Chasing the Sun

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER NINE.

  MISCELLANEOUS ADVENTURES--THE VALUE OF LANGUAGE--SALMON-FISHING.

  The main object of the voyage having now been gained, Fred Temple didnot care to push northward with the earnest haste that he had hithertoexhibited. He did, indeed, avail himself of a fine southerly breezewhich sprang up, and succeeded in reaching latitude 67 and a halfdegrees, where he saw the sun all night from the deck of his littleyacht; but he devoted himself henceforth to enjoying the country fully.

  He no longer sailed against baffling winds, but went quite contentedlyin any direction in which the wind chose to blow him. The consequencewas that he visited many curious out-of-the-way places, and saw manystrange sights; besides having a considerable number of peculiaradventures. The week following that in which he first _saw the sun allnight_ was particularly full of small adventures. Let me briefly relatea few.

  One day, having left the schooner becalmed close to the mainland, theytook the boat and rowed towards the land. While they were pullingalong-shore under a tremendous cliff that rose out of the sea like awall, they heard voices on the top of the cliff. The top was lined withbushes, so that they could see no one, but the sounds led them tosuppose that some persons were disputing there. Presently a crash washeard, and, looking up, they beheld a dark object in the air. They hadjust time to observe that this object was a pony and cariole, which hadevidently fallen from the top of the cliff, when they were drenched withspray, and a mass of foam indicated the spot not three yards off, wherethe whole affair had disappeared beneath the waves! In a few secondsthe pony came kicking to the surface. It had broken loose from thecariole, and, strange to say, reached the shore unhurt and in safety.

  Another day they saw a whale. It may not, perhaps, have occurred tomany people that, although a whale is a very well-known fish, and hispicture extremely familiar to us, the sight of a live whale about six oreight yards under one's feet is an uncommonly startling and impressivevision. Such a sight our voyagers saw while sailing up the Skars Fiord.

  It was a calm day, and a pleasant day withal; and I think it right tostate that, although they did at times grumble at prolonged calms, theirgrumbling was more than half feigned; while their gratitude for goodweather, bright days, not to mention nights, and pleasant scenes, wassincere. But, to return to the point, it was a calm day, and they weredoing nothing--that is, nothing worthy of mention. The waters of thefiord were deep and blue and clear, so that, looking over the side ofthe yacht, they could see very far down in reality--countless fathoms inimagination--into the mysterious abyss.

  Presently some one cried, "Hullo! look there!"

  "Hullo! look where?" inquired all the rest.

  "There, close astern, it's a--a--"

  "Whale!" shouted the whole ship's company.

  That it really was a whale, and a big one too, became very apparentthree minutes later, for it thrust a great blunt nose, like the end of alarge boat, out of the water, and gave a prolonged puff. A few minuteslater, and the nose appeared close off the starboard bow, then it cameup not far from the larboard quarter; so they were convinced that thecreature was taking a survey of the yacht. Perhaps it took it foranother whale, and felt inclined to be social. After one or twocircuits it drew nearer, and at last the huge fish could be seen as ifin the depths of a bad looking-glass, swimming round and round theyacht, ever and anon coming to the surface, and showing the whole lengthand depth of its bulky body.

  They were considerably excited, as may be supposed, at such anunexpected visit, and the near approach of such a visitant. As theygazed at him with eager eyes, he suddenly turned his head straighttowards the side of the vessel, and, sinking down sufficiently to clearthe keel, dived right under it, and came up on the other side.

  So clear was the water, and so near was the fish to the surface, thatthey saw its great fins driving it along, and observed its comparativelylittle eyes looking inquisitively up at them. On clearing the yacht hecame to the surface not more that thirty yards from the side. In facthe had shaved it as near as possible without actually touching."Familiarity breeds contempt," saith the proverb. The longer this whaleplayed round them, the more did he exhibit a growing tendency to play_with_ them, and as there was no saying what fancies he might take intohis great head, Fred resolved to give him a shot.

  Accordingly, the rifle--a double-barrel--was brought up, and, watchinghis opportunity, Fred put two leaden balls into the back of his head.The insulted monster wisely took the hint, gave a final flourish of histail, and disappeared for ever!

  On another occasion they landed at the head of a remote fiord, where thenatives seldom had the chance of seeing strangers, and were, therefore,overjoyed to receive them. Here Sam Sorrel had a small adventure. Hiscompanions had left him to sketch. While thus engaged, a fat, hearty,good-natured fellow found him and insisted on him paying a visit to hiscottage. The houses of the people in Norway, generally, are built ofwood, and are roofed with red tiles. Floors, walls, ceilings, tables,chairs, beds, etcetera, all are of wood, and usually unpainted. Allhave iron stoves for winter use; no carpets cover the floors, and noornaments grace the walls, save one or two prints, and a number of largetobacco-pipes, for the Norsemen are great smokers and chewers oftobacco.

  The language here perplexed our artist not a little. Being a lazystudent, he had left Fred to do all the talking, but now he foundhimself for the first time alone with a Norwegian! fairly left to hisown resources. Well, he accompanied his fat friend, and began bystringing together all the Norse he knew (which wasn't much), andendeavoured to look as if he knew a great deal more; but his speechquickly degenerated into sounds which were quite unintelligible eitherto his new friend or himself; at last he terminated in a mixture of badNorse and broad Scotch! Having dwelt many years in Scotland, Sam foundhis knowledge of Lowland Scotch to be of use, for there is greatsimilarity between it and the Norwegian tongue.

  For instance, they call a cow a _ko_ or a _coo_. _Bring me meen skoe_(I spell as pronounced) is, Bring me my shoes. _Gae til land_ is, Goashore. _Tak place_ is, Take place, or sit down. If you talk ofbathing, they will advise you to _dook oonder_; and should a motherpresent her baby to you she will call it her _smook barn_, her prettybairn or child, _smook_ being the Norse word for _pretty_. And it is acurious fact, worthy of particular note, that _all_ the mothers inNorway think their bairns smook, _very_ smook! and they never hesitateto tell you so; why, I cannot imagine, unless it be that if you were_not_ told, you would not be likely to find it out for yourself.

  Well, Sam and his fat friend soon became very amicable on this system.The Norseman told him no end of stories, of which he did not comprehenda sentence, but, nevertheless, looked as if he did; smiled, nodded hishead, and said "Ya, ya," (yes, yes), to which the other replied "Ya,ya," waving his arms, slapping his breast, and rolling his eyes as hebustled along towards his dwelling.

  The house was perched on a rock, close to the water's edge. It was verysmall, quite like a bandbox with windows in it. Here the man foundanother subject to rave about and dance round, in the shape of his ownbaby, a soft, smooth copy of himself, which lay sleeping like a cupid inits cradle. The man was evidently very fond--perhaps even proud--ofthis infant. He went quite into ecstasies about it; now gazing into itschubby face with looks of pensive admiration; anon starting and lookingat Sam with eager glance, as if to say, "Did you ever, in all your life,see such a magnificent cherub?" His enthusiasm was quite catching. Samafterwards confessed that he actually began to feel quite a fatherlyinterest in the cherub.

  "Oh!" cried the father in rapture, "dat er _smook_ barn" (that's apretty baby).

  "Ya, ya," said Sam, "_smook_ barn," though it must be confessed that ifhe had called it a smoked bairn he would have been nearer the mark, forit was as brown as a red herring.

  In proof of his admiration of this baby our artist made a sketch of iton the spot, and presented it to the delighted father, after which hewas introduced to the Norseman's wife, and treated
to a cup of coffee.When Sam returned from this visit, he told his companions that he wasquite amazed at having got on so well with the language, and was warm inpraise of his host, who, he said, laughed more heartily than any man hehad ever met with. It is just possible that the Norseman may have hadmore occasion afforded him for laughter than usual, for Sam had waxedvery talkative, and had been particularly profuse in the use and abuseof his pet phrase, _ver so goot_.

  Soon after this the yacht's head was turned into the Nord Fiord, at thehead of which dwelt the father and mother of Hans Ericsson. Here Hans,to his unutterable delight, found the fair Raneilda on a visit to hermother; for Raneilda was a native of that remote valley, and had gone toBergen only a year before this time.

  Here, too, Sam Sorrel found splendid scenery to paint, and Grantobtained numerous specimens of birds for his museum.

  This reminds me, by the way, that our naturalist, who was amiable andeccentric, on one occasion nearly drove his comrades out of the yacht.One day he shot a young unfledged gull or puffin, or some such creature,whose brief existence had only conducted it the length of a down coat, alittle round body, and a pair of tremendously long legs. Well, thisobject was laid carefully past [sic] in a spare berth of the yacht, inwhich they used to stow away all manner of useless articles--chairs andstools that had broken their legs, etcetera--and which went by the nameof the infirmary in consequence. About a week after, there was a mostunaccountable smell in the infirmary. Several stuffed birds hangingthere were suspected and smelt, but were found to be quite fresh. Oneor two of them were put out to air, but still the smell grew worse andworse, until the most obtuse nose did not dare to go near the infirmary.At last they became desperate. A general and thorough investigationwas instituted, and there, in a dark corner, under a hair mattress, andflat as a pancake, lay the poor puffin, alive!--but not with the lifewherewith it had lived before it was shot--and emitting an odour that isindescribable, a description of which, therefore, would be quiteunprofitable. The puffin was pitched overboard, and it was halfinsinuated that they ought to pitch the naturalist overboard along withit!

  At the head of this fiord, also, Fred Temple, to his inexpressible joy,found a mighty river in which were hundreds of salmon that had never yetbeen tempted by the angler with gaudy fly, though they had beensometimes wooed by the natives with a bunch of worms on a clumsycod-hook. Thus both Fred and Hans found themselves in an earthlyparadise. The number of splendid salmon that were caught here in acouple of weeks was wonderful; not to mention the risks run, and theadventures. Space will only permit of one or two examples being given.

  On the day of their arrival, Fred seized his rod, and taking Hans togaff the fish and show him the river, sallied forth, accompanied byabout a score of natives, chiefly men and boys, who were eager to seethe new style of fishing. They soon came to a fine-looking part of thestream, and Fred put together his rod. He was much amused at the looksof the men when they saw the thin supple point of the rod. They shooktheir heads gravely, and said, "He cannot hold a big fish with that."They were right so far, but they did not understand the use of the reeland the running line. Presently Fred cast, and almost immediately alarge salmon took his fly, the rod bent like a hoop, and the reelwhizzed furiously as the line ran out.

  Sam Sorrel, who was there at the time, afterwards said that he wasdivided between interest in the movements of the fish, and amusement atthe open mouths and staring eyes of the natives.

  This fish was a very active one; it dashed up, down, and across theriver several times, running out nearly the whole of the line more thanonce, and compelling Fred to take to the water as deep as his waist. Atlast, after a fight of half an hour, it was brought close to the bank,and Hans put the gaff-hook cleverly into its side, and hauled it ashore,amid the shouts of the astonished people, for the salmon weighedeighteen pounds.

  After a time the natives began to understand the principles offly-fishing with a rod, and regarded Fred Temple with deep respect. Onall his fishing excursions in that fiord, he was attended by a band ofeager admirers, to whom he gave most of the fish; for he caught so manyof all sizes that his friends and his crew were not able to eat thequarter of them. The catching of his largest salmon was a stirringincident.

  It happened on the evening of a very bright day. He had beenunfortunate. The sun being too bright, the fish would not rise. Thisannoyed him much, because on that particular day he had been accompaniedby the Captain and Bob Bowie, as well as his two companions, all of whomwere anxious to see him catch fish, and learn a lesson in the art. Fredwas up to his middle in a rough part of the river. It was all he coulddo to retain his foothold, the water was so strong.

  "It won't do," said he, "the sun is too bright."

  His friends on shore looked grave and disappointed.

  "I sees a cloud a-comin'," said Bob Bowie glancing upwards.

  "Hallo! hey!" shouted Grant, who observed that at that moment Fred'slegs had been swept from under him, and he was gone!

  Before any one could speak or act, Fred reappeared a little farther downthe river, holding tight to the rod, and staggering into shallowerwater.

  "None the worse of it," cried Fred, bursting into a laugh.

  Just as he said this, and while he was paying no attention to his rod, asalmon rose and seized the fly. In an instant Fred and his comradesutterly forgot all about the ducking, and were filled with theexcitement of the sport.

  Fred's rod bent like a willow wand. His eyes seemed to flash, and hislips were tightly pressed together, for he felt that he had on a verylarge fish. Suddenly it darted up stream, and did what the large fishseldom do--leaped quite out of the water.

  "A whale! stand by!" roared Bob Bowie.

  There was a cry from the others, for at that moment the salmon set offdown stream,--a most dangerous proceeding at all times. Fred made forthe bank, and let out line as fast as possible. When he gained the bankhe ran down the stream, leaping over bushes and stones like a wild goat.The places he went over in that run were terribly rugged. It seemed amiracle that he escaped without broken bones. Presently he came to asteep rock that projected into the water. There was no getting roundit, so in he dashed. It took him only up to the knees. This passed, hecame to another place of the same sort. Here he put a strain on thefish, and tried to stop it. But it was not to be stopped. It hadclearly made up its mind to go right down to the sea. Fred looked atthe pool, hesitated one moment, and then leaped in. It took him up tothe neck, and he was carried down by the current fifty yards or so, whenhis feet caught bottom again, and he managed to raise his rod, fullyexpecting to find that the salmon had broken off. But it was still on,and lively. Meanwhile, his comrades on the bank were keeping pace withhim, shouting and yelling with excitement as they ran.

  "The rapid, mind the rapid!" roared Grant.

  Fred saw a foaming rapid before him. He became anxious. It wasdangerous to venture down this. If he should touch a rock on the waydown, the chances were that he would get a limb broken. The banks herewere so thickly covered with bushes that it was impossible to pass. Thefish still held on its headlong course. "What shall I do?" thoughtFred. "If I stop he will break all to pieces, and I shall lose him.Lose him! no, never!"

  "Don't venture in, Fred," shrieked Sam Sorrel.

  But the advice came too late. Fred was already in the foaming current.In a moment he was swept down into the comparatively still water belowthe rapid. His friends lost sight of him, for they had to run roundthrough the bushes. When they got to the foot of the rapid, they foundFred on the bank, panting violently, and holding tight to the rod, forthe salmon had stopped there, and was now "sulking" at the bottom of adeep hole. For a full hour did the fisher labour to pull him out ofthat hole in vain; for in this kind of fishing nothing can be done bymain force. The great beauty of the art consists in getting the salmonto move, and in humouring his movements, so that you tire him out, andget him gradually close to your side.

  At last the fish came o
ut of the deep pool. Then there was anothershort struggle of quarter of an hour, and the fisher's perseverance andskill were rewarded. The salmon at last turned up its silvery side.Fred drew it slowly to the bank (in breathless anxiety, for many a fishis lost at this point). Hans struck the gaff in neatly, and with a hugeeffort flung it floundering on the bank, amid the hearty cheers of allpresent.

  This salmon weighed 34 pounds, and was about four feet long! It was amagnificent fish, and it may well be believed that Fred Temple did notgrudge the two hours' battle, and the risk that he had run in thecatching of it.

  CHAPTER TEN.

  CONCLUSION.

  "Sam Sorrel," said Fred Temple one day to his friend while they wereseated at breakfast in the house of a farmer of the Nord Fiord, "we havebeen here more than a fortnight now; we have enjoyed ourselves much,have had good sport of various kinds, and have laid in a stock of healthand wisdom, it is to be hoped, that will last us for some time to come."

  "That sounds very much like the beginning of a formal speech," saidGrant.

  "Hold your tongue, Grant," retorted Temple, "I have not yet done. As Ihave said, we have been successful in gaining the ends for which we camehere. We have seen the sun rise without setting. Sam Sorrel has filleda large portfolio with beautiful sketches of, perhaps, the finestscenery in Europe. Grant has shot and stuffed I am afraid to say howmany birds of all kinds, besides making a large collection of rareplants; and Fred Temple has caught about five hundred pounds' weight ofsalmon--not to mention hundreds of trout--"

  "Good," said Sam, "and very correctly stated. You are fit for the Houseof Commons, my friend."

  "Sam, be silent!--Now this being the case, it is time that we shouldthink of returning to our native land. I will, therefore, makearrangements for setting sail in two or three days. But before leavingI will bring to a point a little plot which I have been hatching eversince I landed in Norway. I won't tell you what it is just yet, but Imust have your help, Sam."

  "Command my services, sir," said Sam, with a wave of his hand. "I amyour servant, your Eastern slave, ready, if need be, to prostrate myselfin the earth and rub my nose in the dust."

  "Good. I accept your offer," said Fred, "and my first command is, thatyou take your brushes and paint me a Norwegian bride in the course ofthis forenoon!"

  "Why, your orders cannot be obeyed," cried Sam in surprise. "Where am Ito find a bride on such short notice? You are more unreasonable thanthe most tyrannical of sultans."

  "Nevertheless," replied Fred calmly, "I issue my commands, and in orderto relieve your mind of anxiety, I will find a bride for you."

  "Where, then, is this bride, O wizard?" asked Sam with a laugh.

  "Behold her!" cried Fred, starting up and throwing open the door, fromwhich could be seen the shore and the fiord with its background of noblehills.

  Sam and Grant started up with sudden exclamations, and stared at theobject which met their gaze in speechless wonder. And truly there wascause for astonishment; for there, on the shore, close to the water'sedge, stood the fair Raneilda, clothed in the gorgeous costume of aNorwegian bride.

  "Assuredly you are a wizard," cried Grant, glancing at his friend.

  "Not so," replied Fred. "I met sweet Raneilda last night at herfather's cottage, and begged of her to come here at a certain hour thismorning in the costume of a bride, in order that my friend the artistmight paint her. She hesitated and blushed a good deal at first, but atlength she agreed, and, as you see, is punctual in keeping herappointment."

  Fred now went down to Raneilda, and brought her up to the house; SamSorrel at once placed her in a good position, seized his brushes, andbegan the portrait.

  He was delighted with the dress, for it glittered with gold and silverornaments. The crown was of pure silver covered with gold. Thebreastplate was red cloth ornamented with silver-gilt brooches, beads ofvarious colours, silver chains, and small, round looking-glasses. Therewas also a belt ornamented with gold and silver. Altogether Raneildalooked much more like the Queen of Norway than a poor peasant girl!

  It is necessary to inform the reader that the greater part of thiscostume did not belong to the girl. In fact it did not belong to anyone in particular. It is the custom in Norway for each district to havea marriage-dress for general use. The crown, the breastplate, and thebelt are public property, and may be hired out by the girls who areabout to be married at a few shillings for each occasion.

  While Sam was busy with his portrait, Grant went out to search forplants, and Fred went off to search for Hans and to carry out theremainder of his plot. He soon found the young pilot.

  "Hans," said he, "follow me, I wish to speak with you."

  Hans was quite willing to follow Fred to the moon if he had chosen tolead the way.

  "I am going to show you a very pretty sight, Hans; step this way. Here,in this room."

  He threw open the door and led him in. The young Norseman entered witha smile, but the smile suddenly vanished, his blue eyes opened to theirutmost width, and he stood rooted to the floor, unable to speak!

  "Tuts! what means this?" cried Sam in disgust at being interrupted.

  "Raneilda!" gasped her lover.

  The bride covered her face with her hands.

  "Very good! excellent!" exclaimed Grant who chanced to pass at themoment, and peeped in at the open window.

  "Hurrah!" cried Bob Bowie, who just then came up to announce that the_Snowflake_ was ready for sea.

  "She won't be wanted for some days yet," cried Fred bursting into a fitof laughter as he seized Hans by the arm, dragged him into another room,and shut the door.

  "Now, Hans," said he earnestly, "I am going to pay you off. Nay, man,be not cast down, I did not take you into yonder room to mock you, butto show you how pretty Raneilda looked in her bridal dress."

  Fred paused for a moment, and the Norseman sighed and shook his head.

  "You must know," resumed Fred, "that I wish to dance at your wedding,Hans, and in order that I may do so, I mean to have you married at once.(Hans stared.) You told me in Bergen that you wanted some sort of workthat would bring you good pay. (Hans nodded his head.) Well, I willgive you a hundred dollars for the time you have been with me."

  Hans' face brightened, and he shook hands with Fred, according toNorwegian custom when a gift is presented, or a generous payment made.

  "Now," continued Fred, "did you not tell me that two hundred dollarswould enable you to take your father's farm off his hands? (Hans noddedagain.) And is Raneilda willing to marry you when you can afford to askher? (Hans nodded this time, very decidedly.) Well, Hans, I have beenvery much pleased with the way in which you have conducted yourselfwhile in my service; you have done your duty well. (Hans smiled andlooked happy.) But you have done more than that. (Hans lookedsurprised.) You have been the means of enabling me to see the sun allnight at a time when I should otherwise have missed it. I owe yousomething for that. Moreover, you pulled me out of that rapid by theneck when I caught the twenty-eight pound salmon, and so, perhaps, werethe means of saving my life; and certainly you saved me that salmon.For all this, and for many other good deeds, I owe you a debt ofgratitude. Now, Hans, you must know that it is impossible to pay a debtof gratitude _in full_, for, however much you may pay, there is alwayssomething more owing. (Hans looked puzzled.) This debt, then, I cannotpay up at once, but I can prove to you that I consider myself yourdebtor by making you a present of another hundred dollars. Here is themoney, my lad, so go and tell Raneilda to get ready as soon aspossible!"

  Hans stared in wonder and unbelief, first at the money, then at Fred.Then a look of triumph gleamed in his eyes, and he seized Fred's handand wrung it. Then he uttered a shout, and ran to Raneilda and kissedher. Fred kissed her too. Sam Sorrel and Grant, not knowing exactlywhat to do, kissed her also; and Bob Bowie, who was under the beliefthat they were all mad, made a grasp at the poor girl but missed her,for Raneilda was overwhelmed with confusion, and ran nimbly out of ther
oom, leaving her crown behind her! Hans Ericsson hastily picked it upand ran after her, leaving Fred Temple to explain things to hisastonished friends as he best could.

  So that was the end of _that_ matter.

  But that was by no means the end of the whole affair. Before the_Snowflake_ left the fiord, Hans and Raneilda were married, as all truelovers ought to be.

  The fair bride was once again decked out in the queen-like garmentswhich had formerly filled Sam and Grant with so great surprise andadmiration; and Fred, as he had promised, danced at the Norseman'swedding. And not only did Fred dance, but so did his friends--ay, andhis whole ship's crew. And it would have done your heart good, reader,to have seen the way in which the Jack-tars footed it on that occasionon the green grass, and astonished the Norsemen. But it must also betold that the Norsemen were not a whit behindhand, for they showed thetars a number of capers and new steps which they had never before seenor even dreamed of!

  Just before the ball began there was heard a sound resembling the yellsof an exceedingly young pig in its dying agonies. This was a violin.It was accompanied by a noise somewhat like to the beating of aflour-mill, which was found to proceed from the heel of the fiddler, whohad placed a wooden board under his left foot. Thus he beat time, and adrum, as it were, at once. He also beat Paganini and all other fiddlershollow. Round this manufacturer of sweet sounds did the lads and lassesflock and soon gave evidence of their sympathy with the rest of mankindby beginning to dance.

  Certainly elegance is not a characteristic of the Norwegian peasantry!Having formed a ring, they went to work with the utmost gravity anddecorum. Scarcely a laugh was heard! nothing approaching to a shoutduring the whole evening. The nature of their dances was utterlyincomprehensible. The chief object the young men had in view seemed tobe to exhibit their agility by every species of bound and fling of whichthe human frame is capable, including the rather desperate feat ofdashing themselves flat upon the ground. The principal care of thegirls seemed to be to keep out of the way of the men, and avoid beingkilled by a frantic kick or felled by a random blow.

  But the desperate features in each dance did not appear at once. Eachman began by seizing his partner and dragging her recklessly round thecircle, ever and anon twirling her round violently with one arm, andcatching her round the waist with the other, in order apparently to saveher from total destruction. To this treatment the fair damselssubmitted for some time with downcast eyes and pleased yet bashfullooks. Then the men seemed to fling them off and go at it entirely ontheir own account, yet keeping up a sort of revolving course round theirpartners, like satellites encircling their separate suns. Presently themen grew furious; rushed about the circle in wild erratic courses,leaped into the air, and while in that position slapped the soles oftheir feet with both hands!

  Then they became a little more sane, and a waltz, or something like it,was got up. It was quite pretty, and some of the movements graceful;but the wild spirit of the glens seemed to re-enter them again rathersuddenly. The females were expelled from the ring altogether, and theyoung men braced themselves for a little really heavy work; they dashed,flung, and hurled themselves about like maniacs, stood on their headsand walked on their hands; in short, became a company of acrobats, yetalways kept up a sort of sympathetic attempt at time with the fiddler,who went on pounding his wooden board with his left heel and murderingan inconceivable multitude of young pigs with a degree of energy thatwas only equalled by that of those to whom he fiddled.

  But not a man, woman, or child there gave vent to his or her feelings inlaughter. They smiled, they commented in a soft tone, they lookedhappy; nay, they _were_ happy, but they did not laugh! Once only didthey give way a little, and that was when an aspiring youth, afterhaving nearly leaped down his own throat, walked round the circle on hishands.

  Even Tittles danced that day! He danced in and out among the feet ofthe dancers in a most perplexing manner, and got his unhappy toes andhis unfortunate tail trod upon to a terrible extent. But Tittles didnot seem to mind. It is true that he gave a yelp of pain on eachoccasion, but he instantly forgave the offender if he looked at allsorry. Upon the whole Tittles was the cause of much noise, no littleconfusion, and great amusement at that celebrated wedding.

  Thus did Fred Temple and his friends spend their last day in Norway.

  At midnight they set sail for Old England. On rising next morning theyfound themselves far out among the islands of the coast. Soon afterthat they were out of sight of land,--heaving on the swell of the ocean,thinking over the varied and stirring scenes of the past three monthswith a sort of feeling that it must have been all a dream, and wishingheartily that they were still away in the far north, enjoying theendless daylight and--_Chasing the Sun_.

  THE END.