NORWAY. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE NATIVES ABEOAD. 



TTTHILST travelling from place to place by steamer 

 one enjoys many opportunities of studying the 

 character and habits of the people. 



I chanced, once, to be the only Briton on board the 

 steamer that plied between the Nord fiord and Bergen, 

 and I was particularly struck, on that occasion, with the 

 silence that seemed to be cultivated by the people as if it 

 were a virtue. I do not mean to say that the passengers 

 and crew were taciturn far from it ; they bustled about 

 actively, and were quite sociable and talkative ; but all 

 their talk was in an undertone no voice was ever raised 

 to a loud pitch. Even the captain, when he gave orders, 

 did so in a quiet voice, usually walking up to the men 

 and telling them gently to do so and so. When I called 



