The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pilot and his Wife, by Jonas Lie

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Title: The Pilot and his Wife

Author: Jonas Lie

Release Date: April 8, 2005 [EBook #15588]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE PILOT AND HIS WIFE

_TRANSLATED FROM THE NORWEGIAN OF_

JONAS LIE

BY

G.L. TOTTENHAM

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
MDCCCLXXVII

THE PILOT AND HIS WIFE.

CHAPTER I.

On the stern, pine-clad southern coast of Norway, off the
picturesquely-situated town of Arendal, stand planted far out into the
sea the white walls of the Great and Little Torungen Lighthouses, each
on its bare rock-island of corresponding name, the lesser of which
seems, as you sail past, to have only just room for the lighthouse and
the attendant's residence by the side. It is a wild and lonely
situation,--the spray, in stormy weather, driving in sheets against the
walls, and eagles and sea-birds not unfrequently dashing themselves to
death against the thick glass panes at night; while in winter all
communication with the land is very often cut off, either by drift or
patchy ice, which is impassable either on foot or by boat.

These, however, and others of the now numerous lights along that
dangerous coast, are of comparatively recent erection. Many persons now
living can remember the time when for long reaches the only lighting was
the gleam of the white breakers themselves. And the captain who had
passed the Oxoe light off Christiansand might think himself lucky if he
sighted the distant Jomfruland up by Krageroe.

About a score of years before the lighthouse was placed on Little
Torungen there was, however, already a house there, if it could be
dignified by that name, with its back and one side almost up to the eave
of the roof stuck into a heap of stones, so that it had the appearance
of bending forward to let the storm sweep over it. The low entrance-door
opened to the land, and two small windows looked out upon the sea, and
upon the boat, which was usuall