eadily, driving the _Snowflake_ over the North Sea like a seamew.

That evening the mountains of Norway rose to view. About the time that
this occurred the sky began to clear towards the north-west and soon
after a white line of foam was seen on the horizon right ahead. This
was the ocean beating on the great army of islands, or skerries, that
line the west coast of Norway from north to south.

"Hurrah for old Norway!" shouted Fred Temple with delight, when he first
observed the foam that leaped upon these bare rocky islets.

"It seems to me that we shall be wrecked," said Grant gravely. "I do
not see an opening in these tremendous breakers, and if we can't get
through them, even a landsman could tell that we shall be dashed to
pieces."

"Why not put about the ship and sail away from them?" suggested Sorrel,
looking round with a face so yellow and miserable that even the Captain
was _almost_ forced to smile.

"Because that is simply impossible," said Fred Temple.

Poor Sam groaned and looked down at his dog, which sat trembling on the
deck between his feet, gazing up in its master's face sadly--at least so
it is to be supposed; but the face of Tittles, as well as the expression
thereof, was invisible owing to hair.

"_Is_ there an opening, Captain?" inquired Fred in a low, serious tone.

"Oo ay, no fear o' that," replied the Captain.

There was, indeed, no fear of that, for as the schooner approached the
islands, numerous openings were observed. It also became evident that
the gentlemen had mistaken the distance from the broken water, for they
were much longer of reaching the outer skerries than they had expected,
and the foam, which at first appeared like a white line, soon grew into
immense masses, which thundered on these weather-worn rocks with a deep,
loud, continuous roar, and burst upwards in great spouts like white
steam many yards into the air.

"Captain, are the islands as numerous everywhere along the coast as they
are here?" said Fred.

"'Deed ay, an' more," answered the Captain, "some places ye'll sail for
fifty or sixty miles after getting among the skerries before reachin'
the main."

They were now within a hundred yards of the islands, towards a narrow
channel, between two of which the Captain steered. Every one was
silent, for there was something awful in the aspect of the great dark
waves of the raging sea, as they rolled heavily forward and fell with
crash after crash in terrific fu