chap, ii THE ARCTIC CIRCLE 15 



Stavanger lay almost asleep at the head of its green inlet. 

 We landed there before midnight to see the exterior of its 

 cathedral, which has been remade rather than restored, and 

 to feel the joy of land beneath our feet. I for one was 

 but half awake, and dimly remember the new cut tracery of 

 the windows and carving of the pointed west door and 

 Romanesque north porch — all nineteenth century alike. 

 Our ship soon sailed again with a dormant company of 

 passengers, who reappeared next morning (June 4th) to 

 watch the passing of fine views, seen through a transparent 

 veil of rain. At nine A.M. the pale daylight showed low islands, 

 rounded and sometimes wooded, forming various combina- 

 tions, and moving one behind another, the remoter seen 

 over the heads of those nearer at hand. Snow-capped hills 

 in the background looked large by contrast ; and every- 

 where the smooth sea lay in the lap of the land, like clouds 

 in mountain valleys. Wet on rocks and grass enforced their 

 brilliancy of colour ; but damp made the air grey, and 

 almost as palpable as eider-down. The steamer pushed us 

 as gently through it as it did through the water. 



By ten o'clock we were in the Bergen Customs House, 

 meeting with much civility from the officials, thanks no doubt 

 to a good word from the Minister at the English Court. I 

 inadvertently jeopardised the smoothness of relations by 

 speaking of him as the Swedish Minister. "We have no- 

 thing to do with Sweden," said the official testily, " and no 

 Swedish Minister has anything to do with us." To search 

 for the Raftsund, the steamer that was to carry us north, was 

 the first business. She was not alongside, as expected, nor 

 even in sight. A lengthy investigation revealed her in dry 

 dock, in the hands of shipwrights. For three days she would 

 not be ready to sail. 



More curious persons would have used the interval for 

 an excursion ; but when strenuous work lies ahead, delay 



