weather, however, had cleared up a little, while
we were crossing Oresund lake, which did not
occupy us long, to Bekosen. Our guide seemed
a little apprehensive, whilst traversing the mountains,
that we should not be able to cross the
water, in consequence of the high wind, which he
said generally made the lake so rough as to render
boating unsafe: this may readily be imagined,
more especially as its elevation is 2475 feet above
the level of the sea, and it is surrounded by mountains.
Fortunately, however, the wind lulled, and
the water was tolerably smooth, otherwise our little
boat, being crank and leaky, might have stood a
fair chance of being swamped.
I had every reason to be pleased with the conduct
of my guide; and as it appears that several
of our countrymen make summer tours in Norway
by way of variety, or of enjoying the excellent
sport of fishing which it holds forth, and
some of them may, probably, be induced hereafter
to undertake a similar journey from Roraas to
visit the Laplanders, I can safely recommend
Hanse Morfensen, who resides on a little island
on the Oresund lake, called Tamnces, as a good
man, and a safe guide, being perfectly well acquainted
with the tracts across the neighbouring
mountains. The landlady at Bekosen, as well
as the one at Myhrmoe, are his sisters, both
fine-looking women, he being also a remarkably
well-made and handsome man, fully if not above
! i
six feet high. One of his brothers, of equal
stature, was employed at Bekosen; and he told
me that he had also another brother of equal
size, and five other sisters, all stout, well-grown
women. Their parents were still living, the mother
being seventy, and the father eighty years of age.
I regretted much th a t I could not land at Tamnses,
without putting myself to some inconvenience, to
have the pleasure of seeing together so fine a
family; and the poor fellow was exceedingly anxious
that i should do so, and that I should witness their
comfortable dwelling, and the good condition of
their farm, in which he seemed to take a pride ;
the number of their cattle he represented to be
about the same as at Myhrmoe.
After a sound sleep and a hearty breakfast, of
which some broiled fish, fresh from the lake, was
not the least acceptable article, I mounted my
horse, and retraced rny steps towards Roraas, intending
to take the copper-mines in my way thither.
In about an hour I reached the largest mine, called
the Storvartz, being in the brow of the mountain
named Storvold Gnibe, at an elevation of 3068 feet
above the sea. Here I dismounted, and having
delivered a letter from the director of the mines
to the foreman on the spot, I was immediately
ushered into an apartment hung round with a
variety of coarse clothes, out of which I was soon
suitably equipped for a subterranean excursion.
My dress consisted of a capacious jacket, in which