32 THE FOREST LANDS OF NORTHERN RUSSIA, 



of bark and water- worn, swept round and round, and anon 

 raised a despairing arm to heaven for help, only to sink 

 back into the toils again/ 



Of such a scene the author of Frost and Fire gives the 

 following graphic sketch. It is an account of what was 

 seen by him at Vigelund, on the Torristal River, about ten 

 miles above Christiansand. 



' At every moment some new arrival comes sailing down 

 the rapids, pitches over the fall, and dives into a foaming 

 ground pool, where hundreds of other logs are revolving 

 and whirling about each other in creamy froth. The new 

 comer first takes a header, and dives into some unknown 

 depth, but presently he shoots up in the midst of the pool, 

 rolls over and over, and shakes himself till he finds his 

 level, and then he joins the dance. There is first a slow 

 sober glissade eastward across the stream to a rock which 

 bears the mark of many a hard blow, There is a shurHe, 

 a concussion, and a retreat, followed by a pirouette sunwise, 

 and a sidelong sweep northwards up stream towards the 

 fall. Then comes a vehement whirling over and over, or 

 if a tree gets bis head under the fall, there is a somersault, 

 like a performance in the Hailing dance. That is followed 

 by a rush sideways and westward, when there is a long fit 

 of setting to partners under the lee of a big rock; then 

 comes a simultaneous rush southwards, towards the rapid 

 which leads to the sea, and some logs escape and depart, 

 but the rest appear to be seized with some freak, and away 

 they all slide eastwards again across the stream to have 

 another bout with the old battered pudding-stone rock 

 below the sawmill ; and so for hours and days logs whirl 

 one way, in this case against the sun, below the fall, and 

 they dash against the rounded walls of the pool. Such is 

 the effect of these concussions that above the fall it has 

 been found necessary to protect the rock against floating 

 bodies so as to preserve the way of the stream. It 

 threatened to alter its course and leave the mill dry, for 

 the rock was wearing rapidly. Lower down, nearer the 

 sea, is a long flat marsh, between high, rounded cliffs ; and 



