ad taught her to read and write, and with what she
found in the Bible and psalm-book, and in 'Exploits of Danish and
Norwegian Naval Heroes,' a book in their possession, she had in a manner
lived pretty much upon the anecdotes which in leisure moments she could
extract from that grandfather, so chary of his speech, about his sailor
life in his youth.

They had besides, in the little inner room, a small print, without a
frame, of the action near the Heather Islands, in which he had taken
part. It represented the frigate Naiad, with the brigs Samso, Kiel, and
Lolland, in furious conflict with the English ship of the line Dictator,
which lay across the narrow harbour with the brig Calypso, and was
pounding the Naiad to pieces. The names of the ships were printed
underneath.

On the print there was little to be seen but mast-heads and
cannon-mouths, and a confusion of smoke, but in this had the child lived
whole years of her life; and many a time in fancy had she stood there
and fought the Englishman. Men-of-war and their officers had become the
highest conception of her fancy, and the dearest wish of her heart was
that a man-of-war might some day pass so near to Torungen that she would
be able to see distinctly everything on board.

CHAPTER II.

After old Jacob had fallen into ill health, lighterman Kristiansen used
to come out oftener to Torungen with provisions and other necessaries;
and his visits now became periodical.

He was accompanied one autumn by his son Salve, a black-haired,
dark-eyed, handsome lad, with a sharp, clever face, who had worked in
the fishing-boats along the coast from his childhood almost, and had, in
fact, been brought up amongst its sunken rocks and reefs and breakers.
He was something small in stature, perhaps; but what he wanted in
robustness he made up in readiness and activity--qualities which stood
him in good stead in the many quarrels into which his too ready tongue
was wont to bring him. He was eighteen years old at this time; had been
already engaged as an able seaman; and was in great request at the
Sandvigen and Vraangen dances,--a fact of which he was perfectly well
aware. Old Jacob's granddaughter, being a little girl of only fourteen
years of age, was of course altogether beneath his notice, and he didn't
condescend to speak to her. He merely delivered himself of the witticism
that she was like a heron; and with her thick, checked woollen
handkerchief tied with the en