The Argosy — page 393: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

374 About N orway. So we made ourselves as comfortable as circumstances permitted. A solitary mountain hut, dark skies, a steady downpour of rain; a temperature cold and chilling; no fire; people who spoke not one word of English; all this was only conducive to hilarity to such natures as belong to Mr. Mark Tapley. Yet we found more than could have been expected in a spot so desolate, so difficult of access, so remote from the world—and so far above it. The little hut contained a living-room, two tiny sleeping- rooms, just large enough to hold two small beds in each, and a fourth room that was half bed, half store-rroom. As there was not space in the sleeping-rooms for a bed avd a wash-hand-stand, a basin—not too large—was placed ona chair in a sitting-room; and an original looking-glass developed mountains and precipices inone’s physiognomy and reflected a double set of features. We endeavoured to buy it as a curiosity, but the people evidently considered it a rare and precious article, and refused to part with it. This cottage had evidently been built for the accommodation of travellers. ‘The people of the farm lived in a building opposite, which seemed composed of one large room, with a huge chimney corner, where peats were burning, and sending forth fragrant odours. They were decent, civilized-looking people, like most of their kind we saw in Aardal: men and women of a type above the ordinary men and women one meets with in that class of life. They prepared us a famous tea in their own quarters, and ran across with it to ours. The very fact of not being able to comprehend each other—for not even Jens spoke a word of English—made the slight errors and misunderstandings that occurred, so many golden opportunities for merriment in this gloomy abode. Before Jens disappeared for the night we had a long and animated conversation with him, and though often wide of the mark, each was convinced of being thoroughly understood by the other. ‘There was something so intelligent about Jens, that his ignorance of English was nothing short of a disgrace: he was so open, frank and honest, so anxious to please, so gentle and quiet, that we felt ourselves lucky to have found so pleasant a guide. In this benighted spot, not only hours, but days and weeks away from all civilization, an ill-tempered or morose fellow, with an “ evil eye” or an ungainly cast of count- enance, would have been an object for conciliation with fear and trembling. Jens was the exact opposite to all this. The next morning we started soon after five o’clock for the Vettifos. From this point everyone had to walk: the path was too rugged, broken, and precipitous for any horse to attempt it. A road rough and rugged indeed; full of rocks and stones, brambles and wild roots; overgrown with tangle which concealed many of the inequalities, and sent you now and then sprawling head foremost in a manner more grotesque than pleasant. A sharp, steep, quick descent. The rain, which had come down in torrents all night, COMNICLMOOOKSEE OLA 9]