8 THE NATURALIST IN NOKWAY. 



brought into the town of a bear in the vicinity, Ole 

 armed himself as usual, and prepared to set forth. 

 The wife, who was a big, fat woman, was determined 

 to keep her husband at home by force on this particular 

 occasion. The little tailor was so enraged at the at- 

 tempt, that in a fit of ungovernable passion, he raised 

 his rifle, and put an end at once to his wife and her 

 interference. The luckless tailor was tried for the 

 crime, and was sentenced to be decapitated. Capital 

 offenders were then, as at the present time, beheaded 

 with a sword. Ordinary criminals were compelled to 

 kneel with their heads on the block ; traitors were 

 allowed the melancholy privilege of being decapitated 

 standing. As Ole Hansen was a free-born citizen of 

 Christiania, and, moreover, a man of some note, he 

 was permitted to be beheaded standing. When the 

 day for the execution arrived, crowds of weeping citi- 

 zens followed the condemned man to the scaffold, for 

 they mourned for his loss, as they considered he had 

 been a public benefactor. The executioner, who was 

 also a respectable citizen of Christiania, as well as a 

 personal friend of the culprit, and had often accom- 

 panied him on his hunting expeditions, took his com- 

 rade kindly by the hand, and condoled with him. It 

 was this worthy's intention to decapitate his friend in as 

 skilful and expeditious a manner as he could. To do 

 so effectually, he took out his snuffbox, and offered 

 Ole a pinch of its contents. While the criminal was 

 raising his fingers to his nose, a single stroke of the 

 sword was given, and the head of the murderer rolled 

 on the scaffold. Then followed a strange incident. 

 For several seconds the body of the decapitated man 

 stood upright, while the right arm moved slowly up- 



