2 6 Norway and the Norivegians 



of crossing tlie huge Jostedalsbrse, which is very narrow 

 in proportion to its length, is not beyond the compass 

 of a third or fourth rate mountaineer. Every year one 

 or two ladies perform the feat, and have the pleasure of 

 boasting that they have crossed the largest ice-sheet in 

 our quarter of the globe.^ These two glaciers belong 

 to the two fjords of which I have already spoken 

 several times ; the Folgeford overlooks the Hardanger, 

 and may be seen from almost any point on that fjord. 

 The Jostedalsbrse, in like fashion, lies close to three of 

 the branches of the Sognefjord, the Lysterfjord, the 

 Sogndals fjord, and the Fjarlefjord, and generally lies 

 along a portion of the watershed between the Sogne- 

 fjord and the next great fjord north of it, the Nordfjord. 

 The Skjsergaard, or island-belt round the coast, the 

 fjords and the mountains which immediately enclose 

 them, the snow-fields and glaciers which rest above, 

 and the streams and waterfalls which descend thence 

 into the fjords and into the sea, these things we have 

 spoken of; they sum up all the principal features of 

 the country with which nine out of any ten travellers 

 in Norway come in contact. For the travellers in, or, 

 say, the visitors to, Norway may be divided into three 

 classes. First, those who come for sport — which here is 

 almost exclusively fishing — these usually settle them- 

 selves for the wdiole time of their stay not far from the 

 mouth of one of the salmon rivers of the country. The 

 scenery which they get a glimpse of is the scenery of 

 the fjords and the river-lakes near the coast. Another 

 set are those who come either in private yachts, or on 

 what are called now-a-days yacht-steamers, and scarcely 



^ Save one in Iceland. 



