HEAR THE NEWS FROM NORWAY. 165 



progress to the northeast with both wind and cur- 

 rent against us. This is the more vexatious and 

 tantalizing, as the brief Arctic summer is slipping 

 fast away, and this is such a splendid day that we 

 keep fancying many walruses must be being killed 

 in the direction of the bank and Ryk Yse Island. 



We moored to a flat, tabular iceberg, to fill up 

 the water-casks. Even sea-ice, as is well known, 

 makes drinkably fresh water, and most of the flat 

 slabs have a hollow in the surface filled with water 

 from the melted snow, so that we are never at any 

 loss for fresh water. 



6th. We met a small schooner, and heard from 

 the master of the great battle of Solferino, and also 

 that Oscar, king of Norway and Sweden, was dead. 

 His demise does not seem to affect very much his 

 loyal subjects in this sloop. 



The Norwegians are in general very democratic 

 people, and not fond of kings and nobles; they 

 also very much dislike the Swedes, and most jeal- 

 ously resent any interference or attempt at su- 

 premacy on the part of that people. 



This skyppar, Daniel Danielson, who gave us 

 the above intelligence, had piloted my yacht from 

 Hammerfest to Tromsoe when I was grouse-shoot- 

 ing among these islands in September, 1858, and I 

 was glad to meet him again, as he is one of the finest 

 fellows I ever saw in my life. M Bold as a lion, and 

 strong as a horse, " he is universally admitted to be 

 one of the most skillful, brave, and successful of all 



