had found myself in the streets. The inhabitants seemed a
lively, talkative set, and accustomed to mix with foreigners, for they
paid less attention to us than their countrymen and women in the other
towns we had visited.

The most important export trade of Bergen consists of timber and salt
fish, which are sent to the Mediterranean and Holland. The stench
arising from the fish, which is packed in great heaps on the eastern
quay of the harbour, is insuperable; and I leave the reader's
imagination to reach that height of misery when an unfortunate
sight-seeker and traveller like myself, loses his way, at broiling noon,
in the vicinity of this market, the thermometer being at 90 deg., and the
ling fish at perfection. How the old fishwomen, the natural guardians of
this northern frankincense, chatter and squabble! With their blue
petticoats tucked up above their knees, how they pick off the stray
pieces of raw haddock, or cod, and, with creaking jaws, chew them; and
while they ruminate, bask their own flabby carcasses in the sun! With
the dried tail of a herring sticking out of their saffron-coloured,
shrivelled chops, Lord! how they gaped when I passed by, hurriedly, like
a scared cat!

Being pressed for time, as I have hinted before, we did not waste much
at Bergen for the present, promising ourselves a longer sojourn when we
returned from the Sogne Fiord, for thither were we bound. The primary
object that sent us up the Sogne Fiord was, certainly, a little more
salmon-fishing; but rein-deer stalking had taken a tender hold of
R----'s game side. At Leerdal, a town at the farthest extremity of the
Sogne Fiord, and nearly one hundred miles to the north of Bergen, my two
friends had heard flowed a wonderful salmon river; and they relied with
confidence on the great chances of brilliant success since the stream
was so far removed from the path of common travellers. To the northward,
too, of Leerdal was Auron, a spot held in repute for the herds of
rein-deer that frequent the mountains there; and failing in salmon, my
companions might fall to venison. Replenishing, therefore, our exhausted
provisions, we secured on Monday evening the services of two pilots; and
on Tuesday morning, the 20th, we set sail for Leerdal. The whole of that
day was calm; and being on a cruise of much novelty and anticipated
sport, this lukewarmness of the wind touched our patience very severely.
On any other occasion we should not have observed its