The Argosy — page 318: what you’re looking at

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

About Norway. 299 tints of an arctic night once more surprised and awed us by their beauty. The sea ‘took up the tale” and reflected back the most brilliant hues. The last vision of the Lofodens dwells in the memory as a dream almost of a celestial paradise. Crossing the Vestfjord we landed at a small station, and mounted a hill in the hope of gaining a good view of the midnight sun. But at the actual moment—when it ceases to descend, runs an instant along the horizon, and then rises upwards again—we did not see it. The now far-off Lofodens for once were in the way. Tuesday morning, to everyone’s joy, was brilliant with sunny skies. At 4 a.m. we passed Bodo, where we had landed on the journey northwards, and it seemed quite an old familiar friend to us. At eleven we passed again the grand snowfield with its splendid glaciers, crossed the Arctic Circle and passed the Hestmand, and so glided from the regions of the midnight sun. Towards evening we passed the mountain of the Seven Sisters; a grand cluster rising nearly 3,000 feet high, with seven peaks. At five o’clock we reached Sannesoen ; a lovely spot with low bills bathed in sunshine, surround- ing a small harbour full of boats. On the land was a small, brown, picturesque church, with a little tower surmounted by a species of dome-spire that looked as if it might be shut up like a telescope. From this place we had a grand view of the Seven Sisters: those gigantic granite mountains, whose peaks rose up so sharply, with long curves between. During the night we had passed our old friend Torghatten, where we had previously landed and climbed up to its wonderful tunnel. Wednesday rose cold and cloudy, but cleared up towards evening, as we passed through a narrow channel with just width enough for the steamer. It was a wonderful and very lovely spot, and we glided through pale green transparent waters, surrounded by lonely hills and mountains. ‘Then the channel opened up into a magnificent natural harbour, and we passed through quite a fleet of vessels riding at anchor, painted in gay colours that reflected themselves in the calm waters. This was one of the prettiest sights of a voyage that had been crowded with beautiful sights and impressions. The evening wore on to night: night that was now very decided twilight. In the middle of that night Throndhjem was reached. Here a few of the passengers landed and we saw them no more. Before we were up in the morning, the ancient capital was far out of sight, and the second visit we had wished to pay the cathedral had to be deferred to some future occasion. Thursday morning, in cold and cloudy weather, we made Christiansund: but how different was the aspect and impression of the place from that first morning when we had seen it in all the glorious sunshine and all the picturesque solemnity of the water funeral! Now we were only too glad to leave it and make way. At 9.30 that evening, when the clouds had all cleared away. and a brilliant sunset was once more charming us beyond words, we CORINELMO© <S (©) An