The Argosy — page 228: what you’re looking at

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

About Norway. 211 fect. So pleased was he at the idea, that henceforth he seldom appeared without his red blanket, which, worn now on the cross, and now on the square, gave an interesting variety to his appearance. We reached Hammerfest the next morning, and landed to walk up a valley in search of reindeer. It was a cold, wet morning; but people will go through the greatest hardships in life for their own pleasure, and no one thought of staying behind on account of the rain. To do so would have been madness ; but to go forward, get drenched, catch rheumatic fever, or at least a terrific cold—this might be risked. So all went forward. Hammerfest seemed to consist of one long, straggling street, built on the slope of the hill. It is noted for its cod-liver oil factories. Without exaggeration, it may be asserted that upon landing we were almost knocked backwards to the earth with the smell. Anything more awful and terrible cannot be imagined. Every time we passed a factory out came pocket-handkerchiefs, and the whole party took to their heels as if pursued by the incarnation of evil, all dignity and grace recklessly abandoned. Never will those Hammerfest smells be forgotten ; they are still too much even for remembrance. However, we survived this also, and reached the entrance to the valley. A stony; barren vale, absolutely void of verdure and vegeta- tion, with a rough path, up which we began to toil in search of rein- deer. Everyone, it must be explained, was reindeer mad. Up and up we went: to our right a running stream, with a miniature sluice and a small mill, something like a Shetland mill, for grinding corn. But the road was difficult and toilsome, and the valley had no beauty of its own to reward these pilgrims sacrificing at pleasure’s shrine. It was wide and long—very long. The mountains fell away in gradual slopes of barren rock and stone, here and there covered with patches of lichen. Where the slopes were not rocky they were marshy ; and a scream would now and then be heard, and an un- happy mortal might be seen gradually disappearing—like Mephisto- pheles through the trap-door. Unfortunately, no flames issued to warm our benumbed members; and. the interesting feminine screamer of course received timely and masculine rescue. But to-day no reindeer—perverse animals !—appeared. This was the tragic element in the excursion. After walking for an hour and more, it was time to return. We did return, philosophically consoling ourselves with the idea that disappointment is the lot of man. A. and Herr X., however, went on to the top of one of the slopes, and when they returned declared they had come upon a whole herd of reindeer, who had stared at them, and made friends with them in the most entertaining manner. Upon which the rest of the pas- sengers felt themselves aggrieved ; said that what was fair for one was fair for another, and that it was very unhandsome behaviour on the part of X. and A. not to have turned back with the rest. People will be a little unreasonable when smarting under disappointment, ‘ CORMIC DOO SS (CO)