II i:
deshabille, his clothes much tattered, he begged to
be allowed to send his son 'on shore to his home,
to procure some better apparel, as he Avished to
appear more smart in piloting us up to Tronyem,
the capital of Norway. There are seA'eral fiords
that lead from the sea up to Tronyem, but that
into Avhich Ave entered is called the Froy Fiord. It
is inclosed at its entrance betAveen Froyen Island
on the left, and Hitteren on the right, and beyond
these, between two long ridges of rocky islands, Ave
could see at a distance to the southward, some
hills, or rather mountains, of considerable height,
Avhose summits Avere capped Avith snoAv: tAVO of the
highest of these appear by the chart to hear the
names of Fonna and Tusteren ; but the nearest to
us on the right Avas the large island of Hitteren,
Avhich Avas said to abound with red deer.
Vast numbers of the great sea-eagle (Falco ossi-
f rag us, of Avhich our Avord osprey appears to be a
corruption) Avere hovering over the surface of the
Avater, and busily employed in chacing their prey.
It Avas amusing enough to observe them grappling
Avith some of the larger fish, which Avere sometimes
able to offer such resistance, as to drag them almost
under Avater, so that the finny tribe Avere here less
complaisant to, or less terrified by, their voracious
assailants, than in some other countries, Avhere, according
to Sir Thomas Hanmer, it is reported that
Avhen one of these huge birds “ hovers in the air, all
the fish in the Avater turn up their bellies, and lie
still for him to seize Avhich of them he pleases.” If
the NorAATgian oxen had half the spirit of the hakes
and halibuts, they Avould not suffer themselves to
be SAvindled out of their liA-es by these bone-breakers,
as Pontopeddon has related, and as Von Buch is
inclined to believe they are, on the coast of NorAvay.
A number of seals Avere sporting about, and the seagulls
Avere abundant in this fiord; they were veiy
noisy in the pursuit of their prey, to seize AAdiich
they would
----------- in the ocean dive
W ith eager scream.”
The wind having failed us, Ave made very little
progress until the following morning, when a favourable
breeze carried us a long way up the fiord; but
about mid-day it again fell almost calm. For many
miles the rocky mountains Avhich inclose the fiord
continue to be totally barren, and the snow, sheltered
from the rays of the sun, Avas lying in some spots
very near to the Avater’s edge. Here and thej’e,
however, Ave got sight of a green patch, with one or
tAVO small Avooden houses near it, and occasionally
a little wood-built church situated close to the
Avater’s edge; and at one spot, the pilot pointed out
Avhat he called a nunneiy, Avhich, if so, is the only
one I ever heard of in all NorAvay. As Ave proceeded
up this beautiful navigation—for, with the
clear Avater and the romantic rocks on either side,
it was beautiful, even without any ornament from
the vegetable part of the creation,—a fishing-boat