The Project Gutenberg EBook of Boyhood in Norway, by Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen

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Title: Boyhood in Norway

Author: Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen

Posting Date: July 23, 2008 [EBook #784]
Release Date: January, 1997

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOYHOOD IN NORWAY ***

Produced by Charles Keller

BOYHOOD IN NORWAY

Stories Of Boy-Life In The Land Of The Midnight Sun

By Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen

CONTENTS

THE BATTLE OF THE RAFTS
THE CLASH OF ARMS
BICEPS GRIMLUND'S CHRISTMAS VACATION
THE NIXY'S STRAIN
THE WONDER CHILD
"THE SONS OF THE VIKINGS"
PAUL JESPERSEN'S MASQUERADE
LADY CLARE THE STORY OF A HORSE
BONNYBOY
THE CHILD OF LUCK
THE BEAR THAT HAD A BANK ACCOUNT

THE BATTLE OF THE RAFTS

I. THE ORIGIN OF THE WAR

A deadly feud was raging among the boys of Numedale. The East-Siders
hated the West-Siders, and thrashed them when they got a chance; and
the West-Siders, when fortune favored them, returned the compliment
with interest. It required considerable courage for a boy to venture,
unattended by comrades, into the territory of the enemy; and no one took
the risk unless dire necessity compelled him.

The hostile parties had played at war so long that they had forgotten
that it was play; and now were actually inspired with the emotions which
they had formerly simulated. Under the leadership of their chieftains,
Halvor Reitan and Viggo Hook, they held councils of war, sent out
scouts, planned midnight surprises, and fought at times mimic battles. I
say mimic battles, because no one was ever killed; but broken heads
and bruised limbs many a one carried home from these engagements, and
unhappily one boy, named Peer Oestmo, had an eye put out by an arrow.

It was a great consolation to him that he became a hero to all the
West-Siders and was promoted for bravery in the field to the rank of
first lieutenant. He had the sympathy of all his companions in arms and
got innumerable bites of apples, cancelled postage stamps, and colored
advertising-labels in token of their esteem.

But the principal effect of this first