LETTER VI.

COOKING PARTY, AND RUN TO ALTEN.

Alten, August, 1843.

DEAR S--According to our anticipation, the steamer arrived on the morning of the day after I wrote to you last. As soon as she came to an anchor, we went on board; and K- -n was surprised and delighted to meet on her quarterdeck two old friends, one of whom had been a companion of his, when he was in this country, some years before. We were introduced, and invited them and another Englishman, who was on board, to dinner. As the steamer would not start until late that night, or rather early next morning, we determined on a shooting excursion. We supplied our visiters with guns, &c. We were successful in bagging a number of grouse and snipe, and returned, in the evening, rather sharp set. We had paid our men in the morning, in order to let them buy provisions, and some other things they wanted. We found, that they had done what sailors generally do, when they get on shore, with money in their pockets-got drunk,—and our cook, a smart, active lad, who, under the direction of Be, prepared every thing for the pot, had met with an accident, and nearly cut one of his hands off; and not a single thing was in readiness,-neither fire nor water, potatoes peeled, nor grouse plucked. After a growl or two, we set to work, guests and all, peeling, boiling, roasting, plucking away. All this being quite a novelty to the Englishmen, they enjoyed it very much. Joking and laughing were the order of the day. K-n being particularly expert

at the plucking process, all birds were passed on to him, to get the finishing touch, while I employed myself under the orders of Le, who had charge of all our liquid stores, in lowering over the stern several long-necked gentlemen, in white cravats, to remain a few fathoms deep, until called for. I kept a sharp eye to them, being apprehensive lest some big cod fish might have a corkscrew in his pocket. Our united efforts were crowned with success; and we sat down to—although not a fashionably served dinner, a right good one ;-plenty and variety, both of solids and fluids. We had taken out a supply of preserved meat, &c., with us, intending to reserve it for hard times. On this occasion, we broke through our rule, and turned out a fine plum pudding, which disappeared in the twinkling of a handspike, high enconiums being lavished on the maker and preserver of it. Round went the social glass; past scenes and future prospects were discussed, until the signal gun from the steamer gave notice of departure. We drained a parting cup. Our guests went over the side, and pulled away for the steamer.

Having ascertained that all our men were on board, we determined to sail. Our skipper, whom, latterly, at times, it had been very difficult to make get under weigh, now refused to do so, alleging that the wind was not fair. Knowing that this was not the case, and determined to put a stop to this work, we held a council of war, and it was determined, instanter, to sail. I was deputed to go on deck, and communicate our orders. I did so; but our skipper refused to comply with them, stating the old reason, and some others, equally absurd. Seeing he wanted to humbug us, I spoke to him, pretty sharply; this produced no effect. I then told him, that we were determined to put a stop to his interference with our orders. He said, he would go ashore, and leave the sloop; and called to the men to get the boat ready. I ordered the men on deck, and informed him, no man should leave the sloop without our permission; adding, that

we would give him fifteen minutes, and that, if, in that time, he had not got the vessel under weigh, we would make him do it. Seeing we were determined to force compliance with our orders, he obeyed, at once, and away we went, in the wake of the steamer. The skipper, who is well paid, and per day, thought he would go to windward of us, and keep us knocking about the creeks of this part of the coast, until it suited his pleasure to move; but that don't suit us. Since then, we have had no

trouble.

We have carried on, day and night; and, early on Thursday, the 17th, we anchored in Tromso harbour. This seems a fine, thriving little town, built entirely of wood, as all houses are in this country, and containing about three thousand inhabitants. It has a large trade with the Northern parts of Russia. We were a couple of weeks too late, to see many Russians here, as they always depart, at a certain season of the year. A few of their vessels were lying in the harbour, or, more properly speaking, roadstead,-large, heavy, clumsy craft, rigged with one large square-sail. The sailors belonging to them were fine-looking men, but appeared rather odd to the eye of an Englishman, in consequence of their wearing long beards, and having their wide trowsers tucked into their boots. Went ashore, got our letters, and bought some stores. Saw some Laplanders in this place, who had come down from the mountains, and made a Summer encampment on the opposite side of the Fiord-queer-looking, small chaps, dressed in skins,-dirty and "unkempt,” as it is possible to conceive any thing to be. It is rather difficult for a stranger to distinguish a man from a woman. They seem fond of gaudy ornaments, and wear caps trimmed with glass beads, tinsel, gold foil, and other flash affairs. Heard that there was no game on the island (Tromso is situated on an island,—not a large one); but, having seen all the lions of the town, amounting to nil, except the extraordinary flag of some Consul or other, -the nation we could not make out,-and, having nothing to

do until dinner time, I shouldered my gun, and started for a ramble. After walking between two and three miles, I came to some excellent ground; found the grouse plenty; and blazed away. I soon expended all my powder and shot, having taken with me much less than usual. Nevertheless, I returned in time for dinner, with a capital bag-ten brace of grouse, two brace of golden plover, and an Alpine hare, which our cook dignified with the name of a 66 smo caat,"—not bad for the time.

Grouse-shooting is very difficult in this country, as the birds are found among birch scrub, and not among beather, or in open ground, as in Scotland. It is very difficult to keep near your dog, or to keep him in sight. In some localities, the inhabitants cut the young shoots, for Winter fodder for their cattle. By this process, the birch scrub is rendered very thick; and, unless a bird is shot dead, you often lose it; and when the cover is higher than your head, as is often the case, shooting grouse among it is sharp work. I lost several birds at Tromso, in this sort of stuff. Sometimes I had three or four down at the same time, in different directions; and, as I went to get them, at every few yards others were springing up, on all sides. I was obliged to part with nearly all my scanty dress, hanging it on bushes, to mark the different spots where the birds fell. My dog being very staunch and steady, I managed charmingly. I shot very well, that day, and regretted not having more time and ammunition, as I could have gone on bagging, at the same rate, for hours. But we had determined to sail, early the next morning, in order to get to the Alten river, before the salmon season ended there. I can tell you, it is no joke, carrying such a bag as I had, for several miles, over broken and difficult ground, after you have been pretty well worked; remember, the weather is extremely warm. I just got in as dinner was served. We dined on shore, that day: I threw down my spoils, stretched out my hands, and seized the first liquid I could reach. Fortunately, it was a bottle of light claret; I tumbled it into a jug, took

a pull, a long one and a strong one. I was almost dust before, -that swig turned me into clay, and made me feel mortal again. We had a glorious haunch of reindeer venison for dinner. It vanished "like the fabric of a vision, and left not a wreck behind." We had intended crossing the Fiord after dinner, to visit the Lap encampment I mentioned before; but a heavy squall came on, and lasted until it was too late for us to go. We went on board, turned in, ordering the skipper to sail at four o'clock, next morning.

Ran on, all day;-heavy squalls, notwithstanding which we carried on, and, as the wind was fair, did not mind how hard it blew. The coast was very bleak and barren, bold headlands jutting far out into the sea, while the narrow deep valleys are blocked up with glaciers, magnificent ones, many hundred feet high, perpendicular almost to the water's edge. The tops of the mountains were not very rugged; the coast has altered its appearance, in some respects; it rises from the sea, bold and bluff; the headlands standing far out; many are of the most fantastic and picturesque forms. We amused ourselves by comparing them to different objects, of which they were gigantic representations. They range from two to three thousand feet high-perhaps some of them more. Headland and glacier, headland and glacier, mile after mile we rushed past, the foam hissing from our bows. Being all nearly of the same height, once out of the valleys, it is comparatively table-land, covered with immense fields of snow, extending so far, that the eye can sometimes scarcely distinguish the line where they join the sky; they seem to melt into air: occasionally a black rocky peak bursts through, and thrusts its head far into the sky, domineering with dark and sullen front over the scene. Ha ha! old Boreas wakened from a long nap; and, like an ill-tempered woman, he gave us frequent squalls: during the night, he became extremely obstreperous, split our mainsail, and nearly sent us ashore; we were just as wild as he was, and carried on.