ay by sea,
in a great ship." "How wonderful!" "And what sort of horses had they
in California?" I told some tough stories about the mustang horses, in
which the landlord was profoundly interested, for I soon discovered
that horses were his great hobby. Whatever we talked of, he invariably
came back to horse-flesh. His head was overrunning with horses. I
praised his cariole horses, and he was enchanted. He gave me the
pedigree of every horse in his stable, scarcely a word of which I
understood, and then wound up by telling me he was considered the best
judge of horses in all Norway. I did not think there was much in his
appearance indicative of the shrewd horse-jockey, but was soon
convinced of his shrewdness, for he informed me confidentially he had
drawn the great prize at the last annual horse-fair at Christiania,
and if I didn't believe it he would show it to me! I tried to make him
understand that I had no doubt at all what he said was strictly true;
but, not satisfied at this expression of faith in his word, he went to
a big wooden chest in the corner and took out a bag of money, which he
placed upon the middle of the table with a proud smile of triumph.
"That," said he, "is the prize! A hundred and fifty silver
dollars--_silver_, mind you--all SILVER!" But perhaps I didn't
believe it was a prize? Well, he would convince me of that. So he left
the bag of money on the table and went into a back room to get the
certificate of the society, in which it was all duly written out, with
his name in large letters, the paper being neatly framed in a carved
frame, the work of his own hands. There it was; I could read for
myself! I tried to read it to oblige him, and as I blundered over the
words he took it into his head that I was still incredulous. "Nai!
nai!" said he, "you shall see the money! You shall count it for
yourself!" In vain I strove to convince him that I was entirely
satisfied on the subject--that he must not go to so much trouble on my
account. "Nai! nai!" cried the enthusiastic dealer in horse-flesh, "it
is no trouble. You shall see the money WITH YOUR OWN EYES!" And
forthwith he untied the string of the bag, and poured out the shining
dollars in a pile on the middle of the table. His good wife stood by,
professing to smile, but I suspected, from the watchful expression of
her eye, that she did not feel quite at ease. The skydskaarl leaned
over with a general expression of the most profound astonishment and
ad