28 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



It is not everyone who lias shot a Norwegian bear. 

 The mainland opposite Hitteren was mountainous and 

 thickly wooded, and though bears were constantly 

 heard of therein, and were apparently fond of killing 

 stray Norwegian stock, the difficulty always was for 

 the hunter to find them. Many a long day's tramp I 

 subsequently had in this rough country in the vain 

 pursuit of this elusive game, and this during the 

 most active period of my youthful manhood. Walk 

 and spy and hunt as I would o'er mainland hill and 

 dale in Throndhjem's Amt, I only once in the far 

 distance saw a bear ; but neither then nor at any 

 other time did I ever get a shot at this species of 

 Norway big-game. Buxton had been more fortunate. 



' How did you get him ?' I asked. 



It turned out that he had spied Bruin in the early 

 dawn on an open hillside in a perfectly orthodox, 

 scientific, Scotch deer- stalker's fashion, and then 

 accomplished a successful approach and kill. 



Two days later MacGregor and all the rest of them 

 embarked on the steamer for Hull, leaving ' Sixty- 

 one ' in peace at Havn, while Bertram Buxton and 

 I left in a coaster for Throndhjem en route for the 

 Dovre Fjeld, where we hoped to get a chance at 

 the wild reindeer. I had arranged at the last moment 

 to accept his kind offer to share in the trip, the 

 incidents of which I refer to in a subsequent chapter. 



From 1873tol876I continued my visits to Norway 

 without a break, generally during the months of July, 

 August, and September. In 1873 we MacGregor 

 and myself, with two friends leased the Quaale beat 

 of the Orkla River, and had excellent sport in that 

 and following years with Orkla salmon. On Hitteren 

 we had obtained the lease of the Strom Forest, the 



