6 A RIVER OF NORWAY 



the river's mouth, the great fall comes into 

 view white, splendid, translucent a tum- 

 bling mass of foaming water; showing that 

 the river is, as we expected, in very high flood. 

 To the right lies the little group of dwellings 

 composing the hamlet of Osen, conspicuous 

 among them our house with its orchard and 

 garden, the former not yet in bloom. 



We learn on landing that in spite of the late- 

 ness of Spring in some years the orchard is in 

 full bloom on June 1st salmon began run- 

 ning very early this year. A party of Nor- 

 wegians from Bergen usually fish here in May, 

 their enterprise being seldom rewarded with 

 many fish. This year they are said to have 

 killed fifteen; one a 30-pounder, as early as 

 May 6th. It is possible that in many Nor- 

 wegian rivers which are not (officially) fished 

 until early in June, fish run much sooner than 

 is commonly supposed by the English lessees. 

 But there can be no doubt that for this dis- 

 trict this river is very early. The cause is to 

 be found perhaps not only in its comparative 

 proximity to the open sea, the fish having to 

 make a shorter fjord journey than to most 

 rivers of its size, but in the fact that the water 



