and forty Russian
vessels, which had arrived from the White Sea during the previous week
or two, lay crowded before the large fish warehouses built along the
water. They were all three-masted schooners, the main and mizen masts
set close together, and with very heavy, square hulls. Strong Muscovite
faces, adorned with magnificent beards, stared at us from the decks, and
a jabber of Russian, Finnish, Lapp, and Norwegian, came from the rough
boats crowding about our gangways. The north wind, blowing to us off the
land, was filled with the perfume of dried codfish, train oil, and
burning whale-"scraps," with which, as we soon found, the whole place is
thoroughly saturated.

There is one hotel in the place, containing half a dozen chambers of the
size of a state-room. We secured quarters here with a great deal of
difficulty, owing to slowness of comprehension on the part of an old
lady who had charge of the house. The other American, who at first took
rooms for himself and wife, gave them up again very prudently; for the
noises of the billiard-room penetrated through the thin wooden
partitions, and my bed, at least, had been slept in by one of the
codfish aristocracy, for the salty odour was so pungent that it kept me
awake for a long time. With our fare, we had less reason to complain.
Fresh salmon, arctic ptarmigan, and reindeer's tongue were delicacies
which would have delighted any palate, and the wine had really seen
Bordeaux, although rainy weather had evidently prevailed during the
voyage thence to Hammerfest. The town lies in a deep bight, inclosed by
precipitous cliffs, on the south-western side of the island, whence the
sun, by this time long past his midsummer altitude, was not visible at
midnight. Those of our passengers who intended returning by the
_Nordkap_ climbed the hills to get another view of him, but
unfortunately went upon the wrong summit, so that they did not see him
after all. I was so fatigued, from the imperfect sleep of the sunshiny
nights and the crowd of new and exciting impressions which the voyage
had given me, that I went to bed; but my friend sat up until long past
midnight, writing, with curtains drawn.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE MIDNIGHT SUN.

Most of the travellers who push as far north as Hammerfest content
themselves with one experience of the midnight sun, and return with the
same steamer to Drontheim. A few extend their journey to the North Cape,
and, once a year, on an averag