s nor whales were ever
drawn into the Norwegian Maelstroem to their destruction. There are
several other similar rapids in and about these pinnacled islands,
identical in their nature, though the one here referred to is the most
restless and formidable.

On close examination the Lofodens are found to consist of a maze of
irregular mountain-peaks and precipices, often between two and three
thousand feet in height, the passage between them being very tortuous,
winding amid straits interspersed with hundreds of rocky islets which
are the home of large flocks of sea-birds. Dwarf-trees, small patches of
green grass, and velvety moss grow near the water's edge, and carpet
here and there a few acres of soil, but the high ridges are bleak and
bare rock, covered in spots with never-melting snow. These islands are
composed mainly of granite, and for wonderful peaks and oddly pointed
shapes, deep and far-reaching gulches, are unequalled elsewhere. It
seems marvellous that a steamer can be safely navigated through such
narrow passages and among such myriads of sunken rocks. These elevations
from beneath the sea vary from mere turtlebacks, as sailors call them,
just visible above the water, to mountains with sky-kissing peaks. For a
vessel to run upon one of these low hummocks would simply be
destruction, as the water alongside of them is rarely less than two or
three hundred fathoms in depth.

The total length of these remarkable islands is about a hundred and
thirty miles, and the area is computed at fifteen hundred and sixty
square miles. The population will not vary much from twenty thousand,
and the entire occupation of the people is fishing, curing the fish, and
shipping them southward.

The hardy fishermen work nearly all winter at their rough occupation,
braving the tempestuous Northern Ocean in frail, undecked boats, which
to an inexperienced eye seem to be utterly unfit for such exposed
service. The harvest time to the cod-fishers here is from January to the
middle of April. Casualties, of course, are more or less frequent, but
do not exceed those encountered by our fishermen on the banks of
Newfoundland. In the year 1848, a terrible hurricane visited the
Lofodens, and in a few hours swept over five hundred fishermen into
eternity. The men engaged in this service come from all parts of Norway,
returning to their homes in summer and engaging in other occupations.

As we leave the group and steer towards the mainland, it