orbud_ not having been forwarded from the former station
as soon as the law allowed us to expect. A strapping boy of eighteen
acted as station master. His trowsers reached considerably above his
shoulder blades, leaving barely room for a waistcoat, six inches long,
to be buttoned over his collar bone. The characteristic costumes of
Norway are more quaint and picturesque in the published illustrations
than in the reality, particularly those of Hemsedal. My postillion to
this station was a communicative fellow, and gave me some information
about the value of labour. A harvest-hand gets from one mark (twenty-one
cents) to one and a half daily, with food, or two marks without. Most
work is paid by the job; a strong lumber-man may make two and a half
marks when the days are long, at six skillings (five cents) a tree--a
plowman two marks. In the winter the usual wages of labourers are two
marks a week, with board. Shoemakers, tailors, and other mechanics
average about the same daily. When one considers the scarcity of good
food, and the high price of all luxuries, especially tobacco and brandy,
it does not seem strange that the emigration fever should be so
prevalent. The Norwegians have two traits in common with a large class
of Americans--rampant patriotism and love of gain; but they cannot so
easily satisfy the latter without sacrificing the former.

From the village of Gol, with its dark pretty church, we descended a
steep of many hundred feet, into Hallingdal, whose broad stream flashed
blue in the sunshine far below us. The mountains were now wooded to
their very summits; and over the less abrupt slopes, ripe oats and
barley-fields made yellow spots of harvest among the dark forests. By
this time we were out of smoking material, and stopped at the house of a
_landhandlare_, or country merchant, to procure a supply. A riotous
sound came from the door as we approached. Six or eight men, all more or
less drunk, and one woman, were inside, singing, jumping, and howling
like a pack of Bedlamites. We bought the whole stock of tobacco,
consisting of two cigars, and hastened out of the den. The last station
of ten miles was down the beautiful Hallingdal, through a country which
seemed rich by contrast with Hemsedal and the barren fjeld. Our
stopping-place was the village of Naes, which we reached in a famished
condition, having eaten nothing all day. There were two _landhandlare_
in the place, with one of whom we lodged. Here we