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Before reaching Hov I had passed through a
village named Ejda, where the copper ore, from a
neighbouring mine, undergoes the process of smelting.
A ncAV smelting-house appears to have been
constructed at this place, as I understand, during
the last year. The building was small, and contained
only three furnaces; but I was told it was
built on a good plan, and answered Avell the purpose
for Avhich it was intended. It would be difficult
for the imagination to picture to itself a wilder
spot than E jd a ; the river rushes with impetuosity
through a chasm in the rocks, and falls in a loud
noisy torrent beneath a stone bridge of two arches,
through which the water dashes, being first broken
in its fall by a rock that serves for the central buttress
of the bridge. Above this spot there is a
second fall of the river, near which the smeltino--
Avorks are situated.
Much rain fell during the d a y ; the roads were
A'ery heavy, and the stages long, so that the journey
Avas not a little tedious, particularly as our route
was across some mountains of considerable height,
beyond which the toAvn of Roraas is situated.
The last stage from Hov was not less than tAA’enty-
four miles, and of one continued ascent the whole
Avay: the poor horse Avhich Avas harnessed to my
carriole could scarcely stand upon his legs Avhen I
drove into the toAvn. I had been obliged, indeed,
to stop in the course of this stage, to alloAv of his
being unharnessed and turned out on the mountain
for a short time to roll himself and to feed. It is
quite surprising hoAv the small Norwegian horses
can endure so much fatigue as they commonly undergo,
especially when it is considered that they
are fed entirely upon grass, and never taste a single
particle of grain.
The road had attained a considerable height in
crossing the mountain, and snow AA'as lying in large
detached spots in many places even lower down ;
yet on the very highest point, or nearly so, several
patches of birch-trees were growing; and what was
to me very surprising, I here heard the note of the
cuckoo, which, in my ignorance, I should have
thought Avas at too great an elevation for a bird of
that species. Subsequently, however, I heard him
at a still greater elevation—not less than 3000 feet
above the level of the sea.
At the spot Avhere I stopped to rest my horse, I
had an opportunity of witnessing, as I had already
frequently done, both in this and my former excursions,
the decent and Avell-behaved manner in which
the children of the peasants are brought up. The
spot was a miserable cottage, situated by the roadside,
Avithout a human habitation for many miles
near it; yet, on entering the hoA'el, I found three
little children, the eldest not ten years of age, and
the youngest only about three ; to each of them I
gave a few skillings, in value about a penny : immediately
they all held out their little hands to me, and
the mother, on her return, having heard from them
AA’hat I had given them, was equally ready Avith her
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