NOR JVA Y 89 



home, the female portion of the population of the Soeters 

 being very simple-minded. 



The rain continued pelting down, and — horror ! — we 

 found the roof began to leak. Drip ! drip ! Our bed 

 was quite dry when we went to sleep, about ten, but at 

 twelve Alston had to turn out, when it began to splish- 

 splash ! on our faces. He retired below the table, where 

 he made a shake-down with a little hay and an old rug 

 on the earthen floor, and slept quite comfortably. Ole 

 slept on a bench with Alston's big cloak under him. I 

 tried a bench bare of bedding, and then got into the bed 

 again with my head turned the other way. Then the 

 fleas scampered over me for half an hour or so, and I got 

 considerably bitten, but I dropped off to sleep at last. 

 Trond slept through rain and fleas enveloped in his 

 sheep-skin, and never winked till morning. 



July 9. 



Sunday, the 9th of July, was fine, but with a heavy 

 shower in the afternoon. 



We were up at seven, and sent Trond and the horse to 

 Thune for supplies. 



We went down to the large lake — Kvoevlin Vand — got 

 a boat and a man and two boys, and went out to the 

 islands. We went first to the point of the large island — 

 Sedsoe — at the head of the lake where we had seen the 

 birds yesterday. We put them both up, and found our 

 goose to be a Scoter. I knocked one of them over, and 

 wounded the other, Alston also putting one barrel into 

 it. But the first dived and was lost, and the other went 

 far down the lake. We then found the nest, with eight 

 eggs, which were quite fresh. 



Then we landed at a point on the other side. The 

 boys would talk, and the consequence was that another 

 Duck got off its nest and out on to the lake before we 



