barren mountains no bread or meat could be bought. Bidding
farewell, therefore, to the beautiful village of Sand, and to the kind
hearts that increased its beauty, we made all sail the subsequent day
for Bergen.

Siggen, the loftiest scion of Norwegian mountains, soon towered with
conic form before and above us; and taking a shorter and different
course than the one we had previously steered, we were spectators, as we
proceeded, of the most magnificent scenery that the imagination could
conceive. We were so fortunate as to keep a fine strong wind the whole
way; and our pilot, who was an old and expert mariner, did not hesitate
to contend with the rapid currents that flow between the thousand
islands which obstruct the narrower and more unfrequented channels of
the Bukke Fiord. The cutter, too, retained her celebrity for swiftness,
and during her passage to Bergen showed her aptitude to overcome every
emergency.

There are, half way between Sand and Bergen and within sight of mighty
Siggen, two small islands of rock, disunited by a narrow channel not
three hundred yards broad, and between which the stream rushes from a
northern to a southern direction with much fleetness and force. It was
necessary to pass through this channel; and if any difficulty could have
arisen in our pilot's mind as to the efficiency of the yacht in making
good her passage to Bergen, and unwarranting his boldness in selecting a
path out of the ordinary track, it was the remembrance of this little
strait.

On Friday morning, the 16th, two days after we had left Sand, the two
islands, each with its solitary cottage belonging to some fishermen,
hove in sight. The wind blew nearly due north, and was, as sailors say,
"dead on end" for us. As the cutter came up to the islands, we saw a
fleet of Norwegian vessels at anchor, waiting a change of wind to
attempt the passage.

While the pilot and D---- held a short consultation regarding the
capabilities of the yacht, she had already glided, with the noiseless
speed of a spirit, into the midst of native brigs and Dutch barges, for
they cannot be called, ships. The beauty of the cutter, and the English
ensign streaming from the peak, combined with the strange place and
novelty of a vessel like the yacht, were quite enough to cause
conjecture and excitement among the crews of the different Norwegian and
Dutch craft, and to crowd their decks with spectators. The proud,
swan-like appearance with which the c