THE FJORDS AND FJELDS OF THE HARDANGER"
THE holiday-making English public, that loves to combine a little sport with a change of scene, ought by this time to be fairly familiar with the advantages offered by a visit to Norway. Nevertheless, in spite of the many guide-books that already exist and the literary effusions of innumerable tourists, we would warmly recommend to their notice this modest little work by Major Mockler-Ferryman giving an account of personal experiences in Norwegian travel and sport, and much pleasant gossip on the subject of Norwegian folk- lore. The author has confined his work to the fjords and fjelds of the Hardanger—that district of the country which lies opposite to our eastern shores—with the result that his description of the country, if somewhat rough from a scientific point of view, is at least a good deal more thorough than that to be found in the ordinary guide- book ; and as he appears to be addicted to many and very different pursuits, the traveller who does not find some in- terest in his pages must be very difficult to please. Major Mockler-Ferryman is not only a keen sportsman, but also a man of no small scientific attainments, with more than a smattering of geological knowledge and that legendary history that is known as folk-lore, and, as he possesses also a • In the Northman's Land. By Major H. F. Ikekler-Ferlyman. L-ndon: Sampson Low. 11 irston. ad Co.
pleasant and entertaining style, he has produced a book which should interest more people than intending tourists.
The Hardanger Fjord itself is a great arm of the sea running inland for some hundred and twenty miles towards the barren wastes of Thelemark. Between this water-valley and the mountains that shut it in lies a belt of fertile land dotted with the quaint farmhouses which are familiar to all travellers in Norway. Other fjords, dividing the mountain chain, stretch inland from the Hardanger. Notably, the Mauranger Fjord, that leads up to the perpetual snow-fields of the Folgefond, and the long-reaching Sot. Fjord, at the head of which stands the town of Odda and the famous water- fall of Skjmggedal. With the exception of the manor- house of Rosendal—the place of Bothwell's exile—there is no building of any historical interest in the neighbourhood.
But nowhere in Norway will the visitor find a greater and more beautiful variety of scenery or more striking traces of old Norwegian life. The annual invasion of foreigners has naturally succeeded only too well in robbing the country of some of its characteristic features, such as its national dress, and spoiling others by the erection everywhere of huge hotels. Still the Hardanger province yet retains much of its old life, and though the last twenty years have wrought a sad change in the brilliancy and variety of the national costumes, it still affords ample opportunity of study to the curious in those matters. In legends and fairy-tales the Hardanger district is perhaps richer than any other. The boatmen everywhere seem to have an inexhaustible stock of marvellous tales of adventure by sea and land,—stories of sea-serpents and other monsters of the deep, and of underground goblins that haunt the rocky sides of the mountains. The author remarks,
a propos of the many sea-serpent stories with which he was regaled, that he began to think that he had at last discovered the original habitat of the great sea-serpent. But surely,
according to Norse mythology, he was quite right, for the serpent once caught by Thor is still the biggest on record. To turn from the mythical to the actual, the author has much to say on the subject of reindeer and other animals that are indigenous to the country. It would appear that the wild reindeer are rapidly giving place to the tame. From a sportsman's point of view this is, of course, much to be regretted ; but although the small farmer, who has hitherto made his only profit out of reindeer with his gun, is also prone to lament the change, it is more than possible that it will ultimately conduce to his benefit. The fact is that the Norwegian has yet much to learn from his humble and less civilised neighbour the Lapp. The author writes :—
"What the future of the reindeer will be it is hard to say ; but one thing is certain, either the tame herds or the wild ones must cease to exist. Their fate depends on the Norwegian Govern- ment; the preservation of the wild deer can only be ensured by the abolition of reindeer farming on or near the high-fjelds. But since the latter pursuit is likely to prove far more lucrative than hunting, it is improbable that any Government will ever feel inclined to uphold the sportsman's rights against those of the farmer. The people want money badly, and few will grudge them the means of making it, even though it mean the loss of one of the most enjoyable sports of Northern Europe."
Well, every one has their own idea of what is enjoyable sport ; for our part, in spite of the enthusiasm with which the author recounts his own experiences in reindeer-stalking, we are hardly inclined to endorse his opinion. Of more curious interest to naturalists is the account that the author gives of the lemming, a little beast which, before now, has played a more destructive part in Norway than even the rabbit in Australia. Now and again, at rare intervals, occurs what is called a "lemming year," when the lemmings multiply beyond all reason, and carry devastation throughout the country. The cause of their increase and the object of the subsequent
migration remains a mystery. According to an eye-witness of one of these raids— "News had already reached the fjord that the little pest was more numerous than usual in the fjelds, and the farmers set to work to gather in their crops as rapidly as possible. At first they appeared by twos and threes, then the mountain sides and the valleys became covered with them, as they poured down towards the fjord. In many instances the farmers were too late, and their crops disappeared in a single night before the ravaging hosts that overran the country. Like all armies, they left a trail of corpses in their wake, which polluted the streams and made drinking. water scarce. On reaching the fjord, each beast plunged blindly in, to perish before swimming any great distance. The floating corpses completely covered the surface of the water for several hundreds of yards out, and the stench became unbearable. Neither were these the only evils, for tho pollution of the drinking water brought on a fever (known as 'lemming fever') amongst the inhabitants, which took months to eradicate."
Other eye-witnesses describe the crowd of beasts and birds of prey in pursuit,—foxes, gluttons, lynxes, and wild cats, with every kind of owl and hawk. The lemming, by the way, was also the cause of much curious speculation among the old naturalists. No wonder Olaus Magnus once declared that they fell out of the air "in tempests and sudden showers."
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