CHAPTER XV 

 CASTING FROM ROCKS AND BOATS 



THE reader of these sketchy studies of fishing in Nor- 

 way has been fairly warned already not to expect 

 exciting records of slaughter amongst salmon. Of 

 course, no angler would be at a loss to explain away 

 his poor bags ; his excuses are proverbial, they are an 

 old joke, they have long been a proverb. When people 

 hear of unfavourable weather, too much sun, rain, 

 wind, or too little, they very sensibly smile. I smile 

 too, whenever, as so often happens, the necessity 

 of offering such pleas is emphasised by a discreet 

 silence. The fisherman who knows will be able, for 

 himself, to read that the fates were very much against 

 us ; and I would again remind him that my object 

 is to provide him with some knowledge that will be 

 useful when the good time of casual visits to Norway 

 returns, and he sails across to make one for himself. 



To a student of geology anxious to acquire know- 

 ledge on the practical methods of Mr. Squeers, or to 

 the athlete who loves to skip like a goat from crag to 

 crag, I fearlessly recommend No. 8 beat of the Mandal 

 river. He may take choice of rocks of every sort and 

 size. The convulsion of nature that transformed this 

 peaceful valley of Southern Norway did it with a will 

 that left stupendous evidence of thoroughness through 

 all the ages. There are rocks more or less along all the 



