectly sure that it does -not prevent him from ridding himself of the _skee_ at a moment’s -notice. The chief difficulty that the beginner has to encounter is -the tendency of the _skees_ to “spread,” and the only thing for -him to do in such a case, provided he is running too fast to trust -to his ability to get them parallel again, is to jump out of the -bands and let the _skees_ go. Let him take care to throw himself -backward, breaking his fall by means of the staff, and in the soft -snow he will sustain no injury. Whenever an accident occurs in -skee-running, it can usually be traced to undue tightness of the -band, which may make it difficult to withdraw the feet instantly. -A pair of _skees_ kept at the rooms of the American Geographical -Society, New York, are provided with a safeguard against -“spreading” in the shape of a slight groove running longitudinally -along the under side of each _skee_. I have seen _skees_ provided -with two such grooves, each about an inch from the edge and meeting -near the forward point. - -There has, of course, to be one _skee_ for each foot, and the -second is an exact duplicate of the first. The upper sides of both -are usually decorated, either in colors or with rude carvings; the -forward ends are usually painted for about a foot, either in black -or red. - -[Illustration: Staff with a Wheel that Acts as a Brake] - -Now, the reader will ask: “What advantage does this kind of -snow-shoes offer over the ordinary Indian ones, which are in common -use in the Western and Northern States?” Having tried both, I think -I may confidently answer that the _skees_ are superior, both in -speed and convenience; and, moreover, they effect a great saving -of strength. The force which, with the American snow-shoes, is -expended in lifting the feet, is with the _skees_ applied only as a -propeller, for the _skee_ glides, and is never lifted; and on level -ground the resistance of the body in motion impels the skee-runner -with each forward stride several feet beyond the length of his -step. If he is going down-hill, his effort will naturally be to -diminish rather than to increase his speed, and he carries for this -purpose a strong but light staff about six feet long, upon which -he may lean more or less heavily, and thereby retard the rapidity -of his progress. The best skee-runners, however, take great pride -in dispensing with the staff, and one often sees them in Norway -rushing down the steepest hill-sides with incredible speed, with a -whirling cloud of snow following in their track. - -[Illustration: Side View, showing Foot in Position.] - -Although this may be a very fine and inspiriting sight, I should -not recommend beginners to be too hasty in throwing away the staff, -as it is only by means of it that they are able to guide their -course down over the snowy slope, just as a ship is steered by its -rudder. If you wish to steer toward the right, you press your staff -down into the snow on your right side, while a similar manœuvre on -your left side will bend your course in that direction. If you wish -to test your _skees_ when they are finished, put your feet into the -bands, and let someone take hold of the two front ends and slowly -raise them while you are standing in the bands. If they bear your -weight, they are regarded as safe, and will not be likely to break -in critical moments. In conclusion, let me add that the length and -thickness of the _skees_, as here described, are not invariable, -but must vary in accordance with the size of the boy who wishes to -use them. Five feet is regarded as the minimum length, and would -suit a boy from twelve to fourteen years old, while a grown-up man -might safely make them twice that length. - -[Illustration: Under Side and Cross Section of Skee, showing -Groove.] - -In Norway, where the woods are pathless in winter, and where heavy -snows continually fall from the middle of October until the middle -of April, it is easily seen how essential, nay indispensable, the -_skees_ must be to hunters, trappers, and lumber-men, who have -to depend upon the forests for their livelihood. Therefore, one -of the first accomplishments which the Norwegian boy learns, as -soon as he is old enough to find his way through the parish alone, -is the use of these national snow-shoes. If he wakes up one fine -winter morning and sees the huge snow-banks blockading doors and -windows, and a white, glittering surface extending for miles as -far as his eye can reach, he gives a shout of delight, buttons his -thick woollen jacket up to his chin, pulls the fur borders of his -cap down over his ears, and then, having cleared a narrow path -between the dwelling-house and the cow-stables, makes haste to jump -into his _skees_. If it is cold (as it usually is) and the snow -accordingly dry and crisp, he knows that it will be a splendid day -for skee-running. If, on the contrary, the snow is wet and heavy, -it is apt to stick in clots to the _skees_, and then the sport is -attended with difficulties which are apt to spoil the amusement. We -will take it for granted, however, that there are no indications of -a thaw, and we will accompany the Norse boy on his excursions over -the snowy fields and through the dense pine-woods, in which he and -his father spend their days in toil, not untempered with pleasure. - -“Now, quick, Ola, my lad!” cries his father to him; “fetch the axe -from the wood-shed and bring me my gun from the corner behind the -clock, and we will see what luck we have had with the fox-traps and -the snares up in the birch-glen.” - -And Ola has no need of being asked twice to attend to such duties. -His mother, in the meanwhile, has put up a luncheon, consisting of -cold smoked ham and bread and butter, in a gayly painted wooden -box, which Ola slings across his shoulder, while Nils, his father, -sticks the axe into his girdle, and with his gun in one hand -and his skee-staff in the other, emerges into the bright winter -morning. They then climb up the steep snow-banks, place their -_skees_ upon the level surface, and put their feet into the bands. -Nils gives a tremendous push with his staff and away he flies down -the steep hill-side, while his little son, following close behind -him, gives an Indian war-whoop, and swings his staff about his head -to show how little he needs it. Whew, how fast he goes! How the -cold wind sings in his ears; how the snow whirls about him, filling -his eyes and ears and silvering the loose locks about his temples, -until he looks like a hoary little gnome who has just stepped out -from the mountain-side! But he is well used to snow and cold, and -he does not mind it a bit. - -In a few seconds father and son have reached the bottom of the -valley, and before them is a steep incline, overgrown with leafless -birch and elder forests. It is there where they have their snares, -made of braided horse-hair; and as bait they use the red berries of -the mountain ash, of which ptarmigan and thrushes are very fond. -Now comes the test of their strength; but the snow is too deep -and loose to wade through, and to climb a declivity on _skees_ is -by no means as easy as it is to slide down a smooth hill-side. -They now have to plod along slowly, ascending in long zig-zag -lines, pausing often to rest on their staves, and to wipe the -perspiration from their foreheads. Half an hour’s climb brings them -to the trapping-grounds. But there, indeed, their efforts are well -rewarded. - -“Oh, look, look, father!” cries the boy, ecstatically. “Oh, what a -lot we have caught! Why, there are three dozen birds, as sure as -there is one.” - -His father smiles contentedly, but says nothing. He is too old a -trapper to give way to his delight. - -“There is enough to buy you a new coat for Christmas, lad,” he -says, chuckling; “and if we make many more such hauls, we may get -enough to buy mother a silver brooch, too, to wear at church on -Sundays.” - -“No, buy mother’s brooch first, father,” protests the lad, a little -hesitatingly (for it costs many boys an effort to be generous); “my -coat will come along soon enough. Although, to be sure, my old one -is pretty shabby,” he adds, with a regretful glance at his patched -sleeves. - -“Well, we will see, we will see,” responds Nils, pulling off his -bear-skin mittens and gliding in among the trees in which the traps -are set. “The good Lord, who looks after the poor man as well as -the rich, may send us enough to attend to the wants of us all.” - -He had opened his hunting-bag, and was loosening the snare from the -neck of a poor strangled ptarmigan, when all of a sudden he heard -a great flapping of wings, and, glancing down through the long -colonnade of frost-silvered trees, saw a bird which had been caught -by the leg, and was struggling desperately to escape from the snare. - -“Poor silly thing!” he said, half-pityingly; “it is not worth a -shot. Run down and dispatch it, Ola.” - -“Oh, I don’t like to kill things, father,” cried the lad, who with -a fascinated gaze was regarding the struggling ptarmigan. “When -they hang themselves I don’t mind it so much; but it seems too -wicked to wring the neck of that white, harmless bird. No, let me -cut the snare with my knife and let it go.” - -“All right; do as you like, lad,” answered the father, with gruff -kindliness. - -And with a delight which did his heart more honor than his head, -Ola slid away on his _skees_ toward the struggling bird, which, the -moment he touched it, hung perfectly still, with its tongue stuck -out, as if waiting for its death-blow. - -“Kill me,” it seemed to say. “I am quite ready.” - -But, instead of killing it, Ola took it gently in his hand, and -stroked it caressingly while cutting the snare and disentangling -its feet. How wildly its little heart beat with fright! And the -moment his hold was relaxed, down it tumbled into the snow, ran -a few steps, then took to its wings, dashed against a tree in -sheer bewilderment, and shook down a shower of fine snow on its -deliverer’s head. Ola felt quite heroic when he saw the bird’s -delight, and thought how, perhaps, next summer (when it had changed -its coat to brown) it would tell its little ones, nestling under -its wings, of its hairbreadth escape from death, and of the -kind-hearted youngster who had set it free instead of killing it. - -While Ola was absorbed in these pleasant reflections, Nils, his -father, had filled his hunting-bag with game and was counting his -spoils. - -“Now, quick, laddie,” he called out, cheerily. “Stir your stumps -and bring me your bag of bait. Get the snares to rights and fix the -berries, as you have seen me doing.” - -Ola was very fond of this kind of work, and he pushed himself with -his staff from tree to tree, and hung the tempting red berries in -the little hoops and arches which were attached to the bark of the -trees. He was in the midst of this labor, when suddenly he heard -the report of his father’s gun, and, looking up, saw a fox making a -great leap, then plunging headlong into the snow. - -“Hello, Mr. Reynard,” remarked Nils, as he slid over toward the -dead animal. “You overslept yourself this morning. You have stolen -my game so long, now, that it was time I should get even with you. -And yet, if the wind had been the other way, you would have caught -the scent of me sooner than I should have caught yours. Now, sir, -we are quits.” - -“What a great, big, sleek fellow!” ejaculated Ola, stroking -the fox’s fur and opening his mouth to examine his sharp, -needle-pointed teeth. - -“Yes,” replied Nils; “I have saved the rascal the trouble of -hunting until he has grown fat and secure, and fond of his ease. I -had a long score to settle with that old miscreant, who has been -robbing my snares ever since last season. His skin is worth about -three dollars.” - -When the task of setting the snares in order had been completed, -father and son glided lightly away under the huge, snow-laden trees -to visit their traps, which were set further up the mountain. -The sun was just peeping above the mountain-ridge, and the trees -and the great snow-fields flashed and shone, as if oversown with -numberless diamonds. Round about were the tracks of birds and -beasts; the record of their little lives was traced there in the -soft, downy snow, and could be read by everyone who had the eyes -to read. Here were the tracks telling of the quiet pottering of -the leman and the field-mouse, going in search of their stored -provisions for breakfast, but rising to take a peep at the sun on -the way. You could trace their long, translucent tunnels under the -snow-crust, crossing each other in labyrinthine entanglements. Here -Mr. Reynard’s graceful tail had lightly brushed over the snow, as -he leaped to catch young Mrs. Partridge, who had just come out to -scratch up her breakfast of frozen huckleberries, and here Mr. -and Mrs. Squirrel (a very estimable couple) had partaken of their -frugal repast of pine-cone seeds, the remains of which were still -scattered on the snow. But far prettier were the imprints of their -tiny feet, showing how they sat on their haunches, chattering -amicably about the high cost of living, and of that grasping -monopolist, Mr. Reynard, who had it all his own way in the woods, -and had no more regard for life than a railroad president. This and -much more, which I have not the time to tell you, did Ola and his -father observe on their skee-excursion through the woods. And when, -late in the afternoon, they turned their faces homeward, they had, -besides the ptarmigan and the fox, a big capercailzie (or grouse) -cock, and two hares. The twilight was already falling, for in the -Norway winter it grows dark early in the afternoon. - -“Now, let us see, lad,” said Ola’s father, regarding his son with -a strange, dubious glance, “if you have got Norse blood in your -veins. We don’t want to go home the way we came, or we should -scarcely reach the house before midnight. But if you dare risk your -neck with your father, we will take the western track down the -bare mountain-side. It takes brisk and stout legs to stand in that -track, my lad, and I won’t urge you, if you are afraid.” - -“I guess I can go where you can, father,” retorted the boy, -proudly. “Anyway, my neck isn’t half so valuable as yours.” - -“Spoken like a man!” said the father, in a voice of deep -satisfaction. “Now for it, lad! Make yourself ready. Strap the -hunting-bag close under your girdle, or you will lose it. Test your -staff to make sure that it will hold, for if it breaks you are -gone. Be sure you don’t take my track. You are a fine chap and a -brave one.” - -Ola followed his father’s directions closely, and stood with loudly -palpitating heart ready for the start. Before him lay the long, -smooth slope of the mountain, showing only here and there soft -undulations of surface, where a log or a fence lay deeply buried -under the snow. On both sides the black pine-forest stood, tall and -grave. If he should miss his footing, or his _skees_ be crossed or -run apart, very likely he might just as well order his epitaph. If -it had not been his father who had challenged him, he would have -much preferred to take the circuitous route down into the valley. -But now he was in for it, and there was no time for retreating. - -“Ready!” shouted Nils, advancing toward the edge of the slope: -“One, two, three!” - -[Illustration: NORWEGIAN SKEE-RUNNERS.] - -And like an arrow he shot down over the steep track, guiding -his course steadily with his staff; but it was scarcely five -seconds before he was lost to sight, looking more like a whirling -snow-drift than a man. With strained eyes and bated breath, Ola -stood looking after him. Then, nerving himself for the feat, he -glanced at his _skees_ to see that they were parallel, and glided -out over the terrible declivity. His first feeling was that he had -slid right out into the air--that he was rushing with seven-league -boots over forests and mountain-tops. For all that, he did not lose -hold of his staff, which he pressed with all his might into the -snow behind him, thus slightly retarding his furious speed. Now -the pine-trees seemed to be running past him in a mad race up the -mountain-side, and the snowy slope seemed to be rising to meet him, -or moving in billowy lines under his feet. Gradually he gathered -confidence in himself, a sort of fierce courage awoke within him, -and a wild exultation surged through his veins and swept him on. -The wind whistled about him and stung his face like whip-lashes. -Now he darted away over a snowed-up fence or wood-pile, shooting -out into the air, but always coming down firmly on his feet, -and keeping his mind on his _skees_, so as to prevent them from -diverging or crossing. He had a feeling of grandeur and triumphant -achievement which he had never experienced before. The world lay -at his feet, and he seemed to be striding over it in a march of -conquest. It was glorious! But all such sensations are unhappily -brief. Ola soon knew by his slackening speed that he had reached -the level ground; yet so great was the impetus he had received -that he flew up the opposite slope toward his father’s farm, and -only stopped some fifty feet below the barn. He then rubbed his -face and pinched his nose, just to see whether it was frozen. The -muscles in his limbs ached, and the arm which had held the staff -was so stiff and cramped that the slightest movement gave him pain. -Nevertheless, he could not make up his mind to rest; he saw the -light put in the north window to guide him, and he caught a glimpse -of a pale, anxious face behind the window-pane, and knew that it -was his mother who was waiting for him. And yet those last fifty -feet seemed miles to his tired and aching legs. When he reached the -front door, his dog Yutul jumped up on him in his joy and knocked -him flat down in the snow; and oh, what an effort it took to rise! -But no sooner had he regained his feet, than he felt a pair of arms -flung about his neck and he sank, half laughing, half crying, into -his mother’s embrace. - -“Cheer up, laddie,” he heard someone saying. “Ye are a fine chap -and a brave one!” - -He knew his father’s voice; but he did not look up; he was yet -child enough to feel happiest in his mother’s arms. - -One of the most popular winter sports in Norway is skee-racing. A -steep hill is selected by the committee which is to have charge -of the race, and all the best skee-runners in the district enter -their names, eager to engage in the contest. The track is cleared -of all accidental obstructions, but if there happens to be a stone -or wooden fence crossing it, the snow is dug away on the lower -side of it and piled up above it. The object is to obtain what -is called a “jump.” The skee-runner, of course, coming at full -speed down the slope will slide out over this “jump,” shooting -right out into the air and coming down either on his feet or any -other convenient portion of his anatomy, as the case may be. To -keep one’s footing, and particularly to prevent the _skees_ from -becoming crossed while in the air, are the most difficult feats -connected with skee-racing; and it is no unusual thing to see even -an excellent skee-runner plunging headlong into the snow, while -his _skees_ pursue an independent race down the track and tell the -spectators of his failure. Properly speaking, a skee-race is not -a race--not a test of speed, but a test of skill; for two runners -rarely start simultaneously, as, in case one of them should fall, -the other could not possibly stop, and might not even have the -time to change his course. He would thus be in danger of running -into his competitor, and could hardly avoid maiming him seriously. -If there were several parallel tracks, at a distance of twenty to -thirty feet from each other, there would, of course, be less risk -in having the runners start together. Usually, a number fall in -the first run, and those who have not fallen then continue the -contest until one gains the palm. If, as occasionally happens, the -competition is narrowed down to two, who are about evenly matched, -a proposal to run without staves is apt to result in a decisive -victory for one or the other. - -It can hardly be conceived how exciting these contests are, not -only to the skee-runners themselves, but also to the spectators, -male and female, who gather in groups along the track and cheer -their friends as they pass, waving their handkerchiefs, and -greeting with derisive cries the mishaps which are inseparable -from the sport. Prizes are offered, such as rifles, watches, fine -shooting equipments, etc., and in almost every valley in the -interior of Norway there are skee-runners who, in consequence of -this constant competition, have attained a skill which would seem -almost incredible. As there are but two things essential to a -skee-race, viz.: a hill and snow, I can see no reason why the sport -should not in time become as popular in the United States as it -is in Norway. We have snow enough, certainly, in the New England -and Western States; neither are hills rare phenomena. If I should -succeed in interesting any large number of boys in these States in -skee-running, I should feel that I had conferred a benefit upon -them, and added much to their enjoyment of winter. But before -taking leave of them, let me give them two pieces of parting -advice: 1. Be sure your staff is strong, and do not be hasty in -throwing it away. 2. Never slide down a hill on a highway, or any -hard, icy surface. It is only in the open fields and woods and in -dry snow that _skees_ are useful. - - - - -THE SKERRY OF SHRIEKS. - - -I. - -People live even within the Polar Circle, although grown-up folks -are apt to think it a poor sort of life. But to boys the “land of -the midnight sun” is a veritable paradise. Every season of the year -has its own kind of sport; and as schoolmasters are rare birds so -far north, the boys are to a great extent left to follow their -own devices until they are old enough to be sent away to school -in the cities. From morning till night the air is filled with a -screaming host of birds, which whirl in through the fiords like an -approaching snow-storm. The eider-ducks lie gently bobbing upon -the water, the black surf-scoters dive in the surf and make short -work of the young whiting, and the puffins sit in long soldier-like -rows on the rocks, and plunge headlong into the sea at the first -signal of danger. In this glorious region the fish and fowl from -all quarters of the globe seem to have appointed an annual meeting -about New Year’s; and the Norwegian peasants, who are dependent -upon the inhabitants of the sea and the air for their living, are -on the lookout for them, and hasten to the coast to give them a -fitting reception. - -Harry Winchester’s motive, however, for visiting the Arctic -wonderland was quite a different one. He had made the acquaintance -of the Birk boys during the previous summer, and he had struck up -a warm friendship with one of them, named Magnus. His parents, -who lived in New York, had permitted him to accept the invitation -of Mr. Birk to spend the winter with his sons, and Harry was so -completely fascinated with the sports and adventures which every -day offered in abundance that he would have liked to prolong his -stay indefinitely. - -Hasselrud, the estate of the Birks, was a fine, old-fashioned -mansion, which peeped out from the dense foliage of chestnut and -maple trees. Mr. Birk conducted a large business in fish and -lumber, and manned every year several boats and sent them to the -Lofoten fisheries. His three sons, Olaf, Magnus, and Edwin, were -brisk and courageous lads, who had been accustomed to danger from -their earliest years, and could handle a gun and manage a sail -as well as any man in that region. Olaf was nineteen years old, -and wore the uniform of a midshipman in the navy, and by courtesy -was styled lieutenant; Magnus, who was sixteen, was a fair-faced, -curly-headed lad, with frank blue eyes, a straight, handsome nose, -and a singular talent for getting into mischief. Edwin was but -twelve years old; but, as he does not figure conspicuously in this -narrative, there is no need of describing him. But altogether the -most important person at Hasselrud, next to Mr. Birk, was Grim -Hering-Luck, a hoary, bow-legged fisherman, who was Mr. Birk’s -right-hand man and captain of his boat-guild. Grim had a stern, -deep-wrinkled face, framed in a wreath of grayish whiskers. He -had small, piercing eyes, and bushy, gray-sprinkled hair. On his -head he wore a sou’wester. The seat and knees of his trousers and -the elbows of his coat were adorned with great shiny patches of -leather. The leathern girdle about his waist did not quite fulfil -its duties as suspenders, but allowed the trousers to slip down -on his hips, leaving some four inches of shirt visible under the -border of the waistcoat. Grim was a gruff old customer, but it -was commonly believed that his bark was worse than his bite. He -liked the bright American boy better than he cared to confess, -and therefore neglected no opportunity for quarrelling with him. -In fact, everybody admired Harry’s enterprising spirit and was -entertained by his lively talk. Olaf was fairly dazzled by his -knowledge and experience of the world, and little Edwin copied his -walk and his picturesque recklessness to the extent of his small -ability; but among all the family there was no one who was more -ardently attached to Harry than Magnus. The two were inseparable; -from morning till night they roamed about together, setting traps -for hares and ptarmigan, spearing trout in the shallows of the -river, trawling for mackerel in the salt water, and sometimes -tacking in and out of the fiord in a furious gale. At such times, -however, they were sure to have Grim in the boat, and Grim was a -capital man to have in a boat in case of an emergency. Thus they -spent the beautiful autumn months until the November storms began -to blow, the snow began to fall, and the air, when they looked out -the fiord, was thick and the sky threatening. The great trees bent -in agony and howled in the blast with voices of despair. Then Grim -would begin to investigate and to mend the nets which hung in long -festoons along the walls of the boat-houses, and, with his friendly -grunt, he would say in reply to Magnus’ queries: - -“Wal, Mester Yallertop, the Lord he looks out fer them as they look -out fer themselves. He puts the cod in the sea, but I never heared -of his puttin’ it in yer mouth fer ye. He made the land poor up -here, but he made the sea rich, jest fer to make the average right -in the end. He lets ye starve like a toothless rat if ye have a -taste fer starvin’. But thar ain’t no call for anybody to starve -here north, ef he can bait a hook and ain’t afeared of bein’ late -to his funeral.” - -“Being late to your own funeral, Grim!” Magnus would exclaim, in -amazement; “how can a man be late to his funeral?” - -“Wal, now, Mester Yallertop, that I’ll tell ye. Fur that ain’t no -uncommon case here north. Suppose ye go out in the mornin’ with -the fishin’ fleet, and it blows up right lively, and ye don’t -never come back again. Then after a week or so the parson reads -the sarvice over yer name and prays fer ye, and the next mornin’, -likely as not, yer legs drift ashore, quite independent-like, jest -because the cod found yer tarred top-boots indergestible.” - -“And do such things ever happen, Grim?” the boy would ask, -shuddering at the ghastly picture which his friend’s words -suggested. - -“Do they ever happen? Wal, I reckon they do. I might jest mention -to ye that I ain’t in the habit of tellin’ no lies. My father--God -ha’e mercy on his soul--he sent only his legs fur to represent -him at his funeral; and my grandfather--wal, the cod turned the -tables on him; he had meant to eat them, but--it ain’t no use bein’ -squeamish about it--they ate him. It war in the great storm of the -11th of February, 1848, when five hundred fisherman cheated the -parson out of his funeral fees.” - -“How terrible, Grim! How can you go to the fisheries every winter, -when both your father and your grandfather lost their lives there?” - -“Wal, now ye are puzzlin’ me, Mester Magnus,” Grim replied, -taking his clay pipe from the corner of his mouth, and looking up -seriously from his labor; “but I’ll tell ye a yarn I heared when I -was young. I reckon it is true, because I have never heared nobody -say it warn’t. Some city chap axed a fisherman purty much what ye -have axed me, and the fisherman says, says he: ‘Whar did yer father -die?’ ‘Why, he expired peacefully in his bed,’ said the city chap. -‘And yer grandfather?’ axed the fisherman. ‘Wal, he had jest the -same luck,’ says the city chap. ‘And yer great-grandfather?’ ‘He, -too, turned up his toes in the same style.’ ‘Wal, now,’ says the -fisherman, ‘if I were you I wouldn’t never go to bed again, sence -all yer forbears come to their death in it.’ Now, I reckon that is -the way with all of us. Ef the Lord wants us he will know whar to -find us, wharsoever we be.” - -When the Christmas holidays, with all their old-fashioned -hospitality and sports, were over the question was seriously -debated whether the boys should be permitted to accompany Grim and -the housemen (tenants) to the Lofoten fisheries. It was decided -that three boats should be manned, and Grim was as usual elected -captain of the whole guild. The “tokens” had been uncommonly good -this year, and a profitable fishery was expected. Mr. Birk, who -well knew the dangers connected with this enterprise, was very -unwilling to let the boys start out in the open boats, and suffer -the discomforts which were inseparable from the life on these -barren islands, where thousands of people were huddled together -in booths and shanties, and quarrels and fights were the order -of the day. Harry, however, argued that such an experience would -scarcely offer itself to him a second time in his life, and that -it was easy to avoid danger while still observing all that was -interesting and instructive in the lives of the people. Olaf and -Magnus, too, added their powers of persuasion to those of Harry, -and in the end Mr. Birk (after enjoining a hundred precautions) -had to yield, stipulating only that Edwin should remain at home. -Grim promised to keep a careful look-out over the movements of the -boys, but he refused to be responsible for their safety, because, -as he remarked, “they were too lively a lot to be controlled by a -stiff-legged old crab like himself.” - -It was a gray morning in January that the long eight oared boats -were made ready, the chests containing provisions and clothes were -placed in the stern, and the sails with a rattling noise flew up -and bulged before the wind. The sky had a peculiar whitish-gray -color, which has always an ominous look and promises squalls. Yet -it was a glorious sensation to feel the boats shooting away over -the crests of the waves, dashing the spray like smoke about them -and yielding like living things to the slightest prompting of the -rudder. Grim himself sat in the stern of the first boat, which the -boys had named “The Cormorant,” holding the tiller in his left hand -and the sheet in his right. Magnus had found a rather elevated seat -in the prow, from whence he could observe the captain’s manœuvres -and take lessons in seamanship. Harry and Olaf sat on the middle -bench, watching the horizon and seeing the squalls dash down from -the mountains and sweep their trails of smoke across the fiord. - -“It must be dangerous sailing here, Grim,” Harry observed, uneasily. - -“It ain’t no joke--fer goslings,” answered Grim. - -“I should think, on the whole, it would be more comfortable for -goslings than for men,” retorted Harry, carelessly. “They wouldn’t -mind a ducking half as much as I should.” - -“If ye are afeard just say so, and I’ll put ye ashore,” said Grim, -sternly. - -“Afraid!” said Harry, indignantly; “not much, old man; guess I can -give you odds any day if you want to try my courage.” - -“I want to try ef ye can hold your tongue,” was the captain’s -ungracious reply. “I ain’t much for gassin’ on the water.” - -Harry, thinking that perhaps the situation was graver than he -supposed, failed to resent the snub, and fell again to watching -the horizon. They shot away at a tearing speed over the waves, and -sometimes “The Cormorant” careened heavily to leeward and shipped -a sea, but Grim still made no motion to reef the sail. The other -Hasselrud boats, which had kept bravely in the wake of their -leader, were now falling behind, and the blinding spray often hid -them completely from sight. The fiord was growing wider, and the -long “ground swell” showed that they were nearing the ocean. The -stormy petrel was seen skimming lightly, half flying, half running, -over the tops of the billows, and her shrill scream pierced like -a sharp instrument through the deep bass of the wind. The boats -round about them multiplied, and a whole fleet of reddish-brown -sails was seen steering toward the Lofoten Islands. The day passed -without any incident, and when about three o’clock in the afternoon -the darkness came rolling in like a gray curtain from the west, -Grim put into port and the boys devoured between them a five-pound -cod, whereupon they all crawled into the same bunk in a fisherman’s -lodging-house and slept the sleep of the just. - -The next morning they were aroused before daybreak, and after -a frugal repast of coffee and sandwiches were hurried into the -boat. The wide ocean now stretched out before them, rolling with -a mighty thundering rhythm against the rock-bound coast. A light -mist was hovering over the water, but the wind was fair, and -hundreds of boats were already scudding northward toward the rich -fishing-banks. As soon as the fog rose and was scattered, the -invisible sun sent a faint semblance of light up among the low -clouds, and immediately thousands of gulls and auks and cormorants -were on the wing, and whirled with a wild confusion of screams in -the wake of the fishing-fleet. When toward noon the wind slackened -a little, Magnus swung out a trawling-line and had almost in the -same moment a bite which sent the line whizzing over the gunwale. - -“Gracious! I am afraid I have caught a whale,” he shouted, standing -up in the boat, and holding on to the line with all his might; but -being unable to keep his footing, he flung himself prone across the -row-bench and would inevitably have been pulled overboard if Harry -and Olaf had not caught hold of him by the legs and told him to let -the line go. - -“You remind me of the Englishman at the siege of Quebec who had -caught three Frenchmen,” said Harry. “I should say it was the -whale who had caught you, in the present case, if a whale it is. -Now _I_ am going to try my luck,” he added, seizing the wooden -frame to which the line was attached just as it was about to fly -overboard. He braced himself against the mast and flung his body -backward, but the line cut into his hands so terribly that he had -to cry for help. Then Olaf was promptly at his side, and by their -united efforts they succeeded in hauling in a couple of fathoms; -but it was not until one of the boatmen added his strength to -theirs that they made any sensible headway. Great was their delight -when, at the end of five minutes, they caught sight of an enormous -halibut, weighing some forty or fifty pounds, but, as well might be -imagined, it was no easy job to get such a monster into the boat -without upsetting it. The only way was evidently to tire him out -until he lost all power of resistance, and as he had swallowed the -metal bait with tremendous vim there was no danger of his escaping. - -It was well on toward evening when they put into harbor on the -northern coast of Lofoten, where they were to remain while the -fisheries lasted. An endless double row of boats stretched -along the shore, and behind these the so-called “Hjælder,” or -drying-houses, rose in gaunt perspective against the dark sky. -Thousands of boats were drawn up along the whole beach, and the -smell of fish pervaded the air and seemed even to be borne in on -the ocean breeze. Grim, followed by all the men from the three -boats, marched up to the Hasselrud booth, which he unlocked, -and ordered the temporary cook to make a fire on the hearth and -to prepare supper. It was a large empty room, one wall of which -was occupied by the hearth and two by rows of bunks, one above -the other, resembling the berths in the steerage of an immigrant -steamer. It looked cheerless, and the boys, whose expectations -had pictured to them something quite different, shivered at the -sight of the bare and sooty walls. Nevertheless when the fire had -been lighted, and a couple of burning pine knots stuck into the -wall, they took heart again and determined to make the best of the -situation. - -The next morning at daybreak they jumped into their clothes, -pulling complete oil-cloth suits on the outside of their ordinary -garments. Then fastening their yellow sou’westers under their -chins, they surveyed each other with undisguised looks of -admiration and began to feel like real fishermen. The breakfast was -swallowed in haste, and they scarcely noticed how the hot coffee -scalded their mouths, so eager were they to be off. Nevertheless, -as they had no nets to draw as yet, they delayed their departure -for several hours. It was a raw, cold morning, but the signals -at the government station indicated fair but blustery weather. -The whole fleet had already started, and the Hasselrud boats were -among the last to set sail for the fishing-banks. It was glorious -to see the wide ocean studded, as far as the eye could reach, with -swelling sails, and the air filled for miles with a screaming host -of great, white-winged sea-birds. Round about the whales were -spouting, shooting columns of water into the gray light of the -morning: and the auks were rocking upon the waves, and vanishing, -quick as a flash, as soon as a boat approached them. The fresh -sea-breeze blew into the faces of the three boys, and they felt -like Norse Vikings of the olden time starting out in search of -fame and adventures. It was about twelve o’clock when they arrived -at the fishing-banks; the sails were lowered and the nets sunk by -means of lead sinkers and stones attached to their lower edge. -Wooden floats, similarly attached to their upper edge, held them -in position in the water. Grim sat, grave and imperturbable, in -the stern, issuing his commands in a voice which rose high above -the rushing of the water and the whizzing of the wind, and every -man obeyed with a promptness as if his life depended upon it. The -sea was so packed with cod that the nets often stopped, gliding -slowly over the backs of the fishes, and being again arrested by -the myriads of finny creatures below. Often the same net had to be -taken up and disentangled several times before it made its way to -the bottom. The water was thick with spawn, which clung in long -gelatinous ropes to the blades of the oars, and doubled their -weight to the rowers. The boys, leaning out over the gunwale, could -see the huge male cods winding themselves onward through the dense -throngs of females which stood still with their noses against the -current, moving their fins, and shedding their spawn. It seemed a -positive mercy to haul up a million or so of them, just to make -room for the rest. - -“I understand now,” exclaimed Harry, “how the Canadians managed -to cheat us out of so much money--six millions, more or less, I -think--because we had encroached upon their fishing-grounds. I -would myself pay a good round sum for sport like this; and the joke -of it is that you are making money at it and have all the fun in -the bargain.” - -“And have ye fisheries in America too, lad?” Grim asked, with -visible interest, as he let the last float slip from his hand. - -“Have we got fisheries in America? Well, I should say we had, old -man,” said Harry, fired with patriotic ardor. “You just tell me -what we haven’t got in America. If you’ll come over and see I shall -be happy to entertain you.” - -“Ye are safe in invitin’ me, lad,” Grim retorted, biting a quid -from his roll of tobacco. “A purty figger an old sea-dog like me -would make in your ma’s carpeted parlor.” - -Harry in his heart admitted the force of this remark, and he -laughed to himself at the thought of Grim’s ungainly form seated in -one of his mother’s spindle-legged blue satin chairs; but, for all -that, he liked Grim too much to wish to offend him, and therefore -stuck bravely to his invitation, insisting that it was sincerely -meant. As they were amicably squabbling, the sun suddenly burst -forth, and flung its dazzling radiance upon the ocean. The noise of -the sea-birds grew louder, making the vast vault of the sky alive -with countless varieties of screams. The fishes leaped, the whales -spouted lustily, the stormy petrel danced over the crests of the -billows; thousands of boats lay bobbing up and down on the waves, -while the lines were being baited; a thousand voices shouted to -each other from boat to boat; oars and rudders rattled, and the -wind sang in the mast-tops. It was a scene which once seen could -never be forgotten. - - -II. - -Long before the Hasselrud men had their lines set the whole fleet -had rowed back toward land. But Grim’s boat-guild, which had just -arrived, and had as yet no nets to draw, lingered for a while -eating their dinner, which they had brought with them in the boats. -They chatted and told stories about Draugen, the sea-bogey, who -rows in a half boat, and whose scream sounds terribly through -the tempest. Any man who sees him knows that he will never see -land again. Draugen is only out in the worst weather; he has a -sou’wester on his head, his face is white and ghastly as death -itself, and his empty eye-sockets have no eyes in them. The boys -shuddered at the horrible picture which was conjured up before -them, and it was a relief to them when the time came for pulling up -the lines, and the great codfishes were hauled sprawling into the -boat; each one had plenty to do now in cutting out the hooks and -in winding the lines upon their frames. A smart gale had sprung up -while they were thus engaged, and Grim began to look wistfully at -the lurid sunset. - -“The sun draws water,” he said; “that means lively weather. Hoist -the sails, lads, and let us turn our noses shoreward.” - -He had hardly uttered his command when a thick curtain seemed to be -drawn across the face of the sun, and the sea became black as ink. - -“Clew up the sail!” he shouted, in a voice of thunder; “we are in -for it.” - -With a roar as of a chorus of cataracts the storm advanced, lashing -the water into smoke which whirled heavenward, making the sky dense -as night. The masts creaked, the boats tore away with a frantic -speed, and the waves rose mountain-high, with steep, black gulfs -between them. - -“Cap’n,” one of the men ventured to remonstrate, “are we not -carryin’ too much sail?” - -Grim deigned him no reply, but, with a sharp turn of the tiller, -ran The Cormorant closer to the wind. Forward bounded the boat, -cleaving the coming wave with a blow of her bows which made her -timbers groan. The spray was dashed fathoms high, and would -have drenched every man on board if his oil-skins had not been -water-tight. Of the other boats only two were visible, and it was -splendid to see how they rose out of one sea, until half the length -of their keels were visible, then buried their noses in the next, -while great sheets of foam splashed on either side, and were torn -into shreds by the gale. - -“This is rather lively work, I should say,” remarked the -midshipman. “I think I should prefer a man-of-war to The Cormorant -in this sort of weather.” - -“I confess to a weakness for Cunarders,” said Harry; “yet I dare -say I shall enjoy this affair well enough when we get safely -ashore.” - -“You mean _if_ we get safely ashore,” said Magnus, quietly. “This -has rather an ugly look to me. Though I dare say Grim knows what he -is about.” - -He had scarcely spoken when a harsh voice bellowed, “Lay hold of -the mast, lads!” and in the same moment they seemed to be flung to -a dizzying height; a huge wave towered in front, showing a white -whirling top which seemed on the point of breaking right over them. -They had just time to clasp the mast when the boat, lying flat on -her side, pressed down by her weight of canvas, plunged her nose -into this mountain of water, but by some astonishing manœuvre -righted herself, slid down within another black hollow, and again -rose high on the crest of another wave. - -“All hands bail!” roared the captain. - -The command came not a moment too soon; the water was rushing in -from the leeward, and the flying wreaths of foam struck the boy’s -faces with a terrible force and made them smart furiously. - -“Grim! Grim!” shouted Olaf, making himself heard with a difficulty -above the storm, “you are carrying too much sail.” - -“Hold your tongue, gosling,” Grim thundered back; “we have got -nothin’ but the sail fer to save us.” - -“What point are you making for?” - -“The Bird Islands.” - -“I thought there was no harbor there.” - -“Reckon ye be right.” - -“Gracious heavens!” cried Olaf, turning a terrified countenance -toward his comrades; “he means to wreck the boat; but he knows what -he is about. There is no other chance.” - -He sat for a moment silent, gazing up into the cloud rack which -scudded along at a furious rate before the wind. Strips of -storm-riven sky, with momentary vistas of blue, were now and then -visible, but vanished again, making the dusk more dismal by their -memory. - -“Breakers ahead!” shouted Olaf, “look out!” - -“I see a black ridge against the sky,” cried Harry; “now it is gone -again!” - -He was going to say more, but the wind came with a howling screech -and forced his breath down his throat. He gasped, and as the boat -gave a tremendous lurch, diving down into a black hollow, he could -only cling to the base of the mast, lest the next tumble might toss -him overboard. The sound of a steady rhythmic roar rose and fell -upon the air, and made them strain their eyes in the direction from -which it was coming. - -“Why, Grim, you are steering away from the island,” Magnus -screamed, pointing to the black ridge which was, once more, for a -moment revealed. - -“He means to land us on the leeward side,” Olaf bawled in his -brother’s ear; “the chances are that the water is there a bit -smoother.” - -To reach the leeward side was, however, a task which required -no mean order of seamanship. The distance was too short for -tacking, and moreover the water was filled with blind rocks and -skerries which made the approach tenfold dangerous. It seemed to -the unskilled eyes of the boys that for nearly half an hour The -Cormorant was tumbling aimlessly upon the waves, shipping seas -which it was a wonder did not swamp her, and righting herself, -as by a miracle, when again and again she seemed on the point of -capsizing. And yet all these wonderful feats were only the result -of the coolest calculation and the most consummate skill. - -Just as they were clearing the hidden skerries at the western point -of the island the wind veered a point to the north, but did not -fall off perceptibly. The spray rose from the shore like a dense -and blinding smoke, and in the depths of every black abyss which -opened before them death’s jaws seemed to be yawning. Harry closed -his eyes; and though he was no coward, his heart failed him. - -“What is the use of fighting any longer?” he said to Magnus, who -was lying at his side, clinging like him to the mast; “we are going -to the bottom, any way. The archangel Gabriel himself couldn’t land -us on this shore, with all the heavenly hosts to assist him.” - -“But Grim is a better sailor than Gabriel,” Magnus replied, quite -unconscious of his joke. “He knows every inch of the bottom here -from the time he was a boy and used to row out here and gather -eider-down. He has told me about it often. If I were you I wouldn’t -give up yet.” - -“All right, old fellow,” Harry answered, taking heart once more. “I -am ready for anything. But I am an unlucky chap--a sort of a Jonah, -who has a talent for getting into scrapes. I shouldn’t wonder if, -in case you threw me overboard, the storm would fall off and you -might sail home in comfortable fashion.” - -“We mean to go overboard, all of us, in a few minutes,” Magnus -retorted, hugging Harry tightly with his left arm, which he had -freed for that purpose. “Now I am going to propose something to -you. Let us tie ourselves together with a rope so that each may -help the other; and we may either live or perish together.” - -“I am afraid you would be the loser by that arrangement,” his -friend exclaimed. “You are a good deal stronger than I am, and you -will need every bit of your strength if you are to plow your way -through those awful breakers.” - -Magnus, instead of answering, slipped the end of a rope about -Harry’s waist and secured it tightly; the other end he tied about -his own waist, although he came near losing his balance, and going -headlong over the gunwale. The Cormorant had now slipped around -to the leeward side of the island, where, under the shelter of -the steep rock, the water was a trifle less tumultuous. And yet a -gigantic surf was running and the undertow on the steeply sloping -bottom seemed strong enough to take an elephant off his feet. The -wind yelled and screeched from the top of the towering rock, and -rushed down in thundering eddies on the leeward side. If it had -not been for a momentary clearing of the sky, which showed the -position of the breakers and the outline of the shore, it would -have been madness to risk landing; and even as it was, the chance -of being dashed to pieces against the rocks seemed altogether to -preponderate. But Grim apparently took a different view of the -situation; as long as the sail was whole and the boat true to her -rudder he saw no cause for despair. - -“Now, lads,” he roared, hoarsely, “steady on yer shanks. No -chicken-hearted chap among ye! Uncoil the rope! Thar’s a bit of -sandy beach thar--sixty or a hundred feet wide. If we be in luck -we’ll be thar in a minute.” - -The ridge of the island was now half visible against the dark -horizon, but the beach below was wrapped in a dense smoke, through -which came glimpses of the black jagged rock. - -“Almighty Lord! thar’s a skerry ahead,” screamed one of the -boatmen, as the retreating surf broke with a wild uproar over the -hidden rock and rose like a mighty water-spout against the sky. -There was a moment of breathless suspense. Each man seemed to hear -the beating of the other’s heart. As the boat was flung upward -again on the next wave, the wind gave a frantic shriek; the mast -bent forward under the terrible strain. The incoming surf buried -the skerry under a mountain of towering water, and high upon its -crest The Cormorant rode triumphant, only to be hurled from its -crest, fairly shooting through the air, upon the beach. - -“Jump overboard!” bellowed Grim, and seizing Magnus in his arms he -leaped from the stern just as the boat struck the sand and broke -into fragments. Every man followed his example; but the undertow -swept them off their feet. Still Grim stood like a rock, holding -with his gigantic strength the rope to the other end of which Harry -was attached. Once he tottered, and if he had had sand under his -feet he would have been dragged down by his double burden. But by -a lucky chance he had planted his heels upon a bowlder which rose -slightly out of the surf. When the wildest force of the wave had -been exhausted he sprang up on the beach, depositing Magnus and -the half-unconscious Harry beyond the reach of the waves. Back he -rushed again to his former station, just as one of the boatmen, who -had momentarily regained his footing, was scrambling up toward him. - -“I am tied to the rope,” shouted the man; “someone is tugging at -it.” - -“Hand it to me,” commanded Grim. - -The man struggled to his feet and planted himself resolutely at his -captain’s side. All this was the work of a moment. With the next -incoming wave, which was happily much smaller than the preceding -one, four men were flung up on the sand; but they seemed half dead, -and made no effort to save themselves. Grim, who thought he saw a -glimmer of brass buttons in the water, dashed forward and seized -Olaf by the collar, just as he would have been sucked back by the -undertow. He bore him up on the shore, while the boatman came -dragging two of his unconscious comrades out of the roaring surf. -One was still missing; but as the next wave that broke in tumult at -their feet showed no trace of him, they knew that he was beyond the -reach of human help. - -The work of resuscitating the men was a long and tedious one; but -Grim and Magnus both worked with their hearts in their throats, yet -with a resolution which scorned fatigue. Harry revived the moment -they had poured a glass of brandy down his throat, and he soon -recovered his spirits and volunteered his help. But the midshipman -was both badly battered and had swallowed a quantity of water; and -it was only after long and persistent efforts on Grim’s part that -his breath came back to him. Their next thought was of fire; for -the wind was raw and chill, and the last glimmer of daylight was -vanishing. The problem, however, was a serious one, for there was -not a tree growing on the island, except perhaps a few stunted -juniper shrubs up in the crevices of the rocks. And to get at these -in the dark was no easy undertaking. Nor was their situation in -other respects an enviable one. Above them loomed the black cliff, -and the surf was thundering at their feet. And there they were -sitting, huddled together in a heap to keep each other warm, and -yet shivering in their wet clothes, and thinking with horror of -the long hours of the night which must pass before they could be -rescued. - -“Lads,” cried Magnus, suddenly extricating himself from Harry and -Olaf’s embrace, “I am the only one of you who is not wet to the -skin, and I am going to explore this island and see if we can’t -scare up some fuel. To sit here hugging each other in the dark is a -dismal sort of business, and I am not so affectionately disposed as -the rest of you.” - -“A mighty peart chap ye be, lad,” Grim said, raising his tall -figure out of the group; “but ye had better let me crawl ahead, and -ye keep astern o’ me. I know summat o’ the island and ye don’t know -nothin’.” - -“I’ll keep abreast of you, Grim,” Magnus replied, “but your stern -would obscure my view; so take your bearings and let’s be off.” - -“Ye be a mighty lively customer,” Grim grumbled, admiringly, giving -the boy a caressing pat in the dark. - -They had scarcely crawled fifty yards up the beach when their -fumbling hands touched something cold and clammy, which felt like -the nose of some aquatic animal. There came immediately a little -chorus of whining barks, which was followed by a great flapping, as -if something broad and wet struck against the stones. - -“Thunder and lightning, Grim,” cried Magnus, “what sort of beasts -are these?” - -“A herd of seals,” answered Grim, quietly; “it was funny I didn’t -think o’ them. Here we have got our fuel.” - -In the same moment a cold nose was stuck right into Magnus’ face -and he tumbled backward, scarcely knowing how to return the -unexpected caress. - -“Draw yer knives, lads,” shouted Grim to the men, “a herd of seals -is a comin’ right upon ye.” - -The seals were now in full flight, rolling, tumbling, and pushing -themselves on over the smooth sand. They instinctively knew, even -in the dark, the way to the water, and they thus came plump down -upon the shipwrecked men, who had arisen in response to Grim’s call -and were ready to give them a warm reception. In the storm and the -fright of the sudden attack the keen scent of the animals scarcely -served them at all. They rushed right down upon their enemies, and -within a few minutes fully a dozen of them lay gasping and bleeding -upon the beach. The rest plunged into the surf, where their -plaintive bark was heard as they battled with the raging sea. - -Grim and Magnus in the meanwhile pushed on, groping their way over -the slippery bowlders, and keeping close together so as to help -each other in case of accident. But the farther they climbed the -steeper grew the rock, and as far as they could ascertain by their -sense of touch there was no sign of vegetation. - -“Now look sharp, lad,” cried Grim, warningly. - -“Look sharp!” repeated Magnus, “how am I to look sharp when it is -as dark as pitch about me?” - -“Right ye be, lad, right ye be,” the other retorted; “ye be a smart -chap and a peart one. But don’t ye lay hold o’ nothin’ here before -ye know it is rock. Thar be thousands o’ birds here on the lee’ard -side when thar be a storm from the north; and ef ye mistook a gull -or a cormorant fer somethin’ solid ye might tumble down and break -yer precious neck. Mark ye my word, chap, thar will be a mighty -lively hubbub here in a couple o’ minutes.” - -Grim had hardly uttered this prophecy when Magnus felt something -feathery under his touch, and in the same instant there came a -piercing scream and a powerful wing dealt him a blow across the -bridge of his nose. Immediately there commenced a wild chorus of -screams and chattering protest, as if the more sober-minded birds -were deprecating this senseless uproar. Magnus thought, too, that -he heard his name called from below, but the deafening thunder -of the surf and the noise of the birds drowned all other sounds, -and he concluded that he had been deceived. It was a terrible -sensation, all these invisible wings flapping about him in the -dark; unseen bodies precipitated against him and tumbling blindly -about him with a murderous tumult from a thousand discordant -voices. He raised his elbows above his head to protect himself from -the blind assaults and the perpetual beating of wings. It hardly -occurred to him to assume the offensive until he heard Grim’s voice -shouting to him: - -“Draw yer knife, lad, and make it lively fer them screamin’ -rascals. Their down is worth money and they’ve got blubber as -thick as a seal’s. Give ’em no odds, I tell ye, my laddie.” - -Magnus followed this advice promptly. He drew his knife, and fought -with a will, thrusting and striking right and left, and hearing -the great birds tumbling about him down the steep sides of the -rock. He had been thus occupied for a few minutes when suddenly, -to his unutterable amazement, a great blaze rose from the strand -below, lighting up the barren wall of the cliff, and showing him -how narrow the ledge was upon which he was sitting. It was a superb -spectacle, too, to see the whirling host of gulls, auks, and -cormorants eddying wildly about his head, the great black cliff -looming up above him, and the spray of the surf spouting, with -angry brawl, high up into the nocturnal air. - -“Hurrah! lad,” yelled Grim, through the ear-splitting noise and -confusion, “I war a blasted fool not to think on it. They be -a-burnin’ the wreck.” - -The descent was a much easier affair than the ascent; for the light -of the fire below blazed up every now and then and enabled them to -see where they were treading. They picked up between them several -dozen birds, of nearly half as many varieties, and flung them down -before the fire, where the company were now seated in comparative -comfort, warming their stiffened limbs. Two of the boatmen were -engaged in skinning the seals and cutting off the blubber, which, -after squeezing out the blood, they flung into the fire. Soon the -oil began to ooze out, and, flowing over the wood, burned with a -clear and strong flame. - -“I am going to make myself comfortable, fellows,” said Harry, who -was looking very pale and chilly after his involuntary bath; “and -if you don’t mind it, I’ll make a scarf of this big duck. She fits -very nicely about my throat, though she won’t accommodate herself -to the bow-knot. This little one I am going to stuff down my bosom. -She feels so deliciously warm and downy! I tell you,” he went -on, with emphasis, suiting his actions to his words, “I mean to -patent this invention, when I get back home, as an infallible cure -for rheumatism, toothache, consumption, chillblains, corns, and -kidney disease. I am going to call it Winchester’s In-_w_incible -_W_ivifier. That will sound well and catch the public eye. I was -about ready to give up the ghost awhile ago, and now I feel quite -jolly.” - -He stretched himself luxuriously on the windward side of the fire, -arranged half a dozen ducks and auks under his head as a pillow, -and closed his eyes. Magnus and Olaf soon followed his example, -each tying a big gull about his throat, and feeling a grateful -warmth creeping through their half-frozen bodies. The men had the -good luck to find a bunch of drift-wood large enough to keep the -fire going until morning, and to satisfy their hunger they roasted -a piece of seal-flesh, which, in spite of its oily flavor, tasted -better than they had expected. When Grim saw that the boys were -asleep he covered them carefully with his own oil-skin clothes, -while he himself kept marching up and down on the beach to keep his -blood in motion. After midnight the wind shifted suddenly to the -west and fell off gradually, the clouds were scattered, and the -moon sailed calmly through the dark-blue sky. - -The three boys slept soundly after their terrible hardships, and -the eastern sky was already bright with the dawn when they opened -their eyes. The whole screaming colony of birds were again on the -wing, and whirled about the projecting crags of the cliff with wild -clamor. Several sails were already visible on the horizon and, -as soon as signals of distress were hoisted, steered toward the -island. Harry, who was ravenously hungry, made a courageous assault -upon the roasted seal-flesh, but after two futile attempts declared -that he was not sufficiently acclimated to relish such diet. If -necessity compelled him, he preferred to roast his boots, and to -use the seal-oil as gravy. - -“What do you say you call this island?” he asked Grim, who was -trotting at his side up and down on the sand. - -“The Bird Island,” answered Grim. - -“I should rather call it the ‘Skerry of Shrieks,’” said Harry; “for -in all my living days I have never heard a finer assortment of -varied yells than I heard here last night. It must be a jolly place -in summer, when the nights are light and the weather comfortable.” - -“It ain’t bad fer such as like it,” was Grim’s non-committal reply. - -“And do you know,” Magnus put in eagerly, “during the early fall -the island is quite covered with eider-ducks’ nests, so that you -can hardly move your feet without stepping into them. All those -little round depressions up on the slope there are such nests; and -thousands of dollars have been made here in times past by gathering -the down with which the eider-duck lines her nest; and it is even -possible during the brooding season to catch the bird alive and -pull the down from her breast; though I think that would be cruel, -as she probably needs all she has left after having picked herself -for the benefit of her young.” - -“The eider-duck must be very tame,” Harry observed. - -“Yes, it is very tame, indeed, because people rarely molest it,” -said Magnus; “the peasants have a kind of superstitious respect for -it, and they won’t allow anyone to kill it. It is very much the -same kind of feeling as they have for the swallow. They think a -misfortune will befall him who robs or pulls down a swallow’s nest.” - -Several boats were by this time within hailing distance, and they -were easily persuaded to run up and take the shipwrecked company -on board. They insisted, however, upon drawing their nets before -returning, and thus it happened that it was nearly noon before the -party set foot on shore. They now learned that a great many boats -besides their own had been wrecked during yesterday’s storm, and -that some fifty or sixty men had been drowned. Many dead bodies -were washed ashore during the day, and some were even drawn up in -the nets and sent home to their sorrowing widows. Sad, indeed, was -the sight of the little fleet of boats which sailed southward that -afternoon, each with a tarred pine box showing above its gunwales. -The three boys, although they would scarcely have admitted that -the disaster had discouraged them, concluded, after a short -consultation, that the experience they had already had of the -fisheries was an instructive one and would probably last them for -the remainder of their lives. They therefore, without much regret, -induced Grim to hoist the sails and pilot them safely home. - - - - -FIDDLE-JOHN’S FAMILY. - - -I. - -“Queer sort of chap that Fiddle-John is,” said the men, when -Fiddle-John went by. - -“Quaint sort o’ cr’atur’ is Fiddle-John,” echoed the women; “not -much in the providin’ line.” - -“A singular individual is that Violin-John,” said the parson; -“I can never make up my mind whether he is a worthless scamp or -a man of genius.” “Possibly both,” suggested the parson’s wife. -“Apartments to let,” remarked the daughter, tapping her forehead -significantly. - -“Hurrah! There is Fiddle-John,” cried the children, flocking -delightedly about him, clinging to his arms, his legs, and his -coat-tails. “Sing us a song, Fiddle-John! Tell us a story!” - -Then Fiddle-John would seat himself on a stone at the road-side, -while the children nestled about him; and he would tell them -stories about knights and ladies, and ogres, and princesses, and -all sorts of marvellous things. - -“Worthless fellow, that Fiddle-John,” said the passers-by; “there -he sits in the middle of the day talking nonsense to the children, -when he ought to be working for the support of his family.” - -It was perfectly true; Fiddle-John ought to have been working. -He would readily have admitted that himself. He was well aware -that his wife, Ingeborg, was at home, working like a trooper to -keep the family from starving. But then, somehow, Fiddle-John had -no taste for work, while Ingeborg had. He much preferred singing -songs and telling stories. And a very pretty picture he made, as -he sat there at the roadside, with his handsome, gentle face, his -large blue eyes, and his wavy blond hair, and the children nestling -about him, listening in wide-eyed wonder. There was something very -attractive about his face, with its mild, melancholy smile, and -a sort of diffident, questioning look in the eyes. He had an odd -habit of opening his mouth several times before he spoke, and then, -possibly, if his questioner’s face did not please him, he would -go away, having said nothing. And, after all, it was diffidence -and not insolence which prompted this action. It would never have -occurred to Fiddle-John to take a critical view of anybody; he -approved of all humanity in general, only he had an intuitive -suspicion when anyone was making fun of him, and in such cases he -found safety only in flight and silence. - -By profession Fiddle-John was a ballad-singer; a queer profession, -you will say, but nevertheless one which in Norway enjoys a certain -recognition. He had a voice which the angels might have envied -him--a clear and sweet tenor which rang through the depths of the -listener’s soul. Hearing that voice, it was impossible not to stay -and listen. The deputy sheriff, who once came to arrest Fiddle-John -for vagrancy, when Fiddle-John began to sing, sat and cried. It -came over him so “sorter queer,” he said. The parson, who had made -up his mind to give Fiddle-John a thundering reproof for neglect of -his family, the first time he should catch him, quite forgot his -sinister purpose when, one day, he saw the ballad-singer seated -under a large tree, with a dozen children climbing over him, and, -with rollicking laughter, tumbling and rolling about him. And when -Fiddle-John, having quieted his audience, took two little girls on -his lap, while the boys scrambled and fought for the places nearest -to him, the parson could not for the life of him recall the harsh -things he had meant to say to Fiddle-John. The fact was--though, of -course, it is scarcely fair to tell--the ballad which Fiddle-John -sang to the children reminded the parson of the time (now long ago) -when he was paying court to Mrs. Parson, and sometimes, on slight -provocation, dropped into poetry. - - “Thy cheeks are like the red, red rose, - Thy hands are like the lily.” - -These were the very extraordinary sentiments which the parson had, -at that remote period, professed toward Mrs. Parson, and these were -the very words which Fiddle-John was now singing. No wonder the -parson forgot that he had come to scold Fiddle-John. “I suppose -that such good-for-nothings may be good for something, after all,” -he said to his wife as he related the incident at the dinner-table. - -Fiddle-John and his family lived in a little cottage close up -under the mountain-side, where the sun did not reach until late in -the afternoon. In the winter they were sometimes snowed down so -completely that they had to work until noon before they could get -a glimpse of the sky. The two boys, Alf and Truls, would go early -in the morning with their snow-shovels and dig a tunnel to the -cow-stable, where a lonely cow, a pig, and three sheep were penned -up. Their father would then sit at the window, holding a lantern, -the light of which vaguely penetrated the darkness and showed -them in what direction they were digging; but, after awhile, this -monotonous occupation wearied him, and he would take his fiddle and -play the most mournful tunes he could think of. It never occurred -to him to lend a helping hand; and it never occurred to the boys to -ask him. - -They accepted their fate without much reasoning; it seemed part of -the right order of things that they and their mother should work, -while their father played and sang. Ingeborg, their mother, had -nursed a kind of tender reverence for him in their hearts, since -they were babes. He seemed scarcely part of the coarse and common -work-a-day world to which they belonged; with his gentle, handsome -face, and his clear blue eyes, he seemed like some superior being -who conferred a favor upon them by merely consenting to grant them -his company. His songs travelled from one end of the valley to -the other, and everybody learned them by heart and sang them at -weddings, dances, and funerals. Even though the parishioners might -themselves find fault with Fiddle-John, and call him quaint and -queer, they stood up for him bravely if a stranger ventured to -attack him. - -They knew there was not another such singer in the whole land, -and it was even said that people had come from foreign lands and -had made him enormous offers if he would go with them and sing -at concerts in the great foreign cities. Thousands of dollars he -might have earned if he had gone, but Fiddle-John knew better -than to abandon the valley of his birth, where he had been -known since his babyhood, and trust himself to the faithless -foreign world. Thousands of dollars! Only think of it! The very -thought made Fiddle-John dizzy; ten or twenty dollars would have -presented something definite to his imagination, which he would -have comprehended, but thousands of dollars was a blank enormity -which diffused itself like mist through his dazed brain. And yet -Fiddle-John could never stop thinking of the thousands of dollars -which he might have earned, if he had gone with the foreigner. If -the truth must be told, he himself would have liked well enough to -go; and it was only the persuasions of Ingeborg, his wife, which -had restrained him. “What could you do in the great foreign world, -John,” she had said to him; “you, with your want of book-learning -and your simple peasant ways? They would laugh at you, John, dear, -and that would make me cry, and we should both be miserable. And -all the little children here in the valley, what would they do -without you, and who would sing to them and tell them stories when -you were gone?” - -The last argument was what decided Fiddle-John, He did not believe -that people would laugh at him in the great foreign world, but he -did believe that the children would miss him when he was gone, -and he could not bear to think of someone else sitting under the -great maple-tree at the roadside and telling them stories. For all -that, he regretted many a time that he had been soft-hearted, and -had allowed the gate of glory to be slammed in his face, as he -expressed it. He had never suspected it before; but now the thought -began to grow upon him, that he was a great man, who might have -gained honor and renown if his wife had not deprived him of the -opportunity. - -Every day the valley seemed to be growing darker and narrower; the -sight of the mountains became oppressive; it was as if they weighed -upon Fiddle-John’s breast and impeded his breath. With feverish -restlessness he roamed about from farm to farm and played, until -every string on his fiddle seemed on the point of snapping. - -“I am a great man,” he reflected indignantly, “and might have -earned thousands of dollars. And yet here I go and fiddle for -half-drunken boors at twenty-five cents a night.” - -And to drown the voices that rose clamorously out of the depths of -his soul, he strummed the strings wildly; and the peasants whirled -madly around him, shouted, and kicked the rafters in the ceiling. -The gentleness and the mild radiance which had made the children -love him passed out of his countenance; his eyes grew restless, his -motions aimless and unsteady. Sometimes he flung back his head -defiantly and mumbled threats between his teeth; at other times he -shuffled along dejectedly, or lay under a tree, dreaming of the -great world which had forever been closed to him. - -“If I had only dared!” he whispered to himself; “oh, if I had only -dared!” - -At that moment someone stepped up to him and shook him by the -shoulder. “Hallo, old chap,” said the man, “you are just the fellow -I want! You are the party they call Fiddle-John?” - -There was something brisk and aggressive about the stranger which -almost frightened Fiddle-John. It was easy to see that he came -from afar; for he had smartly-cut city-clothes, a tall shiny hat, -and a huge watch-chain from which half a dozen seals and trinkets -depended. Fiddle-John had never seen anything so magnificent; he -was completely dazzled. He sat half-raised upon his elbow and -stared at the stranger in mute wonder. “Well, Fiddle-John,” the -latter went on glibly; “you don’t seem very cordial to an old -friend. Or perhaps you don’t know me. Reckon I’ve changed some -since you used to tell me stories about the Ashiepattle and the -ogre who stowed his heart away for safe keeping inside of a duck -in a goose-pond, some thousands of miles off. I have often thought -of that story since. Fact is, that is just the kind of arrangement -I am after. I’ve too much heart, Fiddle-John, too much heart. My -heart is always getting me into trouble, and if I could make an -arrangement to leave it behind here in Norway, while I myself -return to America, I should like it first rate. You don’t happen -to know of any party who would be willing to keep it for me during -my absence, hey, Fiddle-John?” - -The man here laughed uproariously and slapped Fiddle-John on the -shoulder. - -“You are the same rum old customer you used to be, Fiddle-John,” he -said in a tone of cordial good-fellowship; “but you don’t seem as -talkative as you used to be--don’t even tell me you are glad to see -me. Now, that’s what I call hard, Fiddle-John. Don’t even know the -name of your little friend James Forrest--or--beg your pardon--Jens -Skoug, I mean to say, who used to climb on your back and listened -in rapture to your wonderful voice and your marvellous fairy tales.” - -A gleam of intelligence flitted across Fiddle-John’s features, as -he heard the name Jens Skoug, and he arose with bashful hesitancy -and extended his hand to the talkative stranger. He remembered well -that Jens’ family had emigrated, some ten years ago, to the United -States, and he remembered also vividly the uncouth little creature -in skin-patched trousers and ragged jacket who had embarked, at -that time, in the great steamer that came to take the emigrants off -to Bergen. And now this little creature was a tall, dazzling man -with a silk hat and showy jewellery, and an address which a prince -might have envied. Thus reasoned Fiddle-John in his simplicity. -Such a marvellous transformation he had never in all his life -witnessed. The name James Forrest which Jens had dropped by a -deliberate accident also impressed him strangely. It seemed to add -greatly to Jens’ magnificence. A man who could afford to have such -a foreign-sounding name must indeed be a person of enterprise and -prominence. It surrounded Jens with a delightful foreign flavor -which captivated his friend even more than his brilliant talk. -“Jens,” he said, making an effort to conquer his diffidence, “you -have grown to be a great man, indeed. How could you expect me to -recognize you?” - -“A great man!” exclaimed Jens, expanding agreeably under his -friend’s sincere flattery; “no, Fiddle-John, I am not a great -man--that is, not yet, Fiddle-John. But I mean to become a great -man before I die. In America, where I live, every man can become -great if he only chooses to. But I thought, being young yet, -that I could afford to spend a couple of months in opening to my -countrymen the same road to fortune which is open to myself, before -I settled down to tackle life in earnest. Fact is, Fiddle-John, as -I said before, I have too much heart. My conscience would leave me -no peace, whenever I thought of my poor countrymen who were toiling -here at home for twenty-five or forty cents a day, and scarcely -could keep body and soul together, while I could earn five and ten -dollars a day as readily as I could blow my nose. I positively -cried, Fiddle-John, cried like a girl, when I thought of you and -your small chaps and of all the other poor fellows here in the -valley who had such a hard time of it, tearing off their caps and -bowing and scraping before the parson and the judge and all the big -guns, while in America we step up to the President himself, wring -his hand and say, ‘How are you, old chap? I’ll drop in and take -pot-luck with you to-morrow, if you don’t happen to have company.’ -And he, likely as not, will say to me, ‘Right welcome shall you be, -Jim; bring a couple of good fellows along with you. We don’t stand -on ceremony around the White House. Perhaps I may be able to hunt -up a consulship or a foreign mission for you, if you should happen -to be out of office and pressed for cash.’ Now, that’s what I call -good manners, Fiddle-John, and the chances are ten to one that, if -you call upon him with a note from me, he may set you up in a right -fat office, where you may cock your head at parsons and judges and -feel yourself as big as the very biggest.” - -Fiddle-John listened with eager ears and open mouth to this -alluring narrative. It did not occur to him to question the truth -of what Jens said, for did not his appearance and his independent -and dazzling demeanor plainly show that he was a great and -prosperous man? And, moreover, how could he have undergone such a -startling transformation in a few years, if it had not been true, -as he said, that the President of the United States or some other -mighty personage took an interest in him. Fiddle-John had often -heard it said that in America all things were possible; and he -had himself read letters from persons who here at home had been -poor tenants or even day laborers, and who over there had become -colonels, and merchants, and legislators. Therefore, he was not -in the least surprised at the good luck which had overtaken his -former friend. He was only surprised that the thought of going to -America had never occurred to him before, and he made up his mind -on the spot to sell his cow, his pig, and his three sheep, and take -the first ship for New York. He could scarcely stop to bid Jens -Skoug good-by, so eager was he to rush home and communicate his -resolution to his wife and children. He foresaw that he would meet -with opposition from Ingeborg; but he steeled his heart against all -her entreaties and vowed to himself that this time he would have -his own way. Was it not enough that she had once nearly ruined his -life? Should he permit her again to snatch the chance of greatness -away from him? - -He was flushed and breathless when he reached his little cottage up -under the mountain-wall. It had never looked so mean and miserable -to him as it did at this moment. The walls were propped up on the -north and west sides with long beams, and dry, brownish grass from -last year grew in tufts along the roof-tree and drooped down over -the eaves. His two sons, Alf and Truls, were playing bear with -their little sister Karen, who was seven years old. But they rose -hurriedly when they saw their father, and brushed the sand from the -knees of their trousers. There was something in his bearing and in -the expression of his face which vaguely alarmed them. He stooped -no more in walking, but strode along proudly with uplifted head. - -“Boys,” he cried, joyously, “run in and tell your mother, to-morrow -we are going to America!” Ingeborg, who was just coming across the -yard with a new-born lamb in her arms, paused in consternation, and -gazed with a frightened expression at her husband. - -“What has happened to you, John?” she asked, gently. “I thought -that matter about the foreigner was settled long ago.” - -“I tell you, no!” he shouted, wildly; “it is not settled. It never -will be settled as long as there is breath left in my body. This -time I mean to have my own way. Jens Skoug has come back from -America, and he says that America is the place for me. I knew it -all along, and whether you will follow me or not, I am going.” - -“Follow you, John? Yes, if go you must, then I will follow you. -But to America I will not go willingly, unless I know what we are -to do there, and how we are to make our living. It is a long, long -distance, John, across the great ocean; they speak a language there -which neither you nor I understand.” - -Fiddle-John turned impatiently on his heel, as if to say that he -knew all that twaddle from of old; but Ingeborg, giving the lamb to -Alf, went up to him, laid her hand on his arm, and said: - -“You and I have lived together for so many years, John, and we love -each other too well ever to be happy away from each other. Don’t -let us speak harsh words. They rankle in the bosom and cause pain, -long after they are spoken. If you must go to America, I will go -with you. But I have a feeling that I shall never get there alive. -I beg of you, don’t decide rashly and don’t believe all that Jens -Skoug tells you. He was not a truthful child, and I doubt if he has -grown up to be a good man. Let us say no more about it to-night. We -will sleep on it, and see how it will look to us to-morrow.” - -Fiddle-John was not a bad fellow; on the contrary, he was quite -soft-hearted and easily moved. This wife of his had toiled in -poverty and ill-health all her life long, and he had never offered -to lift a finger to help her. Yet she loved him, accepting her lot -meekly, and never uttering a word of reproach against him. He had -never observed before how thin and worn she looked, how hollow her -cheeks were, and how large her eyes. He felt for the first time -in his life a pang of remorse. He had not been a good husband, he -thought; not as good as he might have been. But then he was a great -man, and great men were never the best of husbands. And when he -reached America, and his greatness became generally recognized, -and fortune began to smile upon him, then he would shower kindness -upon her, and she would be rewarded a thousand-fold for all she had -suffered. Surely, he would turn over a new leaf--in America. - -Thus Fiddle-John consoled himself, when his conscience grew uneasy. -When only they got to America, he reasoned, then everything would -be right. He would have started without delay if Ingeborg’s health -had not failed so rapidly that the doctor positively forbade her to -think of travelling. The look of suffering and sweet forbearance -upon her face seemed a perpetual reproach to Fiddle-John, and he -roamed restlessly from one end of the valley to the other, playing, -singing, and telling his stories, in order to earn money for the -voyage, he said to his sons; but, in reality, to escape from the -unspoken reproach of his wife’s countenance. But the day soon came -when he needed no longer to flee from her presence. One bright -spring day, just as the snow was melting, and the bare spots on the -meadows steamed in the sun, Ingeborg closed her weary eyes forever; -and a few days later she was laid to rest in the shadow of the old -church down on the headland, where the song-thrush warbles through -the brief Arctic summer night. - - -II. - -Down in the valley the Easter bells were chiming; the bell-strokes -trembled through the clear, sun-steeped air. There was commotion in -the valley, too, in spite of the fact that it was Easter Sunday. -Out in the middle of the fiord lay a huge black steamer, which -panted and shrieked, as if it were in distress, and sent volumes of -gray smoke out of its chimneys. Around about little black fragments -of coal-dust were drizzling through the air and swimming on the -water; and the gulls which kept whirling about the smoke-stacks -were quite shocked when they caught the reflections of themselves -in the tide; with wild screams they plunged into the fiord. They -probably mistook themselves for crows. - -The pier, which broke the line of the beach at the point of the -headland, was thronged with men, women, and children. The men were -talking earnestly together; most of the women were weeping, and the -children were gazing impatiently toward the steamboat and tugging -at their mother’s skirts. Some twenty or thirty boats, heavily -laden with chests and boxes, lay at the end of the pier; and one -after another, as it was filled with people, put off and was rowed -out to the steamer. Only the old folk remained behind; with heavy -hearts and tottering steps they walked up the sloping beach and -stood at the roadside, straining their eyes to catch a last glimpse -of the son or daughter, whom they were never to see again. Some -flung themselves down in the sand and sobbed aloud; others stooped -over the weeping ones and tried to console them. - -At last there was but one little group left on the pier; and that -was composed of Fiddle-John and his three children. Jens Skoug, -the emigration agent, was standing in a boat, shouting to them -to hurry, and the boys were scrambling down the slippery stairs -leading to the water, while the father followed more deliberately, -carrying the little girl in his arms. - -There was a Babel of voices on board; and poor Fiddle-John and -his sons, who had never heard such noise in their lives before, -stood dazed and bewildered, and had scarcely presence of mind -to get out of the way of the iron chains and pulleys which were -hoisting on board enormous boxes of merchandise, horses, cattle, -pigs, and a variety of other commodities. It was not until they -found themselves stowed away in a dark corner of the steerage, -upon a couple of shelves, by courtesy styled berths, which had -been assigned to them, that they were able to realize where they -were, and that they were about to leave the land of their fathers -and plunge blindly into a wild and foreign world which they had -scarcely in fancy explored. - -The first day on board passed without any incident. The next day, -they reached Hamburg, and were transferred to a much larger and -more comfortable steamer, named the Ruckert, and before evening -the low land of North Germany traced itself only as a misty line -on the distant horizon. Night and day followed in their monotony; -Russian Mennonites, Altenburg peasants, and all sorts of queer and -outlandish-looking people passed in kaleidoscopic review before -the eyes of the astonished Norsemen. It was the third day at sea, -I think, when they had got somewhat accustomed to their novel -surroundings, that a little incident occurred which was fraught -with serious consequences to Fiddle-John’s family. - -The gong had just sounded for dinner, and the emigrants were -hurrying down-stairs with tin cups and bowls in their hands. The -children were themselves hungry, and needed no persuasion to follow -the general example. They unpacked their big tin cups, which -looked like wash-basins, and took their seats at an interminably -long table, while the stewards went around with buckets full of -steaming soup, which they poured into each emigrant’s basin, as it -was extended to them, by means of great iron dippers. Many of the -Russians were either so hungry or so ill-mannered that they could -not wait until their turn came, but rushed forward, clamoring for -soup in hoarse, guttural tones; and one of the stewards, after -having shouted to them in German to take their places at the -tables, finally, by way of argument, gave one of them a blow on the -head with his iron dipper. Then there arose a great commotion, and -everybody supposed that the angry Mennonites would have attacked -the offending steward. But instead of that, the crowd scattered and -quietly took their places, as they had been commanded. They were an -odd lot, those Mennonites, thought the Norse boys, who did not know -that their religion forbade them to fight, and compelled them to -pocket injuries without resentment. - -Next to Alf, on the same bench, sat a swarthy boy, fourteen or -fifteen years old, with yellow cheeks and large black eyes. He -had a thin iron chain about his wrist and seemed every now and -then to direct his attention to something under the table. Alf -concluded that, in all probability, he had his bundle of clothes -or his trunk hidden under his feet. But he was not long permitted -to remain in this error. Just as the steward approached them and -extended the long-handled dipper, filled with soup, a fierce growl -was heard under the bench, and a half-grown black bear-cub rushed -out and made a plunge for his legs. The frightened steward made -a leap, which had the effect of upsetting the soup-pail over his -assailant’s head. - -A wild roar of pain followed, and everybody jumped on tables and -benches to see the sport; while the Savoyard boy who owned the bear -darted forward, his eyes flashing with anger, and hurled a flood of -unintelligible imprecations at the knight of the soup-pail. There -was a sudden change of tone, as he stooped down over his scalded -and dripping pet, and, showering endearing names upon it, hugged it -to his bosom. - -The emigrants jeered and shouted, the waiters swore, and the -purser, who had been summoned to restore order, elbowed his way -ruthlessly through the crowd until he reached the author of the -tumult. - -“How do you dare, you insolent beggar, to bring a bear into the -steerage?” he cried, seizing the boy by the collar, and shaking -him. “Who permitted you to bring such a dangerous beast----” - -His harangue was here suddenly interrupted by the bear, which -calmly rose on its hind legs and, showing its teeth in an -unpleasant manner, prepared to resent such disrespectful language. -The purser took to his heels, while the steerage rang with jeers -and laughter, and the Savoyard had all he could do to prevent -his friend from pursuing him. The Norse boys, whose sympathy was -entirely with the bear and his master, quite forgot their hunger in -their excitement over the stirring incident; and when the Savoyard, -feeling that the steerage was scarcely a safe place for him after -what had occurred, mounted the stairs, dragging his bear after him, -they could not resist the temptation to follow him at a respectful -distance. But when they saw him crouching down behind the big -smokestack and gazing timidly about him while he wiped the bear’s -head and face with his sleeve, they could not conquer the impulse -to make the acquaintance of so distinguished and interesting a -personage. They accordingly sidled up slowly, holding their sister -between them, and were soon face to face with the Savoyard. - -“What is your name?” asked Truls with a boldness which raised him -immensely in his brother’s esteem. - -The Savoyard shook his head. - -“What do people call you when they speak to you?” Truls repeated, -raising his voice and drawing a step nearer. - -“_Non capisco. Je ne sais pas_,” answered the boy in Italian and -French, giving them the choice of the only two languages he knew. - -“Capisco,” Truls went on confidently in his Norse dialect; “that is -a very funny name. I am afraid you don’t understand me. It wasn’t -the bear’s name I asked for; it was your own.” - -The Savoyard shrugged his shoulders expressively, then poured out a -torrent of speech which bewildered his Norse friends exceedingly. -If the bear had opened its mouth and addressed them in the ursine -language, it would not have succeeded in being more unintelligible. - -“You are a very funny chap,” Truls remarked with a discouraged air. -“Why don’t you talk like a Christian?” - -He was determined to make no more advances to so irrational a -creature, and was about to lead the way back to the dinner-table, -when the arrival of the purser and the third officer of the ship -again arrested his attention. The purser had evidently been hunting -for the Savoyard; for, as he caught sight of him, he made an -exclamation in German and called out to the third officer: - -“There is the vagabond! Make him understand, please, that his bear -must be shot and that he must get out of the way. He has taken -out no ticket for his beast and we don’t take that kind of freight -gratis!” - -The third officer, who spoke French fluently, explained the purport -of the purser’s remarks to the Savoyard, but in a gentle and kindly -manner which almost deprived them of their cruel meaning. The boy, -however, made no motion to stir, but remained calmly sitting, with -his arm thrown over the bear’s neck and one hand playing with his -paws. - -The officer, seeing that his words had no effect, repeated his -remark with greater emphasis. A startled look in the boy’s eyes -gave evidence that he was beginning to comprehend. But yet he -remained immovable. - -“Get out of the way, I tell you!” cried the purser, drawing a -revolver from his hip-pocket and pointing it at the bear’s head. -“I have orders to kill this beast, and I mean to do it now. Quick, -now, I don’t want to hurt you!” - -The boy gazed for a moment with a fascinated stare at the muzzle -of the terrible weapon, then sprang up and flung himself over the -bear, covering it with his own body. The animal, not understanding -what all this ado was about, took it to mean a romp, and began to -lick his master’s face and to claw him with his limp paws. - -“Well, I have given you fair warning!” the purser went on, -excitedly, as he vainly tried to find an exposed vital spot on the -bear at which he could fire. “If you don’t look out, you will have -to take the consequences.” A large crowd had now gathered about -them, and a loud grumble of displeasure made itself heard round -about. The purser began to perceive that the sentiment was against -him, and that it would scarcely be safe for him to execute his -threat. Yet he found it inconsistent with his dignity to retire -from the contest, and he was just pausing to deliberate when, all -of a sudden, a small fist struck his wrist and the pistol flew -out of his hand and dropped over the gunwale into the sea. A loud -cheer broke from the crowd. The purser stood utterly discomfited, -scarcely knowing whether he should be angry with his small -assailant or laugh at him. He would, perhaps, have done the latter -if the cheering of the people and their hostile attitude toward him -had not roused his temper. - -“Bravo, Tom Thumb!” they cried. “At him again! don’t be afraid of -the brute because he has got brass buttons on his coat.” - -“Good for you, Ashiepattle!” the Norwegians shouted; “go it again! -We’ll stand by you!” - -It was Truls, Fiddle-John’s son, who had thus suddenly become the -hero of the hour; he had acted in the hot indignation of the moment -and was now abashed and bewildered at the sensation he was making. -He looked anxiously about for his brother and sister, and as soon -as he caught sight of them, was about to make his escape when the -purser seized him by the collar and bade him remain. - -“You are a nice one, to be attacking your betters, who have never -given you any provocation,” he said in German, which Truls, -fortunately, did not understand. “I am going to take you to the -captain, and he will have you punished for assault.” - -He made a motion to drag the struggling boy away, but the crowd -closed about him on all sides, and pressed in upon him with angry -shouts and gestures. The third officer, who had so far taken no -part in the proceedings, now stepped up to the purser and begged -him to release the boy. - -“Of course,” he said, “you are in the right; but if I were you, I -would waive my right this time. It’s hardly worth while making a -row about so small a matter; and it is always bad policy to go to -the captain with squabbles and grievances, especially when they -might so easily have been avoided. I assure you, you will only -injure yourself by doing it.” - -They talked for a minute together, while the ever-increasing throng -surged hither and thither about them. Whether purposely or not, -the irate purser, in the zeal of his argument, released his hold -on Truls’ collar, and the liberated boy dodged away, as quickly as -possible, and was soon lost in the crowd. The Savoyard and his bear -had long before seized the opportunity to withdraw from the public -gaze. - - -III. - -The life on shipboard did not agree with Fiddle-John. Like a -spoiled child, he was restless and unhappy when he was unnoticed. -All day long he sat on the top of a coil of rope in the forecastle -of the ship and sang. The forecastle was often deserted, and there -were probably not many among the emigrants who would have been -capable of judging whether his voice was in any way extraordinary. -And yet, one there was who found an untold amount of comfort in -listening to that clear, sweet tenor of Fiddle-John’s, and that -one was the Savoyard boy. It had been his constant effort, since -his encounter with the purser, to make himself as inconspicuous as -possible, and it would have gratified him much if he had possessed -some means of making the bear invisible. As the forecastle was the -least visited portion of the ship, he had chosen to hide himself -there behind the anchor-cable. - -He trembled whenever anyone approached, and threw the end of the -tarpaulin which covered the deck-freight over his friend, the -bear. The only people whose company did not incommode him were -Fiddle-John and his children, for whom he testified his devotion by -smiles and gestures and all sorts of endearing Italian diminutives, -which, on account of his caressing tones, even a dumb brute could -not have failed to appreciate. After a long and exciting pantomime, -Truls ascertained that his name was Annibale Petrucchio and that -his bear gloried in the name of Garibaldi. - -Both boys felt that they had made great progress in each other’s -friendship when these facts had been established, and another hour -of dumb show, intersprinkled with exclamations, resulted in a still -more astonishing revelation, which was that Annibale and his friend -slept every night on deck, because they feared to arouse once -more the purser’s displeasure by invading the steerage. Sometimes -Annibale curled himself up with Garibaldi within the coil of the -anchor-cable--he jumped up, dragging the bear after him, to show -the attitude in which they slept--but when it rained, or when the -sea was high enough to sprinkle the deck, they both crept under -the deck-freight tarpaulin, where they had made themselves a -little house between two trunks which they had pushed apart. The -only trouble was that the April nights were very cold--Annibale -shivered all over to show how cold he was--and anchor-cables and -deck-freight were not particularly soft to sleep upon. - -As Alf and Truls became duly impressed with the unpleasantness of -the Savoyard’s situation, they took counsel in order to ascertain -how they might relieve his distress. But all the plans that were -suggested were found to be risky, and night came before they -arrived at a decision. The weather had been raw and blustery all -the afternoon, and the officer on the bridge had been looking -every minute uneasily at the falling barometer. After sunset the -gale increased in violence and the ship pitched and rolled in the -heavy sea. In the steerage there was a terrible commotion; women -prayed and screamed and moaned, children of all ages joined in the -chorus, the lamps swung forward and backward in their brass frames, -and bottles, glasses, and loose crockery made a terrible racket, -sliding to starboard and back again to port with every motion -of the ship. The wind howled in the rigging, and every now and -then a big wave swept across the deck and poured out through the -scupper-holes. - -Alf and Truls, who had been lying awake for hours listening to the -hollow boom of the waves and the shrieking of the wind, conversed -in a whisper about the poor Savoyard, who had to be on deck in -that terrible weather, and they finally summoned courage to creep -toward the ladder and slowly to mount it, tightly clutching each -other’s hands. It was a risky undertaking, and their hearts stuck -in their throats as they clung to the door-knob, hesitating whether -they should open the door. Without knowing, however, they must -have given the knob a twist; for suddenly the door swung open with -a tremendous bang, and Truls was flung across the deck against -the bulwarks with such force that for an instant he scarcely knew -whether he had lighted on his head or his feet. - -He picked himself up, however, without any serious damage, and as -there was a momentary lull in the storm, he half rolled, half crept -up toward the prow, where a couple of lanterns were swinging in the -fore-royal stays. Nevertheless it was so dark that he could not -discern an object ahead of him, and only groped his way along the -bulwarks, until he stumbled upon a demoralized mass of rope which -he knew to be the anchor-cable. - -“Annibale!” he shouted at the top of his voice, “are you here?” -But before he had time to receive a reply the ship plunged into a -monstrous wave, which rose in a storm of spray and drenched the -whole forecastle up to the mainmast. Truls, in his effort to keep -his footing, tumbled forward and grabbed hold of something wet and -hairy, which slid along with him for a couple of yards, and then -was hauled back by some unseen force. The boy crawled along in the -same direction and shouted once more, “Annibale! where are you?” -And a voice close to his ear answered: - -“_Ah, Monsieur Truls, Garibaldi et moi, nous sommes à demi -morts._”[11] - -“Now, don’t jabber at me, Annibale,” Truls observed, making his -voice heard above the wind; “but if you will come along with me, -Alf and I will give you half of our berth; and Garibaldi can sleep -at our feet.” - -Whether Annibale understood the words or not, he could not fail to -comprehend the friendly gestures which accompanied them. He eagerly -seized Truls’ hand and they plunged bravely forward, but slipped on -the wet deck, and the bear and the boys slid with great speed in -the direction of the descent to the steerage. They were drenched to -the skin and considerably bruised when, after several unsuccessful -efforts, they seized the door-knob. Alf, as it turned out, -feeling too ill to keep watch, had already preceded them to bed. -Garibaldi, who seemed keenly conscious of his disgrace since the -day he molested the purser, slunk along as meekly as possible, and -only now and then shook his wet skin and coughed in a dispirited -fashion. He was not as grateful, moreover, as might have been -expected, when he was assigned his place on the straw at the foot -of the berth, but gradually pushed himself upward until his nose -nearly touched that of his master; whereupon he curled himself up -comfortably and went to sleep. It was a very pretty sight to see -the blond Norse boys and the swarthy Savoyard peacefully reposing -on the same pillow, with the shaggy head of the bear between them, -and the Savoyard half unconsciously clutching his pet in his -embrace. - -Toward morning the storm began to abate, and the dim light peeped -in through the port-holes. The steerage was comparatively quiet. -Fiddle-John arose and went on deck; a strange oppression had come -over him. The dim, gray light, the all-enveloping dampness, and the -incessant throbbing and clanking of the machinery wrought upon his -sensitive soul, until he seemed in danger of going mad. The world -seemed so vast and so empty! The waves heaved and wrestled in their -gray monotony, until it made him dizzy to look at them. Merely to -rid himself of this terrible oppression, Fiddle-John lifted up -his voice and sang wildly against the wind; his beautiful tenor -seemed to cut through the fog like a bright sword and to flash -and ring under the sky. His soul expanded with his voice; the sun -broke forth from the clouds, and he felt once more free and happy. -He scarcely knew how long he sang; but when by chance he turned -about, he saw to his surprise that a crowd of well-dressed cabin -passengers had gathered about him. His three children stood holding -one another’s hands, looking in astonishment at the fine ladies -shivering in fur-trimmed cloaks, and wondered why their father was -attracting so much attention. - -“Charming!” “Wonderful!” “Magnificent!” exclaimed the fine people, -when Fiddle-John had stopped singing; and a portly American -gentleman, with gray side-whiskers, who seemed more enthusiastic -than the rest, gave him a slap on his shoulder, and said that if -he himself were ten years younger, he would undertake to make a -fortune out of Fiddle-John, which, of course, was a very generous -offer on his part. Jens Skoug, the emigration agent, translated -the remark; and as the American seemed to have more to say to -Fiddle-John, offered his services as interpreter. - -“What is your trade?” asked the gentleman. - -“I sing and play,” said Fiddle-John. - -“But I mean, how do you make your living?” repeated his questioner. - -“By singing and playing,” said Fiddle-John. - -“You won’t make much of a living by that in America; people won’t -understand you, unless you sing in English,” remarked the American. - -It had actually never before occurred to Fiddle-John that his songs -would be unintelligible in America. He had supposed that music -appealed equally to all nations and needed no interpreter. The -remark of his new friend, therefore, was a positive shock to him, -and it took him fully a minute to recover from its effect. - -“I will sing to the President of America,” he said, in an injured -tone. “Jens Skoug, there, says that the President will make me a -great man when he hears my voice.” - -It did not suit Skoug’s convenience to translate this remark -correctly; and he observed instead, with a confidential air, that -Fiddle-John was a harmless monomaniac who had got it into his -head that he wanted to sing to the President. The American was -evidently amused at this, and said, with a laugh, that he feared -the President was not so great an authority in music as in affairs -of state. - -Fiddle-John was extremely puzzled and a little distressed at the -jocose manner of the American gentleman; it could scarcely be -possible that he was making fun of him. But American ways were -probably different from Norwegian ways, and he would therefore not -be hasty in taking offence. - -“I know a great many songs,” he said, with a determination to -appear amiable; “and what is more, I can make songs about anything -you choose.” - -“Aha, you are a sort of poet--an _improvisatore_, as the Italians -say. Now I begin to understand. Perhaps you can make a song about -me,” suggested the American. - -“Indeed I can!” cried the Norseman. - -“Well, let us have it!” urged the other. - -Fiddle-John never needed much urging to sing. He straightened -himself up, flung back his head and was about to begin, when his -son Truls, whose ears had been burning uncomfortably during the -whole interview, seized his father’s hand and entreated him not to -sing. - -“Don’t sing to that man, father,” he said. “He is making sport of -you. Please don’t! Both Alf and I are distressed to think that the -gentleman should dare to speak to you as he does. He thinks----” - -“Get out of the way, sonny! No one is talking to you,” interrupted -Jens Skoug, pushing Truls rudely aside; but the boy, fired with -sudden wrath, wheeled quickly around. - -“It is you who have brought all this misery upon us,” he cried, -excitedly. “I know you mean to desert us as soon as we get to New -York, and I only wish I were big enough to give you the thrashing -you deserve, now, on the spot.” - -“Why, little chickens can crow like big roosters!” Jens Skoug -exclaimed; “but if you don’t keep a civil tongue in your head,” he -added, with a menacing scowl, “I will make you dance a jig to a -very lively tune--the hazel tune; perhaps you may have heard of it.” - -This was more than Truls could stand; and with clinched fists, -a flushed face, and eyes blazing with anger, he rushed at the -exasperating emigration agent. But the American, who thought that -the fun had now gone far enough, seized the angry boy by the collar -and restrained him. “Hold on, my little fellow!” he said; “it is -time to stop for refreshments. You are a lively little customer for -your years. I don’t know exactly what you are mad about, but I can -assure you it isn’t worth fighting for. Now, simmer a little, and -then cool down.” - -During this scene, Fiddle-John had been standing irresolutely -shifting his weight from one foot to the other and gazing with a -bewildered air at Jens and Truls. He could not understand what had -happened to arouse the anger of his son, and his excited words had -scarcely furnished him with a clew to the mystery. - -“Why--why--why, don’t you want me to sing, Truls?” he stammered, -helplessly. “I am sure I sing as well as anybody, and need not be -ashamed to be heard.” - -“Oh, it isn’t that, father!” the son responded in a tone of -tender consideration, which appealed strongly to the American. -“You sing beautifully; but these people would not understand -you--and--and--wait till we are alone, father; I will tell you what -I mean.” - -It was the manner, rather than the words, of the boy which gave the -stranger an insight into the relations which existed between him -and his father; and what he saw, and still more what he inferred, -interested him greatly. There was a diffidence in Truls’ tone, and -at the same time an air of protectorship, which, in one of his -years, was quite touching. The American could not help admiring -his spirited behavior, and he only wished he could have told him -how far he was from wishing to humiliate either him or his father. -But he had lost confidence in Mr. Skoug as an interpreter, and he -saw no one else who, for the moment, could take that gentleman’s -place. He therefore put his hand caressingly on the boy’s head and, -trusting to his intuition rather than his knowledge of English, -said: - -“If you should ever happen to need a friend in the United States, -you must remember to come to me. My name is Alexander Tenney, and I -live in New York. Here is my card, with my address upon it.” - -He gave Fiddle-John and his son each a friendly nod and -sauntered away toward a group of ladies who were seated in their -steamer-chairs, conversing with the captain about the state of the -weather. - - -IV. - -It was a beautiful sunny morning in May that the steamer cast -anchor in the bay of New York. Fiddle-John and his children and -a thousand other poorly clad people from all parts of the world -were carried by little steam-tugs to a large building by the -water, where there was a babel of noise and confusion. Everybody -was shouting at the top of his voice; children were crying, women -hunting for their husbands, husbands hunting for their baggage; -policemen were pushing back the crowd of screaming hotel-runners -who were besieging the doors, and an official, standing on the top -of a barrel, was yelling instructions to the emigrants in half a -dozen different languages. - -Fiddle-John, to whom this spectacle was positively terrifying, -could do nothing but stare about him in a hopeless and dazed -manner, while he pressed his violin-case tightly in his arms and -allowed himself to be pushed hither and thither by the surging -motion of the crowd. He was finally pushed up to a gate, where an -official sat writing at a desk. - -“How old are you?” asked the official, or, rather, the interpreter, -who was standing at his elbow. - -“Thirty-five years,” said Fiddle-John; but a vague alarm took -possession of him at the question, and his heart began to beat -uneasily. - -“What is your occupation?” - -“Occupation? Well, I sing. I am a singer.” - -“A singing-teacher? Is that what you are?” - -“No, I don’t teach.” - -“What do you do, then, for a living? Perhaps you are a sort of -theatrical chap--a play-actor?” - -Fiddle-John looked greatly mystified; he had never heard of such a -thing as a theatre in all his life, and the word “actor” was not -found in his vocabulary. Nevertheless, he thought it best to keep -on good terms with the great official, and he therefore made one -more effort to explain the nature of his occupation. - -“If you will pardon my boldness,” he began, with a quaking voice, -“I may say that I am a kind of poet--a minstrel----” - -“Aha, that’s what you are!” roared the official, with a laugh, as -if he had at last found the solution of the problem; “you are a -negro-minstrel, an end-man, clog-dancer, and lively kind of a chap -generally.” - -Fiddle-John stood aghast; he was not a combative character, but the -recent scene with the American gentleman on shipboard had aroused -his suspicion, and the conclusion now suddenly flashed upon him -that the official was making fun of him. The blood mounted to his -head and his whole frame trembled. - -“How dare you mock me?” he cried, passionately; “how dare you call -me a negro? Don’t you see with your own eyes that I am as white as -you are?” - -“Keep a civil tongue in your head, now, or I’ll have you arrested -on the spot,” the other replied, coolly. “I can’t afford to waste -my time on you. So far as I can learn, you are a beggar who walks -about in the street, singing. Now, that kind of thing won’t go -down over here; and you had better not try it. How much money have -you?” - -“I haven’t any money.” - -“And what is your destination? Where do you intend to go?” - -“I am going to see the American President, and sing to him.” - -“Sing to the President! Well, I expected as much. Why, my good -friend, it seems you are a lunatic as well as a beggar. I shall -send you to the Island, and you will be returned by the next -steamer to Norway. It is only able-bodied, self-supporting -emigrants we receive here, not street-singers and crazy people!” - -The poor Norseman stood as if riveted to the spot. A sudden -faintness came over him, and he felt as if he were going to sink -into the ground. He made desperate attempts to speak, but his words -stuck in his throat and he could not utter a sound. A policeman -was summoned and he was unceremoniously hustled through the crowd -and forced to board a small steam-tug, where, with three other -forlorn and miserable-looking individuals, he was locked up in a -dirty and ill-smelling cabin. All this had been done so quickly -that he scarcely had time to realize what was happening to him. But -now the thought of his three children came over him with terrible -force, and a sickening sense of his helplessness took possession -of him. In one moment the blood throbbed in his face and temples, -and he burned with heat and indignation; in the next, the thought -of what was to become of his dear ones, alone and friendless as -they were, in a foreign land, suddenly drove the blood away from -his cheeks and he shivered with dread. He was in the midst of these -tormenting fancies, when the tug gave a couple of shrill whistles -and steamed through the harbor toward an island covered with gray, -dismal-looking stone buildings, the very sight of which filled -Fiddle-John’s breast with fear. - -The children, in the meanwhile, had an experience hardly less -discouraging. They had seen their father led away by a policeman, -and had shouted to him with all their might; but their voices had -been drowned in the general confusion, and in spite of all their -efforts they had not been able to make their way to him through the -dense throng. They searched for hours, but could find no trace of -him. Being afraid of the man at the desk, who had been so severe -with their father, they hit upon the plan of slipping through the -gate in the train of a German family which had so many children -that it seemed hopeless to count them. This scheme succeeded -admirably, and toward evening they found themselves in a broad -square planted with trees and budding shrubs. They still had some -hope of finding their father, thinking that perhaps his detention -would merely be temporary; and they sat upon the benches or roamed -along the Battery esplanade with a miserable feeling of loneliness -gnawing at their hearts. They were hungry, but they did not know -where to turn to obtain bread. The world seemed so vast and strange -and bewildering that it gave one a headache only to look at it. -To ears accustomed only to the murmur of the pines in the summer -night and the song of birds and the river’s monotonous roar, the -huge city, with its varied noises and its incessant, deafening -rattle of wheels over stone pavements, seemed overwhelming and -terrible. - -Only Truls, who had a spirit less sensitive and less easily daunted -than his brother and sister, could summon courage to think--to -devise a way, if possible, out of their perplexities. He carefully -investigated first his own pockets, then his brother’s, in the -hope of finding something that might be exchangeable for a loaf -of bread. But he could find nothing except a couple of buttons, -some curious snail-shells, and a folding knife, the blades of -which had been sharpened until there was scarcely anything left of -them. After a few minutes’ meditation, he resolved, although with -an aching heart, to part with his valuable treasures; and he took -Karen by one hand and Alf by the other, and led the way through -the Battery Park toward Greenwich Street, where he hoped to find a -baker’s shop. - -They had advanced but a short distance, however, when they caught -sight of their friend Annibale, who was sitting on a bench, -swinging his legs with an air of deep dejection. His eyes lighted -up a little when he recognized Truls; he jumped up and, pointing to -something resembling a large muff under the bench, exclaimed, in a -tearful voice: - -“Garibaldi is very sick. Garibaldi will die. He has been ill a long -time; he will not stand up any more. He hangs his head like this.” - -Annibale here demonstrated, with pathetic absurdity, the pitiful -manner in which the little bear hung his head. There could be no -doubt; it was a serious case. Truls was especially conscious of -this, after having stooped down and noted Garibaldi’s symptoms. His -eyes were much inflamed, his nose was hot, and he frothed slightly -at the corners of his mouth. Yes, it was plain that Garibaldi was -going to die. - -Alf and Truls nearly forgot their hunger and their distress at -the thought of this great calamity. By signs and gestures, they -persuaded Annibale to seek lodgings where his pet might receive -proper care and perhaps stand some chance of recovering. This -seemed sound advice, and Annibale was not slow in following it, -when once he understood it. But it was a very sad march; for -Garibaldi refused to move, and the three boys had to carry him as -best they could. - -A lodging-house was finally found where supper and bed could be -procured for twenty cents; and though neither was particularly -inviting, the boys were too hungry and tired to be fastidious. The -Savoyard fortunately had a little money, which he was very willing -to share with his Norse friends, as soon as he had gained an -inkling of the day’s adventures. Moreover, he had relatives in the -city, and knew the addresses of many Italian friends. He therefore -had no fear of suffering want, and, as he asserted in his own -jargon, could well afford to be generous. - -The boys and the bear slept in a little square box of a room in -which there were two beds, while a kind-hearted servant carried -weary little Karen to her own apartment. Truls, out of gratitude -to Annibale, offered to watch over the bear; but, unhappily, his -gratitude was not lively enough to keep him awake, though he -struggled bravely to keep his eyes open. Toward midnight his head -sank slowly down upon Garibaldi’s back, and when the daylight -peeped in through the dusty window-panes he was yet sleeping -peacefully. The sunbeams crept, inch by inch, across the floor, -until they lighted on Truls’ chin, then climbed up to his nose and -reached his eyes. Then he awoke with a pang, sprang up, and stared -confusedly about him. - -Suddenly his eyes fell upon Garibaldi, who lay immovable at the -foot of the bed; he stooped down and touched him. The poor bear -was stone cold! It had died quietly in the night. Truls, with -a dim notion that Garibaldi’s death was due to his own lack of -watchfulness, made haste to rouse his friend and explain to him, -with tears of grief and remorse, that he had, without meaning -to do it, used Garibaldi as a pillow, and that the poor animal -had probably died in consequence. Annibale, however, showed no -disposition to reproach Truls, but, leaping out of bed with a -frightened face, flung himself down over the bear, hugged him, and -wept over him, overwhelming him with caresses and endearing names. -But it was all in vain. Garibaldi was, and remained, dead. He had -caught a violent cold during the night of the storm at sea, from -which he had never recovered. - -Although it was yet early in the morning, all the city seemed to be -awake and to be surging and roaring outside of the windows like -a storm-beaten sea. Stage-coaches, carriages, and enormous drays -laden with bales and barrels and boxes, were pouring in steady -streams up and down the street; people of all sorts and conditions -were hurrying hither and thither; and out in the harbor, but a -stone’s throw distant, there was a forest of masts, and big and -little steam-boats rushed shrieking in all directions. It seemed -like tempting Providence to venture out into this wild turmoil, and -Truls implored Annibale not to risk it, when he perceived that the -latter was bent upon some such dangerous expedition. - -Annibale, however, had seen great cities before, and gave no heed -to his companion’s fear, but tore himself away, promising to return -before noon. With a painful fascination Truls stood watching him -from the window, following his lithe and dexterous motions as he -wound himself through the crowd and dodged the huge wheels and -wagon-poles, as they seemed on the point of knocking him down. When -at last the Savoyard vanished around a street-corner, and Truls -was about to relapse into his sad meditations, the kind-hearted -servant-girl caused a sensation by entering with Karen and a tray, -upon which were three pieces of bread and three cups of coffee. -Truls then awakened his brother, who had slept soundly through -the recent excitement, and the three had quite a pleasant meal, -considering their forlorn condition. - -They covered Garibaldi with a blanket. He had had a hard life of -it on board the steamer, and had suffered much. Now his career -was finished. At least, so Alf and Truls supposed, until a very -extraordinary thing happened. - -They had finished their breakfast some little time, when the door -opened and Annibale entered with a little, smoky, and shrivelled-up -Italian. He was Annibale’s uncle; his name was Giacomo Bianchi, and -by trade he was a tobacconist. When he talked he used his arms, -legs, eyes, and mouth, all with equal vigor. Fiddle-John’s children -stood and gazed at him in undisguised wonder; they had never in all -their lives seen anything so lively. - -“_Ecco!_” he cried, pointing excitedly first to the dead bear and -then to Truls; “the fit is perfect. He is of the same height, and -will do perfectly well. If he has ordinary intelligence, and not -too much of it, he can act the bear as well as if he were born -one. I will prepare the skin for you, and stuff it just enough to -fit his figure. Then you can make money like the sands of the sea. -I have a small hand-organ at home, and a tambourine which that -vagabond Gregorio left me for a debt. You give me half of what -you earn, and I will lend you all these things. You will become a -rich man before you die. The bigger boy can play the hand-organ, -the little girl can strike the tambourine, and you yourself lead -the bear and make him dance. Behold, my son, your fortune is made. -_Ecco_, I have spoken!” - -Giacomo’s dark eyes flashed with enthusiasm as he unfolded this -glorious scheme, and he flourished his stick so violently in the -direction of Karen that she grew frightened and began to cry. Her -brothers, too, viewed the excitable little man with suspicion, and -listened in no friendly spirit to his unintelligible talk. To their -guileless Norse minds his gestures seemed at first to indicate -insanity, but after awhile they concluded that, for some reason, he -was angry at their sister. Then they clinched their fists in their -pockets and made themselves ready to pounce upon him, the very -moment he ventured to touch her. - -His apparent wrath suddenly left him, however, and he came up to -shake hands with each of them, smiling, and nodding his shaggy -head with extreme affability. Still they could not quite conquer -their distrust of him, and it required a long and lively pantomime -to induce them to accompany him to his own dwelling. At last they -yielded, because they knew of nothing else to do. Garibaldi was put -into a bag, and Giacomo and the boys, taking each a corner, carried -him easily. First they went to Castle Garden to inquire for their -father, but there was no one there who knew anything about him. -Another steamer had just come in with over eleven hundred Polish -Jews, and the officials were too busy to give heed to the questions -of the strange-looking boys who talked a strange-sounding language. -All their attempts to get possession of the baggage were also -unavailing; and with heavy hearts they plodded along together with -the Italian and Garibaldi, winding their way through a labyrinth of -dirty streets, until they reached a little, ill-smelling bird-shop -in Canal Street. - -Here, too, there was a bedlam of noise, and the young Norsemen -remained standing in the middle of the floor, staring about -them in helpless bewilderment. Two great blue-and-yellow macaws -were shrieking overhead, an ancient and wise-looking cockatoo -was apparently scolding them for their undignified behavior, and -uncounted paroquets, pigeons, and canary-birds were chirping, -cooing, and screaming in a confused chorus which would have racked -the nerves of a mummy. The barking of a number of dogs, which -seemed to object to the limited area of their cages, added to the -uproar; and it was a great relief to the whole juvenile company -when Giacomo invited them up-stairs, where he had his own personal -domicile. - -The bird-store, according to Annibale’s assertion, was a source -of enormous revenue, but belonged to his other uncle, Matteo, -who was a citizen of much weight and influence in the Italian -colony. This great man, however, it was understood, had more -important matters to attend to, and left the business in charge of -his humbler brother, Giacomo. A vague impression of these facts -Annibale had managed to communicate to his friends, in spite of -the linguistic difficulties under which he labored; and the Norse -boys, who during the two weeks on the steamship had learned the -Italian names for many common things and ideas, were pleasantly -surprised at the readiness with which they comprehended the mixture -of signs, gestures, and words which constituted Annibale’s medium -of communication. - -Uncle Giacomo’s rooms proved much more agreeable than the -shop below. The noise of the birds penetrated the floor only -as a subdued confusion of sounds, and did not interfere with -conversation. On a little low table at the window there was a -multitude of small, sharp tools, and an array of bottles which -emitted strong but not unpleasant odors. Some of them had feathers -sticking through their stoppers, and others were labelled “Poison” -in big red letters. About the walls there were rows of shelves, -upon which stood bright-colored birds, perching upon twigs, as if -on the point of taking flight, owls with big yellow eyes and a -dignified sullenness of expression, hawks with wings outspread, -swooping down upon unseen, unsuspicious rabbits; and, besides, -there were little pet dogs and birds, whose skins had been -preserved by the taxidermist’s art for sorrowing owners. - -All these objects the boys and Karen found highly entertaining, and -Uncle Giacomo, who was bent upon making a good impression, allowed -them to take down and examine anything that struck their fancy. The -work of skinning poor Garibaldi also served to occupy their minds, -and thus the forenoon passed rapidly until it was time to sit -down to dinner. They did not sit down, however, for their dinner -consisted only of bread and milk, and that could be eaten just as -well standing. In the afternoon they were allowed to fetch up some -rabbits and guinea-pigs from the store, and when they had played -with them for a couple of hours, Uncle Giacomo brought them a green -parrot that could talk and scold in both English and Italian. -Neither Alf nor Truls nor Karen understood its talk; but, for all -that, it entertained them, and served for a time to keep their -minds from dwelling on their misfortunes. They scarcely knew what -was to become of them; the world seemed so vast and so pitiless, -and they themselves such a very small part of it. They thought with -flutterings of hope and fear of their father, and determined never -to abandon their search for him until they should find him. - -Their fate seemed strange and incomprehensible. But a few weeks ago -they were living happily in their quiet Norse home, in the little -cottage under the mountain-wall. Now they were flung out, helpless -and alone, into a huge whirlpool of foreign life; their mother, -whom they had loved more than anyone else in the whole world, was -dead, and their father was wandering about, no one knew where, -vainly seeking them, perhaps, and not knowing whither to turn. -Indeed, much can happen in two short weeks. If they had but known -what was to befall them before they left their happy home! Oh, if -they had but known! - - -V. - -Nearly a week passed before Garibaldi’s skin was properly padded -and prepared for the reception of its new occupant; but then it -fitted to perfection, and was as soft and flexible as an overcoat. -Truls put it on with perfect ease, and breathed as freely through -Garibaldi’s nose as if it had been his own. Fortunately the bear -had been of the shaggy, long-haired kind, and when the opening was -laced together with fine silk cords the joining was completely -hidden by the fur. The children had repeated rehearsals in Uncle -Giacomo’s room; and they all agreed that Truls made a very -respectable bear. He could walk on his hind-legs beautifully, he -could salute with his right fore-paw, and he could even nod with -his head in a very intelligent fashion. In fact, there was a danger -that he might be too intelligent. - -“Now, do remember,” Alf would cry out to him, “a bear cannot blow -his nose. He may be allowed to sneeze, and even to cough; but he -must not be too frisky and intelligent. And remember, that if you -laugh or make any sound whatever, the game is up and we are ruined. -Uncle Giacomo only keeps us to make money with us, but he is not -unkind, and as long as we don’t starve, we ought to be thankful. -It all depends upon you, whether we shall have a home or be thrown -into the streets.” - -It was with a great flutter of excitement that the Savoyard and his -Norse friends started out early one Monday morning in the middle -of May. Alf was carrying the hand-organ, Karen the tambourine, and -Annibale was leading the make-believe bear by the same iron chain -which had regulated the movements of Garibaldi. They were about -to open their first performance on the sidewalk at the corner of -Broadway and Canal Street, but two policemen were immediately on -hand and sternly commanded them to “trot.” Trot they accordingly -did; but the sidewalks were everywhere so crowded that they seemed -in danger of being knocked down, in case they should offer to -obstruct the hurrying stream of humanity. - -It was not until they reached the broad steps of the Sub-Treasury -in Wall Street that they summoned courage to make a second stop; -and Truls was by that time so tired of the unnatural four-footed -gait that he rose, without invitation, and began to promenade in a -very unbearlike fashion. Presently Alf’s hand-organ began to wail a -very sad air from “Il Trovatore,” and Karen struck the tambourine -with a vigor which threatened to ruin both her knuckles and the -drum-skin. A number of newsboys and bootblacks instantly scampered -up to witness this attractive entertainment, and half a dozen -brokers and bank-messengers also paused to view the antics of the -little bear. Annibale shouted and swung his whip, and the animal -saluted and danced slowly and clumsily (as he had been commanded), -and at the end of five minutes quite a shower of pennies dropped -into the Savoyard’s hat. The crowd increased; the newsboys screamed -with delight, and scrambled up the steps, pell-mell, whenever the -bear approached them. Truls began to enjoy the fun, and chuckled -to himself at the thought that he could chase a whole flock of big -boys who, if they had known what sort of a creature he was, would -in all likelihood have chased him. This reflection made him every -moment bolder, and he would have been in danger of overstepping his -part altogether if Alf had not screamed to him in Norwegian: - -“Now, take care, smarticat, don’t be too intelligent!” - -Nevertheless, just as he was resolving to heed this advice, a -little ragged bootblack, while trying to back away from him, fell, -turned a dexterous somersault, and came down on his feet on the -sidewalk at the foot of the stairs. The sight was so comical that -Truls lost control of himself and burst out laughing; but in the -same instant his brother and sister were at his side, and made -so terrific a noise with their respective instruments that his -laughter was completely drowned in the din. Someone, however, must -have noticed his mirth; for there was a shriek of merriment among -the boys, and one of them cried out: - -“Did you hear that? The bear is a-laughin’! He is a jolly old coon, -that bear is.” - -“No, he was only a-yawnin’!” shouted another boy. “He is a queer old -party, and he knows lots of tricks.” - -“Them b’ars is a mighty funny lot,” the first boy rejoined. “I once -seed one at the circus; he could ride bare-back and drink beer.” - -“I once knowed one as could smoke cigars and kiss his boss,” -shouted number two, determined not to be outdone. - -All these comments escaped the bear’s brother, but Annibale caught -a suspicion that something was wrong. He hastily gathered in the -second shower of pennies, and made a sign to his friends to stop -the entertainment. They made their way as quickly as they could -down to the water-front, and thence to the Battery Park, where -there was plenty of room for another exhibition. The newsboys -and bootblacks followed them for a couple of blocks, but seeing -that they had no intention of stopping, gradually dropped behind -and returned to their accustomed haunts. Alf and Truls heaved -a sigh of relief when the last of their importunate followers -had disappeared; and it was with a lighter heart that they took -their station under the trees of the park and commenced the same -programme which had been so successful in Wall Street. - -Their audience was here even larger than it had been at their -first performance, but it was not nearly so profitable; for the -foreign emigrants and corner-loafers who abound in this locality -had probably no money to spare, or they preferred to have their -entertainment gratis. Hardly half a dozen pennies dropped into -Annibale’s hat, in spite of his repeated invitations to contribute. -It was obvious that they had hit upon a bad locality, where art was -not properly appreciated. - -As Karen’s knuckles were by this time quite numb, it was agreed -that Annibale should take his turn at the hand-organ and give Alf -a chance to distinguish himself at the tambourine. They had just -completed this arrangement, and were strolling rather aimlessly -past Castle Garden toward the Coney Island Pier, when they saw -a dense crowd gathered at the entrance of the great immigration -depot. Curiosity prompted them to discover the cause of the -demonstration, and as everyone fell aside to make room for the -bear, they had no difficulty in reaching the open space in the -centre of the throng. - -What was their horror when they suddenly found themselves -confronted with a real bear--a huge black beast which was dancing -slowly upon his hind-legs, and every now and then, with an angry -yawn, showing an array of terrible teeth! They wished themselves -well out of sight again, and strove with all their might to avoid -attracting attention. But instead of that, they found themselves -pushed right into the middle of the ring. And the moment the huge -bear spied a comrade, down he dropped on all-fours and insisted -upon making his acquaintance. With a wild scream which was anything -but bearlike, Truls rose up and rushed toward his brother Alf, -flinging his paws about his neck. The keeper of the big bear gave -him a cut with his whip, but he still strained at his chain and -gave forth angry growls. The people fled in all directions, and Alf -grabbed his disguised brother in his arms and ran as fast as he -could carry him. The others followed; but before they had overtaken -him he was stopped by a policeman, who inquired whether he had a -license. The boy stared in abject terror at the officer of the law. - -“Pl-please, sir,” he stammered, imploringly, in his native tongue, -“don’t hurt my brother! He isn’t a bear at all, if you please, sir; -and--and--I am a harmless lad who--who--arrived from Norway the -other day, and--and--never did mortal thing any harm as long as I -lived, sir!” - -“Don’t jabber yer Dutch at me, ye young scalawag!” the policeman -replied, seizing the boy by the arm and shaking him. “Ef it is an -honest loivelihood ye’re afther, why don’t ye drap that poor dumb -cr’atur’ and foind some dacent imployment, begorra?” - -Alf was altogether too frightened to make any answer to this -suggestion, of which, moreover, he understood not a word. He only -gazed with his large blue eyes at the policeman, and moved his -lips nervously, without being able to utter a sound. - -“Pl--please, sir,” he faltered, after several vain attempts to -speak, “please let me go.” And Truls, completely forgetting his -disguise, raised two hairy paws imploringly toward the officer and -begged tearfully. - -“Please, sir, do let my brother go!” - -The policeman’s face underwent a sudden and startling change. His -eyes nearly popped out of his head, his jaw dropped down on his -chest, and the veins on his forehead swelled. “I’ll be blowed,” he -cried in breathless amazement, “ef the dumb cratur’ ain’t a-talkin’ -Dutch!” - -He stooped for a minute, with his hands resting upon his knees, -and stared with a perplexed expression at the supposed bear; then -the situation began to dawn upon him, and he burst out into a -tremendous laugh. - -“Oh, it is a foine bear ye be, sonny!” he exclaimed, lifting the -boy-bear unceremoniously on his arm, and grabbing hold of Alf’s -collar with his disengaged hand. “A smart young un ye be, be -jabers! It is an alderman ye will be before ye doi--if ye only vote -the roight ticket. ’Tis a shame, it is, ye don’t talk a Christian -language, sech as a gintleman can understand.” - -He was moving up Greenwich Street, talking in this humorous strain, -half to himself and half to his prisoners, whom he was dragging -reluctantly along, when his progress was suddenly arrested by a -little girl who became unaccountably entangled in his legs. - -[Illustration: IN BATTERY PARK.] - -“Mr. Policeman,” the child cried, in the same unintelligible -tongue, gazing up with a pale and excited face at the tall -officer, “please don’t hurt my brothers. And won’t you please take -me along, too? I have been bad, too, Mr. Policeman--much badder -than Truls.” - -“Why, how-de-do, sis!” the officer asked, with a broad grin. “Is it -the bear ye be, did ye say, as lent yer skin to this little chap? -Ah, be jabers! now I begin to take in yer capers. It is a moighty -mixed-up lot ye be, and up to no end of thricks. But jest ye wait -till his honor gits hold on ye, and he will know how to git each -one of ye back into his roight skin.” - -This sinister allusion was lost, however, on the three culprits, -and even if they had understood it, it would probably not have -impressed them greatly. Their life had been so exciting since they -left their quiet Norse valley, that they had almost ceased to be -surprised at anything that might happen to them. Alf and Karen -plodded on wearily at the policeman’s side, holding on to the tails -of his coat, and showing no desire to part company with him; and -Truls, who was wellnigh exhausted by the labors and excitement -of the day, was only too glad to be able to rest his shaggy head -on the officer’s shoulders, and to embrace his neck with his two -hairy paws. The officer, somehow, seemed to enjoy the situation; -for he laughed and chuckled incessantly to himself, as if he were -contemplating some delightful plan which promised a great deal of -amusement. He shook his club good-naturedly at the crowd which -followed him, and pushed his way onward, until he reached a large -brick building, over the door of which was carved, in big Roman -letters, “Police Precinct, No. ----.” Here he entered with his -prisoners, and after having made an entry in a book, consigned them -to a large, bare, and dreary-looking room, where a few miserable -people were reposing in various attitudes upon the floor. - -The two Norse boys, who vaguely understood that this was some -kind of a prison, looked with horror upon the ragged and untidy -occupants of the room, and withdrew with their sister into the -remotest corner they could find, so as to escape observation. Here -they held a consultation, glancing all the while fearfully about -them, and lowering their voices to a whisper. - -“Truls,” said Alf, raising his guileless eyes to those of his -younger but braver-hearted brother, “what do you think will become -of us? do you think we shall have to stay long in this dreadful -place?” - -“Oh, no, you sillibub!” replied the ursine Truls, with well-feigned -cheerfulness; “we will be let out before night; and anyhow, I -know what I am going to do. You remember that handsome American -gentleman on board the steamboat, whom I wanted to fight because I -thought he was making fun of father?” - -“Yes, I remember,” said Alf. - -“Well, he gave me his card, which I gave you to keep in your -pocket-book; and he made me promise that if ever I needed a friend, -I should send for him. There is an address on the card, and I -shouldn’t wonder if he is a great man; and then everybody will be -sure to know him.” - -“Oh, Truls!” his brother exclaimed, admiringly; “you are always so -bright and so clever; and I have the card here; and I’ll not lose -it. But don’t you think you had better take off your bear-skin, so -that the judge may see you aren’t a bear, but a little boy?” - -“I have thought of that,” Truls rejoined, earnestly; “but the -trouble is I haven’t anything else to put on. So I shall have to go -to the judge as I am, and I guess he won’t be so very mad, when I -tell him I haven’t got nothing else under.” - -A dreary hour passed--dreary beyond expression. The two boys tried -each to persuade the other that he was, on the whole, not at all -afraid, but really quite cheerful. The only one whose argument was -really convincing, however, was Karen; for she went peacefully to -sleep on Truls’ shoulder, and did not wake until the policeman came -and summoned them all into court. They made quite a sensation when -they entered; and people rose and craned their necks to catch a -glimpse of the curious group. It was probably the first time that a -bear had marched on its hind-legs into a police-court and taken its -place behind the bar as a prisoner. The judge smiled a little when -he saw it, and leaned himself half over to the policeman who was -apparently giving an account of the case. - -“The officer charges you with roaming about with an unlicensed -bear,” he said severely, fixing a stern glance upon Alf. “What have -you to say to the charge?” - -Alf gazed up helplessly, and shook his head. - -“Why don’t you answer?” repeated the judge, impatiently. “Why -didn’t you take out a license for your bear?” - -The policeman again leaned over and explained that the prisoners -were Dutch, or some other kind of foreigners, and that they did not -understand a word of English. - -“Hm,” growled his Honor, “why didn’t you tell me that before? Is -there anyone in this court-room,” he went on, raising his voice, -“who understands foreign languages and would be willing to help the -court out of a difficulty?” - -He looked expectantly about the large room, but no one volunteered -to act as interpreter of anything so comprehensive as “foreign -languages.” - -“The gintleman over there,” the policeman remarked, pointing out a -well-dressed man in the audience, “looks as if he understood furrin -languages.” - -The gentleman in question disclaimed all knowledge of the languages -referred to, and the Court visited him with a look of serious -displeasure. It was very annoying, and there seemed positively no -way of disposing of the case, except to recommit the prisoners -until an interpreter could be found. The judge was about to resort -to that expedient, when a new prisoner was led into the court, and -the boys gave a simultaneous exclamation of surprise at beholding -Jens Skoug, the emigration agent. Mr. Skoug had evidently come -into collision with a policeman’s club, or some other unyielding -substance, for his left eye was much blackened, and he had a great -bump on his forehead. He had been arrested the previous night for -disturbing the peace. - -“That man, it appears, is acquainted with these Dutch boys,” the -Court remarked, nodding to the policeman who had charge of Mr. -Skoug; “bring him up.” - -“Do you understand foreign languages?” the justice went on, -addressing the emigration agent in his severest judicial tones. - -“Yes, lots of them,” replied Jens, drowsily. - -“Do you know these boys?” - -Jens contemplated the boys with a puzzled frown; then he shook his -head boozily and replied: - -“No, yer Honor, I never saw them in all my life. They are not my -style, yer Honor; don’t look as if they had moved in the best -society.” - -“Well, never mind that,” interrupted the Court; “but can’t you find -out anything about them? why they did not license their bear? Who -provides for them? Where do they live?” - -Jens, in turning his back to the Court, gave Alf and Karen and -the bear a fierce glance, as if to say that he would make them -smart, if they dared in any way to compromise him. Then, to their -surprise, he stooped down and talked with them earnestly for -several minutes. - -“Your Honor,” he resumed, rising and facing the judge; “these boys -are, as you supposed, Dutch. They are utterly destitute, and have -no money wherewith to buy a license for their bear. In other words, -they are vagrants; and if I may be permitted to make a suggestion, -I think the Reform School or the workhouse would be the right place -for them. They are a hardened lot, I am afraid, judging by their -talk----” - -“You may spare your suggestions,” the judge interrupted curtly; -“though they happen to fit in exactly with what I had determined to -do with them. Their bear will have to be killed or sold, and they -are hereby recommitted, and will be sent to the Island for thirty -days.” - -Mr. Skoug again stooped down and explained to the two culprits; but -he had no sooner mentioned the word “kill” than Alf gave a shout, -half of anger, half of dread, pulled his Norse tolle-knife[12] from -its sheath, and with one swift motion slit the bear’s skin from the -neck downward. The policeman rushed forward, the audience jumped -up on the benches, the judge himself started at the flash of the -knife, and was on the point of leaping over his desk. What was his -amazement when, instead of a bear, he saw a little shivering boy -in very scanty attire! A roar of laughter and a deafening salvo -of applause burst forth from all parts of the room, and it was in -vain that the judge hammered with all his might on his desk, and -in thunderous tones demanded order. The Irish policeman, to whose -taste for practical jokes the whole scene was due, laughed as if -he were going to split his sides. He would not have ventured to -confess that he had planned some such dramatic incident, although, -as he admitted to himself, it had turned out even more startling -than he had dared to hope. - -When order was finally restored, the Court commanded that -the prisoners be removed; but Truls, who now comprehended the -situation, and was determined not to submit to further imposition, -marched boldly up to the judge, and put Mr. Tenney’s card before -him on the desk. - -“This gentleman,” he said, confidently, “made me promise to send -for him if I should ever need a friend. Now I need him, and if you -would kindly send someone to fetch him, I should be much obliged.” - -The judge understood the purport of this speech, even though the -words were unintelligible to him. Mr. Tenney’s name was well known -to him, as that of a citizen of great wealth and influence, and his -prisoners immediately rose in his estimation when he heard that -they enjoyed the protection of so prominent a man. He therefore -beckoned to a policeman, wrote a hasty note, and told him to -have it instantly despatched. The boys and their sister, in the -meanwhile, were permitted to sit down in the court-room, awaiting -Mr. Tenney’s arrival. Mr. Skoug, who betrayed a great anxiety to be -off, pleading a variety of business engagements, was then examined -and fined ten dollars. He had just managed to disappear through -a side-room when Mr. Tenney’s tall and portly figure was seen -entering. He gave the boys a friendly nod, as he walked rapidly up -to the judge, with whom he conversed amicably for several minutes. -There was something brisk, energetic, and business-like in all his -movements. He laughed very heartily when the recent incident with -the bear was related to him, and the judge joined in the laugh, -and asserted that it was the most amusing thing that ever had -occurred in all his long experience on the bench. Then Mr. Tenney -apologized for having taken up so much of the Court’s valuable -time, and the Court expressed itself delighted to have made Mr. -Tenney’s acquaintance and to have been in any way able to serve -him; whereupon Mr. Tenney had the three children conveyed to his -carriage, and they drove away through the glorious May sunshine, up -one street and down another, until they reached a large and stately -house on Madison Avenue. Here they stepped out of the carriage, -and a liveried servant flung the doors open before them, as they -entered the house. - -Such magnificence the boys had never beheld before: long, wonderful -mirrors which looked like strips of lake standing on end, carpets -which felt soft under the feet like fine moss, and gilt and carved -furniture, which seemed to have stepped right out of a fairy story. -It was certainly very extraordinary; but still more extraordinary -was the kindness and consideration with which they were treated by -Mr. Tenney and his wife. Two pretty rooms were assigned to them -on the fourth floor of the house; little Karen was dressed in -beautiful clothes, and the boys themselves got each a new suit, the -like of which they had never had on their backs before. They felt -like young princes, and if they could only have talked with the -kind people who took so much trouble on their account, they would -have expressed to them their gratitude, and perhaps, too, solicited -their aid in ascertaining the whereabouts of their lost father. - -Mr. Tenney, however, guessed their thoughts, and did not need to -be told that their minds were torn with anxiety. He first procured -a Norwegian interpreter from one of the steamship companies, and -made the boys describe to him accurately the time and circumstances -of Fiddle-John’s disappearance. He wrote letters to the emigration -commissioners, inserted advertisements in the newspapers, and set -the whole official machinery in motion to get a clew by which to -unravel the mystery. - -Investigations were set on foot, detectives were employed, the -Castle Garden officials were questioned and cross-examined, but -there was no one who had the slightest recollection of having seen -Fiddle-John. Thus three days passed. Mr. Tenney’s determination -to accomplish his purpose increased, the greater the obstacles -were that he encountered. There was a streak of obstinacy in his -temperament, and there seemed to be an impression abroad that Mr. -Tenney was not to be trifled with, when once he was aroused, and -that may have been the reason why Fiddle-John grew in the course -of a week to be a kind of public character, and people asked each -other jocosely when they met in street cars or in hotel vestibules: - -“How do you do? Seen Fiddle-John?” - -Someone, it appears, had seen Fiddle-John, and that was the purser -of the steamboat Ruckert, whose encounter with the lamented -Garibaldi was yet fresh in the boys’ memories. He came late one -evening to Mr. Tenney’s residence, and explained to him that a -man called Fiddle-John had just been put aboard the ship, as a -lunatic, to be taken back to Norway free of charge. The ship -was to sail the next day at noon; and if Mr. Tenney would hold -himself responsible for the consequences, the purser said he would -undertake to restore Fiddle-John to his family within--well, within -five minutes. - -Mr. Tenney was quite ready to assume all the responsibility in the -matter, and accordingly the purser raised the window, and beckoned -to a carriage which had stopped on the other side of the street. -The carriage drove up before the door, and out stepped Fiddle-John. -But oh, how miserable he looked! The light from the gas-lamp fell -upon his pale face, his disordered hair, and his tall, stooping -figure. He was led carefully up the steps, and the children flew -into his arms, hugging him, kissing him, and weeping over him. -He sat down on a low stool, and stared about him in a bewildered -fashion. But gradually, as his eyes rested upon the dear familiar -faces, his expression softened, the wild look of fright departed -from his face, and the tears began slowly to course down his cheeks. - -“O, children!” he said in a hoarse, broken voice; “I thought I -should never see you again!” - -He covered his face with his hands, and wept long and silently. - -“They wanted to make a madman of me,” he sobbed; “and they almost -succeeded. Whatever I did or said--it made no difference--it only -proved that I was mad. I came to believe it, children, and the -thought was terrible to me; if I had staid another day, I should -never have recovered my reason.” - - -VI. - -Five years have passed since Fiddle-John and his sons were rescued -from misery by Mr. Tenney. They now live in the porter’s lodge of -Mr. Tenney’s beautiful Berkshire country-seat; and Fiddle-John, -with all his eccentricities, makes a very acceptable porter. The -little stone cottage at the gate of the larger villa looks very -picturesque with the green vines trailing over it, and it is very -comfortably and prettily furnished. Little Karen is now a matronly -little body, with a strict sense of order, and many housewifely -accomplishments. She goes to the public school in the morning, but -studies at home in the afternoon, and keeps her father company. The -boys are both big fellows now, and they are as good Americans as -any to the manner born. Truls brags of American enterprise, and the -blessings of democratic institutions, as if every drop of his Norse -blood had become naturalized. He is an engineer, and earns good -wages, and is full of hopefulness for the future. It need scarcely -be said that his sister adores him, and regards him as one of the -most remarkable men of the century. - -Alf, who has inherited his father’s handsome face, and incapacity -for practical concerns, is at present preparing to enter college. -Mr. Tenney is much interested in him, as a lad of unusual ability -and a singular sweetness of character; and it is owing to his -generosity that Alf has been able to follow the career for which -he is by nature and inclination adapted. He has his father’s -beautiful voice, too, and makes a sensation in the church choir -every Sunday when he sustains the lovely tenor solo in the anthems -“As Pants the Hart,” and “I Know that My Redeemer Liveth.” - -He is a rather serious fellow, with thoughtful eyes, and a frank -and open countenance. Some think he would have a fine career as a -clergyman, but it is difficult to tell whether his inclination, -in later years, will turn in that direction. His father, however, -does all in his power to encourage this ambition, and it is not -unlikely that his hopes may some day be fulfilled. In fact, it -is Fiddle-John’s favorite occupation to hope and dream about the -future of his sons. - -During the long summer afternoons he sits in the shadow of the -vines, outside of his cottage, while his daughter reads aloud to -him from the old Norse ballad books which he yet loves so dearly. -And it happens very frequently, then, that the young ladies and -gentlemen who are visiting at the neighboring villas come, in a -company, and beg him to sing to them. They throw themselves down -in easy attitudes upon the soft, close-trimmed lawn; and their -bright garments, their crimson sunshades, and their fresh, youthful -faces make a fine picture against the green background of elms and -chestnut trees. - -To the gentle and guileless minstrel it is a great pleasure to see -these gay and happy creatures; and when the young girls hang upon -his arms and urge him to sing, his eyes beam with delight. - -“Now, do sing, Fiddle-John,” they coaxingly say. “You know we have -walked miles and miles to hear your voice. And here is a young lady -from New York, who never heard a Norse song in all her life, and is -disappointed, because you look so nice and gentle, and not wild and -savage as a son of the Vikings should.” - -Fiddle-John likes this kind of banter very well; and when, finally, -he yields to their coaxing and lifts up his clear, strong voice, -singing the sad, wild ballads of his native land, there falls a -hush upon the noisy company, as if they were in the presence of -a renowned artist. These are Fiddle-John’s happiest moments. And -it was just on such an occasion when, on a beautiful afternoon in -July, he had been entertaining the young people with his songs, -that a swarthy-looking Savoyard walked up before his door, and -began to whip up a bear which danced to a tune from “Il Trovatore,” -played upon a wheezy hand-organ. - -“Stop, you sacrilegious brute!” said one of the young men, -addressing, not the bear, but his master; “we have a better kind of -music here than your asthmatic organ can produce.” - -The Savoyard, being apparently well accustomed to this manner of -address, swung his organ across his back and was about to take his -departure, when Karen, prompted by some idle impulse, stepped up to -the bear and patted it. Then a sudden change came over the young -man’s countenance. He stared for a moment fixedly at the little -girl. - -“Take care, _Carina mia_,” he said, with a smile; “that bear is a -real one!” - -“Annibale!” she cried in surprise; and, to be sure, it was Annibale! - -He had grown five years older, but in other respects he had changed -but little. He knew but very little more English than he had done -on the day of his arrival, and his ambition still did not extend -beyond hand-organs and bears. He reaped a plentiful harvest of -coins that night; but that was owing to little Karen, and not to -the doleful hand-organ. She ran into the cottage and spread out -upon the lawn a rug, made out of a small bear-skin. “Do you know -that, Annibale?” she cried. - -“Garibaldi, my poor Garibaldi!” exclaimed the Savoyard, while the -tears glittered in his eyes; and he stooped down and caressed the -furry head. - -Now the curiosity of the young ladies was excited, and the whole -company clamored for the story of Annibale and the bear-skin. They -all seated themselves in a ring about Fiddle-John, and he told the -story, as I have told it to you. For I had the good luck to be one -of the listeners. - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Skees are a kind of snowshoe, four to six feet long, bent -upward in front, with a band to attach it to the foot in the middle. - -[2] Lord Dufferin tells, in his Letters from High Latitudes, -how the Icelandic pilots conversed with him in Latin, and other -travellers have many similar tales to relate. - -[3] Professor Willard Fiske, formerly of Cornell University, was -instrumental in collecting in the United States a library of -several thousand volumes, which he presented to the Icelanders on -the one thousandth birthday of their nation. - -[4] The auk cannot fly well, but uses its wings for swimming and -diving. - -[5] The burgomaster gull is the largest of all gulls. It is thirty -inches long, exclusive of its tail, and its wings have a span of -five feet. - -[6] The national knife of Norway. It has a round or oblong handle -of wood, bone, or ivory, often beautifully carved, and a slightly -curved, one-edged blade, with a sharp point. - -[7] The sheriffs in Norway are by law required to pay, in behalf -of the State, certain premiums for the killing of bears, wolves, -foxes, and eagles. - -[8] A species of grouse. - -[9] The finishing-stroke. - -[10] Skees (Norwegian _skier_) are a peculiar kind of snow-shoes, -generally from five to nine feet long, but only a few inches -broad. They are made of tough pine-wood, and are smoothly polished -on the under side, so as to make them glide the more easily over -the surface of the snow. In the middle there are bands to put the -feet into, and the front end of each skee is pointed and strongly -bent upward. This enables the runner to slide easily over logs, -hillocks, and other obstacles, instead of thrusting against them. -The skee only goes in straight lines; still the runner can, even -when moving with great speed, change his course at pleasure by -means of a long pole which he carries for this purpose, and uses -as a sort of rudder. Skees are especially convenient for sliding -downhill, but are also, for walking in deep snow, much superior to -the common American snow-shoes. - -[11] “Ah, Mr. Truls, Garibaldi and I are half dead.” - -[12] All Norse peasant lads wear a sheathed knife at the side, -called a “tolle-knife.” - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - - Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been - corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within - the text and consultation of external sources. - - Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, - and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example, - book-case, bookcase; hind-legs, hind legs; drift-wood, driftwood; - bowlder; despatch; skee; inspiriting. - - Pg 4, “the otto’s name” replaced by “the otter’s name”. - Pg 51, “tore his watstcoat” replaced by “tore his waistcoat”. - Pg 82, “gentle plashing” replaced by “gentle splashing”. - Pg 115, “to find himself himself in” replaced by “to find himself in”. - Pg 125, “into the the twilight” replaced by “into the twilight”. - Pg 257, “I onct seed” replaced by “I once seed”. - Pg 257, “I onct knowed” replaced by “I once knowed”. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Modern Vikings, by Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MODERN VIKINGS *** - -***** This file should be named 53070-0.txt or 53070-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/0/7/53070/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, John Campbell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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